Travel Book Reflection ☼

A couple of days ago I finished reading "A Trip to the Beach", the travel book I chose for my final literature paper. The narration is told from the perspective of Melinda and Robert Blanchard, whom were once tourists in the island of Anguilla. They had come for vacation to the island, but they found it so serene, beautiful and relaxing that they decided to move over there permanently. They had not realized they would eventually create an escape from their daily rushed lives into their home. Building a restaurant near the beach, was their main impulse, due to that the last time they spent a perfect day at the beach, except that at the end of the day there was no good place around to eat dinner.

Melinda, the main speaker, narrates the hardships they went through as they tried to build the restaurant; for it is not easy to make business in foreign land! She compares it with her view as when she was a simple tourist enjoying Anguilla’s calm beaches and soothing sun. Though, the feeling that the ocean brings to her is incomparable, as if it were something special for her. Certainly their lives had changed but for good. This, Mel realizes by the time the restaurant was completely built; she and Bob had learn to live on island time (a phrase used to describe the locals’ dull pace). In Anguilla time seemed disregarded, which brought a sense of peacefulness, in contrast to their exhilarating life in Vermont. Mostly, they liked that business was in a way informal, though at that same time strict and costly. 

Successfully, with lots of work they had built the best restaurant in town. The book is thrilling, humorous and informative, having some recipes and aspects of the Anguillan culture. Their restaurant, even after a very bad storm, is still in Meads Bay in Anguilla. After reading this book I would like to visit it, so I looked for information about them and here's their web link, which also includes the staff (the same characters of the narrative) and information about their Anguilla's Children Fund... Blanchards Restaurant

My Blog's Reflection

Hello everyone! The creation of this blog was and will continue to be a very important part of my journey. I knew this from the moment I was choosing its title, and then, to the "completion" of all my writings. (Though many of these thoughts keep developing along my daily life!!) I didn't find it complicated to make the blog, since I had previously created one about Syria's culture for a history class in high school, and currently I have one about poems I have written throughout my life.

As I learn more everyday about literature and its connection with life itself, reflections and thoughts about certain aspects evolve in my mind. At the end of the day, I'm glad I have a place to write these, and I believe someone somewhere in the world will read them, and can also create their own reflections, or maybe have an insight through mine's. I am also grateful to have the opportunity to share with you my anecdotes and some photos that describe myself or way of thinking. The blog has allowed me to open up to the world, meanwhile aiding in the development of my writing skills to a higher level. 

A blog is all about creativity, and making connections with many people, whether it is for informational purposes or just for enjoyment. I believe it is a way of leaving a mark, or a will by impacting others (those who decide to read your writings). Not only my blog "Journey", but many blogs are truly a unique form of expression! I encourage anyone to create one, and leave a small trace of their life journey, for written words might be the footsteps that will never be erased.

"Curious Travelers" Group Reflection

At the beginning of the semester, in my “Journey in Literature” class we were assigned into small groups with classmates whom we would work together until the end of the course. From that moment a new external journey had begun for me. As my classmates and I chose our group name, we got to know a little about each other … finding out we were all studying natural sciences! For, we decided to name ourselves after Curious Travelers. Given that all science mainly begins with curiosity, it involves the willing to discover while moving through our own journeys. 

We also had our different roles; mine was the task manager. I was in charge for tasks being done and in the right timing. Personally I really liked our group’s dynamic, since we worked all together and most of our writing compositions turned out to be quite fluent by combining all ideas as a final one; I felt as if we were connected! I must admit that this group experience gave me a lot to learn as for my internal journey, and external journey in terms of communication and expression. Since I can consider myself as being introspective most of the time, I had an opportunity of meeting people and sharing my thoughts with them. Now, I know I must expand my journey’s barriers, because if I do so, I’ll receive more of these great experiences, which will lead me to the path to success in life. I believe we had a great interaction as a group. I must highlight that it was very interesting, that from such a big group we were all put together. 

Among our various works and presentations are the analysis about our Puerto Rican identity, Jamaica Kincaid and Carl Yung's book of dreams. For these we worked together in reading the text and expressing our thoughts, which were then written and combined to be presented in class. Throughout this process we overcame our difficulties, and each one of us realized our different tasks. I would like to add that I have enjoyed reading my group members' personal blogs in which they have done their own analysis of these and many aspects discussed in class. I invite you to visit their blogs; in continuation,I leave you a link to their amazing blogs! 

☼ 460 meters per second  ☼  Every word is a new world 
☼ Let's travel a little... ☼ Me, Myself and My World 

TOURIST FOR THE DAY in CONDADO, PUERTO RICO

Hi everyone and a warm Welcome to the exquisite area of Condado!!! Before talking about my experience from the perspective as a tourist with the beautiful beaches, the sunny weather and the fantastic culinary experience, I want to let you know that there is more to this beautiful area of San Juan. Looking back to history Condado was urbanized in 1908 by two brothers, last named Behn. They decided to start the urban development of “El Condado”. The Behn brothers constructed a bridge to replace the rock and wood platform that connected San Juan with the “Isleta of San Juan” (or small island part of San Juan). This is now called “Puente Dos Hermanos” or Two Brothers Bridge, and is used as the main entrance to the attractive area of Condado.

        Since we arrive to this bridge we start seeing the beauty of this amazing area, the elegant bridge surrounded on both sides by crystal blue waters of the Laguna, where for most of the time we can watch tourist and local people enjoy paddle boarding or simply enjoying the beach which is called “Playita del Condado” (Condado Small Beach). There we saw a recreational area were they have very important information about a complex urban ecosystem in the Laguna, such as the Brown Pelican, the Magnificent frigate bird and the Antillean Manatee. And from here we continue learning its history; in the beach of the lagoon we can see a small barrier of rocks & coral reef that one of them has the unique form of a dog as if watching the horizon. There is an old legend that a young Spanish soldier named Enrique, far from home, felt alone until he adopted a stray dog. He took care of the dog and cherished the dog’s companionship. He named him "Amigo" (Friend). The dog loved him, and all they had in the world was each other. One day, Enrique had to leave for a battle, but he told the dog that he would return. So the dog sadly watched the boat leave, he even swam away from the fort, to sit on a coral ledge to watch the horizon, and then to wait for Enrique’s return. He would swim to there every day, waiting and watching. And is still there awaiting patiently on guard, eternally watching the horizon, until he sees his owner back again… Legend says that the dog sat there for so long that he eventually turned to stone.

        That was a very sad story, but we kept on going walking through the beautiful Ashford Avenue of Condado, which by the way is named after the very well-known Dr. Bailey Ashford resident and doctor of the district. Next stop was very nearby, the amazingly beautiful Conrad Hotel, which from the street we can see a small bridge in midair going from one side of the hotel crossing to the other side. Here they told us that this bridge also had its history!!! This small air-bridge was built in honor of the acrobat Karl Wallenda, founder of the "The Flying Wallenda’s" which at his 73 years of age attempted to walk between two towers of the hotel, on a wire 100 feet above the ground and without a safety net in 1978 but unfortunately failed his attempt, when he fell of the cord and died, after a lifetime of famous acrobatic acts. His wife and son also acrobats commemorated his act, and fortunately completed the walk. Eventually the hotel built this bridge to connect both towers and named it “The Wallenda Bridge”.

      Continuing or journey the lovely Condado district we were told that the neighborhood experienced an economic boom in the first decades of the 20th century when some of the wealthiest families built their homes in the area. One of these were The Vanderbilt’s, which built a summer home in 1919 which today has been converted into the luxurious Condado Vanderbilt Hotel. This said our next stop was an amazingly tall hotel which consisted of two towers separated by an amazing central structure with exquisite Spanish Revival Style architecture, called the Grand Condado Vanderbilt Hotel. The Condado Vanderbilt was the first luxury hotel to open in Puerto Rico and was also the first hotel in Puerto Rico to have a casino. Can you say WOW!!!

          Not enough being said, walking out from the luxurious Vanderbilt, we stepped in to an amazing park that just by looking at it nearby you could feel the peace and tranquility it transmitted. TRULY STUNNING!!! It is called the “Ventana al Mar” (Window to the Ocean), it is surely is a window!! We could see families gathered together playing with children, adults gathered talking or couples romantically enjoying the wonderful view of the ocean, the trees and palm trees… this park is like a place to escape from the amazing, but sometimes fuzzy touristic area. It was simply breath taking!!!

 Next to the “Ventana”, we can see La Concha Renaissance San Juan Resort another of the famous luxury resorts, located at the Condado oceanfront. The hotel was first opened in 1958 during the Tropical Modernism Movement. This hotel has an amazing seashell-shaped structure which in the inside has one of the most famous restaurants of the area, Restaurant Perla (Pearl). 

           It has been known to be one of the most modern and luxurious hotels in Puerto Rico. It is a popular stay for many well-known Hollywood celebrities. In our stay here we met a couple of tourist all the way from Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, New York, Virgin Islands, and even Russia!!! We enjoyed a lot the hotel attractions as well as the amazing interior gardens and spots it has!!

     I took a picture of the Perla restaurant from one of the lobbies… it looks amazing at night!!! Talking about “night” what can I say about the NIGHT LIFE?!! It is incredible… awesome places, good music, great cocktails and fantastic people!!! Not to mention the extraordinary local people of P.R. who treated us so good!!! Our journey continues… 

I, accompanied by my sister, kept walking as a tourist through the picturesque streets of Condado, watching along the way very fine boutiques and excellent restaurants as well as admiring the breathtaking beauty of this exclusive area.

Here's a video which portrays similar features I enjoyed from Condado, PR from a perspective as tourist, though being a resident of this tropical island.

A Reflection to a Conference of "Timothy Leary: The Harvard Years"

         A conference held on October 29, 2014 on the University of Puerto Rico in Rio Piedras, in which I had the opportunity of assisting to, was of much admiration and enjoyment. At the beginning I had no idea what to expect or what it was going to be about, but then the introduction captured my curiosity as an auditor. From it, I learned the time period to which the conference was going to be focusing on, the sixties. I thought: "How amazing!", since I have always admired older generations, due to the fact that they portray various changes humanity have overcome. "Timothy Leary: The Harvard Years" is a book written by Dr, James Penner about Leary's thoughts and experiments of psychedelic drugs and its involvement in people's life.

I think it is interesting that someone believes that psychedelic drugs taken in controlled ways may help in the development of the person who consumes them. This involves perspective, since there are many ways to take in this believe, and also, not everyone believes so. It is important, too that we acknowledge the time period when there was a movement (involved in the introduction and use of drugs such as LSD and psilocybin) in the 60's. Everything is so risky nowadays, that having these might not be a good option, even though Leary describes they had a good effect in his first experience.

Picture taken from: http://timothyleary.org/#1

           I believe you can reach a similar state of mind through other means, since as Dr. Penner described, if the person that consumes it has not the adequate state of mind, the desired effect of reaching "enlightenment" might not be acquired. This is an interesting topic, but as well give the reader a lot to think about.

Dr. Penner, the author, has done an admirable work by bringing back the collections of Dr. Leary's writing including his scientific articles during his career as a professor in Harvard from 1960 to 1965. After the conference I got interested in the book, and into looking on some of Leary's quotes (activity recommended by the author), so I'll leave some of these below. Enjoy!

Picture taken from: http://timothyleary.org/#1

"The Rum Diary" Reflection

As part of the audience of The Rum Diary film, I not only enjoyed the movie for its humoristic feature but also received an insight of my country’s history since it is set on Puerto Rico in the 1970s. From an American, point of view we can appreciate some cultural aspects of the island, and problems it was facing at that time period.  This movie relates to some of Jamaica’s Kincaid defining characteristics presented in her many works, like “A Small Place”. These are: location, perspective, in-group, out-group, and othering, which are also reflected in The Rum Diary, based on the novel by Hunter S. Thompson. 

         The protagonist Paul Kemp (Johnny Depp) is a magnificent author that applies for a job at a newspaper in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Even though at first he is given the horoscope section, later he is given a very important position, in which he is asked to write about subjects that would interest tourists visiting the island. Instead, Paul writes about Puerto Rico’s most decayed aspects, like poverty, criminality, and independence strikes. This certainly locates the audience as a natural of the island, inviting them to “live” and be aware of features other than Puerto Rico’s beautiful paradise. The character of Sanderson (Aaron Eckhart) presents the theme of othering given that he constantly marks the difference between him (American) and islanders from the Caribbean. Sanderson reflect the feeling of colonists’ oppression toward the colonized, and only sees the island as a gold mine, in which he will construct many hotels without realizing the destruction of paradise itself. His superiority does not only show with Puerto Ricans, but even with Kemp who is also American, and whom Sander tries to bribe so he writes good details of his property schemes.

         Chenault (Amber Heard), who is Sander’s mistress, plays the role the beautiful woman who is tired of her husband’s ego and wealth. It can be interpreted that she represents the theme of in-group, since she seems to enjoy from the Caribbean culture and has no problem in integrating to its people as we can see in the feasts. In return, ironically, she feels out of the group when she is with Sander’s friends. Every time she has the chance, she slips away to enjoy the island. In overall, I really enjoyed this movie; I found it very informative and I appreciate the recreation of scenes that were given, and of recognized places, in the 1970s on the island that have certainly changed over time. By presenting the culture and historical facts, takes me back to my Puerto Rican roots and reinforces identity.

Reflection to "Girl" by Jamaica Kincaid

       As a reader, I thought the poem “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid is for the most time true; we get an insight of all the expectations society has for women, which we can see are more than those for men. In this whole work Jamaica describes various aspects women have to be careful about and also manage, not only in the household but also to be respectable women. Women apart from all the chores she’s expected to do, also have to acquire an honorable image. The food to cook, the way to dress and walk what to sing or say, personal appearance, and even her sexuality are all features women must take care about. By the title Girl we can infer that the mother is telling her daughter all these things in advanced, in the time just before becoming a woman, so that when she does, she becomes a good one. There’s no doubt this poem presents some feminism in relation to the author’s perspective, though I agree with what is written and inferred throughout the text.

         I can relate to the poem because, me being a girl, I am expected to do many, with some exceptions, of what Jamaica writes in her poem. In addition as to present times, we are expected to study and become professionals. Being brought down from generations, and as part of Puerto Rico’s values, a woman must act respectably in order to be treated as one; this is a very important trait that defines women. Otherwise, as the poem says, they would be the sluts by not controlling their nature. For me, this would be a delicate statement to say, since it can vary given the variety of conditions us humans live at and our incomprehensible ideals. The reader can also appreciate the strict tone Jamaica uses, which I believe, represents very well the significance of moral values to the people in these countries. Finally, Jamaica presents the theme of love, also in a feminist way, and recalls the distinctions between men and women. 

Here's a link to the poem, I invite you to read it, if you haven't:

http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/virtualit/fiction/Girl/Girl.pdf

Writing about Jim Cooper's "Down on the Island"

        The recognized writer, Jim Cooper, narrates his experience as an English professor in the University of Puerto Rico in Mayaguez. In his book “Down on the Island” he gives an insight of Puerto Rico’s distinct features through the way of life he acquires coming to teach to the island. His first thought of was to escape from “real life”, but then finds himself actually integrated to its people’s way of life.

         On chapter seven of the book titled Teaching English, Cooper says he was not capable of teaching literature or even a language, although he had a degree on literature. At first it was hard for him, since he was the only continental English professor, and was given much responsibility. Students were not able to learn English properly, even though they really desired to learn and communicate with it. Cooper realized that not only Puerto Rico’s schools had a bad educational system, but also the Colegio (as the Mayaguez University is known). Therefore, he bought new books and, with the help of other professors, created a new syllabus. Politics also had a negative influence over students’ capability of learning English since high school. This, along with other teaching methods, like “oral method” and “pattern practice method”, did not improve the learning of English.

         The next chapter, Helping, is about his opinion of students and parents’ reclaim of their grade, in which every situation consisted of the perception students have that the teacher “gave” them a grade instead of understanding that they had to earn it. There’s a curious situation that Cooper explains, in which a boy makes the assignment for his sister, whom is not so good at English, and he asks Cooper why he did not gave her a good grade. I agree with Cooper in that the girl does not deserve a good grade, if she did not do the composition. The boys’ idea of helping is obviously not the correct one, and cannot be given credit for it. Personally, I have not been a situation like this. My sister has always been there for me and my mother too, and they help me in everything they can. Though, not doing a complete assignment for me; for that would not be helping me at all, academically nor growing as a person. Since we studied at a very competitive school, my sister also had her many assignments, so she only helped me as long as she could. Thankfully, I could graduate with high honors, and I could say, with a good preparation to begin my next stage of life, university. 

Journey Journal

         Writing is art, for it conceives the use of various approaches to develop a great work of literature, or even a short narrative. Through writing you can get to know aspects of yourself, especially by doing the first thoughts technique. For our class, we realized this technique which not only created a record of each one of our internal journey, but also helped us in our development of writing by exploring new areas of thought. The goal was to do it routinely five times a week for about ten minutes, and it had some specific rules, I would say. These were discussed by the writer Natalie Goldberg in "Writing Down the Bones": keep your hand moving; don't cross out; don't worry about spelling, punctuation, grammar; lose control; don't think, don't get logical; and go for the jugular. At the same time, it’s a fun activity to set that communication with your inner self and to learn from.

          Now as I look back through my journal from the first day I began writing, I realized at first it was hard for me to follow the rules since I’m used to a more organized writing. Even though I enjoy writing poems, most of the writing I have done in my life have been essays with specific formats. Neither there is so much stream of consciousness in them; fairly, that back and forth did not appear much when I was writing my thoughts. Towards the middles my thoughts began to flow as my hand kept writing and writing. I felt as if it was truly art; I was able to develop many ideas and getting to learn more about my inner self. One of these realizations was that I’m constantly overthinking, and wondering about my future. I guess it’s because it is one of my most significant concerns presently.

I truly enjoyed being able to interact, in another way, with the introspective part of me. I will continue performing this activity as long as I can, since it is also very interesting. The life compasses helped me reflect on aspects of my internal journey, like my spirituality, creativity, emotions, and physical aspects on a daily basis. For then, I could know where I had to reinforce these to be a better person every day. Here, I saw a clear connection between my internal and external journeys and how they affected each other. Finally, in this journal I recorded some of my dreams as Carl Yung does in his book; to know more these writings, I invite you to read my previous entry, Daily Writing, Remembering Dreams.

The front cover of my journal is a collage I made with 
cut outs from magazines to represent my external journey.

The back cover of my journal is a collage I made with 
cut outs from magazines to represent my internal journey.

Daily Writing, Remembering Dreams☼

       As soon as I wake up, most of the times I can remember my dreams, and sometimes they are the reason I wake up in the middle of the night. Some are vivid; some are blurry ones, and some I can’t even recall. But what is curious about them is their meaning, if they have any. Recently, I did the technique of writing about your dreams as soon as you woke up, and try remembering as much as possible. Having done this activity for some days, one can then look back at them and in these; one might discover an aspect of oneself or of one’s personality that is hidden in the unconsciousness. As Carl Young says in his book, “Soon I realized it was right to take dreams in this way as the basis of interpretation.” It’s interesting his reflection of writing his own dreams; he saw it as art and that his unconscious was forming a personality that was not him.

         It worked for me; although I might not be sure of the exact meaning of them, I can make inferences and learn about my unconscious, which is the one “working” while sleeping. I also believe though that’s not always true because in dreams, where I find myself in situations that happened to me in real life, I feel like if I had the knowledge of what to do or if something is wrong. Therefore, I believe there’s a connection between the conscious, which knows the outcome of a situation and the unconscious, which is experiencing or creating the situation at that moment in my dreams. Neither do I want to leave behind the fact that dream interpretation is a complicated topic, for there are innumerable perceptions about dreams.  

         Last night I dreamt that I was on the beach, just walking in the sand as if heading nowhere, and then I found my family. I recall that suddenly I found myself in another place with my high school classmates, and we were at a fancy party wearing long dresses and having quite fun. I have the perception I felt somehow lost or lonely; here’s the part where I say my unconscious intertwines with my conscious and I get the present feeling, but in an unreal situation, which is my dream. I’m not sure what that means, but it definitely says something about me. Lately, in most of my dreams, I have the thought that a tsunami is going to occur, so I’m always wondering about that, too. As for last night I woke up at midnight, but I cannot remember what happened in the dream that caused me to wake up. Most or the time these are vivid or colorful, for I can see the faces of people in them clearly, and even recognize the feelings I experience while I’m in my dreams.

Reflection to "A Small Place"

Jamaica Kincaid, as a person who was born on a tropical island such as Antigua, uses well her ability of writing naturally and fluently to express her ideas over the island she grew at. For this, she takes the position of a tourist who visits the island to vacation, in order to describe Antigua from an outside and inside perspective. Kincaid primarily, argues the consequences British rule brought to the island. Thereof she blames colonialism for the actual and impoverished status of the island. As she expresses, Antiguans learned corruption, bad governing, and uncultured habits form English people. In her opinion, “living as monkeys” was much better than living under British rule. Antiguans were good people with good habits, so much, that they seemed more cultured than the English living among them. Kincaid also expresses that Antiguans have a special reverence for English culture, which is somehow of an irony since they were the ones who colonized them to the point that there was racism, slave trade and oppressive rule.

As a reader, I enjoyed the contents of this book, because in a way I can relate to Kincaid and her experiences. Puerto Rico is also a small island but is not independent; it is still a territory of a strong nation like the United States. Living here, I’ve noticed the people’s mentality of an oppressed country, exactly our current status. Therefore, there are variations in Puerto Rico’s identity, and society ideologies are in constant change. Some are trying to protect our island’s culture and traditions so they continue defining who we are. While others, are not. This has been occurring for many years now, and I believe we need to unite as a country and work with what we have, the many resources including our people and our island’s beauty, before we lose them too! As for me, I keep enjoying Puerto Rico’s amazing culture, even as a tourist, every now and then.

About "A Small Place" by Kincaid

The book “A Small Place” commences describing the island of Antigua as a tourist would see it. By writing the story through this perspective, it is more interesting knowing the fact that its author, Jamaica Kincaid, is actually Antiguan, which she mentions in the first section. She has the ability to see her island from the outside as a tourist, but being part of the inside. Kincaid narrates the experiences and possible thoughts the reader might have if they were tourists visiting Antigua. She describes all the beauty the island offers, which are clear water beaches, friendly sun and delicious local foods, and the feelings these provoke in a tourist. Kincaid also talks about some harsh situations the locals live through, but always disguising it by the good time the tourist is experiencing since it’s supposed to be vacations, a time to relax and enjoy nature’s beauty.

As the narrative continues, while the tourist is “in” a taxi, Kincaid being Antiguan presents an insight of these features that reflect the island’s poorness. There is a hospital which Antiguans don’t even consider a good one, and those who are better financially travel to another country to get attended. The school and the library are also in poor conditions, especially the library which awaits repair since an earthquake in 1974. When the tourist finally arrives at the hotel, there is an image of the tourist enjoying the island’s beauty and wondering where everything in the island began and ended. Suddenly, Kincaid comes up with the idea of the tourist visualizing himself or herself as a tourist, the ugliness it represented. Finding pleasure in a place where natives found it full of boredom, and being envied by them for having such an ability of leaving your home and enjoying somewhere else.

 In the second part of the book Kincaid expresses the love for her island especially the old times where she grew up. She remembers it was a whole different island when Great Britain had possession of the island. There was racism due to that there was a time of slave trade, which was later outlawed. Kincaid recalls some buildings, such as the Barclay’s Bank and the Mill Reef Club, which were certainly founded and administrated by English, wealthy people. Every now and then, she repeated that they, Antiguans felt more superior among English, since they were so much better behaved than the uncivilized English. Kincaid tries to justify the island’s current situation by the oppression they experienced in the past as victims of colonialism.

Puerto Rico, My Homeland

      The term identity encompasses a variety of meanings according to a person’s way of thinking given that we’ve all had different experiences in our life. As the writer Peter Roberts expresses in the introduction of “The Roots of Caribbean Identity: Language, Race and Ecology”, home refers to a psychological factor of attachment, and it may be the place of one’s birth, place of residence or 'where the heart is'. Of the book’s introduction, I liked what I thought that was extremely truthful, is that the knowledge of identities and the distinguishing of cultural aspects is gained through the communication with natives.

As for me, Puerto Rico the country where I was born and grew up with my family is the place that I identify myself with; the place I refer to as my home. Even though my roots are African, Spanish and Taíno, and my country has been governed by Americans for many years, I identify myself as being Puerto Rican, which is exactly that, a unique mixture of all our roots.

          Puerto Rico is a small island that has many beautiful features not only to offer people who come to visit, but also to make it a great place to live at! I’ve had the opportunity to live in both rural and urban areas of the island. As to climate, since Puerto Rico is a small tropical island, no matter if you find yourself in the south or north, it will be more or less the same, which I love. In the rural area the environment is fresh, calm, and involves more familiar unity. People share with one another more closely between neighbors and friends. While life in the urban area, or the city, has more going on. For example in the capital city, San Juan, since it has more things you can do and attractions to visit, the key is to do as much as you can to enjoy of Puerto Rico’s beauty!  

          Like very place in this world, not everything in the island is as beautiful as its landscapes. For example, crime, which mainly involves robbery, and for being a small island, it is considered high. I believe the education offered is really good, considering that there are many opportunities, financially and educationally, to become professionals. The economy of the island is a poor one, though. I also think that our island have the enough resources to be in good or better conditions, but we Puerto Ricans need to work our land and with ourselves so we create a change and become a stronger nation. Through history, politics have had a negative influence on us, on the present, and on the success of the island. Therefore, I believe politicians, governors, leaders of different political parties should unite for the improvement of our island.

          This and many other features are the ones that characterize Puerto Rico, the reason why I identify with it and I am glad to call it my homeland. Its language, art, history, food and its people are all unique; including its variety of landscapes like blue-beaches, tropical rainforest, farmland, and green mountains. 

Embrace to Poetry!

After my experience of watching Dead Poets Society and expressing my thoughts about the film, I would like to share one of the many poems I have written along my lifetime. Since, in occasions, I prefer to express my feelings not only through dance, but also through poetry. I hope you enjoy it!

Today, she is an owl,

with big eyes as if with glasses.

She glares into the forest,

watching the woodpeckers work.

Wonders if tomorrow she will become a red rose,

In a garden full of diversity,

Being touched by the rain, standing still,

And tries not to be blown away by the wind.

Dead Poets Society Film

The film Dead Poets Society is based on the life of students, specifically six students, each with very different and unique personalities and a teacher, Mr. Keating, whom with his distinct way of thinking inspires freedom and individuality. This film presents a variety of themes that overcome a person at their young adult stage of life. These include: confusion, decisions, love, independence, and in some cases depression. This entry will focus on two of the characters' journeys, internal and external, throughout the film.

Neil Perry, a student of the Walton preparatory, is very dedicated to studies and has A in all classes being the school one of the most challenging. There’s a conflict though, which is that his father is very strict; for he, wants the best for his son but forcing him to have a career as a doctor. As the semester commences and they take class with Mr. Keating, he discovers a passion that was already hidden within him, which is that of acting. By this, he lets the audience know his internal journey of finding out what he wants in life and who he is or wants to become. As a result of this realization, he audiences for a Shakespeare play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream; which his father is totally in rejection of. We can also appreciate his external journey by the way he interacts with his classmates. Neil is the one who reinitiates the Dead Poets Society, showing himself as a leader. He, also with his occurrences and acting, makes his friends laugh, in order to put their mood up. Unfortunately his internal journey has a dreadful end and that is when one night, after talking with his parents about his passion for acting, and seeing that they won’t accept it, he commits suicide.

Another character that caught my attention throughout the movie was Todd Anderson, the "new boy" in school. At the beginning he was insecure, and a righteous boy, strict with himself, which is good because it made him a good student but when it came to showing who he really was and all his talents within him, he failed to do so. In one scene he was writing a poem, as an assignment from Mr. Keating’s class, and as Neil took it from his hand and began reciting it out loud, jokingly, it actually sounded really good. But the next day when he had to recite it in front of the class, he said he didn’t have it done. Mr. Keating forced him, in a funny manner, to recite something random out of his mind, and this resulted in a perfectly, well recited poem. This scene shows a part of his journey in which he discovers his natural ability to create poetry. As part of his external and internal journey, Todd commences to stand up for what he thinks it’s right not for what others think it is. For example, in one class that Mr. Keating orders everyone to walk, he doesn’t, and he says he has the right not to walk, acing the activity by showing individuality.        

Story of My Life

          My name is Airined. I'm currently studying biology in the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras and live in San Juan. In this stage of my life I have many goals in my mind to fulfill. I would like and I am striving to continue with the career of medicine. In a future, I would also love to travel to different countries, and be closer to many of the cultures that are part of the world. 

Between studies, dancing, modeling, presentations, extracurricular activities, and family reunions I realize that I have been surrounded by great people that have helped me live experiences, experiences that help me give my best in everything I become part of. These, made me become who I am and with God’s help I hope to continue growing as a person, meeting people and living experiences to have success in life; I count with your friendship.

I went to school in Guamani Private School from first grade to twelve grade, where I had a great education and I had the opportunity of learning in a full-english school. There, I also met really good friends, with whom I shared moments that I will never forget. 

        As to complete my discipline, my parents took me to Mannequin Models Studio, a well-formed modeling agency. There I had the opportunity, since my five years of age, of participating in pasarellas where I had to leave all my fears and shyness behind to perform in public. At the same time, I gained an excelent lesson of etiquette reinforced with principles and values for humanity. 

Even though I was a very shy girl, I could develop my skills that would complete my growth and acquire knowledge as a person. One of these was my passion for ballet. Since I was four years old, I became part of Isadora's Dance Studio. A great dance academy, where I met its director, whom helped me a lot in developing my skills and passion for this beautiful art. In this academy I not only learned ballet, but also discipline and virtues that helped me create my personality. At Isadora's I found a great family with whom I lived big emotions that will always be part of my heart.

I was born on December 28 in the city of Guayama, P.R. I was raised by my parents and with my sister. My childhood took place in a very happy environment. My parents and grandmothers took well care of me; from them I received the first lessons that would shape my behavior and all the love of the world, of what I keep my most grateful memories sharing with my family and playing with my cousins. At my four years of age, I began my pre-kinder preparation in Caribe Sunrise. They were the most fun years of my childhood.

Another Look at Billy Mills' Journey

 By the middle film Running Brave, it can be seen the struggle Billy Mills encounters with himself. After having won many races and giving the Kansas University a championship, Billy suddenly “breaks down” mentally. He begins losing races until he leaves and returns back to his home, the reservation. I believe his internal journey was affected by the visit of some family members to Kansas. They made him feel as if he didn’t belong in the city life, so he began asking himself what was he doing there and that people were using him to get money over his races. Pat, his girlfriend and future wife, tries to talk to him but he leaves anyway.

Billy is confused of who he really is, what is his role in life. He says he had a love for running, but now he became a “running machine”.  His decisions might not have been a good effort into reaching his dream, which was to run in the Olympics in Tokyo, but at least he spent some time with his family, especially with Frank who was drunk and shortly committed suicide. This was a great shock for Billy, since he had a great relation with Frank, almost like brothers. This event, and Pat’s telegram expressing that she loved him and wanted him to be back, gave Billy’s journey a complete twist. After much struggle with his mind, Billy Mills joined the Marine and reunited with Pat. His mind was set on going to the Olympics in Tokyo, winning the race was his dream. A dream which, with hard effort, came true. At the end of the film, Billy goes back to the United States, and is received as a hero.

I believe Mills' internal journey had great effect on the decisions he took; there were many ups and downs as in all of us, but that was what built him as a person and unbeatable runner. Personally, I liked the fact that Billy never changed who he was or denied his ethnicity in the process of reaching his goal, eventhough there was a time when he doubted about himslef and his ability to run. As we can see, the film provides us some of the psycological stages Billy Mills passed as part of his internal journey. He also had a quality to admire which was humbleness. In return, he became stronger and wiser everyday at his young age. This lead Mills to win not only a World Championship, but to be a role model for indians in reservations in the country, as well as all of us.

 

Reflection on Billy Mills

Billy Mills, as a young man, experienced a great change in his life being born in Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, and being the first of his family to go to college. It all began when a coach saw his potential at a race in Custer County High school, in which he over passed the current state record, and took him to be part of the Kansas University race team. His journey had just begun. All the vivid memories he left behind in search for his dream constantly overtook his thoughts as he was on his way to campus. As part of his internal journey, Billy had flashbacks about his childhood. He remembered Frank, whom had taught him to run, and the inspiration his father gave him before dying. And as he deeply expressed: “Frank told me what to do with my legs; my dad told me what to do with my heart.”

As we can see throughout the film Running Brave, his external journey consisted mostly on the way he related to different people, and his encounter with modern-city life. Many of them at first sight judged him for being Indian and not “white”; all except for a girl he had met in a party. “Everything is different from home”, he said. Billy suffered from bully and was treated inferior after revealing his identity. Though, he was strong enough to know what he wanted and not be affected by people’s offenses toward him. In a letter to his sister, Billy let the audience know that he wanted his family to be proud of him, for that he decided to work harder every day. Billy had realized his talents and embraced his uniqueness in order to reach success, winning the race. Both his internal and external journeys helped him become a strong, admirable leader. All the knowledge gained through his studies, especially in his new journey, he used them to help others. Billy Mills was, and still is an inspiration by acquiring traits of an honorable person.