Setting As The World

Setting as the World: The Tent in My Living Room

            My first house was the smallest of the three houses I have lived in. I lived in the first house from the time I was born till about the age of six. I remember spending a lot of time in the living room. Like the rest of my house, my living room was small but comfortable. The living room was often a place for relaxation, family time, or watching television, but there is one specific activity I remember doing in my living room that always brings a smile to my face. I use to, believe it or not, camp out in the living room with my brother.

            I owned a small, red Lion King tent that was stationed in a corner of my living room. I use to imagine the soft, red carpet was actually soft, green grass. The table in the center of the living room would transform into a campfire before my eyes. The plain, rough textured ceiling would suddenly brighten up with stars when the lights turned off.  I clearly remember the “swoosh” sound the tent use to make as I tossed and turned trying to find the perfect spot. The cream colored walls would mold into mysterious trees with one blink of my eye. My brother was much older than I was and sometimes felt forced to camp out with me, but I loved every minute of it. During the day my living room was a place of safety but come night time a magical world would open up and my imagination could do as it pleased.

Bullying

Semester Essay # 8 Prompt 36

Elementary and secondary schools around the country are beginning to actively address the problem of bullies. In your opinion, is bullying an issue that should be addressed by schools or left to parents? Use specific reasons and examples to support your position.

            Bullying is an immensely serious subject because it often involves the emotional or physical abuse of one person by another. Alone, bullying in general sounds horrible. Now, imagine this being done to a child no bigger than seven years old by a much older child, say about fifteen years old. If you look at this situation from the younger child’s point of view, it could be one very traumatic experience. Who do you, as the bullied child turn to, your parents of course. Who do your parents turn to, the school of course. For this reason I believe bullying is an issue that should be addressed by both elementary and secondary schools, as well as by parents.

            It is not a secret that children do not like to tell every detail about their lives to their parents. Some children might find it embarrassing to tell their parents that they are being bullied for any number of reasons. Others may simply think they will be ridiculed, even more, by their older siblings if it were to be known that they were being bullied. In cases such as these, there is no one else a child can turn to except the school. And why shouldn’t they? It is the school’s duty to ensure the protection of all students on school grounds during school hours. That being said, administrators or teachers can keep a look out for the suspected bully and establish order once again.

            In other cases, a bullied child may exhibit the complete opposite behavior. They might not want the school involved at all. Some children may not wish to take it up with the school for fear of being called names and being made fun of by so called friends. Or a bullied child may fear that if he or she complained to the school, the bullying would only get worse. In such a situation, a child may find it more comfortable telling their parents they are having problems at school than telling the school itself. If a child were to come to their parents for help, it would then be up to the parents to address the problem and perhaps have a meeting with the bully’s parents. A bullied child’s parents could also ask one of the older siblings to keep a lookout for their younger brother or sister and intervene when necessary.

            No two children are completely alike. Thus, when it comes to bullying, schools and parents should both be prepared. Worse case scenario, a bullied child may not want to tell they are being bullied to the school or their parents. However, if they know they have two options to go to for help it is more likely that they will reconsider and ask someone, be it the parents or the school. Both should be prepared to address the problem and find a solution at any given time. Whatever the case, bullying only gets worse with time and the faster someone address it the safer a bullied child can feel. It is in the best interest of bullied children everywhere to have both the school and their parents be able to address bullying.

Young Person In an Old Person

Most of the time when a person becomes old they lose their young spirit, but every one in a while you come across an old person who is still young at heart. My grandpa was definitely an old person who was young at heart. Although at times he was limited in motion and endurance he never failed to smile. My grandpa would constantly try to trip me when I least expected it. Whether he failed or succeeded in his attempt to trip me he always burst out laughing. It was in moments like these that he reminded me of a child who finds joy in the simplest of things. 

            My grandpa's curiosity did not diminish as his age increased. He was always learning new things whether it be from the bible or from nature. He loved to spend time outside working on little projects. He would volunteer to fix up the house every time he came over. My grandpa thought it was a waste of time to sit around the house all day long. Despite his age, the last thing he wanted to do was watch television all day or sleep all day. He wanted to be active and be kept busy.  My grandfather was special to me and his being young at heart was one of his best qualities.

Recycling

Semester Essay # 7 Prompt 22

Carpooling, recycling, and planting trees are all activities that are good for the environment. Write an essay convincing readers to actively participate in one of these activities.

            Everyone with the ability to observe, I presume, should know what recycling is or should have at least heard of it. Recycling should be known because it is in everyone’s household or place of residency. It is the big blue trash can that sits in your driveway, backyard, etc. However, although recycling is right under people’s noses not everyone does it. Recycling has a lot of positive effects which is why I believe more people should participate in it. These positive effects benefit people in general so there is no reason why it shouldn’t be done.

            Recycling helps to minimize the use of earth’s limited natural resources. This is of great importance because it insures that what few natural resources remain will last longer. There will be more natural resources for everyone, everywhere. As one can see, recycling benefits earth’s population as a whole. It does not target one race, one culture, one country, etc. It is to the benefit of all to recycle.

            Apart from reducing the waste of earth’s natural resources, recycling also prevents the build up of waste, or in other words trash. All the trash people throw out gets sent to a landfill and sits there for a long time. When we take the time to recycle, recyclable materials such as plastic bottles and containers do not take up space in the landfill. Instead, they are reused to create another product. Would you rather have more trash sit in landfills or would you rather separate what can be reused and create more goods? To me, the choice is simple. I would much rather recycle, thus lowering the need to constantly build more landfills because of all of the waste. The worst case scenario would be for a landfill to actually end up next to one’s house. Now that would be disgusting. It’s better to never let that happen by just recycling.

            How great would it be to make a difference in the world? I don’t know if it is just me, but I am constantly hearing people say they aspire to make a change and do something special. Why not start with recycling? Believe it or not, recycling is one of the ways you can positively help the environment. We all know our environment is not currently in its best shape. Global warming, the lack of fresh water, the ozone layer, and the polar ice caps melting are all negative issues in the environment. Why add another problem? Let’s keep our environment running as it should and maintain its beauty. Recycling can assist in such a quest.

            It is interesting to consider all the great purposes recycling can serve. There will be more natural resources for future generations, less trash in landfills, and the environment will benefit. All this can be achieved if you just take the time to throw paper, plastic bottles, and all other reusable/recyclable materials away separately. In reality recycling does not ask much of you. Start making a difference today. Recycle!

Cats vs. Dogs

Cats and dogs are both domestic animals. Cats and dogs have characteristics that make them both interesting yet very different. Ever heard of the phrase "fight or flight"? Well, dogs are more of the fight part, while cats are the flight part. Cats are extremely skilled in jumping and climbing. It is quite often that I spot a cat climbing a tree or jumping down from the top of a statue. For this reason, whenever they are faced with danger or feel threaten they will resort to their skill and flee. In contrast, dogs are not the best at jumping from high places and can not climb. How many times have you found a dog climbing up a tree or telephone pole? For this reason, dogs are known to stay and face their danger. When challenged, dogs will more likely become aggressive and attack. Dogs are also way more social than cats are. Dogs enjoy the company of other dogs and people. Trained dogs will let random passersby pet them and play with them. The same can not be said for cats. Cats, most of the time, prefer to be the only pet of a household. As for letting random passersby pet them, not even trained cats like this. Most cats, or at least in my case and from those I have witnessed, runaway the moment you look at them or move one step towards them. Another difference is in their hunting skills. Cats are better at picking up quick movements and reacting while dogs are better at using their sense of smell to track. Cats and dogs have to be two of the most popular pets. Both have different personalities but both benefit from great owners and love.

Dressing for a Formal Ocassion vs. Dressing for an Informal Occasion

Dressing for a formal occasion is much different from dressing for an informal occasion. For one, dressing for an informal occasion requires less thought. Informal occasions can be hanging out with your friends or going to the grocery store. In these cases it is always an excellent idea to go with jeans. The top portion of the outfit depends on the weather. If it is hot, a t-shirt is a good way to go. If it is cold, grabbing a hoodie is a better choice. In contrast, you can not just throw something on for a formal occasion. You must first consider the type of formal occasion, for example it could be a job interview or a ball. For a job interview you must be professional. Slacks always work best. Pair slacks with a dressy shirt, vest or coat and you are well on your way to impressing by sight. However, this type of outfit would not be suitable for a ball. When you go to functions such as a ball or a dance, choosing a elegant dress for girls and a tuxedo for guys is appropriate. If you were to show up at a job interview with a long sleek red dress, a big beautiful pearl necklace, and long black gloves, you would look silly because in a sense you would be overdressed. When you dress for an informal occasion you are dressing to suit your comfort zone. In contrast when you are dressing for a formal occasion, you are dressing to impress. One requires less thought but when dressing for both occasions, the weather should affect the final outcome.

Raw Foods vs Cooked Foods

There is a clear difference between raw foods and cooked foods. Raw food have absolutely not been cooked in any way, shape or form. In contrast, as its name suggests, cooked foods have absolutely been cooked. One clear example can be seen in apples. When you eat an apple just the way it is you can in a sense say you are eating the apple raw. However when you eat apples in an apple pie, the same can not be said. Apples in apple pie have to have passed time in an oven. Thus, the apples have been cooked. The difference between raw and cooked foods can also be seen in the texture of the food. Continuing with the example of an apple, when an apple is eaten raw it is crunchy, juicy, and hard. When an apple is eaten cooked it is the complete opposite. Once cooked, an apple is no longer as crunchy or hard. In fact, cooked apples soften up and are of course, warm. It is possible for the apple to maintain its juiciness, but that quality won't be as obvious as it once was. Raw foods also contrast to cooked foods when it comes to added ingredients. When you eat raw foods, such as an apple, most people eat it just the way it is. However, part of the fun of cooking foods is making different combinations. When you cook the apple in an apple pie, it is likely that now the apple has been mixed with cinnamon and other ingredients. The difference between raw apples and cooked apples is just one example. Most of the time it takes raw foods to make cooked foods. Both are equally as satisfying, depending on the nature of your hunger.

Spicy Foods vs. Sweet Foods

Sweet and spicy foods are two completely different types of tastes. Sweet food has the flavor of sugar. Sugar is what makes sweet food sweet. In contrast, spicy food has little to no sugar and if it does then it can not be detected. As its name suggests, spicy food usually has a mixture of spices. When you eat sweet foods you stimulate your taste buds in a different way then when you eat spicy foods. Sweet foods such as chocolate or cake taste sugary  and smooth. It is, no pun intended and for the lack of a better word, a sweet taste. In contrast spicy foods can create that sense where you are dying for water. Spicy foods are the ones that leave you sucking in air to rid yourself of the strangely addicting burn in your mouth. Spicy foods are the ones that leave your tongue tingling. When you compare a lollipop to a jalapeno the difference is pretty clear. One is a ball of sugar and one is a mouth full of hot. The same thing applies to a pie and Spicy gumbo. The pie satisfies the sweet tooth while the spicy gumbo satisfies your need for "pop". Sweet foods are more delicate in taste while spicy food have an added "bam" to it. In both cases, sweet and spicy foods satisfy the hunger of many people and when combined, at times, can create a beautiful neutral dish.

How Weather Affects My Mood

Weather definitely has the power to affect my mood. On sunny days everything looks bright and rays come in through the cracks in the window. Due to the bright nature of a sunny day, I too feel bright and full of energy. The sunny weather makes me want to be outside and awake. However, sometimes when it is extremely hot I feel irritable and wish I could just be in a pool all day. In contrast, cloudy weather is the complete opposite. When it is cloudy, everything looks gray and dark. Because of this I too feel gloomy. I feel like being inside the house and sleeping all day. The nature outside doesn't seem to be awake and thus I end up feeling sleepy. On rainy days the drops of water make a splish splashy sound. Sometimes, not always, this makes me want to go outside and play in the rain. I want to feel the rain on my skin. Other times it makes me want to stay inside and stay warm under a blanket. When the weather forecast is heavy winds I sometimes feel like being outside just to feel the wind move through my hair. Other times, since I see the trees almost in a wrestling battle with the wind, I feel like staying safe inside my house where everything is peaceful and calm. I don't necessarily feel these ways every time the weather changes. While weather has the power to affect my mood it does not always do so.

Public Schooling vs. Homeschooling

Public Schooling and Homeschooling are two completely different experiences. On both occasions, material is being taught and learning is being done. Material for the appropriate grade level is being taught to the child in the corresponding grade. With that said, almost everything else is different. When it comes to public schooling you can expect there to be a lot of children. There are children from various age ranges, in various grades. In contrast, when it comes to homeschooling you can expect only one child. While homeschooling is not only limited to one child, the majority of children home schooled in one household most likely does not exceed five. Homeschooling is chosen by some parents because of the extra attention a child receives. In public school the ratio of students to teaches is probably about 30:1. On the contrary the ratio of students to teacher in homeschooling is about 1:1. there is a huge difference in these ratios and the attention a teacher can give to a particular student depends on these numbers. Thus, children in homeschooling benefit from a one on one student- teacher relationship. What homeschooling does not have that public schooling does is the opportunity for social interaction and social growth. Public schooling is also free while home schooling under most circumstances has to be paid for. When it comes to public schooling vs. homeschooling, both have much to offer, both have a few cons, and both are up to the parents to decide.

Allowances

Semester Essay # 6 Prompt 5

Many Parents give children a weekly or monthly allowance regardless of their behavior because they believe an allowance teaches children to be financially responsible. Other parents only give children an allowance as a reward for completing chores or when they have behaved properly. Explain what you think parents should do and why.

            Regardless on what condition or to what standards a child receives an allowance, receiving an allowance at all is a privilege. Not every child receives an allowance but most if not all would not mind one. However, I believe an allowance can teach valuable lessons and for that reason I think an allowance should be earned. An allowance should not be given regardless of a child’s behavior. An allowance should be given as a reward for completing chores asked and for showing exemplary behavior.

            An allowance can teach a child a lot about the world that will come running at them in just a couple of years. It will teach them financial responsibility, and with that point alone I argue nothing. Financial responsibility in an unstable financial world is a necessity. Without financial responsibility, the chances of a person living with as little debt as possible are impossible. My argument comes in when parents continue to give children an allowance without having them earn it on the sole reason of financial responsibility. In the real world money will not be handed to them every week by people for no reason at all. It would be great to have a world where money is given out every week for free but the reality is that in the real world you will have to earn money. Basically if you want money you will have to work for it. That is a fact of life for all working class people so why not start teaching a child that from the beginning, and what better way than by having them earn their allowance.  When parents have their children do chores in order to receive an allowance, the children learn that they have to work to receive money.

            Parents should also give an allowance if the children behave properly. If a child behaves horribly and still receives an allowance they learn that they can do whatever they want and still get money. Growing up with this state of mind will get a child into a lot of trouble and ultimately cost them a great, successful future. In the working world, if you behave horribly at your job you are fired. If you do not listen to your boss and respond with negative comments you are fired. For this reason an allowance should be given if and only if the child behaves properly. It is better to teach a child that bad behavior gains nothing by not giving them an allowance when they act terrible, than have them face the consequences when they grow up and learn this lesson the hard way. Overall, the lessons that come with making a child earn their allowance benefits them more than not making them earn it. Making a child work for his or her allowance is better parenting and will account for better children.

Understanding vs. Knowledge

As written in dictionary.com, understanding is the mental process of a person who comprehends while knowledge is the acquaintance of facts, truths, or principles, as from study or investigation. Both understanding and knowledge are mental process a person makes. However, I believe there is a difference. For you to understand something, there must be a "click" in your mind. for example if you see a rose flower with thorns on the stem and someone tells you that thorn hurts, it is easy for something to click in your mind and you to see the sharpness to the thorn and understand that that thorn can hurt you. However, you do not know how much it could hurt you or what the degree of pain is. That comes from knowledge because the only way you can find out exactly how much it hurts is by experiencing it yourself.  Understanding comes from the mind while knowledge comes from an act. In other words you do not need knowledge to understand. You can understand something first and then choose whether you want to investigate it and become knowledgeable on the particular subject. Having knowledge is going beyond what a normal person would understand in a subject. Understanding and knowledge can work together or they can stand alone. Either way both are important.

An Especially Interesting Person

I know many interesting people and for that I am grateful, but the most recent interesting person in my life is my niece, Grace. She is six months old and adorable. The reason I say she is interesting is because I can never tell what she is truly thinking. I guess that is a quality of babies that makes them especially interesting. You could always take a guess at what goes on in their mind but until they can talk there is no way of knowing for sure. Making Grace laugh is one of the greatest feelings. I have narrowed it down to three reasons. One she either laughs because she thinks what I did was funny, two she laughs of nerves, and three she thinks I'm crazy. Whatever the answer is the laugh is worth it. Sometimes I feel I am so close to making Grace laugh but she just won't. I start jumping around and making faces and tickling her. She will laugh and make little squeaks that lets you know she is so close to laughing but then she somehow makes it stop. Grace is interesting because she is so interested in everything. She wants to touch every thing and then put it in her mouth. She has even tried to bite my cheek once or twice or she will stare at something for a long time and I wonder what she is thinking. Other times she can't stop looking around. It is interesting to contemplate the way Grace sees the world.

Effective Teacher

I have been lucky enough to encounter various effective teachers throughout my years in school. One of the most effective teachers I have ever had is my fifth grade teacher, Mr. Evans. Mr. Evans was the teacher for gifted students at Bennett Kew Elementary School. I came into the school year late because I had just moved to Inglewood from Echo Park. When I got to his class, that first day was horrible. True to the gifted part, the class was way ahead in the curriculum than I was in my old school. I did not know if I would be able to catch up but Mr. Evans told me to keep going. Mr. Evans was a effective teacher because he made learning fun. He would have us play games, sing songs in the morning, and earn bear bucks. Nevertheless, he constantly expected the best from his students. I personally feel he made math easy to understand and quite enjoyable. Reading was a pleasure in his class. There was even a competition when it came to reading books from a list. I felt I would never come close to winning the competition and at the end of the school year I took first place in the accelerated Reading Competition. He gave rewards for good manners. One time I remember he was passing out pretzels to the class. I was the only one to say thank you and I got five extra pretzels. After that everyone always remembered to say thank you. Mr. Evans even had a class game of pushing chairs in the desks. When a student got up they were supposed to push their chair into their desk. if they failed to do so, another student from another group could get up and push the chair in for the other student. Thus the student who failed to push in their chair would lose a point for their group while the student who pushed in the chair would get a point for their group. Mr. Evans was a great effective teacher.

Memoir

“Don’t judge a book by its cover,” is a phrase most people have heard but not everyone has experienced. Without a doubt, there must have been a time where most of us have judged someone before getting to know them. For the most part when we judge someone else we tend to let it go and move on. However, being on the other side of the spectrum seems to create more of a lasting impact. Unfortunately I am not able to say I have never been judged because I have.

            I remember coming out from middle school on a hot day and I was thirsty. Being aware of the long walk to home I had ahead of me, I decided to buy a drink and a snack. For some reason, that day, I decided to take a different route home. I found a liquor store about three blocks into my walk and I went in. As soon as I walked in a tall Chinese man approached me. “Take off your backpack and leave it on the floor,” was his order. I was completely confused but nevertheless obliged to his demand. I took my backpack off and left it by the entrance. 

            I had never been in this liquor store before so I took a couple of seconds to locate the snacks and spot the drinks. I approached the snack first and immediately noticed the Chinese man follow me to the aisle. I ignored it at first, but I was undoubtedly bothered. I didn’t even grab a snack before proceeding to the drinks section. Again, the Chinese man followed me to the aisle I was in. He was never more than a couple feet behind. I had never experienced something like this and my immediate emotion was anger. I was so angry I walked out of the liquor store without buying anything. I couldn’t believe the man could suspect me of stealing. Never in my life would I commit something like that. Besides, the guy didn’t even know who I was. He just assumed I walked in with the intention to rob his store. He judged me and my actions the moment I set foot in his store. It has been an event I have never placed out of my memories.

Personal Essay

Brrrp!! The whistle echoed in the field and the soccer game was declared over. We had won! We had made it to the playoffs! The score was one to zero in sudden death overtime. The other team, from Riverside, kept shooting the ball at our net yet by some miracle, we ended up with the goal. We erupted into screams and cheers. Besides us screaming, everything else and everyone else was dead silent. We were playing at Riverside, so we were not the home team. All of their fans and the players were in shock, but we didn’t care. We had won and that was all that mattered. Within all of this excitement and celebration, I noticed a small sting of pain in my left knee. I made nothing of it and continued to celebrate.

            The next morning the small sting became a large shooting pain. I iced my left knee and hoped it would be okay. The following day was game day again. The game was to be held at Santa Maria, a total of about three hours from Inglewood.  While on the bus, I did everything possible to keep my knee from as much pain as possible. I kept my left knee propped up and did my best to resist the urge to bend it. When our team finally reached our destination, I put my knee down. As I got of the bus, an explosion of sharp pain tortured my knee. I hoped that somehow I would be able to get through the game.

            Before every game, my team always stretches. Stretching warms up your muscles and prevents cramps. However, I was finding stretching to be harder than usual. I didn’t have time to wonder about that because the game was minutes from starting and I couldn’t risk getting any other injuries. For the first forty minutes of the game, I put forth major effort. Unfortunately my injury prevented me from doing my best. I could see this when I tried to sprint. I had to tense my jay and squeeze my fist to be able to resist the pain with every stride I took. Then around the last five minutes of the first half, everything changed. One of the girls from the other team collided with me and her leg hit my knee with major force. I collapsed to the ground. The pain was unbearable; tears of anger and disappointment streamed down my face. I had to face the fact that I would not be able to make it through the game. This time when the final whistle blew it was a sound of defeat, but what hurt the most was that I did not finish the game. Disappointment sucks. However, I understood nothing could be done to change what happened. I guess you win some and you loose some.

Not Getting Enough Sleep

Not getting enough sleep can affect your day horribly. Sleeping is a way for your body to reboot on energy. When you do not get enough sleep then you do not get enough energy. needless to say, not having enough energy for a busy day is not a good thing. Not getting enough sleep causes your concentration and focus to be off. You become easily distracted and may find it hard to stay on task. You may also experience fatigue right from the get go. Every task becomes harder and you feel like you are moving super slow. You may try to mask this feeling by drinking coffee, other caffeine drinks, or eating sugar, but the effects of theses items are temporary and can not replace the value of sleep.  Although it is rare,  sometimes when you do not get enough sleep you wake up feeling like you have a lot of energy. You go through the morning with no problem at all and handle business as usual. Unfortunately this effect is often temporary. before your work day or school day is over, you have run out of energy and the true effects of not getting enough sleep start to kick in. Fatigue immediately sets and all you want to do is go and get some sleep.

Movie: Salt

Salt was an amazing action packed movie starring Angelina Jolie, and I expect nothing less from the best action actress. In the movie Salt, there is a CIA agent whose name is Evelyn Salt. Her job is to interrogate suspects. One day a Russian man walks in and says he has something important to tell the CIA. Evelyn Salt goes and interrogates him. He tells the story of a child training program in Russia that trained Russian children to destroy America. The Russian children learn English before Russian and American customs. They wait for years to complete their given task. The man goes on to say that their is a Russian spy in the CIA. Evelyn says that is ridiculous and starts to leave. He turn around and says "The name of the spy is Evelyn Salt." Evelyn turns around and says "My name is Evelyn Salt." To this the man answers, "Then you are a Russian Spy." With these words all the action in the movie begins. Evelyn immediately denies that she is a Russian Spy and tries to get in contact with her husband. The viewers believe that she is good, but the CIA immediately begins to chase her down after she cunningly escaped the interrogation building. However, Evelyn starts to engage in the activities the Russian man said the Russian Spy was trained to do. She apparently kills the Russian president so that the Russian people will retaliate against America. She then meets up with the guy who outed her out and gives him a hug and there seems to be a fatherly relationship between the man and her. As she walks into their secret layer, her "Russian operative brothers" shoot her husband right in front of her and pay close attention to her reaction. She makes sure to show no reaction and acts as if she doesn't care. The "brothers" and head guy embrace her and welcome her back.  Up to this point the viewers now believe she is evil and truly is out to destroy America. However, everything is flipped once again when she kills all her "Russian brothers" and the man in charge. In the end it turns out she was a sort of double spy. She pretended to be American so that the Russian party would believe she was completing her task but was in fact trying to prevent the destruction of America. She was doing this because "they" took everything from her: her parents, her childhood, her husband. It is definitely an interesting movie that will keep you at the edge of your seats but it is important to pay close attention.

Year Abroad

I am about to spend a year abroad in Italy and must learn Italian in about two weeks. What do I do? The first step I take is to go out and buy one of those DVDs that help you learn foreign languages fast and easy. Examples of this include Rosetta Stone and any other similar teaching guide. I will create a schedule for me to watch and learn Italian at least two hours a day. If I watch these videos and repeat what they say I am sure I will start to pick up the basics of Italian quickly. However, I must stay committed and not give up when I become frustrated. Next I will go out and practice my Italian. I will go out to restaurants and see if i can order food in Italian. I might go out to a bookstore and see if I can read an Italian book. Learning Italian for me will consist of hearing and then practicing with other people. if I don't practice then I will not get the hang of it. Practicing with other people is important because they can interact with me in a way that the DVD/ television ca not. They can give me extra pointers and point out what I am doing wrong.I will have an advantage in learning Italian because I know Spanish and Italian consists of some similarities to Italian. If I follow theses steps I should pick up Italian quickly for my year abroad trip.

Music Video

One music video that I like a lot is actually a scene in a movie but can be seen as a music video online. The video I am talking about is called "Only Hope" and is sung by Mandy Moore. It is a song she sung in the movie "A Walk to Remember" This music video is so cute and inspirational. The main character, Jamie Sullivan (Mandy Moore) is singing the song as part of a school play. It is in her singing of the song that the male main character Landon Carter (Shane West) realizes that he is in love with Jaime. His macho, cool personality seems to disappear from his face and he is left looking vulnerable and scared. The words in the music video are about understanding that Jesus is hope. Mandy Moore's voice is so smooth and beautiful that it is perfect for this song and scene. Her angelic voice brings out the emotion of the viewers and their acting only makes it better. At the end of the song Jaime sits back down and looks at Landon. Something overcomes Landon and he leans forward and kisses her gently. He couldn't resist. The kiss was not part of the scene in the play so it shows that he truly does love her. he leaves Jamie surprised and even surprises himself. This song is powerful.