Post Visit Thoughts

Survival
* San Diego Safari Park
* Drove myself
* 40 minutes from school
* Bacon Egg and rice
* All fast foods are available in the park.
* Tables behind the scenes
* I will work all over the park
* Scattered throughout the park

People
* Keith Thomas and he is a great mentor who is really into what he is doing.
* Keith Thomas loves his  plants and works his hardest to keep his side of the park up to standards.
* His two other employees
* That they enjoy what they do and are willing to work extra hard to get it done

Work
* Setting up the butterfly exhibit that will be showed during Easter.
* Physical Labor, and basic gardening skills.
* I'd going to learn about our environment and how big of an impact plants play in it.
* I will help create the butterfly exhibit.

Thoughts
* What will provide a challenge is the hours of work.
* The hours
* By working harder and trying to learn as much as i can throughout the experience
* Pay close attention to what Mr. Thomas says and ask when i need help to work as hard as a can

And...
* Is there any other students doing the same internship?
Maybe

Internship First Thoughts

What are you looking forward to most about your internship experience?

What I am looking forward too in my internship is a chance to have a enjoyable time. Its not exactly in my range of where I want to be in the future but it will give me insight into other possibilites. Planting trees and designing a eco system allows to to understand plants and animal species. This internship is going to be an out door internship so I am excited to learn about biology.

* What are you most concerned about in your internship?
My biggest concern about internships is not enjoying my internship. I know that internships are suppose to model a job experience but i want mine to be enjoyable.* What type of work do you plan to do, what are your hopes for your project, etc?
What i plan on doing during this internship is to be able to understand ecosystems and plant life. My grandmother is big on planting and having her own garden and my mother is a landscape architect, so i will be able to bring what I learn at the Safari park home. My biggest hope for the project is that it will inspire the Sophomores to take the internship I did. * What are your goals for your site visit?
My goal for my site visit to to have an overview on what I am actually going to be doing. I have no idea on what happens at Horicultutre but I am willing to learn.* What questions do you have about internship?
Nothing

12

Post your thoughts about your partnership with an Explorer student! 
What are you excited about?
I am excited to work with Noah on creating a story that will be fun for me to write and enjoyable for him to read. I am also excited that we are writing creative writing, we are able to write without guidelines to follow. 

What are you nervous about? 
Im nervous that will not be able to meet the expectation my 4th grader had on me. I would like to excel past his expectation and show him that when you grow up you can do work like this and the fact that the work is not as hard as it seems.

What are your hopes for this project? 
My hopes is to have a a children book that is ultimately successful. I am not a very good writer so hopefully I can write a story that I am proud of and willing to show off. 

What are your fears for this project? 
My fear is not to be done with the book. Also I am fearful on the fact that the book will suck and that my partner would not like it. 

What do you think your story will be about? 
I already have a plot I discussed with my partner. It going to start with a guy in the year 3000, this guy is no ordinary guy he is placed in a insane asylum along with 300 other people in space. One day the space prison loses power and he escapes, once he is back on earth he finds out about all the new technological advances that has happen. He then discovers that the invention of a time machine was developed. He then steals a time machine and travels to the medieval ages. Once he arrives here he funds the kingdoms with new weapons. Weapons including guns and grenades. What the prisoner did not know was the fact that there is a new police that has developed during the time he was locked away. This new police control and maintain the time zones. The police reverse what the prisoner has done, turing the clock before the prisoner disperse the guns out and stoping him before stealing the time machine. The END

Blog 11

What are you most proud to show during your Student Led Conference?
I am most proud to show my grades. Even though its the beginning of the year I still have good grades. I am also proud of the fact that I am taking all honors possible this semester. 

What would you like to change, following your SLC?
What I would like to change about my SLC is how prepared my resume was. I know that my resume is not where it should be. I plan on changing this by dedicating a block of time to working on my resume and getting it critiqued by my old teachers. 

What goals do you have for the remainder of the semester?
My main goal for this semester is to get a 4.3 GPA. I will strive for this goal by being on task as much as possible and working on every project to the best of my ability. 

What are your ideas for internship... and how will you work with a parent or guardian on securing a great 
internship?
Some ideas i have for internship is to intern at the Sharp hospitals down the street. Either in a specialist building for surgeries or in a pediatrician building for kids. I will work my family friends to get an internship with them at there office. 

Blog 10

1. What is history?

History is the study of the past events. Events can include the life and death of a person, a win or lose, anything that happen in the past. History is continually written everyday. We look towards history to correct our mistakes and not make the same mistakes. We also learn from history to understand why things are today.

2. What is ideology?

Ideology is "not just a subject for intellectual debate, but a matter of life and death." (Introduction American Ideology) Ideology is a belief, a theme, or an idea. Ideology is a certain belief that the majority of the population uses. "two of these so-called Christians met two Indian boys one day, each carrying a parrot; they took the parrots and for fun beheaded the boys." (A Young Peoples History of the United States) 

3. Can history be neutral? Why or why not?

History should not be neutral but history is bias. History is wirrten in a way that the following generation would be proud of their country. Christopher Columbus is a example. When you learn about him in elementary school you only hear about the good thing. You hear about how he sailed across the sea to find new land. But they did not included what he did when he got there. You would not want your grandchildren to know that you led an expedition to a new land and you completely destroyed their culture. History is not neutral, history is presented to show how great a person was not the faults he had. 

4. Zinn discusses what he considers the typical way Americans study or understand history. How has your experience (either in school, or simply in your life) been similar?

Throughout class we are shown how great America is but we do not see what we did to get here. "“This was the start of the history of Europeans in the Americas. It was a history of conquest  slavery, and death. But for a long time, the history books given to children in the United States told a Different story-a tale of heroic adventure, not bloodshed. The way the story is taught to young people is just the beginning to change.” (A Young Peoples History of the United States) America is shown as a very great and proud nation through its history books. What many people don't understand is the crimes against humanity America commit to get here.

5. When you consider Zinn's discussion of the typical American study or understanding of history, how has your experience (in school or in life) been different?

Since we were little, we have read about the great battles America has participated in and has won. Yet we are never told the wars we lost they are simply classified as "withdrawn". I was born in a different country and my family has only started living in the US, because of that I have a different view on the US. I have been on both sides of the world. A first world country and a third world country and seeing what America is in person and just speculating it from the outside is different. I grew up knowing America is not the paradise the world sees but a country with its messes hidden.

6. What did you read that stood out to you positively? Why?

I liked how the author in How the U.S. lLost Out on iPhone Work is how he gave the important facts first. " Almost all 70 million iPhones, 30 million iPads, and 59 million other products were manufactured overseas." When an author gives huge statistics at the beginning it will keep my attention. It stood out because it showed the sheer magnitude of the work being done for apple. It stood out positively because it shows me what I want to know at the beginning not draw big gigantic circles for me to endlessly follow. 

7. What did you read that you disliked? Why?

What I disliked about the articles was how lengthy each article was, it was excess information just like my Narrative Nonfiction book. I rather them give me the main facts instead of every little bit of story. " I had grown up in the dirk and dankness of New York tenements, had been knocked unconscious by a policeman while holding a banner in a demonstration, had worked for three years in a shipyard, and participated in the violence of war." (Passionate Declarations) I thought all this extra background knowledge is unnecessary for the topic of unjust war. Why do you need to know that he got knocked unconscious before, that has nothing to do with war. 

8. How were some of your biases or preconceived notions confirmed by what you read?

The fact that the United States hides the bloodshed they have caused in the past. People see how great America is until they see its past. 

9. How were some of your biases or preconceived notions challenged by what you read?

In the iPhone story I already knew that Apple is getting blamed for shipping the work oversees. What I do not get is why lame them. They are a business they want to make money. You cannot blame Apple for taking away jobs when they are the ones who create it. I was challenged by the fact that many people are to blind by there own self interest to see a business frame of mind. I am pretty sure if you put any person who lost there job into Steve Jobs position they would not help the rest of America. 

10. What unique perspective, element of creativity, or new questions do you bring to our study of history?

I want to know the other side of the story. We might have won this war but I want to know what the country who lost has to say about it. What is in there history books? And what is there view on the event that just happened. 

Blog 9

What was most significant to you about the Our People's History Project? 
The most significant thing in Our People's Project is how much information I was able to get out of my interview. The interview was a pain to transcribe but when you breakdown an interview you begin to see the whole picture. And when you want to relate to a firsthand account it becomes easier to look up when you have everything written out for you. 

What do you feel that you learned from the project? 
Through out this project I learned more about what my grandmother went through. Before his nonfiction narrative I only knew small parts and details about her past. I also learned about the corruption Indonesia went through. Also how the leaders of Indonesia governed there country, and the extend of there abuse. 

What are you most proud of in the narrative nonfiction story that you wrote? 
I am really proud at the fact that I was able to write 3 totally different stories. I was able to create two stories about the history of Indonesia and my final try I created a story in a first person format. 

What surprised you about the project—what happened along the way that you did not expect? 
What I did not expect during this project was how hard it was to begin writing a story. I am usually able to just start writing something down and continuing from there but for some reason I was not able to start my story off this way.

What lessons are you taking as you go forward with your Humanities (and overall) education? 
One lesson I am taking with me as I go forward is that if you have a choice to write about whatever you want in whatever format you want do not write a nonfiction narrative. Other than that I learned that weaving a facts with a story brings out a relationship to you. When the author is describing a scene completely different from my area of expertise and the author relates it to something the general public might know it becomes easier to comprehend. 

8

My main character is working against all odds trying to achieve her dream. I am trying to show her determination even though she knows that she will not be chosen. Just like this picture my character is fighting an uphill battle. And the rock signifies how much of a lead her friend has over her.   

The city it self isn't what I am bringing to life. I am trying to expose the corruption and poverty Indonesia shows in the 1960. Even though Indonesia is industrialized it is still far behind the rest of the world.   

The main conflict I am talking about is how corrupt politics are. I am trying to show how an average person gets cheated out. When you look at the person who won and you tell them you cheated your going to get a reaction, but when you get the story from a the person who lost you see the determination they the put out to get what they wanted.

What we should do to make your nonfiction narratives presentable is have one last critique from a group of 5 or 6. When you have a bigger group the points that are repeated tell you what you should fix and when you are told you get a good job on this it tells the author what he should mimic to make his story better. Also, when someone is struggling on a part of his story he can see what other people like an try to structure the story the same way the other person did.   

Blog 7

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Road

The Road by: Cormac McCarty 

Publication Date: September 26, 2006

Quote:

"There is no god and we are his prophets."

This quote shows how horrible the living conditions were in the time the man and the child were living. It shows how the god the man see's is the god of death and despair and how he and his son are just there to show the world what is left. This quote is very inspirational because it shows how little hope there is in the world in one short simple sentence. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Catcher_in_the_Rye

Catcher in the Rye by: J.D. Salinger 
Publication date: July 16, 1951

Quote: 
" All mothers are slightly insane."
This quote is very inspirational because it appeals to the audience. Not only is the quote true but most people can say ya their mom's are a bit crazy and when they can connect like this they tend to like the book more. Its not an inspirational quote by itself its what the reader thinks is what makes it important.  This book was originally meant to be an adult book but the themes in this book have to deal with teenagers. 

Blog 6

1. "There are fewer than five hundred flavorists in the United States, and they almost never speak about their work outside their laboratories.Hagen is thirty-five. She is a brunette, with straight hair that falls just below her shoulders. She is not thin, but her face is, and it lights up easily." - The Taste Makers

1. I appreciate the fact that the author of this article follows the exact same format all narrative nonfiction follows. It really helps drive the point home on how you should try to blend in facts with the story
2. Reader being me and the fact that we are writing a narrative nonfiction article show that I should craft my story the same way I see many other authors do. Have a fact and then weave it through a story. Also to included little facts that add to the statistics.
3. I will try to use this example and work of of its structure. I will want to show the statistics of Chinese growth in medicine, like how many became doctors before the 1960 and during 1960 and how many became doctors during the 1960's. After i show this statistic I want to put the part in where my grandma wanted to become a doctor. And how she had to go against her best friend to follow her dreams.

2. "To begin, you must master the controller. On the Xbox 360 controller, which looks like a catamaran, there are seventeen possible points of contact. There’s the left trigger and the right trigger, the left bumper and the right bumper, two mushroom-shaped joysticks, a circular four-way pad, two small white buttons, each with triangles molded into them, and a silver dome in the middle that glows green when you press it."
- Painkiller Death streak

1. What i appreciate about this quote is how much detail he puts into describing the controller. He could of just said that here are 4 butons on the back, 2 joy sticks, and 10 buttons on the front.  
2. This quote impacted me because I know whats on a controller. I use to play xbox a lot and I know the buttons inside and out. And the fact that the author put a huge description on each button shows how much attention to detail he has.
3. I would like to use this idea in my story by implementing a huge amount of detail to every single line. And I am not going to skip over the little details like the design of each button. A simple little detail to me would be a big detail for someone who has not played video games before.

3. "A rifle protruded from the young man's pack, but he looked friendly enough; a hitchhiker with a Remington semi-automatic isn't the sort of thing that gives motorists pause in the 49th state. Gallien steered his four-by-four on to the shoulder and told him to climb in."

1. I appreciate how the author gives two different perspectives. When you see someone standing alone in the freezing weather in Alaska you would pick them up. But the fact that the author added that he had a Remington semi automatic would give you second thoughts.
2. When a reader reads this you think first of how bad this man must of felt. Being stuck in the Alaska with no mean of any other transportation. And how much food can one person carry in one bag. So you would generally feel bad about this man. But when you see the rifle in his back you think twice.
3. I would want this idea of people thinking twice about the text. I would give them Suharto's reason for creating the law and them i would give them them a point of view of my grandmother who was affected by the law,
   
   

BLOG #5

Post an idea that you got from looking at professional examples (and post what professional example that it came from!).

An idea I got from looking at other students interviews is the set up Adriana used in her interview. She bolded her answers. She was clearly able to show ho was talking and I hope that I could do that to my interview. 

Post an idea that you got from looking at professional examples (and post what professional example that it came from!).
 An idea I got from looking at a professional interview is what was in the article. In Julian Assange Rolling Stones interview the article provided background information on who Julian Assange. But they added the setting before the interview. They described the way Julian looked and what was happening around the house he lived in. They also told us the location of the interview. They also included the setting and environment in the Barack Obama Rolling Stones interview.  
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/julian-assange-the-rolling-stone-interview-20120118


Post a challenge that you are working on—what is giving you some trouble?

One major problem I am having while working on the interview is that I am having trouble getting the time zones correct. It states that Suharto the dictator who passes the laws that limits the admittance of minorities into medical school came into power in 1968 buy my grandma tried to become a doctor in 1958.  So either my grandma got the dates wrong or Suharto passed the laws before he came into power. Also I cannot find when the laws were passed. Indonesia has a very corrupt government and not all facts about it will be correct. Indonesia has secrets hidden and won't admit to them, so finding exact information on the internet that is reliable will be very difficult 

Post something has gone well so far.
One thing that has gone well for me during this project is how efficient i am getting my work done. I have been ahead of the schedule for all the work Randy assigned us before he left. I have been able to finish the classwork and homework in class and all i would have for homework is to continue reading the book.  


Post something that surprised you while working on your interview, article, etc.
One thing that surprised me was how much extra information I have to included in the interview so the reader will understand what I am saying. Terms I know very well and easy talk to my family about is confusing to a reader. 

Post something you that you are proud of.

What I am very proud of is my interview. I did not like the idea of interviewing my grandma about politics. My family isn't very fond of politics so I was worrying that I would not be able to get any information out of my grandma. But I am proud that my questions opened up my grandma and she told me how she grew up.  

Blog #4

I am reading Manhunt by James L. Swanson. Manhunt is about Abraham Lincoln's killer and how he was hunted down. The story took place over a 12 day span. 

What stands out to me is how detailed the book is. And how much information the author was able to present. And how accurate the accounts are. Turning first hand accounts into a story and trying to keep it interesting is difficult. And how James L. Swanson gives the characters life. 

Goals i have for reading to be able to stay with the deadline. I tend to fall behind on my reading and say ill make it up the following day. I did that this weekend and I had to read all sunday just to catch up. So hopefully I won;t make that mistake again. 

Blog #3

I have the same goal as I did last year for writing. To get an A on one major writing assignment. During my 9th grade year writing was very hard for me so I gave up on my writing but during my 10th grade year Maria pushed me to strive for my goal. I was able to get this goal by going to a majority the office hours after school during the period of the essay. I am going to try to do that again this year.

Catcher in the Rye. J.D. Salinger 

The author gave you pieces of the puzzle that you would not know until you finished the book. Once you have finished the book you see all the foreshadows that the author sneaked in that I missed when I first started reading it.  I like this because I want to be able to incorporate my ideas at the beginning and have the reader understand the theme or moral of the story at the end. I want to do this in Our People's History by putting in the idea of perseverance my grandma had in becoming a doctor and having the reader understand at the end. 

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

This book had very descriptive detail. The author made me feel like I was in the book. I was afraid to learn what happens to the boy and the man. I want to be able to make the reader feel like they are living in the story of my grandma. Having to fell the disappoint of having your dreams turned don twice. Having your goal in life shut in front of you. I also want the reader to fell the setting the same way Cormac McCarty made me me through out The Road.

Blog #2 Excellent Interviews Post

Explain what you find excellent about these interviews by answering some (or, if you choose, all) of the following questions: 
* What stands out most about this interview? 
* What ideas, techniques or other things can you take from this interviewer? 
* What questions do you want to ask the interviewer? 
* What are the "best" sections of the final, printed interview? 
* What makes this interview "work" for the reader? 

1. http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/ready-for-the-fight-rolling-stone-interview-with-barack-obama-20120425
The point that stands out the most was how the interviewer was able to smoothly flow from subject to subject. They flowed through problems in the Middle East to what was his favorite TV shows. How the interviewer's questions flowed, not jumping back and forth through each subject. Also the fact that the interviewer was able to address the main points he was coming to get but also a side less serious.
A technique I am going to take away from this interview is how smooth the interview was. I tend to ask a question before the person is done answering. I am going to wait and try to relate the previous question to the next. Also I am going to try to address all the main point of the interview and a side that is not to serious.
A question I would want to ask the interviewer is how did he plan out his questions. Did he write down a bunch of questions and if the person did not answer the way he liked did he just skip the next question or did he spin the next question he had to answer the previous one. Or did he just skip the subject overall if the answer was no where close to the next idea.
The best section of the interview was the beginning before the actual interview. It gave us an insight to what the setting was. And how the person we are interviewing was going through throughout the day or what he had planned. 
What makes the interview work for the reader was the big bold text for the question followed by the response. You can clearly see what the question was and the response to the question.  

2.http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/ryan-lochte-considers-a-post-swimming-basketball-career-20120905
What stood out in this interview was the fact that a big name in one sport is going to thinking about switching sports. Also the fact that most interviews are long answers and this interview was short and to the point.
One technique I am going to take from this interview was the variety of question the interviewer had for the person. He/she had a vast knowledge of what the subject had done in the past and what others thought about his acts.
One question I would have to ask the interviewer is what was the look on his face during the entire interview. And why didn't you ask deeper questions about him, like what is your plan for the next olympics. 
One thing that stood out and became the best section of the interview was the blue highlights. The change in color caught my eye and I was more prone to read that part of the article than the rest.
What makes the interview work for the reader is the format. And how simple and short the answers and questions were.

Semester One, Blog #1

What are you most excited about for this school year?

This school year I am most excited to do internship. I am excited for internship because I want to go to the East Coast and intern with my aunts and uncles. They do what I want to do in my future, which is becoming a doctor. Most of my family are doctors so they would be able to teach me the fundamentals of becoming a surgeon. Also the fact that they are my family would give me more attention. I can have more in depth conversations because I won't leave them at the end of the day. I would end up staying with them for the entire four weeks. So the day doesn't end at 5 but the day ends when my uncle/ aunt is done teaching me. 

What are you most excited about in Humanities?

This school year I am most excited to do Honors. Honors will be a easy way to challenge myself. I have been told that honors is hard but I am willing to do the extra work. During 9th grade I was never strong in Humanities but in 10th grade I was able to put hard work into Humanities and achieve my goal. So I am hoping to achieve my goal again this year but with the standards of honors.

What about in the Our People's History project?

I am most excited to do the interview for Our People's History. The interview will allow me to experience what my grandma experienced when she was pitted against her best friend. I can experience the feeling of being pushed to the limit against my best friend and for competing for the prize of becoming a doctor. I will know how my grandma felt when she lost to her friend and how devastating it might of felt when everything you ever dreamed of was crushed in front of you. And to lose it all to your BEST friend.