A Semester full of enjoyment

Dear Professor Olivera,

I would like to thank you for your commitment to this class. As a senior student at FIU, and having taken more than 150 credits in total, I can really appreciate when I get a professor that cares about what she teaches, while aiming to get the best in us. In my personal case, I have learned very good tools for researching, asking question through every source that I read, and using scholarly search engines to secure a better accuracy of information from the Internet. I have never felt passioned about words, I used to prefer numbers than words, but because of this class I realized how many gramatical errors and lack of importance I was given to the language and in response I started to ask people what could I do to improve my english skills. Without noticing, I was using the tools that I learned on ENC 1102 to achieve a personal goal. The results of my research projects was that, in order to improve my english skills, I need to read books in english (no matter what kind of book) and do grammar exercises, which can be found on the Grammar Lab Website of FIU. At the end of the semester, I am still making a lot of gramatical mistakes, but my essays and my grammar are much better than before; there is still a long path for me to learned the English language, but if I keep doing what I am doing right now, I will get there in no time, and I will be able to present research papers at work or case studies in a very professional style.

Best regards!

Alexis D Meneses

The issue(s) with Children of the Mountains

The Appalachian people is a marginalized community mostly forgotten for Politicians. It is a community which lack of resources, work places, transportation services, good education and government health care.  But this situation is not something new, many presidents since Kennedy has mention this community on their speeches and have "try" to help them out. But for one part, the geography of the place and the routes of access isolate the community from all the nation, leaving them like 50 years behind vs a regular US city. Second, Coal Companies are the main employers of the area, being the only good job around, but it cannot employee everybody and do not allow people that use drugs to work on it. Third, drugs is a main issue on the mountains; prescription medicine could cost as much as $50 per pill. Pain killers are as a value as a gold is in other places. Because of the extreme conditions that these people live, and the coal mine work, illnesses are around the corner the corner, so people live with several pains in their bodies . The demand for pain killers is very high and the supply is very low. People pay a lot of money for them and get addictive to it, which does not allow them to work in the coal mine. Also, Coal mines causes black lunge in their workers because of the many hours that workers breath coal dust and the hours that work inside the mine.

It is true that 50 years ago, Appalachian was worse than it is now, but today it is abandon for governments. Nobody actually cares about these people as long they are working on the mines and stay in their place. But it is time for a change; It is time for a government that help them out and create better conditions for them to live. This is not Sri Lanka or an African country, this is America, the land of opportunities where everybody is tread equal and with dignity. Now, it is time for us, as a nation, show dignity to them, and allow them to have the same opportunities as we have in this part of the country: Better education, public transportation, health care, cleaning services, a subsidy to build houses to those families that do not have where to sleep at night. America has always come together and achieve great things when the nation work as a whole: Earthquake in LA, Katrina in New Orleans, 9/11. The US people have done miracles on those days and have overcome those obstacles being unite, forming a more perfect union. Lets do it again America, the Appalachian people is begging for it and we are the driving force of our nation!!!

Dolls that give birth: Introducing the VBAC Doll

Reading my professor's blog I found out that this kind of doll exist and I want to give my opinion about it. First of all I want to tell you that I do not have any experience with children. Even that I have a big sister and a little brother, I never paid attention to this type of stuff, or when they started to ask on how babies come to life. So I would tell you about my personal experience and what I believes about this matter.

Since I have memory, I have known where babies come from. This was not because I was smarter than the rest of something like, It was because my mom were and is really open to me talking about sexual issues. I still remembered, every night before I went to sleep, my mom coming to my bed and hugging me. Then she started talking about things like: "Hey your winnie is a personal part of you, dont let anyone to touch it, If someone ask you to show it or something let me know as soon as possible, beause that is yours and nobody needs to ask for it", and I always have look to my parents with admiration, so everything they have said to me, I had took it very literal.

When I was reading my professor article, I was trying to remembered where do I learned babies came from? and realize that my mother had cover that subject looooonnnggg time ago, so i never had to worry to find out thru someone else (Internet wasnt around when I was a child). I know all families are different in the way their teach their kids, and of course nobody has the right answer to it, but I do appreciate what my mom did on that time and I will try to do the same to my kids.

Concerning this subject, in my opinion, parents are overreacting. It is a doll that give birth in a very simplify version, and if bring confusion to your kid just explain to him whats going on, or just do not buy the doll. We are living in a free world that thanks god people is doing toys to explain kids about something natural and not inducing them to use drugs, alcohol, fights or something crazier! like for example: Barbies or GI Joes. Barby is cool because she is blond, has a nice figure, big boobs, fancy cars, fancy house; all stereotypes. And GI Joes are huge guys that fight every time that they have a chance just to prove their point. Personal, I played with both (And I had a crush on barbie when I was a kid, I though it was beautiful) and today I am a successful student with several awards thru my academic and professional carreer, who plays soccer and tennis on the regular and hangout with friends. My points is, these toys are worst in a psicological point of view, and nothing really happen to children that play with them. Now, are you going to do a mess because there is a educational doll?? sorry but there is a war on the middle east, gangsters on the street, poor children without food. Why dont these people focus their energy in something that actually create a positive impact in the society?? And better, teach also your children to always give back to the society, so all together could get a better place to live.

Well but as I was saying, this is just my opinion, please nobody take it personal, I am pretty sure everybody has their own experience and their arguments to believe what they are believing and as I was saying, I do not have any experience in parenthood, it is just an opinion from outside of the problem.

Has everyone a wonderful day and a Happy Valentine !

Alexis Meneses

Blog #1: Welcome to a Bloggy World Spring 2012

Well my name is Alexis Meneses and I would like to talk about past experiences that I had and what do I expect writing this blog.

I am a 22 years old student of Florida International University. On January of 2011, I transfer from Universidad Metropolitana in Caracas, Venezuela. Right now I am a senior student taking my last semester before graduation. And in case you were wondering, yes I am taking ENC 1102 on my last semester. Basically since I transfer I took all the classes that I needed, I transfer with 98 credits approved by FIU and need to take 60 credits over here as minimum. With all the classes that I had schedule to take, i had the 60 credits cover, but I need it to take ENC 1101 and ENC 1102. So i just followed my plan and I took ENC 1101 last semester and now taking ENC 1102.

As been at the University for 4 years, I can say that I have live the college experience. I went from do not know what to do in my life and party every day, to study really hard with a life plan and working every day. I used to think that I did not need to manage my life, that things just were going to come easily, little by little, graduate, find an excellent job, work hard, marry and live happy every after. But after two years being in college, I realize it wasn't that easy. In many cases, I found students working since day one of their college experience, with very good grades and involved in many clubs around campus, struggling to get a descend job in a descent company. On that time, I realized that I lost two years of my life and that I need to start focusing on my studies and work hard if I want to get the happy ever after ending.

I took a moment and analyze myself. What have I done useful? Have I develop any extraordinary skill that differentiate me from the rest? Do am I special or just another person in the world? On that precise time I start to manage my life. I basically walked around campus looking for organizations that would help me develop my skills and would get me more involved with my university and my future. I found one that literary change my life, Its name is AIESEC. What they gave there were the tools for managing your life in the best way: time management, life plan, motivation, etc. I took my time to learned and stop thinking that I had all the answers. Since that day until today, I have manage my time, my friends, my professional life, very different from what I used to be. Now I know why I am different from the rest, and what are my strengths and weakness. I can sell myself to the market and receive positive feedbacks about it. I have been around different jobs and accomplishing everything that I have propose to myself. I feel very happy and complete grateful with that I have and the opportunities that I have token.

But still a long way to success, I still very lazy sometimes and horrible organizing my tasks. I have on my calendar what I am gong to do every hour of every day so I don't waste time and also a big Reminder board where I keep putting stuff and forgetting about other stuff. Well, right now I am blaming my sometimes lack of responsibility and my laziness to my age, maybe 22 still very young and still immature. Anyhow, Still trying new techniques to see if I can change my ways and be more responsible.

Hahaha without paying any attention at all, I didn't realize how many words I have written. I just went with the flow as I was talking with a new friend and want to tell him about my life. It is my first time writing a Blog. I never tough about it, I always feel like I do not have something special or crucial to tell to the world. But now that I am actually doing it, it feels like I am talking to myself out loud. Im saying thinks that I have been thinking but not really express it, and It feels great haha like I have so many things to talk to myself, to realize, to know me better and this is like a really good way to do it.

Well I think i have talk too much about myself and that I need to stop hahaha but definitely looking forward to the next prompt. What things would come in this semester? and how many more things would I learn? I would see later on... :)