Family of the Coast

This picture of my mom, sister, and me, is my California representation due to a few factors. First of all, my family is the most important thing for me and most of the members in it reside in California. Furthermore, the ocean represents a crucial part of California for me. Because of my love for surfing, I am attracted to many parts of California's coast. From San Diego to Santa Cruz, there are waves that break throughout the year and I like to drive to score the best conditions. Overall, two essential parts of California for me is family and the coast.

Nicaragua 2

I had plans to go to the village today and help with reconstruction but unfortunately the roads leading into it were closed due to heavy rain and floods right now. It feels like the rain won’t stop but hopefully there are some breaks in it so I can head over this week. That being said, I am setting out tomorrow on the main beach here to do a cleanup rain or shine. Due to the floods and rivers that have formed out of nowhere, a lot of garbage has washed up along the beach. Hopefully we can make some good progress tomorrow.

A drive through Nicaragua

I arrived in Nicaragua last night. We walked out of the airport and there was a distinct smell of a third world country. It’s not a bad smell, it was just familiar and brought back a sense of nostalgia for me after coming here four years ago. My uncle and I asked the taxi guys for a ride to the hotel. They all started laughing for some reason, and one taxi guy says it is close and he will take us there for five dollars. It turned out the hotel was directly accross the street from the airport, about twenty steps away. That’s when we understood what they were all laughing about.
I woke up this morning to get ready for the car ride to Playa Iguanas. This is where I am currently staying. This car ride was nothing like I’ve ever seen before. We set out on the main rode and immediately there were students and workers protesting on the streets with large blockades.  I asked the driver what it was all about and he told me that the students hate the president of Nicaragua. He dropped their pensions a little while back and huge riots emerged. A little over two weeks ago 608 people were killed by police in a tragic incident. He said the president restored their pensions but it was not enough because many people died already. All they want now is for the president to step down from office. The government can’t do anything about the road blocks because protestors set them up all trhoughout Nicaragua in all the main roads. The protestors have certain times where they set them up and most of the citicens are ok with it because they don’t like the president either. That being said, they let tourists through because they realize this is something that can’t be stopped and is good for the economy. Our van got stopped by a young man in a ski mask. He opened the door and looked inside, then shut it and told us we could go through. This was a little different than a drive through Newport.
The car ride continued. It’s pretty crazy all of the things you can see on a road through Nicaragua. We drove past pueblos (villages) and saw little children sleeping in baskets on the side of the street. It was shocking for me to realize that these children have nothing in life. A little farther down the way I saw a man that appeared to be jacking off on the side of the road.. Little kids walked by him and seemed to walk past it like it was a common occurence. The worst thing was that there were no police or anyone  around who cared to stop him. I know this is a little intense to read but this is the state of poverty that a lot of these villages are in.
This car ride gave me a new perspective on a lot of aspects in my life. I know that change is slow, always has been, and always will be, but I think more people need to be aware of what is actually going on in this part of the world and a lot of other parts like it. This gives me a new appreciation for the life that I live.

Flash Cultura

About three years ago I went to my friend Jack's house for a dinner with his family. Jack and his family moved to America from China so they welcomed me with a traditional Chinese dinner. This was really new to me because I had never even known their were different dinner customs than the ones associated with my family. We started out with funny looking cups and appetizers and they had this small circular table so everyone was squished together. Even though I felt a little awkward trying to use chopsticks to pick up grains of rice I ended up really liking all of the foods that I had never tried before. Though this was very foreign to me, it really made me appreciate the way that other cultures have their own idiosyncrasies. This experience made me realize that there are so many styles of food and family life in the world and that I should be open to trying new things.

My name

Though it would seem like the name Gregory has been passed down through centuries in a family, it was pretty much chosen at random for me. My parents were originally going to name me Gavin up until a couple days before my birth when they heard the singer Gregory Isaacs come on the radio. After discussing this topic, they determined that Gregory is a better fit. I think that my name fits me because it is not the most common name in the world which makes me unique. One of my favorite big wave surfers is also named Greg so this makes me feel connected to the waves when I am in the ocean. I have watched him on television since I was very young and this provides me with a positive view on my name. In this way, I have felt like I have carried on a legacy with the name Greg every time I get in the water. I have not encountered any problems with my name, however, I prefer being called Greg instead of Gregory because it is easier to say and just sounds better in my opinion. If I had the decision, I would not change my name because the name Greg reflects a unique and positive individual.

Progression

Coming into sophomore year, I was a little unprepared for the focus that I needed to put into english. I soon realized I had to dedicate more time and effort to my studies when I saw that my grades were suffering due to lack of preparation. That being said, I think I have made some good progress this year. I am learning how to incorporate the different aspects that are very essential in an essay such as developing a clear-cut thesis statement and textual evidence, supported by analysis to argue a point. Another major growth of mine has been participation in class. In August, I found myself nervous and sometimes doubtful when it came to sharing my opinions. Now, however, I feel much more comfortable due to the positive atmosphere created by the people around me.
Though I feel like I have made some solid progress this year, there are also different things that I can improve on. First, I think I can do a better job of trying to analyze a piece of literature and find the deeper meaning behind the text itself. I also could improve upon creating more detailed thesis statements. I think that my thesis statements have improved a lot from the beginning of the year, but there is still room to improve as far as incorporating all of the components needed. Lastly, I would like to be better prepared for in class essays, as I have struggled a little bit with my past two. My ultimate goal for this semester is to be able to get an A and I think that I can do this by working on paying attention to detail. Overall, this has been a great year and I look forward to improving my writing skills throughout the rest of the school year.

Censorship

While reading Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress,  I noticed that the Communist belief system in China at the time placed a big emphasis on banning certain books that were influenced by Western society. I understand how the motive of this is to get people to cooperate with what is being enforced by only teaching them one thing, however, I do not agree with this ideology. Without reading different perspectives and topics within literature, it is easy to be close-minded. Taking away specific forms of literature in society is an act of stopping people from becoming globally aware. In Balzac, I could relate to the narrator's curiosity about other forms of literature outside of the Communist restrictions. That being said, I was shocked when I saw that the Bible was being challenged as a banned book. People should be able to practice their religion freely and in banning this type of literature, it is an act of discrimination upon a certain group of people within society. I also believe that banning certain types of books creates negative views on the beliefs that the books represent As I touch the coarse cover of a new book, I am overwhelmed with the crave to gain knowledge. I think that everyone should be able to experience this sensation and read whatever they please.