Final Assignment... :D

Andy's class. Some of my friends from the senior class if 2008 told me "whatever you do take Andy's class". So I signed up for it and the first day of class was a living hell. I didn't like anything about the class and dreading it for the whole semester. I made sure I did my work but not to the fullest extent that I should have because I thought this class was useless. Andy and I would go back and forth arguing over minor things that didn't even matter but did it just to get our point across. As the second semester began to kick in I realized that what I needed to do was step my game up in this class or summer school it was for me. I learned how to put thoughts aside and just cope with what Andy was saying. I started to work hard in this class like never before and share a few thoughts here and there to show that I participated. I must say this class was a challenge for me and it was a good one . I learned a lot in each unit we did and I had different perspectives on the American Way of Life.

The first unit was Constitution and this was the hardest unit for me. I never really read the amendments before or knew what the preamble was. This unit also consisted capitalism and insights on economics. This was really hard for me to grasp because I didn't really understand it and on top of that I struggled with reading and understanding the text. I tried hard to pass quizzes but failed at the end. I learned a lot about the Constitution and all our rights as American citizens. Even though this was difficult for me

Our next unit was American Way of Birth. I was excited for this because I have always said I am going to have a big family and this unit gave me insights to what I am going to go through in the future. At first I didn't understand why we would do this unit because I felt like it was random but I must say that this was the best unit. It amazed me how I only saw that birth was a beautiful thing and yes it is but there are many faults in hospitals now. Many doctors only think about the money rather than the woman's health. Doctors just want to take the fast way out. Some rather go through 5 C-sections then have 2 women doing natural birth. Most women don't know what doctors are doing or what a certain medicine or shot is but rather just let the doctor be in control. They let the doctors do what they want even if they were really set on having a natural birth. We as a class learned the pros and cons of the American way of birth and how they will affect us in the long run. I learned a lot from what an epidural was to how to break the birth norm.

Units such as poverty and health caught my attention because we as Americans only worry about ourselves and what we have. This unit opened me up and showed me how I take this for granted. I take going to the doctor for granted and what I have in my life. This unit showed me what health care we have in the United States and how there are many areas that need to be fixed up. Places like France and Canada have free health care. It even goes beyond that. Childcare can be provided if you need it also. It amazing me how different parts of the world have different standards and criteria some being better than others.

I particularly liked the food unit because I love to eat. I never really thought about what I eat until this unit was taught. Every time I go to the doctor she always tells me I need to eat more vegetables and drink more water. When she tells me things like that it goes through one ear and out the other. I get really tense when I hear it but its only for my health and what is best for me so she is only doing me a favor. After seeing a few clips of what goes on in the meat district and what is not seen I started to think twice before stuffng my face. I feel like we shouldn't eat meat because the way they are treating these animals which makes me want to become a a vegetarian. It would be hard to change my eating habits because of how I have been eating my whole life.

In conclusion, I am thankful for this class because not only did I learn a lot of new material but also was able to share my feelings and reactions. It was a great class because it was more like discusions and debates rather than textbook work. Even though in the beginning I despised this class I achieved my goal by learning new materials. All the units put together showed us different perspectives rather than what we have been told. They all relate and bring together what we call the "American way of Life". I look forward to this class next year.

Updated!! Collapse 2...

When the collapse unit started I was kind of excited that we would be doing this unit. I have always thought about what will happen to the world but never really shared my thoughts to anyone. When the unit started I didnt know there were different types of collapes I always thought that it was just "We are going to die" but there is more to it. Some different catergories for collaspes are cool collapse, bad collapse, immediate, slow and quick.

The question that has always wandered my mind is where will this world be in about 10 to 20 years. Sometimes I think that we will be worse than where we are now but then what happens if everyone goes green? I can see the United States trying hard to fix this recession but we will be trying for a very long time. I was scared when I had a dream about collapse and lets just say it wasnt the cool collapse where everyone loves life and we can ride our bikes in the street with no cars. This was a bad collapse and very slow.

I had a dream that the world flooded and everone died. In my dream everyone had a slow death and just drowed because of all the water. You can say this is a bad dream and where did I get it from but I think it is because it was raining that day. I woke up shaking from my dream to hear my mother say "Sam there is a lot of flooding on the highways so hurry". That just added to the dream and I thought it was coming true. All to say is this was a great unit and I wish we could have gone more n depth with it.

UPDATED final Collapse 1...

Easter Island. It was hard to focus and actually read the article because I found it to be dull. After forcing myself to read a few pages I started to learn something. I noticed that easter island started with nothing but everything was stable enought to get by. Humans and animals were there and no machinery. But in our time we replaced what used to be humans jobs with machines. Now we use machines for everything. In the packet it said how food was running out and all there resources were limited. This compares to America and years to come we will be in the same collapse when food and resources are limited more than they are already. This scares me that in a few years we will go through this. What will we turn too to survive and be healthy? I hope that there will be alternatives to what we are to face.

UPDATED Final Food Paper...

Food. This is what we Americans think about 24/7 but do we really know what is behind it? I must say I earned a lot during this unit. I never really thought about food and learning about this definitely gave me insight as to what I'm eating. I always used eating as a way out. My friends and I would use that to have a reason to get to together and hang out or even just to use our time up. When I am eating i never think about what i am eating or if it is healthy for me or what's in it. But after this lesson I am paying attention carefully. So you can say I am a "Andy victim". Many people don't know what is really going on behind the food industry and we need to know.

I started to think about what I was eating and if it was really healthy for me. So I recorded what I ate for the day and didn't really notice my eating habits until I began to write the journal. My usual routine which I have to break out of is skipping breakfast. I don't eat breakfast every morning like I should. Today I skipped breakfast and for lunch I had a salami and cheese sandwich with a few pirate booties that Esther shared with me. I didn't feel a certain way because that was not want I really wanted for lunch but that was the ideal lunch due to the amount of money I had that day. With my friends our conversation was as usual. We usually talk about school, volleyball or what we are going to do later. But later in the day I was treated by Wexler to what was supposed to "the best pizza in the city". I had one slice, which cost $3.50 which I thought was insane for a slice. When I first tasted the slice it made me want to finish it quick because it was so good but after the first half of the slice I began to get full. It was a very good slice but the price was high. You can say I had a typical meal because I was with people talking about random things that are going on in life. Since I was so full from the pizza I didn't have dinner but late in the night I had two oreo's. Having oreo's before bed is like the best thing in the world to me. I might sound a little greedy and fat but that was the highlight of this day besides the "best pizza in the city". The oreo's made me feel good and want more but I know I have to limit myself. When I have oreo's I have milk with them and milk is like a big part of my life. I love milk and don't think I can live without it. Compared to the other people in my house I drink the most milk, which I need to limit myself on. Today was an overall good day. What I notice is that people use food as an activity,for conversation and to even hang out. Personally I know when I haven't seen someone in a long time I like to go out to dinner with them and that shows that we use food as a type of getaway and activity.

What kills me or annoys me the most is when I go to the doctor for a physical and I see my weight. Sometimes I think about what I should cut out but its really hard hearing that you have to cut down on the cookies and sugary drinks and drink water. They tell you to eat all these healthy foods but I find it hard to make something healthy for myself and watch my family eat something so delicious but yet harmful for them. Which one do I choose? I don't go healthy when I should be. Maybe we can make changes and see if it will help. So far the only really big change for me was I stopped eating pork. What influenced me not to eat pork was all the films we watched about the pigs. It kills me how they are treating the pigs. It makes me want to just give up meat in general.

In the films we watched such as the Meatrix and our daily bread they showed how the meat is made and what they do with the animals. The movie that had the most influence on me was Our Daily bread. I couldn't bare seeing what they do to these pigs and all I could think about was how great pernil taste which is like a Spanish classic on any occasion. But after seeing a few minutes of the movie I have not eaten pork. As of right now I don't really think about it but I know I will be faced with the temptation when it comes to getting together. In my household food is a big deal. We are a family that likes to eat which can be bad at times.I don't really know if there are any differences in what we eat compared to "Americans" because I feel like we all generally eat the same thing. In my house we use, seasonings such as adobo and sazon which gives the food extra favor and spice. As a Hispanic family we usually have our rice,beans,and a type of meat.But other than that we usually try and have different meals so that we don't get tired of the "typical" rice beans and meat. My mom will make spaghetti and chicken parmagen one night,maybe tacos another and so on to just mix things up a bit. Sometimes because of my softball or volleyball schedule we might eat out but its generally the same stuff my mom would cook at home.We usually don't eat fast food such as Mc Donald's or Burger King but more restaurant food such as applebee's and what not. When my mom cooks at home she makes food for herself,my dad and sister because I am a very picky eater. I don't eat seafood so when they have fish or shrimp my mom usually makes me something different such as steak which is really kind of her. I feel like the "American" way of food is more of on the go and eat whatever as long as there is a budget.Mc Donalds is your typical fast food restaurant that is known to be all over the country. Many Americans eat it such as families that can not afford a good meal so would have to settle for dollar menu. As for high class rich Americans I think they prefer to have a nice wealthy restaurant that will serve them. There are many different places and foods that "Americans" eat at but I think Mc Donald's is the main place.

Another thing that caught my attention was the trip to the grocery store. I never noticed how many brands of each item there was. There were about 75 different cereals and about 64 different pasta sauces. It amazed me how everything was neatly placed and in the right order and how they advertise certain things such as beer. Right when we walked in the beer was next to the salad like in the middle of the isle which makes you wonder should you get it. I saw alot of healthy foods and organic products that I never knew existed. But all I could think about was a little girl that I see on the train every morning. As they say breakfast is the most important meal of the day but why are so many people not eating it or just eating junk? I don't eat breakfast every morning like I should be. But this little girl for breakfast has different kinds of chips. As I sit on the train I just think about how unhealthy it is and what will happen to the little girl when she grows up. This must be a normal thing she eats for breakfast because she seems fine with it. As I watch her I began to think about how ungrateful I am for what I have when there are many people that don't have much. It really makes me sad to see her eating chips while I choose to blow off my moms breakfast. When all this little girl has is chips for breakfast. It makes me wonder what she has the rest of the day. Moving on, during class we did and activity were we divided into small groups and listed vegetables, fruits, and beans. My group was vegetables and I must say it was hard to think what exactly is considered a vegetable. We then looked at all the lists and wrote down the things we eat weekly. My list was very small but that didn't surprise me. On my list was corn,green beans,rice,red beans, black beans, avocado and grapes. Before this I knew my list was going to be short because I am a picky eater. Now that I see this list I think I should eat more greens and try my best to eat more fruit daily. My doctor tells me all the time that I need to eat more greens but they just don't appeal to me. It is hard to change my ways now. Growing up I was picky and my mom would make a different plate for me. Now that I'm older I realized that it is not what I want to eat but rather what I should be eating and that is greens.

In conclusion, throughout this course I was challenged with the thoughts of what I am eating and becoming a "vegetarian". I never thought I would consider not eating meat because that is the main food always in my plate. I still am struggling with my decision because I fear the outcome. I fear that I will stop but then cave into it again. This unit has taught me a lot and showed me what I am putting in my body every day. It made me think twice about eating pork and what I am going to eat during meals. I find myself more aware of what I am eating instead of just stuffing my face.

UPDATED...Pollan response

In the book, Pollan explains how americans are quick for everything and how in other countries not as much. I agree with Pollan I think that Americans try to rush every process just because its better than waiting and being patient. For example, most americans eat fast food because it easy and convient instead of taking the time out to cook. In my house we don't eat fast food because my parents cook. Out of all my family members I would say that I eat more fast food than them because I am really busy during the week which that is my only option. As a result of americans choosing the easy way out by eating fast food which makes most americans overweight compared to other countries.

UPDATED...Musical chairs

Today in class we played musical chairs. At first I didn't understand why and how it would relate to our unit. I thought of it as just a game like the rest and to just have fun before class started. But when andy started to give rules I began to think about how it could connect to everyday life. At the end the point of musical chairs was to show how competitive it is when looking for a job. As usual there are more people then there are chairs which shows that only a certain amount of people are going to be able to get the job or take advantage of the opportunities given. It shows how in poverty that people are that way because there are not enough spots for every poor person.

UPDATED May Day...

"You always learn something new" is what was always told to me growing up. I never knew what may day was until it was all explained to me and researched a little deeper. I never thought there would be a meaning behind may day. For me, as may approaches I always think of school almost being done or just the sun coming out. But May day has a meaning. May day is a say of celebration for those who labor day to day. I found it hard to understand because what's the point in celebrating working? Are people actually happy working? But there was more to it. May Day is a day were people who labor under rough conditions fight to get a union and better wages or hours. I would agree that it is appropriate to fight for your needs but why fight May 1st and then go back to work the next day?

After school I was walking home and on 23rd street I saw people protesting there labor rights. There were a lot of mexicans protesting to get more pay and the benefits they need. There weren't as many as other protests in the city but there were police officers present. As I continued walking I saw two police officers joking about how the mexicans are wasting there time. I couldn't believe that they were mocking the mexicans. On my way home all I could think about was how they are innocent and didn't want anything else other than their rights and if they got that they were satisfied but these police officers truly are a disgrace.