Reflecting Back

As many of you know my name is Danica. I am one of four children. I have a twin sister who is identical to me. I live with my mom and dad. Growing up I strived to graduate and go to college. No one in my family has done this before. They either dropped out or got their GED. So when my sister and I graduated it became a reality to me. I was going to college and going to live out my dream. My goal is to go into nursing. Apply for nursing school and get in. I want to end my college career as a Washington husky. My grades are good currently but I do not see myself spending all that money going to UW when I could save my money until after my prerequisites are completed. While thinking of my future I know there are a lot of classes I need to take before this dream can come true. English just happens to be one of the classes on the list. Never being very strong in my English classes in high school I was very nervous about taking them in college. When I heard that English 101 had a lot of writing I got very scared. Writing is not a very strong point of mine. I can make up a story that I think is good but, when it comes to editing and revising that is what I struggle with. I could go over a paper a thousand times and still miss errors. So while going over the class syllabus I was happy to see that there were various things we would be doing in the class that would make it interesting. Movie talks, timed writes, blogs, and discussion boards. I liked the fact that this class was very unique. Not have I ever been in a class that used blogs to display class work.

The major themes of the quarter identity, community, and tradition really have opened my eyes to many new details I never really thought of. While looking at this theme we had a group activity assignment that allowed other students and I to discuss how we felt about identities. Jessica Ford mentioned, “Many women in our society today want to stand out. They are starting to care way too much about what other people think of them. Wouldn’t it be awesome to live in a world where you were not judge on how you looked or the language you spoke. Having your own sort of character is what creates your identity.” This was one of many opinions that were flying around in this discussion. It was neat to see what other students saw identity as. The community theme made me change my view on what a community really is. While reading and analyzing the story, “Blaxicans” and Other Reinvented Americans” by Richard Rodriguez he mentioned something that really changed my way of thinking. He said, “On his interview show, Bill Moyers once asked me how I thought of myself. As an American? Or Hispanic? I answered that I am Chinese, and that is because I live in a Chinese city and because I want to be Chinese.” The author is trying to say that just because he is not Chinese that is his community. He adapted to that way of life and would have it no other way. The last theme tradition let me see all the traditions people celebrate. It made me think of my own celebrations. I thought this theme was enjoyable to look at. It is something everyone can relate too so it made it easier to do assignments on.

Now to get you prepared for what you are going to be seeing in my portfolio. For my critical thinking piece I chose my discussion board 2 Blaxicans and other reinvented Americans. Communities came into play in this board and it made for a great discussion. My second piece is my revision piece in which I chose discussion board 2 coming attractions The F Word. Coming at the beginning of the class I struggled with this piece. Although getting to talk about my name was fun and interesting at the same time. My third piece showing audience and voice was my community blog assignment. Talking about Starbucks this piece will make you crave your favorite drink. And last but not least my favorite piece which is my intermission two timed write. Racing the clock sure made me think under pressure. It worked to my advantage because I did a great job on this piece. This class really stretched my brain but, it was well worth it and made me grow in my writing skills. I hope you enjoy my pieces and getting to know a little about my personality and who I am while reading them.