Reflection Week 6

This week in class we had another guess speaker which our very own Bonnie Finch. She hails from Australia and I was interested in learning about another country especially one like Australia. At first I didn't know what to expect from this I originally thought that people lived in the desert out there and there was a whole bunch of Kangaroos running around. Some interesting facts that I learned from Mrs. Bonnie was that in Australia, their population is 23 million, compared to our country that is a very small population because United States has a population of around 300 million. I always thought Australia had a big population, but once you compared it to ours there is really no comparison. We were also told that Australia has a really young country. Their first fleet of settlers arrived in the 1790’s, and they didn’t become a federation until 1901. I thought this was interesting because to me I thought that most countries had a long line of history and in 1901 Arizona became an official state. So basically by this time the United States was almost formed completely. Australia’s political system is actually more conservative than the United States and they use a Prime Minister rather than a President. The Queen overlooks this country as well as many others. Australia has standardized healthcare which is an interesting concept within itself. I kind of like the idea where you can have private healthcare too but I don't think that I could wait that long to be seen. However, Its a lot better situation than most in the States I believe seeing that a lot of people don't have healthcare period.

 I think that with having guess speakers coming into the class or speaking via IVN is a great way to learn from somebodies first hand experiences. I think its just a better way to learn because sometimes its hard to truly grasp the idea of what is being taught through text. I like this idea for being taught about another culture especially with learning about Australia it was authentic because Bonnie had the accent and style of dress.

Holiday Blog

Dia de la Independencia de Mexico or translated Day of Independence for Mexico, well Mexican Independence day is one of the more important days in the Mexican culture. It is celebrated on September 16. On this day in history Father Miguel Hidalgo helped lead the fight against brutal prejudice which ended with the result of a free and independent Mexico on September 16, 1861. 
Although Cinco de Mayo has come to define all Mexican celebrations in the United States, it is Mexican Independence Day when citizens and Mexican communities show their swelling pride and patriotism with dancing, music, local parades, and family fiestas. The day is official marked to be September 16 but modern festivities usually start the day before which is consider Independence eve. On Independence eve you can hear the cries of Viva Mexico which means " Long live Mexico" and you will see fireworks from coast to coast also there will some parties that wont end until sunrise. On the evening of September the sixteenth there will be a massive parade in Mexico City where most schools and businesses are closed for the day so everyone can take part in the festivities.
I think that this holiday is very interesting and Mexicans certainly know how to celebrate this holiday and ever other one that they celebrate. I can openly say that because I have witnessed this by living in Arizona and you can ask any Mexican and they will admit this. I say Mexican with and emphasis because many people don't know that that's what they want to be called not Latino or Hispanic those are people from other countries other than Mexico. The Mexican people are very proud individuals and I respect them for that. They definitely embody what it means for family to stick together.

Reflection Week 4

This week in class we talked about religion. Religion is a big part of this world and we all take part in it one way or another. Religion has affected us all in one way or another or not at all. Its crazy to think that we force our beliefs on each other because we feel that we are truly right and that we know what we talking about. Religion has caused many problems within this world even to the point of religious wars. Religion ignites a fire within most people and its something that they are truly passionate about, its how they live their lives. However we push our religious views onto each other by comparing and contrasting different opinions on religious subjects that are sacred in their own right. Each religion is tailored for its religious follower, so therefore each religion is different. I personally feel that there is no need to follow no one religion because they all are similar however I do feel that there is a God. Miracles do happen and my mother considers me her miracle child because of all the complications I had as a child. So personally I feel that its wrong for me not to believe in a God. There are multiple Gods however which is the right one to believe in I'm not the one to ask. I feel that there is a higher power but I don't take it to the extent that many people take it to by getting offended and what not, I think that is outrageous that people do that. Also people swear that they are "religious" but don't always follow the guidelines by which they swear they live their lives by. These are the ones that confuse me when it comes to religion because they are so hypocritical. Part of me wishes that there was just one central religion to make things a lot smoother however that would never happen. I believe that would never happen because people have their own opinions also if you didn't believe in that religion you would stand out. All in all I wish the world was just a better place to live and religion is one area that can make your life a lot better or make your life a living hell depending on where you live.

Reflection Week 3

This week in class we are learning about language and how we all communicate. I find the ways that we communicate as a people very interesting. The video that we watched was rather interesting to me because it went in depth on how we use verbal and body language to communicate to one another. The most interesting thing I found out about the video is that body language is universal and that we all use it. However, each symbol is different from country to country. For example, the peace sign in America means something completely different its actually insulting, its used to belittle another individual in most countries. Also, a thumbs up in America means good job or great, however its origins meant to put someone to death or spare their life. It just shows that life is different everywhere you go and that we all operate much differently from one another. I find this so interesting how language has changed over time and we progressed as a people.
We communicate very differently and we should take the time to learn from one another. Even within the U.S we all talk differently depending on the region you live in, the Soda, Pop, Coke experiment is a clever one and it proves how much differently we talk. Coming to North Dakota it was something new and awkward to hear people say the word "bag", "beg" and they don't hear no difference in the two they just know what they are referencing. In addition to that I did my own little experiment and came to a conclusion that North Dakotans pronounce the -ag sound like -eg for words containing these sounds. It makes me wonder how that came to be.
All in all, we need language to communicate its something that will never die, meaning language was around long before man could even talk. Personally this subject makes me think about how we communicate and how much language changes from region to region and then from country to country.