My paranormal story

Debate- Capital Punishment

                                        "Opportunities may betray you" by Daniela Garza #18

"This is what it feels like when you make it" these words were said by Grace's manager in the movie "Grace Unplugged" when she was at the top of her longtime dream, but for her it wasn't enough. Throughout the movie Grace, the main character, shows us three very different  personalities. She started with a suppressed and frustrated way of life, guided by the church and her father. Later she shows us a rebellious attitude when she went to Los Angeles to pursue her dream without her parents permission, and finally a more mature, experienced and devoted way of life when she came back to her family and religion after realizing she was not doing things the right way. Guided by Grace's example,  we learned that life can sometimes show us tempting opportunities that might seem like the right choice at the time, but they can end up damaging our beliefs and our family. (thesis statement). When I look at what Grace went through I can picture myself in a similar situation that happened a few years ago and it also involves my family. In this reflection I will compare my own experience and attitude towards life compared with what happened in the movie.

I have alway had a very strict mom, not exactly in a religious way like Johnny, Grace's father, but in a over-protective and over-controlling way. Ever since I was little I've had to do exactly as she told me, dress a certain way, talk a certain way and even be friends with certain people. At first my attitude towards her was in a frustrating and irritating way, just like Grace did at the beginning of the movie. Later on I started to care less and less about what she said and started going out with the wrong people, until one day I realized that everything she ever wanted was to protect me. Ever since that day we talked about everything and she explained her point of view until I was old enough to understand it. Just as in the movie, when Grace started to feel uncomfortable when she had to sing an inappropriate song, she was able to realize that God had been missing from her life and that perhaps everything she ever did was just a search for God.

Despite the reason we decided to change our attitude towards life, it is important to know that sometimes we need a rough experience to realize we are on the wrong path. Luckily for Grace and I, we were able to discover that our choices were not the best ones and that the support of our families and in Grace´s case, the support from God, helped us get back on track. Life can give all sort of spins and twists but not until we have our beliefs and thoughts deep in the ground, we are going to be able to see in perspective what is best for us.

Oskar Schindler: A heroic leader

First parcial exam: The Gift of Dreams

Not until Jason had lost it all, did he became aware of the real value of life. Jason's grandfather, "Red Stevens", had one dream and one dream only; and that was to make his grandson a better man. It was not until the gift of dreams thats Jason realized that he was just drifting through life without a real desire or dream to pursue. And what he did after that was so selfless, that everything he had worked for in the previous gifts, finally blossomed The gift of dreams represents the end and the beginning of two very different stages in Jason's life, the end of a meaningless life and the start of a selfless one.

Even though it started as a favor, Emily's friendship ended up being what he needed the most. After realizing how fragile life can be, Jason's finally decided what his dream was: help others. As he said in one of the final meetings with Mr. Hamilton, he had been living numb all his life, but he knew what he wanted to do next. After receiving 100 million dollars, he felt a different feeling of what he had expected. That feeling, as Ms. Hastings said, was because he had become a different person. Therefore, he decided to act upon his dream and built, "Emily's Home", a medical center for families whose children are undergoing severe medical treatment. He invested all the money he had recently inherited without any hesitation, and that showed for the very first time how much he had changed. "Emily's Home" was a visual representation about everything Jason had learned from each and every gift he received. He  mixed them all together and ended up with a meaningful, selfless and generous action that represents his dream based on someone else's needs.

Despite everything Jason went through, loosing everything he had was the best thing that could ever happen to him. He fulfilled everyone's expectations and as his grandfather said in his last videos "what I could not accomplish in life, I did in my grave" perfectly summarizes the movie's whole essence. The gift of dreams was the determining factor that made Jason realize that you can't go through life just drifting by, and that helping those who can't help themselves is the definitions of a beautiful dream. Jason became the man everyone expected him to be and his grandfather's dream came true.

Second speech. Africa: The social and economic impact of infectious diseases

Congenital Toxoplasmosis

Our first activity

For todays first activity we had to drew pictures on our notebooks about our life and then improvise a speech about them. We could draw up to 5 images describing: early childhood, family, hobbies, dreams and aspirations. For me personally, this activity was really fun and dynamic because we were able to break the ice with our classmates and tell them about our lives in the process. I felt really comfortable and I think that the drawings were a good visual aid to get our peers attention. In the end everything went great and after grading each of our teammates on a small rubric we proceeded with the class. 

Today was the first day of class and we were asked to write a little paragraph about our expectations in general for the class. I expect from this class to be entertaining, dynamic and useful. I really hope I can improve not only my writing skills, but also my speaking techniques. 

We were told that during the course we were going to do a lot of speeches, that's why I think that I can benefit  not only from the teacher but also from my classmates. I expect them both to be able to give constructive criticism about everyone's speeches, with respect obviously, so everyone is able to work on their flaws and mistakes. The best way to learn is to make mistakes and  recognize them, and that will be achieved with the help of my peers and of course my teacher. I also expect patience and tolerance so that we can carry a peaceful and fun class. 

But of course nothing of what I mentioned earlier will work if I don't start by working on myself; because as the teacher said earlier today " this is a do-it-yourself-class". I expect from myself a lot of dedication and responsibility which I think will be easy because since its a summer course we are able to focus more in just this one class. I expect good grades, so that's why I'm going to have to work extra hard to achieve my expectations.