Talent and skills

    The sports I play are really competitive and difficult for others but I consider them as talent and skill. I've been swimming for five year all through middle school and high school, as time passed I got better at what I do. My goal in high school was to break a record for the 200 and 400 relays and leave my name on the wall and I accomplished it!! I became captain of the girls swimming team at East Chicago Central High School my junior year. Another talent I have in the pool is that I have the longest streamline and that give me so much advantage when competing. Before graduating I got a plaque for the most valuable  player. 

    Another sport that I am really good at is tennis, I started playing my freshman year and automatically made varsity before my first game! I played both singles and doubles but gained more confidence playing doubles plus I had an awesome partner. My senior year was my golden year on the tennis courts, I was undefeated the whole season and sent to sectionals, regional and state. I was the first lady cardinal in history to go to state and that's something I am so proud on saying. 

    The last sport was Unified flag football, I played for two years and was a beast on the field. One skill I had was that I was able to remember the plays as soon as I seen them. It was a bit rough because I was also playing with men but they taught me how to be tough back. I learned a lot of skill and patients when playing these sports, playing these sports was an escape from reality and something that kept me tamed, I would never give that up for anything in this world. 

The land of the Cartel's

 

1. One specific scene that really moved me was when a little girl was crying and holding her father. You can hear it in her voice that she was terrified for the safety of her and her parents. It makes me angry knowing that there are children that suffer from all that trauma they hear or see, they will never understand what people go through. People on the other side of the border have it rough. They literally have to fight to stay alive. They have to watch their surroundings and stay alert all the time because they never know what is coming their way. The cartels will terrorize their own country; they will kill and destroy anyone or anything that gets in their way. They don't care who it is or how old they are. They will harm people and the police would do nothing about it because the government can’t provide basic security and that's why they take advantage of people and their properties.  

2. What surprised me during this documentary was the amount of violence and drug distribution that goes on. For example, there was a picture and the cartel was holding up a photo of the decapitated heads. Another example was a woman tearfully describing the barbaric murder of a baby. They were always prepared for action by wearing their group t-shirts and carrying weapons, breaking down the doors of suspected cartel members, roasting them from bed, and driving them from town. Tragedies like this are hard to forget because innocent people are dying and no one is willing to help.

3. I still question why they hurt their own people, they are all struggling because the cartels are taking everything they have including family, friends or property and destroying it. They are trying to escape and go to the U.S for a better future for them and their kids but Tim Foley spends days and nights trying to snare illegal immigrants, whom they turn over to U.S authorities. So it gives them no choice but to trespass and protest. Why do they send people like Tim Foley to send back immigrants to a country that gets worse and worse by the day? Why can't they help make it a better country for them so they won't suffer from poverty and the cartels? They are not hard enough, that's why people like Tim will never understand how difficult it is to live in Mexico where there's danger everywhere you turn. It's so easy for him to send immigrants to the U.S authorities because he will never be in their shoes or suffer what they do on a regular basis. 

4. We might avoid including research in our summaries because not everything can be accurate. Sometimes searching up certain things will give you false dates, time,s or places. Documentaries are useful, that's why it's beneficial to go based on the facts they give to you. Watching the documentary can also give you visual aid of the topic you are learning about, in this case, it's about cartels and the fight between both borders. Seeing this will give you a different perspective that google will not give you.

FUN FALL !

    Fall is one of my favorite seasons one reason why I like fall more than any other season is because of the weather, it's not too hot or cold. I love wearing hoodies and doing activities fall brings. This year I had two days for my fall break. I wished we had more days off  but I was very productive that weekend. Some things I did over fall break was go to the pumpkin patch with my family. We got to go on the tractor and ride around. It was also my first time going to the corn maze which was scary because I couldn't get out but eventually I made it through.

My family and I were searching for the perfect pumpkins so we could carve them and decorate the house. We spent a few hours roaming the field, playing games and picking sunflowers then we had some family time and went out to eat that day. The next day my friends and I decided to go to the fright fest at Six Flags. I was excited because It was my first time going to the fright fest. We left in the morning so we could get on several rides. Later that day we started to see people dressed up in their costumes, they all looked pretty real.

    The next couple days I spent it at home enjoying it with my family. I decided to stay in instead of going out because I knew midterms were this month. I was able to rest and get some sleep. I took a semi break from school because there was a lot going on, I got a few things off my mind before my break was over. Sometimes the mind or a person needs a break from school,work,sports or other things to function correctly. I strongly believe that fall break was useful for me so I can continue with a fresh start. 

Kids game :0

We discussed different topics in class but today both of  my professors mentioned the Squid games during class. Most of my classmates have watched all the episodes or are watching it now. The squid game is on Netflix and is very popular right now, it's been the top 5 most watched shows for some weeks now. Watching and talking about it makes me think if things like that really happen in real life and we have no clue about it. Everyone that watched it so far told me that they enjoyed it as well, I strongly suggest you watch it and rate the series. I enjoyed it because it was very intense, every episode had a death game.

     It wasn't just any regular games, they were kids' games and the only way to win is if the other team dies. Some games were with teams somewhere with partners or some were individual, my favorite episode is when they played tug of war in this episode they had to get together as a team and beat the others on the other side. A lot of people doubted them because they had an old man and two girls. They thought they were weaker than the other team, but they all worked together and pulled at the same time and it made the other team get eliminated. The episode that I disliked the most was the marble game, in this game you have to get all twenty marbles from your partner.

    This episode made me very emotional because players had to go against the person they picked to play with, for example Abdul Ali played against Cho Sang-Woo. They played fair until Cho Sang-Woo realized he started losing and manipulated Abudl into thinking they both could win. Abudl trusted him and that's where things got messy, he told him to look around and come back when the game was almost over. When he came back he realized that he didn't have any marbles in his bad instead they were rocks, seeing how he betrayed his friend made me realize that you can't trust people even if they sound genuine, he didn't know Cho Sang-Woo’s true intentions. Many people that joined to play that game were going through a financial crisis and they needed money to survive, watching it got me wondering if theirs people that will really go through all that suffering for money. Overall the Squid Games had a lot of very interesting episodes that were intense but also had a lot of sad endings.  

The bad friend

 

    In class my professor talked about an article that she read over the weekend and it was called “ Who is the bad art friend?” Many students had their opinions about the situation, including me. I believe what Dorland did was the sweetest thing anyone could have done, many think she did it for attention but I don't. Dorland could have done many other things for example she could have donated her time, blood or participated in the community. There were plenty of things she could have done instead of donating her kidney, knowing there was risk during the procedure and in the recovery. She put her life on the line by that decision, donating a kidney can be very risky and has a lot of cons after the procedure.

    She could suffer from heavy bleeding, blocked bowel, infection and could have side effects such as feeling sick, diarrhea and long term pain. So many cons but that didn't stop her from doing what her heart desired to do. Dorland felt alone before she donated her kidney but her decisions gave her much higher self esteem and a sense of happiness. The transplant encouraged her to continue to write and that was a topic she talked about the most. She wrote about it and even made a Facebook page where she talked more about the surgery, people thought it was for attention and was getting annoying but others thought it was genuine.

     I'm not quite sure why people thought it was annoying for her to continue and discuss the process, it was a huge deal for her and she deserves to express herself and as much as she wants. She did something that others won't do and it changed her for the better. She talked a lot about it and wanted to be heard but her friend Sonya decided to write about it as well and took the letter Dorland wrote to the person she gave her kidney to. As a friend she didn't acknowledge her feelings when she took her letter. Sonya didn't give her friend any recognition either, and that made her very upset. A true friend would not take your work and use it as theirs without asking, she failed to be there for her through the transplant and failed to be a supportive friend when it came to writing. Getting it settled with a lawyer is the best thing both Sonya and Dorland can do to save both of their friendship and careers. 

Secret life of pets ;)

   

During class we saw a documentary of a turtle named Snowy, I enjoyed how it started. At first the audience didn't know who or what they were referring to but as time passed they revealed Snowy. It was a turtle, a family's 4-inch pet and he has been in the basement for ten years. Sadly the turtle was isolated with no partner, no sunlight and no freedom. Only one person took care of Snowy and that was uncle Larry, he did more than everyone in the household ever did, he would wash his tank and feed him earthworms. Looking at the documentary and seeing that he was alone his whole life made me realize that many people have pets and don’t take care of them properly. Many don't give their pets love and attention that they need, taking care of pets can be exhausting sometimes.

I should know because I have a dog, a ferret, two birds, a turtle and a bunny as pets, they can be a handful sometimes but my family and I will always find time to take care of them. I never understood why people neglect or abandon their pets, they are sweetest and deserve much more than being isolated in the house or outside. Me and my family love our pets, my father would take my dog Rocky, to the park so he can enjoy the weather and himself. My younger sister takes her ferret Leo, every day for thirty minutes up to an hour so he can run around the house instead of being in his cage.

The two birds Banana and Sky are in a big cage but we set the cage outside when it’s nice. We let the Yoshi bunny jump around the house when we get done cleaning because he likes making a huge mess. Lastly, Lucky the turtle is always roaming the house, she usually likes being under the bed. We consider them as part of the family and will continue to give them affection and the time they need. Watching the sad turtle in the basement made me appreciate my pets even more. I really loved how the documentary was seeking help on ways to improve the lifestyle of Snowy.

Mexican Independence !

 

     September 16,2021 was my first time attending the Mexican Independence parade, two of my friends and I went to Chicago later on that night. We stayed there for a few hours to enjoy the experience. We had the chance to get out the car and dance with many others while they played loud music. I seen a lot of people waving the Mexican flag and having so much fun with their family and friends. I also seen a verity of cars doing burnouts ,donuts and racing one another, watching so many people enjoy themselves made me realize how honored it is to be apart of this culture.

     I am honored to be Mexican for many reasons, I love how hard working, honest and trustworthy people we are. This day is not just to have fun and party but to recognize where we came from, to remember the people that passed fighting for us and our freedom.  Being apart of the parade was one of the best things I could've done because I finally got the chance to show how much pride I have for my country. I will never be ashamed of where I came from!!