As a writer, I have come to realize that I enjoy creating pieces of poetry. I enjoy telling stories and sharing pieces of my life with you guys. I used to think being a part of a digital community would be ridiculously hard, and something that only professionals or entrupenuors should do, but here I am staring at the computer screeen, writing a reflection on how my ride as a blogger has been so far. Being a commited blogger can be a handful, there are times when the small number of responces or views can be discouraging, but it is at those times when I realize that I blog for me. I blog so that I can let go of stress, and so that I can share my stories (even if I were the only one looking at them). The trill of clicking the post button is enough to bring a smile on my face. Blogging has brought me joy, and it has inspired me to not only write but to read more. It can be challenging keeping up with a goal of posting something every week, but as long as I have that goal in mind I strive to meet it. When my professor had said I needed to start a blog as part of the class required work, I wouldn't have imagined writing outside of what was assigned, yet I added posts that had less to do about what she wanted me to post and more about what I wanted to express and share, and I plan to continue to blog for the rest of my senior year. Even when I become an educator, I could use blogging as a way to communicate with both parents and students. It could be a source to publish both my own work, and my students' work. I could use blogging as a way to get my students to engage in freewriting, an outlet to their fustrations, jokes, stress, and passions. I would share with them everything I learned this semester about blogging. The possibilities are endless! So to end this reflelction, I would like to leave you guys with some memes that have brought both laughter and inspiration to my heart. This semester was the first time I had heard of memes, and I can't seem to stop using them as a way to place some humor in my posts. I hope you find them funny, and I'll be sure to continue posting. Like I had said in the beginning of this post, this semester brought a wonderful ride into my life, but I enjoyed every single moment. Until next time! Best of wishes and luck to all taking finals, JM
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While I was in high school, although I thought my life was quite "exciting", it was never nearly as eventful as some of my college days have been. Today was supposed to be a monotonous day for me. I had planned on going to my morning Anthropology course, pick up my interlibrary loan (ILLiad) textbook, drop off the iPad I had checked out from the library and then head out to take my car to the mechanic. However, in life rarely do things go as planned. I have learned that lesson many times. I was able to drive the one hour commute to UCF, find a good parking spot within 10 minutes of arriving to the parking garage (a new personal record), pick up and drop off my library items, and attend my anthropology class. Everything was going according to plan. My day was going quite wonderfully. Like one of my favorite childhood characters would say . . . I left the UCF parking garage and headed out to Downtown Orlando, towards my mechanic's Auto Body Repair Shop. While in the SR 408 (East-West Expressway), I was jamming to my favorite songs when it began to rain. It appeared that Florida was having another "mood swing". The weather transforming from happy go lucky sunshine to grumpy grey rain clouds. As one song changed into another, a rather unnerving thing happened. My old man (car) began to shake. Then a Magic Kingdom firework explosion was heard. What I did not know was that my old man had just broken a hip. I pulled over, called the insurance company, and then finally checked the damage done. There is only one way to describe what I saw. It appeared that my car's tire had been skinned off. This may be a weird visual, but it reminded me of the way some Native Indian tribes used to skin the scalp off of their enemies. It was a sad thing to see happen to my old man. My day was officially not going according to the plan . . . I could have gotten mad, started screaming and yelling out of frustration. I could have become a pessimistic and just look at all the wrong things that were happening but I choose differently. I choose to stay calm, wait until help arrived (one hour and 30 minutes of waiting but it could have been a longer wait, with the weather not cooperating). I choose to sit back, listen to some tunes, call my family and best friend to let them know how everything was going, and to even draw. Even when the cop pulled over to check if everything was alright, I remained calm (it was my first time having a police officer pull over). I was not stressed. I was happy to not have gotten in a car crash (even though it was pouring at the time of the incident). I was ready to get some lunch and get my old man to the doctor's. Life is unpredictable. Things rarely go as planned and it is in those moments where one either "rolls with it" or gets stuck on the fact that things aren't going the way one would have preferred. As someone that substitute teaches as a part time job, I can not afford to loose my cool when things go unplanned. There are days when I pick up a lesson plan and everything seems to go smoothly until a student gets hurt, or the class takes longer on a section then what was planned. Things don't always go by the book and that is a life lesson we all learn at one point in our lives. Have a wonderful week everyone!
- JM It begun on the Summer of 2013, two weeks after high school graduation. Fall semester came and it brought with it new friendships, workshops, and lots of course work. Spring came and brought more course work, leaving me tired and ready for a break. Going to college three semesters in a row can tire anyone; however, I quickly found my own personal remedy. I booked a trip to the Caribbean side of the island of Puerto Rico. I traveled the island for a month, and in that month I visited several cities. I traveled to San Juan, Caguas, Gurabo, Ponce, and Humacao. After spending one month relaxing in the island, I came back to begin my Summer courses. Although I choose to take a summer course, I was still able to take a break and relax. Its important to take breaks, whether they are long ones or short ones. Taking classes every semester without taking some time off to rest the mind can lead to one burning out.
College is meant to be a wonderful new life experience, don't let it burn you out. Take a trip, go travel the world, go travel the city your in, but don't get burned out! - JM |