Greetings from England, Ireland, and Wales !!! (FC) 4/30

OMG ! Where do I begin… MY TRIP WAS GREAT! I stayed in Ireland for 5 days which wasn't what I expected. The first 5 days were nonstop sightseeings, visiting historical monuments, and trying hard to grab some limited wifi from wherever I could. Ireland is very green, and extremely beautiful. The second night me and some of the girls went to go see Captain America 2, which was extremely AWESOME! The first couple of nights were boring simply due to the limited TV channels, and not much for us to do. Me and my friends decided to spend our nights altogether making jokes, talking, and laughing about the most random things while talking about Marvel vs. DC comics. It was nice bonding with everyone, and it sort of made me not want the trip to end while it was just starting. The food could have been much better but that is because the UK serves organic food, and I am used to the greasy, salty, and sugary foods that the US has provided me all my life, but I lost weight which wasn't the best since I am already a skinny gal. t visited Wales for one day which was pretty cool since its a nice vacation spot, its very chilled and calm. NOW LONDON WAS JUST MIND BLOWING! England itself was just everything I had expected it to be it was more than that, it was like NY but 1000x better. Shopping stores were huge about 2x the size of your average H&M and Urban Outfitters in NY + so much more. I loved seeing Big Ben and strolling the London bridge. My trip was everything I had expected it to be but a lot more than I expected. I made great friendships, reconnected with some, and overall just had such a wonderful experience. I missed my family like crazy and missed my warm bed back at home, but thank god I got to experience what most people haven't got the chance to at 17 years old, especially in my family. It was the experience of a lifetime and I hope to visit these places and so many others in the near future.

The Movie Claudine (ID) 4/2

For Ms. Epps African American film/literature class, we are currently watching the movie Claudine. It shows the life of a young African American woman living in Harlem off welfare and with her six kids. She was married twice but each man left her to care for her children alone, and she works for a white woman on the other side of town as a maid. Throughout the film, Claudine meets a garbage man who works near her and they soon fall in love. Their relationship is in a struggle simply because she loves him but cannot marry him. She wants to show him around, but whenever she does, the welfare woman that shows up at her door is convinced she finally has a man that can financially support her therefore she no longer needs welfare checks which is not the case. Claudine feels exhaustion due to not knowing where her kids are ever up to, she is a single struggling mother, and her boyfriend has struggles of his own due to paying child support to two of his kids that he never sees. He does not want to be dragged into a marriage where welfare people will always be on his case, and Claudine does not want to feel like she is bringing him into a marriage that will take away his free rights as a man with no obligations. This movie was made in the '70s and depicts how life was in the '70s for people who were on the welfare system. What I've learned thus far is that people like the woman who constantly harassed Claudine are still around today, but instead it is not only the welfare system, but child services as well. Nothing ever really changes, it just takes turns for the worst.

Preparation for My England, Ireland, Wales Trip (FC) 3/19

On April 16th, 2014, Me and 17 other students along with some teachers to travel England, Ireland, and Wales for 9 days. I am expecting to see so much on my trip. Since I was a child I have always wanted to see England. I don't know too much about Wales, but that is what I find so exciting about this trip since I am awaiting to see what new things I can find in Wales. I am also excited to see Ireland. From my prior knowledge I know that Ireland is a very religious country, people drink a lot, and they are known for their green grass and four leaf clovers. Most importantly, it is the country where Saint Patrick helped spread Catholicism to the irish people who lived there many many years ago. I can't wait to see Big Ben, The London Bridge, and so much more In England. I never thought I could ever make it to see London someday because I thought it was so expensive and that you'd have to be rich to make it to a place like that. I am just extremely happy to finally see my dreams come true!

A perfect definition (Free Choice)

When Love Begins 
by Florence

I always knew that love would come find me someday
but never did I know that it would be you who was headed my way
you caught me off guard and took me by surprise
but you simply captivated me, the same way you do when I look into your eyes

It's true that every good and perfect gift is from above
you were presented to me as a beautifully packaged gift full of humor, talent, intelligence, beauty and love
"it isn't finding the perfect person but learning to see an imperfect person perfectly"
we all have our flaws but when I view you through my eyes, perfection is all I see

From when you laugh to when you're upset, I still love the little things you do
especially hearing you laugh and seeing your nose wrinkle the same way mine does too
coming into this relationship has been hard at times but we've made it through
I know as long as we're on this journey together, there's nothing that we can't do.

Sometimes I wonder if what we have is too good to be true
too scared to get my heart broken and scared of the thought of losing you
but in the end, I trust in the author and perfecter of what I believe
because what we ask for in Him, we in return shall receive

"Where your treasure is, your heart will be also" is how the saying goes
I may not know what tomorrow may bring, for God is the only one who knows
the one thing I do know is that you are my one and only
a treasure in my heart that I want to devote my whole life to completely

I know I don't need to prove my feelings to know they're true
because what I've known in my past, doesn't come close to the experience I've shared with you
I've had the experience of being in relationships before
however, this is the first time I've been truly happy... I couldn't ask for anything more
it's an honor to know that I am yours, as you are mine
and I trust God that He'll bring us together in His beautiful time

For now, I'll be waiting patiently for that day when we'll be together
that precious moment in time when I'll say, "it's you that I want to be with forever"
God made everything beautiful, precious and new
just as beautiful and precious as the day will be, when I look into your eyes and say, "I Love You"

Response: First I want to say that this poem perfectly explains everything that I feel, and that the woman who wrote this deserves some recognition because she detailed every thing you can possibly feel when you know you truly love someone. This week my free choice would be just a perfect definition of my feelings.

LINK: http://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/when-love-begins

Much Ado About Nothing, Or Much To Say About Everything? (CRR)

Today my class and I went downtown to watch a $10 reenactment of William Shakespeare's play, Much Ado About Nothing. This play had its ups and some downs, but overall it seemed to catch my eye. At the start of the play, the actors are all sitting on white furniture discussing and speaking in Elizabethan language, which I have yet to understand completely. The actors show a more modern version of the play with the way their wardrobe was set, and many of the actors seemed to look as though they put a lot of thought into their character’s personas. I wouldn't say it was the best play Shakespeare has ever written, but it was okay for the most part. 

Shakespeare (CRR)

In English we are beginning to read the Taming of the Shrew.  The Taming of the shrew is basically the story of a girl who can't get married yet until her older sister does. The difference between both sisters is that the oldest is a more modernized version of women in today's world bearing the characteristics of independent, strong, and outspoken. The younger sister is the obedient sister who does as told, and is the opposite as her sister. In their society, women who are like Katharina (older sister) are seen as reckless, and NEED to get married as a way of being tamed, BUT Katharina doesn't want to get married, which worries her father dearly. Bianca (younger sister) on the other hand has two men fighting over her, because they want her to get married, but under her father's orders (in hopes that his eldest daughter will find a suitable man) she can't get married before Katharina. Only problem is that NO MAN wants to marry Katharina because of her independent and outspoken mannerisms. Thus, her being the shrew "in need of taming". I don't think she necessarily needs taming, or that there is anything wrong with her. Maybe I say this because in a way I consider myself a lot like Katharina. At the end of the day it can be said that Katharina is not ready to hold a man down, but in reality no man is strong enough to reach Katharina's standards nor ready to handle and hold down a woman like her.

FREEBIE