Descrition - "Guavas"

In the reading selection: "Guavas", Esmeralda Santiago does not buy the guava at the end, would you have done the same if you were in her situation, why or why not?

I would have bought the guava and wait until it ripens at home. I personally do not like Guavas, but knowing how much Santiago likes them, and knowing what an important part of her childhood Guavas were, I would definitely cling to them, to my culture; I would not let go my culture so easily. It is like rice and beans or "parrandas", entirely Puerto Rican customs. But the fact that you are away does not mean you have to leave those customs behind. If you love them as much as Santiago loves Guavas from Puerto Rico, you should not leave them. People can adapt and start eating apples and pears, but they can also eat guavas. There's no need to leave one for the other.



Talk about something that reminds you of your childhood in a positive way and why is it special and/or memorable to you.


Something that reminds me of my childhood is candy. Not because I ate a lot of candy, but, because I ate certain types of candy at certain age, depending of the stores I had near the schools I attended. I used to eat many of the followings: Jolly Rancher, Nerds, Bubbaloo, AirHeads, Sour Worms and many more. I eat them rarely as an adult, but every time I remember past schools, past friends, games I used to play as a little kid. Candy just brings back memories, happy memories.

Week 6 - Afghanistan Culture

If you had the opportunity to stop this social issue (child marriages in Afghanistan) from happening, how would you do it? Explain

The first thing I would do is make a economic reform. Girls are being sold because their family doesn't have enough money. So, what the families need is more money. I would be like the President of the United States and would start giving monetary aid to those in need. It could be in the forms of coupons for food, new jobs or actual money so the family can do whatever they want. The second, and most important thing I would do, is a teaching/psychology reform. I would make mandatory family sessions in which family members could understand the value of the other family members, and other people in general. I would also teach them about human rights, and how they could keep their culture, but still progress towards a more just society. Because some people from other countries think that Americans are liberal in the way they dress or they act. But people can have both: conservative and just society.




State a social issue that concerns you in your country (Puerto Rico) and explain in what way(s) would you help to make a positive change.

There are many social issues that concerns me in Puerto Rico. But one of the ones that concern me the most is violence and how it has become deeply rooted in our culture and everyday life. We see violence since we are born. Mothers teach their children by hitting them, instead of talking to them. People kill themselves on the street by a mere argument or to steal the twenty dollars somebody had on their wallet.

Sometimes people think that violence is only physical, but it is also emotional and verbal. Manipulating someone is a for of violence, making fun of people is another. But my favorite example is saying obscene words, or what is more commonly known as swearing. When people on the street call their friends the "B" word --in English-- or the "C" word -- in Spanish -- they are being violent, even if they do not do it consciously. That is why I said that violence has become deeply rooted in Puerto Rico.

Again, I think the problem is we have an illiterate society, in terms of human's relations and a person's value. I would do a mandatory class in school, specially pre-school and elementary school. I would teach kids the value of a human life, and how you can't do to others what you don't want done to yourself.

Week 5

This week was our midterm. It covered every topic discussed since the beginning of the course: Grammar, "How to write an essay", "Waiting" and "Salvation". The second class of this week we had a class dedicated to Afghanistan culture. Students talk in general of Afghanistan as a country, of its people; about how they look, how they dress, but most importantly how and when they marry. It was discussed the Afghanistan custom of older men buying and marrying younger girls; as young as nine or ten years old. Students were able to express their point of view about this topic.

Photo by Stephanie Sinclair (UNICEF - Photo of 2007)

Week 4

During week four we finished discussing Langston Hughes' "Salvation". We talked about how he felt and discussed if we would have done the same thing in his situation. Also, we wrote the draft for a reaction paper that was due next class. In this week's second class was the discussion of "Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin. We talked about Chopin's background, what inspired her to write "Story of an Hour" and the consequences of doing so. In the same way, the meaning and symbols of the story were discussed.

The last image is property of: Nekobecca (Deviant Art)

Week 3

This week we had class on Wednesday only. We discussed many upcoming projects and topics. The rest of the class was spent on peer revision of a essay written as an assignment for last week. The essay had for title: "My Life on a Daily Basis" and was, not only a list of things the author do on a daily basis, but a insight of the authors life.

Week 2

This week was focused on reading and discussing a micro-fiction called "Waiting". The short narrative, by Peggy McNally, is about "the lowest-paid substitute teacher in the district" and how she feels towards her job: depressed and hopeless. In-class discussion enlightened students as of why the text is called "Waiting". The teacher is waiting for new opportunities that would get her out of her boring and routing life.