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      When I first got my schedule and saw that I had 1st period English I thought "Oh great". But having Mr.Thomas 1st period wasn't so bad after all. He understands we are teenagers are being forced to wake up early , when we would rather be sleeping in til 12. Although he was lenient about things and made sure everybody had a positive attitude he still gave our classwork. Having share personal stories that may or may not have been related to the topic made the class seem easy going , as well as being able to understand the daily objective.
     Each lesson or book we read Mr.Thomas was able to relate it to some type of life lesson or was able to make us better writers.Teaching us the basics of writing was able to help me in my AP Spanish Lit and APUSH class, whenever we had to write essays. It was specially helpful that the things I was learning in English I was able to translate to Spanish and it was easier for me and my other peers in AP Spanish Lit to write essays. Each book we read we always had Socratic Seminars in which Mr.Thomas made us search for the real life implications the author was trying to present to the readers. The conversations would later diverge into real life issues and presented us with solutions . I think that was one of the best qualities of Mr.Thomas, he was able to not only teach us English but incorporate issues we will later face after High School.
   The essay I felt was most difficult to write was the argumentative essay. The structure that was taught to us was new . Previously we were taught just to not input our personal feelings into it. The new structure is a more intelligent way and hope to master it soon.
 The essay that i felt was the easiest was the rhetorical analysis . Once I understood the meaning of each rhetorical strategy I was able to pick them up really easily and analyze the meaning of each passage the rest was a breeze. What helped also are the 7 steps that were taught to us in order to pre-write and write the essay in 30 minutes. That is a strategy I will always use in any rhetorical analysis.
 The book I least enjoyed reading was In Cold Blood . Not that I didn't enjoy the book, I just wouldn't re-read it . It is a good book to read and later discuss the issues that are presented. My favorite book would be The Great Gatsby . I'm a sucker for a romantic story as well as the creativity involved. All the books that we read were enjoyable and had a great message.
  I really enjoyed Mr.Thomas as a teacher and really enjoyed the fact that he was easy going and related things to us to help us learn. As well as taking the learning to next level and teaching us life lessons and that's what makes a teacher a teacher. I will never forget my English teacher who always started our class with a personal story.

THANK YOU (: !!!!

The Things I Carry

Like Tim O'Brien I pick up baggage physically and emotionally.

Physically: Like most teenagers now a days , cellphones are something we can't live without. The main reason for this physical attraction is the source of communication.When I don't have it in my back pocket, where its usually located, I feel empty.Another reason my phone is essential is the use of my camera for selfies for my friends and I. I have gone 2 weeks without my phone when I went camping , I have to admit it was strange not being to communicate, but instead I was able to be active outdoors. Do I NEED my phone to survive? No. Is it a nice accessory? Yes.

Dreams/Goals: My number one goal is to be able to graduate high school and walk across the stage. Of course after that I wanna be able to go to college , then medical school, and then start my internship as a brain surgeon at a top notch hospital. Along with a successful career I hope to be able to have a family of my own. Overall these are my long term goals, and along the way I will come across some short term goals. As of right now some of my short term goals include being able to skip spring finals for my AP classes , raise my GPA, and get my license !

Relationship: My mom is one of the main people in my life that give me the drive to succeed. As a recently single mom, I see how hard she works to support my siblings and I. If she can work hard at a minimum wage job then I can work hard at school to able to make more of myself . She inspires me, because despite all the obstacles she's had to face , she was able to overcome them, leaving me with the lesson of never giving up . Another person who inspires me is my little sister. She is autistic and despite her disability she is able to go to school and participate in everyday activities like me . I know when she is older she won't be able to be fully independent and I want to be there for her and fulfill any of her necessities. Even though she might not know it, she is the one of the only people who knows how to put a smile on my face by saying some of the funniest things ever.

                                                    

Personality: The first three adjectives that come to mind when I think of myself are, shy , smart, and short. I hope to become someone who does things for myself and not because I have to please other people, because honestly that's something I will never be able to do . I hope to become someone successful so that way my mom can brag about me to her friends , the way her friends brag about their kids successful careers. For the majority people think I am nice smart person. I'm sure I have a couple of people that aren't fond of me , but oh well. My personality has allowed me to have long lasting friendships and help me overcome any situation. 

                                                     

Memories: Honestly living everyday and experiencing new things each day adds on to a collection a memories. A recent memory that has stuck with me is the memory of Yosemite National Park. I had the opportunity to camp there over the summer and as a cliche as it might sound I was able to grow as a person. Being from the city and never really having much experience with real life nature being there the first couple of days it was almost like a culture shock. I was able to bond with a group of 12 amazing people and each member made me realize something different from myself. I was able to depend on other people. Prior to the trip I would like to do thing independently mostly having to do with the way I was raised. I learned that sometimes its okay to have other people help you. I almost felt as if I became another person at Yosemite. I was able to connect with Rebecca while meditating at top of mountains with amazing views and the clean wind rushing through my hair.

                                              

Rebecca

The flags right above are the countries that make up who I am. I was born in The United States , but my mom immigrated from El Salvador. My dad was born in Los Angeles , but his parents immigrated from Nicaragua . My mom likes to think that I am mostly Salvadorian and American , I tell her that my dad's heritage counts equally , because it brought me to where I am today. As far as being American , I was born here and I believe in most of what our country stands for and does.

Culture is defined as the beliefs,customs,arts,etc of a particular society,group,place,or time. There's no way to sugar coat the fact that Salvadorians have some of the strictest rules and expectations, meaning strict parents! I love my mom's roots and all the food that comes along with it but after 20+ years of her living here , her Salvadorian "ways" have not changed. I'm not aware of Nicaragua's culture,because I'm not really around my dad's side of the family , that why I can identify with the Salvadorian "ways" more.

I think the secret of honoring your parents' culture , is identifying yourself to them. I'm not saying go up to their faces and tell them everything that's wrong with their culture . Clear up to them that you are you , and you were born in a different time period and possibly a different country. Let them know that you are proud to be their son/daughter ,but you would like to do things differently. Explain to them that you want to learn from your own mistakes, but are still willing to accept their advice.

Growing up my mom did not give me much freedom as my other friends. I would always be upset with her, because I felt left out from my friends. In high school , I can defiantly say my mom is more open to letting me go out more and let me have my own freedom. Now I can see that was she was doing was the same as my grandma did for her and she was trying to protect me. She lets me make own mistakes and I respect whatever she decides. At the end of the day I know my time is limited with her so I value her advice, and try to incorporate it in my life.

Not forgetting where you came from and what you want to do with that is what is gonna make you Dee or Maggie . I choose to be a little bit of both , as I will remember my mother's advice , but try to live life for Rebecca.