When I started researching this topic, The first text that I found was something that said "U.S. immigration law is very complex, and there is much confusion as to how it works". This made me laugh because I knew before hand that immigration policies were extensive, but for the organizations website to say that as the first visible sentence, it really must be complex. When looking through this website more, I noticed that there was a list of all the different types of immigration. There were also alot of charts that dealt with US citizenship by relationship and visa, but I could not make heads or tails of it, referring back the the first statement on the web page.
The two types that most interested me were the refugee section and the diversity visa program. I thought the refugee section was interesting because it is a matter that is deeply rooted with Spokane and its culture since it has a very large population of Eastern European population. I know that not all are refugees, but I do know that some are, and they are not from one single place. Before living in Spokane, i never knew of any refugees since they were not a part of where I had previously lived. I am sure they were there, just not in large populations. Refugees are allowed in the US if they cannot return to their home because of well founded fear of being persecuted. This can be race or politics or any thing else that is persecutable. I found it interesting that there is a limit to how many refugees are allowed into the US each year and there is a cap set by the president. I also found it interesting that the number of refugees since 2001 has severely declined. Must be because of the terrorism. It surprised me a little that there is a cap on the amount of refugees allowed in the US each year, but I knew it deep down inside.
The other type that I found interesting was the diversity visa program. This is an immigration program that gives visas to people from countries with low rates of immigration to the US visas to the US. SO it essentially gives people priority on countries who don't have a large presence in the US. When i first heard this, the first thing that came to mind was politics and I rolled my eyes. It seems like a way to make allies and get countries to be involved with the US. I know it isn't a bad thing, but something bugs me about it and I am not sure what it is. I will have to think about this one. Since this is a regional visa, most visas from this category come from Africa and Eastern Europe.
There is ALOT to immigration, enough to write a book on. I'm sure someone has done it, and I will leave that to them. I also feel sorry for people involved in this because it looks like its an extensive amount of knowledge that is not just black and white.
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Sunday, April 20, 2014
"Crossing the Wire" Response
Until reading the back of this book, I didn't realize that it was about Mexican border crossing. Since we just had a big talk about the homeless and panhandlers in Spokane, I think that this story is fitting. To come right out and say it, I have no remorse for panhandlers and illegal immigrants. I am not to the point where i am standing outside or Trader Joe's every Saturday trying to get signatures for a petition, but it is something that I have always hated. Hate is a strong word and i know that when I use it. I feel like I have been jaded with bad experiences with illegals and this book is a great perspective from a different angle.
I know that illegals and homeless are not to be lumped into one category. There are homeless out there who don't beg for money day and night and there are illegals who aren't working under the table for the rest of their lives. Victor is interesting because he is so young when he tries to come to America. He hasn't had the chance to grow up into poverty, but he knows that the grass certainly looks greener on the other side. While reading this, i felt very bad for Victor, just knowing what his future would look like when he arrived to America. He would only be able to find under the table work and would constantly be sending money back home or using it to support them, leaving little for himself. To me, the total ending is the most depressing part. Victor is picking from the lesser of two evils. To think that Victor would make this treacherous and illegal journey just to go to a place that could offer just a little better shows how desperate he is and how much he cares for his family. I was surprised when he was caught and deported back, only to try again. I would think that for him, it was a scary situation, but that wasn't the thing he was most scared about. He was scared about not being able to survive and not helping his family survive.
Like "Sold" this story shows another perspective on a coming of age story. I guess most adolescent books are coming of age stories in a way. "Sold' was good because it showed a horrifying coming of age tale that seemed a world away even though it was true. It is very easy to disconnect from that book and the idea of slavery after reading it. "Wire" is very different because it is something that is much closer to home. Maybe not to Spokane, but in general it is a known issue in the US. Spokane is a bit of an oddball in this case, but there are plenty of seasonal workers that migrate around where the work is in between Spokane and Seattle. We all have our initial views on illegals, and Victor shows that there is nothing else for some of them to do instead of cross into the US. This book shows something that isn't to prevalent in the US; people who have to emigrate to provide for themselves or their families. Even for the impoverished in the US, they don't have to jump ship to another country. Through Victor, we see why it is so important that he crosses the border.
This book is definitely a look at illegal immigration without the political viewpoints, which is a nice change. I like that the book isn't about the politics involved, but Vic's struggle to provide. While he got across and now works at an asparagus factory, I cant help but think that the sadness involved with this tale has yet to come. Like "Sold", he is paying a debt to his family that will most likely never be completely paid off, much like the prostitution debt that Lakshmi was faced with. While they are two different debts, that idea really connect the two stories to me. I think that when reading in a classroom, that connection could be good to emphasize the background idea of money that drives these two books.
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Response to "Sold"
I wasn't expecting this to be a light book going in. I knew what it was going to be about and am glad I knew before hand. It is always weird to pick up a book and be super shocked by the material. I say this because after reading, this is going to be a book that i put in my tool belt of good books to use for a classroom. This book was interesting and hard to put down once picked up. For me at least it was. When I go into books now, I ask myself would I care about this when I was a kid, because I hated reading then. Even with the gritty subject matter, this book will be one that gets students' attention and keep it.
While reading, the only thing that I could think was about how outlandish this book really seemed. None of what happened was something that i imagined was happening. Knowing that it was a true story, it was something that I had to keep reminding myself of when reading. I also think this is good for students because it takes an issue that is current world and exposes it to them without giving them material that is dated or obsolete. I think that the strong point of the book is that it is a true story and it is happening around the world. It is a bit of an eye opener because after reading about how this all happened, I can see similar situations happening everywhere. The way she sets the story up with a hard working mother and dead beat father is not something new and is probably quite prominent around the world. It was so easy for him to sell his daughter into slavery. While he didn't express that he knew exactly what it was, I think that he had an idea or would not admit it to himself. But that also raises another question about the situation. What would have happened to the girl if she stayed at home rather than being sold into slavery? I know that it is a touchy subject and not one with an easy answer. I think either way, her life would have been bad. While I don't think that slavery is good, I wonder if it was what made her into the person she is today. It reminds me of the Johnathan Swift story "A Modest Proposal" where he satirically provides a solution to eliminating poverty by having the poor sell their babies to the rich in order to eat. He made light of the situation but really hit the nail on the head about the subject. There is no easy answer to how to eliminate human trafficking or poverty.
One thing that struck me was that this book also doubled as a coming of age tale, but not one that was a generic American one. I feel like those books are a dime-a-dozen. Books like this and "Night" are great ones to show the bad side of coming of age tales. Wiesel's coming of age was surviving in a death camp and watching his father die. Lakshmi's coming of age was having to have sex with random men at the age of 12. She didn't get any preparation, just a notification that she owed 30,000(?) rupees for her freedom and she would receive 30 per costumer. She was going to be in for the long haul and she knew it. She had to grow up right there because she would not have survived otherwise.
While reading, the only thing that I could think was about how outlandish this book really seemed. None of what happened was something that i imagined was happening. Knowing that it was a true story, it was something that I had to keep reminding myself of when reading. I also think this is good for students because it takes an issue that is current world and exposes it to them without giving them material that is dated or obsolete. I think that the strong point of the book is that it is a true story and it is happening around the world. It is a bit of an eye opener because after reading about how this all happened, I can see similar situations happening everywhere. The way she sets the story up with a hard working mother and dead beat father is not something new and is probably quite prominent around the world. It was so easy for him to sell his daughter into slavery. While he didn't express that he knew exactly what it was, I think that he had an idea or would not admit it to himself. But that also raises another question about the situation. What would have happened to the girl if she stayed at home rather than being sold into slavery? I know that it is a touchy subject and not one with an easy answer. I think either way, her life would have been bad. While I don't think that slavery is good, I wonder if it was what made her into the person she is today. It reminds me of the Johnathan Swift story "A Modest Proposal" where he satirically provides a solution to eliminating poverty by having the poor sell their babies to the rich in order to eat. He made light of the situation but really hit the nail on the head about the subject. There is no easy answer to how to eliminate human trafficking or poverty.
One thing that struck me was that this book also doubled as a coming of age tale, but not one that was a generic American one. I feel like those books are a dime-a-dozen. Books like this and "Night" are great ones to show the bad side of coming of age tales. Wiesel's coming of age was surviving in a death camp and watching his father die. Lakshmi's coming of age was having to have sex with random men at the age of 12. She didn't get any preparation, just a notification that she owed 30,000(?) rupees for her freedom and she would receive 30 per costumer. She was going to be in for the long haul and she knew it. She had to grow up right there because she would not have survived otherwise.
Monday, April 14, 2014
Research on Nepal
The first thing l I did when looking up Nepal is look to find out where it is located. When I saw that it is in between China and India, I figured that it was going to end up being a little bit of both Chinese and Indian Culture. Having been over to that area, I remember how harsh the weather was. It is alot like Spokane with the four seasons, but each season is amplified. Nepal has some very hot summers, harsh winters, and even a sub tropical summers in the south. I always found the transition between harsh winters and extremely hot summers very hard to deal with. I imagine that this makes a very hardened type of people or nomads that are from here.
When I looked to see what ethnic groups there were in Nepal, I was very surprised that there were many and the highest percentage was no more than 16%. Nepal really is a melting pot or salad bowl when it comes to ethnicity. This may be one of the most diverse places that I have ever seen. When it comes to religion, Hindu makes up a large part at 81%. I found this to be interesting because Nepal was the birth place of Buddha, so I wonder if Nepal has always been this way or changed over time. Maybe Buddha was Hindu. I also know that China has taken Tibet and made it apart of their country and wonder if they are looking to absorb Nepal also. From what i found in my research they are not. The Dali Lama calls Nepal his home now, after Tibet was absorbed back into China. I guess the Chinese aren't after him, it was mostly just about Tibet.
Next I looked at the type of government that Nepal has. The have "Federal Democratic Republic". This title seemed very odd to me for some reason that I cant place my finger on. I feel like it is a translation that does not translate well. They operate by English common law and Hindu legal concepts. I found this to be interesting because it reflects a time when British ruled parts of India and how that rubbed off on the whole area. They were able to take ideas from their old governors and meld them with their nation's belief system.
Since Nepal is so close to Everest, I wanted to look up Sherpas. They are an ethnic group that is found mostly by the mountainous regions. They are famous for being guides and porters to people climbing mountains and going on other expeditions. I thought that it was very interesting that Sherpas do not suffer from the effects of altitude and low oxygen because of their genetics and upbringing. Hearing how people adapt to environments is something that i have always found to be interesting. It must be funny for them to see others deal with altitude and low oxygen. It reminds me of southern Africa, as many of the people have sickle cell anemia because the shape of the blood cells give them an immunity to malaria. having sickle cell anemia means that their blood does not get as much oxygen, so they would never make it up a mountain before passing out and dying. The ways in which bodies adapt to their environment shows how different people really are.
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
NES/WEST Research
When researching about the
differences and advantages of taking the NES as opposed to the WEST-E, I found
a lot of information that makes the NES look like the easier and better option
to take for teacher certification. All
of the research listed below shows the advantages to taking the NES, which are:
(1) it is 100% computer based testing, (2) Portable results that can compare
students’ scores to those of other stats and provide national customer support,
(3) immediate test score results for multiple choice, (4) two Spokane Valley
locations and greater testing time availability offered year round, (5) and
unlike the WEST-E, the NES is applicable in all states. The information below is an expansion of the
five advantages of taking the NES.
Before
reading about the NES, I didn’t have an opinion about taking either. Since I have taken the WEST-B and know how
the WEST-E will be done, I cringe having to do that again. As others in this class know, the test took
up almost all five hours that were allotted and it was a lot of writing. It was not a fun experience, and having to
sign up months in advance and then drive to Mead High only to wait months for
your test results were not fun. What is
worse is that this test only certifies the taker in the state of Washington. Being so close to Idaho makes it a less desirable
option since the test is not accepted there for teacher certification. The NES fixes all of those problems, bringing
all aspects of the test into the present with technology and national usability. Mass paper testing is outmoded and a waste of
money for something that can be done on a computer. While I have not taken either the WEST or the
NES exit tests, I find that the NES just sounds like the better option because
of the testing methods and the usability nationwide.
This is
important information because it not only makes testing easier, it makes the
test so that we as students can take it whenever we need and can pick our own
test date rather than schedule one months in advance. The NES will allow teachers who take it to be
certified in multiple states rather than just in Washington. With teaching jobs being scarce in Spokane,
it makes sense for the students who will be moving away to other places to find
jobs. Lastly, the NES and the WEST-E do
have much to do with prospective teachers, but it means nothing for future
students and will not affect instruction.
Here is some of the important information that I pulled from
the NES and WEST websites that I thought would be pertinent for those who will
have to decide on which test to take.
NES Testing Information
100% Computer-Based Testing
A computer-based test design means access to tests in all
fields by appointment, year round—no waiting for an assigned date before
registering to test in a specific field—and immediate score reporting for most
results. A nationwide network of
conveniently located secure, professional testing centers allows both in-state
and out-of-state applicants to complete the testing required for certification.
**Can I take the test on computer? WEST-E tests are
available only in paper-pencil format.
Portable Results
The NES is optimized for a mobile educator workforce. This
gives both states and candidates a national reach through computer-based
testing at test centers throughout the United States, easy access to
registration and comprehensive preparation materials on the Internet, and
national customer support. Detailed
feedback on candidate performance—and data reports that include national and
state benchmark information—aid in simplifying comparability of candidates from
state to state and portability in test scores.
When do candidates receive their scores?
The NES offers immediate scores for most tests as a result
of the 100% computer-based testing program design. Certification candidates
receive more detailed results reports shortly after the test date.
2. Select up to four (4)
test centers to search for appointment dates and times. Once you choose a test
center, its name will be displayed in the Selected Test Center list below. When
you have completed your selection(s), click Next.
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Information
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Map
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6.7
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Spokane
Valley
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Washington
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United
States
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9.3
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Spokane
Valley
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Washington
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United
States
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19.3
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Post
Falls
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Idaho
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United
States
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85.7
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Lewiston
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Idaho
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United
States
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114.5
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Walla
Walla
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Washington
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United
States
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NES Test Information
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Format
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Computer-based test (CBT); 150
multiple-choice questions
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Time
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Three hours
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Test Dates
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By appointment, year round. Test
appointments are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Check seat availability.
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Test Sites
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CBT sites are located
nationwide. Locate a test center
 . |
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Passing Score
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Reference Materials Provided for
this Test
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None.
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Test Fee
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Score Reporting
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A scaled score is provided
immediately after testing; score reports are released within two weeks of
testing.
|
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Testing Policies
|
When you register, you must agree
to abide by all testing rules and policies. Read them now.
|
|
Prepare
|
Tests may include test questions that are being evaluated
for future administrations and that do not affect a candidate's score.
Test Results
Test Results. In this section, you will find your total test
score for the test and date listed. This score is based on the number of items
you answered correctly and is converted to a scale that ranges from 100 to 300.
For those tests that include both multiple-choice and constructed-response
sections, you can find each section’s contribution to your total test score in
the “Diagnostic Information” section of your score report.
National Benchmark. A score of 220 represents the National
Benchmark for all NES tests. This score does not determine your passing status.
Passing status is determined by the teacher certification agency in the state
in which you are seeking certification. State-specific passing standards are
available at www.nestest.com.
Score Reporting. In this section of your score
report, you will find information about where your scores have been sent. The
states and institutions listed on your score report are the selections you made
during test registration.
NES--http://www.nestest.com/Home.aspx
West--http://www.west.nesinc.com/
Museum Display
ABU Hat
This hat represents the time that I spent in the Air Force as a flight line mechanic. While I did not have this particular hat for my whole time in service, because of uniform changes a few years before I separated, it was something that I had on me at all times. I wore it because of regulation, and to protect myself from the elements as I worked outside each day and outside during deployments. I am not a hat wearer and am one of those who believes hats create hair loss, making wearing it something I hated yet had to do. As a mechanic, I did not care about my uniform looking pretty at all times, as shown by the amount of filth on the hat. This hat is my constant reminder of countless hours of manual labor and why I sought higher education; so I will never have to wear it again.
Comic Books
While these particular comic books are not my favorite, they represent my love for comics and one of the only hobbies that I have kept since I was a kid. I started reading comic books in middle school and carried that through high school. Upon joining the military, my collection of about 500 was lost in a flood that destroyed the storage unit they were located in. At the time it did not bother me because insurance covered them and I was just joining the military, so I had other matters on my mind. These two books are ones that managed to survive the damage. Looking back, the collection that was lost is something that I cannot replace, but wish that I still had as I later resumed my hobby of reading and collecting. Every time I look at the surviving comics, I remember the days that I would spend organizing and documenting my collection. Depending on how I felt, sometimes I would organize by titles or publication date. Unfortunately, all the books that had any value were destroyed and I would be lucky to get cover price for the ones that survived. It is common for people to think that comic books are for kids and I disagree with that. 3/4s of comics today are aimed at older teens. Being my one and only love from childhood, comics mean so much to me as it has been the one constant in my life.
The Stand
As a kid I never read books and in truth, I hated reading. While I was an avid reader of comic books as a kid, I never made the transition or jumped into books. I would like to credit the fact that I hated reading with the amount of novels that I disliked in school that were mandatory reads. Looking back, I never read something that I wanted to read. One day on a deployment, I was sitting around with nothing to do and because of the particular deployment, it was slow as it was a FOB that didn’t need my certain mechanic skills that much. There was a bookshelf in the shop with books that people left for others to read and one day I decided to take a look. I saw The Stand, and decided to give it a try. The description on the back seemed interesting. I couldn’t put the book down after starting it quickly became the first book that I read on my own. After this book, I would go on to read countless other books. My newly found love for reading stemmed from reading this book; something that I read simply because I wanted to. This has helped shape my rationale for being a teacher as well as spark my interest in pursuing English. To be successful as a teacher, I feel that I will have to recall why I hated reading and what later made me love it and transcribe this to kids before they completely shrug off reading.
Point Break
This is my favorite movie and one that I watch on a regular basis (every few months or so). Everyone has a favorite movie or book and I think that it says a lot about who they are as a person and what they look for in entertainment. While I don’t care to ever learn to surf, skydive, or become adrenaline junkie bank robbers, this film reminds me that life is not just black and white situations, something that I would later learn about literature. There is not always an easy decision to make and that decisions we make can affect the whole rest of our life. Like good literature, good films also prompt watchers to ask questions beyond the film. I look at this movie and ask myself why characters did what they did. This same question can be said about characters in literature. Before I liked analyzing and reading further into literature, I was doing it in this film and did not even know it.
Fireplace Remodel
I do not consider myself handy when it comes to household projects. I still don’t. I purchased a house that was built in the ‘40s and it had some elements that were clearly out of date. I wanted to update them, mostly the fireplace as it was old, had no room for electronic equipment and had an outlet in the mantle, making wire management very difficult and ugly. I always hear the phrase that “if you apply yourself, you can do anything”. After completing this project, I feel that I can do anything I apply myself to. I got a bid for remodeling the fireplace, which came to about 5,000$. That was more than I was willing to spend, so I decided to do it myself. I researched and learned through Google how to do everything that I would need to know how to do. I did it with basic household tools and items from Home Depot for about 800$. It was hard work, but it paid off in the end. Every time I see the fireplace, I think about how I did it all and find it hard to believe that I did it from scratch and designed it myself. I took the leap and I succeeded. This success not only shows that applying myself really does work, but it took the fear of uncertainty out of doing something that is unfamiliar. This experience translates into other aspects of my life as well. Now I can do something that I have never done before. Whether it’s undertaking a new household project or trying out a new idea as a teaching candidate, I know that just applying and trying is 95% of the battle.
This hat represents the time that I spent in the Air Force as a flight line mechanic. While I did not have this particular hat for my whole time in service, because of uniform changes a few years before I separated, it was something that I had on me at all times. I wore it because of regulation, and to protect myself from the elements as I worked outside each day and outside during deployments. I am not a hat wearer and am one of those who believes hats create hair loss, making wearing it something I hated yet had to do. As a mechanic, I did not care about my uniform looking pretty at all times, as shown by the amount of filth on the hat. This hat is my constant reminder of countless hours of manual labor and why I sought higher education; so I will never have to wear it again.
Comic Books
While these particular comic books are not my favorite, they represent my love for comics and one of the only hobbies that I have kept since I was a kid. I started reading comic books in middle school and carried that through high school. Upon joining the military, my collection of about 500 was lost in a flood that destroyed the storage unit they were located in. At the time it did not bother me because insurance covered them and I was just joining the military, so I had other matters on my mind. These two books are ones that managed to survive the damage. Looking back, the collection that was lost is something that I cannot replace, but wish that I still had as I later resumed my hobby of reading and collecting. Every time I look at the surviving comics, I remember the days that I would spend organizing and documenting my collection. Depending on how I felt, sometimes I would organize by titles or publication date. Unfortunately, all the books that had any value were destroyed and I would be lucky to get cover price for the ones that survived. It is common for people to think that comic books are for kids and I disagree with that. 3/4s of comics today are aimed at older teens. Being my one and only love from childhood, comics mean so much to me as it has been the one constant in my life.
The Stand
As a kid I never read books and in truth, I hated reading. While I was an avid reader of comic books as a kid, I never made the transition or jumped into books. I would like to credit the fact that I hated reading with the amount of novels that I disliked in school that were mandatory reads. Looking back, I never read something that I wanted to read. One day on a deployment, I was sitting around with nothing to do and because of the particular deployment, it was slow as it was a FOB that didn’t need my certain mechanic skills that much. There was a bookshelf in the shop with books that people left for others to read and one day I decided to take a look. I saw The Stand, and decided to give it a try. The description on the back seemed interesting. I couldn’t put the book down after starting it quickly became the first book that I read on my own. After this book, I would go on to read countless other books. My newly found love for reading stemmed from reading this book; something that I read simply because I wanted to. This has helped shape my rationale for being a teacher as well as spark my interest in pursuing English. To be successful as a teacher, I feel that I will have to recall why I hated reading and what later made me love it and transcribe this to kids before they completely shrug off reading.
Point Break
This is my favorite movie and one that I watch on a regular basis (every few months or so). Everyone has a favorite movie or book and I think that it says a lot about who they are as a person and what they look for in entertainment. While I don’t care to ever learn to surf, skydive, or become adrenaline junkie bank robbers, this film reminds me that life is not just black and white situations, something that I would later learn about literature. There is not always an easy decision to make and that decisions we make can affect the whole rest of our life. Like good literature, good films also prompt watchers to ask questions beyond the film. I look at this movie and ask myself why characters did what they did. This same question can be said about characters in literature. Before I liked analyzing and reading further into literature, I was doing it in this film and did not even know it.
Fireplace Remodel
I do not consider myself handy when it comes to household projects. I still don’t. I purchased a house that was built in the ‘40s and it had some elements that were clearly out of date. I wanted to update them, mostly the fireplace as it was old, had no room for electronic equipment and had an outlet in the mantle, making wire management very difficult and ugly. I always hear the phrase that “if you apply yourself, you can do anything”. After completing this project, I feel that I can do anything I apply myself to. I got a bid for remodeling the fireplace, which came to about 5,000$. That was more than I was willing to spend, so I decided to do it myself. I researched and learned through Google how to do everything that I would need to know how to do. I did it with basic household tools and items from Home Depot for about 800$. It was hard work, but it paid off in the end. Every time I see the fireplace, I think about how I did it all and find it hard to believe that I did it from scratch and designed it myself. I took the leap and I succeeded. This success not only shows that applying myself really does work, but it took the fear of uncertainty out of doing something that is unfamiliar. This experience translates into other aspects of my life as well. Now I can do something that I have never done before. Whether it’s undertaking a new household project or trying out a new idea as a teaching candidate, I know that just applying and trying is 95% of the battle.
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Response to "Kampung Boy"
After reading “Kampung Boy”, the first thing that I thought
about was how close it was to stories of growing up in the US. While it was in Malaysia and some of the
customs were different, some of the same problems exist for growing kids. Because it resembles childhood for Americans,
I think that this comic book is a great way to get students involved in
learning about other cultures. This book
really allows students to see strong similarities and differences of the
Malaysian culture. Since there are
strong similarities, I imagine that this book is a great way to get students to
learn about other cultures. Out right
learning about something totally different and foreign can be daunting, but if
told in a way that reminds us of our experiences growing up, it can make it an
easy sell. Being both a graphic novel
and a entertaining story about growing up, I think that this book could be a
great way to introduce students to this culture while having them be interested
in doing it at the same time. Humor is
always a great tool to get kids more interested in any topic and this book
certainly provides humor right from the start.
At first the art seemed kind of crude, but it grew on me as
I kept reading. I thought he did some
interesting things with the art in writing this story. He always made himself and sometimes other
kids very small in proportion to adults.
I think that this was done for a couple of reasons. The kids in the book all seem to respect
adults and don’t back talk or disrespect them.
This could make him feel more childlike, therefore why he drew himself
so small. His art also depicted him
naked a lot, running around, and getting into mischief. That portion definitely made the book a bit funnier
while emphasizing how kids are the same no matter what culture they are
from. All kids are mischievous when they
are young and always looking to learn and discover more about their
surroundings, even if they aren’t supposed to.
I think that students will be able to relate to that as everyone goes
through these stages of curiosity while growing up.
My favorite part of the book involved his friends who he
joined for fishing and swimming. While
it seemed that he did it for fun and to hang out with friends, we see that
eventually he realized that he had to make a choice between it or his
studies. Like hindsight, it was written
in such a way that it did not seem like a bad at the time. When we do things as kids, we may not realize
at the time how they will affect us later on.
He had to make a choice between fishing and his studies, a choice that
every kid has to make at some point in order to move their life along. While hanging out and fishing with his
friends wasn’t necessarily bad, it wasn’t the route in life that he wanted to
take. I think that this is what the book
is really about. The moment he chose to
make sure that he was educated was the point at which this book became a coming
of age story, which makes it a great way to introduce kids to other cultures by
showing that kids in them grow up the same way we do.
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Response to Research on Malaysia
Before doing this research, I had no idea where Malaysia was
except for the fact that it was somewhere in or around the Asian
continent. I was close, but it was definitely
not where I thought it was. Looking at a
map, it is right above Australia, reminding me how close Australia is to Asia. The country has mixed ethnic groups; 50% are
Malay, 23% are Chinese, 11% are indigenous, and 7.8% are other. I always find it interesting about how satellite
countries around China and Russia are almost always mixed. Malaysia is also covered in 2/3 jungle and
rain forest. While logging and
deforestation have lowered that number overtime, they are working on restoring
what has been taken. When I spent some
time in Kyrgyzstan, which is in between Russia and China, I noticed that there
were two distinct ethnic groups, Chinese and Russian. The interesting thing was that the Chinese
looking people spoke Russian, and some of the Russian looking people spoke
Chinese. I always found that interesting
and imagine that Malaysia is the same way with its large Chinese
population.
When looking at their Government, I saw that it was modeled
after the British Parliamentary system.
I had to reread this part because at first I thought that it might still
be a British ruled state, like Hong Kong was.
After rereading, I noticed that it was not ruled over by Britain, but
instead Malaysia adopted their parliament system as their own. It seems that they made a few changes, but
operate much the same. Instead of having
a static King or Queen, the “King” is elected every five years and as of about
twenty years ago, the Malaysian King’s role is largely ceremonial with Parliament
being the real leaders. Like Britain
today, the Monarchs no longer have power over the Parliament like they used to
hundreds of years before. The role of
Kings and Queens in both the countries is ceremonial. I think this shows that Malaysia is a
progressive state that is changing its government’s structure with the world as
it changes and grows.
After reading the next bit of information, I was clued into
why I maybe don’t hear all too much about Malaysia. When it comes to world vies, they are a
little different than the US as Malaysia tends to pick sides in conflicts that
the US does not choose. Not that it’s a bad
thing, but just interesting. Malaysia
does not recognize Israel as a state and has publicly called for them to
answer for war crimes in international court.
They are still a member of the UN, but with much different
viewpoints. Their different viewpoints
also are contributed to by the fear of Muslim war. While Muslim wars are not an issue in their
country, Malaysia fears that with the growing amount of tension to the north of
them that the war will eventually spill over to their country, and they do not
want that. Because of this they have
been bolstering their military, as a preemptive caution. I found that to be very interesting because
over in the US, we don’t fear Muslim expansion or Muslim wars. Over by Asia and Africa, it is a growing
concern as Muslim involved conflicts are spreading and becoming more serious to
bordering countries. It is tough because
Muslims do not operate in one country, but instead are spread across many,
which gives Malaysia a good reason to be worried.
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