Paper Self-Review

1. I am happy with my paper so far. It meets the standards and criteria of how the paper look and feel. I think I could do a little more elaborating on my experience, but otherwise I am happy with it.
2. After looking at my peers papers over the past week, I have noticed that each of my peers, including myself, described simple and honest events that had a big impact on their lives. This helped me come up with more ideas for my final paper, as well as what needed to be fixed and revised.
3. I feel like I need to have more descriptions and feeling in it.
4. I wrote about how, for the first time, I got a taste of something new and exotic and how it left me wanting more.
5. I wanted to show readers that even though my paper was about something simple, I wanted readers to come away with how big the impact was on my life.

Fine Dining

As I look back to my earlier years, one experience stands out.  It was an educational experience that gave me a taste of something new, which left me wanting more. It happened when my grandmother took me out to a fancy Japanese restaurant called Hakata. It was an educational experience I will never forget and it has shaped my choices and decisions for my future.

    I just turned 15 years old, and I was staying for the week at my grandmother's house and she decided to take me out to dinner. I had never eaten out at a before at a restaurant let alone a five star restaurant. She thought it would be an excellent experience for me to get out and experience "the finer things in life", as she put it. She told me if I ever wanted to take someone out on a date or/and travel the world one day, it was essential for me to know how to act and behave in a formal setting.

    After my Grandmother had told me about all this, I became very nervous and excited, both at the same time. I didn't know what to wear, how to act, or even how to speak, for that matter. However, I knew that my Grandmother would not embarrass me. She told me to not be afraid of new things, otherwise if you are too afraid, you will miss out on so many things. So, the day before we went, she taught me all the basics things that I would need to know, from how to tip after a meal, to how to dress for certain occasions, even where to ask to be seated (next to the window).

    When we got there the next evening, I followed all the steps that my Grandmother had told me.  When I stepped inside the restaurant, everyone in restaurant looked at us (mostly me) and just stared. I tried not to notice and just take in the sights and smells. The inside of the restaurant was decorated with the colors black, white with touches of grey and red. I felt like I was in Japan with everyone there speaking and ordering in Japanese. There was an area where you could even watch the chefs cook the meals. Maybe that was why everyone was looking at us. We said and did everything in English that evening. When we got to our tables (with the view), the manager took our order that night, because she was an old friend of my Grandmother.

     For an appetizer, my grandmother and I ordered the coconut shrimp tempura with a side teriyaki sauce. She told me to eat at the same pace as her because it is good manners. She chews her food very slowly so as to enjoy the flavors. Then for the main course, I had fish cooked in teriyaki with sticky rice, and a side dish of Japanese salad.  I had never tasted anything so delicious.  I did take my time and chewed my food very slowly.  I appreciated how they presented the food on the plate and also how polite they were. Dessert was Asian ice cream. It was so creamy and light.  They finished it off with tea.  I was so content.  It took me a little time to relax.  I didn’t want to make any mistakes and look foolish.  

     When we left the restaurant, my Grandmother told me that I did well.  She said, “Omar, I am proud of you.”  I was so happy.  It was just one experience, yet I learned so much.  I learned how to take care of the person you take out, how to calculate the tip, how to eat and where to request where to sit.  However, the most important thing that I learned was that I knew so little and wanted to learn more.  I wanted to eat at many more restaurants, to travel, to explore.  My Grandmother exposed me to a new experience.  She said, “If you study hard and get a good education, then you can find a job that will let you travel, try different restaurants, meet new people and many more new experiences.” She opened my eyes to all the new experiences and possibilities out in the world that I could experience and to not be afraid. It was a valuable lesson.      

Group Cubing

Cubing--Our topic is "finger paint," and each of us will develop ideas on this topic by using one of the "modes" or strategies on the handout.

My group had assigned me "Apply it"

Define it: Finger paint is paint that is intended to be applied with your fingers. If you Google finger paint one of the first things that come up is eatable finger paint recipes. It is fairly easy to make and is easy to clean up.  You can also buy it from any craft store.  This product is geared toward children so it is washable and non-toxic. It comes in all colors and sizes.

   Finger paint is a paint that comes in many different colors and is used for decorating many different things. It can also be used in many different ways as well.  Although most people apply it to the fingers before painting on whatever they choose, some use many different parts of their body as well. It can be used on mostly anything, from newspapers to walls, to practically anything.

    Finger paint is made of non-toxic pigments and other goop that is safe for kids to eat, because if there's one thing that kids like to eat more than white school paste, it's finger paint.  The darker the color, the more they like it--in their mouths, on their clothes, on the furniture.  Once you have spread down lots of newspaper or drop clothes, you open the lids, give the kids some sheets of paper (or whatever you are o.k. with them getting colored goop on), and tell 'em to "go for it!"  In my experience, this is where the fun starts: first they test it by sticking their fingers into the jars, and then they smell it, often getting some on the outside of their noses (and sometimes on the inside too).  Once they've done that, the next step is to rub some onto the paper.  This is then followed by smearing some of it on their face, their clothes, the drop cloth--whatever isn't covered up--and sometime even on what's been carefully covered up.  Often, this is followed by more exuberant experimentation, such as deliberately painting their faces, or even other people's face, and even those of other people who don't want their faces smeared with dark red and green goop.  There are many other steps that may follow, but the last one is usually a trip to Urgent Care, because someone gets sick from eating it, sticks some up their nose, or slips on the drop cloth and sprains an ankle.

     Hide your most cherished items, furniture, carpets and pets! Out there in the darkness lurks a terrifying menace.  This menace is known only as finger paints. The seemingly fun activity for children is one of the most destructive forces in nature. Sure it seems like fun, open a tube of your favorite color, dab your finger in it and go nuts. Your imagination is truly free so is your child’s. Giving them paper to paint on will only be a short deterrent! After the child has finished painting his or her puppy, kitty, or stick figure painting, the fun quickly moves to grim places. I’m talking about your expensive furniture or that t-shirt you got at a concert when you were in high school. With my daughter on the way I know that she will want to play with this fiendish creation so I have thrown all of my possessions away now, to spare me the horror and heartbreak of the inevitable future. I advise all of you to do the same.

Books vs. Blogs Part 2

Out of the four  Educational Narrative reading assignments,  I liked the "How I learned to Program Computers" the best. I could relate to the writer better.  He started creating sites at an early age.  I liked that he put pictures of himself on the his blog.  I also learned a lot about the different programs you could use because he listed them. I was happy to check some of them out. I was impressed by how many sites he created through self-motivation.  It gave me inspiration to not give up on my dreams.  It takes some effort, but if you keep working hard, you can succeed. He did succeed.  He was offered a job at a great company.  I like working with computers.  Maybe someday students will be taking an English class and reading my blog.  I forgot, they already are!

Omar

Books vs. Blogs

I think there was more emotion in the printed books than in the blogs.  It evoked more visual images, feelings and had more depth than the blogs.  The blogs did not include as many outside influences or experiences as the print autobiography samples.  The blogs had a lighter tone than the print.

Omar

Generating Ideas

I had a general understand of the structure of the Educational Narratives from the samples that I read.  I found that it was very useful to read other blogs to see how they were getting along with their ideas.  It is good to know that we are all in the same boat. 

Omar

Free-writing on an Educational Experience

     The most educational experience that I had was when my grandmother took me out to a  five star Japanese restaurant.  I was staying for the week at my grandmother's house and she decided to take me out to dinner.  It was an educational experience I will never forget.  
      I had never eaten out at a before at a restaurant let alone a five star restaurant.
      She thought it would be an excellent experience for me to get out and experience "the finer things in life," as she put it.
      She told me if I ever wanted to take someone out an a date or/and travel the world one day, it is essential for me to know how to act and behave in a formal setting.
      After my grandmother had told me about all this, I became very nervous and excited at the same time. I didn't know what to wear, how to act, or even how to speak, for that matter. However, I knew that my Grandmother would not embarrass me.  

Omar

First Paper Assignment Commentary

After reading the four Education Narratives, I have a clearer idea of the structure of a model Educational Narrative.  These essays have helped me to start brainstorming ideas for my essay.  I am more comfortable with the assignment ahead. 

Compare and Contrast Malcolm X and Mike Rose's Ed. Narratives

     Malcolm X's and Mike Rose's Educational Narrative essays have both similarities and differences.
In Malcolm X's essay "Learning to Read" and Mike Rose's essay "I Just Wanna Be Average", both authors describe an event or series of events that led to their desire to be better educated.  Both writers aspired to become educated in spite of the situations (institutions) that they were put in. Malcolm X was sent to Norfolk Prison Colony and Mike Rose was sent to Our Lady of Mercy. The authors similarly write about how education had changed their lives.  Also, both authors wrote of their experiences as children of minority groups. However, the essays also have differences.  In Malcolm X's essay, he changed the direction of his life through a "homemade education", while Mike Rose's essay indicated that his direction was changed by education at school.  Also, Malcolm X's motivation was to be a better reader, writer, and speaker. The focus of the essay was mostly about himself.  While in the essay by Mike Rose, he observed and was concerned not only for his own education, but also the education of those around him.  Both essays were inspiring. 

Sample Education Narratives

     The two education narrative samples, "How I Learned to Program Computers" by Feross Aboukhadijeh and "How I Learned to Live Google Free" by Joshua J. Romero, both were interesting to read.  However, I liked the narrative "How I Learned to Program Computers" by Feross Aboukhadijeh better. His narrative appealed to me more because he use more visual pieces in his narrative and used language that was simpler and intended for a younger audience. 
     It was a good exercise reading the two model education narratives so that I understand the upcoming assignment more clearly.  I will be writing about an education experience that I had, as both writers had done. The samples can give me a general model to refer to when writing my narrative.  It also helped me generate ideas for my upcoming narrative.              

Group Notes from 1/7

Today we gathered in groups to discuss why it was we came to choose the templates we did for our Google blog pages. The group, consisting of Dan, Casey, Omar, and Travis all took a few moments in setting up our individual sites to our preferred specifications. While Dan created his page to "pop" with a background that "jumps from the screen", Omar chose his theme because he enjoys travel, it looked nice and was simple. Casey, who chose his background to include a blurred image of a highway landed on the picture because it looked sunny and "nice". Travis, choosing the template with a black and white of a small bridge, picked that image in particular because it looked peaceful and was a quick click away from starting on the next part of the assignment. Each member of our group was able to easily choose a template for their blog page.

Omar Hammou

First Post

Hello,

This is my first day of college, and it is going very well so far. I hope I will do well in class this semester.

Omar