The Dream of a Prince

For me, Dating and Marriage has a lot to do with my religion.

I am 15 years old, and have never been on a date. This is because our church leaders have counseled us not to date until we turn 16. I know, for a lot of people that sounds crazy, but I actually agree with them. Guys really need a chance to mature before they are sent out into the confusing world of girls, otherwise, it just doesn’t work. I really believe that dating is a good way to meet new people, and eventually to meet the person you are meant to be with forever. I am really looking forward to dating. I am super excited to start meeting new, great guys and having a ton of fun.

I believe that Marriage is definitely a good thing, and an essential. Everyone should really, seriously consider trying to get married. I believe that once you find someone that you are really in love with and want to spend the rest of your life with; that is a gift. Many people never get married because either they don’t believe in it, or, they just “never find the right person”. Other people get married too quickly and end up unhappy in their marriage; some even end up divorced. I think that we should shoot for in the middle. We shouldn’t rush into marriage, and we shouldn’t give up on marriage all together.

I don’t believe in divorce. I mean, I understand why people would need to get out of a marriage, but honestly, if you need a divorce, you might not have thought that marriage through very carefully. Marriage is sacred and should be cherished. God commanded us to multiply and replenish the earth, how else are we supposed to do that, of not by a marriage between a man and a woman. I know that many people believe that it is okay to not get married before you have kids, or that marriage doesn’t have to be between a man and a woman. I think that both of those ideas are wrong, and have corrupted the human race. I really believe in a good, well thought out marriage.

I am so excited to date, and I am ready to start my quest to find a worthy eternal companion. Marriage and dating are definitely big in my life, and are extremely important to my beliefs. My dream is an eternal marriage to a really good, worthy guy. I know, that "some day my prince will come, some day I'll find my love, and how thrilling that moment will be, when the prince of my dreams comes to me.' I can't wait for that dream to come true.

Anthropology: Being an Ethnocentric or Cultural Relativist

Anthropologists face many challenges when they visit a different culture than their own. While most try to be very cultural relativistic, many often cannot help but be a little Ethnocentric and often encounter many ethnocentric people. Cultural Relativism: The idea that everyone can and should be able to understand other cultures. Ethnocentrism: the attitude that your own ethnic group is superior to other cultures.

In the short story Eating Christmas in the Kalahari an anthropologist encounters quite an ordeal. After buying the largest cow he could find to give as a present to the !Kung people, he is bombarded with many a negative comment about how thin and sickly the cow is. He finally figures out that it was just the way of the !Kung people, they enforce humility. In this story I felt very sorry for the anthropologist. He was being a cultural relativist and was doing all he could to understand and follow the traditions of the people he was analyzing, but he thought that he was getting totally shot down. Little did he know, they were just giving him another small piece of their culture.

In Shakespeare in the Bush it is totally opposite, no- one is really trying that hard to be cultural relativists and it ends up that they get into arguments over it. Members of this African tribe were very ethnocentric. As the anthropologist in this story tries to explain the story of Hamlet to this tribe, she is encountered with many different views about the story line, and the interpretations of the story. Laura (the anthropologist) had the ethnocentric belief that everyone everywhere interprets stories the same way, especially Shakespeare because his ideas are universal. But she was proved very wrong. Different cultures have beliefs that are so opposite from other cultures, that they cause many problems. The African tribes men in this story refused to accept Shakespeare’s Hamlet the way it was, they had to change it to fit their beliefs and would keep interrupting Laura because the thought that she was telling the story wrong. English and African cultures are so different, and just this little story helped to illustrate the differences in culture.

When they are working out in the field Anthropologists encounter a lot of different beliefs. To be an anthropologist you have to be very open-minded and listen to the people you are working with. You should always take into consideration the cultural background of the people you are talking to or what you are reading. If you don’t, you can end up as confused and frustrated as the people in both of these stories. Everyone’s beliefs are different and we shouldn’t judge people if they don’t think the same way we do about everything. Being open-minded about other cultures can help with our relationships with other people. But I also want to point out that it can be a bad thing to be to cultural relativistic. If we become to set on welcoming the ideas of other cultures, we might lose our culture. We need to keep our culture alive, so that we can have a fun diverse world like we have always had. We should find a happy medium somewhere on the scale between Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism.

'We Are Sixteen' Project

As part of our next English project, we are doing six different activities that gather, and display information about the experience of being a sixteen year old in Utah County. Each day I will post something in relation to the activity for that day.

Day 1: Facebook Screenshot.
I took a screenshot of my most recent status update on Facebook. The picture includes the comments about the update and a conversation I was having with my friend about the snowfall this morning, via instant messaging.

Day 2: Bedroom
For today I was supposed to take some pictures of my room (no matter how messy it was) and include some unique things in those pictures.
My Favorite Corner
This is where I just love to sit. My favorite place in the whole house.






A Few of My Paintings







Some T-Shirts
I participate in the fine-arts programs in my school and in the community.






Full View of my Room









Day 3: My Inspiration
While on a trip to Vegas, during Spring Break, I was visiting the Fountain of the Gods in Caesars Palace. This statue really stuck out to me personally. I don't really know why. The way it was shaped, the dramatic stance, the angle, but most probably, I think it was because of the lighting. When I first saw this statue, I fell in love with everything about it.



***Day 4: Map

My Day on Friday. This is everywhere that I went last Friday. Probably one of my busier days, usually I don't go anywhere.




***Day 5: My Playlist
Honestly there is NO way to narrow my playlist down to just ten songs, but I did my best. Showtunes, pop, and a little hip-hop (even though I didn't include any hip-hop on this list) are my music.

1. Music of the Night- Phantom of the Opera


2. Crush- David Archuleta


3. You are Loved- Josh Groban


4. Defying Gravity- Wicked


5. A Little Fall of Rain- Les Miserables


6. Apologize- Timbaland (OneRepublic)


7. Fall for You- Secondhand Serenade


8. Lily's Eyes- The Secret Garden


9. Home- Michael Buble


10. Saltwater Room- Owl City

Day 6: Fashion
This is a normal outfit for me. Either a long shirt or a short dress, with a pair of leggings and some cute sandals on the feet. And I've got to have the jewelry.






+++Day 7: Food

Breakfast! Mmm... Pancakes!











School Lunch... Honestly I don't really know what it was.








My Friend brought Cupcakes!











After School Snack!









Dinner. Hamburger, Veggies, and some Hashbrowns!












+++Extra Credit

Final Essay

The Power of Words (Final)

Dear Reader,
In the United States and in the world today there are many harsh and hurtful words that are spoken, not just amongst enemies, but in the close circles of friends and family.
Words are very delicate. Words that are carelessly thrown back and forth are never thought out and can be very damaging. People have learned how to contort the words that they speak and use them for their own personal gain. Many times this contortion of words can result in battles amongst ourselves and then can go even as far as being the cause of worldwide wars. The twisting of words not only in verbal communications but also through the communications of the pen can be a nation’s downfall. Take the bible as an example. Throughout history there has been so much controversy over the meaning and the correct usage of the words in the Bible. This one book has split countries apart. All because of the different ways that people use the holy words in the bible to benefit them and their congregation. Don’t think that I am saying that I am against other religions because I’m not. I just think that we could have bypassed a lot of contention if no one had ever changed the Bible’s true meaning. That is the effect words can have. That is the power of words. Words can keep us together or tear us apart.
In my personal opinion words are the foundation for our societies. In all communities we rely very strongly on our ability to communicate with each other. Without language we would cease to be human, we would cease to exist. We need to start with the Home. Parents have the responsibility to get the train going, to start their children on the path to becoming good, smart, well-read, well-spoken leaders. In the long run, the base, the first things a child learns, is what will guide that child through the rest of their life. If children have a good foundation, they will be good people, and good people use words for good. Words used for good, can change the world for good.
If people learned how to use words better and learned how to use them for good, then we would have a better world. The whole start to ‘World Peace’ is to teach everyone how to use their knowledge of words and the powers of words to bring every nation together. It is absolutely necessary to teach this next generation and the generations to come about the effects their words can have on the whole world. If we all want to pull through the time of crisis ahead than we need to train the next generation how to utilize the powers they have within themselves, and how to put it forth for the better, for the good of our country and other countries. Train your brain. Think like a leader and you will be one. Think of the different ways that you can change the world and you will change it. Use the powers you have within yourself, harness the potential, and use it for the good, the better and even the best. The perfect society starts with you. We are the foundation. We are the building blocks of every nation. Our words have that kind of effect. Believe me; it all starts with one word.

Essay Draft

Judgment and the power of Words (Draft)

Dear Reader,
In the United States and in the world today there are many harsh and hurtful words that are spoken not just amongst enemies, but in the close circles of friends and family.
I have noticed, as I have grown, that sarcasm is creeping into our systems. Sarcasm seems to be all that anyone will ever use when having a conversation; I myself use sarcasm a lot. I know sarcasm seems cool but sarcasm hurts. It not only hurts other people but us as well. Sarcasm is often what keeps our relationships with everyone around us from flourishing and being better. It kind of creates a barrier between loved ones. Sarcasm is also really confusing sometimes. If you want to communicate effectively than do not use sarcasm. It can be very damaging to someone, even if they know you are joking, sometimes it is taken personally and then that person could, depending on the sarcastic joke, be self conscious for the rest of their lives. You never know.
One thing that has always bothered me is how judgmental everyone can be. Stop putting stereotypes on people. I have always been told; don’t judge a book by its cover. You really have no place to judge how good or bad a book may be by the cover. Likewise, do not judge a person by what you see them do or hear them say. Everyone at least once in their life has judged someone or put a stereotype on someone. For instance, have you ever said, “Oh she is a cheerleader, she is stuck-up, she is a bad person, she is blonde, she can’t think for herself”? Believe me most cheerleaders are not like that in real life. But still people stereotype cheerleaders with, stuck-up, blonde, and stupid. I don’t know where that came from but it certainly does not fit the descriptions of my friends who are cheerleaders. Other common stereotypes include, Nerds, Jocks, and even racist stereotypes sometimes appear in our judgments of people. Don’t judge. Don’t stereotype. It keeps you from ever even trying to befriend someone who you judge as, “totally different then you”. You would be surprised how many great friendships can evolve from getting past that stage of judgment and moving on to the stage of acceptance.
If people learned how to use words better and learned how to use them for good, then we would have a better world. The whole start to ‘World Peace’ is to teach everyone how to use their knowledge of words and the powers of words to bring every nation together. It is absolutely necessary to teach this next generation and the generations to come about the effects their words can have on the whole world. If we are want to pull through the time of crisis ahead than we need to train the next generation how to utilize the powers they have within themselves, and how to put it forth for the better, for the good of our country and other countries. This seems kind of far-fetched but I really believe that this is truly where we need to start. It all starts with one word.
A concerned citizen.

Technology

"In the world of Teaching, articles about new ways to use technology in the classroom are everywhere. Every teaching blog, newsletter, magazine and seminar covers new uses of technology. Teachers are constantly told that you, students of the 21st century, use technology every day, are tech-saavy, and need to be taught WITH technology because that is how you learn best. We are also told that, in order to prepare you for the modern workforce, we need to teach you HOW to use new technology effectively.
Respond to that idea. What do you think about it? Do you think that teachers could be more effective if they used technology tools (think podcasts, web videos, online discussion forums, electronic assignment submission, tech-related project assignments)? Are modern students technologically inclined? What about being a student in Utah? Do you think that being in Utah keeps you a little behind-the-times as far as technology learning is concerned? Would YOU do better if more multi-media was used in your classrooms to teach and present, and for you to demonstrate your learning and communicate?"

I think that yes we as students are more technologically inclined and learn better with technology. I think that if there were more programs on the computer that were easy to use and fun, then we as students would learn faster and would be more likely to retain information in our brains. If there were more use of power points and programs like A+ we would have a greater learning experience.
If we were to have, say a class folder on the computer for each class that we were able to email our homework to, then I would, i don't know about other students, but I would be more inclined to get my homework in on time and maybe perhaps early. Since we students spend multiple hours on the computer daily, being able to do this would save time on our part and on the teachers part. The only problem with this is that computers can mess everything up, and then we get bad grades for the computers problems.
I also think, however, that we need to learn core things as well. Such as, writing and responsibility. What if all the power goes out and then we have to resort back to sending messages and communicating the old fashioned way? We need to teach/learn writing skills and writing by hand. The way we have things now is teaching us responsibility. This way we are responsible for everything in between the computer and turning it into our teachers. We need to learn this skill.
Yes we should use more technology, but we should also keep going with what we are already doing.

Teachers you get along with.

"Since we're reading Nothing But The Truth, which involves a boy who doesn't get along with a teacher, I want you to consider teacher-student relationships you've had in the past. Have you had teachers that you just got along with whether or not you did well in their class? Have you had teachers whose personality just didn't mesh with yours? Without naming names, expound upon these ideas and thoughtfully consider how personality differences or similarities have affected you in your classes."

In the past I have had many really great teachers. most of my teachers I liked a lot, and most of my teachers liked me too. This is probably because I usually do well in school and always get good grades. Last year there was a teacher here who was like my best friend. She would always talk to me and tell me what was going on in her life and in return I would tell her what went on in my life. This teacher was my favorite and I am very sad that she doesn't teach here anymore.
There have only been a couple of teachers who I haen't meshed with. One in particular last year was just really annoying and didn't listen to the students or teach us anything. this year however i have this same teacher again and I am actually starting to like this teacher. He just has a different method of teaching and you have to get used to it.
When you connect with a teacher I think that you learn a lot more. When a teacher or student doesn't make the effort to have a connection then the learning environment is lost. I know that I learn a lot better wen the teacher is nice and tries to help every individual student.