It's been awhile...

Hi there, gang.

It's been awhile since I have made a post. This semester has been very rough for me. Not that it hasn't been rough on every Freshmen, but my health has taken a real toll on my life. My health, my financial situation, and my education have me at wits end! I think my stripes are falling off.

I started out well this semester. I had settled my stomach (a little), but I was still getting very dizzy or nauseas. It felt miserable to be let down by my body. Again, I missed classes, and in no time, I was behind again -sigh-. I tried so hard to keep going to classes, but when it was even too painful to move, I could not resist just staying in bed to feel better. After spring break though, I hit a bright patch!!

This medicine I took worked miracles. It cleared out my system, and I thought, "Finally! Now I can have a normal year!" I took a performing arts workshop for 5 days. I met people with whom I believe I will have lifelong friendships! I even adventured around the city, visiting venues I had never expected to go near. My favorite show (out of the many concerts, shows, and rehearsals) was Peter and the Starcatcher!

I recommend it if you get the chance!

I had the time of my life, but then, I started seeing this strange light flashing in my left eye. On Sunday light, it got much worse. I called the doctor before it could get out of hand, and the very next day, I was sent in for eye surgery (not your typical Freshman happenstance haha). It was not painless, but it was much better. The doctor said I could have lost my eyesight if I had not gone in soon enough.

I am grateful, but recovering made it hard for me to read or write or see as normal. Now that I am back to full health, I have to catch up to weeks of work! It's not going to be easy. Most of my classes expect so much of me, and I am expecting some real hard times coming up, too. Not everything is under the bridge, not yet.

But I think I can do it! I have the support of many people, and if I can just focus, I think I can do everything in my power to finish this year strong. Here I go!

All about Communication

Communication:

What do you expect to learn from this pod-casting project:

·      Different people can convey the same message in different ways

·      Improve Teamwork! (WOO)

o   Cooperation, compromise, keeping an open mind

·      People from other cultures may interpret your message in an unexpected way

o   In a similar way, people from other cultures may interpret your behavior differently according to their ethnocentricity.

·      Ability to time manage

o   This is a HUUUUUGE project that spans a long period of time, so it is essential that we keep in contact and set time aside autonomous from the classroom.

·      How to communicate an original idea using multimedia tools (more modern tools besides essays and powerpoints)

o   How to communicate that idea to different scopes of people

§  Your teacher/academic mentor

§  Students of your classroom

§  People of your own nation

§  People outside your nation

What does communication mean to you?

To me, communication is the ability to make an idea that only exists in your own head understandable to an audience. That audience can consist of anyone; however, who the audience is can determine the different techniques taken to convey your message. In other words, your idea should be universally translated, and how well you can translate that message will determine how well it is understood.

Of course, the former describes only one side of communication. Since it takes two to tango, and conversely at least two to communicate, there is the listening side to communication. On this end, I believe that communication means keeping an open mind to all ideas and avoiding being judgmental. At this stage, the listener must give the speaker a chance to communicate whatever he would like, and in the process, the listener should not be defensive or offensive. Afterward, if there is any conflict, there should be a discussion or synthesis of ideas. This ebb of ideas and language is what to me makes up communication.