Final Reflection

Well, where can we start. I've had such an enlightening time in this marvelous literature class. I haven't made much friends but at least I've laughed with all of my fellow classmates. I've processed the dynamic class structure we use on our classes and I've become very comfortable in our academic course. The journal made me realize I have so much potential in writing, I might even take more literature courses that I'm supposed to. The journey has been great until now, our task right now is to unfold what is leftt of the scarse semester.

I'm honored to be part of my English Literature class with Cynthia Pittmann "with two T's and two N's". I have taken previous courses in English and Spanish literature and by far this has been my favorite one. What I most love about our class is the professor's attitude and teaching methods. They remind me of when I was a mere child and was waiting anxiously for my favorite class in elementary school, for this, I thank our professor. The things we've read in class are key to the aspect of analysis the course wants to implant.

The things I've written in this class have helped me grow as an individual, structure my writing skills and improve my cognitive and critical writing. I am planing to continue this journal phenomenon when the time arrives, I esteem by the time summer comes up I'll continue. The pen must never stop, and it must go on and on like the life's journey.

- I also love this graph, it has so much to teach in just a few words and drawings.

Please people, you need to sign this petition, for the sake of Karso in Puerto Rico!

https://www.change.org/petitions/hon-alejandro-garc%C3%ADa-padilla-gobernador-firme-el-prapec-para-asegurar-la-conservaci%C3%B3n-del-karso-puertorrique%C3%B1o-2?recruiter=89258844&utm_campaign=mailto_link&utm_medium=email&utm_source=share_petition

Reflection on my Journal

What a blast I've had in these couple of months with my Journal. The best part of it all is reading it when you've finished it. Just today I started reading the first page and I was amazed at how accurate the pages concurred to my thoughts and feelings on a daily basis. Each page has a date and every 2 days I had to do a compass. The compasses were so much fun, I made a different compass each time, applying my artistic skills in the drawing area. Each of the compasses was like a mathematical equation, while the sole purpose of it was to analyze your state in four different aspects. One was supposed to describe the physical, emotional, spiritual and mental state at the present time. 

I'm glad I got to write a journal, I've always thought of it, but I never had the proper motivation. Thanks to the English Literature class I'm taking in my university. I've come fond of non-stop writing thanks to the Journal, that's the way our professor taught us to write. I've noticeably enriched my writing skills thanks to this daily routine, or as other have called it: "chore".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zElAYXooppM

This is such a good Jimmi hendrix song, I love his music.

Reflection on The Rum Diaries.

            Well, where can we start? At first I was briefly astounded by the current situation of the protagonist Kemp (Johnny Depp), where he was in a “tight spot” as we call it. I say this because he woke up in a hotel as hungover as one can imagine, drinking all of the alcohol that was in the beverage fridge in his hotel room. As soon as I saw this scene, I thought the whole movie was going to be very crazy. And indeed it was. A lot of scenes involved violence and corruption, as well as poverty and richness (in terms of capita). The whole movie is about this New York Times writer/columnist that is offered a job in a very mediocre Newspaper Publicist Firm called the San Juan Star, that was at the momento was the paper of preference for the local community. The setting is in San Juan, Puerto rico in the 1960’s.

            When this journalist (Paul Kemp) progresses at his freelance job in Puerto Rico, he struggles to find a balance between the local culture and the external influences faced upon the island. He is accompanied by many friends, some more delisional than others. One can see in the film the margin planted by capitalism in social clases, the gap is extremely noticable. There are poor and rich antagonists in the movie, the poor ones are the “mates” Paul Kemp meets and the rich ones are the ones that offer Kemp a great amount of money for his services, concerning the spread of controlled information.

            The plot of the film is quite fascinating. The poor and misleaded come to an agreement to rise against the bankrupcy of the newspaper and publish one last paper for the sake of their dignity, which they are not able to achieve. The protagonist (Paul Kemp) felt in love with one of his rich friend’s girlfriend. They had a blast, and had many problems thanks to her, but he did defend her at the end, giving her asylum when she was lost in the small island. Overall I enjoyed the movie, I could sense a lot of dark humor in the film and that cought my attention. In relation to the puerto rican image portrayed in the film, it is very true. They portray the puerto rican community exactly how it was at the time.

Reflection on A Small Place by Jamaica Kincaid.

Wow, what a great read. I enjoyed very much this text. I read many influential factors in this marvelous turn of events. The story is very much a narration of personal tourist experiences from the autor Jamaica Kincaid. It is set to be in her hometown, Antigua. The plot is very convincing of the idea that only an “insider can understand certains aspects and qualities of a place. One can relate this to the difference between a traveller and a tourist, where a traveller is there for the “full experience” and the tourist is there for the “full package”. The experience is different from the package, because one focuses on the Little things that only a true observer would notice and the other one is just a brief sroll through the place’s context/history/culture.

Many factors presented in the text are the total social and econiomic margins generated in those lands. Where everyone can see the expensive old cars in very poor conditions, and the majority of things deteriorating. These are all aspects surrounding the past and actual corruption of the place, that limits the funds used to “take care” of Antigua. Jamaika Kincaid also narrates what was her past memories of Antigua and her curren tones, comparing them and wondering endlessly which one was worst. Sadly, there are many negative and true factors presented in the text. Things discussed in her late experiences are her fellow townmate experiences, the library that was never repaired thanks to corruption and the aspect of the passage of time through Antigua and what are the changes that come with time.

At the end the idea I most percieved was the beauty of the island. After all the struggling things discussed in her experience, things came to sense for a moment, with the beautiful details of Antigua. The island was so beautiful that Kincaid use dan allegation to an “unreal” place, a utopic land of beauty. Many social factors of Antigua are discussed in the story.

A day as a tourist: Guanica's Dry Forest.

Today has been my day as a tourist. I went to Guanica's Dry Forest for the first time. I did not meet much people, except for the tour guide and the human resources employee. The guide was in charge of enjoying his life doing things he loved and the human resources employee was in charge of very superficial maintenance of the forest. One must never go there without a long sleeved shirt and insect repellent, it is of upmost neccesity for the element of survival. It was actually a nice road trip, I had a blast. I payed a couple of dollars to a really good friend of mine and he took us there, wondering it was going to be a school trip. We spent quite the significant time on the road, making stops and enjoying deep fried everything over the way, like a typical tourist would do. I was dressend in cakis, a buttoned shirt full of beach like flowers, some white socks (high to the knee of course), my heavy duty brown boots and a sun cap. My friend and I learned so much on this road trip, all from the rich variety of species Puerto Rico has to offer to the astounding climate conditions these speecies have to endure.

Overall I acted as a latinamerican tourist. I commented the people who greeted me that I was endemic from Colombia (since I could defend myself a little due to my paternal family being Colombian) and acted like a complete south american citizen. I asked many questions, had a funny and ambicious attitude and of course, be extremely nice. My friend and I were laughing almost all of the time we spent there because of my humorous and astounding attitude, sometimes it was just too funny. Overall I had a great experience. The people I had contact with totally thought I was for real. In fact, I never even told them it was for my English Literature Class. I'm grateful for the oportunity of being a tourist, it brought me positive vibes all day, although I always saw tourists as people who disturb. I hope I can do this again another day, just for the fun of it.

Reflection about "A Room with a View" and comparing it to "A Small Place"

Marvelous story. Perhaps a little too emotional for me. I found no mystery at all. The common attitude of a person in that point in time was a bit obvious and unconvincing. Very typical love story, the young ones meet at the beginning of the story, later on they are separated, then they are rejoiced again, only that this time she is going to marry another man, it turns out illegitimate and she cancels the wedding and finally return to the one she is truly in love with. I would say that is the stereotypical plot of a love story. The characters are: Lucey Honeychurch (An indecisive young girl from Surrey), Charlotte Bartlett (Lucey's older, poorer cousin and maid), George Emmerson (a young man with a passionate disire for truth, also falls in love with Lucey), Mr. Emerson (George's father, he is a gentlemen in his own ways), Cecil Vyse (Lucey's dislikeful, dispiting fiancee), Mrs. Honeychurch (Lucey's adorable, caring mother), Mr. Beebe (The rector in Lucey's town, also a peasant), Freddy (Lucey's young, energetic brother), The Miss Alans (the old spinster sisters), Miss Lavish (an inspired writer), Mr. Eager (The British Chaplain), Minnie (Mr. Beebes niece) and Sir Harry Otway (The local who buys the two villas).

The travelers/tourists are Lucey, Charlotte, Mr. Beebe, Miss Lavish and Mr. Eager. They are all travelers/tourists because they travel to a guest house in Florence for purposes of tourism. The 3 quotes I chose that relate to the idea of travel and tourism are: “It is fate that I am here,' George persisted, 'but you can call it Italy if it makes you less unhappy.”, “One doesn't come to Italy for niceness," was the retort; "one comes for life. Buon giorno! Buon giorno!” and  "Every city, let me teach you, has its own smell!". I chose these quotes because they all represent a factor in travel and tourism, possessing a nature of difference of culture and aspects from "home”. Jamaica Kincaid’s idea of being a tourist can relate to this story. I say this because the relevance portrayed in both stories about distinction, analysis and comprehension, extreme emotional behavior, euphoric experience (positive or negative) and usual appreciation for what is foreign when people travel is strong.

I think Jamaica Kincaid would respond to the British women who visit Italy in a most unusual way. She would’ve greeted everyone with the same in the same fashion, but when she finds out the ways of some, she would’ve had a bit of shame for those who are blinded by money ,social status and by being rich by all means necessary. One can see in Jamaica Kincaid’s A Small Place that she focuses on relevant factors that compete and reckon with most of the rich British women’s ideals. The British women would’ve probably greeted Jamaica Kincaid as some sort of abomination or unnecessary being, for her social class or behavior. 

Thoughts on Jim Cooper’s “Down on the Island”

                I found this text most intriguing. It’s a first person narrative enriching us with an American professor’s academic experience in Puerto Rico. The author relates how was his practice as an english teacher at the UPR Mayaguez, a.k.a. “El Colegio”. Jim used to teach in various places, but he was astonished when he arrived to Puerto Rico. He described is as a “new world”, yet he tells us that this world converts into the only world, as in the normal world. The text is filled with critics of how the education in Puerto Rico was in the early days of the university. Most students didn’t know English and the few that did were from private schools or emigrated from the United States of America. In fact, the whole experience I had reading this text was just how overwhelmed he was of what Puerto Rico was like. The author then evolves into understanding the culture and tries to shape it in the most positive way. He wanted to help the Puerto Rican community into understanding and achieving the English language.

                Jim Cooper tells us that most elementary, high school and university teachers didn’t even know how to speak English fluently, some didn’t even know how to speak it and were “teaching” the wrong way. The whole idea of the text surrounds us with conflicts in our country’s education in the English language, but nevertheless, it searches for the solution more than anything. The observations he makes at the time are fascinating, knowing that now a day in Puerto Rico it is of upmost necessity being bilingual, and at least speak English correctly. He narrates that most of the students didn’t take the English course seriously; they thought it was just one of their other classes that they passed automatically. But indeed they were wrong; the university staff took responsible measures to make this stereotypical thought disappear.

                Although it was very difficult to teach the young students, thanks to their unorthodox methods of learning English in their early stages of life, He did feel he achieved something. He wanted to help the students, he made the English curriculum, he wanted to make a change in this country, such as many other teachers and students alike (many from the states) who shared the same constructive values. Along the trembling path of atrocities the country’s English education guided him through, he never lost hope and never gave up on changing the way these students were taught the English language.

                As time passed, things began to change, some in positive and others in negative directions. One thing was for certain, Jim Cooper helped form the outline of our country’s education in the English matter. Being able to deal with students, their parents and other teachers as well had made him enrich his knowledge so much, getting ready to spread intellect in every way possible to our whole culture, who lacked the educational resources to learn such an important language such as English. May the bulldogs of "Maya" remember Jim Cooper for the rest of time.

Places i've travelled:
- Colombia
- Panama
- Montana
- New York
- Orlando
- Atlanta
- Vieques
- Palomino
- Palominito
- Gates of Babylon

The most epic experience has been by far Colombia. My paternal family lives over there at "La Tierrita"(That's what we call it). I've visited so many places, met so many people, experienced so many rich moments, I can barely describe it. The people are so nice, so educated, the food is so delicious (not to mention GMO-free), the city is fantastic (Bogotá) and the country is marvelous. I love the green areas of Colombia, its like a huge eco-friendly farm. I tend to go every year, enjoy the best out of the month or 2 that I stay. I always visit my family members and always discover new places. Sometimes I wake up in the morning in one of my family's farms and I just tend to smoke a marlboro and feel like a cowboy. Museums in the city are astonishing. My favorites where the Museum of Gold and the Botero Museum. The Botero Museum was fascinating, possessing arts of many talented artists like Miró, Picasso and Dahlí. The last time I went to Colombia, I went straight to Medellín, a most beautiful city, with gorgeous people. Here I lay you some pictures from all of my visits.

This blog is crazy. If you like guitars, you should check it out.

http://guitarz.blogspot.com/

Me, myself and I

Greetings. My name is Jorge C. Rincon. I'm in my 2nd year on the beautiful UPRRP university, I study Economics in the Social Sciences faculty and I love literature. Since little I've always had a thing for reading, I also prefer to read a good book instead of the typical movie, any day of the week. I live in this awesome place called Puerto Rico. My parents are Colombian, but I was born here. I could be living over there at South America but I just love my life here. I consider myself one with art. I can draw, paint, and do almost anything with a peace of textile and the proper utensils for creation. I'm also a musician, I play drums and guitar. My favorite type of music is stoner rock, but I'm fond of appreciating all types of acoustic music.  Reggaeton?  That's ludacris. I ride my bike every day from home to the "iupi", i have a lunchbox and I carry my headphones with me all the time, it's a must. I don't really know how to upgrade, shine or decorate my blog, I cant understand this sorcery. Anyhow, I hope you like my intriguing posts, best of luck to all.

I'm just going to lay out a few pictures of my interests, just so you can get a concrete image of what I am/represent, just for the fun of it.