EXTERNAL JOURNEY

As part of the English course, Journey in Literature, I had the opportunity to create this blog.  The name of my blog is “Travel a World of Words”, which consist mostly in topics as traveling, tourism, identity, education, etc.  The posts are related to the discussions during class. The blog represents the external journey which consists on the more physical level.   As my first experience as a blogger I have to say that this is not my thing, for now.  It’s quite interesting the fact at the beginning of the semester I was hesitant to make this blog, to make public reflections and post about my personal opinions.   But through this external journey I realize that is important to state and publish an opinion and discuss upon it.  Thus we students have a responsibility to publish the correct information so that it can be interpreted just the way that we intended.   The blog help me to gain experience in my writing skills and knowledge for example: at first I did not know the difference between a tourist and a traveler.   After studying “A Small Place” by Jamaica Kincaid, “Identity” by Peter Roberts, I can say that I understand the difference between them.  Definitely I want to be more like a traveler than a tourist in my next trip.  Now I have notion of what other persons can perceived about my presence and that makes me reflect about how I act and mostly how I want to be perceived by others.  This does not mean that I’m not going to act like myself, but it means that I will be traveling with a little bit more of consciousness.    

Overall the changes in the external journey reflect my journey in one semester.  I noticed when I was starting the blog that I was writing systematically.  I was pressured to make the post look professional.  But as time passed and got the hang of blogging, I felt the urge to try to express differently my posts.  As for example my post of “Let me take you on a trip”, which narrates the day I pretended to be a tourist and my internal struggle to achieve the tourist mode in my own island.  This post is important to my external journey, because I had the opportunity to do in practice what I was writing about.  I learned that being a tourist or traveler is a matter of time, knowledge and interest.  Also the way that wrote about my day as a tourist was as If I was having a conversation to myself, and that’s what I wanted to bring through this experience.  I wanted to be able to deliver the correct information, but without losing myself in the process. 

This project overall is a great way to interact with others and compare and contrast different opinions and perspectives.  I will not continue with this blog, maybe in the future I will start a new blog, of other topics.  The overall blog experience has enriched me as a person, because it took me out of my comfort zone and made me think, analyze, summarize and most importantly it made me express myself through words.  So that’s my world in words and I hope you readers continue exploring new ideas.   

 

Internal Journey Journal.

Let me take you on a trip, a rather bit different than the others.  As part of my English class, Journey in Literature, one of the assignments was to keep a journal.  This was not an ordinary journal, this represented far beyond that just an obligatory assignment.  Here are some guidelines of the requirements of the journal, feel free to try it.  First of all the notebook could not have lines.  This provides an unlimited area of non-restricted freedom to write, draw your most recent thoughts.  The students keeping the journal had the freedom to write a sentence, a word or even make a doodle and counted as part of the entry. Also all entries must be in pen. Six rules had to be followed, first keep your hand moving, even if you misspelled or did not have something to write.  Another rule was not to cross out, even if you made a mistake or regret writing something.  This was the most difficult rule to follow, because in my case I always write in pen and constantly making lots of mistakes and I used to cross them out.  During this practice, the person writing cannot deny the line of thought, and has to learn to accept what their mind is thinking and embrace it.   The key is not to be logical, and do not over think during the process of entry.  The point is to lose control and go to the jugular.   The assignment consisted in 5 entries per week, with no page number limit or word limit.  In just 10 minutes, express your first’s thoughts, without any restraint and without any judgment.  Also another part of the journal consisted in doing three compasses per week.  A compass is a “spiral” form compass with spirituality, emotion, mental and physical labels in each pole.  The point of this to rate from 1-3 each pole based on how you were at the moment, without analyzing the answer to much, followed by a passage below explaining what was on your mind at the moment of rating.

In class two concepts were introduced: the external and internal journey.  This journal represents the internal journey.  Is based on personal criteria and is strictly confidential.  Now you know the rules, and know you can go into my trip.  My journal experience started January 24, 2014.  At first I started writing up to two pages per entry, then by the mid of the semester I noticed I wrote about three to four and had been persistent.  It reflects the changes and the evolution of my thoughts during this semester.  I noticed some consistency in the topics I wrote about in the journal, especially about my schoolwork, music and fun facts.  But yet, I noticed variety in thought.  The language used in the journal is only understood by me, because most of them are not even complete sentences.  Trying to genuinely write my first thoughts without double thinking it or to sincerely write what I was thinking was the biggest struggle, but once to get the hang of it the thoughts just flow naturally.  I plan in the future to keep journals, but with some modifications to the rules. Keeping a journal is a good way to keep in tract with you, and develop creative skills.  The internal journey is part of the identity, and the journal helps define your identity.

 

Interdisciplinary Projects and Creative Initiatives: Student Conference

Panel: “Immigration and Puerto Rico Today"

The College of General Studies presented the 2013-14 Student Conference titled: “Student Interventions in General Studies: Interdisciplinary projects and creative initiatives”.  The conference consisted in the participation of students of the current English courses presenting their projects to the university community.
The panel hat presented “Immigration of Puerto Rico Today”, supervised by Professor Petra Avillán, exposes the point of view of two immigrants that study abroad Puerto Rico.  These young women, talk about how living in Puerto Rico, an Island right next to the Dominican Republic (their native island), is difficult.  They said that living abroad is not synonym with wealth, good life, but in reality is hard work and full of sacrifice.  They present the term Xenophobia, which is an unreasonable fear or hatred to foreigners.  They also explain the use of derogatory jokes, and other ways of stereotyping the immigrants.  Part of the requisite of their class was to do a debate in pro immigration and against immigration. One of the panelists was to be in favor, while the other had to be opposed of the idea of immigration.  This debate helps them present a complete interdisciplinary conclusion about immigration in Puerto Rico, and mostly experimented both sides of the story.  They concluded that there should be a “culture bridge” was race, culture; regions or nationalities are not barriers.  They presented as well, possible solutions such as offering classes about immigration in the university. 
This panel in particular race awareness of the reality of our nation.  Immigrations and international cultural exchange is inevitable.  You may be a tourist and visit one time, but also you can choose to stay and live in another part of the world.  How the immigration is understood by the perception of the immigrant and well and the locals are important to create an environment of equality of rights.  Such things as Xenophobia and derogatory jokes, are hurtful and do not contribute to the cultural exchange that this world needs. 

Interdisciplinary Projects and Creative Initiatives: Student Conference.

Panel: "Mini Sagas: My Creative Process"

The College of General Studies presented the 2013-14 Student Conference titled: “Student Interventions in General Studies: Interdisciplinary projects and creative initiatives”.  The conference consisted in the participation of students of the current English courses presenting their projects to the university community. The panel: “Mini Sagas: My creative Process” supervised by Mildred Lockwood, exposes some interesting creative original performances.  The mini sagas are shorts passages that express a complete idea in just 50 words.  It is difficult to picture how a complete idea can be expressed in a limited quantity of words.  But the fact is that in this “poem like structured” presentations,  this student were able to find the correct words to transmit a message and mostly their thoughts.  The topics related to the panels were about health, racism, physical appearances and expectations.  By the way each panelist performed their mini saga, you can see the connection between what they were trying to express and how that connected in a certain way to their lives.  The most memorable was the one about the expectations of a husband by Ashley Dalmau.  This mini saga was hilarious and caught the audience attention. 
Being able to participate and also assist the Student Conference shows the interdisciplinary topics that the College of General Studies is trying to establish in the English courses.  The different types of learning do not necessarily need to be conventional, thus creating an environment where the student and professor can change and bring other alternatives of learning is key to understanding any subject. 

 

RUM DIARIES

Rum diaries:

 The film “The Rum Diary” was directed by Bruce Robinson, and was filmed in Puerto Rico.  The film is the story of a journalist called Paul Kemp (Johnny Deep), who works in the San Juan Star newspaper in Puerto Rico during the 1960s.  Kemp was assigned to find out what the tourist love about Puerto Rico.  Many Americans were traveling to Puerto Rico during this time, because there was economic potential in tourism.  Journalist such as Paul Kemp, had a duty to report what was going on in the tourism in the island. 

Paul Kemp experiences a transition from tourist to traveler in the sense that he needs to become one to stay in the island, he get more and more curious about the locals.  At the beginning he is asked by the taxi driver: “ ¿Primera vez en Puerto Rico?” and he replied: “I don’t speak Spanish, keep the change”.  This example reflects the tourist side of Kemp.  His transformation during the movie can be seen in diferente dialogues such as when,  Kemp asks Walt: “Mr. Paul Kemp: What you like most of Puerto Rico?  Walt( tourist) responds: “The bowling alley and the casinos” Kemp:” Have you seen a lot of the island?.  Walt’s wife replied:  “We never leave the hotel. It is not safe”.  Kemp: “But you are having fun right? Walt’s wife: “Oh yeah, lots of fun! “.  This exemplifies the ignorance of the common tourist which is represented by Walt and his wife.  They come here to another location just stay in their resort during their vacation. 

In this quote: Lotterman states: “This is America” , and Kemp replied: “This is Puerto Rico”. Here Kemp shows a complete transformation from a tourist to a traveler.

Sanderson can be classified as a tourist; he is just in it for the business, or for a piece of the Puerto Rican paradise.  He shows some disgust toward the locals.

Sala is also considered to be a tourist.  She thought that by speaking English she would have some sort of special treatment. 

Kemp says to Sanderson “ I will need a place to stay” and Sanderson responds: “That is easy.  I will find you something with a view”.  Just like the movie “A Room with a view” it is generalized that the idea of a tourist comes with a view in your room.

LET ME TAKE YOU ON TRIP...

Let me take on a trip of mind and place of a sudden “Tourist”.

The day as a tourist goes by steps.

-Step 1: Wake up at 7am.

- Had nothing better to do but to go to work. 

-Step 2: Go to work, vibes are feeling ok.

-As I walk down Ashford Ave. I notice everybody around me, mostly tourists, are heading to the beach, and lots of people buying coffee.

-Got assigned at the pastry station today.  Couple of thing fell on me, but that’s all right, “keep on, and keep it on” I said. 

-My friend Ale was in a good mood today and during the shift we decide to embark a journey to the beach after work.

-Got out of work, got home.

- Climbed to the rooftop and smoke a ‘ciggy’ with my sister Carlita and a “weird” guy.   

-The day was “piña colada” perfect… no clouds, no forecast of any bad weather. 

-Heading down stairs to meet with Ale and Vulcán (the dog) were here to pick me up.

-Step 3: Tourist mode.

-We drove around Condado for like 5 minutes and there was no parking.

- Suddenly, my invoice says: “Hey, I’m a tourist”.

-Found a parking in front of the Stop n Go and I was like:

-Ca@#$ look – Parking Spot”

- Ale parked and then we bought a few beers in the Stop n Go, and head out to the beach behind La Concha Resort.

…so we got to the beach, the day was still picture perfect.

-From where we were standing, we noticed and talk about how the umbrellas were white, multicolored and blue and divided in sections.

-Every color section of umbrellas had their own vibes and crowd.  White umbrellas: mostly families, colored umbrellas: party people, no umbrella zone: towels and people, blue umbrellas: more families.  We came out to the conclusion that it the colors represented the levels of happiness. 

-When we got to our level of happiness (our spot), we met some of our own (“tourists”), they asked us for directions.  Inevitably we looked more as locals than tourists.  We gave them the directions they needed.

-Ale got into the water, Vulcan was playing with some other dogs and I was chillin’ in the sand just tanning. 

-I kept reminding myself that I was a tourist.

-So, I was tanning and all of a sudden we saw this metal detector guy…so that was cool. I think he was a tourists also.

-Like around 3pm, we see our old friend Frank with his boogie board.  “There are no waves man” he said and sat with us.

 -By the time we ended talking with Frank, this chair rental’s guy, asked us:

“Hey would you like a tanning chair:” and I replied:

“No dude, estoy bien”. Maybe he thought we were tourist or just needed a chair.   

-So a couple of minutes went by, Ale came out of the water, and I said to him that I was hungry.  But we cannot go anywhere near because dogs aren’t aloud.

-So I was like, well let’s leave in 15 minutes

-Step 4: Back to reality: already at my house, showered and has a new plan.  Went to the library and hot some books.

I was constantly reminding myself that I was a tourist.  But the fact is that I was not a tourist, I was pretending to be a tourist based on what I think and perceived of what is a tourist.  Maybe, if a decided to be as a tourist again, I would to hang out with them and get a glimpse of their experience here in the island.

 

The Transformation of a Tourist to a Traveler

The movie "A Room with a View" based on the novel of E.M Forster takes place in Italy and England.  The movie is about a young girl named Lucy Honeychurch and her cousin/chaperone Charlotte Barlette, on their first visit to Florence, Italy.  During their visit, they had the opportunity to meet Mr. Emerson and his son George Emerson, the sisters, Misses Alans, and Miss Lavish, the novelist with a sense of adventure. 
The tourist vs. traveler concept represented in Jamaica Kincaid's, A Small Place, also takes part in this movie. The different characters represent different types of tourist and travelers.  

The main character, Lucy along with her cousin Charlotte represents for instance the concept of tourist, during their first visit to Florence.  The first thing that Charlotte says when they are in their hotel room is: "This is not what we were led to expect".  This quote represents the expectation of the tourist first experience in a new place.  As in Kincaid’s essays, the tourist did not have any idea what to expect, they did not care.  Both, Lucy and Charlotte were upset because they did not have a proper view in their room, and this represents the superficiality of the tourist.  In contrast to Mr. Emerson and his son George Emerson, who were experienced travelers, were they did not mind to switch rooms with them.  Mr. Emerson says: "I don't care to see what's outside; my vision is within".  

Lucy Honeychurch gets transformed in the movie from a tourist to a travel.  On her first car ride in Florence, driven by an Italian, Mr. Beebs, he asks Lucy “So, Miss Honeychurch, you're traveling? As a student of art? And she responded “I'm a tourist".  He then responded: "We residents sometimes pity you poor tourist not a little".  This quote is similar to the argument in Kincaid's essays, especially when she is describing the tourist first car ride in Antigua, were they are seeing new things that they do not understand.  

Lucy experiences a transformation from tourist to traveler.  Miss Lavish, who is also a traveler herself, states that Lucy is : " The young English girl transformed by Italy" .    Lucy gets transformed from a tourist to a traveler, when she embraces her own internal journey, which in this case is defined by love. One cannot be a traveler without being a tourist first.

Jamaica Kincaid maybe would have responded to the British women in a similar way as in her essays.  But maybe, Kincaid could understand that the expectation of a tourist is to see places, things in the expedited fashion, and have a glimpse of something unknown.  Thus, only from the inner experience the tourist can be transformed to a traveler.

 

 

 

Cheating vs. Helping

The fine line between cheating and helping is considered a cultural shock.  Depending on the perspective in which is considered.  For example, in the United States, the act of helping another student during a test is considered cheating, a bad thing.  In contrast in Puerto Rico there is a debate in whether helping is considered cheating a bad thing or it is permissible under the educational standards as it can be considered a means or alternative result in obtaining knowledge.  What causes the cultural shock? Well, in the United States students are taught to compete in all aspects of life.  They are in a constant race to be best not only at their class, but with others schools.  This indeed promotes a view that ‘helping ‘another student is bad, therefore cheating or just a mean of using the easy way out.   In Puerto Rico, helping others it is a principle that is taught since childhood and it’s a part of our cultural background.  Puerto Ricans cannot help themselves from helping others especially when it comes to an exam.  Students like to cheat, because they want their friends to pass as much as they do. 

Jim Cooper’s chapter eight “Helping” exposes the reality of students in Puerto Rico ‘helping’ each other during exams, which he considered was cheating.  The problem he faced was that he had no trouble with the students helping each other during class, but not during exams.  Coopers posture was that an exam is an auto-evaluation that is strictly personal.  But after a conversation with another puertorican English teacher, who told him that he did not care if their students cheat, because his main interest is that their students learn the right answers to the questions.  In other word to obtain the knowledge he had intended for them.  So that’s why cheating in Puerto Rican students is not that of a bad thing. 

Teaching English, Perspective View in the 1950's and Present.

Human beings are capable of communicating information as a source of knowledge through language.   This permits exchange of information for the construction, through the concepts created by ourselves.  Teaching is the method in which information is transmitted to one human being to another, in this case many, a classroom.  In Jim Cooper’s, “Down on the Island” he describes his personal experience in teaching in the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez campus, during late 1940’s and 1950’s.  By that period of time, Puerto Rico was going through major political and economical changes that affected the system of education.  As a teacher he followed the syllabus that the department of English of the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez campus had established and he noticed that it was not effective.  Cooper had a certain responsibility to change the system in a way that the students in Puerto Rico could learn the second language, which is English. 

‘’I realized the enormity of the dream world or wish-fulfillment world I was walking into”.(p.68)

He noticed that the students that came out of high school, especially public school did not pose the skills to understand the English language in the materials that were given to them.  There were no language skills and on top of that, the government was not aware of the reality of the mechanism of learning another language successfully as they hope they will.  This chapter represents the historical reality of Puerto Rico in the 1950’s.  Cooper lived to see and collide with this reality.  He had a unique personal experience during these extreme changes in the life in Puerto Rico, and discovered the truth that the students had the right to learn English by other systems according to their needs.

The discrepancy of the education system still continues today and it still demonstrates that does not prepare the students to be fluent in a second language, in our case English.  This is a consequence from a political decision made in the 1950’s that had caused that most of Puerto Ricans still have the problem of not dominating the skills to speak and write properly in English, thus not being to duly bilingual.

  

"A Small Place" - Innocence of Tourists.

    Jamaica Kincaid's "A Small Place" tends to explain the situation of post-colonial Antigua, her homeland. Between political, cultural and social changes, Antigua has evolved to an island in which not many are aware of its current situation.  "A Small Place" intends to deliver a glimpse of what is Antigua.  It exposes how the tourist is viewed by the locals, also themes and arguments that are of significant to the residents and play part of the history of the island.  In this post I will write about the innocence of the tourist versus the perspective of the local, based on the novel and also from my personal experience.

   Is the tourist being just innocent or ignorant?  Innocence is defined as the lack of knowledge.  But it seems as Kincaid makes it sound like is ignorance, which is another form of lack of knowledge.  The tourists visit Antigua with the expectation of paradise.  They do not know the actual status of the island.  For example, they are not fully aware of the currency. The tourist may be  familiar with the exchange rate, but the locals are the ones responsible for the services.  The tourist may be innocent in the way that they are not familiar with the currency.  Tourist may not be aware that fluctuation on currency can be based on the needs of the local providing the service.  For example, taxi rates can change from one taxi to another.  They come to visit and escape their world and they are willing to pay these differences. 

   In many tropical islands that depend on tourism as Kincaid may state: " A tourist is an ugly human being".  They are a sort of invaders, nevertheless they are part of their economy.  They are ugly because they are ignorant, they do not have knowledge of their culture.  As for example the water quality in the island.  Antigua does not have a fresh water resources, but they distill saltwater so it is of a different quality and besides have a lower water pressure.  They constantly complain about how does the water taste and its pressure, and they do not understand the situation that is going in the island.  This is something they encounter when they arrive at the island and can be considered as ignorance.

   As a local in a Island (Puerto Rico), I can say that I have encountered both innocent and ignorant tourists.  I work daily with tourist from around the world serving them coffee.  My perspective as a local is that a tourist is getting away from their daily routine.  We, the locals that deal directly with the tourist have a privilege position as we are responsible for educating them and teaching them about our lifestyle and culture.  I feel that my job provides me with a satisfaction of informing the common tourist, thus having the opportunity to have an enriched cultural exchange. 

   

Etherwood - Falling Out Of Consciousness (feat. Georgia Yates and Bev Le...

Etherwood - The Time is Here At Last (feat. Hybrid Minds)

Shot entirely on a GoPro across China, Laos, Thailand & Cambodia, throughout Summer 2013.

Etherwood - Weightless - Official Video

Let me take you in a trip around the world via youtube,  This video was shot entirely on a GoPro camera across China, Laos, Thailand & Cambidia in the Summer 2013. Filmed by Max Palmer.

The song is called Weightless by Etherwood, an upcoming artists in the Drum and Bass scene.  

Insight about me.

My name is Sylvette García, I am a student in the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras campus.

I'm currently getting my major in Cellular Molecular Biology in Natural Science.  I'm really passionate of what I am studying and plan to pursue my future in this area of study.  I always find myself on the move searching for new places.  Let me share with you guys a little insight of who I am.  I like to visit new places, especially here in Puerto Rico, in which sometimes us locals underestimate its beauty.  I enjoy of late night running, skating, bike rides, coffee, music, and going to the beach.  Also I have a passion for ballet dancing and arts.

Let me take you in a journey of my previous trips.  The following list exposes the top 10 places that I had visited during my life. I only have been on a plane once and was to DisneyWorld, my other trips are basically road trips around the island.

1.    Culebra- Flamenco Beach

2.    Isabela, PR- Jobos Beach

3.    Isabela, PR- Middles Beach

4.    Cueva Ventana- Arecibo, PR.

5.    Cueva del Indio- Arecido,PR.

6.    Cavernas de Camuy- Camuy, PR.

7.    Icacos Island.

8.    Mata la Gata.

9.    Disney World

10. Gozalandia- San Sebastian, PR.

Most of my trips are road trips right here in my homeland Puerto Rico.  One of my best experiences was visiting Gozalandia in San Sebastian, PR.  This is a hot spot for tourist and specially locals.  It’s a river with natural cascades and a lot nature. 

During my trip, my friends and I were amazed of the beauty this place beholds.  In one of the rivers there was this man, a local, which gave us a mini tour.  He shows us the underwater caves and told us some awesome stories.  Also we jump into the river with a rope.  Our identity as locals was questioned with the local man, but when we offered him some 'quenepas' he knew we were from the island.  Its interesting the fact that many locals are 'turist' on there own place and that give us a insight of what we are missing in paradise.  Ihope to explore most places right here in Puerto Rico.  Also I want to travel around the world but that’s just a matter of time.