Reflection to Essay #1

During my first timed essay writing for English 1A class was a head-scratching experience. My topic for the assignment was choosing a living American artifact and I chose the “Hamburger”.  It took me a while, to come up the topic as I wanted to sound different.  Also, it was hard to find something that people can describe an American culture artifact. I stepped out of myself and imagined how other people outside of the country see us or what popular item America is known for.

I learned little more about myself after completing my timed essay and reading it afterward. My biggest dilemma I would say is starting to write, I constantly think too much and do not know where to begin. I think I took about a third of my time allowed just thinking how and what to write about. Once I started writing I felt better and ready to continue on. Although, I noticed I was going beyond topic for a moment and at one point I had to delete a paragraph, because I got controversial and critiquing. Reading over my essay, I came to notice missing words to a couple of sentences, probably the reason was for the time limit allowed. My goal is going to learn new behaviors to improve my critical thinking and writing.

Introduction

My name is Saul Hernandez, 36 years old, I am a father of four very active boys and a husband to a lovely wife. I work part-time, coach inner-city kids year round in soccer, flag football, baseball, and basketball. After this quarter, it will be my first full year attending Foothill College. Just under a year, I got in a car accident and ruptured 3 upper back discs, which allowed me to re-explore the mission to go back to college. Unfortunately, I was recently laid off of work on my 10 anniversary of service, but I looked at it as a blessing in disguise, now I could explore other ventures.

My main interest is sports, I am a 7 year RAIDERS season ticket holder I have been attending Raiders games since 1997 and went to the SuperBowl in San Diego, and it was one of my most memorable good time road trip sports attraction moment until they the Raiders got killed in the 3^rd quarter. One of my favorite hobbies is exploring nature, I like to go on hikes locally and outside the bay area. My recent hikes where to Yosemite Park, Tahoe and Donner Pass with my family. The good thing about hiking anybody can do it, you don’t need to be an expert or a certain age unless of course you doing it to the extreme.  The most interactive hobby I am involved in is coaching, I love to see young kids succeed and watch them have fun playing the sport. I also play sports I am a coach and player for Co-ed and Men’s softball team, which was until I had my accident. After all, that the best thing I like to do is hang out with family, especially on a lazy day Watching a new movie and grub on some good greasy snacks.

My Goal is to graduate from Foothill College in the next year and a half with my business degree. My plan right now is to get a job in the City of San Jose or at the County of Santa Clara any job to get in. So by the time I receive my degree I will be able to move up or transfer within. Also, I have an idea to build a non-profit to help the youth in need to stay active in sports. I feel it is my mission to get this started before I graduate. The idea is to be a support system of the community's public resources to build successful sports sponsoring program that will have growth mindset a positive impact on the attitude and health of the area's children. Empower and enlighten underprivileged youth and adults so that they can envision a positive future and brighter tomorrow through mentoring, music and the arts, sports, and challenging educational programs.

Choosing an Artifact to help define American Culture_ 1st Activity

If the aliens came to this part of the world, it would probably be here in the bay area. An interesting artifact they would discover is the golden gate bridge. Maybe because they could sense the electricity that surrounds the bridge. For example the creations of Silicon Valley, the gadgets, technology, the internet and the multiple sports buildings all within 50 mile range from the bridge. The Golden Gate Bridge is the beacon to multicultural immigrant’s history, the Gold Rush, and the rise of technology which had made it so popular to see.  America is multicultural nation build by immigrants and that electrifying red bridge is a great artifact northern California’s success.

"Awareness of our situation must come before inner changes, which in turn come before changes in society. Nothing happens in the 'real' world unless it first happens in the images in our heads"

                                       --Gloria Anzalduda Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza