Blog week 12 Fast Food Nation

The fast food nation book taught me a lot . It taught me how the fast food industry is a large empire that is changing and affecting our daily life’s. It affects everything starting with the way we eat our health and our every day work and environment. And it is practically taking over us,Fast food only affects us and brings no positives with it. I plan to stop eating so many burgers because of it and plan to stop giving them to my kids as well.. The less we contribute to their expansion the better. Fast food brings many cons with it it not only is it bad for our health and our mind but it is affecting our communities and making us all obese. Fast food Nation has also managed to become so big that it has managed to take control over industries like meat packing and farming. This is very bad because they will soon control all markets. It is just scary to think of our future with these corporate company’s. I just hope that we all realize that eating these products is not good for us or our little ones.

School

So far school is good but the work load is a lot I am really putting a big effort into it. I am currently taking five classes Math, English, Biology, Child Development and Art. They are taking up most of my time in order for me to do good. But I try to stay motivated by telling my self graduation is near. They also help keep me occupied

and distracted since I don’t like being home alone. I am also trying very hard to do good with my classes so that I can improve my GPA since its a bit low since I start applying for schools in the fall. I am surprisingly enjoying math class this semester the most because I normally suck at it and I am doing pretty good. This semester I am even shocking myself with what I have been able to pull of and have even proven my self I can handle a lot when under pressure. I also hope summer school is just as good for me since I am hoping to be done by the end of 2014. What I’m looking forward to the most is graduating and having that satisfaction that I did it. I cant wait to walk down the line and to know I got accepted into a good university because of all my hard work. And the satisfaction of seeing my kids faces and for me to know they are proud of their mommy. I am also looking forward to start looking for a good job and the satisfaction it will give me. I am hoping to work with foster kids and help them find good homes and to improve the system since a lot of kids don’t get the help they need or just fall trough the cracks and become statistics.

Blog entry week ten

1         I have ten sisters and love them all

2         I have broken my left  hand twice

3         I can swim very fast

4         I own a Honda and think it’s the best car ever

5         I live in the park

6         I have five kids

How I feel

How I feel

Lately I have been feeling so down, I feel so tired and feel like the hours go by so slow. It is getting more and more difficult to get up in the mornings . All I want to do is hibernate in my cave and sleep my days away. Although I cant ! I have two little ones who need me to care of them. And I just feel like something is sucking all the life out. I cant wait for the day I feel like me again I know its close , I count the days, as I see my stomach grow bigger and I grow anxious to meet the little one growing inside me. My feet swell and I feel like a Pillsbury but I am trying to keep a positive mind and be as cheerful as possible.

Blog Week Eight

Over time my opinion on my parents has changed , I have learned to value and except them for who they are. I have also learned to appreciate what they were able to provide for me growing up. I can remember demanding and trowing things and fits for what they could not afford. But now that i am older I know the effort they put in raising five kids on minimum wage jobs. They worked long hours and still never complained and always with a smile. My opinion has changed now that I too have a family and see the struggles they went trough. Because its not easy and remember them never saying no to anything juts asking for us too wait until the bills were paid. If only it were that easy . I can now appreciate and think back on what big effort they made to make ends meet. And now I appreciate them in a whole new way. It has also changed the way I think and the way I hope to raise my kids. I think this happens to all of us gradually as we mature and see life trough new eyes , and this helps us be more thankful to everyone around us. I know to me it has thought me to be more caring toward my parents and to help them and give back to them in whatever way I can. I also hope to teach this to my kids and make them appreciate the small things and not material stuff and hopefully this will make my kids close to one another. I do think I have affected others by this I influence my sibling to give back to my parents as much as possible and to be more concerned to what they have going on.

Family

A family can mean many things and has a different definition to all of us. But to me a family member is someone who gives and receives unconditional love and support . It is the base or foundation of everything in life. A family member is also not always blood related. To me it consist of close friends husband and kids. I guess u can say I am family oriented, family is everything to me. I love my kids I would give my life for them. It is very important for me to dedicate time to them because it is important to cherish those special one in a lifetime moments when your kid takes their first step or says momma for the first time. I also think it is important to build a good relationship and nurture your kids because how you raise them is how they will end up being in the long run. I also feel very obligated to make my kids get along and be their for each other because I did not have that growing up . My siblings are not close or help each other out .That is why I want to build that trait in my kids. Growing up my mom tried and encouraged it but the older we got the worse it got. Everyone just took their own way and we all sort of keep to our self’s now and don’t keep in touch. I think this is very sad and would love for my kids to be different, since mom and dad wont be around forever. Although I have a crazy schedule with school homework and chores I try to always make them and make them feel like they come first. Even if I have to stay up till late cleaning. I try to have time to take them for an ice cream or to even watch a movie or even help them out with their homework. Because as a parent it is very rewarding and satisfying to know u are building up a little person that will soon be not so little anymore. And so far I think I am doing a great job along with my husband because my kids seem to be very happy and show the love they receive towards others. Their truly is nothing like family and like they say family is all u have once everything else is gone.

Interview

Alexandra Gonzalez

Background

Alexandra is 19 years old and is a proud twin to her brother , and no they are not identical. She is currently living with her parents and is a full time student. Her parents allow her to not work so that she can pursue school and finish much quicker. She has lived in Oxnard all of her life and extremely close to her family. Alex motivation and greatest cheerleaders are her parents they encourage her and make her understand the struggles of not being educated and the importance that education has..

Her week consist of school Monday trough Thursday and then gives her family her complete devoted attention on weekends. She is taking four college courses Sociology English Anthropology and Math.

Her balance on things is very important and what helps her is pasting herself and allowing herself to take breaks. Alex”s older sister is a big factor in her life and her inspiration. They are very close and share a good bond over school, her sister is an engineer and intends to guide her in a good path as well.

She does not consider herself to be a mentor because she feel unaccomplished and is the least successful out of her siblings. Although she describes herself as determined giving and caring she says she still has a long way to her dream job. She also shares that she would like to be accomplished in the next 10 years owning a home and having a good job and caring for her future family. Her motto is telling her self I can do it …..i can do it . She also says she enjoys attending Oxnard College because she has met new friends and has had very good teachers. But thinks the school can improve its parking and food.

My first day of college

By Ana Gonzalez

English 101

February 4, 2013

Essay 1

One of the most significant days in my life was beginning college. I can still remember how nervous I was and how intimidated I was by other students. Attending school helped me feel empowered and made me feel good about my self. Although attending school is very hard it will help me in the long run. School gave me a reason to why I should look forward and continue with my goals.

My first day of school was awesome I loved walking trough the halls and feeling like a college student. Although I didn’t know where anything was at and didn’t recognize any familiar faces. School seemed fun and a new challenge. I was loving the sense of taking action and having something good to do. The teachers were pretty laid back and easy to handle and learn from.

The hard part was finding the programs and the child care to help me stay in school . Classes and fees are expensive and without any help I would not be able to afford them. One of the major issues with me attending school was child care I again i was stuck having to pay for two kids and no income. That was when I decided to apply for the bog waiver and financial aid . I had heard so much about the help and how much it helped with fees and other stuff.

Although I knew about the programs and were to apply for them it wasn’t so easy to fill the paper work out. It being my first time I decided to go to the student bussiness office and ask a couple of questions. It was a bit confusing on how to apply and weather it was online or in person. I got in line to speak to one of the aids and of-curse she was rude and even seemed mad. She didn’t even answer my question and made it clear that I had to check in at the main computer and wait for my turn. So I did just to wait about forty five minutes for her to tell me that the pamphlet she handed me would answer all my questions. I was in complete shock how could she be so rude and be so bothered by me. I even questioned my self I felt so dumb and belittled by her. I ended up trying and trying to log in to the fafsa page and still felt confused. Which only led for me to get mad and frustrated I just needed someone to walk me trough it and at least hand me a helping hand. School can be pretty hard and especially when u don’t know what you are doing. Sometimes what people need is a little reassurance and to know someone is their to help.

After my huge failure with the aids I decided to go home and work on it with my husband go figure all I needed was a bit of help. U know what they say two heads are better than one. With his help and his opinion we figured most of the paper work out. And that made me feel much better . Although the aid process was long and was not a sure thing, I felt like it was a huge pressure lifted of my shoulder. But on the other hand still had to worry about having someone to watch my kids . Child care is expensive and with no money its hard and besides Its hard to trust just anyone with your kids now a days u hear about all these child molesters. I tried looking for someone that I trusted to watch my kids for a few hours a day. But their just wasn’t anyone other than grandma Yola and grandma Janda that seemed trust worthy . It even came to the point were I had to miss a couple of classes because their wasn’t anyone to watch them. Not having any grandmas near by was frustrating and it was taking a toll on me. It wasn’t until my sister in law offered to watch them and I didn’t have to pay her much. I would just have to take my kids snacks and the basics. She was so much help and the right person for the job I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of her to watch them. She was perfect and right in my neighborhood plus the kids loved her. Know I was able to concentrate on school and not have to worry about any other issues luckily my was accepted and that helped too.

To conclude this is why my first day of college was so memorable because it was so hard to forget. Although I was so excited for it and loved it I had a bit of trouble that prevented me from simply going to school. Because my first day was so difficult I now try to help who ever I see is struggling or who ever needs help. I find that a smile or a helping hand go a long way. It also made me feel like i completed and passed one more obstacle this experience taught me to be thankful to others and be as humble as possible. And that there is no wrong in asking for help , there is no such thing as a dumb question or a bad one.

txt

                                                                     Texting

           I can say I text all the time, I even prefer a txt over a call . It is sometimes just more convenient to say no over a txt when u really don’t want to agree to something instead of doing it over the phone or in person. It saves u the embarrassment or that awkward moment. I also rely on txt to see how my kids are doing trough out the day . For me its convenient and easy. Although I don’t agree with txt and driving its dangerous and it can cause someone their life. For example what happened with the train not the long ago the driver did not pay attention because he was txt and people died and got injured because of it. I also think that when u txt u need to do it in a proper manner , txt while you are talking to someone is rude . And no its not multitasking , don’t u just hate it when you are being serious and pouring your life story out to someone and they are completely ignoring u . I do so I try to not do it to others. But other than that I love txt.

Reality tv

Reality Tv

I do watch tv its hard not to although I try not to watch dumb channels like Mtv and E. And when I cant stop my self I try to only watch the news or my favorite LMN. I enjoy watching the Lifetime Movie Network because most of the movies that come out are true and teach u a lesson or educate u in some way. What I especially dislike from reality shows is the fact that they are all scripted or the girls and guys act the part to get famous. Its just annoying period . I also don’t like what little clothes they wear and how they talk sometimes. People can be so ignorant for a couple of bucks . Lol and yes scripted shows do more harm to our society . they teach many kids and our youth to act in embarrassing ways and for some reason think its ok. And besides watching tv slow the mind down instead we should be working on getting our mind and body healthier and what we can do to get smarter not dumber.

Yes tv is a guilty pleasure for all of us but we should all really try to avoid it . Before I started school all I would do was lay in my couch or bed and be hypnotized by all the infomercials its entertaining at times . But its really doing nothing for you all it does is fill your head with crap u don’t really need. Another thing tv leads u to do is overeat , I would find my self eating while watching tv crap that was not healthy to. I became severely overweight and depressed . Tv had not only slow me down and made me fat but lowered my self esteem. Tv was taking over I soon became very lazy and had no desire to clean or do chores. This is why I feel this way towards tv I find that we can all be doing more productive things in life.

Fast Food Nation.........

Words487

 

 

     While growing up fast food was a part of my life. Fast food was a privilege a treat I’d say, I also remember only having it on weekends and for some reason my parents always had a preference for McDonalds. Maybe it was because it was cheap and because there was so many of us to feed. My favorite was the number 1 the Big Mac combo although my parents wouldn’t always buy it for me. At the time I can really say I loved it. I couldn’t wait for the weekend to come. I would even day dream myself eating a nice juicy burger. It was the best thing out of my week. Although my mom would make dinner every day I would secretly think to myself “dang I wish I were eating a burger and not this”.  And yes I did love my mom’s cooking but what can I say fat and grease is addicting. I wasn’t obese at the time or heavy and it was due to the fact I would have a balance diet. Yes I would indulge myself with fast food but I wouldn’t overdo it like some people do now and that’s why there is so many sick people.

                                                                                                                                  

 

     I now try not to eat too much fast food although it’s hard not to. It’s easy to sometimes just grab something on the go and run out the door. But it’s very difficult to get rid of the extra weight. I would say I don’t depend on it but I do eat it sometimes. The places I do visit are fast and cheap like jack, taco bell and McDonalds. I try not to rely on it and try to always have yogurt and ham and bread on hand for quick snacks. I also can’t afford to eat at fancy places all the time so when I do grab a bite it’s something small. As a family we try to leave all the fast food and going out for the weekend as a reward or privilege. And now that I think back and remember I would now rather have freshly homemade Mexican food instead of that crap. If only I knew back then, I think it was just the feeling of not being able to have it and wanting it.  Because now that I can have it I rather not. It’s like been their done that and I don’t crave it like I use to anymore. I think fast food is very bad for our bodies and its ok to have once in a while but not every day. I also want to teach my kids better eating habits and in order to do so I need to eat better myself. Maybe if my mom would have fed me fast food every day I would think differently and be different with my preferences but I’m glad she didn’t.

                                       My past present and future..........
      My name is Ana and i grew up in the city of oxnard. I was raised in a large family  of 9  we all lived in a small home in colonia and my parensts were both farm workers. I can look back and remember having a pleasant childhood . We all looked out for each other and  in some way always showed support for one another.

     And  now i have a home of my own raising my own little ones. I live with  my husband and my beautiful kids.David  is 6 and Karla is 2 and i have another one on the way . My husband works all day leaving me to care for the kids and in my spare time to persue school . I can truly say i am very happy with  my life id say it  turned out pretty good.
 
    In my future i see my self done with school and working in my profession . I also see my family a bit bigger and in a new home . I hope to acomplish this in the next 7 years , this would mean alot to me beacuse  this would mean that the sacrifices im making to come to school will have been worth it. I also hope my kids are well off in school and in their goals .