Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Blog Wk 7 - My First Priority


My immediate family consists of 7 including me. My family as a whole is pretty large though. I have many cousins, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and my only living grandparent. I was never able to meet my dad’s mom because we lost her to breast cancer before I was born. I was able to meet my mom’s parents though and got to spend a lot of time with them up until they passed away in 2005. Growing up I remember spending a lot of time with my cousins running around my grandma’s house like wild animals; sometimes barefoot but always carefree. I’ve always been easily amused so growing up with the bare minimum didn’t seem to bother me. The move from my grandparents to our own house was very exciting. I finally got to experience what it was like to have a little privacy, despite sharing a room with my sisters. We moved to a 3 bedroom house from all 7 of us living in a tiny trailer on my grandparents drive way so of course a little privacy came along with the new environment.
When I got into my teens a lot changed not only with my physical appearance but with my personality and attitude. I must admit I was probably very difficult to deal with at times. In regards to my family I started to alienate myself from them because I had come to the conclusion that my friends were more important to me. I would spend countless hours on Yahoo’s chat messenger or on the telephone talking to them and ignoring my own siblings. When I turned 15 I “fell in love” with a boy I met at a local show so along with that came more distance from my family.  I missed out on a lot of things such as birthday parties, holiday events and family gatherings because I opted out from going so I could spend more time with my boyfriend and friends. My mom never made me participate and my dad was in and out of prison at the time so I didn’t see him as an authority figure.
Some things that happened to me along the way made me realize my friends weren’t always going to be there for me so it was selfish and ridiculous of me to have that mentality. Whenever anything traumatic happened to me my family was always the most supportive. Now as a 25 year old I put my family first for everything. I constantly look forward to spending time with them and creating awesome memories. I regret not always feeling this way because it made me miss out on way too much. Out of all the friends I put before them I think only 2 remain in my life because the others gradually proved to me I didn’t matter. I love the relationship I currently hold with my parents and siblings. I will never make them 2nd in my life again. 

Student Interview


Life as Luiz Leon
I had the privilege of recently interviewing Luiz Leon in my Wednesday English Composition class at Oxnard College. He had a great personality and was very confident in answering my questions. I learned that he was born on August 3, 1988 in Oxnard. His parents raised him, his 4 sisters and his only brother. Luiz attended Larson Elementary, Blackstock Jr. High, graduated in 2006 from Hueneme High School and mentioned he has been attending Oxnard College since 2006. At the end of this semester he will be graduating with an A.S in Liberal Arts. What motivates him to continue his education is to know that it will lead to a better job and greater opportunities. One motto he currently follows to accomplish things is to “not be lazy”. At the moment he attends OC Monday through Wednesday from 7 P.M. to 9:50 P.M. He likes that OC is so close to his house but does wish they would offer more classes.
He being able to live at home allows him to not have to juggle school, homework and family. Although, sometimes he would like to do other things but can’t because school can cause him to stress out. I asked if he had a mentor in his life and he answers with a smile “Yes, my dad. He always pushed me to do better”. When I asked how his culture affected his decision to attend college he said “I come from a Mexican background with parents that always worked outdoors. They pushed us to reach for more because they wanted more for us”.  
In 5 – 10 years he definitely hopes to have a good paying job with stability, a house, a family of his own and plans to do this all in Oxnard.

Monday, February 18, 2013

Learning the Value of a Dollar



I still remember the day I landed my first job as if it was just yesterday. This day could not have had more impact on my life. The day was Monday, July 5, 2004 that I landed my very first interview. I was 16 years old and had just finished up my junior year at Oxnard High School. I had been searching for a job since I first turned 16 in October of 2003 but had no luck because I had no experience. I applied just about everywhere that I knew was hiring. I found that I didn’t really enjoy high school so I wanted to take the work experience class they offered so that I could leave school early to work. I also come from a family of seven which includes my parents and four siblings; I wanted to be the first out of my siblings to get a job. My parents were not financially stable at the time and weren’t throughout my whole childhood so I wanted to contribute something rather than sit there and ask for things and want things I knew they could not afford. 
I had taken a home economics class during my junior year that gave us a lecture on how to land a job and proper work etiquette. I learned that you needed to show interest by calling the employer because they get a lot of applicants so calling them would help me stand out of the bunch. I wouldn’t overdo it on the phone calls because I also learned that a business can be busy and I didn’t want to annoy them. After applying and all the calls and hard work the day I landed my first interview finally came.
I wasn’t home on the Friday afternoon that Deanna from Subway called my house asking for me. I was out with my boyfriend at the time shopping but the minute I started walking up to my house my older sister Eileen and younger sister Vivian ran up to me holding a message written on a little piece of paper. Of course I asked “what’s going on?!” they continued to talk over each other for a moment because they were really excited for me. Finally Eileen said “A lady named Deanna called you from Subway and wants you to call her back! she wants to know if you’re still looking for a job”. I said “no way!!!” and I ran inside really nervous and excited and locked myself in my room to call her in private. I proceeded dialing the number with a shaky hand on my parents white phone with my heart pounding up to my throat. Three rings later I hear “thank you for calling Subway how may I help you?”  After my conversation with her I had an interview set for the very next Monday at 2 P.M. That whole weekend I remember being a nervous wreck and doing some research online for what to expect at my interview. I practiced how I would respond to the questions I thought she was going to ask me and prepared my outfit for the day.
When Monday finally arrived my mom drove me to my interview. I arrived a few minutes early so I waited in the lobby shaking and wiping my sweaty palms on my black pants. Finally the moment came when Deanna walked out of the back and called me into her tiny little office. Seeing her in person finally after only having talked over the phone was not what I expected. She was sort of heavy set with red hair and was younger then she sounded. I sat there with her as she asked me about my availability and questions about how I would handle certain situations. I was very intimidated because, although she was very friendly, she was also stern at times. After the interview she gave me a quick tour of the restaurant and then it all came to an end. That is until a few hours later when she called me to tell me she would love for me start working with them that week. I began working two days later.
My first day on the job was very nerve wrecking because I was afraid of not impressing my boss and my coworkers. I wanted to stay busy and ask a lot of questions to show them I was eager to learn and wanted to be there. Alberta Beall, the manager on staff at the time, trained me. She taught me the basics as to how to prep the veggies, where the supplies were, the types of bread and cookies we sold, the names of the sandwiches and how to prepare some of them. Making my first sandwich for a customer was very exciting for me. The customer could tell I was new and told me to take my time which I though was very nice. He made small talk with me as I somewhat struggled to make his sandwich. He asked how my first day was going so far and mentioned that I was doing great on his sandwich so for me not to be so nervous.
My parents were so proud of me for landing the job just as much as I was. I felt a sense of independence and accomplishment. From that point on I made it a point to give half of my paycheck every two weeks to my parents to help out with a utility bill. I absolutely hated to see them struggle financially or argue over money so I felt at 16 I should be old enough to do my part. They couldn’t have been more appreciative. Growing up I was never able to have the things I wanted so after my job it truly felt great to be able to save up for my own things or to walk into a store and buy that pair of jeans I wanted so much. I didn’t want my little sister and brother to grow up the way I did so I bought them a lot of things too. I always took them out for new shoes and clothes because I wanted them to look sharp all the time. I grew up wearing nothing but hand-me downs and had to wear my shoes until they honestly fell apart. I know it may sound materialistic of me but for once I wanted to have nice things.
I couldn’t be more grateful that Deanna saw potential in me and was willing to hire me without any previous experience. I kept that job throughout high school and was still able to keep very exceptional grades. Landing my first job at such a young age taught me a lot about myself. I knew at that point the true value of a dollar and the experience helped me grow up a little faster. Working in fast food also taught me that I knew I wanted an education so that I could find a way better job with much higher pay. I have had several jobs since and have worked consistently except for when I attended Ventura College full time in 2007. Overall, my first job definitely helped mold me so I will forever see that time as a beneficial experience for me. 

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Texting!


            Yes I’m a texter and not ashamed to admit it. Texting has become a huge part of our era. I know it’s not the best way to communicate with someone but it’s honestly very addicting and convenient at times in my opinion. Sometimes I just have a quick question to ask someone and really don’t have the time to hold a conversation so I’ll text them. However, when I know I’m going to have several questions or a lot to say on the subject I try to call them instead.
 I got really into texting when I was out of high school. I wasn’t able to afford a cell phone during so I resorted to actually calling my friends on a land line or writing letters to them and passing it to them in between classes. I am now guilty of using letters for words or numbers for words and shortening words such as: ur for you’re, c for see, lol for laugh out loud, pics for pictures, 4 for for, u for you, etc.  
            People now seem to not want to be direct with the people they talk to so they resort to texting. Even though I do it I don’t agree with how it’s affecting the way we communicate so I try to forget about my phone at times especially when I’m out at an event or hanging out with friends. I find that it’s hard to not do it at times because I see it everywhere even at work. I doubt I will ever give up texting but I will work on limiting it to have more verbal conversations with the people in my life.

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Reality TV = Junk


           I am guilty of watching reality shows but that’s not to say I keep up with one in particular. I rarely turn my television on to even watch the news because I find that I’m just way too busy. I think I watch about 30 - 45 minutes of TV a day and sometimes not even that in the day. It’s hard to avoid watching a reality show when you turn on the TV since there are so many of them now, they are on a lot of channels, we can access them online, through our phones and iPads. In the past I really only remember them being broadcasted on certain channels like MTV or VH1 but now I even see them on the History Channel, Discovery Channel and Animal Planet. The reality shows on those channels are the only ones that ever catch my attention. I’m not into the drama filled shows at all. I’m more into the ones that will state facts and are somewhat educational.
            I really dislike the drama filled reality shows like 16 and Pregnant, The real world, any dating show, any show that involves competing, and the Jersey Shore, etc. I find it very disturbing when I turn on the news and they broadcast things about celebrities or reality stars. For that reason sometimes I don’t even want to watch the news. I feel like those shows could not be more pointless. In my opinion they give us false hope at times and lead us to believe certain things are acceptable in society just because a reality TV star is doing it. The only thing I think they are good for is to show us how disgusting, provocative and foolish some people are. I know that the shows I do watch can contain the drama as well but on the other hand they can be educational at times. For example the cast of American Pickers on the History Channel will give us the facts and history on any item they choose to purchase.
            I think overall society would benefit greatly if we had less of these shows because they make us fall out of actual reality. I do know some people that can’t get enough of these shows and when I ask why they watch the junk, they simply say “because it’s funny to see people look dumb on TV.” I guess it is all for the entertainment but every time we tune in we contribute to the reality stars paycheck which I think states we support their actions. The more time we spend watching them the less time we spend studying, reading, watching the news, taking up hobbies, or doing outdoor activities. I don’t have children but when and if I do have some I would pressure them not to rot their minds with senseless reality shows. I would encourage them to do some of the things I mentioned above. As for me, I feel I don’t overdo it when it comes to watching reality shows and that’s one thing I don’t plan to change.