Author: Roberta

PW#6- Snow

When I decided to come to Canada, one of my main reasons was to live in a place with snow. I have dreamed about this for as long as I can remember. Even though everyone always warned me saying “It’s too cold” and “You’re not gonna like it when u get all your clothes wet” I always ignored them. When I first arrived in Canada I was a little disappointed by the hot weather of Victoria’s summer but I kept my hopes up, anxiously waiting for winter.  As months passed and the weather kept getting colder my friends and I started to progressively get more and more excited. When the temperatures finally started reaching minus degrees it was time for winter break so I left with the hopes that the snow would wait for me to come back.

The first week back in school the weather started getting hotter again. At this point, I started to lose hope of any snow at all. As the weeks passed, the temperature was only rising. Finally, one day, as I was checking the week’s weather forecast I saw that there was a high chance of snow the next day!! As soon as I double-checked to make sure, I ran into my friend’s rooms and told them the good news. We all got excited and decided to do a sleepover so we would all wake up to snow together. The rest of the day all I could think about was snow.  Finally, the night came and we all went to sleep in my room. We went to sleep pretty early and accidentally left the windows open. In the morning a friend was wakened up by the cold when she went toward the window to close it she saw all the plants and streets covered by snow. She woke us up in excitement and we all ran towards the window. When I saw it I gaped at the whit scenery outside my window.

PW#5- Ski Trip

Since I was little, my family and I have gone skiing at least once a year. Every year I anxiously waited for winter for the sole reason of going skiing. On these trips, I would normally go with my family to someplace in the U.S.A. Yet, even though I enjoyed them, I’ve always wanted something else: skiing with friends. I always saw videos of people skiing with friends or heard stories of my parents when they used to ski with their friends, which made me crave it for so long. Part of the reason why I came to Canada was so I could go skiing with my peers.

Therefore, when I heard we would be having a ski trip, I got excited. I rushed to sign myself up and told my friends to do so as well. That was about a month ago, so I forgot the date of the trip. But now, as the date gets closer, I can’t contain my excitement.Next week I Ill be on the top of Mt. Washington, not just for skiing but enjoying the adventure with my friends.

A Brave New World

Aldous Huxley book, Brave New World, left me with mixed feelings; it was both interesting and uncomfortable. It’s one of the books that stays in your mind because it asks big questions about being yourself, having freedom, and what we give up to make life easier.

One of the most interesting parts of the story is how people are trained. They have been socialized to accept their lives and therefore, for the most part, do not even know that they have lost their freedom. It made me reflect on how our world influences us: ads, schools, and traditions mold the way we think and what we want. Huxley’s world is extreme in a way, yet close to reality somehow.

The other thing that caught my attention is how they used to teach the kids moral values through hypnopedia.  I belive this wouldn’t have worked in real life because these running nurses would have eventually found out that all those values taught are not real. They may have even questioned the system themselves and lost faith in it if they saw kids being programmed instead of learning naturally.

I also felt sorry for John, the “Savage.” He wants a life with deeper meaning, but in the end, he feels hopeless. His story shows that people need challenges and purpose to feel alive. A life with no problems might seem nice, but it can feel empty. This reminded me of times when I’ve grown the most by facing hard things instead of avoiding them.

Eventually, Brave New World taught me to appreciate those aspects of real life-that were imperfect and disorderly. The world in this novel is frightening because it does not seem impossible. It was a call for the preservation of our freedom to think and feel and decide-even to decide things which are not easy. This book doesn’t ask only “What if?” but “Is it worth it?” and gives food for finding your own answer.

PW#4-Christmas Break

For this Christmas break, my family and I decided to spend the holidays in Canada. We normally travel to the city where my grandparents and the rest of my family live, but since I currently live in Canada, my dad thought it would be more convenient if they came to Canada and visited other cities in BC. I found this plan good because after living for three months here, I got curious to know if other cities in Canada were as beautiful as Victoria.

Finally, we decided to visit Vancouver and Whistler. My family came to pick me up on Sunday, and we stayed here for a couple of days so I could show them some of Victoria’s charms. After a couple of days, we took a ferry to Vancouver. We stayed there for three days. Because I’ve already been to Vancouver multiple times, we decided we would just relax those days. Finally, after some days, we took a bus to our final destination; Whistler. In whistler we stayed 13 days. I was really excited because normally when I go to a ski village i normally dont get to stay more that a week. MY family and I all love to ski so this was like paradise to us. We skied for about 10 days and I enjoyed every single minute of them. Finally on the last day we decided to go to the glacier wich is the highest part of the mountain. I was kind of scared for my brother because he was still learning to snow board  after he swiched from skies and we would have to take black slopes. Still he came with us and we completed the hard part. After we thought we where cleare my brother got confident and started to go really fast. I wast concentrating on him but when we where meter from the end of the slope my brother fell.

He started yelling really loudly and could not stand up. We had to call ski patrol and they took him down in a toboggan. My dad and I followed them until we reach the clinic. There they took x ray scan and he turned out to brake he’s colorbone!

 

PW#3- Mexican Music

Since I was young, people around me, like my family or friends have always listened to Spanish music. I, on the other hand, had always preferred English music. The main reason for that is that as a kid learning to speak English as a second language, I was encouraged to practice it by singing along to music in English. Subsequently, I developed a taste for American music, hearing it most of the time to the point that my non-English speaking mom memorized some of my favourite songs in English. However, since I’ve been here, I’ve realized how much I miss Mexican music. I miss hearing my mom sing her favourite songs on our way to school or my friends singing them on our car rides trying to make me join them. This sense of nostalgia made me realize what I was missing and made me appreciate the beautiful songs my first language can create. Now, whenever I hear music in Spanish, I feel a comforting connection to home, a reminder of where I come from and the colourful culture that shaped me. Now, I’ve started listening to more music in Spanish, and I’m sure that when I go back to Mexico, I’ll be able to sing along with my mom and friends.

IRJE#2-Good Girl, Bad Blood

The book I’ve been reading is Good Girl, Bad Blood, and it’s a fascinating piece of fiction by Holly Jackson. This book is a sequel to Good Girls Guide to Murder, which I read last summer. The sequel is really interesting, and the characters and plot have hooked me since the beginning. Even if it’s not a relatable book but a murder mystery I found some quotes really funny and relatable.

“But sometimes my mouth starts saying words without checking with my brain first.” (p.120)

This quote made me laugh because this is something that happens a lot to me. I constantly find myself saying things which I later regret and I end up wondering why I said it in the first place. Even though the book is about mystery and crime, the characters often have these moments that make the story feel real and relatable. Because of this, I enjoy reading this book and I cant wait until I finish it and continue to the next book in the sequel.

 

 

Reflection on Essays

William James suggested that all citizens should take part in national service. He believed this would help build strong character and a sense of community without the violence of war. His idea of mandatory service is similar to the forced labor seen in communist governments, where people are made to work for the good of society.

However, forced labor takes away basic freedoms and violates human rights. People should have the choice to volunteer instead of being forced. When people are made to do something, they often don’t give their best effort. This can lead to poor results, low productivity, and anger toward the government.

History shows that similar ideas in communist countries caused more harm than good. These programs often failed to achieve their goals and created distrust and unhappiness among citizens. Instead of bringing people together, they caused division and resentment.

While James’s idea had good intentions, it’s important to learn from the past. Any plan for national service should focus on giving people the freedom to choose and respect their rights. Only then can it truly benefit both individuals and society.

PW#2- A Month of Memories

Today Im writing about one of my closest friends I’ve made in Canada. If you’re reading this blog then you know her, therefore I’m keeping her name a secret (even though you could probably guess who I’m talking about). Even though I’ve only known her for a month or two, I feel a really close connection with her. I don’t know if its because we basically see each other the whole day or because we are really similar but I really enjoy spending time with her. She’s 15, about 5’4 and has red-brown hair.

Together we share a lot of laughs, even though I consider her jokes to be more like “dad jokes”, she’s still has a fun humour. She’s really like to style and braid people’s hair but I don’t let her touch main unless its to give me a massage. Her magic hands are truly one in a million!

As the year goes by, I hope we become even closer and wish to make more memory’s together.

IRJE #1- “The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others”

The book “Tuesdays with Morrie” was written by Mitch Albom, a Free Press sportswriter who’s career took a turn when he (after 16 years) reunited with his old and sick college professor; Morrie. In the book, Mitch describes his beautiful relationship with his professor and shares everything he learned on his weekly visits with him. In the majority of the book, we get to see how Morrie thinks of death and we read about the lessons Morrie gave Mitch about life. Even thought I think of all of the lessons as important, the one I most cherish is this one;

So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they’re busy doing things they think are important. This is because they’re chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.(p.43)

Because I am a teenager and still have not quite decide what to do with my life, I found this message really help-full. I think It really relates with me because it makes me think about what’s truly important in life. It reminds me to focus in my relationships and things Im really interested about. As I try to figure out what I enjoy, I’d like to remember this message  so I can found my passion and not “walk around with a meaningless life”.

WWI Personal Responds

Reading All Quiet On The Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque and the excerpts from Herbert, Chevalier, Barthas, and West from the WWI Readings, was an experience that open my mind to the harsh realities that the soldiers faced during the war. I personally never had read about WW1 or even really learned about it, so the book/excerpts were really interesting to me.

In the book All Quiet On the Western Front, we follow the narrator,Paul Baümar, a 17 year old, who with a group of friends enlisted in the army, were his morals and ideals were soon to be crushed by the brutal realities of war. As we read the book, Paul describes the terrible conditions the soldiers had to live in. Because the author of the book was in fact a former soldier who fought in this war, we get a realistic, overwhelming and detailed descriptions of the horrible thing the soldiers had to face. As well as the book, the excerpts were written by soldiers who faugh in the war for different countrys.

What most shocked me in this readings was the ignorance of the people towards the concept of war. To me, war was always though as a bad, witch is why I thought back then, people also thought of war as negative. However as I was reading, both in the book and the excerpts the narrators describe how the new soldiers, cooks ,nurses or the civilians back in the towns or cities view the war as an exciting adventure. Another thing I also noticed was the loss of innocence the soldier had. As time passed and the Soldiers fought, their dreams and hopes started to get slowly crushed until their only dream was to survive.

Even though I enjoyed reading both the book and the excerpts, I mostly preferred the book.This because the book was easier to read and had a more of an engaging story line.

In conclusion, the readings teached me alot about WW1.The character feelings and experiences helped me understand what war is really like.Reading them made me understand and sympathize with the personal stories of soldiers making their sacrifices feel more real and significant to me.

PW#01 – My Day at the Fair

This weekend I went to the fair and it was really fun!

I had planned this with my friends for almost a week now. Saturday morning  I went shopping to Mayfair with Emma,Ely and Olivia for some things we needed. It took us more than expected so we had to take another bus. We arrived to school only 30 minutes before we had to leave fore the fair so we quickly ran to our rooms and changed. It was hard but we all managed to be ready in time.

We took a bus, and shortly after we were finally at the fair. As soon as we arrived a wave of cotton candy and popcorn scent hit us. There I could finally relax. We started walking towards some friends who were already there. First we went to an attraction call the zipper witch made you flip in every direction.

As we were making the line I was still debating If I should go, it looked too scary, I could hear the other kids screaming their lungs out. Finally it was our turn, I really wanted to run the other way but for some I just went for it. I was really nervous but at the end, Im really glad I did it because even if in the moment I was really scared now its a memory I laugh about. After that we went for some food and we came across a temporary tattoo stand. Emma, Ely and I went to take a look and ended up with some sparkling  matching cherry’s tattoo.

After that I didn’t go much more attractions, I mostly hold the bags, food and drinks while my friend went.  Some time after we took a small break because we were all cold and hungry, there we noticed it was already night-time. We went for some donuts and took a lot of photos in the process. Finally we went to our last attraction witch was the ferris wheel. I liked it because it was slow, but we couldn’t really se anything in the dark sky. When the ride finished it was time to go so we all reunited at the exit and walk to the bus stop.

Introducing Me

Hi everyone, my name is Roberta and im currently 15 years old.

I was born and lived all my life in Guadalajara (México). I live with my Parents, my older brother and my dog. My brother and I have a five year age gap but we still get along pretty well. My dog’s name is Wera, which means blonde in spanish. We rescued her about 6 years ago when she was in the streets, since then she has been my most loyal friend.

Since I was little I’ve always been into sports. I’m currently on the school’s volleyball team but back home I used to play soccer, tennis and did motocross. When I have free time what I most enjoy to do is watch a movie or series on Netflix, read, listen to music or just be with friends.

I came here to improve my English but I also hope to make many friends from all over the world. I really look forward on getting to know my classmates and I hope this small post helped you to know me!