Wei Fang Kite Festival

 

In one of the autobiographies I read, there was a kite festival in China that was mentioned. I decided to do research over this event that is very well known around their area. This festival is held every April in Shandong, and is a must-see for people who love seeing beautiful kites. There is an opening ceremony that contains around 80,000 people, which the stadium holds, as well as 40,000 plastic chairs on the floor. There are over 40 different countries that have kites presented and there are over 10,000 different kinds of kites there. As the festival continues, there is a giant stage that has acrobats, dancers and singers performing, which is a huge hit. After the festival has ended, there is a museum dedicated to the best of the kites shown at each festival. That is so the visitors can get a sense of the festival at any time they would like.

I chose this topic because I figured that it would be very interesting and fun. After reading more about it, I learned that it is quite the event to many people. I believe it would be a very fun event to attend if I ever got the chance to.

Sources:
Primary source: Lavender's autobiography
Secondary source: http://www.chinatravel.com/facts/weifang-international-kite-festival.htm

Service Learning

I believe that this project was very successful. From going to Missouri State for help and ideas, to working on it in class until the last minute. I enjoyed the topic that we had because Hannah, Kaitlyn and I were very passionate about children and keeping them safe. We wanted to spread awareness and we decided to make a powerpoint presentation over all of the research that we did. I enjoyed this project as a whole, and I'm glad we got the opportunity to take it on.

Here is a link to our presentation: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B85K6dZoY0b_ZV81N0JOaVJvRGs/edit?usp=sharing

Global Perspectives

The trip that we all went on to Missouri State last week was very enjoyable, for all of us I do believe. There were different options on what you wanted to hear, which was a good variety of topics. The first one I went to was over poverty in a society and if it is achievable. I wrote down many facts from the four different speakers, but a specific few stuck out to me. The first woman speaker said that there is a hope for poverty to end by 2030. She was very relatable as she made references to modern television shows and news that we all would know. The second speaker said that 150,000 barrels of oil a day are stolen from pipe lines etc., and that money being wasted should be going to other things that can help locally. Also, that the world simply needs to focus on stigmatizing these countries. This speaker wasn't as easy to follow, as it was unrelatable and didn't fully hold my attention. The third speaker was actually very hard to understand but I did recall her saying to sympathize with the poor in other countries, but also think about the poverty happening here in America. The fourth speaker was an older man who was mostly talking about poverty here in America, where he stated, "solving poverty needs acting locally and thinking globally." He said that 14% of people here go hungry everyday which was completely shocking for me. You don't always think of the things you see happening in other countries, as actually happening in your own life. This specific topic could have been related to many presentations and topics that we had in our class, and hearing more about it, definitely opens your eyes.
 The second session we went to was viewing the film, "The One Who Builds." I had no issue keeping my eyes on the screen and listening intently to what was happening in the movie. Although it was quite a short film, it was very impacting to me, as well for others I'm sure. It brought questions and concerns to my mind but I do believe it was a very well done film. I started out very confused, but as it went along, I realized what it was all about and the fact that it happens almost everyday here in America. I believe it is a film that is made for the purpose of raising knowledge of stories such as Omer's and the refugees he encounters. I can't even imagine being put in that position, leaving your home, and coming to America in general would be a crazy change. I was grateful to have the chance to watch this impacting, eye-opening film.
There is a large amount of importance with each of our project topics. Overall, each topic related with another in some sort of way. There might be a global concern for any of our topics, but we were just doing our part to make them known in our own lives. This conference just added to our knowledge and I believe that even if we can't go through with our ideas completely, we will always remember what is happening around us everyday.

Letters from China

When we received these letters, I was super excited and anxious to get through reading all of them. When I started looking through them, I was completely humbled by their enthusiasm to respond to our writing. The girls that responded to me were all full of things to say, that were so sweet! I enjoyed getting to know a little about them, as they were still commenting and asking questions about my life. I had questions asked such as "Do American students have a less amount of pressure before they enter a university?" and "Are American students allowed to use mobile phones in middle school and high school in class?" There were a lot of things that they said, that made a lot of things come to mind in order to create a response back to them. I believe that these girls saw me as a dream chaser, because almost every one of them spoke about my dreams and theirs. Their questions are based off of what I wrote about in my autobiography. A couple of them brought up a few television shows that are popular in America, but added that my life is probably a little different from what they picture. One girl has even seen Springfield, so it might have made my paper a little easier to relate to. Every single letter put a smile on my face in some way, because I knew that they enjoyed responding and learning about me. I know that learning about some of their experiences completely shocked me, and made me wonder more about them, which I will be asking in my responses. In their autobiographies, I would like to know more about their life, and the way that they have to live day to day. I was surprised at some of the stories or experiences that they had, that almost broke my heart to read. I am so excited to be able to hear more from each one of them, even though it will be a lot of work. I love that we were able to have this opportunity, because I knew it wouldn't be as easy to accomplish without this class. 

Project Proposal

I have decided to do my project on Child Safety. Hannah and Kaitlyn also wanted to do the topic of children, so the three of us are going to work together on this idea. Here in Springfield yesterday, there was a young 10 year old girl who was abducted from her house. As of today, her body was found in the man's house and it broke my heart when I read about it. There is a part of me that can't even believe that someone is sick enough to hurt an innocent little girl. I think of her family, friends, teachers, and how they must feel during this terrible time. This whole event, as well as my beginning thought of doing this project on children, has helped bring this topic to my mind. A lot of people don't realize how much this happens on a daily basis, and it's so sad that we don't actually understand unless it happens to someone near us, and I am completely guilty of that. I worked with children and had a preschool class of my own during the summer. I will admit that it completely changed my perspective on children and their needs by learning first hand. I never knew how much responsibility it would be, and I realized how important each one of them was after spending everyday with them. Working at a daycare, you are given so many responsibilities and all ten children are in your care. I never realized that child safety was such a huge issue until I remember all I went through.

There are so many issues happening in the world right now and it is honesty terrifying. Learning more about child safety can change a whole lot if you are constantly aware. I am really interested to see what kind of research I will do on this topic because I know there will be plenty about it. I know there are teachers and parents that do their absolute best to keep their children safe. When instances such as kidnapping happens, everyone holds on to their children a little tighter. I believe that it should always be that way because you never know what could happen. Keeping children safe is a very huge deal and needs to constantly be on everyone's minds.

60 Minutes

After watching this segment on 60 minutes, it just blows my mind that a 15 year old was able to do something to this extent. At 15, I wasn't thinking of anything like this at all and it's crazy to think that he is intelligent enough to even come up with this idea. What really stood out to me was the part where he spoke of his parents and teacher not supporting his planning for this. Jack said that his parents and teacher aren't really encouraging of his project that he was going to take on. In my mind, I think that just proves that if you're truly passionate about something, that nothing and no one can stop you. They were doubtful that he would be able to actually create something like this, but because of his determination, he was able to prove them all wrong. The fact that they all thought he couldn't do it, I would think would create a desire for him to do it even more. They all simply underestimated him and I was excited to read that he was successful and that things went really well for him afterwards. This whole story inspired me, as well as it did to a bunch of other viewers. I can't even imagine coming up with an idea like that at just 15 years old.

My Passion

Thinking about the things that make me happy in my life are fitting in with my passions. First of all, I am very passionate about children. I worked with three year olds for four months and I loved every minute of it. I have always found an interest in teaching and helping out the kids who really need it. Working as a preschool teacher gives you a very different perspective on what exactly happens in a classroom filled with children that are to be learning. During the winter time, I volunteer with my church at Weller Elementary. We host a school-wide Christmas party for the kids and their families. There is the option of receiving a haircut for any child, letting them get their nails done and having a Christmas shop in order for them to buy presents for their families. Each volunteer has one child to take shopping and we keep track of their "money," which is what they have earned throughout the school year based on behavior. It's really a neat experience and I'm glad that my church has adopted that school in order to help our community even in this small way.
I also have a passion for teeth, which most people don't quite understand. I love the thought of the dental field and during the five years that I had braces, I became curious about teeth and how they all come together. I hope to become a dental hygienist after college and start in the dental field, hopefully outside of Springfield. The only thing I haven't decided on is whether I want to mix my love of children and teeth for my career. I know there is the possibility of being in the pediatric offices, but I think about how much kids hate the dentist and consider another option. If it weren't for the need of money, I would definitely wish to travel around the world and help those children who need dental care. I have always wanted to go to another country to see orphanages or any children who are in need. I hope to be able to go to such a place one day after I become a dental hygienist.