Blog # 6

Public Rant

For this blog was very difficult to decide what to talk about, because when I start to analyze my day by day I discover that is to many things to rant about it, like discussions with my kids or wife, at work listen to many complains about money, or how boring is the job, or how stupid the boos is and so many other things that myself and a lot of the people around me are always unsatisfied making comments. But at the end I decide to talk about very common rants, which are the traffic violations because last Tuesday right before class I had to argue with another student at the parking lot for something that really doesn’t suppose to happen if we follow the basics of the common sense of driving in America.

The situation in detail was, when I arrived to garage # 3 around 2pm, it looks full but I always like to drive around the first level to see if I can find a empty space, and most of the times I do, and this time a car was getting out and nobody was in front of me waiting for that spot, so I approach to the spot with no rush but a lady that was just coming in to the parking saw the spot also and she decided to take a short cut turning to the left  instead to keep the right and go around the parking like most of the people, I knew that she wanted to take that spot and I rush a little and I get it before her, of course she start to screaming at me stating that I took her spot, and she really tough that she was in the right to take it, but looks like she forgot the most basic rule of driving  in America that is keeping always your right especially if is a sign that show you the way that you suppose to take.

And is not the first time that happens to me, I see it a lot and I don’t understand why some people like to take advantage of others ignoring basic rules of coexistence.

To fix that probably is necessary that the authorities punish it, but also can use something that in my country we call civic culture where every member of the population is in charge to remember each other the rules before the authorities have to impose any kind of fine or punishment.

Blog # 5

Carbon foot print

Carbon foot print is a measurement that rate the amount of gases or co2 we produce in the daily basics in all the human activities. It is  relates to the concept of sustainability with a clear path because this concept  refers to the balance that should exist between the benefits that we get from the mother nature and the damage that the modern life style, especially in US is doing to this balance.  We already know that the damage is done, but I thing that many of us still don’t realize the consequence of it and don’t  worry about how to stop it.

I’m the head of a family of 5 and I evaluate my foot print  for my household because in my case my decisions about it, involve a family tread.  After I evaluate my score, I discover that is not that bad if I compare with the average of the US which is really high, I score 48 vs 130, and if I try with the life style of my country probably my score it will be even lower, because somehow in this country I learn the good but also the bad is very easy to catch as well. And I have to be honest most of the items that give me a good score is not for my conscious of ecology, is for my conscious of economy   because we live in a society where the waist of money is a culture and the laziness is encourage, and I guess from some point of view that is part of the carbon foot print as well.

In my side I will try to encourage myself and my family separate the trash and disposed in the proper way.  

Blog # 4

The Tutorial.

About 10 years ago or a little more I remember that I use this kind of service in my old school  back in Colombia, for many of my reports or research and y wasn’t conscious that I did until I took this tutorial, because I  get so used to just internet, which I believe is a great tool for any research, but I also know that when you want to go further in a research the internet is just not good enough and is when the use of the kind of data bases that me as a student of FGCU have access is a wonderful resource .   For me was great this tutorial because allow me to rediscover the great potential of quality information I can have from this resource and I really give great value for this, because I know how expensive could be have access to this kind of information.

If I want to list things I didn’t know I have to say that most of the staff was familiar for me from my all school but I remember a few things that I totally forgot about it.  Like the fact of the existence of this service for the students, the different academic and more reliable resources like the journals and the proper way to make citation, hey and I can’t forget about the Floridian big food.  And what I knew is that I always have to give credit to the resources I use with a proper citation, the journals are great recourse for professional research and if I really want to do a good academic research the internet is not just enough.

The amazing back yard

For this blog to be honest I was undecided where to go, between  the beach or  the six miles preserve which very close to my home, but when I was reading the snake, come to my mind one of the passages in Tracking Desire where she describe scenes of their back yard then I realize that that was a great place to do it, I live in a condo where the developers advertised the dramatic views of the preserve. And for first time in almost a year living here I decide to go out to my balcony, sit and really see the view, then I star the exercise.

The first picture is the forest fill of trees,  maybe 30 feet’s tall, where is difficult to determine the limits of the field from my location, then I start to look down and notice that is also smallest trees around it and a first line of different  plants located right at the border of a small canal, then in the other side of this you star to notice the human touch in the perfect trim of the grass, just as an anticipation for the big buildings of my development.  I took a deep breath trying to use the rest of my senses, I realize that the weather was actually very nice, fresh, and the sky open, I thought to myself; hmm the summer is over. Then I try to determined the smell but I could not, I just felt breathing a cleaner air. Then I listen to my surroundings and noticed many sounds that I though only  heard in the silent of the night, I counted at least  ten different sounds of birds, insects or may other animals that I could not see.

After that I swept the area with my sight, looking for something to couth my attention like a bird or a ground animal, a dear or an armadillo but nothing, then I used my video camera to zoom in, but for a while still nothing and finally I focused my attention in a few dragon flights by the canal and y observed the way the haunt smaller insects, how they moved their multiple wings as a helicopter, how the seams to walk over  the water and how fast they going up and down everything just like in a perfect choreography of ballet.

Finally when I finish, I realize the kind of amazing things you can find across your back yard.

blog # 2

How I write

In this blog I will try to compare the two letters I wrote in our class by describing each one having as a reference the level of formality, the thinking process from my language to English and from a letter to my friend and one to the editor using as a topic my experience in the first week of school.

After I finish this I m expecting to find a few differences between the letters, however I thing that both will have a similar level of formality due to the fact that the friend I pick is one that use to be a colleague in my last formal job back in my country, a little older than me and we use to share a lot of professional thoughts.

Before I start I have to say that for me both letters give me a little bet of difficulty because is been long time since I have to wrote some thing trying to extend my thoughts whit out of the inter action that you have in written conversation by chats or text messages, which become my only contact whit the writhing in the last few years.  Also in those you care less in the spelling, in fact sometimes looks like you are using another complete different  language.  Additionally of this texting effect,  another that happen a lot to me when I m writing or talking in Spanish, is that I’m using more the English in the daily basics and sometimes I can’t remember the proper word I should use in Spanish and I end using the one in English, mixing the two languages.  In contrast when something similar happen to me in English I always try to find another word that replace the one I forget. I m assuming this happen because when in talking whit somebody in Spanish they probably also understand English but when I talk in English I assume that they don’t understand Spanish.

The first letter I’ll describe is the one where I start in Spanish and end in English to my friend in Colombia.  Writing in Spanish for me is very easy because is still my mother language and I feel very comfortable talking or writing on it, but I have to say that my spelling is never been my strong site in any language.  Talking about my experience in my first week wasn’t difficult neither, in fact this beginning of fall is very  important for me because means the come back to the academic world after nine years.  Another characteristic, maybe because my cultural bases or age, is that even in the informality I like to be very polite and I thing that give you certain level of formality but any way I thing the informality let me express my feelings easier.  Finally the swish to the English mode it was relatable easy also because when I use it  to communicate something, I always try to thing in English. I find out for experience that trying to translate every single word from one language to another is a process that make very difficult to keep the sequence of your thoughts.

In the second letter the formality is the standard and I use a decryption of the process I took to reach this point.  The lack of practice in this type of writing have consequences, especially in the spelling and when you are away of the academic area or if your job doesn’t require you to write, is very difficult to find the time to use formal rules or grammar in the day by day writing,  which like a explain before is reduce to chats or texting.  In this the audience is more general because is not a specific target in the conversation,  even knowing that the destination is the editor,  the text have components that alow third people to understand the point of it.  When I write a formal letter I try to kkep begind my feelings and concentrate more in facts.  Also the grammar become more important to follow looking for formal ways to express yourself.  The formality made me look for a better way to say things and elaborate more the ideas. Finally I thing the second letter have a better flow of ideas because you are more focus in the way you develop you thoughts.  

In conclusion as I expected the main difference in my two letters is the way I approach the same topic because in on one the feelings are more clear and give the meaning of it and I the other the topic is more structure and in focus.

Some things about me

My name is Edwin H Gomez, i born in Bogotá Colombia in a June 19 and live in Fort Myers since 2001. I graduate from high school in my home town Bogotá, at that point i was a good basketball player, member of the school team and the national team of my age, after i graduate i was undecided of keep playing basketball or dedicate my time to go to the university , i spent a couple of years in that dilemma but finally i was able to combine my studies of business administration and my game, which become professional and thanks to the short basketball season in my country i was able to keep my studies and pay for it with my earnings. But two years after that i get a delicate injure in my back,  which make me retire from professional basketball, i spent like a year in recuperation then i come back to the school as a part time student and i find a full time job, who let me pay for my bachelor and my needs, during that time i met my wife and procreate two of my three kids.

Later in 2001 i have the opportunity to take a job in USA as exchange student for two years but whit my wife and kids still in Colombia. For personal reasons i decide to stay in the U.S. and made all the arrangements to bring my family whit me.  Finally in 2005 i settle and in 2007 my last child born and every thing was flowing in my life but i was still missing some thing, finish my bachelor, so i begin to dedicate all my efforts to make that happen and this year i was able to star ones again to try to conclude my degree, which this time is Resort and Hospitality Management,  is a specific application of my former bachelor and make a lot of scene for me because even before i come to the U.S,i was working in this field and now that my life is more stable i'm hoping to finish this stage with a lot of success.