Fruitvale Station: Movie Critique

In the second unit in the Ollywood class, which is called Production, the class learned about the elements that are actually represented in a movie. Those elements include, the cinematography, lighting, actors/actresses, stage/costume design, and the different types of framing directors decide to use. For our action project the class was assigned to complete a movie critique in video form with a partner. My partner and I decided to critique the movie Fruitvale Station. A story about a young man living in Oakland with a small family, and a day that was supposed to be filled with fun, was filled with tragedy instead. Critiquing the film was enjoyable. The list provided to us was filled with good movies, so it was tough to choose. The movie was so good, that I forgot I was doing a project. At first I had a difficult time trying to create a script for the video, but once me and my partner practiced and kept going over it, everything went well. Thanks to his unit, I know now all the steps that need to be taken care of when actually producing a movie. This project also taught me how to correctly write a movie critique.

Below is the video of me and my partner discussing Fruitvale Station. Hope you enjoy!

The Secret In Their Eyes.

In the first unit of the Ollywood class, which is called Pre-Production, the class learned about what must be done in order for the cameras to start filming. We went over the importance of production and costume designers. We also went over John York’s elements that make up an excellent screenplay, which includes a protagonist, antagonist, the desire, external, internal desire, the inciting incident, the journey, the crises, the climax, and the resolution. For our first action project, we chose a movie from a list provided by our teacher and critiqued it in the eyes of a movie critic. I chose The Secret In Their Eyes, an Argentine crime thriller film. At first, I had a hard time understanding the movie because it was all in Spanish, but once I found a version with English subtitles, I knew I was going to enjoy what I was watching. Thanks to this project and unit, I now watch movies differently, but in a good way. A way that gives me a more clearer understanding of how a movie is written, and how important the people working behind the scenes are.

Lenox, Susan. "The secret in their eyes". Flicker. Yahoo! 26 March. 2012. web 14 November 2014

The Secret In Their Eyes was released in 2009. The movie follows the story of a retired judiciary employee, Benjamin Esposito played by Ricardo Darin and a judge who worked together 25 years before. The movie is based off of the Argentine crime thriller novel, La Pregunta De Sus Ojos (The Question In Their Eyes), by Eduardo Sacheri. , The Secret In Their Eyes was produced, directed and edited by Juan Jose Campanella. The story goes into a time period in Argentina known as the Dirty War that lasted between 1975 to 1983. It was a time when Argentina’s dictatorial military wanted to keep their power, so they often tortured and killed people who were against them. It was also a time when criminals were often freed and left unpunished, which also led to violent times in Argentina.

The movie takes place in Buenos Aires in 1999. Benjamin, a retired criminal investigator is trying to relive his past in his head because he wants to write a novel about the rape and murder case of Liliana Coloto played by Carla Quevedo that took place in 1974. In order to do that, he must reconnect with Irene Menendez-Hastings played by Soledad Villamil, whom he worked with during the investigation of Coloto’s case, to get her opinion on the novel. We are set back into the ‘70s when Irene starts reading the novel in forms of flashbacks. The first flashback we see is when Benjamin first saw Irene. Benjamin still remembers her as the young lady recently graduated from Cornell stepping into the office during the summer of 1972. He paid attention to her tall figure, silky hair, and of course beautiful eyes. Irene always looked very professional, but also stylish. She often wore dresses with easy-going colors, or dress suits, which went well with her stubborn, yet outgoing personality. Benjamin, a young investigator who always wore his grey trench coat and fine suits, showed that he was serious and ready for his job. But he was also young and always had good, cheesy, pickup lines for any good-looking lady that he laid eyes on, yet Irene left him speechless. Through the flashbacks we learn that the murderer was found, freed and even had an encounter with Benjamin after, but Benjamin didn't have the power to arrest him, so the killer was never seen again. Now walking into his former office, we get to see how both Irene and Benjamin aged after 25 years. Irene is seen with shorter hair, glasses, and a longer dress suit, with pictures of children on her desk, indicating that she now has a family. Benjamin on the other hand has no family of his own, has some grey hair, longer beard, and dressed more casual than professional. The costume designer and makeup artist did a fantastic job of making both characters seem older, with little things like their hair, attire, and even props like the picture to show the lives they’ve lived apart from each other.

While trying to track the murderer down during the ‘70s, Benjamin and his partner, Sandoval had many setbacks. The movie’s antagonist,Counselor Romano played by Mariano Argento, an arrogant character wanted to get the case over with, so he accused and beat a false confession out of two construction workers. Raging with anger, Benjamin confronts Romano by stating that he’ll never step foot into the offices again once he puts in a complaint. Romano responds with “You have no clue with who you’re messing with.” Benjamin and his partner, Sandoval quickly got back on their feet by reopening the case with Irene’s permission. Although always drunk, Sandoval was still a smart detective and gave Benjamin an important lead to the case. The climax happened when Benjamin finally had the murderer sitting right in front of him. Bejamin and Irene were trying to get the murderer to confess, but because of what was going on in Argentina at that time, the government let him go, something not even Benjamin had the power to change. Sandoval’s advice would also no longer be there to help him out, which puts Benjamin in a state of denial, and closes hope for him.

Irene asks him why he’s writing a novel and going back to his past, and he responds “You see? I don't want to miss another chance. How is it possible? How can I do nothing about it? I've been asking myself for 25 years and I've only been able to come up with one answer. "Forget it, it was another lifetime. It's over, don't ask." It wasn't another lifetime. It was this one. It is this one. Now I want to understand. How can someone live an empty life? How do you live a life full of nothing?” This quote shows the protagonist’s frustration and how the open case has affected his life in the past 25 years. . Re-living the case revived his desire to find the murderer with Irene. He must start a new journey of tracing this man with new tips and some he had used 25 years before.

My favorite scene shows the love that Irene and Benjamin had for each other during the ‘70s. It seems like a classic love story ending, but it wasn't until this scene that Irene finally showed her true feelings for him by chasing the train that he was leaving on. . While on the train, Benjamin runs to the rear to get a last look back at her. In his novel, Benjamin describes that scene, “He ran to the end of the train and watched as her figure, once gigantic, now shrank in his eyes, but grew more than ever in his heart.” I thought this piece of dialogue was a great way of showing how much love Benjamin still has for Irene even though he never saw her again until 25 years later. The resolution scene was very shocking, something that I didn’t imagine would happen . Benjamin finally finds out whether the murderer is alive with the help of the victim’s widower, and the love between Irene and Benjamin finally take a major step forward.

The production design team did a pretty good job depicting the settings, especially Buenos Aires, where the office is in. They portrayed a city with huge corporate buildings and cafes, on what it seems like every corner. The other setting is a small town, Chivilcoy was also very well designed. There weren't huge buildings, but rather small houses and businesses surrounding, with stray animals walking around. The people walking around were dressed differently from the city garb of Benjamin and Irene. They had presentable clothing, but less professional. Old women had dresses and head scarves, unlike the women in the city who had dress suits on. The costume designer also did a nice job depicting the fashion scene in the ‘70s. Irene was always seen with her loose long silky hair, along with her dresses. The costume designer also included popular colors during that time, including many browns, yellows and light greens. The designer made sure to include props like a record player, a typewriter and many Polaroid pictures and cameras to give off a ‘70s vibe. The film was tied into the setting of when the Dirty War was taking place in Argentina. I think the writer did a great job tying that horrible time period into the movie when the murderer was let go and never found again. I also think the camera crew did an excellent job of getting close-ups of the character’s eyes in some scenes knowing that there are many secrets, showing the inspiration for the movie title.

Juan Jose Campanella has gotten great feedback and rewards from Spain and even Hollywood. The Secret In Their Eyes received an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2009, making it the second Oscar award that Argentina has won, with the first movie winning an award in 1987, also done by Campanella. Overall, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this movie and I wonder if I’m going to enjoy it as much when the new American version comes out, starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Julia Roberts. Everyone in the movie played their part well, including the people working on set and behind the scenes. The director did an excellent job of secretly tying an unfinished love story and murder case together leaving the audience eager to find the next part of either story.

Can we handle an outbreak of an illness?

In the last unit in the Population class, which is called If/Then, the class went over the human population and tried to predict what the human population would be by 2050. We tried to predict with a method in math called geometric and arithmetic sequence. For our last action project, the class was asked to create a script discussing a topic that has something to do with the human population growth. The discussion had to include 2 viewpoints that was supported by evidence and real hard facts. To include the math in this project we went over, we used a geometric sequence to figure out what the human population would be in 2050. At first, I had a hard time using the geometric method, but then the whole class went over that part and I had a more clear understanding of how to use it. I also had a difficult time choosing a topic to discuss because there were so many good ones to go over. I was proud at how I went over this unit. When I had a hard time on one topic, I would take some time and go over that topic once again and just take time to focus. Thanks to this project, I now understand what the world could possibly look like if the human population became overwhelming.

Right now the human population is estimated to be about 7,125,000,000. By 2050 my class predicted that it could reach 10,715,465,520. We came up with this number by using a geometric sequence. The work is shown below.

                                          

AMK. Geometric Sequence. Photography. 2014

If the whole human population were to be crammed together in the city of L.A, many problems would develop along the way. One of those problems for example would be the outbreak of an illness. If you think of all the problems we already have in the world today, do you think we can handle an outbreak of an illness with the whole human population being so crammed together? Vaccines are available, but are also limited. That means people would be in a competition because everyone would want to get the best health care treatment they can possibly get, but its possible that since everyone wants a vaccine they can eventually run out.

Below I have a discussion between Kelly and Kate, going over the topic of the human population and the outbreak of an illness. At first they have different views, but when one goes over true facts, the other is leaning towards the other side.

Kate: Do you want this water?

Kelly: Nah. Just spill it out.

Kate: I think I’ll just drink it then.

Kelly: Why if you don’t want it?

Kate: It makes me feel guilty, because you know, there are many people that don’t have the access to it.

Kelly: True.

Kate: Did you know there are 3.4 million people who die in the world each year because they don’t have access to water, which can result to many diseases.(1) Not to mention that 1 million don’t have access to health care. (3)

Kelly: I know, but that usually happens in developing countries where the population of people is too much to handle and their aren't enough resources for people.

Kate: Well, put yourself in their shoes. Did you know that the whole human population can fit in the city of L.A? So imagine being stuck with 7125,000,000 people with the population reaching 10,715, 465, 520 by 2050 and maybe not having enough water and then people getting diseases while you have nowhere to go to get away?

Kelly: I mean like you said the whole human population would be in the same place, so why don’t the best doctors from around the world come up with new medicines and vaccines to cure these diseases?

Kate: They wouldn't be able to handle it! Like I said before millions are already dying and that’s with people using different water sources. If we used the same source eventually we would run out of it.

Kelly: Not true! Earth has enough quantities of water in our lakes, oceans, rivers and even in our atmosphere! (5)

Kate: Alright then. Well, think about the health care system? People from all over the world would be stuck together. That means that many people would be coming from countries with diseases like Malaria and yellow fever, which will catch on to people and then spread.

Kelly: But there are immunizations that fight against 27 diseases, plus there are also vaccines that are available to travelers that travel to countries that have diseases like Malaria and yellow fever. (2)

Kate: It wouldn't work! For example think about the Ebola outbreak that just made its way here.

Kelly: Exactly. Doctors are already coming up with vaccines for it.

Kate: Right. But only 4 people have been recorded having that disease here, and everyone is already feeling overwhelmed.

Kelly: The CDC and health care providers are preparing though. They know what to do. (4)

Kate: Not really. Think about it. 2 of those diagnosed people could have been prevented if the hospital was prepared enough.

Kelly: But eventually it’ll stop. Remember the swine flu? We got over it.

Kate: It’ll be hard to get over it when the whole human population is crammed together. Whatever bacteria and virus is in your body will have easy access to many other bodies that will just keep growing. Too many people die from illnesses in the world and this is without everyone being crammed together, so imagine the whole human population being contaminated in a large city, do you really think we would be able to handle this? 

Kelly: Maybe you’re right.


Citations:

1. "Water.org." Waterorg. NP, n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2014.
2. "Immunization Issues." Vaccines in Development. National Network for Immunization Information, n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2014.
3.Shah, Anup. "Health Issues." - Global Issues. N.p., 27 Sept. 2014. Web. 21 Oct. 2014.
4."Questions and Answers on Ebola." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 23 Oct. 2014. Web. 23 Oct. 2014.
5. Webster, Jim. "OLogy." OLogy. Ask A Scientist, n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2014.\

My Hero's journey

In the last unit in the Stories class, which is called Journeys, the class went over and learned about the steps that make up the journey of a hero. For our last action project, the class was asked to analyze a fictional hero and also interview a real life hero. We created a slideshow on paper presenting all the steps to the fictional hero’s journey, and created a transcript that holds the interview of our real life hero. Like my previous projects, it was tough choosing a hero to analyze, but after brainstorming many qualities that a hero needs, I easily was able to choose one. I was actually surprised that I enjoyed watching my hero’s movie all over again, all while writing about the different steps in her journey. While going through the steps I think I’ve noticed many things that I hadn’t noticed before. In the process of creating this project I had a tough time with the slideshow and trying to present the steps of the hero’s journey because I didn’t want to inaccurately represent what the hero went through. I got over that situation when I carefully went over the different steps and just took some time to focus, which is something that I’m proud of. Before this unit I didn’t even know that a hero had steps in their journey in order to become the hero they are today. Thanks to this unit and project I now have a better understanding of how an extraordinary journey can shape a person into a hero.

The two heroes who I chose were Mulan and my aunt IA, with Mulan obviously being the fictional hero and my aunt being my real life hero. I chose Mulan because although she is very clumsy and silly, she is still very brave. She stood up when she knew she needed to. Mulan was scared, but her courage gave her a chance to prove who she really was on the inside. Being surrounded by men who thought little of women must have been tough for her while fighting a battle, but at the end she ended up winning the battle and gaining victory for China again. I chose my aunt as a real life hero because of what she had to go through while battling Leukemia at a young age. Just like Mulan, my aunt was young when she had to become strong. Both were also very scared, but both were also very courageous.They went through many tough events before things got better, and it was because they both believed in themselves. Just like Mulan, my aunt won a battle that she didn’t think she would win in the beginning.

Below I have the slideshow on paper showing Mulan going through her journey into making her a hero. Which include the 8 steps of The call, Mentor, Crossing the threshold, Trials, Infinate Despair, Rebirth, Atonment, and The Return.

RD. Mulan's adventure. Photography. 2014 

Real life Hero Interview:

Q:What are some other reasons why others look up to you?

A: People look up to me because I'm a 2x cancer survivor. I started fighting cancer at the age of 19 and I didn't realize until then how strong of a person I really am.

Q:Who would you say most helped you decide what you wanted to do?

A: Dealing with what I went through being around nurses, doctors, and just being around the healthcare industry  helped me decide that I wanted to pursue a career in nursing, which is why I'm in nursing school now.

Q:Do you think this new job is for you?

A: I think nursing is for me because I know what is expected from a patient because I used to be one. It will be easy for me to empathize with other patients, and I want to give back to others what was given to me.

Q: Along your way, did you know anyone that was going through the same thing as you?

A: I never knew anyone going through the same thing I was going through, which made it pretty scary because I didn't know what was going to happen. But I had to remain strong and positive and hope for the best.

Q: What were the greatest challenges you’ve faced throughout your life?

A: The biggest challenge I faced was fighting for my life.

Q: How did it change you for the better?

A: It changed me for the better because it made me realize not to take life for granted. I saw this challenge as a little blessing in disguise, it made me appreciate everything in my life so much more.

Q: What did the challenge consist of?

A: The challenge consisted of fighting for my life, staying in the hospital for months, getting different treatments, all while trying to stay positive.

Q: What skills have you held on to that still help you today

A:Its taught me to keep my head up and to stay positive through everything. Not everything is as bad as it seems, and that other people are going through worse things.

Citations:

Mulan. Dir. Tony Bancroft and Barry Cook. Prod. Pam Coats. 1998.

Mulan10. Mulan. Photograph. 2012

The-Corngobbler. Mulan Poster. Photograph. ND

Hazelnutsandcream. Mulan and Ling Shang. ND

Mulan in Armour. Photograph. ND

Shiba Inu

In unit 2 in the Population class, which is called From/to, the class learned about the many differences that animals carry. We also went through Darwin and his theories on Natural Selection. The class went through the debate on evolution also. For our second action project we were assigned to choose an animal that we think will survive in Mars, based on the animal’s different traits. We made a video, saying why we think this animal will survive, and be the best fit for Mars. This also went over the topic of how some animals are more fit than others, which gives them a better chance to survive wherever they’re put. For the math portion of this unit, we went over central tendencies, box and whisker plot, and standard deviation. To include those in this project, we were assigned to choose an animal from a petshop and record data of the same species. I had a difficult time choosing an animal and figuring out why they would be the best fit, but after researching everything went well after. The math portion was easy once I collected all the data because the class would go over those topics until we were all confident with it. Thanks to this unit, I now have a more clear understanding of how the many different traits that animals carry help them survive, and be more fit than other animals.

Mars is a dusty, dry, and cold place. But underneath all the rocky surface there is ice. That means that there at least had to be some source of water at some time. Scientist are wondering still if the ice came from precipitation or if it bubbled up from a surface. As scientist began their research, they discovered that Mars could have once been a tiny snow globe. The far distance from the sun is a result of the harsh, cold weather. Also Mars having no clouds to trap heat in results in cold weather ,too. Mars is covered with rocks and ice caps. With that being said, an animal with a thin fur coat would not be strong enough to handle the climate. Also the thinner the animal, the less it would be protected. Chubby animals have more fat on them to keep them warm, whereas thinner animals would not have enough fat. Longer hair would also be able to protect the animal like a blanket, while shorter hair wouldn’t be much protection.

I chose a Shiba Inu. This breed is native to Japan’s mountainous area, which means they are good hunters, and do well in cold weather. They are also #4 on the best dogs that adapt well to cold weather, because of their thick fur.  

Script:

Many dogs have the ability to adapt well to cold weather, but none do it as good as a Shiba Inu. A Shiba Inu is a great candidate for a chance to go to mars, because of its great ability to easily adapt to the cold weather.The word Shiba means brushwood in japanese, which either is after their hunting terrain or after the brushwood leaves. Although small, they are excellent hunters. Their size actually is beneficial to them, because it gives them better access to harder to get places. They are native to Japan’s mountainous area, which means they’re very used to the cold, and strong enough to handle the conditions that they’ll face.They have a coat that is double coated, with the outer coat being stiff, and straight, while the undercoat is soft and thick. I would place a Shiba Inu, in a location by ice caps. It would be quicker for them to adapt with it, because they have a love for the snow and ice. That also means that while on Mars they would stay active and alert, because of how much physical activity they’ll be gaining while playing by the ice caps.

Below I have the data that I collected from happiness is pets.com. There I recorded the weights of many different dogs.

Bittie- Pitbull terrier- 50lb

Brita- American Staffordshire Terrier- 40 lb

Josie-  Pitbull mix- 43 lb

Luigi- Border Terrier mix- 10lb

Rico- Lab mix- 56 lb

Una- Pitbull terrier mix- 30lb

Winona- Pitbull mix- 35 lb

Mookie- Shepherd mix- 54 lb

Rock- Shepherd mix-52 lb

Mario- Cairn terrier mix- 13lb

Franny- Cairn terrier mix- 11lb

Herman Chihuahua- 15lb

Shiba Inu- 18lb

I then found the central tendencies of my data.  

I drew out a box and whisker plot showing my data also.

I also calculated the standards deviation of my data. The Shiba Inu is only 18 LBS. This means it is 17.66 standard deviations below the mean of 32.84.

"Who's laughing now?"

In unit 2 for the Stories class, which is called Lessons, the class learned about the many lessons that stories carry. We learned that these type of stories are called fables. Throughout the class, we read many different fables and tried to figure out the morals that they hold. For our second unit action project, we were assigned to write our own fable, choosing a moral that is personally important. I decided to write about a blue-tailed skink, who has a hard time adjusting, and getting along with her peers, because of the way she looks. We were also assigned to illustrate our main character in the story. At first I had a hard time thinking about an animal I can use to send out the message of my moral, but with a little help from my teacher I was able to choose a unique and perfect animal. It also took me awhile to come up with a moral that I find important, but once I chose my animal, a moral that I care about came easily to me. The purpose of this project was to give us a chance to send out a message while still making it entertaining to read about. I’m proud that I chose a moral that is important to me, and how I chose an animal that is unique, which can be harder at times. I enjoyed reading the different fables we went through in this unit, and figuring out the morals they hold. It was also fun getting to hear how my classmates interpreted the stories, because some were different from the way I saw it. Thanks to this project, I now enjoy reading fables, and know what the essential parts are, in order to write a fable.

 
Aqua, a blue-tailed skink ,was a very clever, but introverted girl. She was named for the color of her tail, a bright, yet soothing blue. It’s something she should flaunt, but since it stood out so much , she would get stares and dirty looks. So when she moved to Baja, California, she had a rough time adjusting. Aqua is not very social for a 16 year old - something she was okay with - but she wanted some excitement. I want to have fun this summer, she thought, as she looked in the mirror. When she went downstairs to the living room where her mom was sitting, she told her what she wanted to do about herself. “Well ,why don’t you go to Camp Reptilia?” her mom suggested, “It’ll give you many opportunities to break out of your shell.”

Aqua mumbled to herself in a sarcastic tone, “that sounds like a perfect idea, except that I’ll look like a freak with a small body, yet flashy tail, next to all the big, mean looking western chuckwallas.” Baja, California is heavily populated with western chuckwallas,something that Aqua was afraid of, because they’re not the friendliest of reptiles. Aqua went to her room to seriously think about it. Her mom could even tell she was considering the idea, so she printed out an ad for the camp, and slid it under Aqua’s door. It was a basic, cheesy ad cover, with western chuckwallas laughing while planting some flowers. The fake cover, matched their fake, “welcoming”, personalities. 

After hours of debating, she finally made up her mind. “I’m going to go!” she shouted to her mom. Her mom crawled her way towards Aqua with a huge hug. “I’m so proud of you!” her mom exclaimed.

RD. Blue tailed skink. Photography. 2014

The next week was chaotic, while preparing for camp. The next thing Aqua knew, she was in front of Camp Reptilia. Nervous and excited, she stood there with her bags, already feeling unwelcomed by the western chuckwallas passing by. ”I got this!” she thought to herself, letting them pass by, while she had a sassy, but nervous smirk on her face. There weren’t any blue-tailed skinks in the camp, so she was alone.  Aqua was used to being alone, so she enjoyed having her own company.But of course she still wanted to have fun because that was the point of joining camp. The only problem is that everyone seemed the same to her. All they do is sit and talk about pointless subjects, and make fun of others. Aqua  crawled by and heard nothing but whispers, laughs, and see the smirks of the others. But she still didn’t understand why.Her tail protected her, and she thought it was a nice color, in fact she loved it. Her tail is what made her Aqua. It was just the selfish thought of being laughed at and judged that bothered her.

Her mind got so stuck on the thought of being like the others, that she bought a skirt that would cover her tail. But of course this time she gets more stares. Even she knew that she looked foolish. Aqua crawled back to her room with no luck of socializing with someone interesting. She was just about to watch some TV when all of the sudden she heard some screams. Startled, she quickly crawled outside and saw that the rival camp, Camp Snake, had barged in. All the western chuckwallas ran as fast as they could hiding , and letting out cries, like chickens. They weren’t laughing, or making fun now. When a snake saw Aqua, he was determined to eat her. “Sorry, but no way!” Aqua yelled. She didn’t scream or cry. She simply used her unique power of being able to pop her tail off. The snake was so surprised and mesmerized, that he just sat there not knowing what to do next. Aqua was feeling proud, because that’s exactly what she expected from the snake. It was almost silent, she could still hear some sobbing from the western chuckwallas, while they were all staring at her. They were envious of her t escape. As they were sitting there feeling salty and embarrassed, they were thinking about all the times they had made fun of her for her tail, and for the times they would give her an uneasy time when she was trying to get to know them. “Who’s laughing now?” she asked, as she casually crawled back to her dorm.

RD. Western Chuckwalla. Photography. 2014

Ecuador: Sigue No Mas

I went on a 24 day adventure to Ecuador, where I was able to enjoy the bustling cities, along with the mountains and rain forest surrounding. But to me the adventure didn't begin until the 2nd day there. I remember waking up on July 24, 2014 ready for a 6 hour journey from Ecuador's capital Quito, to a small village called Sachapamba De San Fransisco. I can still  perfectly remember the majestic mountains that I admired from the bus's window, the twisty, thrilling roads that our bus encountered, the salsa music that made everyone want to get up and dance, and the chatter going on as everyone was getting to know each other. Although we were all tired, once we got to our destination we were all pretty excited. I remember being mesmerized by the gorgeous view that can't compare to any other view I have ever seen. Along with being excited, I was also very nervous. I have never been away from home, or done community service in another country. The plan was to build a kiosk for the locals, where they can buy goodies while watching soccer games, a bathroom, bleacher steps, and teach children some English. I was ready to work hard for the next 9 days.  It wasn't easy at first. I remember having to carry heavy bricks, pushing wheel barrels, and the toughest of all, mixing cement. But it still was one of the best parts of this trip, because while working on all those projects, along with my group members, I developed many new connections. I learned the importance of teamwork and friendship.We were all there to motivate and push each other when we thought we couldn't go any further. Along with the connections that I made with my group members, I also connected to the children who lived in the village. Every day after work, they would show up with their smiles and amazing sense of humor. We would play soccer, teach them some English words, share many laughs, and there were days where we would just sit and gaze at the mountains that surrounded us. On our last day of being on the work site, as a way of appretiation and gratitude the community threw a small party where we played many games, danced along to some live music, and just enjoyed each other's company. On the 10th day we hopped back on the bus where we made our way to the indigenous town of Otavalo. There we visited the markets, filled with many foreign clothes, souvenirs, and Ecuadorian goodies. After a day spent there we made our way to a city in the Amazon Rain Forest called Tena. The first day consisted of white water rafting in the Amazon. I will never forget the beautiful experience I had while rafting in the hidden rivers of the Amazon while a thunderstorm was going on. The sound of the thunder gave me a calm feeling, and the view of the lightning gave me chills. The next day was was full of challenges and mud. The group and I went deep into the Amazon Rain Forest, with a 3 hour long hike. We were surrounded by many exotic plants, and flowers, waterfalls and the chirping of many birds brought music to our ears. When those days were over we headed out to the Galapagos,with our home base being the lovely Island of Isabela. With the beach just minutes away, we were able to enjoy snorkeling and being able to swim with sea lions and turtles, surfing the waves that the ocean brings to us, and just chill in the sand. We also had the chance to explore a volcano, and visit the giant Tortoises of the Galapagos. I am extremely proud of myself for having the courage to attend a trip like this. While doing all these activities and work, I stepped out of my comfort zone. It was pretty scary for me at first, but once I stepped out of that bubble that I'm so used to being in, I felt so good. One thing that I will remember from one of the group leaders, was him telling us to live in the moment, and to stop letting fear hold us back on  doing things that we want to do. Telling myself those words throughout the trip really helped me have the best time I have ever had. I even use those words now to encourage myself. Summer 2014 was a summer full of adventure, challenges, deep connections, and self discovery. Definitely a summer I won't be able to forget.

Luna's Land

In Unit 1 in the Stories class which is called Creations, the class learned about different ways we can read a story and went over adverbs and adjectives, which play a huge role when writing a story. For our first action project the class was assigned to create our own mythological world, using descriptive language, adjectives, adverbs and just our imaginations to get readers feeling like they were actually in the setting that they are reading about. To get a closer look at what our minds were picturing while writing, we were also asked to illustrate our world. Through this first unit/project I learned the importance of using adverbs and adjectives correctly, how helpful descriptive language can be, and how to dig deeper when reading or writing a story, and I think I connected well to the purpose of this project, because I dug deeper while writing, I made sure I included descriptive language, I also made sure that my creations also made sense, but with all that, I  also made sure I was having have fun by letting my imagination run free. I decided to write about a world that I decided to name Luna’s Land, which follows a young girl’s adventure creating a world that the moon dreamed of. It took me awhile to come up with this story, but I was determined to come up with something that I would be proud of. I’m also not that great of an artist, but I tried my best, and I am very happy at how my drawing came out. I’m very proud of how I handled all my frustration, which was to keep trying and to keep using my imagination. Thanks to this project, I now have a better understanding of what makes a story a good one, and I definitely will use the knowledge I gained from this unit throughout my years in school.

There is a world far and isolated from anywhere else, where by day it was very sunny, and by night the stars shined like diamonds. It’s called Luna’s Land. The people who lived here were all once from planet Mundane, a place with no beauty or excitement, just plain grass everywhere. One day the sun and the moon, two sparkling orbs, decided to run away from Mundane, because they were fed up with the lack of beauty there. They raced quickly to this new planet, and whoever arrived there first got  to name the new planet. The moon won, and as a  victory named  the new planet after itself, calling it Luna’s Land.The Moon and sun decided to bring some of the citizens of planet Mundane with them, so that they could have a say  on how Luna’s Land would look. Here, all you had to do was carefully imagine what you wanted and your mind would control anything, giving you the power to create anything. Since they hadn’t been used to using their imaginations anytime before, they were a little rusty at being creative, but the citizens, surprisingly and rather quickly began working their minds like computers, coming up with new ideas.

Although she shared the new world with the sun, Luna always felt like she had much more to offer and she found it ironic that although this planet was named after her, few really gave her much attention. She didn’t get why everyone was in love with the sun’s evil burn and dangerous heat, but she did give the sun credit for using her light and heat as an oven for everyone. Some people praised the sun so much, they would sit in front of her talking for hours. They would even tell the sun about all their bad deeds and lies, but the sun would punish those with bad tongues by burning them with a massive heat wave. These people, however, never learned and would keep going back to the sun. Some people were beautiful with their tanned complexion, others not so much, looking like tomatoes. 

One night, Lapeka went into the valley of secrets and wishes, where she and other people would quietly  sit on thick clouds of unspoken desires and thoughts. The valley was always dazzling and bright because of all the secrets it held.The rule is that you make a wish and throw it up in the air and watch it twinkle in the sky. But, you always had to be careful because your wish just might come true, and the way you knew it is that your wish would  become a shooting star. Lapeka was so used to her wish just sitting up in the sky giving her a twinkling glare, that she was caught off guard when her star flew up and away like a bird. Her wish? To get everyone to admire the angelic moon.

Signs of Lapeka’s granted wish were everywhere.The next day, the sun was out of business. No one was lined up to to talk to her, like they’d always done. Instead, they were impatiently waiting to talk to the moon. Everyone was in line on the stairway, and suddenly Lapeka found herself at the bottom, something that she was not used to because before she would be at the top alone. The line was so long, it was like the only payphone in a sea of people needing to make a call. By the time Lapeka slowly and carefully got to the top, the sun had stolen the show again with its sunrise, meaning that the moon had to go rest.

The day afterward Lapeka went through the same thing. No luck in talking to her soul-mate. She was heart-sick. “How can I be so stupid?”she asked herself as she thought about her wish. She had to come up with a plan to get the mysterious moon back into her life. Lapeka finally decided that she had to create something with her mind, which she didn’t really enjoy doing because her creations have never really worked. But, this was her only hope.

  She sat in her shady backyard thinking and thinking until she came up with an idea about hiding the moon or trying to block it. Lapeka imagined huge, steep, dangerous rocks glued together, something that her mind decided to call “mountains”. She impatiently waited until the night-time to use these scenic devils. When she heard people swiftly run to spill their hearts out to this dark goddess, she was ready to go. She carefully set her mind to start and little by little in the distance she heard the rumbling and roars of the rocks getting bigger and bigger. Feeling determined, she thought to herself “she’s finally mine again”. But, these dangerous, giant rocks were not big enough to hide the moon’s majestic soul. The mountains themselves were sitting there looking ashamed that they were of no use. They were so devastated that they  began to weep, and each time the mountains cried, pieces of rock would come crumbling off, until nothing was left but dust. Now people would go there to cry and weep because their souls felt so weak and worthless just like the dust, where the bold monstrous rocks once stood.

  Lapeka cried her eyes out at this failure, until the next thing she knew, she was sitting in a pool of water formed by her own tears. The puddle got so big that it became an ocean. She got the idea of giving energy to the ocean of tears, making some of the water run to scare the people waiting for the moon, whom she hoped would eventually leave. She named this powerful force “tsunami”. The water traveled in huge waves, but before its magnificent show of power, the waves quickly ran back like the ocean was racing away for its life. The salty, black water was afraid of the moon. This ocean was named Salty Tears, and sometimes people would go and leave their guilt to drown there,unknowingly mixing with Lapeka’s tears. It was like a mysterious black hole, that would go on and on, dangerously drowning you with your own guilt.

  After all her creative efforts, Lapeka gave up and ran to the pile of dust where she let out her own piercing cries. She realized she would never have Luna again to herself and that maybe her wish was not a good idea. Looking around and still sobbing, she noticed all of the natural beauty around her, some of which she had actually helped create. She saw the valley of secrets and wishes, the monstrous mountains that would roar every second, and the black ocean floating with guilt. Although the landscape contained some things that were good and not so good inside of them, the world around her was still extremely beautiful. Realizing that she had helped create just what the moon had wanted made her happy, and Lapeka understood with pride that although she was going to have to share her beloved moon with everyone else she would always be the closest person to Luna.

Below I have an image showing the outcome of Lapeka's distress,that includes the valley of secrets and wishes, the monstrous mountains,and the Salty tears ocean.

RD, Luna's Land (2014) Photography.

Blue-Tailed Skink

In Unit 1 in the Population class which is called In/Out, the class learned about many different organism's characteristics, and taxonomy,which is the way scientist classify organisms. In math, the class learned about elements in math, which is putting a collection of things into groups. For our first action project the class was assigned to pick an organism and research its characteristics and how its classified. Along with that, we were assigned to create a collage mosaic representing those characteristics. We then partnered up with someone and compared each other's organisms to create a Venn diagram. For the math portion, we had to come up with 5 math statements about our organism. I decided to research the Cryptoblepharus egeriae, also known as a Blue-tailed skink. Below is a table describing the Skink’s taxonomic levels and characteristics.

Taxonomic Level	Blue-tailed Skink Group	Key characteristics of group
Kingdom	Animalia	Multicellular Eat things
Phylum	Chordata	They have a tail
Class	Reptilia	Have scales rather than feathers
Order	Squamata	Lizards can pop off their tail so it can distract a predator, and they can get away.
Family	Scincidae	Skinks are covered by smooth, shiny cycloid scales giving them a shiny appearance
Genus	Cryptoblepharus	from the top, the skink looks like a snake
Species	C. egeriae	small with a black body with yellow stripes with a blue tail

I then created my collage mosaic, where I tried to include every characteristic in the table above. I enjoyed putting together this collage, especially the blue tail because I find it very interesting how this skink has the ability to pop it off when being attacked, or when being chased down for food as a way of distracting its predator.

RD, Blue-tailed skink. (2014) Photography

I created 5 math statements showing which set or group my organism does and doesn't belong in.

RD, Math statements, (2014). Photography

I partnered up with JV who had a Mexican Mole Lizard and we compared each others organism below. We also decided to partner up with AMK who had a Fennec Fox.

RD,JV,AMK. Venn Diagram. (2014). Photography.