Culture Blog #3 :)

I decided to watch the movie Shakespeare in Love. This was one movie that I had heard of and one in which I thought would be interesting. I spent this afternoon watching it (since it was raining outside anyways) and I truly liked it. I think what really grabbed me was that I have always liked Romeo and Juliet. When I read it my freshman year of english, I really enjoyed the story and the time period. We watched the older Romeo and Juliet and the re-make but I have to say that out of both of those, I liked watching Shakespeare in Love because I was able to see the actual time period. I was able to see the conditions in which Shakespeare lived which really caught my attention. I think that the conditions were such a contrast between Queen Elizabeth and Viola compared with William. He was more of a simple man of the time while they lived in luxury.

I am such a sucker for love stories and the whole concept of forbidden love really grabbed at my heart. To me, I loved how William and Viola were in such a similar position as Romeo and Juliet and the fact that was shown in a film was what impacted me so much. I laughed at them in certain parts and wanted to cry in others. They couldn't do anything about the circumstances they were under at the time and it was hard to watch knowing that it wasn't going to work out.

Something else that was shown in this film was how women were treated. They were under the rule of man and their opinion did not count in any way, shape, or form. However, Viola did get the chance to act but she did not get to pick who she married. She loved William but was forced to stay with the man her father chose. The reason that this all happened was because Lord Wessex wanted money. This to me, was very sad and I thought it was neat to see how far women have come now. Seeing the line of respect for the Queen was really cool as well. They respected her so much that at times the Queen seemed tired of it. She was a person but they forgot to treat her like one sometimes.

There was some nudity....that I really didn't want to see so I closed my eyes. :P But other than that, Shakespeare in Love was a great movie that shows love, action, and really pulls on a person's heart strings.

LAST BLOG EVERRRR! :)

In the past week, I have really been thinking about my hometown. I live in good old Washington and I have never really thought about how fortunate I am to live here. I have always joked about coming from a community that I thought was boring and snobby. However, this past week showed me a side of Washington that I am so proud of; the part of Washington that I knew was there but only showed itself when in competition. Washington has shined compassion and selflessness particularly in the case of 2 year old Dax. I don't know if you have heard about this little boy but he has been diagnosed with a rare case of leukemia and has been sick his whole life. There is nothing else the doctors can do now. Everyone in Dax's neighborhood has decided to "decorate for Dax" or in other words put up Christmas decorations since this sweet boy may not live until Christmas. His family had the idea of treating every day as though it were Christmas for him and the neighborhood hear about it and decided to partake as well. Now it has not only been taken on by most of the Washingtonians (including myself) but also other parts of Central Illinois and it is now going worldwide. To me, I think this is such a wonderful thing to do for support. It is nothing big but instead shows compassion and a love for one of Washington's own. I am proud that this is where I live because I have seen the support of community and family that I never was sure that I would see. Maybe Dax won't make it, or maybe there will be a miracle. We don't know but what we can be sure of is that many people are praying and supporting Dax and his family and this is something we don't see everyday.

Why do things have to change? Week 11

Last week I received some news which to some people, it maybe wouldn’t be a big deal. However, for me,this news was a life-changer. I have been a part of the same church my entire life and the same high school group for 4 years. This past year, a very large group of us graduated from the high school group and moved to college. There were about 25-30 of us and we were very close to our amazing high school youth group leader and his awesome wife. They came into the picture about 3 years and 9 months ago and when they arrived, our youth consisted of 7-10 people. Our grow has grown to about 50 kids now (give or take a few) so I bet you can imagine how hard it was for me to grow up, graduate, and move on to a new group. However, it was nice to still be able to see them even though I was out of that group. I was and still am best friends with my youth pastor’s wife. She is an encouragement to me and someone I appreciate...she is just like the sister I never had. However, things were about to change. Last week, we found out that they were leaving our church because they felt like they were being called to a church in which the youth group was really struggling. Of course, if they feel led there, I am not mad or sad because God has a plan for them. However, it is just hard to let go of 2 people that have truly helped me to grow and been there for me through thick and thin. I will miss them but I know everything will be okay. I always think, why do these things happen when life is going great? Why is there sadness when things begin to move in a positive direction? I guess, it just shows me that I don’t have control over my life. I can think that I do but all I have is freewill. I can’t control whether tragedy or blessings happen. I just have to trust that He knows what is best when I can only see a small part of the picture.

My Verbs! Week 10!

I have always had some trouble when it came to using verbs creatively. I love creative writing but I used the same verbs over and over to the point that it was incredible repetitive. When it would be repetitive, I hated it because I was bored trying to read it. I know since I have been taking english 110 that I have been much more conscious of the way I word my sentences. I want my writing to be exciting and interesting. I desire a writing voice and style of my own and using fun verbs really helps! Stephanie has shown me that I don't always have to use those boring "be" verbs and I know that has truly helped my writing so that it is more effective. Substituting "is" for a more unique word sets dry, research writing from fun, creative writing away. Using description makes things so much more interesting in my opinion. Not to mention that writing in this way expands my vocabulary and with the college I am going to next fall, having an expanded vocabulary and better writing skills will be extremely helpful. There is a great deal of writing done at this college and for my major, I need to have the best writing that I can so I may grow as a writer. Since writing is such a vital part of life and communication, I feel that when I am able to describe things better, I am able to add some zip to what I try to communicate. :)

Death. :( Week 9!

With Halloween coming up and after watching all of the scary YouTube clips in class today, I have been thinking about all the creepy things that are shown on T.V. and that sometimes occur in real life. Watching the clip of Children of the Corn made me think of the family that was murdered not too long ago. I have never seen all of that movie but that sparked the thought of the Gee family. When watching all of these movies, I think to myself, “Ew that is not right.” Yet, it is something that happens in real, everyday life. People do get murdered by others whether it is for revenge or just because something...snapped. To me, this just shows how much this world can be broken, fallen, and slightly twisted. I see how the media runs with this and how movies are made of these incidents. To me, this does not seem right and only gives more sick, brutal ideas about how to kill someone or hurt others. People learn from what they see and these movies may seem enjoyable at times but I think that they have the potential to spark something in the minds of others. Now, don’t get me wrong, I like watching scary movies and I am not saying that people who watch them are going to flip their lid and go on a killing spree. But I do think that people do learn from what they see. When I think of the Gee family and how they were innocently killed, my heart hurts for them. I cannot understand why these things happen and the only thing I can think of is that the world is broken.

Stages of My Writing : )

I never thought of it this way but my writing is divided into multiple stages. I wrote as a child...in a creative way. Whether it was writing a short book for school or even coloring a picture in which a story on the back always accompanied it, I did a great deal of writing as a little kid. Writing about princesses and dancers were always on the top of my “best seller” list. Haha! As I grew older, I drifted away from writing for fun except for some diary entries here and there that I usually forgot about. I tended to stick with drawing instead of writing. Well, except for the few bits of writing that was always more on the boring sides of things that teachers forced you against your will to do. I had a difficult time with this because it is hard to write about something that is not intriguing. This stage was around late grade school/early middle school. Around my seventh grade year, I truly learned how to write. I was able to enjoy writing creatively and have the opportunity to express me in how I write. I felt like this was my first chance to understand true writing. Of course, high school was interesting when I think about writing... There were the days of the term papers. I wrote three in my high school days and they weren’t as bad as I thought but again, it is difficult to write well under so much pressure and a topic that has the potential to be extremely boring. There were the few exceptions to fun writing in school but it never lasted long until another research paper was assigned. I learned however to write on my own. I was able to find time to journal or email or something that added some spice and creativity to the writing in my life. I loved doing this and even poetry became a part of me. I found myself writing poetry which always helped me to relax...or vent. :) My creative writing class was something that opened my eyes to a whole new world of writing and I have been changed ever since. I talk about this topic a lot but why not talk about a good thing, right? I am able to write and I am always writing about something whether it is a blog, email, journal entry, or a paper. I understand how to put my own spice in the paper so that I don’t become so boring and uninterested. Whether I was 5 years old, 10 or even a senior in high school, I have found myself writing. Many sorts of writing and an immense amount of time to grow in my writing but I have wrote nonetheless and I would not change a thing about it!

WALL-E! Week 7

So I was in the mood for a movie the other night and my boyfriend suggested Wall-e. When he says this, I have to admit that I laughed at him. I was thinking to myself, “Justin, why would you like a movie like that? You’re a guy...” However, he had seen it earlier and said it was actually a very cute movie so I went along with it because I had been dying to see it. We invited another couple to join us and we drank hot chocolate while watching Wall-e. I recommend this movie to anyone! Seriously, its hilarious! It’s not just one of those movies that children watch but it is one that is good for people of any age. I guess thats why I liked it. Also, it had a cute lesson to it. To me, the movie was saying, keep the earth clean...and don’t design robots to do the work for you. This is a big movement that is going on in the world today about respecting the environment and keeping it healthy for people in the future to enjoy. I totally agree with this because I don’t want to live in a trashed world. Another thing that was shown in the movie was obesity with how the people ate things that were very bad for them and they were very lazy. This was showing how the future may be and I don’t know about you but I hope our future isn’t like that because living in a trashed world full of lazy people who don’t look after themselves does not sound very appealing. Therefore, I encourage you to see Wall-e...and continue to make the world a healthier place! :)

Moments. Blog Week 6!

When I think of an important moment in my writing experience, I think of the first fictional story I ever wrote which was when I was in 7th grade. I had no idea how to write something like this and I just remember sitting in my computer room in our old house and having my mom sitting next to me. I had all of my ideas but I didn’t know how to put them together so she provided me with some assistance. Once I got started though, I was on a roll. It was a story about a little girl named Baylee and she was missing her dad around Christmas time because he was off to war and he couldn’t come home. Then he shows up at their Christmas Eve service at Church. It was a really short story but my teacher loved it. I remember that I included a very large amount of detail and that really made the story come to life. I wrote about the smells of the church with the candles burning and the sound of Baylee’s father’s shoes as they clicked against the floor when he walked in the church. I went through a couple revisions but my teacher was very helpful. The focus for this was not so much on the topic but on the form of the paper and the grammar. This is very different compared to my writing now. I understand how to form the grammar and sentence structure but instead I aim my attention so much more on what I am writing about. For my first short story, this was a great experience. I know that after this, writing became something that I loved and was encouraged to do. It wasn’t a bother but more something that I could express myself in. I really owe it to my 7th grade English teacher to opening this door for me.

Creationism vs. Evolution Week 5!

I know this is a topic that so many people disagree over so I thought to myself as I was thinking of things to write about this week that this would be a good topic to discuss with others in the class. In my personal opinion, I think that if teachers can teach evolution that they should teach creationism as well. They are both faith positions and I think that if one is taught, then the other should be or even that neither should be taught. I don’t believe in evolution but rather I believe in creationism and that God created all living things in seven days. At my high school, many of my science teachers thought the whole evolution thing was not right so they didn’t really touch on it very much or at all. Some just made the comment that they weren’t going to teach that so they moved onto something else. To me, when I see how all organisms are made and how everything works so perfectly, it shows me God’s design of things which is amazing and perfect. I think that creationism helps us to understand how everything is under His authority. I just don’t think that these things happened by chance and that we evolved. We are each made special and with a purpose. To think that we have descended from a monkey totally denies the specialness of humanity and how we were created in the image of God. We are simply...apes with less hair. I was taught as a child that I was made in God’s image and I believe that He has the power to make everything and that He made humans. I know that religion is separated from school but I guess that I think scientific creationism is a legitimate science and I don’t know what it would hurt if it was also covered in schools.

Temperament or Character. Week #4!

My writing process reflects me totally and completely. When I think about how I write , what I write about, and my process of writing, I can say that how I am feeling and the way that I act is displayed throughout. My friends have read some of my work and many times they comment and say, "That sounds so much like you." I usually respond with, "That's because I wrote it!" :) For example, last year I wrote a short fictional story called Life is a Gift in my Creative Writing class. This really helped me to put myself and my voice into my writing. When my teacher finished reading it, she told me that she could see me and hear me writing that paper. “I breathe a sigh of relief and thank God. I take Lily out of there and on the drive home I explain to her what happened to me and my mother.” -Life is a Gift. By the style that I wrote and through how I went about writing it, my opinions and character were expressed. I have a "hurry and get things done" temperament mixed with a "go with the flow" temperament. Many times when I write, I hurry to get the writing done and I usually just let my fingers go to see what I can come up with. I let my mind flow. This comes out in what I am writing about as well. I write how I feel and I feel what I write. They are very interchangeable for me personally. Since writing is something that I love to do, I hope that those who read what I write can see that.

Should parents be able to choose the gender or genetics of a child? Blog 3

Should a mother and father be allowed to go to somewhere and pick out the gender or genetics of their future child? In my eyes, I don't think so. I have been raised that everything happens for a reason and that a couple will have the child they are supposed to have. I believe that choosing the gender or even genetics of a baby are a way for humans to try to play the role of God. I think that they need to allow nature to take its course. I mean, what is the excitement of having a child when you know exactly what it is going to be and how it's going to act.

This reminds me of the book and movie, "My Sister's Keeper." This was about a couple who had a little girl diagnosed with Leukemia at 2 years old and the best way to get a donor was to find an exact match in the family. It just so happened that her older brother was not a match so the mother and father decided that they should design their next daughter to be a perfect match to save their other daughter. I did not agree with this. I though it was unfair to the designed daughter to be put in the position that she was made to save her sister. It sounds like her parents only wanted her to save their other daughter. I know I would not want to have been designed and picked out to be the perfect child.

So many people think that this set-up of being able to design their children is so wonderful. I just think that messes with something that should not be messed with. I also don't know why people just can't be happy with what they have. Some moms and dads can't even have children in the first place and to me, this is just selfish and picky. We don't always get what we want but we should be thankful for what we have.

Fiesta del Rio! Cultural Opportunity #2!!

It was time to dance last night at the Fiesta del Rio on Peoria's Riverfront! I was invited by my friend last night to go out Salsa dancing with a group out on the Riverfront. I went with my boyfriend, Justin Hagan, since we are both taking Ballroom dancing lessons. We know how to Waltz, Foxtrot, Swing, Rumba, Tango, and Samba... but we had no clue how to Salsa. We thought we might learn or attempt for the cultural experience. We waited for a while until the live Mexican/Latino Band was ready and they spoke in Spanish and some English so it was a little confusing to figure out what kind of song they were going to play. We had to guess and follow what everyone around us was doing. The first dance was one that Justin and I did not know. Thankfully we were surrounded by our friends who actually had a clue so we followed them and it was very interesting. We figured out how to do some of these steps by watching and it was funny at first! In between songs, the speakers would announce the next song and type of dance. I know that there was a lot of Salsa which was good for Justin and I. Honestly, to dance to this, as long as you know your few basic steps, the rest you can make up and it looks awesome! As we danced, since the style is so smooth, it felt like we were floating. I also got the courage to go up on stage with all my friends and we danced with a really good Latino dancer. Oh man.... we looked so bad and uncoordinated compared to her. It came so natural to her because of her culture and since she was taught how to do this as such a young age. It was amazing! I have danced all my life but to try all these new kinds of dances and experience a culture like this was so eye-opening! I had an amazing time and I am so thankful I was able to go and have fun doing something new! :)

Here are a few pictures!!

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Lakeview Museum Cultural Opportunity #1

This weekend on Saturday I went to Lakeview Museum. I saw the art gallery and the Memory Exhibit. I actually needed to see the Memory Exhibit for my Psychology class and so I thought it was a great opportunity to see the art gallery at well. When I got there, I asked the receptionist what the theme of the gallery was. Her reaction was quite funny. She looked at me and said that she wasn’t sure but what she did come up with was that the collection of items that was out was all owned by Lakeview. That was the only commonality she was able to discover. I went ahead and looked around and the items I found actually caught my attention. The center piece that was in the Museum was about 5 chairs. Each of them was different and some looked more modern and others were more old-fashioned. There was 1 painting that stuck out in my mind and it was one of an astronaut. It was so lifelike and detailed. The space shuttle in the background was really neat! Another piece that was my favorite was a photograph and it was taken in a forest. The light was coming through the trees in an amazing pattern and I think what caught my attention so much was that it was black and white. Then there were a couple of paintings that were just abstract designs and those were okay. My favorite part was probably the chairs because they were something that I wasn’t expecting. I didn’t think that something as simple as a chair to be known as a piece of art. It was nice that the gallery wasn’t themed because I was able to see a variety of things. What I saw, I actually enjoyed and it was really neat to go visit and do something new!

My Kinds of Writing-Expressing Me (Case Study Week 2)

For as long as I can remember, I have been writing. I love to write and it is something that I have a passion for! In the past, I have gotten the chance to write in so many different ways whether it was for school or simply expressing myself and my views. I used to write things very formally and don’t get me wrong, formal is good but sometime something different is a good thing.

I am definitely the type of girl who lives by making a “To Do List”. I would be lost with out having something like that. Something that says: "Saturday: 1. Wake up around 9. 2. Get homework done. 3. Go to Lakeview Museum with Lauren for Memory Exhibit around 10:30. 4. Eat lunch and go to the Blend with Kaiti. 5. Work on more homework. 6. Go to Rachel's around 5:30--Girl's Night!"

Through my art I have expressed my writing because my favorite kind of art includes using letters and quotes mixed into a picture. A picture says a thousand words but to have a picture with words in a poetic form means so much more. I write a great deal of poems as well which influence my art. One poem I wrote was called Solo: "He leads my steps and the music is soft. It's not a dream anymore. It's reality...it's my life. With Him there, it's possible."

Besides writing in my artwork, I tend to write quotes on post-its and stick them everywhere. I have them in books, my journal, my Bible, and pretty much all over the house. "Life isn't about waiting for storms to pass, it's learning to dance in the rain." Facebook is another place in which I write. Through email and blog posts or even a simple text message, I write all of the time.

Each type of writing has allowed a different experience. When I need to relax and truly express my feelings, my journal is my best friend. This is where my writing gets deep and I let go. "Sometimes I feel like a screw-up... I don't set out to be like this but sometimes I focus too much on what I want, who I am, what's important to me, or what I do." My artwork conveys my inmost feelings and breakthroughs. I can write my life in a journal but I can see my life in art. My other forms of writing such as texting, emails, or Facebook, is just for communication. Then there’s the required writing in school. To me, this is for learning something. It has helped me learn how to write--not on what to write or style of writing. The style of writing is unique for every person.

Writing is something that I really love to do and it is one of my favorite ways to show the world who I am and how I feel. I can always find the kind of writing I need and I am never scared to write on what I am about.

Open for Discussion Blog Week 1

An issue that has been discussed recently was whether or not couples should be banned from adopting children overseas. I have been considering for a long time about adopting a girl from China further in the future and to think that this could be banned, breaks my heart.

In my opinion, I don’t see what is wrong with this. I think that helping out the crowded orphanages in places like China, Russia, Korea, and Mexico to save children is a great concept. For couples who are not able to have children, this is a wonderful option to have. Not to mention, it allows these kids to have the comfort and security of growing up in a loving home. Many argue against this and say that it takes away from their original culture but I think that growing up in a loving place is hands down more important for a child and for their future. That, in the long run, will be more beneficial for them and that is what is the most important. Most children are found to be perfectly happy with being a part of two different cultures. In fact, a family that I know adopted a daughter from China four years ago and they have made it so that she understands the Chinese culture and her culture as an American so she understands her identity. She knows that she is Chinese and she has a playmate that is as well which makes the adjustment better for her.

For example, Romania isn’t allowing any more international adoptions and Guatemala has had some change in mind towards international adoption as well due to “claims of corruption and human trafficking.” However, banning adoption really isn’t the answer to this. By getting rid of international adoption, people who are desperate are more likely to try something illegal to get what they want which could cause more trouble.

So why ban something that can be more beneficial than hurtful? In my eyes, international adoption is a positive thing for both the children being adopted and the families adopting them. They receive the loving care that they need and deserve while the families benefit from having a child to love in their home of a new, fascinating culture. By keeping international adoption legal, an orphaned child can have a happier, bicultural future.

Some resources that I found were:

http://international.adoption.com/

http://www.idebate.org/debatabase/topic_details.php?topicID=313

Letter of Introduction

August 28, 2009

Dear Stephanie,

I hope you are doing well! I am enjoying my time here at ICC and my classes are very enjoyable. During my first semester at ICC, I am hoping to become familiar with the building so I don’t get lost all of the time. I also want to make new friends in my classes. I hope that during this class I will be able to improve my writing and grammar so that I may become a better writer. This would be very helpful because writing is used in so many instances in everyday life . I also want to become a more creative writer because I desire to have an established form of writing that grabs people’s attention.

I would like to start off by sharing my background and family with you. I am an only child and I live with my parents, Bruce and Julie. I have a black lab named Odus who is six. I have lived in Washington, Illinois my entire life and I went to Central Grade School from kindergarden through my eighth grade year. I was on the cheer squad/dance team my eighth grade year as well. I graduated from there and went to Washington Community High School where I graduated with Honors in the Spring of 2009. During my sophomore year, I met the guy that I am dating now and we have been together for 3 years. His name is Justin and he is my best friend and a great boyfriend. I was a cheerleader for four years and a Pantherette for three while at WCHS. Now I am at ICC and I am planning on staying here for a year to two years until I transfer to Lincoln Christian University. My major is psychology and I was to be a Christian family/marriage counselor.

I have a passion for helping people and furthering my relationship with God. I have attended Calvary Mennonite Church my whole life and I was baptized my eighth grade year. I have gone on two mission trips with my youth group and they both have truly changed my life and opened my eyes. I have realized that by learning things away from home, you can bring them back and apply them to everyday life. It gave me a chance to experience a new culture and help people along with ministering to them. I am able to use that to help those around me at home. I can’t wait to see how God is going to open my eyes and use me here at ICC. I am open to learning and I think He has amazing things in store for my future.

Sincerely,

Ashley Schrock