9/13

Today in class I learned the importance of taking into account the unexpected that occurs in life. I had done my rough draft on Sunday and thought I had my idea for my writing project 1 solidified. However, seeing the past projects in class changed my mind. I needed to make something that had a deeper meaning than the one I had planned. So midway through class I mentally changed the subject of my paper. Which means I will have to write a new rough draft but I am happy with that.

Originally I was going to do my story on a weekend trip to Houston I had with a good friend Zac back in 2009.  Along with telling that story, I was going to create a photo collage of memories from the weekend But after seeing the example projects, a photo collage seems a little elementary and shallow. It probably would have been an ok grade but I felt that I needed to create something with more depth.  When Raul mentioned that he had been all over the world, it occurred to me that I have a unique heritage. My Indian grandpa met and married my grandma, who is German, in Canada. I have a dark skin complexion because of this and people have trouble guessing my ethnicity. For my creation, I want to mix an Indian recipe or spice with a German recipe to illustrate my heritage.

I feel that I always learn something new in class. Seeing the past projects was really interesting. People can be so creative. However, that is usually not I. But I enjoyed how people took a part of them and transferred it to their creation. Some of the creations were not the best art I have seen. But the owners are probably super proud of it and it means something special to them. Even if I can’t make an emotional or aesthetic connection to it.  The ones that are unique are the ones that are remembered not the ones that are neat and beautiful.

English class has never been my favorite class. I am not naturally creative. I’m pretty cut and dry when it comes to art. I appreciate good art, especially music, but I can’t create it. This project is good for me. I don’t have to be super creative. All I have to do is use my life experiences or stories and connect those to whom I am using the bridge of something I create.  This is better for me because I am pretty good at making connections between whom I am and my life experiences.

This class is different from most of my classes because I get to learn about my classmates. Usually I will learn my classmates’ names and nothing more. However, in English class I get to learn about people’s backgrounds and feelings. During discussion we get to discover that the people around us are very unique and come from varying backgrounds. Two people in the class are international students and are the first international students I have met at A&M.  They have very different experiences from most of the other students, who are Texas born and raised. It just goes to show that life in America isn’t the only way to live life. Hammad is one of the international students. He is from Saudi Arabia. He is a very cool kid and he speaks English very well. So far that is one of the big things I have learned through class. The English language is now spoken worldwide. It is crazy to think that our language and culture has spread like that. It feels that we are over domineering as an American people and our imperialistic tendencies are spread further than we think. I hope our generation realizes this before it is too late.  Talking with Hammad has given me a unique perspective. I hope that this class continues to give me insight on cultural issues like this and how interesting the people around me are.