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1.) State your name and the username that you've chosen as your identity on our e-journal.
2.) Answer the following prompt: Have you ever felt exiled in your life? Or, have you taken a serious journey, traveled great distances, gone on a religious retreat or pilgrimage? Tell your story briefly. If you haven't experienced exile or a journey first-hand, has a close friend or family member done so? Tell their story as if you lived it yourself. If there is no one... then explain your favorite tale or narrative of exile/journey. This favorite of yours can be from any medium of presentation; that is, a book, a movie, a musical album, etc. Which ever you choose, consider this: how were the "characters" changed by their exile and/or travels? Was their journey merely physical?
PS: In the news today I saw this article on NPR about aging, which is truly one of life's greatest journeys. Enjoy.
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1) Lilly, Username=LillyBeth
ReplyDelete2) I have felt exiled several times in my life. The first time that I ever felt exiled was during the year that I spent in Israel before beginning Brooklyn College. It was there that I first experienced the torment of being away from my comfort zone. Fortunately, with my knowledge of the Hebrew language (it being my first) I was able to assimilate and hide my problems more naturally. I was also able to communicate with the Israeli people, including my family and close friends. Eventually, the initial shock of being away from home faded, and I developed a liking for the land and culture of Israel.
During the spring of that year, I felt exiled a second time, however this was in a sunnier and happier setting. The name of exact location is forgotten, but it was somewhere in Israel during a music and arts festival. There was much to do during the four days of the festival and the hype and excitement of all the people there must have gotten to me because I felt very lonely at times. After a while, my best friend and I had several moments to ourselves and it was then that I told her a very big secret of mine. Admitting this made me feel much closer to her and made me know that I had at least one good friend in this world.
By: David Tran (david.tran30)
ReplyDeleteI used to feel exiled in my life back in high school. I lost my best friend since pre-kindergarten in high school and lost one of my good friends, all due to car crashes and the driver kept on driving. I used to think that everything was going bad and I've hit rock bottom. I didn't appreciate my life. Everyone was telling that things were going to get better, but I knew that I had to hear for myself. I didn't like the way my life was turning out and that it was going to get worse when I get to college. After all, I grew up without a father in my life and that my mother had to be the one to raise me and my sister by herself. I used to keep to myself a lot and didn't care about anybody. Two summers ago, my mother recommended that we three go away for vacation. I am usually the type of person that doesn't like vacations, but somehow when I arrived in Canada, I felt home. It was the furthest we ever went. To be honest, in the beginning, I didn't like it, because a) it was too cold and b) I wasn't prepared to "find myself." In the first few days, I distanced myself from taking pictures and doing what families do on vacations, which is having fun. But, my mother gave me a wake up call and she knew how much my friend meant to be and that it was tough to lose someone that close to my heart. I began to "open my eyes to reality" that it was a part of life and that I wasn't going to get better by just moping around and doing nothing. I was going to live my life and that began that day. I was going to be happy with what my life has to offer and never take it granted. I was going to be thankful of what I have and don't have. I have a family who cares about me. Death is a part of life and that we all going to head down that road someday, but not just yet. When my mother told me those words, she cried and I cried. I knew that it hurts, but as long as you have the person in your heart, it's going to get better. I guess it had to be to come from someone who cares that deeply about you and that was my mother who had to tell me. Soon after, I've began to appreciate my life and I have so many people that care about me. I know, I'm going to lose people, but truth be told, they are forever in my hearts. I began to appreciate this "spiritual journey." Even though it was a family vacation, it was something more to me. Now, as I look back as the pictures we took, I realize that it was fun after all. Nothing wasn't going to change that. Spending time with your family will keep you strong. It's going to be a long journey, but when you have people that care about you, you don't need to exile yourself from the people that love the most.
By: Sylwia Wiecek (SWiecek)
ReplyDeleteLast semester when I attended Hunter College I had a guest speaker in one of my classes that was very inspirational this lady walked 1,000 miles for peace. She is known as "Peace Pilgrim" She went on a journey all by herself and carried only water with her and wearing a shirt that said walking 1,000 miles for peace. She only ate when offered and slept when someone would take her in. Hearing this at first sounded really strange and I was like WOW how can someone do something like this...its a scary world out there. Once she started to explain her story I was shocked how nicely she was treated by others. I believe she walked about 2 months and only had to sleep one night outside. She was offered food and shelter everyday, she mentioned how one lady paid for a hotel room so she can sleep the night there. My whole class including myself was amazed. Peace Pilgrim mentioned how this has changed her whole outlook on life. She wants to prove that woman are strong powerful human beings who can achieve anything they want. Her journey was very physical as she had to struggle to survive everyday, without knowing whether or not she was going to recieve food or shelter and all she was doing was walking all day, which she mentioned how her legs almost gave up. I find her journey very inspirational and think she is one amazing, strong woman living today. She has a blog entry online (which I will post below this) where she states:
"Starting June 1st, I’ll be walking at least 1,000 miles for peace. I will walk until given shelter and fast until given food. The way I understand the word, “peace” means internal peace, interpersonal peace, and peace on a national and international level. To get a little more specific, it also means that a young woman should be able to take a walk alone without fearing for her safety. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case right now. I’d like to help improve that situation" (Peace Pilgrim)
http://pilgrimforpeace.wordpress.com/
Name & Username: Eric (Qing Hui) Tan
ReplyDeleteSince I haven't ever felt displaced or exiled I'll be using The Shawshank Redemption as my substitute. Andy Dufresne was a wealthy banker but was convicted of killing his cheating wife (which can be considered being exiled out of society). Andy being sentenced to prison; he was horrified but didn't display much fear. At first he kept to himself but slowly opened himself up and befriended a few other senior prisoners which, for lack of a better term, brightened his days and he socialized more. In addition to being accustomed to prison life, Andy gave up hope in trying to get out of prison as the story progressed until one day, a young prisoner had brought with him knowledge that could help free Andy. Unfortunately he was killed by the prison warden. From then on Andy's character changed drastically. He was very quiet and secretive. In the end however, Andy managed to escape and brought about the demise of the corrupt prison warden.
In the beginning of the movie Andy Dufresne was outspoken and furiously defended himself in front of the juror but as he stayed in prison longer and longer, he accepted his fate but with his chance of being freed destroyed by the hands of the prison warden, he became secretive and closed himself from everyone.
What I could take from the movie was that Andy's take on life was to live with what you have and make the best of it.. and if you think you don't deserve it; then get up and do something about it.
Yelena Sitnikova
ReplyDeleteUsername : Lenasitnikova
Ever since I was a little child I’ve always dreamed about traveling and living in different parts of the world. So of course, as soon as I stepped out of high school, I saved up enough money and decided to move to Los Angeles. The reason I chose Cali out of all places was because I loved the beaches, the weather and the whole California vibe. I got accepted into college in LA that I would attend and quickly rented an apartment in North Hollywood with a friend of mine that accompanied me on this journey. It was rather difficult to live practically alone in another city without the support of friends. Especially since the people in Los Angeles were completely different than the people I’m used to here in Brooklyn. See, people in LA were more passive and overly friendly. Regardless of whether they were being real, Me as a person, coming straight from Brooklyn, was not used to people being so friendly all the damn time. I didn’t make any real friends that I could count on. At the same time, I had to drop out of FIDM because I couldn’t keep up with the school work while I was working 40 hours a week as a personal assistant to a jewelry designer. After a year, I decided to move back to New York to go back to school, It wasn’t an easy decision to make but it was the right one for the time being.
Diego Villacres (Diego V)
ReplyDeleteI've always loved to play sports especially soccer since it was the one i was best at. When i first entered High School it was my dream to make it into the soccer team and play as a starter but there was one problem, i was too overweight. When tryouts began the coach took one look at me and from the look in his eyes i already knew he wasn't considering me. I felt so out of place since everyone else around me was physically fit for the sport and that's what the coach was looking for. After tryouts ended and the coach told me i didn't make it i felt like i was the biggest loser in the world. Seeing the other players celebrating and cheering for their well deserved place in the team made me even feel worse because that was the feeling that i was chasing the whole time. That day i made myself a promise, one that i had to wait patiently for since the year had just begun and my plan was to travel to my home country which was Ecuador and train there to make it to the team the next year. Summer came and off i went as focused as ever to reach my goal. There i trained with my uncle since he used to be a professional player back in his time and he taught me all the routines and dieting i had to follow in order to reach my standard. I worked with him for about 6 weeks and i felt that i had improved well beyond what i expected and was more then ready for the next tryouts. When tryouts came i passed with flying colors and made my goal a reality since i made it into the team. Not only did i develop myself physically but i also learned the virtue of hard work and perseverance which i apply to all aspects of my life.
1) Yeva Shnaydman
ReplyDeleteusername- yeva
2) This past June one of my best friends (Jenny) and I decided to take part in a study abroad course in Florence. We took the Food and Culture Class which taught us how to prepare different types of Italian food. This experience is most defiantly one of the best I have had thus far in my life and have really taught me a lot about myself and life in general. Previous to this trip to Florence I had traveled a lot. I had been to London before as well as various cities through out the US and Caribbean countries. My parents always took me on vacations when I was younger and once I reached the age where I could travel without them they ensured that I went somewhere at least once a year. However, most of these vacations lasted about a week, while my study abroad experience was a month long. I was able to travel to various cities in Northern Italy such as Venice, Milan, Pisa, Chianti, Sienna and others. I was responsible for myself and did not have my parents telling me what to do. I had to make my own decisions as well as take care of myself by cooking and cleaning. I got to walk to streets of Florence that are filled with history and learn. It was the most incredible time of my life.
As much fun as the experience was at times it was very difficult. I did not have the comforts of home as well as absolutely no privacy. I missed by bed the most because we were provided with twin size bed with mattress’s that were about 3 inches thick and pillows that felt like rocks. To top it all off my roommates and I did not get along. We had to avoid each other constantly to the point where we wouldn’t be in the common area at the same time as one another. All the food in the fridge was labeled and my room was always locked. By the end of the month I was beyond exhausted. My feet were swollen by two sizes, my body ached and I couldn’t stand the sight of my friend (all is resolved now). I spent my final 3 days in Rome and on the day before I was supposed to fly out to NY I just stayed in my room watching the same five Michael Jackson videos because that was the only thing they were playing on TV (time of his passing). I still can’t listen to those songs. I was so excited to be home, however now I would do just about anything to go back.
1) Name: Louis Koutros
ReplyDeleteUsername: Louis Koutros
2) I have gone on many vacations in my life, but during the year of 2008, I went on a trip that really opened my eyes to life. We planned a trip for Spring Break to head to Greece where my family is from. I didn't agree with the decision because of prior trips down there that had failed. Although I was younger, the trips were never fun and it was very hot there. During the plane ride I was very moody because it was a 10 hour flight. Once we landed we got our bags and then had to go into a car for 3 hour drive to Sparta. During the car ride I saw many things that affected me, and it was only the first couple hours in Greece. During the year a tragic event had occurred there. A little brush fire became a huge disaster that threatened thousands of lives. Many lost there farms and houses. People were sitting on the sidewalks begging for money. It was a sad thing to see. Once we arrived in Sparta we visited family. The days forthcoming we saw many historical churches, castles, and monuments that still stand to this day from times BC. It really opened my eyes to architecture and what importance Greece had during that time. I know appreciate the arts, and architecture of our history, and its created a new chapter in my life. This chapter consists of experiencing the art and architecture from around the world.
1. Jenny Lemberskaya
ReplyDeleteusername-jenny
2. Throughout my lifetime I traveled a lot. I have been too many places in the world but I am still not done. My two favor places where Israel and Italy. I lived in Israel for half a year during sophomore year of high school. I was part of a program which includes about 30 other people from different parts of the world. While I was there I learned and witnessed things that many people don’t get to see in a life time. I walked through history and learned how the existences of the Jewish came about. The hardest part of it all was to be in the holocaust museum, to see the suffering of all those people.
Italy on the other hand was completely different. There was a lot more partying, going out and meeting new people involved. In Italy I took a culinary class with my friend (Yeva), who drove me nuts towards the end of our tip. I was there for a month. Within the month period I traveled thought the northern part of Italy. I went to many museums that really touched me because the history behind it. The best part was when I had to climb hundreds of stairs to get to the roof of a domo to see the entire city. I also made some new amazing friends that I still stay in touch with.
1. Amenta Velez
ReplyDelete2. Throughout my life I can honestly say that I have been on many journeys and one of them was actually going a youth retreat for about three to five days a couple of summers ago. I’ve never been to any kinds of retreat since that day but since it was a church trip for the youth I’ve decided to go. I’ve usually questioned retreats because I’ve experienced going away and things not turning out the way they planned. Eveytime I went on vacations things of mine would appear missing and people i would actually know would act different towards. In other words, bad experience! Also being far away from my family, which of course I didn’t know anybody at the time of the retreat kind of made it a little harder for me to come out my comfort zone. Throughout the youth retreat experience I’ve manage in getting to know people and different personalities as well as the youth leaders helping others and me understand what the bible teaches. The youth that were my age and also a little bit younger were actually not that bad, this helped me in the long run with my communication skills. I’m usually in a comfort zone when it comes to meeting new people but in all i am pretty outgoing. However, I’ve managed to learn about other people and I’ve learned to appreciate the people I choose to be around. Being communicative amongst others is a blessing because that’s how people get to know one another, it means not being afraid to experience new things because you don’t know what those things might take you in the future whether positive and or negative. I've realized that this experience was a good experience and if i had another opportunity to go again I would.
1)Samantha Mourra
ReplyDeleteUsername:Saneish
2)I felt exiled once in my life this was the day my parents decided to send me away to study. I was going to leave behind where I spend most of my childhood and I had to go because there was no school where I could study what I wanted to. Since I came here I felt that I left my heart behind because I’m often sad thinking of my home and I had to learn a whole new language so I was feeling like an outsider. I thought it was the only time but I went back in December to see my family and there was that disaster in Haiti, the earthquake now I know I can’t go back to my home because I have no more home. This disaster took away my precious memories and most importantly it took away my little cousin who was only thirteen years old, it took a lot of lives. I’m asking myself how I survived and I’m thinking God everyday but at the same time I have no answers of why this happen.
Having such a feeling is terrible because you know there is no going back anymore, my dreams flew away with that disaster because I wanted to help Haiti in many fields now I have to set up other goals but I will not forget about Haiti even though I don’t know when it’s going to be the Haiti that I knew. I’m feeling exile but I don’t know how to let that go away.
1- Jamil Wachaa, Jwachaa
ReplyDeleteFunny enough i have almost the same story as samantha. I was born here in NY and spent most of my life in Lebanon with my family. I went to school there till the 11th grade, after that i went to chicago where i completed my 12th grade and took my highschool diploma.Then i came here to brooklyn college. This very fast change was very hard for both me and my parents, I have always had a special connection with my folks which made us very close over the years. As you can imagine i had a really rough time accomadating, i felt exiled and out of this world. Having my parents far away made me feel all alone and not having a person to lean on or even come to when I am in trouble. I was very dependent on them which made my life very easy. The only good thing that came out of this experience was that I became more dependent on myself and started to see the world in my own eyes. I always long to going back to the old days, but hey.... you got to grow up someday...
Khaskil Amirov
ReplyDeleteWhen I lived upstate I was really bored because there isnt much to do there. One winter me, my cousins, my brother, and my friend decided to drive to South Beach and get away from the cold. We checked the amount of time it will take us and it was aproximatly a 23 hour drive. At first we thought that it was to long of a drive but I woke up to a winter storm and basically persuaded all of them to drive with me. We packed our clothes and sunglasses and went on our journey. On our way we went through many states, some of which could go by the term hick states. We drove through Georgia and Tenessee, and the Carolinas. One thing I learned is that the southerners dont know what bagels are and they are obsessed with Waffles. You can find a Waffle house on every exit of the highway.
South beach is completly different tho, it was an amazing city and after visiting it, I want to come back again. During this journey, we discovered alot about each other and had many funny stories to tell. I been to about 8 countries and many different cities but this trip was one of the best I ever had because I learned alot about myself and about my brothers. Unfortunatly my friend moved to tenessee and my two cousins are still upstate but we are working on being reunited here in NYC.
1)Abu Taher- Raju
ReplyDelete2)Caught between absolute boredom and self loathing, I found myself in the midst of existential ennui. It was the summer of ’08 and I had just finished reading Kerouac’s On the Road and Dostoevsky’s Notes from Underground, when it occurred to me that I was more like Dostoevsky’s Underground Man than Kerouac as Sal Paradise. Thus began the existential journey, an exile from my former “self,” that resulted in heavy experimentation within the limits of my angst. Though the exile was more of an abstract journey, a self reflective process, I had awoken to a new person, self motivated and happier. Old friends became distant acquaintances, for my changes were not as adaptable as they had thought. I had realized that I was in control of the “self” that I wanted to be, and that I alone am responsible for myself. No longer a need to be so malleable to others, I now feel more free and alive than ever before.
1) Eric Haver- Eric Haver
ReplyDelete2)The one main time I felt like an outsider, or in a state of exile was when I was gay bashed. It happened when I was living out in Tampa, Florida. I was seventeen at the time and me and my friend were walking home from the docks. The sidewalks in that area are not like here in New York they are mainly dirt roads, so as we were walking by the pass this and about three blocks from home, four guys started to call out names and were just carrying on. I told my friend let’s just keep going, but no he had to say stuff back. The men came punched my friend in the face and the next thing I knew I was tossed on the ground and my face was being stomped on and I was being kicked in the ribs. I passed out and when I woke up in the hospital my face was covered up and I founded out that I had four broken ribs. Sadly, nothing happen to the men, they got away with such a hateful crime. Thankfully, I feel comfortable within my skin and use my experience of exile to bring people closer together.
Rasaan, Username-Rasaan
ReplyDeleteIn April of 2008 I went away to Mexico for about two weeks and it was the only time that I can actually remember that I truly felt like I was in exile. The people that I went with as well as I tried to spend a lot of time outside of the resort. We wanted to explore what was outside the gates and in doing so I never felt more exiled in my life. I didn’t really know exactly what was going on with the natives who lived there, it was easy for me to assume but I never really new for sure what was happening or what the people were thinking. Although I was with a few friends I had never felt so alone and lost before, don't get me wrong it was a great experience and I would definitely do it over again. Now that I look back on the trip I realize actually how many new things and new outlooks I discovered in this world. Even though it’s been about a year I think about the trip all the time sometimes I even question if the trip was even real.
1.) Same as user name
ReplyDelete2.) The first thing comes to my mind is the journey of Odysseus’ from the end of Trojan War to he arrives his home and be with his wife which takes ten years’ endeavor. For reasons he angered the Greek deities who determine to make Odysseus suffer. On his journey, he kills countless number of monsters with wisdom and courage. And yet, his challenges get even more daunting each time. The Greek Gods literally exile Odysseus wandering on the vast sea and strange lands with the company of Cyclops and Sirens. However, Odysseus never gives up no matter how hopeless the situation is as he always strives to come up with a strategy to overcome his fate. One of the most important point from his story is that man are very resilient being while facing catastrophes; even destiny could be altered with ingenuity and courage.
-Allison Crawbuck
ReplyDeleteI think most people have felt exiled in their life; the only difference is how people deal with it. I grew up in DC with my mother and younger brother. My mother became a paranoid schizophrenic when I was still in elementary school so we literally lived in exile from the rest of the world. When I look back it is crazy to think how powerful a person’s mind is. I couldn’t even begin to explain what it is like being around someone who has lost all touch with reality. But feeling exiled is only a negative thing if you allow it to be. Like I said your mind is a powerful thing and you can train yourself to see things almost any way you want. Now whenever I start to feel separated from society or people around me I embrace it and get away. I react by going somewhere new and discovering different people and different experiences. Last month I picked up and last minute went to Italy alone, not knowing anyone, because I wanted to get away from everyone and everything I am used to in my life here. In the past 2 years I have been to places like London, Paris, Amsterdam, Florence, Rome, Venice, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Washington DC, and Miami. I have seen some crazy things and in lived through some crazy stories all because I refuse to stay and feel sorry for myself. I have met so many different kinds of people, each having an impact on my personality today. Being exiled from our comfort zone forces us to go out searching for new things. Some people might say that I am running away from my problems but it is all the hardship in my life that I take with me to thrive for better times. I think that if we always felt welcomed and comfortable at home we would never stray and remain ignorant to the rest of the world.
Name & Username: Yong Yu
ReplyDeleteHaving never felt exiled, I will tell you about the tale of Dexter. Dexter Morgan, a forensic blood splatter analyst, lives a double life. In the day, he works to capture criminals. However, in the night, he lurks and lives for his Dark Passenger. His Dark Passenger is his urge to kill. Although Dexter kills, he only kills people that are considered dangerous or bad. In Dexter’s view, he is a vigilante serial killer. Dexter’s journey is to appear more human-like and fit into society. He also mimics human emotions as he claims that he does not have any. He tries this by getting himself a girlfriend, Rita, which later becomes his wife. It is with Rita that Dexter discovers that he is more than just a serial killer. He is also a husband and a father who can love his wife and her two kids like any ordinary human being.
Name & Username: Patrick Bernard
ReplyDeleteI am grateful to say that I have been to many places in my life. Spain, Japan and Brazil, just to name a few. The one thing I always remember from my travels is that each place I visited, the people there made me feel welcome. They accepted me as their brother. But I have never felt more exiled or helpless then as of late. These feelings are a result of what is transpiring in Haiti; my once beautiful Haiti. Even though I was born in the US, my family roots are in Haiti. It pains me so much to see what is happening there from a detached median such as a television. I think again and again how I was just there this past August and December to see family and friends. Now, must of those same people are suffering or have died. As I sit here now writing this, I still feel helpless. All I can do is continue to donate money and supplies like my friends, family and the rest of the world has been doing. As much devastation and suffering I am witnessing, I know that my people are resilient and will move forward. I keep telling myself that my once beautiful Haiti will be shining again.
username: Muslimah =)
ReplyDeleteIn my life I have felt exiled at times, but I will share with you my parents experience. My parents are from Puertorican descent and converted to Islam over 28 years ago. I have been born and raised into Islam and love it. In the begining it had been very difficult thing for my extended family to accept and understand the religion.They felt in a way betrayed and called it a religion of Arabs. As Puertoricans, we are culturally very family oriented and try to keep those tight family relations. The parties,gathering and reunions are huge. Being judged by others was one thing, but when it's your family there's no where to go and you entirely feel exiled.It took a lot of patience and long talks. My extended family now has come to accept and respect the religion.They also learned a lot and are very educated on it.They say religious phrases, cook Halal food for us,even remind us when prayer is coming in.It's kind of humorous to me. I can say that my parents have broken the ice for us and in many ways made it easier to have both puertorican and Islamic culture blend so well. As if it was always just one complete aspect of my life.
Mohammad username –Mohammad Tufail
ReplyDeleteI lived in Brooklyn, NY all of my life. I am used to seeing cold winters, MTA, and grouchy new Yorkers who are always in rush. I felt like I needed some type of a change in my life or I had to go on some type of journey just to get away from this fast society just so I can slow things down a bit .My 2009 spring semester in BMCC I decided that I was going to study abroad in Viareggio, Italy . When I got to Italy I lived a block away from the beach. I got the chance to taste the greatest foods, wines, and gelato. I got to go to Florence, Rome, and Venice. I had the chance to see the leaning tower, the Vatican, the coliseum, and got to go on the gondola. Me and my girlfriend got together Italy not knowing each other before the trip which made me feel more amazing on my decision to get away .this was an experience I will never forget and someday I know I will go on another journey to see what’s out there, because there are many things I still want to see before I kick the bucket.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete1)My name is Rahela and my username is arachel.
ReplyDelete2)I moved to New York when I was ten years old from Bangladesh. It was a very drastic change for me. I had to adjust my whole life from my friends to school to the type of environment that I was living in. I left my childhood friends and family behind but moving here was for a good reason. I missed everything and everyone that I left behind. I had to learn English and making friends is difficult when you cannot communicate with others. I felt exiled and I did not like going to school. As I began to make friends, I started to like going to school and adjust to the American culture more. It made me realize that I was like everyone else because we were at one point all immigrants and we always have to adjust our lives, learn new things and meet new people. It’s all for a good reason and you experience new adventures.
Alex Goykhberg (Alex G)
ReplyDeleteAfter I graduated from high school, I decided I needed to step away from the New York scene for a while. That summer, I decided to travel to Italy. Before I landed in Italy, I had a few expectations of how it was going to be there. It turned out to be a totally different experience from what I imagined. Coming from New York, I was used to a fast paced life and constantly running into angry people. While I was in Italy, I felt a completely different vibe there. People were friendly and calm and their lifestyle was "slower" when compared to New Yorkers. I can also say that I was lost about 90 percent of the time there. When I'm lost somewhere in NY, I can find my way within a few minutes. This was not the case here, not even a map helped me. I have never felt so out of my comfort zone. At times I was nervous because I felt I was going so far out of the way. It didn't help that I spoke zero Italian and only had a mini translation book that became useless to me. Eventually through the guidance of locals, I found my way back. I found the whole trip to be a rewarding experience. It helped build a feeling of independence in me and allowed me to learn about other cultures.
1) Michael Kleinman
ReplyDelete2) After having graduated from High School, it is often customary for students from the school I attended to study abroad in Israel for a year or two, sometimes more. This custom has become somewhat of a "birth-right" for many. However, for me personally, this would be my initial experience being completely away from my family for an extended period of time. My mother grew up in Israel and speaks hebrew fluently, but in our home, english was the primary language spoken. So I left the United States with trepidation about being an outcast in a foreign land and fearing the difficulty I will encounter trying to acclimate myself to a different culture. Thankfully, this story has a happy ending. The first few weeks in the school I attended, although the institution itself was for American students like myself studying abroad, the lifestyle was still somewhat foreign and took time to get used to. Beyond that, I had to be able to get around and live outside of the classroom and learn the language. As time went on, I became more and more comfortable with how things were done in Israel and I ended up studying in that school for two years. I became so comfortable that it actually took time to get used to being back in America when I returned. But one important lesson I took away from the experience was that no matter how treacherous something may seem on the surface, if you set goals for yourself and strive to achieve them, you can accomplish anything. In this particular case, I could have given into the fear of a foreign land and not gone, but instead I was determined to see how I would react under these conditions and I feel it made me a better and stronger person as I move forward in life.
milagros mella, username Angelica
ReplyDeletei have never felt exile. However a few years ago i went on a trip to a very important city in the Domminican Republic. It was a religious trip that ill never forget to the Basilica de Higuei. It was three and a half hours trip from Santo Domingo. The trip was intended as a promise of many years ago by my aunt. During the trip we passed through various cities of the country and beautiful rivers and beaches. As we arrived we noticed everyone at the church was dressed in white, some people didnt wear any shoes while others were accompanied by children. As we entered the church i got a freat feeling. We brought flowers and donated money to the church as our second major purpose of the trip. Overall our goals were reached, we thanked and prayed for everything we have and after a few hours we left with a relieve and happiness
Hey everyone. Name Barbara Bazelais, username: BarbaraB.
ReplyDeleteLike I mention in class, i have traveled a great distances away from home where i felt out of place. Japan was my "self-discovery" experience. It's beautiful, but being there made me realize where "home" is and what it means to have love ones. I spent one month learning there culture and there style of living. After the first week, I kinda got tried of taking off my shoes for each home i visited. While i was there i went to school for one week and made a couple of pen pals but none like my best friends. I say to everyone here, if you really want to know who you are inside, take a trip away from your daily love ones.
Wahab Umar Username: WKhan
ReplyDeleteI have never felt exiled, but I would like to share a story of when my friends and I went on a camping trip to the Poconos. It was a new experience being away from the comfort of my house. The first night, we were all hungry and decided to step out and grab something to eat. Little did we know that there was nothing open besides Walmart. So we grabbed some groceries and decided to cook ourselves. When we got back to the cabin, my friend started cooking, clearly not knowing what he was doing. Within 10 minutes the whole cabin was full of smoke because he left plastic plates in the oven. We had to fan out all the smoke, and clean out the oven with nothing but water and napkins. That night we all went to sleep hungry. It made me realize how dependent we were on others. Overall it was a great experience, since it brought us closer together. We also learned a great deal about basic survival!
ORIT KABASSO
ReplyDeleteJOURNAL #1
Two summers ago, I traveled to Israel on an internship program. Over the course of two and a half months, I tutored Israel children in English vocabulary and speech. I also taught Ethiopian children rudimentary English using online interactive games. The goal was to teach them their ABC’s and basic vocabulary, while introducing them to computer technology. The community center I volunteered at was located in an economically disadvantaged area. Over the course of my stay, I was able to observe what it meant to be in the minority of Israeli society. All the students lived in the area and were from low income families. Knowing that these families could not afford to pay a real tuition, the organization asked them to pay the equivalent of $1.30 in Israeli currency- which was more of a symbolic gesture. Many of their parents had immigrated over the past thirty years and were not highly educated. Not having money and not having a smooth adjustment into Israeli society had left these first generation immigrant and their children at a disadvantage. Being hired for menial labor and not having convenient access to technology is promoting a cycle of an uneducated minority. This trip truly changed the way I see minorities back in New York, and I hope to bring my sensitivity towards the matter into my classroom in the future.
Diana wrote via email:
ReplyDeleteI have not experienced many journeys in my life but i do know of one which is very interesting. As silly as it is i love the movie Alice in Wonderland. It has many adventures and imagination. As far as exile, the character Alice enters a world of fantasy and character where she is not very welcomed and is questioned of her world and being. The movie is a journey where Alice goes through physical change by drinking the potion and shrinking, and a mental change when she meets these interesting characters along the way. Her character changes through exile as towards the end she becomes more courageous and stands up to the queen. It is a great lesson of life and experiences we all go through as far as meeting people in our lifetime and going through changes our selves, both physical and mental.
I'am feeling very exile as the these days are going through because as Iam talking right now I'm thinking That my life has change very much since the day of my accident. First of all everything was good except for my life but as time went on evrything just got crazy and I hope it gets better as time move on.I stop talking to most of my friends because of the inncident that we spoke about since then even my daughter isn't speaking to me at the moment so I just with the best for myself & other people physically & Mentally
ReplyDeleteMilagros Mella
ReplyDeleteUsername: Angelica
I have never felt exile before. Last year I went back to the Dominican Republic, to visit my family and travel to other parts of the country. In particular after staying for about ten days in my house we went to Puerto Plata which is another city about two and half hours away from Santo Domingo. As i traveled to Puerto Plata, i got to see a very different side of my country and it changed my views about life itself. For instance, I noticed that the people in the village were very poor. But they were happy. The reason why it changed my way of viewing life is because I live here in NY and im sure is not just me, but a lot more people are striving for all these commodities, that we dont know if at the end will make us completely happy. Right here people work so much and hardly ever get time for family while there i noticed people will work as hard and putting aside all the vanity that is slowly controling people. This trip enriched my knowledge but did not involve any physical changes.