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Some basic greetings are hola, buenos días, buenas tardes, buenas nóche, cómo te llamas, qué tal, and adios.

Hola in English is hello

Buenos días in English good morning

Buenas tardes in English is good afternoon

Buenas nóche in English is good night

Cómo te llmas in English is what’s your name

Qué tal in engles is how are you

Adios in engles is goodbye

When you want to thank someone.

Gracias= thanks

Muchas gracias=thanks a lot

Mil  gracias= thanks a million

When you want to say you’re welcome.

De nada= you’re welcome

Por nada= you’re very welcome

No hay de qué= you’re super welcome

When you want to say please.

Por favor= please

“Why do I have to do this?” It was all I could think about while I continued my 7th grade project. It touched on all the things that I had always tried to avoid. I had to describe myself. When asked to describe myself as a simple beginning of the year question I have always kept my answers short, simple, uncreative and each time the answer was generally identical. It was the thing I hated most in the world. Why? Maybe I didn’t understand myself. But to be given a whole project on that subject alone, it felt like my stomach had just done a somersault. So I just sat there, thinking, who am I?

            So many years have past but this lingering question has still followed me. Even after finishing the project I was still uncertain of whom I was, and made it a basic project. My life has always been filled with so much uncertainness. As a result I have always been indecisive in all my decisions, even the simplest decisions.  Who do I want be? What will I become? I wonder why it was so hard for me. Was I afraid?

            Was I fearful? The more I thought about it, the more it kind of made sense. When spending time with a group of my friends I am usually loud and extroverted. Playing video games on our laptops like Call of Duty 4, Spore and mine craft. We are hyper, running around messing with each other and joking around. Sometimes sit around talking and chill, awaiting the next class. In class it is always a different story. It is like a switch was flipped on me. Shy, hesitant; peers would hardly know I was there. I was always terrified to share my thoughts, so I nearly always kept my hands down. And when I actually did put my hand up every once in a blue moon, there was a huge round of applause from everyone in the class like it was the most amazing thing they have seen. Embarrassment was definitely a factor.

So was it my lack of detail in explaining myself. Like when I did the descriptive writing essay. As I was staring at that 6x4 photo in my brightly lit, slightly messy room, trying to figure it out, it seemed impossible. First of all, I have never been good at descriptive writing for the last 15 years of my life.  For my assignment I was told to write a thorough description of a piece of art important to you, so I chose a photo that I treasured. Even though I treasured it, I realized that I never really looked at it, I didn’t even remember the reason I treasured it. I looked at it sideways, backwards and even measured it, but still, nothing. So I finally looked at, looking for anything and everything. As I stared at the photo intensely, like it was the most interesting thing in the world, all I could see were the obvious points. In the photo were both my grand mother and my little brother Nathaniel when he was around 4 or 5 years old. So I looked at closer, staring at my brother’s old braided hair, looking at the old him, it was like staring into the past. He was older now, with shaved hair; I had forgotten what he used to look like. So I continued to stare at it, remembering lost memories, trying to recall anything and everything.

            But no matter how many questions these answered my main one was yet to be answered, who am I? So I just sat there and thought. I thought about everything that had happened to me up to now. I tried and tried and tried. I wanted to remember something to answer my question.

            I found it, the answer.  It was in piece of me writing that I had forgotten. Something I shared out despite the fear and embarrassment.

They say I’m not American

I say

I am Jamerican

They say that I’m no good

I say

I know how to rise above stereotypes and be good

So

Don’t judge me by the fact I came from the hood

They say my people are all a shame

I say

I am not the same

They say I’m not anything I’m hopeless

I say

Stop the dumbness

Instead

I’m gonna stay out the darkness

To rise to greatness

This poem reminds me of who I am, I am different, think different, and do things different. It might take me a while to completely understand myself, but that is ok. As I head out on my own path, I know it’ll all be fine. I am undefined and I am fine with that. I doubt anyone else understands himself or herself either, so why should I sweat it. Things would be boring if I knew everything about myself, life would be boring, and without the challenges I have, like being shy, I would have no motivation to improve upon myself. I’ll keep up becoming better, and then I’ll meet my goal of knowing who I am. I can’t wait till I get to meet myself. The same goes for all of you. Your true may not be as far as you think.

Intro Paragraph: My goals in writing these monologues. Is to show how many views there are. Whether you are for or against the pipeline. I wanted to show all the different emotions of this situation, sadness, anxiety, rage, regret, confidence and many more. I want to show the government how much they are hurting their citizens.

Monologue #1: Are You Serious

Setting: outside of her house, showing the factories. In her hand is  a newspaper.

      I’ll tell you how hard it’s been to live here. My community has had illnesses like throat cancer, if they build the pipelines, what’s going to happen? When did they start building factories? They’ve been making different factories across the street from my house ever since I was in kindergarten. This isn’t worth losing more people. I would come home and smell this horrible smell that was deadly. Money is going to be wasted. They need to make wiser choices.  We have all these different factories that’s causing odors. I think about the pipeline situation from time to time and people will have jobs if we have pipelines. But while the pipelines are being made it’s damaging, and causing problems.

      What’s your final answer about this situation, should this happen or not? Do you see this newspaper in my hand? Almost every time I read the news it doesn’t say specifically if Obama is going to let this happen, and once he makes up his mind. Once 6 months pass, with change or no change, then I’ll make up my mind, but for right now I’m not too sure. This situation is bittersweet, it’s going to help people out financially because people will be provided jobs but then again they’re going to be wasting billions of dollars.

Monologue #2: Will This Be The Right Choice?

Setting: At school taking a test.

     Here I am twirling my lucky pencil in my hand, and holding a test in front of my face not rushing to do my test to be the first person to be finished but I’m…wondering… Re-playing the whole phone call I had with my dad yesterday

He said though I’m an a little young to really rap my head around the situation

He has to decide weather he should deny the permit for the oil Pipelines or not.

Pipelines – Transports goods through a pipe.

He also told me that people would be given jobs, if the pipeline happens.

Will my dad make the right choice?

     I know I’m only ten years old, and have no say in weather we should resume with pipelines or not… But I think that my father should pass it. People will be provided jobs, right? That would be great, because people have been getting laid for the past 3 years.  

     I did some research after talking to my dad…and it said that a pipeline is a network that delivers the nations crude oil such as gasoline, jet fuel and home heating oil, is that good or bad?

Will that be hurting the environment or improving the environment.

Will he make the right choice?

Monologue #3: It’s all about the workers and to heck with the Environment, I need a job!

 Setting: At the site of one of the pipelines. Getting interviewed

       Honestly I think that they need to pass this, I need a job, this will be providing for hundreds of unemployed people at the moment.  Even If it’s going to be polluting the earth. Right about now we need, no I NEED a job. For the past years thousands of people have been unemployed – I’ve been unemployed. And right here these pipelines are jobs that will be able to give to the thousands of people who are unemployed.  Are you trying say that the only thing that you care about right now is yourself? No, not exactly, I’m just saying that we’ve started with the pipeline and the construction and all of a sudden we had to stop, no money is flowing through! Obama wants a solution for these unemployed citizens and its right in front of our faces! So close that I can - we can all taste it. We will be one step closer to have a better economy, not environmentally. I’m all for the environment, but I’m ready to sacrifice this environment so I can have a job.

 If you already had a job, and was asked about the Pipeline situation, what would you say?

     To be honest I would be on the side to try to save the environment, because

if this happens, its hurting Mother Nature. These Pipelines aren’t healthy for this environment. But I need to provide for family-my children…

Monologue #4: You're So Greedy

*The goddess of the earth says this with a lot of passion and a little bit of rage.

I give and give and give! All I get in return is this crappy piece of nothingness. (these 2 sentences are said with a bunch of rage) Yes, I am a goddess but there is only so much that I can do. In the beginning it was ok. People respected my earth because they really acknowledged that it was all they had to survive.(Happiness/calm in these 2) All of a sudden my guests got extremely greedy and started destroying my work. Cutting down my beautiful forests, polluting my oceans, taking more than what is needed and killing my master pieces of animals.(anger and rage) I did a pretty good job making this little sphere of joy, but maybe I didn’t do such a good job of protecting it. That is going to change soon.

Then the government thinks there all tall and mighty and decides to ruin the last of my work with a pipeline that goes from Canada to Texas. In this pipeline there will be nasty black, gooey and just unclean oil. It is all about the money to you people. What are you going to do if you have nothing else left? Oh, that’s right you are going to die. The “Bad Guys” say “It will be good for the economy and we will be able to live better lives.” DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE SAYING! I made this earth to the best of my ability and you the greedy ones are destroying it.

Now you’re scared because I am finally taking a stand and getting angry. All of these natural disasters, all of the people dying are your doing. I am just showing you what you have been doing this entire time. I have tried to be understanding and loving, but there only so much that I can take. I demand respect! My earth needs to be respected!

Not only have you betrayed me by making this decision, you have betrayed all of the earth. For billions of years the Earth that has hosted you on this planet. You do have a chance to make it better. The first step is to not make this pipeline that will destroy what you have left of your world. I now leave it in your hands to make this huge decision. Hope you make the right one.

Monologue # 5

*A man in a jail sell regrets his decision for standing up for what is right. He is anxious and debating weather or not he made the right choice protesting.

         Why did this happen to me? Why did I make such a bad decision. I have 2 kids and a wife at home I need to take care of. Right now they think i am on a business trip in Los Angeles. What is my wife going to say when she find out where I actually am. I am the man of the house I need to bring home the bacon for my family. I want to say I was being selfish but I am really just trying to protect my home. I grew up in South Dakota 2blocks from where they are going to rip up the earth and place that monstrous pipeline. All of my childhood memories will be destroyed. Where will my parents go? They are to old to handle this type of change.

This jail cell is so cold and damp. I am going to ruin my good work clothes. I didn’t know I was going to be arrested. I just wanted to do the right thing and defend our mother earth. Bad decisions, after bad decisions. Money in my family is really tight because of the economy. Now my family has to pay bail for me to get out. I don’t even want to tell them, I am scared that they will not trust me any more. I wasn’t thinking straight, I didn’t think about the consequences of protesting. Will i loose my job? How will this affect my reputation? I really hope that I am setting a good example for my kids. I don’t want them to end up like this. In a 6 by 6, cold, dirty and damp space regretting a decision that was made.

When I think about it i think I am being selfish, but also standing up in what I believe in and protecting my family. When my grand kids are born I want them to have a world to live in that isn’t a piece of crap. My generation and generations before have ruined our future generations home. I feel bad that they have to clean up our mess. Maybe I did do the right thing and my family will understand that I was fighting for them.

my name is anthony morning 

i have lived on this plantation for about three generations

for political reasons i can not show my face

therefore i am darken by the camera

this plantain has seen me and my whole family grow

now recently i was informed to move away from plantains in NORTH Dakota

because of the pipeline coming from the north

it would affect or family greatly and we do not appreciate it

now i told my daughter Ashely stares at moon

because she saw  me trying to figure out a cuter for my family

and she says hey every things donna be ok so i tell my wife whats going on

she cries and says way are we going to do

so i ask you  what are we join to do 

are e going to let this happen and do nothing

or stand up for our rites as people of north dakota

i ask you would you want your kids to go threw this

( look away)

Pablo hernandez (interview)

I don't think that this is fair either to me and also the community 

I don't know what's going on north dakota do we the community not have a say in what goes on in our homes and lives.this pipeline threatens the safety of our kids and that is not ok with me.my kids all all i have i have no wife mom or dad i no that i am an immigrant but i am also a citizen of this country. i didn't go threw all this debate all all the noise the construction would motive me to not let me let this happen. I don't want my kids to go through all this.how would you fell if you would have to go 20 to 30 mins more to you schedule 

I do not like this one bit!

Not at all!

interview

Pablo hernandez

I don't think that this is fair either to me and also the community 

I don't know what's going on north dakota do we the community not have a say in what goes on in our homes and lives.this pipeline threatens the safety of our kids and that is not ok with me.my kids all all i have i have no wife mom or dad i no that i am an immigrant but i am also a citizen of this country. i didn't go threw all this debate all all the noise the construction would motive me to not let me let this happen. I don't want my kids to go through all this

Abou Hinson

Dear Mr. President

My name is Carlita Rodriguez. I am a latino-American in Austin, Texas. There hasn’t been much work available, let alone for a latina in a border state. The Keystone Tar Sands would provide much needed work and a healthy income for my four year old daughter and I. It would also significantly improve the economy for other Americans. If the Tar Sands were built it would also help others like myself find work. The only problem is I have to think about my daughter’s future.

The pipeline would emit pollution just like any other pipeline. Since the Tar Sands are a pipeline that means that they will leak. If it were to be built, the pipeline would run over a fresh water source, now rare in America. Some believe that it would be “Game over” for the environment. Its not so much a concern for me, but for my daughter. I know that I might not live to see the negative results of this project, but I couldn’t rest knowing that I was a part of my child’s environmentally instability.

Honestly I really need the work, but the price I’d have to pay would be too much. I vote no for the Tar sands project. The environment is to much of a price to pay for a little more energy.

Sincerely, Carlita Rodriguez