Naihema Powell Public Feed
q3 art portfolio
insanity defense
insanity14 from Naihema Powell on Vimeo.
Q1 Portfolio
I am not an artist, I am just a person who copies what is portrayed in my head onto paper. My “artwork” is nothing more but an interpretation of how I view the world around me. It is not the most well crafted piece of work, however it is the way I view my surroundings. When I take a pencil in my hand to design a new piece I am not focused on the way to product looks but if it relays the message I want to send. When looking at my work keep in my that I am not composing work that looks nice, but I am composing work that forces my audience to look at it through my perspective.
I urge my audience to keep an open mind when viewing my work to allow themselves to step into my mindset as the composer. I hope my pieces leaving my audience with room for conversation, I was it to trigger questions and thorough observations.
Art for me is an outlet, a way to show people what is going on through my head,I feel a personal connection with this work, and hopefully to all of the people who can relate. With this being said, I give you the, the audience to freedom to take my work, and with keeping in my my vision, to make whatever interpretation you would like off of it.
Enjoy.
Reocurrence
I shuddered as the brisk november air flew up my skirt knocking me off balance, I yelped out, swinging my arms desperate to find something to steady myself. My heart raced, I looked down. Bad idea.
“Ida, can you please be the hell careful! and hurry up! Andrew pulling the car around.” Fey called up from the ground. I took a deep breath in, I can do this. Its only two stories, thats not bad. With one leg already out the window, I swung my left one out and balanced myself on the ledge. One jump, thats all it took, I’d jump from my ledge onto the tree and scale my way down.
Wiping my sweaty palms onto the black skirt I wore, and pushing my red hair from off of my face, I stood up, putting all my weight into my toes, ready to leap.
“hurry the fuck up Ida!!” Fey was never the most patient, as much as I wanted to get this over with I wasn’t about to risk my life.
I closed my eyes and envisioned myself pushing off from the ledge and gracefully flying through the air. I imagined how the tips of my shoes would meet the branches and how smoothly i would climb down the side and land on the ground next to my friend.
Opening my eyes, and praying one last time I pushed off, the tree came closer it was right in my grasp. My foot landed on the branch the way I envisioned,
“good.. good, steady” I heard Fey calling from the ground. I was on the tree, I took my foot and attempted phase two. The climb down. I put only a little weight on the next branch to test its strength. It seem sturdy, I brought all my weight down, and cautiously started to bring my right leg to meet it. The branch started to give way, bending a little at the middle. My heart started racing, pounding against my rib cage. Sweat rolled down my brows, I lifted my right foot back up into its original postion.
“Fey, I can’t do this!” I yelled down “the branch is going to break, I can feel it” I was on the verge of tears, this was a bad idea. It was silent below me, to terrified to look down I called for Fey again.
“Ida, look down...”
“No, Fey i will cry, just go get my dad or something. Theres a ladder in the garage” I could feel my right leg cramping because of the awkward position it was lifted in.
“you are such a drama queen .. “ i heard Fey mumble, hearing her feet rustle against the dead leaves I figured she was making her way towards the garage.
Something grabbed my shirt, and pulled me downwards, I stumbled, my heart dropped. a hand covered my mouth to muffle the scream that we all knew was coming.
“Shhhhhh!!” Fey yelled, holding onto my shirt, “you were literally one leap from the ground dumbass” She helped me regain my balance. standing I shock I couldn’t do anything but laugh, looking from her to the tree and the branch I realized I was less than 7 feet up. My face felt hot, I could tell i was still sweating. I waited a moment to collect myself before asking Fey where Andrew was.
“last time i checked he said he was bringing the car around” she checked her phone. “ he’s parked on the corner” she said before locking her iphone and putting it back in her bra.
We both made our way to the next block over, I couldn’t keep up with Fey’s fast pace stride,
“keep up” she called. I jogged to catch up with her, heart still racing at the thought of what i just did. I’ve never been this defiant towards my parents, everything they told me to do I obeyed. As i slid into the plush leather seat of Andrews ford explorer, the reality of what I had done sunk in. I felt a rush of adrenaline course through my veins as he sped off down the dark quiet streets of my neighborhood. He turned the radio up a couple clicks as we made the final turn out of residental area and onto the main highway. This was the first time I’d snuck out and I never felt more alive, my mind started to wander at the thought of what would happen if i got caught. I quickly pushed it out of my head and decided to live in the moment and enjoy it now. I rolled down the windows so the sweat of me trying to leap from my second story window could dry.
“We’re on our way!” Fey screamed out the window, Andrew hit 95 and sped down the open highway. The time on the digital clock read 12:45am, by the speed we were going we’d be there in a half an hour tops.
“Yo this party is going to be crazy!!” I felt like I was in competition with the radio, over all the noise i felt like nobody could hear me.
“I hope its not corny. I did not just do all this for nothing..” I was relieved when Fey turned around from the front seat and responded. Her face lit with excitement, her brown her hung just below her chin was now blowing wildly in the wind.
“I don’t think JasonTeary’s parties are ever corny, trust me. these things are crazy” andrew called from the front seat as he switched into another lane. The entire car jerked as he recklessly switched. Andrew was never the most safe driver, I snugged deeper into my seat.
“This. is. my. song” Fey reached for the knob and cranked the music all the way up. We all began nodding our heads in sync to the music. This was going to be a good night.
***
Andrew turned off the highway about 28 minutes later, we cruised down one of back roads for a good 10 minutes before he made a left onto a small cul-de-sac. There were faint sounds of music, I strained my ear so I could hear it, hjeart pounding with each second passing, the bass became louder and the words in the distance became more distinct. We cruised down the street, around the bend i craned my neck and strained my eyes to make out the figure in the distance. A large house sat the the very end of the cul-de-sac. Teenagers swarmed the lawn, the red cups that littered the lawn reflected the lights. Cars were parked on every side of the house including in th streets. Andrew couldn’t make his way completely down to the cul-de-sac. was able to make out a couple of people I knew. I couldn’t fully believe that I was here. This was completely unlike me, but i was determined to enjoy every minute of it. As andrew parked the car I reapplied my lip gloss and fixed my hair. Checking my unarm pits for sweat stains I took out my perfume and sprayed myself 3 times.
Emerging from the car, I pulled down my skirt and fixed my shirt so that my breasts sat upright. Fey came around the car and stood next to me, “how do i look?” she said fixing her hair,
“cute, you guys ready?” i called back to Andrew who was already in the trunk of his car pulling out a package of beers. Nodding he pulled one off of the ring and began guzzling it down.
We walked towards the party, as we approched I started to recognize people that I knew, old friends from middle school, people from my current school and even people from my neighborhood. Half of them too drunk to stand, I wanted to be where they were. I watched yearning for a drink, walking up the steps, Fey was they first one at the door.
“Do we knock?” she asked. Knocking didn’t seem logical, the music was way to loud for anyone to hear.
“Maybe its unlocked” I suggested trying the knob, half surprised when I wasn’t locked. this was our first time at a frat house. Nobody knew what to do, Edfer has the craziest parties every year. When he graduated Fern High me and my friends made it a must to go to his next party. This was it, I crossed the thresh hold and immediately a wave of sweat, alcohol and vomit hit me ambushing my nose. I put my hand to my nose and began pushing my way through the crowd looking for a drink. Fey trailed behind me,
“daaamnn” I heard her mutter under her breath. “this party is crazy.” We contiuned through the crowd of sweaty teenagers. Potheads in one corner rolling and smoking, alcoholics in another corner chugging and doing shots. You had people to drunk to function stumbling and falling everywhere, there was every different groups here yet they all seemed to blend together perfectly.
Fey and I finally found the drinks, browsing the selection I settled for a cup of Vladimir Vodka mixed with fruit punch. Fey pondered over the selection, did two shots of vodka straight before grabbing a beer.
“You drink beer?” I said, shouting over the music
“whaaat?” Fey screamed turning her ear to me. I shook my head dismissing the question i already knew the answer too. Fey didn’t drink beer, she was probably just doing it now to get a buzz on.
I lingered around the drink table filling my cup as it grew low, a couple of people came over to talk to me but for the most part all I had was Fey. We lost Andrew at the door, these were more so his friends if anyones. Around my 5th cup of the same Vlad and Fruit Punch I decided to go dance. Throwing my red cup on the floor I got up, the alcohol hit me instantly almost knocking me back down. I stumbled back using the chair to regain my balance. Laughing at my own clumsiness I started walking towards the yard. Pushing my way through the crowd of intoxicated adolescents I made my way to the sliding double doors.
The fresh air hit me almost as hard as the alcohol did, knocking me back into the screen door. I stumbled struggling to regain my balance, I felt a hand grab my waist, steadying me.
“woah, i got you” a voice deep male voice said, I jumped pulling away from the hand and turing to see who it was. he looked alarmed at my sudden movement,
“Are you okay?” he said moments later, he was a handsome fellow about 5’9 brown hair, piercing blue eyes, he had broad shoulders a muscular frame, and the deepest dimples. His beauty left me breathless, all i could do was nod my head,
“you don’t look it.” he pressed on, I continued to shake my head, I was fine, “ I didn’t even drink... drink that much. I’m ... I - I am fine.” I began to feel a little lightheaded, shaking me head and rubbing my eyes I looked for a place to sit down. The stranger moved towards me, putting his arms out as if to help me, I shooed him away. As much as I appreciated a little assistance there was something about him, something off that made me question if excepting his help was a good idea.
Too tired and dizzy to say anything else I shut down and let him help me, my stomach was in knots, I felt dizzy again, it became harder to breath. He pulled my hair back from my face and leaned me over the railing. I instantly threw up, seeing all the liquor I had consumed inside the party. He rubbed my back and retrieved napkins. All the while I couldn’t help but think who was this guy, I had no clue. Once I had finished thowing up, he went into the house and got me a bottle of water.
“Drink this” he said, I obeyed and began guzzling the water bottle down, not stopping until the contents were gone.
“feeling better” he said after I had finished drinking the water, all I could do was nod I still felt a little weak. there was a bench on the far side of his yard, I started to make my way towards it, I was done for the night. The feeling of being drunk, and throwing up was one I never wanted to feel again. I now knew why I had never attended one of these parties before. I suddenly wished I had stayed home. I heard footsteps being me, I knew I was being followed, I turned being me to see blue eyes, I hadn’t bothered to ask for a name so thats the only thing I knew to identify him as.
“Why the hell are you following me” I called to blue eyes behind me, he laughed a little before responding, “thats the way to talk to someone who’s about to save your life.”
about to. Those two words rang in my head, what did he mean by about to. I was tempted to ask him, but decided he was just as drunk as I had been and let it go. I didn’t have time to entertain his stupidity. Ignoring his response I continued on towards the benches.
“Mind if i join you?” he called once i got there, I sat on the one furthest from the house, the pounding of the bass made my head hurt.
“I don’t care what you do,” there was no reason for me to be so mean to someone who held my hair as I threw up, yet a part of me didn't trust this stranger. There was something off about him.
“I don’t understand why this time you’re so mean Ida, normally our encounters are pleasant ones” blue eyes said as he took a seat next to time, I scooted over, I didn’t want him that close to me.
“When did I ever tell you my name,” I asked realizing he had just called me Ida.
“This name you never told me, but i’ve been keeping up with you. I was surprised when Theodore agreed to let Lynette name you Ida, I know he wanted to name you Lisa so bad.” My heart began to race, I was more uncomfortable at the fact that he knew my parents first name than at the fact that he was so close. I didn’t know this kid, never seen him a day in my life, yet he knew what my parents wanted to name me. He knew personal information that I’m pretty sure nobody knew but me and my little sister.
“How... how -” I couldn’t even get the words out.
“How did I know” blue eyes finished the sentence for me, moving in closer. “I don’t know if you caught this before, you’re a smart girl Ida, I kinda hoped you would. But I said Im about to save your life...” there was a hint of arrogance in blue eyes voice, like he knew he was some sort of super hero. Like he knew I was dependent on him. It made me angry. I wasn’t dependent on anybody, and at this moment he just sounded crazy. I started to get up I wasn’t about to sit here and listen to a drunk mans stories.
“I noticed. I don’t think you noticed how crazy you sound right now. You don’t know me, you don’t know me at all.” I snapped turning my back to walk away.
“Ida i know everything about you, jeez you were so much nicer in your other lives. I’m just going t get to the point. I’ll Rip the bandaid off fast. We are stuck in a universe that loops. You have been living the same life for 569 years. You’ve been to this party 569 times, we’ve had this conversation 569 times, you’ve thrown up about.. 569 times. Oh and i’ve saved your life 569 time. there is about to be an explosion in that house caused by a dumbass trying to light a blunt on the stove and a whole bunch of open flammable liquor spilling everywhere. Everybody you know, including you little friend will die a sad a tragic death except for who.. -” blue eyes paused and looked at me. I could feel my airway closing, sweat trickled down my forehead. A million thoughts running through my head, I shook the small thought that suggested that he was right. I soon shook all thoughts from my head having to do with this topic. Turning my head and waving my hand I dismissed blue eyes. I had decided he was officially out of his mind.
“don’t believe me if you want to, but one thing you’re not going to do is walk in that house.” blue eyes voice turned cold, it sent a chill up my spine. I wanted to disobey, and go in the house. I didn’t want to listen to blue eyes. after all if he was telling the truth then I’d just “relive” this day over again. But something about his voice, something about the way he said it made me want to obey him. “why me!” i snapped “out of everybody here, you pick me to save. I don’t understand. why not just let me die. Find somebody else to save” by the look on blue’s face I could tell he was hurt. He looked as if he wanted to say something but just couldn’t find the words to do so. I stared at him for a couple more minutes waiting for my explaining as to why I am the damsel he choose to focus all his time and energy into. “hellooooo!” i called when I still got no response. blue continued to ignore me, his gaze distant, I had no clue what he was thinking, a part of me cared for him and wanted to listen to the warning he had given about not going into the house. Another part of me wanted to believe he was delusional. When i got ignored for the second time I decided to go into the house ignoring all warnings blue eyes was giving me. Turning my back on him i started across the wet grass, ignoring the shards that were getting caught in my sandals.
“We were supposed to be married” blue calls after me. I stop dead in my tracks. “we were supposed to be married, married with kids. three of them Josh, Jordan and Jamira. We lived in a house just outside of new jersey ... you were a wedding planner and I use an accountant..... our life was perfect.” I was frozen in my steps, partially in shock and partially in disbelief. I looked back at blue waiting for more to the explanation, Something to convince me that he was telling the truth. A part of me wanted him to be telling he truth, I never envisioned myself even being alone for this long with a boy let alone marrying one. I couldn’t allow myself to grasp that idea that blue eyes could be telling the truth.
“A few years back, our future changed.. I don’t know how, I don’t know why. But one morning I woke up and you weren’t there. our kids weren’t there. I’ve spent years jumping through time reliving this day. Reliving this day 569 times trying to convince you to make the right choice. Trying to convince you to not go into that goddamn house Ida... but every single time, you choose to ignore me. You think i’m bullshitting and honestly I’m not trying to give up on us. On the life we have but i’m getting close to it. So i’m standing here, begging you. Not to go into that house. For the sake of our marriage, our kids. Our future.” blue is damn near in tears, his face is red and he is out of breath. I feel for him, I don’t know what to say. I debate in my head if i should listen to him of not, if his words are true. If i stand out here long enough will the house infact blow up. I shake my head ...this isn’t real. I begin making my way towards the house. This time running, I sprinted away from the creepy boy with the blue eyes and headed for the house. Nothing he said was making any sense. None of that was possible, how does one travel through time and relive the same day over and over again.
“IDA!!!!” I heard blue eyes scream, ignoring him I pressed forward, the wind blowing through my hair. The sweat dripping off of my forehead. Stumbling something I struggled to regain my balance. I could hear blue eyes , cries from behind me he begged and pleaded for me to come back. I just wanted to find Fey and leave, we should’ve never come. A rumbling sound stopped me dead in my tracks, several screams came from the house people started filling out onto the porch in hysterics. I gazed up at the house, the kitchen erupted in flames. My heart immediately fell to the pit of my stomach. I wasn’t worried about the fact that blue eyes had been right, I was worried about my friend.
“FEY!!!” I cried for her, unable to move, I wanted to go in the house in search for her, but couldn’t get my legs to obey with what my brain was giving it orders to do. The windows busted out of the kitchen and more people ran out of the house. Some on fire, some badly burned, I could still hear blues cries in the distance.
“IDAA!” he called, I looked back at the sound of my name. Blue waved his hands motioning me to come back to him. He was saying something but i couldn’t make out what. “A... Aw..AWAY” away? I didn’t understand what he was trying to say
“GET AWAY” I heard it, but it was too late, the house exploded, shards of hot class cut deep inside of me, I could feel the heat from the blast burning my skin, it soon became hard to breathe. I flew through the air, bloodcurdling screams left my mouth and joined the others in a perfect symphony. I hit the ground hard, cracking something in my back, I couldn’t move. I could still hear blue’s cries as closed my eyes and let myself go.
***
I shuddered as the brisk november air flew up my skirt knocking me off balance, I yelped out, swinging my arms desperate to find something to steady myself. My heart raced, I looked down. Bad idea.
“Ida, can you please be the hell careful! and hurry up! Andrew pulling the car around.” Fey called up from the ground. I took a deep breath in . . .
Fairytale Endings.
Boy meets girl. They fall in love. They live happily ever after. This has been the simple outline of peoples love lives since the beginning of mankind. They say that it takes two to be in a relationship, that the man and the women both dedicate an equal amount of time, and energy to make something work. In the early days, sexism and women rights was a big issue, they weren’t able to make decisions and choices for themselves and the male always seemed to have an upper hand on them and their lives. Today, in a completely time and era, we still see the old ways of men trying to dominate the female and their life choices.
In the Taming of the Shrew, a play written by William Shakespeare in the early 1590’s viewers come across the same story of the boy meets girl, they fall in love and live happily ever after, however, like many love stories, the boy is in complete control. Shakespeare starts the main story off with introducing two sisters, Katherine and Bianca. Bianca, who is described as sweet and kind with the potential to make a great wife has 2 suitors lined up for her, Hortensio and Gremio. Lucentio who comes into town to attend school, see’s Bianca and is immediately at a loss for words. Lucentio and his servant Tranio develop a grand plan to win Bianca. Lucentio dresses up and plays the role of a school master in order to get closer to Bianca, while his servant Tranio dresses up like him, and takes his place sweet talking Baptista, the father of the two girls, and going to school. This here marks the beginning of a relationship based on deception. Lucentio went as far as impersonation, in order to win the heart of Bianca. Bianca met and fell in love with Lucentio, the school tutor. Not Lucentio all mighty and powerful, wealthy man from a privileged lifestyle. In the 1590’s when this play was being written, men had an upper hand over women. Females relied on their father to choose who they were to be wed too, and the husband after that point to provide for them. This type of behavior isn’t unusual for that time and era. However, even though time has evolved, people still seem to follow the outline of the old era. Today, though times are very different, in romantic comedies viewers still see hidden traces of that male dominance. In a more recent movie called The Switch, starring Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman we see a different way the male uses and manipulates the females life. Both texts show how men feel like they have the upper hand in relationships and will doing anything to keep it that way.
In the movie, The Switch, Kassie our, female lead, is a middle aged women who is single and ready for a family. She decides she’s not going to find love so she sets out to find a sperm donor. Her best friend, Wally is against the entire thing, he doesn’t want to see her with another man let alone raising his kid. In an attempt to be supportive, Wally attends a party Kassie’s best friend throws the night she is inseminated. Throughout the course of the night, Wally somehow crosses paths with the sperm of Kassie’s donor. A drunk and heartbroken Wally then finds he an opportunity to sabotage Kassie’s pregnancy. Without thinking twice about it Wally destroys Rowland, Kassie’s donors, sperm and replace it with his own. At the point, Kassie’s future is written out for her. Her whole life and this moment is decided for her at the hands of a strong male character. Much like Taming of the Shrew, the female of the text doesn’t have a say in how her life turns out. The next day Wally doesn’t remember anything about the night, or replacing the sperm. The fact that the writers of The Switch made it so the male had no remembrance of doing the deed saves him from being the jealous asshole bad guy. Looking past that, we still see the same theme of the male in control of the women life, whether they are aware of it or not. In both texts the women of the book is still playing with the cards the male lead has delt out.
Old habits do in fact die hard, the modern day text and the older text seem to compare greatly. In the Taming of the Shrew, William Shakespear does not make any effort to cover up the fact that the women our powerless compared to the men. In Act 2 Scene 1, Baptista shows not shame nor remorse for auctioning off his youngest daughter, Bianca. Gremio suitor number one and Tranio a servant who is pretending to be suitor number two tells Baptista all they can and will offer his daughter if they are chosen to wed her. Bianca has absolutely no control over who her father picks. At the end of their speeches Baptista says, “Well, gentlemen, I am thus resolved: On Sunday next, you know my daughter Katherine is to be married. Now, on the sunday following, shall Bianca. Be bride to you, if you shall make this assurance. if not, to signior Gremio.”103. Baptista is promising his daughter off to Lucentio if his father will agree to give the wealth and riches offered on Lucentio’s behalf. In that moment, with one short conversation Bianca’s whole life is written out and decided for her without her consent. The time and era this text was written in suggests that this is normal and appropriate behavior. However, nowadays, where women have rights and the ability to speak out and for themselves, this would have caused an uproar in the female society. The writers of the movie The Switch seem to give the male lead a lot of authority and power over the females life, however the way the go about it is subtle and hard to detect. In the movie, Wally is able to writes Kassie’s future for her, similar to the way Baptista does with Bianca.
Watching The Switch and reading Taming of the Shrew you see subtle similarities on how men have always and still do have the upper hand on females in relationships. Whether its a friendship relationship as the two main characters in The Switch or a romantic relationship like Bianca and her many suitors, evidence of the male dominance society grew up of it still present. Society is trying to move away from a time where women were completely powerless, however from the looks of things it seems like things finding a more hidden way to stay the same.
Humanities Final Portfolio 2013
**I understand that, religion is the basis for just about major decisions throughout history and throughout every civilization.
Despite
your religious background whether you be christian, muslim, hindu,
jehovahs witness, jewish, or catholic, every single decision a person
makes is influenced by some type of religion. Throughout the entirety of
the School year we’ve covered tons of different topics from
Colonization to Religion to Revolution, and within each and every one of
those topics there has been a recurring theme, Religion. For example,
lets take the Cortez trial for instance. During this unit we learned
about the Aztec’s and how Cortez colonized and tried to take over.
During his invasion he tried to force religion on the Aztec’s then when
they refused many were slaughtered. Ontop of that they were already
looked at differently because in their religion and apart of their
beliefs was sacrifice, something Cortez and his men were foreign too.
The lesson soon progressed into an old fashion trial. My group was
defending the Aztec people. Everything they did was for religious
purposes, they didn’t believe in violence, it was against their
religion. They did animal sacrifices, because it was apart of their
religion, they built structures and welcomed the strangers with open
arms, because it was apart of their religion. No matter what the
situation was somehow it still spun back into religion and beliefs.
If
you click on the link below, you’ll get a up close and behind the
scenes peek at the notes and statements prepared by my group members and
I during and before the trial. You’ll see evidence of the religion and
beliefs of the Aztec people & how every move they made was to honor
those beliefs.
I took the short time we were given in class to write about the time my family gathered at my house for a celebratory dinner and the news about my recent conversion from Christianity to Atheism. My family are strong believers in Christ. They are hardcore Christians, I told my mom about my conversion in confidence, asking her not to tell any of the family. I'd tell them when I thought the time was right, going against my wishes she told them anyway. Below is a link to the exact Journal entry I wrote and turned into Mr. Block for a grade.
When we learned about the Arab Springs I was able to really apply this principle. The Arab Springs was a series of wars and fights that broke out all throughout the middle eastern regions. These wars were about power and wealth between the social classes. During the unit we had to write a piece detailing our final thoughts, on our the quotes I used is wriitten below,
“By placing confidence in violent means, one has chosen the very type of struggle with which the oppressors nearly always have superiority.” by Gene Sharp"
Below this is the final thought piece on the Arab Spings.
There are people in high power who are working and fighting the government to obtain freedom for people who are lower in power.
Below are the Notes I took about the sweatshops in Foxcon and the steps people are taking to fight against them.
Forgive, Never Forget ( journal #42)
* The last time I forgave somebody would probably have to be the time my mother told my very religious family that I was Agnostic against my wishes. I had specifically asked her to keep it to herself, my family is a straight christian family. It's the Jesus way or no way, everything must be done by the bible, Christ is the only way. I asked her to keep my new found discovery on the downlow until I was more comfortable and more open with my decision. I wasn't yet ready to face the barrage of questions, insults, and disappointing vibes I knew were coming my way. My mom urged me to say something she said, "give them some credit, that's your family Naihema they'll love you regardless." Reluctant, I didn't listen, I didn't want them to know. My mom somehow managed to slip it in at a family cookout. Everybody was laughing joking and talking catching up, and then somehow the conversation switched, the focus was on the children. How we were doing in school, how our personal life was going, and my mom just Let it slip. I didn't speak to her for weeks , and my family didn't speak to me for weeks. I was an outcast. They didn't see it my way, they were dissapointed, I even earn I few of my grandmother tears that night. To this day they still don't believe I'm agnostic. I put on an act, during family gatherings when they all say grace, I stand in the circle and bow my head, but my eyes are open, and I entertain my grandmothers Easter Sunday plans, and I listen to my Aunt drawn out church stories, but I eventually forgave my mother, she's done worse & i still love her.
Never Shall I Forget ( journal #41 )
*Never shall i forget the day of my mothers birth, the day or my sisters birth
*Never shall i forget the one verse of that Frank Ocean or Drake song
*Never shall i forget the day of 6th grade when Jamira drowned in that puddle
*Never shall i forget the people I met and bonded with
*Never shall i forget all the late nights, the partying with friends
*Never shall i forget the new experiences, the experimenting
*Never shall i forget the harmless jokes and banter we made
*Never shall i forget the crushes, A.D .. K.R .. S.T.. J.C .. D.J.. A.B.C.. J.M <3
*Never shall i forget Ernest Talington, may he Rest In Peace
*Never shall i forget my home Texas
*Never shall i forget my father & how my weak memory of him makes me strong.
*Never shall i forget what made me .. me
crossing boundaries
Melanie Harrington
Anna Davies
Traevon Gray
Jenny Perez
Naihema Powell
This podcast focuses on different boundaries that most people are forced to cross through their lifetime. From when they're a child being brought up (Naihema w/ parental boundaries), from when they are an adolescent, what things they must go through to have a little fun (Anna w/ fun boundaries), from when they're a young adult or adult going through relationships (Jenny w/ relationship boundaries), from when we're just starting to understand the world (Traevon w/ power boundaries) to when they're full grown and working, perhaps as a teacher (Melanie w/ educational boundaries)
Language_Auto
Every community has there own language, their are certain words that originate in a place and are forgien to others no matter how close the place my be geographically. I feel like you aren't raised to speak a certain language, you grow into it, You speech and term evolve as you grow older, meet new people, and surrond yourself in new places.
ESSAY:
If
I were to move to Boston right now, about a year from now I’d catch
myself saying things like Pahhk, and Caaahh instead of pronouncing the
“AR” and “ARK” of the words. A person’s surrondings, can play an
enormous part in the way someone speaks, where they come from, how they
live their life and just there everyday surroundings. I find myself
altering the way I speak in several different situations. I’m proud of
who I am, and where I come from, but I realize that if I use my regular
tone of voice, and use some of the words that I’m use to using with my
friends and close family, there is no doubt in my mind that I would be
judged.
In 8th grade I had to shadow at a
wide variety of schools in several different parts of the city, one of
the schools I visited was, Spring Side School for girls, located in
Chestnut Hill, a very suburban area, the school itself sits upon 62
acres of land. Riding up to the school on the day of my shadow I saw
that the homes surrounding the school were beautifully built, each of
them had huge yards and at least two cars sitting in the driveway. There
were country clubs, and community and rec centers that actually looked
clean and safe to be in. When we got there my mom pulled into the
congested parking lot, not only did it seem like every student was old
enough to drive, but they had their own cars, but they weren’t the
typical “starter” cars a lot of high schoolers receive when they first
get their license, these were top of the line mercede benz and range
rovers sitting in the lot. I already didn’t like my visit, when we got
into the school and I actually started my day, I got a better feel for
the school. I saw that the school was very diverse when you’re judging
from a mile away, but when you’re up close and person you see that every
kid was just about the same. Yes, there were African Americans,
Caucasians, Hispanics, Asians, and Russian, but the way they spoke was
all the same. Each of them tended to drag out there words, a lot of them
talked like they were asking a question instead of stating a fact, and
just about everysingle one of them used atleast 6 acronyms in their
sentences. I remember a conversation I had with my shadow host,
Stephanie, she asked how I was enjoying my visit, and of course I
couldn’t express to her how uncomfortable I felt, so I lied, smile on my
face turning to her and saying,
“Well, honestly, I.D.E.K [I don’t even know], Liiikkeee, I live in SouthWest so I went to West Philadelphia high school for half of my freshmen year. Then I transferred here, I mean my mom said she was looking for a new school for me to go to but that was, A.F.A.I.K. [as far as I knew] Then one day my advisor at West was all like, Steph you’re pretty intelli. I think you should totally apply to SSCHA [SpringSide & Chestnut Hill Academy], and at first I was all like HTP[hold the phone], no an all girls school, you’ve obviously LYM [lost your mind]. But then they told me to be opened mind and atleast check the school out, and so I did. I shadowed, loooveeedd it, BTW [by the way] I applied and got here on partial scholarship, and now that i’m here OMG[oh my gosh], I CSTP[Can’t Stand this place] ! L.O.L [Laugh out loud], J/K[Just Kidding]. I love it here, FWIW[For what its worth]”
I remember thinking to myself, how the hell was this girl from Southwest talking like that? I use to go to school in little Charter School in West Philly, my classmates in middle school were generally from the West and SouthWest Philadelphia area. They used terms like, “jawn” and “cuz” and they often cut their words to make them shorter and easier to say in sentences. So, instead of saying ‘might as well’ they might use a term like “mineswell.” The way my shadow host spoke was far from that. She pronounced all of her syllables and she tended to drag out her words instead of shorten them like the kids from the Southwest neighborhood tended to do. It was intriguing to me how someone who came from a part of the city I knew so well, spoke so similarly to a group of people that lived miles away in a completely different part. Even though I couldn’t really understand all of what she was saying, I just shook my head, nodded and said,
“OMG cool, I love it here too”Looking back onto that day, I realize that the way she spoke at SpringSide school had nothing to do with where she came from, it had everything to do with where she was currently. After being at SpringSide School for awhile, the way everyone else spoke around her rubbed off on her, she adapted to their speech just like she adapted to her new advisor, or her classmates, or the rules and regulations of the school. Everyone else spoke like that so she had to blend in with her surroundings. She transferred halfway through 9th grade, so not only was she the new kid which is already scary enough, she was also different from the others. I see that a lot here at my own school. Although my school is a pretty diverse place racially, when you’re up close and personal and actually surrounded by all of us, we’re actually the same when it comes to dialect. We all speak the same language, if I were to go up to someone outside of the SLA, and said something like, “Pause. You’re such a weenie, you better chill and start working on that benchmark before Reddy hits you with fladdaapp.” or if I go to people outside the SLA community and instead of saying “True” when they something that I agree with I say “True Black” people will look at me different like I’m the weird one. A majority of people at this school, know what the fladdaapp is, everyone knows what a benchmark is, everyone knows what it means to be called a weenie, everyone knows the saying “that’s dead.” and everyone knows the meaning behind saying “Trueee Black” instead of plain old “Trueee.”
I feel like no matter how racially diverse a place can get, at the end of the day they all will evolve to using the same dialect. People at my school come from all over, bringing with them, several new customs, and ways of expressing themselves. When we all come together and try to communicate, new dialect is formed, that along with the shared experiences we have from being with each other everyday create a unique language that only people inside our community would understand. Newcomers to these communities must learn to adapt to the language that is already set in place. That’s how Stephanie felt at springside, thats similar to how I felt as a freshmen at SLA and I can assume thats how a person that moves to a different part of town or even a different state feel and I think that just comes naturally.Language story from Naihema Powell on Vimeo.
POWELL_LANGUAGE
Every community has there own language, their are certain words that originate in a place and are forgien to others no matter how close the place my be geographically. I feel like you aren't raised to speak a certain language, you grow into it, You speech and term evolve as you grow older, meet new people, and surrond yourself in new places.
ESSAY:
If
I were to move to Boston right now, about a year from now I’d catch
myself saying things like Pahhk, and Caaahh instead of pronouncing the
“AR” and “ARK” of the words. A person’s surrondings, can play an
enormous part in the way someone speaks, where they come from, how they
live their life and just there everyday surroundings. I find myself
altering the way I speak in several different situations. I’m proud of
who I am, and where I come from, but I realize that if I use my regular
tone of voice, and use some of the words that I’m use to using with my
friends and close family, there is no doubt in my mind that I would be
judged.
In 8th grade I had to shadow at a
wide variety of schools in several different parts of the city, one of
the schools I visited was, Spring Side School for girls, located in
Chestnut Hill, a very suburban area, the school itself sits upon 62
acres of land. Riding up to the school on the day of my shadow I saw
that the homes surrounding the school were beautifully built, each of
them had huge yards and at least two cars sitting in the driveway. There
were country clubs, and community and rec centers that actually looked
clean and safe to be in. When we got there my mom pulled into the
congested parking lot, not only did it seem like every student was old
enough to drive, but they had their own cars, but they weren’t the
typical “starter” cars a lot of high schoolers receive when they first
get their license, these were top of the line mercede benz and range
rovers sitting in the lot. I already didn’t like my visit, when we got
into the school and I actually started my day, I got a better feel for
the school. I saw that the school was very diverse when you’re judging
from a mile away, but when you’re up close and person you see that every
kid was just about the same. Yes, there were African Americans,
Caucasians, Hispanics, Asians, and Russian, but the way they spoke was
all the same. Each of them tended to drag out there words, a lot of them
talked like they were asking a question instead of stating a fact, and
just about everysingle one of them used atleast 6 acronyms in their
sentences. I remember a conversation I had with my shadow host,
Stephanie, she asked how I was enjoying my visit, and of course I
couldn’t express to her how uncomfortable I felt, so I lied, smile on my
face turning to her and saying,
“Well, honestly, I.D.E.K [I don’t even know], Liiikkeee, I live in SouthWest so I went to West Philadelphia high school for half of my freshmen year. Then I transferred here, I mean my mom said she was looking for a new school for me to go to but that was, A.F.A.I.K. [as far as I knew] Then one day my advisor at West was all like, Steph you’re pretty intelli. I think you should totally apply to SSCHA [SpringSide & Chestnut Hill Academy], and at first I was all like HTP[hold the phone], no an all girls school, you’ve obviously LYM [lost your mind]. But then they told me to be opened mind and atleast check the school out, and so I did. I shadowed, loooveeedd it, BTW [by the way] I applied and got here on partial scholarship, and now that i’m here OMG[oh my gosh], I CSTP[Can’t Stand this place] ! L.O.L [Laugh out loud], J/K[Just Kidding]. I love it here, FWIW[For what its worth]”
I remember thinking to myself, how the hell was this girl from Southwest talking like that? I use to go to school in little Charter School in West Philly, my classmates in middle school were generally from the West and SouthWest Philadelphia area. They used terms like, “jawn” and “cuz” and they often cut their words to make them shorter and easier to say in sentences. So, instead of saying ‘might as well’ they might use a term like “mineswell.” The way my shadow host spoke was far from that. She pronounced all of her syllables and she tended to drag out her words instead of shorten them like the kids from the Southwest neighborhood tended to do. It was intriguing to me how someone who came from a part of the city I knew so well, spoke so similarly to a group of people that lived miles away in a completely different part. Even though I couldn’t really understand all of what she was saying, I just shook my head, nodded and said,
“OMG cool, I love it here too”Looking back onto that day, I realize that the way she spoke at SpringSide school had nothing to do with where she came from, it had everything to do with where she was currently. After being at SpringSide School for awhile, the way everyone else spoke around her rubbed off on her, she adapted to their speech just like she adapted to her new advisor, or her classmates, or the rules and regulations of the school. Everyone else spoke like that so she had to blend in with her surroundings. She transferred halfway through 9th grade, so not only was she the new kid which is already scary enough, she was also different from the others. I see that a lot here at my own school. Although my school is a pretty diverse place racially, when you’re up close and personal and actually surrounded by all of us, we’re actually the same when it comes to dialect. We all speak the same language, if I were to go up to someone outside of the SLA, and said something like, “Pause. You’re such a weenie, you better chill and start working on that benchmark before Reddy hits you with fladdaapp.” or if I go to people outside the SLA community and instead of saying “True” when they something that I agree with I say “True Black” people will look at me different like I’m the weird one. A majority of people at this school, know what the fladdaapp is, everyone knows what a benchmark is, everyone knows what it means to be called a weenie, everyone knows the saying “that’s dead.” and everyone knows the meaning behind saying “Trueee Black” instead of plain old “Trueee.”
I feel like no matter how racially diverse a place can get, at the end of the day they all will evolve to using the same dialect. People at my school come from all over, bringing with them, several new customs, and ways of expressing themselves. When we all come together and try to communicate, new dialect is formed, that along with the shared experiences we have from being with each other everyday create a unique language that only people inside our community would understand. Newcomers to these communities must learn to adapt to the language that is already set in place. That’s how Stephanie felt at springside, thats similar to how I felt as a freshmen at SLA and I can assume thats how a person that moves to a different part of town or even a different state feel and I think that just comes naturally.Language story from Naihema Powell on Vimeo.
Keystone Pipeline Monologues
(Big Mac is grazing in the fields when T-Bone, his son approaches galloping up as fast as his little calf legs will carry him. Big Mac turns in his direction, immediately on edge sensing something is wrong.)
What is it son? (the confusion and shock is clearly displayed.)
Slow down, slow down. They’re what? Who told you..? (dramatic pause as Big Mac struggles to process it.) Okay, okay, daddy will take care of it. Now go get your sister from the barn its almost grazing time.
(Big Mac turns his bag on the little boy, and starts pacing around.. he turns around suddenly hearing a noise..)
I said i’ll take care of it, Oh.. sorry I thought you were, T-bone.. (listens to his wife, clearly preoccupied with his own thoughts.) No .. no, everything is fine.. (listens to the wife, puts his hooves up to his face) I’m telling you nothings wrong. Why do you keep trying to press the issue. There is absolutely nothing going on.. well, that I can’t take care of anyway. They call me Big Mac for a reason, I handles all the issues, and i handle them well, don't you worry your pretty little face Cleo, it’s fine.. (Big Mac sighs obviously annoyed because his wife keeps pressing the issue and motions towards Cleo to have a seat.) Honey, I'm telling you, its nothing, but if you must know.. Sit Down, we dont have much time to talk.. the calfs will be back soon to graze. T-bone came in here not too long ago and said he overheard the farmer talking about a trade.. Honey, don't go making a fuss, the neighbors will overhear! (Big Mac puts his head in his hooves, clearly frustrated) Cleo i’m going to need you to get a grip. We can’t let the calfs see us getting worked up, they’ll get scared. The Farmer is thinking of selling us.. (Pause for Cleo to speak.) because he wants to sell the land..(pause for Cleo to speak) to the government ofcourse.. (pause for Cleo to speak, Big Mac's frstration is clearly displayed. Cleo's interruptions are upsetting him, he sighs before continuing) ..So they can build some dipthe vine or something or other, something like that..(pause for Cleo to finish) Yea, yes! That! A Pipeline.. whatever in Sams Hell that is. How’d you know? (pauses for Cleo to speak, then chuckles clearly not surprised) I should’ve known the hens overheard something. They’re always sticking their feathers in places that it has no business in. How could the farmer be seriously considering this? Do you know what this would do to our family? T-Bone just started barn school, and Pattly just made some new friends with the pigs. There whole life is here! (Big Mac is clearly getting annoyed, his voice raises and words bunch together.. he's speaking faster and faster with each question) Where the hell are we suppose to go? And when did the farmer think he was going to tell us? And in what world is is ever okay for the government to just come and take it?! No.. No, i'm going to do something. We are not going silently, this is not okay. I’ll take care of it dont worry. (Big Mac sighs and moves to the fare left hand side of the stage.. he looks out into the pasture.)
(the carrot is planted firmly in the ground, he doesn't do much moving aside from some wiggling and frequent eye movement. Note to the preformer: the EYES play a big part in playing this role.)
Yay, they say. Congratulations! Good luck out there. way to go champ. When will they all realize, its not so great, getting picked.. at least I hope not. But the way the adults act when the gods come and pick us out the ground, and the tales they tell, the celebrations they throw, you would think its the best thing in the world. My whole life I’ve been told to soak up all my minerals so I can grow up big and strong and be picked first of my generation. Maybe that's not what I want, maybe I don’t want to be picked first. I just want it to come already, want to stop worrying about whether I’m plump enough, or whether I’m tall enough, or whether I’m orange enough.
(Looks over to the potato and shrugs)
You feel me? oh who am I kidding of course you don’t understand. you’re a frickin’ potato, you’re a root. You get bunched inside of a bag with others like you, the gods will buy a whole bag of you and not care how plump, round or ripe you are. ugh! I just wish things could be different around here.. (listens to the potato and rolls eyes) .. Yea man but that’s just talk, plants in these gardens have nothing better to do than make up stuff nowadays, you know that.. (listens to potatoe) Yea, man.. I mean, that would be pretty cool if we all got picked but I don’t think that’s actually going to happen. It seems pretty unrealistic, like C’mon now, the farmer picking all of us so he can put in a water pipe? Thats dumb, he can put a water pipe anywhere. He can but it next to the beets, nobody likes them anyway, and besides, why would they pick us all so early, I mean look at the onions over there, they look a hot mess, no god would buy them. (begins to chuckle as he listens to the potatoes reason.) An oil pipe? (his laughter begins to manifest) Dude, this doesn’t make any kind of sense we have oil reserves out in Texas, Alaska, and I heard in Cali somewhere, running a pipe from Canada is cray.. (listens to the potato, then interrupts his voice raising, obvious frustration is shown) Dude, woah, no, … (cut off by the potato, begins to sound softer, struggles to maintain his voice).. I’m not saying you’re crazy. I’m simply saying you sound it.. (now frustrated.) no, never did i once call you a liar.. (raising his voice to talk over the potato) I’m not calling you a liar, I’m just saying it sound a little.. no i was just going to say idiotic.. Well you don’t have to get upset.. (gasps, and looks offended) I don’t like your tone of voice.. Hey! Hey. I want to picked just as much as the next carrot in this garden but you don’t see me making up ridiculous stories. All that's going to do it get your hopes up. You’re tricking yourself into believing the farmer is going to come around any minute to dig us up and put this pipe in. And if you ask me, you’re still looking a little green. If the farmer picked you right now.. you’d be thrown away. (sits there and pouts, makes the expression on his face visible. he’s not obviously offended) I am not. I will grow. I’m not a baby carrot. I will grow big and plump, and the finest of the finest gods will buy me. You’ll see.. (whispers to himself) This whole garden will see.
(She is sitting outside on the juggle gym with her friends, hanging upside down, her eyes are wide, she is very excited.)
Hey guys, were do babies come from? (a look of disappointment crosses over her face, she obviously doesn't accept the answers her friends provide) I don't think aliens from space bring babies Alexandra! (listens to her other friend, her grimace turns into a smile) I don't think the stork is real either Asher. It's okay i'll just ask my daddy. He knows everything he works for the government. (listens to the chatter or her friends, looks up all excited and important, begins to brag.) He handles a whole lot of secret agent stuff, he knows stuff you guys don't know. and he tells me stuff you guys parents don't even know yet. But since you guys are my friends I'll let you know. (her eyes get wide and her face gets serious and her tone is hushed. She wags her fingers and narrows her eyes) but you can't tell anybody. It's top secret, you have to swear. (she listens to her friends) .. no SWEAR! promise, pinky promise. you too Oliva! (after her friends pinky swear her expression relaxes she pulls herself upright on the juggle gym and her face folds into a smile) Okay, you guys. My daddy said the government is going to put in this super pipe that goes from allll the way from Canada where the Tarsands are to alllll the way to Texas were there's this huge sea of oil. All the oil we use for cars and stuff is there, and we're running out of oil so they need to take some from Canada. My daddy said it's going to save the United States so much money, and it's going to make so many jobs for people who don't have them (she turns to Oliva with wide excited eyes) so you're auntie can get another job Oliva! My daddy said that us and Canada are going to be best friends, because they're giving us there oil and we're paying them for it. He said that gas prices might raise 10 or 20 cents more, but if you ask me a dime is a pretty cheap price to pay for a healthy friendship. Oh guys and I didn't even tell you the best part, while they're putting the pipeline in the ground they have to move the farmers and the farm animals, so the sheep and the cows, and the chickens are all coming to visit us here in Florida! (She starts laughing and cheering and getting her friends hyped up. She is excited for the Pipeline.)
*If the Pipeline goes through it will create about 25 hundred to 46 hundred temporary jobs.
*If the Pipleline goes through it will create about 20,000 permanent jobs.
*The Keystone Pipeline will transport about 830,000 barrels of oil.
*Importing oil from Canada is anticipated to eliminate all other Middle East oil importers
*The Keystone Pipeline would transfer 5 million barrels a day.
*Importing oil from Canada would be cheaper than importing it from the Middle East
*Creating this Pipeline would bring 3 to 4 billion dollars into the economy in the long run.
1. McBride, Erin. (2012): n. page. Web. 16 Oct. 2012. <http://beta.fool.com/erinannie/2012/03/09/keystone-xl-pipeline-who-benefits-who-doesnt/2773/>.
2. Clayton, Mark. (2012): n. page. Web. 16 Oct. 2012. <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46689167/ns/us_news-christian_science_monitor/t/how-much-would-keystone-pipeline-help-us-consumers/
Descriptive Essay: "24 Pairs of Eyes"
I could feel the eyes on me, the browns, the blues, the hazels, the greens and even the grays. They watched me, all 24 pairs, all 48 individual eyeballs. They watched me as i fiddled with my paper, dog ear folding the ends, then smoothing it out, then folding the paper back again, I continued like that, looking out into the crowd of 3rd graders. Their bored tired gazes lingered on me. My oversized pants and my powder blue uniform shirt suddenly felt 4 sizes too small. The room seemed to be closing in, everybody looked as if they were getting closer.
“Whenever, you’re ready” my third grade teacher Ms. O’rourke coached, her kind smile was the only thing that reassured me. I held the paper up high so that it blocked my view of the now impatient 3rd grade class.
“..T-hh-e b-b-b-ook,I read, fff-oor summer reading, w-wass.” I began, nervously picking at the edges of the paper.
“Naihema,” Ms. Chi my now fourth grade teachers sharp voice interrupted, startling me.
“That is not how 4th graders present, lower your paper, so the audience can see your face. Take a deep breath, slow down, and for goodness sakes stop mumbling.” My face felt hot, I lowered my paper as instructed, and tried my best to ignored my classmates giggling.
“The, book, I read for ssssu..ssummmer, reading, was Charlie and The Chhhocolate Fffactory.” I had only begun to read the first sentence of the passage in our reading textbook before Ms. Lacy my 5th grade reading teacher stopped me,
“Naihema, slow down, take a deep breath... hold it.. hold it.. now let it out. It’s okay, there’s no rush.” I sunk down in my chair, ashamed to still be getting told the same thing i was getting told in 4th grade. “Slow Down, take a deep breath. theres no rush.” Nobody else in the 5th grade had this problem, this stutter, nobody but me. I reluctantly did as I was instructed, inhale and exhaling, trying my best to ignored to whispers and giggles of everybody in the now 6th grade classroom.
“Naihema, did you want to pick up where Deion left off?” Mr. Snyder my 6th grade reading teacher asked, I shook my head, and averted my gaze so that he wouldn’t ask any other questions. He nodded understanding, and simply turned to the next person to read. When Sierra was done reading her part of the passage, Ms. Conkey my now 7th grade writing teacher had instructed her to pick somebody else to read their summer essay. I was the only person who hadn’t read, so it’s not like Sierra had much of a selection. The whole 7th grade class turned my way, there they were, all 24 sets of eyes, staring into my soul, waiting for me to begin my essay. I racked my brain for any possible out. Soon resulting to having a “coughing fit” and claiming to just be coming off of a cold.
I never actually had a speech impediment according to my mother, she would always say, my brain worked faster than my mouth. I had too many thoughts and not a fluent way of communicating them. That I simply talked to fast. But I always thought otherwise. All my life, throughout middle school, there was always this feeling of being less than the average student. I couldn’t raise my hand in class because, of the other kids constant giggles, whispers, and snide comments. I couldn’t read any of the papers I’d written, and the reports I’d spent sometimes days on. I couldn’t ask questions, or share with the class that the answer to number 4 section A was actually 56 instead of 57. Not like all the other kids. I eventually stopped trying to voice my opinion, get involved in class discussions, and volunteer to read my paper, by the time I realized that my stutter was a burden. I was a burden. Class had to be put on hold for about 15 minutes as I struggled through my paper. If i talked too fast, as my mother liked to think, shouldn’t i be finished reading my paper in half the time it took my classmates to read aloud?
I remember in reading Mango Shaped Space by Wendy Mass in the 6th grade, then having to write a report on the book, I remember loving the book so much, I read it twice. I remember the excitement I felt as I finished the report after spending all weekend plus the extra monday we had off to work on it. Bouncing excitedly on my tiptoes as the printer in the school library spat what i thought was the best thing in the word. Shoving it into my backpack, then walking swiftly to Ms. Conkey’s reading class. I went through the first 20 minutes of class, doing daily routines. Copying down the sentences on the board and picking out grammatical errors in them, going up to the handwriting bin, picking out the handwriting sheet, and tracing the cursive letters then rewriting them over. Then listening to the whines of my teacher as she complained about our inability to get finished our daily routines in a reasonable amount of time. All of that leading up to the moment where Ms. Conkey looked at her clipboard and began to read off names of the people she had preselected to read their presentation today. My heart rate sped as I patiently listened to the names she called out, hoping that one would be mine.
“Amirah, Kyleel, Andrew, Deion, Inayah, Naihema, Shannon, Jeffrey..” My heart skipped at the sound of my name. I sat patiently as the other 5 students before me, went up and read their reports. I began to get impatient as Inayah lingered on her last paragraph. She came to her last sentence, and i jumped up out of my seat with my paper. I went to the head of the classroom and stood on the presenting stool.
“Lets make this switft” Ms. Conkey said not bothering to look up from her notepad. I stepped on the presenting stool, it was suppose to act as if it was a stage. All eyes were on me, those same 48 that had been on me in 3rd, then again in 4th, alittle in 5th, not so much in 6th, and now as i stood here in front of the class for the first time in 7th.
“The book i read was, Mango Shaped Space” I started being sure to take a deep breath before i started, i read slowly, to make sure i didn’t tangle my words. I hadn’t even gotten through the 2nd paragraph of my paper before Ms. Conkey interrupted, “Thank you Naihema, you can sit down now.” I stood there in awe, my face felt hot, the familiar sound of my classmates giggles filled my ears. My grip on the paper tightened crinkling, i just looked at her, unsure of what to say, unsure of what to do. Everyone else had gotten a chance to finish their essay, why not me? How was I any different. I looked down at the ground, standing there on the presenting stool. i remember feeling like i wasn’t good enough, feeling like i was incompetent. I began to doubt myself, and my ability to excel, how was i ever going to if i couldn’t get through my paper? That was the last time, i spoke in front of a crowd willingly, there was always times where the teacher had forced my to share or to read aloud. I never wanted to feel such humiliation, such disappointment in myself, i didn’t want to ever feel like i was anything less than normal. I learned to keep to myself and lay low, in the classroom. Knowing the correct moments to “sneeze”, to go in the hallways for a drink of water and when to that a quick bathroom break.
Although my mom was right, i did talk too fast, i never stuttered and i eventually grew out of it. But I could never erase the emotional toll it took on me, or the sounds of the familiar giggling of my classmates, or the feeling of having all those eyes on my, all 24 pairs of the browns, blues, greys, hazels and the greens.
La casa de Tómas.
* Es a mediano cuarto, con un television, una sofa, lampara, la mess, sílla y plantas. Un colores de cuarto es rojo.
* Es muy espacio, con 4 ventanas, en el cuarto es refridgerator, estufé, lavaplatos, microonda cafe. Un colores de cuarto es possiblé, cafe y rojo.
*Es así así pequiño, uno ventanas, con la guitarra, estudio de musica, sistema de música. Un colores de cuarto es cafe o oscuro rojo.
*Es muy mediano y muy ventanas, con una mesa, sílla, y amario. Un colores de cuarto es possiblé rojo, cafe y crema .
uno por Tómas niños, Pooncie y Char.
uno por Tómas y sus novia
uno extra
Tres por "honey dips"
El Secreto del Elefante.
El Elephant le dice al cartero "bebe la leche mas alta con tu familia" La familia bebe hacia la aqua no mas alta con el elephants. Leche mas alta se elephante Huillcacoto.
El Secreto del Elephante.
Hay una familiar en el hospital de Pluto. Hay un papa, un mama, Stewie, y tio, L familiar tiene une mochilla pequena. La familiar tiene una elefante. Es un elefante no grade. El Elefante es muy dramtica. El elefante tiene un secreto. El elefante es una mañoso. El Elefante reir el elefante le dice al cartero. “El huevos, BoogieMan, no esta contento. Crimson Chin va a comer el huevos.” Hay un problema. Es un problema grande.
El Elephant le dice al cartero "bebe la leche mas alta con tu familia" La familia bebe hacia la aqua no mas alta con el elephants. Leche mas alta se elephante Huillcacoto.Mañoso
Mi actividades : )
S.L.A, Mi casa. mi escuela !
Classe de literatura es muy diveritida. En classe de literatura somos leer y escribir cuentos, Señor Kay, el professor es muy extrañao, bobo y simpatico. En Classe de literatura tienemos discusíon por el libro somos leer. A mi escuela tienemos proyectos por una grado, en Señor Kay's classe de literatura somos escribir mucho cuentos por el proyectos. Somos mucho talentos y creativa estudiantes en mi classe. El Señor Kay es un drama professor tambien. En su classe, ello incorporados drama en su lección de ingles. Es muy divertida. Por de classe de literatura somos necessito,
Titles.
¡Mis Seres Quierdos!
Drake!!
slide
!Hola!
Holá, Me llama Naihema Powell! Soy Africano - Americana y Native Americana chica. Tengo quince años, Mi cumple es el Octubre de vient ay siete. Tengo una hermana, ella llama Zahirah. Soy de Texas pero vivo en el filadelfiá. ¿Cómo estas? Soy alto, delgado, con rubi y verde ojos. Soy sociable, cómica, boba, divertida, muy intelligente, artîstica, simpática, creative, y habladora! ¿Comó eres tú? Me gusta escribir, leer, y escuchar música. Me favoritá libro es The Twilight Saga por Stephanie Meyer y Thirst por Christopher Pike. ¿Y a ti? Los libros es muy bien! Me favoritá música es Aubrey Drake Graham y Frank Ocean y The Weeknd tres africano - americana cantantes. ¿Y a ti? ¿Qué música te gusta escuchar? Bueno, me voy porque tengo comer ir una fiesta con cena! Adios mi amiga!
~Naihema : )
Greetings
Greetings My Friends;
Normally you don’t just walk up to people and start talking to them, randomly out of the blue. You need to approach and greet them before starting an all out conversation. There are multiple ways to greet somebody in the Spanish speaking language. Look through the FIRST set of flash cards and listen to the pronunciation of the words until you get the hang of it!**Starting to get the hang of it? Now lets move on to the second part of our greetings! Usually the question "How are you doing?" follows shortly after hello is said. To ask "How are you doing" or "How are you" use the phrase, "Como estas?" Study the second set of flash cards until you get the hang out it, be sure to listen to the pronunciation of each word.
**Now that you've got it, watch this video clip of two strangers talking while they wait at the bus stop!**
Quater to SPANISH
Half-Past Learning In Spanish!
Telling time is an important part of life, if you
go to Peru, or any other Spanish speaking country and say “What time is it”
they will look at you like you have 3 heads. You need to say;
·
¿Qué hora es? à ((Ke - Orra – ssss))
this means What time is it.
·
The appropriate response would be Son Las à It is followed my
the time.
Son las dos Son las tres Son las cuatro Son las cinco Son las sies Son las siete Son las ocho Son las nueve Son las diez Son las once |
It is 2 o’clock It it 3 o’clock It is 4 o’clock It is 5 o’clock It is 6 o’clock It is 7 o’clock It is 8 o’clock It is 9 o’clock It is 10 o’clock It is 11 o’clock |
When it is 12 o’clock we don’t say Son las doce,
even thought that IS an option. A lot of Spanish speaking people just use
medianoché or medîodia. Medianoché for 12AM and medîodia for 12AM.
Media Cuarto menos |
Half an hour A quarter minus |
When you see any of the previous ^^^ in a time
telling sentence like the following:
Son las media ocho. It means à It is 8 thirty
Son las nueve menos cuarto à It is minus 15 of
nine. Meaning is 8:45.
If you see cuarto in a time telling sentence
WITHOUT menos in front of it that just means its 15 minutes after ___Blank___
Ex: Son las cuatro y cuarto à It is 4:15
NOTE: how 4 is CUATRO and a quarter is CUARTO ..do not confuse to two!
Cloudy with a Chance of Spanish
Cloudy with a Chance of Spanish.
Lesson:
· *In order to be able to survive in a Spanish speaking country one of the MAIN things you’re going to NEED to know and do is ask about the weather.
1. ¿Qué tiempo
hace? = What’s the weather today?
Que (KAY) tiempo
(Tee-EM-PO) hace (A-se)
Look at the picture below, and say the sayings above to see what each weather term means!
**watch this video on a stopping a friend from carrying an extra unnecessary item!
*Hace Sol
Hace Calor
Hace viento
Hace mal tiempo