"An Encounter" was a story about a few boys skipping school; they meet a ecentric old man that gives the main character and his friends a few pieces of advice. This story is not hard to follow but I keep getting the feeling that there is more to this story. I want to know more about the main characters and their background rather then what they author gave me. The character of the old man was pretty well developed, he gave me this creepy feeling while he was talking to the boys. What was his purpose of being in this story? Is he supposed to symbolize the boys concensous because they are doing something they shouldn't be?

   “In Paris, one is always reminded of being a foreigner. If you park your car wrong, it is not the fact that it's on the sidewalk that matters, but the fact that you speak with an accent.”
      I was confused at first while reading "The Winter Circus" because the contrast between American and France. The story starts off with what sounds like normal everyday news expect its from the European point of view. I didn't realize the narrator was in France until a page or two later. There are differences in every country ranging from the language, traditions and technologies.
      There is a quote I would like to include here that describes life perfectly when referring to these kind of situations. "The odd thing in making a big move is the knowledge that your life will be composed of hundreds of small things that you will arrive at only by trial and error, and that for all the strikes and seminars you attend, the real flavor of life will be determined, shaped, by these things." To me, this means that not matter how big a change, move, or anything else of that matter is, there are always the little things that help reminds us of what life is about. Not everything is going to go your way but there are little things that will, you have to pick and chose you battles. Make or reshape you ways of thinking in order to survive.
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  Writing-  I enjoy writing when I actually get the chance to. The types of writing I like varies from short stories, poems, narrative essays, any essays really.  I have dabbled in many different writing styles throughout the years; I don’t really have a favorite but my least favorite is the formal MLA or APA writing. I believe that when I write in these type of formats that I tend to pay attention more to the structure rather then the content.

 

2. Research-  I’ve always done my research by books or the internet, so doing first hand research would be an interesting change. I think I would like to investigate people who work in restaurants because I’ve worked in one since I was fifteen, I’m 22 now, so I have had the time to people watch and gain a lot of insight toward that type of business. It would be based on my observations and I could interviews my fellow co workers to gain some of their insights as to why people work there, what kind of people work there. I also want to find out from the veterans as to why they have lasted so long in an industry where everyone is considered replaceable.

 

3.  Technology-  The types of technology I use now are my cell phone, digital camera and computer. My cell phone is actually bothering me because I want a smart phone that I can go on the internet with and check my e-mail and face book. This problem will probably be fixed in a few months when I buy a new phone. I love my digital camera, taking pictures has become one of my favorite hobbies. One day I wish to buy a professional camera to take better quality pictures. My computer on the other hand  is perfect for my needs. I use it for e-mail, research, bills, face book, twitter and I did begin a blog  but I haven’t had time to give it the attention it needs

  This CGCE program actually found me when I needed it most; I applied to transfer to Rowan after my two and a half years at Camden County College, unfortunately my financial aid fell through and I had to drop all my classes. While talking to the admissions office at Rowan trying to figure out what I’m going to do the lady at the front desk mentioned this program. She told me that the deadline to apply has passed but she made a few calls and pushed me through. This program sounded like a dream come true for me at that moment. I would take classes at night and keep my job during the day, it sounded perfect. Well a year later and I am still thankful this program found me, and yes there were some rough patches but I do not think I would change this experience.
           I enjoy the co-hort I am with and the classes we have taken. It has been changeling and very stressful at some points but isn’t that what college is like for everybody? I know some of my classmates complain time to time about how awful this program is, but they still come to class and no one is forcing them to, so I guess it can’t be that bad.
            The only frustrating aspect about being apart of this community is there’s so much confusion when it comes to our program. Yes we are Rowan students, but we always feel like we get the crap end of a stick, excuse my lack for better words. I mean how many other teacher programs have sent their students not once but twice to Camden for classroom observations? With a chance of being sent back there again for this semester.