Agents of socialization

I learned in class this week about how (whether we realize it or not) we are greatly influenced by our parents' decisions and actions. Our family is one of the greatest influencers in our lives. Our genes come from them, so we inherit some of their characteristics. As well as traits that come from genes, we also learn to act as they do. Whenever anyone talks to my father, for example, they always say they immediately know we're related because we have such similar mannerisms.Another way I was influenced by my dad deals with my future profession. My dad is a doctor, and I've always kept going into the medical field in the back of my mind because I have always admired his job. My parents have influenced me in many ways, and I know some kids aren't lucky enough to say the same. This week I learne exactly how big of a roll our environments play in raising us.

Pursuit of Happiness

This week in class we had to read an excerpt from a book called Thrive. It was all about how to live a happier life and what aspects of your life you need to change in order to do so. Most of us usually just relate money to happiness. So, to become a happier person, most of us think we need to just win the lottery. But, Salituro and the book taught us that this isn't necessarily true. Although money gives you freedom, it doesn't always guarantee happiness. In fact, studies have shown that people who win the lottery usually increase their happiness levels for a little bit. But, their happiness levels usually go back down to where they usually were. While doing community service a couple of days ago, I met a woman who told me that she used to work a lot to support her family. But, she discovered that she wasn't actually benefiting her family because she was always away from them. Once she quit her job, she was able to spend more time with the people she loved and although she's not a gazillionaire, she's doing what she believes is important.

Shriners

This past Tuesday I went on another trip to Shriner's Children's Hospital. Although I had already been there, this experience was different from my past experiences. Each time I go, there are always new kids there to hang out with. This particular time, I met a little girl. She was adorable and only four years old.  When I first saw her, I immediately assumed that because she was in a wheel chair, she probably couldn't get out. But, while I was playing checkers with her, she told me that she wanted to play hide and seek. Then, she quickly unbuckled her seat belt and climbed out of her chair. I was stunned because I never expected her to be able to even move her legs. Most patients there are pretty restricted to their chairs and usually need help getting in and out of them. But, this particular 4 year old climbed out of her chair boldly. She preferred crawling to most places instead of walking since she limped a lot when she walked. But, she was really fast whenever she crawled. And so, we spent most of our time playing hide and go seek, climbing on a jungle gym, and playing more checkers. I had a really great time with her and although I probably won't see her again, she taught me a lot about experiencing new ways of life. I learned not to make immediate judgements about people and to acknowledge the fact that everyone has their own personal story behind who they are.

Different Worlds

For homework this week in class, we had to read a couple of articles by people from Germany who had visited the United States. Because they live so far from the US, their way of life is a lot different. For example, in one of the articles, the author commented on how he thought it was amazing that American grocery stores were open on Sundays. This is because in Germany, there aren't giant supermarkets like we have here. Instead, they have many shops for specific needed goods. Also, these stores aren't usually open on Sundays because Sundays are considered a day of rest. Another article talked about how Americans (for some crazy reason) LOVE to jog. The author said that people could be found super early during mornings simply jogging up and down streets alone. He couldn't understand this because in Germany, people usually don't exercise alone. Also, if they need to exercise- they don't simply jog. Instead, they might play soccer with a group of people. These differences help us define American culture. We are a people driven by values focusing around efficiency and control. We like being able to shop on Sundays because we hate it when someone tells us no. We want the freedom to be able to shop whenever we want. We also love to jog at 5 in the morning even if it's freezing out because it's what's most convenient for us. I don't know if this way of life is what's best for us, but I know most of us Americans definitely live by these standards.

Shriners

Last week I went on a GIVE trip to Shriners hospital for kids in wheelchairs. I had gone on this trip before, and I really liked bonding with the kids. One of the girls I talked to last year was around my age and told me about all the harships the people in the wheelchairs were facing. I knew I could never fully understand what they were dealing with, but I did my best to try to just have fun with them. But, on this specific trip, not many kids were available to play with. We mostly just played wheel chair basketball and I also played a card game with a kid who looked like he was about 7. When I was wheeling around with my friends and playing basketball, I couldn't believe how hard it was to win. I never thought wheelchair basketball would be that hard, but everyone was sweating when we finished. Overall, I think it was a really good experience and I definitely want to go back.

Cultural Differences

This week in class we've been focusing on cultural differences. Different societies create cultural norms that other people can't always relate to. For example, gestures in America, where we live, might mean something different in another part of the world. These differences should be appreciated, but sometimes they are difficult to embrace. When I went to Spain last summer, I found a lot of these cultural differences. People in Spain are a lot more "touchy-feely" than Americans. My tour guide would often call my group pet names and liked to hug us a lot. Also, whenever we went into restaurants, they wouldn't serve us ice in our drinks. I found that in many European countries, people thought that ice was poor for digestion. These differences helped me reach a greater understanding and appreciation of other cultures.