“Tourists Do Not Know Where You've Been. The Travelers Does Not Know Where It Will Go”

Being a tourist is one of the most enriching and rewarding experiences that exist.  Through out of the years I’ve has the opportunity of being a tourist in many countries therefore I can guarantee that there is no such gratifying feeling that can compare to the one where you are walking around the streets of any other country enjoy the view, the different infrastructure of buildings, the behavior of the people (resident) among many others.  Thinking of a good place to pretend being a tourist in my island, it came to my mind the idea of going Sunday evening to the World’s Best 10K at the Teodoro Moscoso Bridge taking advantage that my mom and my brother were going to participate. It was an even that I had never been to so I didn’t has any knowledge of the logistic, purpose and the process of participating. There were going to many contestants’ lots of audience and many foreigners competing. So it was my best opportunity to act like an American or “gringa” how we call in P. R. 

            

            

At the beginning of my journey I met this nice girl about my age in the train station who helped me by giving me the directions of how to get to the event. As soon as I arrived I noticed many building with an infrastructure different to the ones that I’m used to see. I asked many of the people that were there about the marathon and after looking at me strange because of my wardrobe, some of the could answer my doubts but others couldn’t due to the fact that I only speak English and they only speak Spanish.

  In general I could say that they treated me very well, some even asked about the event and where they could be seated without noticing that I was a tourist. Something that really caught my attention was that while I was waiting in line in a cafeteria, a man who was in front at me, also American, had to buy a lot more for what he bought rather than the local customers. That is something that is very common, where tourists are charged a lot more than the original price because the employers take advantage of them. While making my order at the cafeteria, people around looked at me as if I were an exotic animal from Australia. At first impression some could think that I was Puerto Rican but as soon as I spoke with my “gringa” accent their facial expressions would change automatically. When the competitors started arriving to the finish line, the first ones to arrive where foreigners (from Kenya, African). After the race had finished I went back to the train station to meet up with my mom and my brother.

  Watching the Puerto Ricans from another point of view for a couple hours, it made me realize how diverse we are in our language, behavior, attitudes and actions which are main factors that make us unique. A good reason to understand the common phrase that says  you can identify Puerto Rican(Boricua) in any place of the world you may visit to” I could also appreciate how lucky we are to live in this little islands, with a perfect climate, good people and specially human beings that take any challenge in life as an experience and vot as bad wick like these  running and giving their all while making the race in wheelchairs.

For more information about the history, rules, and other results of the event, click here ->http://www.wb10k.com/content.cfm?contentID=68

Running Brave

       "Running Brave" is a movie based in the real story of Billy Mills’ internal struggles - grasping the 'killer' notion of winning, dealing with the attitude of whites, and with the contempt of the Sioux who think he's become white. Some of the issues that are denoted in the film are the sacrifice, racism, discrimination and lack of respect. One important thing to see in this film is the fact that he was an American Indian of the reserve; because being Indian and poor, at that time, gave sufficient reasons for it to be marginalized and segregated. Factors that affected his journey and completely affected his contract as a runner. To the point of getting lost on the way, completely forgetting the reasons why he went to the University of Kansas.

   
 One of the things that I found very interesting was when he left everything because of his emotions about existence, because he couldn't tolerate more comments, derogatory interactions of peers and the lack of respect from his coach, making him to leave and go back his origins. After this he realized he was ruining all the sacrifices and all his racing career. Then, the story shows Bills' nervous, disoriented, unsure and totally loosing control of his life. Feeling obligated to go back home to remember and analyze the real reason he left and to fin the answers or his true that would lid him in the future.

This film shows the fact that prejudice still exists, and how people are affected by situations that occur today and are part of our reality. Many people are affected by their experiences of contempt, ridiculed and discriminated in schools, workplaces, restaurants and others. So I think this is a good movie because it shows that although the path is not easy and we lost our way, such situations can lead us to become stronger and better persons.

Crossing My Life

      Welcome to my informational page! I’m excited to share with you all my interests, experiences habits, and other fascinating facts about myself. You ‘ll be taking a roadtrip through the major events and important information about me! Take some snacks and have a nice trip!. 

First stop: Nickname City

Get yourself comfortable; this is going to be a long trip with many stops. Feel free to call me Shai – even though I am not shy at all! My mom calls me Nicolasa, but I prefer Shai.  

Second stop: Location Town.

I’m twenty-two years old and I was born in Bayamon, but I’m from Ceti, Arecibo, which I try and visit every weekend – it’s not as far as you think. During my university years, I have lived on campus, which has been the best experience of my life. It has taught me how to communicate with people from different cultures. I’ve met all kinds of individuals from various countries, which is always an experience!

Third stop: Sagrada Familia City 

My family is quite important to me. I have a brother whom I love to spend my time with, even though he lives in Mayaguez. My life is a constant reminder of all the lessons my parents have taught me. Thanks to the wisdom and the advice they have shared, I am who I am today.

Fourth Stop: Education and Carrer Village

I'm currently finishing my major in education with a specialization in biology. I chose this field because I love teaching others and offer help to anyone in need. I’m leaning towards pursuing a master’s degree in occupational therapy at the Medical Center (RCM) in Rio Piedras. I hope in addition to becoming an occupational therapist, I’ll become a very distinct, competitive and efficient teacher.

Fifth stop: Fine Arts City

I enjoy watching drama movies. One of my favorites has to be “The Boy In The Striped Pajamas” due to how well the movie demonstrates the conflict of World War II and the Nazis. I ‘ve always been interested in the topics of the concentration campus and the treatment of the Jews during in the Holocaust.

Sixth stop: Free Time City

When I have the free time, which is usually on winter and summer breaks, I love joining my friends to explore the woods and caves of the island. I also enjoy listening to music and reading a good science-fiction book.

Seventh stop: Salamanca City

One of the best experiences of my life was when I was an exchange student in Salamanca, Spain. This experience changed my life in every way possible. I began seeing things through different eyes, I began considering situations from different angles, and also developed patience. I learned a lot about culture and education in a very distinct environment from that which I was used to. I recommend going on an exchange – it’s a great eye opener! 

The Lexicon In Varieties Of English Around The World

The conference, hosted by Dr. Manfred Krug of the University of Bamberg, Germany, was about his research into the lexicon, or vocabulary. Based specifically into variants of native English regions, with the United States and Britain which were two islands: Malta and Puerto Rico. Krug collected a sample of one million words through their questionnaires, which measured the nationality if they were monolingual English, bilingual, trialing and that greatly influenced the kind of English that they would produce. He showed the results on graphs explaining the different samples of different speakers, how some are more close to the United Kingdom variant and other to the United States.

  This was more focused on English in Malta and Puerto Rico. What could find was that the variant of Malta was more similar to the United Kingdom, yet the Italian influence is still perceived in the English spoken in Malta and counting the influence of their native language. Regarding variant Puerto Rico clearly was more similar to that produced in the United States. Another issue on which he was focused was on phrases or words that Puerto Ricans use in spanish. Where we can call it as loans rather than English or anglicized English that reflects the influence of American English on the island.

The talk usually was very interesting although I wish more interaction and participation from the public. Another issue was that this did not talk about the accent or pronunciation but only focused on the topic lexicon.

If you are interested in this topic you will find more information here -
http://download.e-bookshelf.de/download/0002/5629/60/L-G-0002562960-0003846724.pdf