Octavian's English Blog

Its important to keep cultural foods because they connect me to my roots and family traditions. Food isn’t just something to eat, it also brings people together and reminds me of where I come from. There are some foods I couldn’t live without, not because they’re just delicious, but also a big part of my life and memories. Keeping these foods in my life means keeping a piece of my culture with me no matter where I go. Today in class we made a digital poster of our cultural and traditional foods that we eat during events. I appreciated this assignment because it made me realize how unique I am and how food is a big part of culture. 

 The most important aspect of my identity is my determination. I always push myself to get better, whether it's in school, sports, or anything else I care about. If I want to achieve something, I work hard for it and don’t give up easily. This matters because it helps me improve and reach my goals, even when things get tough. Today in class we worked on a mask representing our culture, ethnicity, and race. I did not like this assignment but I see how it is important and how we need to know where we're from. 

 If someone invaded my privacy online or on my phone, I would feel super invaded, like someone was sneaking around in my stuff without asking. It would be like if a stranger just walked into my room and started looking through my things. Privacy should be a basic civil liberty because people should be able to do things without someone always watching them. If I don’t have privacy, then I don’t really have freedom, and that’s not fair. Today in class we read a poem by Langston Hughes. The poem was about being accepted into America and it was a really good poem since it put things into perspective for my and how we should strive to make America better every day.

 Over winter break, I got an imperative amount of rest, making sure to recharge before school started again. Most of my time was spent playing video games, an impalpable escape from reality that made the days fly by. I also hung out with my brother, who was home from college, and we had a great time catching up, though his presence was sometimes an impediment to my gaming schedule. Despite being a bit impecunious after holiday shopping, I still managed to have fun without spending much money. The only thing that could impair my break was the thought of school starting again. Today in class we did a vocab comic strip using the 15 words we learned from the book. I did not really like this assignment since I am not so creative and good at coloring/drawing.

 A perfect day spent with someone I care about would be one with my brother and my family most likely. A perfect day with my family would be hiking. My brother and I are both passionate about hiking and most of my family loves hiking and going on a trip to a place like Mt. Rainier, the Dolomites, or even deeper into the Appalachian Mountains would be awesome. We would also bring headphones to relax and a frisbee to throw with and have fun. After that, we would get to a cabin or a lodge or a hotel and relax for a while then go stargazing. To end it off, we would go back to our cabin and play board games then go to sleep. In my opinion, that is the perfect day.  Today in class we read Let America be America Again and did a project on it. The Poem was about how America was back then and the struggles that it had in it. It was hoping for a better life in the future for many people that were not rich and white. I liked the poem since it is still valuable today and stood the test of...

 My American Dream is a life where you can have a family and a house and still be able to have good free time for yourself and care for them. I want to be able to travel the world on top of working a job, where a job doesn't take up my whole life, or I am living paycheck to paycheck. The dream is to do 40 hours a week maximum for my job, and have enough money to be able to do fun stuff on the weekends and travel. The main thing about America that I love is the freedom and democracy. Not all countries have freedom of speech and other key human rights, and I love having that.  Today in class we read Let America be America Again and did a project on it. The Poem was about how America was back then and the struggles that it had in it. It was hoping for a better life in the future for many people that were not rich and white. I liked the poem since it is still valuable today and stood the test of time - showing how many issues of that time are still evident today. 

 A time when someone offended me was when my dad called me stupid. We went out as a family and got on the topic of my grades and what I am going to do after college and he saw how bad they were, and ended up calling me stupid. This made me feel really bad and lost in my life, but in the end I'm glad he said it. It made me get up and do something about it and actually find direction in my life. My dad and I are good now. Today in class we read the poem Incident. Reading this made me realize the power of words and how much they really mean. You can offend someone really easily and you have to think before you speak.