I’m so excited I got like a week left of school starting tomorrow on Wednesday. It feels weird being back from thanksgiving break because its like a miniature break before the big one. Also it kind of sucked having homework and work to do during thanksgiving break. Like going from high school where I didn’t have any school work to do to having to write an essay and do readings is crazy to think of it as much of a break. I didn’t do anything special to say the least honestly. Just had our thanksgiving dinner had family over and that’s pretty much it. Unless I did go Black Friday shopping and this year was way different. I went with some friends and I was out for like 12 hours straight. I got home the next morning at 8 and I took a nap because I had to get up at 11 to get ready for the civil war game. That was a very fun time it was my first time going as a student to the game and sitting in the student section, same goes for my cousin it was his first time too as a student. It was also the last student game for my brother so it was more of an interesting game. It is a bittersweet feeling because the fact that finals are next week. I think I have come up with a very good preparation for the finals. Like I set days and times to study that work around my class and work schedule to even what days are solemnly just for one certain type of class. The cool thing that I like about my finals is that my Ethnic Studies one is a take home so I have more time to actually set time aside and think about it and how I’d like to set it up. I have more time to space out my actual time to do the final. I have set my work hours with my finals to have time to study and prepare for the finals. The only other class I’m taking other than History 201 and Ethnic Studies 101 is Writing 121. In Writing 121 I have an essay to write I have gotten the essay done now, but I have a lot of revising to do. But like I said I have set certain days to certain subjects so I can study or finish my finals. So I’m taking up Monday of next week as a day to polish up my writing final to turn in on Tuesday afternoon. For Tuesday I’ll be dedicating my day to study and prepare my self for my History final that is dreadfully at 8 in the morning on Wednesday. Lastly, I’ll spend the rest of my day on Wednesday to Polish up my final for Ethnic Studies to turn in by 5pm. I think my time preparation has gotten a lot better in the sense that I know what time I’ll be doing everything. I don’t think any classes are going to be easy or hard but just moderate. But if I had to think about which I would have to work on the most to the least would be History, Ethnic Studies, and lastly Writing. But overall I think I am mentally prepared for this.

There are two main event that I would like to talk about the first one is about the events that happened at Mizzou and the UO, and some effect of the France attack.

The events that happened at Mizzou that led up to the resignation of school President Tom Wolfe. The reason everything was happening was because the school was having so many racists comments towards Black students. The students were protesting all the bad things that have happened to them and everything else that had affected the Black student population. Another thing that Mizzou students tried to ask for was that at least 10% of the staff be of color. One student went on a hunger strike until the president would step down. Many other tried to protest too, button much happened. Until the Black students of the football team decided to do something too, the very cool thing was that the rest of the time and coaches stood behind them. So they decided to not play any games until Tom Wolfe would step down. These events caused the President to resign. “The frustration and anger that I see is clear, real, and I don’t doubt it for a second,” Wolfe said. “Please, please, use this resignation to heal, not to hate, and let’s move on together for a brighter future.” This is a direct quote from Tom Wolfe after his resignation. Just last week on November, 12th the UO had a guest speaker come and talk about Black Lives Matter, and Race & Justice Across America. After the speaker students and staff gathered together and marched from Ford Alumni to the front of the Presidents office in a solidarity march. The march took place to support Mizzou and all Black lives around campuses. This event lead to our school President to get more involved and try to make a change on our campus.

Another event is about an affect the France attack had on a Sikh man. So this is was about the Sikh man Veerender Jubbal who wears turbans as part of their culture; was wrongly accused of being a Paris attacker in a photo shopped image of himself. He had posted an innocent mirror picture of himself using an IPad, and it was altered to look like he was wearing a suicide vest and his IPad was replaced to look like a Koran. There were a couple news anchors who actually thought it was real and were going to use as evidence but soon excused it. “One of the terrorists may have entered Greece along with Syrian refugees. The unidentified attackers were between 15 and 18 years and acted in three teams” was printed in a Madrid based newspaper La Razón along with the photo shopped photo of the Jubbal. These two examples are great examples of how people stereotype a person because of their race. Usually they are all stereotyped to something that one person of the same racial background had done that was bad.

These two events stood out to me the most because it showed how people racially group others just because of the way they might look. We as a community and people tend to not know much about others so they just assume the worst.

To start I just want to say I am very proud of myself because I did way better than I thought I would on my History 201 and Ethnic Studies 101 midterms. I was expecting to get at least a C average, but I ended up getting a high B average. So to say the least I was so happy and shocked.

I have seen getting help in college is pretty easy you just got to look for it. I feel like I made some pretty good connections with getting involved with CMAE. Honestly I don’t think I would have known much on what to do or where to go if it wasn’t for the fact that I have friends that come here and that have just gone through what I am right now. One of them helped me out so much by telling me to join a freshman and transfer retreat so I was able to meet new people and know where to go to for help and get connections. And I feel like CMAE has helped me in all aspects of help from academic, social, and any questions I need help on. So for me help was very easy to find, but overall how I had said if anybody needs help its up to them to go out and find the help they need or want. I mean we are pretty much adults its time to step up and do things for ourselves. I don’t want to speak for the rest of freshmen college students but I personally wouldn’t want somebody referring to me as a child. I’m not a kid anymore I’ve reached that age where I should know what is good and bad for me. We should all know or learn how to find for ourselves.

I have not found the freedom of college to be very liberating because for me I live so close to campus that its cheaper for me to live at home with my parents. I’m not saying that they don’t give me more freedom then they used to because they do its up to me on what I do and what I think I’m doing is right. But there are some rules obviously I have to obey for example there are things I have to help out with it can’t just be a place I go to sleep and eat, I have to do stuff around the house. I’ve heard so much from other people that it’s a Hispanic thing that the parents are super strict even if you’re 18 the age where in the U.S. its a legal age to fend for yourself, but it doesn’t matter that you’re 18 to Hispanic parents because you are still living under their roof. But I feel like its like that with any parents, at least they would like to know what you are up to that you aren’t up to any bad. That you are safe are doing good that nothing bad is gonna happen when you are out and about. I honestly like being at home because I get so much support to stay on track and not go off the route.

To conclude there isn’t really just one thing I would change if I could. I feel like theres more, but that all connect together. I wish I came more prepared for college. I wish I had at least looked into what classes I was taking, because I know I didn’t I just knew where to go and what time. Also I wish I knew how to better manage my time. I think that’s something I keep going on and on about, but I still haven’t quite gotten it down. But I still got hope! Hopefully before next term.

More than half way done with this term. That makes me so happy to hear that I don’t know why, but in some aspects of it I want it to be over already at least some classes I’m done with it too much work. I feel like I need to start fresh a new term to be able to better myself academically. I don’t think I’m doing bad but I’m not doing as great as I would like to. I need some new things a new fresh start. There’s so much to do and learn that I can work on to be prepared for winter term so I can do much better in everything. Main thing is that I need to get better on my time management, I procrastinate so much it is so bad. I barley sleep my schedule is so out of whack because of it. I’m a bit confused on the whole aspect of tradition. I guess one that I can talk about is Thanksgiving since it’s coming up. My families tradition has lightly changed from what it used to be. Like less family gathers together because they are either married and going with their suppose family or they go to another place or have other traditions now. So Thanksgiving is a bit smaller now then what I was used to when I was younger. The food during Thanksgiving used to never be what people classified as traditional Thanksgiving food. It was always be tamales which is great no complains. But now it is more traditional food. I feel like my traditional Thanksgiving is going to be different this year because I am planning on spending it with friends that can’t make it back home for the holiday. I feel like it would be a better change because I feel like it would be nice getting together with my friends that I made because were like a family we are all united together. We’ve all grown deep connections. That makes me very thankful that I was able to meet the CMAE group. A tradition I have gotten since I started school is I gather with a group of people to watch a tv show and catch up on everybody’s  whereabouts. I haven’t really started any or much new traditions sense I started college. I feel like it is a bit hard to get involved like most do that live on campus in the dorms or just near by in the area. One tradition I did have thats semi new is that my cousins and my brother that live here that we are about the same age we put sometime away to get together and catch up, watch a movie or have dinner and movie night we just get together is week just so we are all on the same page on our lives. I wouldn’t say I have a bunch of traditions but I would like to start new ones.

Woo Hoo!!! Such a relief that midterms are over with. It feels like a weight was taken off my shoulders. To prepare for the test I went over the readings and all presentations. I prepared by taking notes of all key terms and main points during presentations, and I also went over the readings and made a small summary with the main ideas. At least thats how I studied for my Ethnic Studies class. For my History 201 class I studied a bit differently. We had a study guide with all the key terms and I just went through them wrote what it was by using the glossary of the text and I read the paragraph were the key term was found. I also went over the primary sources because I had forgotten most of it. The notes I had taken in class were not helpful for studying for the test. At least it did not help me at all, I didn’t even look at them. Going in to take the test I was very clam and relaxed, which is weird coming from me. I tend to like freak out and I get crazy stress and it just doesn’t start off good, but this time it was a huge difference. It’s weird its like going from high school being all stressed to not even stressing it in college. Taking the tests weren’t has bad as I sort of expected overall. Coming out I’m of the test I didn’t really have much thought about it, because for me if I start thinking about I start over thinking it and thinking ‘oh I missed up, I could have done better or I could have changed something or I should have done this or that.’ Its just a bunch of I should haves. Thinking about it now I hope I did good, I think I did a good job on it. Like I said I’m just glad its all over with, no more stressing about having to study a lot and when for my midterms. Now I have some time until Finals.. Ugh. There is some classes that I do like and others I don’t at least how they are. In my ES 101 class I like it a bunch how lectures go because she uses presentations and they help so much to be able to go over it after lecture again because its on Canvas. Also I like how she uses pictures and videos it doesn’t bore me and it actually keeps me interested. In Hist 201 its not that great at least not in my opinion. I don’t like how in lectures she just talks and talks it bores me so much because she doesn’t use presentations and I guess you can say I’m a visual person. I like pictures and presentations, it helps me stay engaged. Lastly, I am very proud that I did decide to take a FIG because it is helping me so much. I’ve learned a lot more academically, where to go and who to ask for help. But YES week 5 is over with!!!

4 weeks done and its getting harder. Ugh.. There is so much reading it sucks. I’m not used to reading every night and reading a bunch as well. I of course don’t get homesickness since I live at home, but I do get tired of being home. Well I don’t like being home most of the time because I go home and I have homework and there is always some distraction. For example, I have siblings two younger sisters. I love them to death but they can get annoying. I usually never have a quiet space or time unless its late at night. I would stay on campus and do homework there but I never have time, and I kinda don’t really see the point of going back to campus in the afternoon or when I have the chance when I’m already home. Maybe if I lived on campus or closer I would. There’s just been so many things going on right now there’s clubs, meetings that are help are helpful for first year students. There’s just too much and not much time. I also work so thats even more work on me, but everybody needs that extra cash to spend. I just need to learn how to work on my time. I need to work on setting a set time to do everything I need to be more organized with all of that. One of my biggest problems is my phone.. I feel like it’s a problem for most people, at least I think. I feel the high stress levels of being a college students. My day mostly consists of dragging myself out of bed getting campus going to classes, going to work, getting home feeling exhausted as hell and having to do homework even staying up super late because I didn’t find more time or do some of he work on my free time. Another example of my biggest issue of figuring out my time. I need to learn that yeah there really isn’t time for anything. I’ve had a couple of struggles with college right now, or did. I’m always tired! I don’t get how everybody else can do it because most people I see on campus look fully awake and functioning. Like what the hell how do they seem to do that?! I can’t even thinking because I have a million other things going through my mind which I try not to think about, but its just difficult. I suck at reading and remembering what I read or taking notes on what I read. So now I have to reread everything just to know exactly what I need to know to be able to do my midterms. I got till Wednesday to prepare myself. Great… But I know if I truly commit myself I can do it. Just got to set my time right and not over work myself and actually sleep because thats a huge downside for me. I’m getting sick because I feel rundown like I was hit by a truck. I need to get back to normal physically and mentally maybe then I won’t be with this weird cold that just doesn’t seem to go away or comes and goes.

What happened at Umpqua Community College was very tragic. In all honesty it did kinda scary me and had me thinking that could happen at our campus at anytime. Especially since it was very close to us. It is truly sad what this world has come to. Especially all the tragic events that happened after the shooting at UCC. For example, the shooting that happened at an Arizona college over a argument. I feel like with the gun laws we have now everyone feels the need to be more cautious because you never know one bad word or action can cause another person react without logic. This does not just mean its because of guns but many other bad reaction someone might have that can cause any sort of violence. I believe that if people are allowed to carry an armed weapon they should go through a couple treatments and test to see if they are mentally and physically capable of carrying the armed weapon. Free parking! That’s the only thing I’d change about the campus. Me living of campus and having to commute to campus kinda sucks at times. But that could mostly just be my fault for not properly timing my time. For example there are days when I’m running late and I won’t be able to catch the bus, so I have to drive to campus and find parking which is a drag and paying so much just to park for at the most 2 hours. I have not been paying much attention on the presidential debate this year. It’s not that I don’t want to know anything about it because I do know somethings about it but not a lot. I don’t really know why I haven’t been paying much attention to it this year especially since I would be able to vote. Maybe later on I will.

Week 2 brings a lot of ok’s I think I sort of got this, except time. That is one of the biggest difference between college and high school. High school was less stressful and easy to get school work done and have extra time. One of my biggest problem about college is how to manage my time. Between classes, doing assignments, studying, working, trying to get involved, and especially trying to get sleep! I’m always excited for the end of the week because I know I don’t have to worry about getting up early. Exciting! School work is way different in college than high school, college assignments are everyday and take longer to complete. It takes more thinking than high school work. It has been a bit of a challenge balancing everything that is seen perspectively as college lifestyle. The worst thing for me that has changed is my sleeping patterns. I have talked way too much about sleep, but its only because sleep is amazing. My work hours have drastically changed from when I was in high school to now. I get way less work hours because my availability changed drastically since I’ve started school. It is so sad because I have a sort of shopping addiction and when my paychecks would come in I would be so excited because I could go shopping! But now its like oh those paychecks are for books or saving money for emergency no more going out too much. The last thing is that I really like that the UO campus offers so many activities and clubs. I have gone to like one club meeting which was alright, but I don’t know much about it yet, only the brief overview. I’m really hoping to find more clubs to join because all the clubs and activities I’ve signed up for at the Flock party seem to not put anything out there or at least I just haven’t been aware. Lastly the biggest thing I need to work on to have a smoothly working college experience is to work on my procrastination issue.. haha it’ll get better soon.

I feel like I should start with an introduction. My name is Maribel, I’m 18. I’m from Los Angeles, California, well more like I was born there. I live in Springfield, Oregon just across the bridge from campus. Wow. Not that interesting like maybe most others who come from another place of the country, out of the country, or even some place in Oregon that isn’t Springfield or Eugene. I stuck close to home, although I had plans on leaving home to go to school just for the mere idea of being some where different for a change. But in all honesty I know its my first week and all but I actually like being here at UO because its just so different then what I thought it would be like. I expected it to be some what recognizable, but not at all. My expectations of college are so different then what I expected it to be like. My expectations came widely from movies and tv shows. Like most other student expectations. I know I probably shouldn’t have had these expectations because I always heard college is nothing like you see in movies or media, but there was a small part of me that hoped it would. I don’t think I have really had a chance to see what college life actually is like in a span of a week. Other than the fact that there is a lot of homework, the thing I dreaded the most. I sort of expected ok we are freshman they might take it nice in slow just for the first week. No they don’t, it got me to thinking well duh most of my classes have upper classmates and college is what is preparing us for life later on, our careers obviously its not going to be nice and easy. I have joined a club of clubs. Well at least I did apply for different clubs on Friday night at the flock party. Honestly don’t know of half of the things I signed up for the only one that I do know of is Mecha. They had their first meeting and it was just a bunch of introductions. I mainly want to know where or what other clubs are out there. The biggest difference from now to two weeks ago is that my days are really busy. I have so much to do with classes, homework, and work that by the end of the night I’m exhausted. I’m excited to see what is to come in the next week or so.