Blog #11: The Blog of All Blogs

Drumroll please? Hello friends, and welcome to the final blog of the semester. I just wanna thank everyone who has stuck it out with me and stayed an avid follower of my awesome blog. Even though it probably wasn't all that awesome at times. I also want to thank you all for sharing a little bit of your lives with me. 

Since I can't really decide if blogging or journaling was my favorite genre, I'm going to stick to my experience writing my very first resume. It'll probably come as a surprise that I didn't really need a resume until last year. In the earliest days of summer 2015, I was in the process of looking for an internship. I realized that almost every place required me to send in a resume. It only made sense for me to go the most experienced person I know– Hazel (aka my mother). She's always been, for lack of a better title, BO$$ Ass Bitch. She had me write down all of my accomplishments and everything I was involved in throughout high school up until that point. I was afraid I wouldn't have much to write down. When I started typing everything out, I ended up filling 2 whole pages of things I thought were important. My boy Blake did not hesitate to comment on the fact that I had never had a job and couldn't possibly have enough to fill 1, let alone 2 pages. My momma finally took a look at it and helped me weed out the things things that would help me stand out. We were able to fit it perfectly onto a single page. 

I sent my resume to a number of physical therapy clinics in the area. Within 24 hours, I got a few calls to come in for an interview. Part of me thought it was because of my wonderful resume, but part of me was also thinking about the fact that these clinics were just looking for free help. How would you feel if you needed some help and a person offered some without expecting to be paid? If I was on the other side of things I would jump at this opportunity in a second. 

Regardless, I did get 3 interviews. Two were farther so I turned them down and ended up committing to an outpatient clinic about 15 minutes away from home. I waited to get my schedule to come in. Nothing. I emailed. I waited. I called a couple days later and the physical therapist emailed me back saying she would send me a schedule. A week had passed and there was still no schedule. I decided to reach out to the two other clinics that I had turned down a few weeks before. Of course the positions were filled by the time I called them back. I spent the rest of the summer calling other clinics and didn't have any luck. I finally accepted the fact that I wouldn't be able to volunteer over the summer. 

I continued to work on my resume here and there, adding and changing things as I deemed necessary. I figured that I would just get an internship or a job once school started. While most of my friends have had countless jobs since we were about sixteen years old, I had my first official job last August. It was an on campus job and I think my resume got me the job. I didn't think my interview went as well as it could have gone, but I got the job anyway. 

Anyways, that's the story of my first time writing a resume. I like the genre of resume writing. It's simple, clean, and direct. There's very little space to fluff. Resumes let an individual's work speak for the person. I love seeing all the cool things that a person does. The semester isn't quite over yet so I'll still see ya beautiful faces in class.

I'm out this blog. 

Blog #10: Research Paper Ready?

READY OR NOT, HERE IT COMES. This past weekend was great. I went to Cal State Fullerton and participated in Friendship Games. It's an event where all Filipino organizations from California meet to play games and cheer with each other for some friendly competition. It was fun but oh so tiring. Now here I am on Sunday night trying to get my life together after my lovely weekend. I can't believe we're past the half way point in the semester. Week 9 is here baby. Time to buckle down. I always feel like this is the point in the semester when my whole world is on fire and I just bask in the flames. College in a nutshell am I right? 

So we have a research paper. Fun. I honestly love writing papers and essays, but the hardest part is always starting it. It's hard for me to gather my thoughts to write it down in a logical way. Sifting through papers and information to get evidence to support my argument is tedious. It takes so much time to read through things to get the perfect little nugget of information. Part of me is really excited to do this paper and the other part of me just can't wait to get it with. I think I love it because finishing anything you put so much time and effort in feels so rewarding. It's something you created yourself. 

I don't really know what discourse community I want to focus on. I wrote down a couple of ideas I have, but I wanted to be more creative. I feel like me doing my paper on my fraternity or physical therapy clinic would be boring to write about. I'm not sure what else I would do though. For my fraternity, it would be interesting for me to do some research on how we handle communicating with each other through so many different genres. I have been in my chapter for over a year, and I love it. I truly believe that I am a better student and person overall. It would be interesting for me to study it more in depth. I know a lot about this community. I live in the house, which gives me an even better view of my chapter as a whole. I have completely immersed myself into it and I couldn't be happier. I already know what my organization stands for and what our goal is. I know how we communicate and what types of media we communicate through. As for my physical therapy clinic, I only volunteer a few hours a week. I have been interning there for over a semester so I know that community fairly well. I don't, however, know or really think about all the different ways we communicate with each other. It would be interesting to do it on the clinic because that's eventually where I want to work when I'm done with my schooling. 

I think I am researching effectiveness of communication. Once again, I'm not sure what direction I want to take this research, but it would be interesting to see where communication overlaps or becomes extraneous. I want to learn if the communicative practices within these communities are actually necessary. How long does it take for someone to acquire these practices? I feel like if I did do my paper on my fraternity, I could interview more people and get more information I need to write a really good paper. I could interview the president of my chapter, my house mother, and a member from each class. I would be able to get information from different view points. I could do it on my physical therapy clinic, but it would take a lot more effort for me to get the information I want. I would hate to be a burden to them. I would have to schedule interviews into their already busy work schedules. I think I just figured out what I'm writing my research paper on. 

This was probably the most helpful blog to write for myself. I basically talked myself into writing it on my fraternity. I actually think this will make me love my house even more. I sound so lame saying that, but I'm really excited now. Okay bye for now. I'll see you all tomorrow at noon! 

Blog #8: He, She, It Works

Welcome to my blog. Scratch that. Welcome to the middle of the semester and bask in the chaos floating in the air. In all honesty, my day was great. It was like any other Monday this semester– started a little slow, but eventually got better as the sun came peering through the clouds. I went to class a little apprehensive my Spanish teacher would give another pop quiz. Thankfully, he didn't. But you know there was no way I could get away with that in anatomy. I actually think I did pretty well though. Fast forward to the end of my classes for the day, I go to the gym with my friends. I get a little too confident and hurt myself. My day was great until that happened, so here I am in bed trying to type up this blog without moving my neck. It's the worst. I can't even find a comfortable position. I've had to shift every thirty seconds making this blog even harder to finish. There goes my little snippet of my oh so awesome Monday. Moving on. 

I'm sure we've all judged people after having negative experiences in certain restaurants and what not. I know I have. I've thought poorly of complete strangers simply because they were too slow for me that one time. It's natural to be hangry sometimes. In the moment it seems like they are just doing everything they can to make sure they get your food to you last. I'm not gonna lie, people can be idiots sometimes. We all have those days too. Tony Mirabelli's article, "Learning to Serve," strives to break the common stereotype that being a server at a restaurant and other service jobs involves little critical thinking and therefore, doesn't require the need to have an education. I strongly feel that any type of work, whether it be computer coding, taking care of patients, or serving food and drinks to people, is still work. It requires just the same amount of time and effort to do each and every one of those jobs. 

I find it offensive when people think their work is more important or more difficult than another person's. While it may be decided that servers only need a ninth grade education, think back to when you were 14. Did you know how to be kind to people? Did you know how to follow directions well enough to complete a task? Did you make money doing any of those things without having a job? I don't think so. Being a server may only need that amount of education because you are serving people and being the face of that company from the time that customer enters to the time they finish their meals. I don't think not wanting to be a server means you're a snob, I just think it means you expect something else of yourself. As long as respect is given and received, everyone is entitled to do whatever they desire. All work is work regardless of where you graduated or how much schooling you've had. It's just about being humble. 

I always had much respect for any worker that was serving or helping me. Even though I was kind, I never hesitated to ask for help if I needed. That's what they were there for. I didn't really appreciate all the work servers put into their jobs until I was a team member at a smoothie company. It wasn't rainbow and butterflies at work. It was work. I had to clean and make sure I was making orders up to the standards of the company and customers. There was never any down time. Those moments were spent doing other tasks to make sure the rest of the shift ran as smooth as possible. 

To conclude this awesome blog, I've now found a somewhat comfortable position for me to type in. However, I have a massive headache from all the pain I feel in my neck. Overall, we all work and put in work to things we care about. If you don't, who else will do it for you?

Blog #7: Erin's Identity Kit

I'm Erin de Leon. I'm in no way introverted. I'm boisterous, loud, and even a little obnoxious sometimes. I've been called blunt many times. But I really mean it in the nicest way possible. I come from a family of assholes, but it's really all out of love. My identity kit at SDSU or around unfamiliar people is something I would categorize as the best version of me. I feel like I'm nicer just because I don't want to scare people. As silly as this might sound, I try to read people and make them feel comfortable being around me. Sometimes, I can be intimidating to other people. I don't really know how that happens, but I've been told that since I was a freshman in high school. 

Most of the time, I end up being a lot more different than what people expect. I put on this facade that I don't really care what people think. And 90% of the time I don't. However, I do have those days where I feel self-conscious. Everyone does. People always have this preconceived notion of me. I think a lot of it has to do with the things I'm involved with. I've always loved breaking stereotypes or ideas people had of me. 

When I meet new people, I usually present myself with confidence. I sometimes have too much of it. I honestly believe it's my way of coping with anxiety or nervousness. When I feel myself starting to get nervous, I push myself to be more confident so that I feel more in control of the situation at hand. I don't really ever see myself as being timid or shy. I've never been the type to be that way. I still get nervous about meeting new people and what they'd think of me, but I don't let that stop me from being, what I believe, to be my true self. I'm not always as outgoing as I sound. Sometimes I do enjoy staying in and being all by myself. 

That's another side of me people rarely ever get to see. I take time to put on a little make up. Depending on where I'm going, I like to pick my outfits accordingly in order to look presentable enough. I usually appear to have my life together. That's not really the case. I'm just a go with the flow kind of person and that makes me seem like I know what I'm doing. I like to think I do, but I'm only human and there are things that are totally out of my control. My identity kit contains a lot of different things while on campus at SDSU. It flows back and forth depending on the situation. It's all a mirage.

Blog #6: Me at SDSU

Hallelujah!

I am so happy she said she would count both of these blogs if they were done by Thursday. It's the 6th week of school, which means not only are students falling a little behind in their work, but teachers are as well. It's human nature. We constantly tell ourselves that this semester will be different. We'll get all our work done as soon as it's assigned. Or we'll finally just accept the fact that sometimes I'm not the best student. It's okay because I know that already. 

I remember coming to college and being determined to do everything right. I don't know what I was thinking. I moved from the Bay Area. A million miles away. I automatically felt culture shocked. Weird since I didn't even leave the state right? Northern and Southern California is a lot more different than they are alike. I mean at least the people are. I've grown to love it over the past couple years. 

When I first got to SDSU, I was so nervous to actually be in college level classes. I wasn't sure how hard they would be. On top of that, I realized that I had to become familiar with the things that went on at this particular campus. You don't ask the teacher if you can use the restroom. I honestly didn't know that until someone told me. Thank god I wasn't that person. That would have been EMBARRASSING. I guess being a student at SDSU could definitely be considered a discourse community in some way. As students, we all have similar goals that are clearly publicly stated by even attending this college. We understand that we don’t have to go to every single class. It really is up to us how much time and effort we want to put into a class. In college, the person who’s standing in front of the class is a lecturer, professor, or a doctor. WHAT?! Crazy stuff right? I personally could never see myself teaching. I just don’t think I’m that great of a teacher for that. College, like any place, has different words and phrases other people outside wouldn’t know. For example, at SDSU we have places like the student union, the lib, campanile, hepner, and east/west commons. Some outsiders might hear east commons and think it’s a place to hang out. You can hang out there, but it’s mainly a cafeteria.

It was strange being away from my family. Coming here for college was exciting, but I missed home a lot. Even in my third year now, I miss my family every time I’m away. I think the main reason is because I consider my family to be very close knit. I have two younger sisters that I absolutely love to death. They have no idea how much I love them. My parents had always been supportive of everything I wanted to do. They basically give my sisters and me anything we want. It’s not that we would take advantage of them, but they make sure we only have to worry about what we have to worry about. I honestly appreciate the fact that they do that. I can’t wait until I’m able to repay them for everything they’ve done for me. I know I will never be able to do that, but even to give back a little would make me so happy.

While I constantly miss my family and being home while I’m away at SDSU, I also know that whenever I do go home for long periods of time, I miss being in San Diego. It’s always bittersweet for me to be with or without my family. Like I said, it’s been a few years and I still feel this way. However, I do think that I’ve gotten much better at handling my time at SDSU better. I try to be as involved as possible in everything I do. I push myself to do at least one new organization at semester. It really doesn’t mater how old or what year you join something, I’ve learned that the important part is that you joined and put as much time and effort as you can.

I’ve learned more about myself being away at SDSU than I have ever before. It’s a continuous learning experience and I am grateful to have the opportunity to do so.

Blog #5: Defining a Discourse Community

What is up homies? 

Tartar sauce. We back in this thang. It's been a while since I wrote one of these little blog thingies, so I'm just gonna let you know, right now, that this will be the greatest thing you will skim through. Kidding. 

Mr. John Swales

So let's just get to the really good stuff. A discourse community. It just screams excitement, doesn't it? No one really knows what a discourse community is or what it means, but I'm gonna take this entire blog to try and figure it out. John Swales is a professor and linguist who wrote a book called Genre Analysis. Cool right?! Woah settle down, don't get too excited! Swales dabbles in awesome things like language patterns and working with nonnative English speakers. 

According to Swales, there are 6 main characteristics that distinguish a discourse community. A discourse community is NOT a friend group, audience, or speech community. It's something else. Give me a few seconds while I come up with a good way of explaining this. A discourse community is "a group of people with a set of common goals, language, and interests" (Nordquist). I obviously couldn't figure out a good enough way to explain this. I'll just list the 6 characteristics in my own words. 

1. Set of common goals
2. Different way of intercommunication 
3. The members within the community engage in 2-way communication 
4. Uses one or more genres to reach goals
5. Genres and words specific for interaction within the community 
6. Some members maintain a level of expertise

All of these characteristics require language and writing to be specific to that particular community. Everyone within the discourse community has an understanding of all 6 of Swales' characteristics without even knowing. 

While I was reading this, I automatically thought of my fraternity. Yes, we do the same things as all the other sororities, but it is a fraternity. (Side note: My organization was based on the male fraternities of that time and was created before the term "sorority" was invented.) I'm not just saying that to be annoying, even if it may be. That would basically be like saying Coke is the same as Pepsi when it's not. If they were the same thing, they would be called the same thing. 

Back to what I was saying. Being in Pi Beta Phi puts me in a discourse community that may be similar to other greek organizations, but is specific to my fraternity. 

1. We share a set of common goals that include raising money for our philanthropy, creating lifelong friendships, and growing personally and intellectually
2. Intercommunication occurs in group chats, Facebook, and weekly chapter meetings
3. 2-way communication allows information to get to all members in the house
4. Different genres used include Facebook, Tumblr, and Instagram
5. Specific terms used within the community include mottos TO*T and P*L
6. Members of expertise are executive board, other boards and committees, and initiated members 

Because all 6 of Swales’characteristics are fulfilled with my fraternity, I believe that it could definitely be considered a discourse community. We all have common goals and use the same mechanisms for the communicating with each other. We have our own lexis that we use to refer to different things. Only people within the organization or have been a part of it would know what is being talked about.

It is interesting that you can be in many different discourse communities and be completely unaware of it. While the Swales excerpt may have been drier than California's drought, I did learn a little about the importance of knowing that discourse communities play an important role in each and everyone of our lives. I still have a hard time defining where else a discourse community is in my life. I feel like I would have to go through an extensive amount of looking into the background of the community to fully decide whether or not it is actually a discourse community. I feel like because there is such a broad definition certain communities could be considered discourse communities based on the situation.

I wish I could have explained it better, but the idea of a discourse community is still something that my brain has to process. Swales obviously knows what he’s talking about, so if you need some clarification, which you might, please refer to his excerpt. 

NORDQUIST: http://grammar.about.com/od/d/g/Discourse-Community.htm 

Blog #4: Op-Ed vs. JSTOR

Welcome back! 

This weekend was awesome. Not really. But it's fine. It's in the past now.

Here we are people, finally getting to the best part of this class…what Erin called our “first real writing assignment.” Because 1000 word blogs and 350 word responses aren’t real. Anyways, when I heard we were going to be writing either an op-ed or JSTOR type article, I kind of freaked out because I didn’t exactly know what that meant. I was about to pull out my handy dandy Keys for Writers book. I ended up reading all of the op-ed and JSTOR articles that were posted on Blackboard. I didn’t know I liked this specific genre until I realized that op-eds are most of the links I read on my Facebook feed.

I like op-eds. Unlike research papers, they allow us to see a more personal view of the writer while still maintaining an academic standpoint. In Gloria Allred’s op-ed, I was immediately hooked on the fact that I watched the The Cosby Show growing up and knew exactly whom she was writing about. Allred barely even had to try to get my attention. Using familiar references to make the topic feel relevant certainly uses more of an emotional appeal. Since I know the background of Bill Cosby as an actor and as the man with numerous sexual assault accusations against him, I find Allred’s op-ed very interesting. While it is based on a few facts, the commentary is made up of opinions.

In op-eds, the author uses facts and other pieces of information to support his opinion. The op-ed genre is not so different from other types of writing I’ve seen in academia. It’s a nice middle ground between the way we’ve been writing a blog and a five-paragraph essay. If a blog and a five-paragraph essay had a baby it would be the most beautiful op-ed. A bit of research is there to support a claim made by the author. But it’s understood that the author still has the freedom to express their opinions. The “evidence” they provide is usually a small bit of information covering a large topic that’s somehow relevant to the current times.

Op-eds minimize Western ideologies of keeping emotional connections to the literature at a minimum, and instead, reinforcing subjectivity and opinions. They are meant to explore the topic at a very personal level. Not proving that the things being said in the op-ed are of facts, but providing a very real opinion on the matter based on facts. They value both opinion and fact. This causes the reader to feel more knowledgeable on the subject. It tends to be a fairly short reading. It makes sense because there is factual evidence. It’s also relatable.

Now it’s time to move onto JSTOR Daily Articles. You probably don’t really want to keep reading this According to their About JSTOR Daily tab on jstor.org, JSTOR is a “digital library of more than 2000 academic journals.” These articles are closer to blogs than an op-ed. JSTOR Daily articles are like those 5-minute after class conversations with a teacher who just wants to share their opinion (regardless of whether or not you actually care). You respect them because of the facts they bring up and the knowledge they are trying to present to you, but you don’t really care because this convo is the reason you’re now late to your next class. In the article Stranger Things and the Psychic Nosebleed by Liz Tracey, she talks about a new Netflix series and its familiarity to older science fiction movies and references to telekinetic power and nosebleeds. I loved binge watching this series with my family, so I was really interested in reading what Tracey had to say. However, looking at her article from the perspective of someone who hasn’t watched Stranger Things, she does a good job of explaining the sci-fi occurrences in the Netflix series by using older movie references people may recognize. This way, she builds her ethos without ever having to prove herself.

Answering these questions made writing this blog really difficult. This is the longest it’s ever taken me to complete one of these. I’m also not very good at explaining things without diving into the super academic sounding Erin. I totally lose all kind of personality in the middle of this blog up above. I’m still trying to figure out which style of writing to do for the first real writing assignment. I don’t quite understand which one would challenge me as a writer more. 

Blog #2: Devitt's Genres

Welcome back folks!

The last time I posted was about a week ago (week ago). Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to read a little something something from a woman by the name of Amy Devitt. Her article/book excerpt/whatever you want to call it, argues the idea that educators should spend time teaching the background and contexts of genres. The so-called “genres” Devitt mentions are those specific to writing, discussions, and ideas that reserve a certain amount of individuality when they are backed by critical thinking.

Most of the genres I encounter in my life appear to include some type of literary analysis. In an academic setting like SDSU, this is expected. However, at my job . . . just kidding I don’t have one. There’s no time when you’re an Aztec for Life amirite? While I don’t do much analytical writing at my internship, there is a genre that involves short-handed notes and symbols to abbreviate lengthy words. Another very significant genre in my life and probably all of yours is texting. I’m not quite sure if that can be considered a genre, but I don’t see why not.

 

The presence of different genres makes so much sense. You just witnessed an A-HA! moment.

Each genre is unique to the purpose it’s meant to serve. Por ejemplo, majority of the writing in my classes at State requires me to provide some evidence perfectly sandwiched between quotation marks. These quotes come from things that talk about the thing I’m talking about. As tedious as this writing is, I always find that I sound much smarter on paper than when I open my mouth. At my internship (I intern at a physical therapy clinic), everything the patient says and does must be recorded in a way that allows the physical therapist to track progress without having to read a novel each time. can u evn remember wat it was like b4 txtng? I can, but that’s beside the point. The gibberish and absence of grammar used in text messaging condenses sentences to a bare minimum for us to understand. I know a lot of people whose pet peeve is when people don’t text in full sentences. I get it. People are practicing to write incorrectly. It honestly doesn’t bother me as long as I know what you’re trying to say. I’m not your English teacher or your daddy, so there’s really no reason for me to tell you how to write your texts.

While Devitt mentions that some people see genres as an obstruction to one’s creativity, she counters with how they can be used as tools when a student decides to become engaged learners/thinkers. According to Devitt, “Whether we use genres consciously in the classroom or not, the genres we assign promote particular worldviews just as the topics we have them [students] read about do” (page 339). As a student, I understand the fear teachers have when working on a genre. The genre’s label automatically brings with it, a specific set of rules and boundaries that deem what is and isn’t acceptable. Often, teachers can only measure students’ understanding through a clearly organized style of writing. The downside to this goes back to the loss of authenticity from the student. They become caught up in following a format that fails to explain the reason it must be written in that way. A few times in the text, she brings up the oh so familiar five-paragraph essay format. It’s crazy to think that we are constantly bombarded with thoughts and concepts that come from people and places unknown to us.

My girl Amy Devitt

While Devitt says that it’s important to teach about the context of genres, she also states the problem that arises in attempting to teach a genre in order for students to completely to understand it. Like everything in life, it’s much more complex than we realize because, “If we teach a genre explicitly, we will inevitably teach it incompletely, but students will understand more about it than they would have if we had taught them nothing about it at all” (page 341). There seems to be no winning here. Teachers should teach genres, but there’s no way to teach all aspects of a genre. This being the case, I agree that having a little knowledge on something is better than not having any at all.

Personally, I don’t think any subject can be covered completely. You gain bits and pieces of information as you come across that subject at different times and places in your own life. That’s where your own individuality and opinions are truly formed. Genres have a greater impact on our lives than we think. It’s up to us to decide how much influence we want to grant it.