culture SHOCK...

While playing the card game in class, I knew that there was something different bound to happen with all the different groups. When the first game was over and someone new came, the new game started out fine until she was getting confused. I saw the looks on her face and tried to help with hand gestures since we weren't able to talk. She just went along with it (our table way) and kept going. When the game was over and realized that different directions for different tables were handed out, we were considered 'different cultures'. I thought it was interesting to see everybody's reactions when they realized what happened with the game. I felt bad because our table or 'our culture' made the new people who came over basically conform into our own culture. Even though one did wonder what was going on and why our game was different, she went along with it like most do when they come to a different culture. She respected our way of playing and kept going. I didn't judge or have much of a culture shock when playing, maybe because I stayed in my same culture and didn't have a different experience. I liked this experiment because you got to see the differences in culture and how people treat it and respect it.



When after the game we talked about toliet paper and how in different countries and cultures that you sometimes have to BYOTP (bring your own toliet paper) which was a total culture shock to me. It made me think of the Seinfeld episode where Elaine doesn't have any toliet paper in her stall and asked the person in the next stall for a square, but apparently there was no "square to spare." So if in a different culture you had to BYOTP you would have been fine. I thought that it was cool that you would never end up in that situation in a different country. I think now I will have a more open mind to the different cultures and how they do gestures to BYOTP and have a better understanding that everybody doesn't have the same traditons as me. 

Groups: You're Either In or You're Out...

In a Bronx Tale, there are a ton of different groups in the movie. With the main character Calogero, he starts off in the group of his friends and family. By taking the bus with his dad because of his job of a bus driver and with his friends they goof off and have fun. Once Calogero sees someone get shot while he is sitting on his stoup, he is questioned by the police if he saw anything. When he said no the 'MOBSTERS' befriended him and his family. Sonny, the leader, took Calogero under his wing almost as his right hand man. Calogero started to change groups when Sonny gave him the nickname 'C' because everyone has a nickname. I would put C and Sunny in their own group because Sonny always looked out for C like a son. C never really hung out with the other people part of Sonny’s crew. For example, when Sonny dies, C is the only one who really pays respect because he was the only one who didn’t fear him. “It’s just like Sonny said it would be ‘Nobody cares’.”

C belonged to a lot of groups in the movie such as the interracial group, by dating Jane who is African American. Sonny’s group, his childhood friend(s) group, and his family he also belonged to. C’s master status would have to be an all around ‘Good Guy’ because he puts aside the racial aspects and goes for what he believes in. I do think that his status changes throughout the movie because at first he joined along with his friends and gained up on the African Americans while later on when he grows up he practically saves them from being beaten to death. He grew as a person in and out of his groups. My own master status would have to be ‘Friend, daughter, sister’ at the moment. It hasn’t changed throughout my life so much that I would have to change my status right now, unlike C. I am still a sister, friend, and daughter. Those will never change.

My Service Experience

236 U.S. 45
Indian Creek, IL 60061
(847) 362-1005

Supervisor in Charge: Jim or Jane, February 10^th, 2011- From 6:00-9:00 p.m.

Well, I always wanted to get involved at St. Mary of Vernon because my friend goes there to help with P.A.D.S. Now with Sociology this gave me that extra boost I needed. I’ve never been there before so I was excited. I went on February 10^th, 2011 from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. with my mom because she has always wanted to do it too.

On the drive there, I was starting to get a little nervous, but I knew that it would be an experience I wouldn’t forget. I have done this kind of stuff before so I thought to myself “Why are you working yourself up for something you know you’ll have fun with and love to do?” I expected a ton of people there helping out already by getting everything together. I was worried about some people getting angry at me for some reason, like if I didn’t do something right.  We arrived a little early just to get situated and my expectations were totally wrong. There were at least 4 people not including my mom and myself. We signed in, introduced ourselves to the head honcho of the night, Jim. I also expected the place to be small, well I was wrong again. You walk into the kitchen which was huge and then walk out to the dining room which was just 10 tables of 6 and then you look out to this HUGE room waiting to be set up with beds and chairs. Jim got us to work right at the get go and had us separate sheets and blankets for the beds. While we were doing that we met a nice man named Kyle. He told us not to worry about anything since we told him it was our first time. While we were separating, a lady came running in telling Jim that the bathrooms weren’t working. Also to add to that, they were completely short staffed. There were less than 20 volunteers working that night. They said they usually have around 50. Nothing was going their way tonight. The next person we met was Barbara. She appointed us and helped us make beds. While making the beds and putting them out, we didn’t realize how tiring the work was. It really surprised me when about half way done with making the beds, some guys who were staying the night helped out after trudging in the snow and being exhausted from the long haul of the train station in the bitter cold. They helped make beds, put out chairs and were very helpful and nice. I was thinking that I would have never expected them to just help out right when they walked in. They were so generous and thankful of us volunteers to help them out. Once they started to help out things started to move a lot quicker. After we made beds, we started sorting out clothes that they put out for everyone to take. The coolest part while we were hanging clothes on racks in a room was when a HUGE shipment of Timberland Boots came in. There had to be at least 100 shoeboxes of all different sizes. A manufacturer donated all those shoes! I thought it was amazing and generous of them because when we were setting out clothes, I didn’t see any shoes. All of a sudden Jim has a new job for us; we got to take everyone’s bus card at the door to make sure they are eligible to come in. It was a REALLY COOL experience to see their smiling faces that they had a warm place to sleep for the night. I almost freaked out because we almost didn’t get a guy’s card, but thankfully I got him in time. After taking everybody’s cards, we headed to the kitchen. We put on our aprons and were ready to serve dinner consisting of a 4 course meal. For starters they had a nice small salad and I helped serve the dressing. Then they had a nice bowl of hot chicken noodle soup, which was to everyone’s liking. For their main course they had, chicken enchiladas with a side of Spanish rice and beans. For dessert, they had apple pie and cookies. While I was on the floor, I started to make conversations. This one lady in particular really liked my name that night. She ONLY asked ME for a ton of hot sauce on everything she ate, ice, water and lemonade. I didn’t mind going back and forth for her, I enjoy keeping busy. Another AWESOME thing was when Kyle had people sign their names on a clipboard for whoever wanted a free haircut. Isn’t that amazing!!  After everyone was finished, we took out the clothes on the racks out of the small room out to everyone so they can choose what they want. The one item that went away so quickly was the nice warm blankets. While everyone was ‘shopping’ I made sure everyone who was still sitting at their tables was taken care of. I would have to say putting out and making the beds took the longest almost an hour and a half. Then setting the tables didn’t take long almost a half an hour. While we left, they were just about to sit down with some popcorn and watch the movie ‘Taken’ on a big flat screen TV they had in the room.  We were always working non-stop, and I loved that. Then it was the end of our shift, and we started to head home. While on the ride home I thought to myself how amazing people really are out there who will do anything to help out. My favorite part of the night was seeing everyone laughing and smiling, knowing they have a safe place to sleep for the night.

All About Cliques...

Almost everyday I hear a quote from the widely known and popular movie, Mean Girls. This movie shows how female high school social cliques operate, and the effect they can have on girls. Like we did in class today with the In- and Out- Groups, it all breaks down into judgments against one another. Like Cady, played by Lindsay Lohan, when she starts public school for the first time she feels like an outcast by sitting alone at lunch in the bathroom to not fitting in. But once the Plastics start to give her attention, they start to form her into someone she's not. Once she's in the in-group she is 'apart' of them. She has 'membership' in the group because of that she feels associated to them even if it means making fun of others and judging them based on looks or what group they are in and it becomes easier to do so. I don't think there is anyone who hasn't judged someone in their life. By coming from such a small school to a huge school really changed me. I didn't know a lot of people, or at least I thought I didn't until I came here. From sports that I played in house league (community) I realized I knew a lot of people, but quickly noticed not all were in the same 'group' or 'clique' here. Even though I have different in-groups, I still bond with them through what we like and what we do out of school. I think that Mean Girls really changed society and how others think because they nailed it on the head with the different cliques and how people judge, I see it everyday at school, even out of school. Society is shaped around our everyday life from news to magazines to celebrities, it never ends. We need to see past the judgements and see people for who they really are not just on how they look or how they dress, more on what you have in common with the other and see if you click*

The Social Construction of Reality...

There is no argument when it comes to one of the best T.V. shows ever made. F.R.I.E.N.D.S. has changed a lot in the real world. The once great Chandler Bing said, "You just sit there stewing in your own filth," referring to taking a bath. Once Sal brought up the Social Construction of Reality and how the Japanese think it's insane that we don't shower or wash off before our baths, I thought of the episode where Chandler Takes A Bath. He is resistant at first to taking one because he, himself, thinks it is gross and disgusting to sit in your own filth, just like we think spitting in public like the Japanese do is wrong and repulsive. But once Chandler did try to take a bath, he realized that is relaxing and melts your stress away. If the Japanese and us Americans changed places for a day, we would see the world in a whole new different way. From their point of view and how their society has affected them in life, they perceive us and our antics out of this world, same goes for us on how we view their ways. It is unique and interesting from looking at their point of view on us to see that how we do take baths is actually sort of  gross. By how we get grossed out by the spitting on a spoon is the exact same way. The society that we live in has changed our way of thinking and our lives. By simply changing a few things here and there can reconstruct a new reality in life and maybe be more different. For me I felt the same way as Chandler when he thought it was disgusting, but it is the way society has made it 'weird' to do so. So by changing your everyday routine and make some changes here and there that wouldn't be normal by society or you, do it and now you've created your own new reality.