Actually 'watching' tv was a very interesting experiment. When I really paid attention I was able to see all the different angles and effects they use in media. It's so odd how we never realize these kinds of things when we watch tv at least an hour a day. That just goes to show how media truly affects us. It draws us in and we don't even take a minutes stop and think about it. As I watched someone else watching tv, I noticed that their facial expression remained stable for a long period of time. As we watch tv we are so focused on what is going on inside that tv, but our brains aren't really thinking by themselves. Our brains aren't in use as we watch tv, because the sound coming from that program basically tells you what to think. That's why, when we mute tv, our brains become much more active and aware. We start to become aware of the things around us, things outside of that show (like the effects the program uses).

We also watched a movie about how the media consumes children at a very early age. These children's minds are still growing, and when media takes a hold of their growing minds, that information sticks with them. Children influence what their parents buy, so if they start begging for something they saw on tv because it looked cool, some parents feel like they must buy it. Products are becoming such an important factor in children's lives that it's unhealthy.

Learning about the feral, or wild, children really opened my eyes and made me realize how much the people who raise impact our entire lives. It was so interesting to see what a person would be like without human contact or without any nuture whatsoever. The many feral children that we saw acted as wild animals. When we are young, we pick of small behavioral techniques from our parents in order to act in a socially acceptable way as we age. We are constantly held and touch by are parents, but we don't realize what impact that truly has on us as we grow. When we experience touch sensations as infants, it stimulates parts of our brains that allows for human interaction later in life. The feral children weren't able to experience any human nuture, they were alone, guessing at life and completely helpless. We grow from being instinctive to conscious and aware of the things around us. Without that step of having human interaction, the feral children never got to the point of awareness.
I can see how I unconsciously pick up social habits from my parents. I constantly receive the remark, "you are your mother/father's daughter". Whenever I behave in a way that reflects how they act, I know it's from constantly watching them as an infant.

This week in class we watched Tuesdays with Morrie. The movie was extremely inspirational. It pulls apart certain aspects of life and explains its significance in great depth. Morrie is a man who has been through so much and is so knowledgable about life and how it works. He knows how not to waste time and live life to fullest and tries to teach his views to Mitch. It is true that Americans are afraid to love each other because can lead to loss or heartbreak. We live in fear, as Morrie said, of our own lives. We are afraid to give it our all because we are afraid to lose it all. We can overcome this fear by constantly telling ourselves that by not risking it all we are losing it all as well. It's like Morrie said, keep a little bird on your shoulder that reminds you that you have limited time and you will live life to the fullest. There is a huge difference between romantic love and real love. Romantic love is a love that people constantly go with out; it is much weaker than real love. Romantic love comes and goes, while real love stays forever. Real love is a love so strong that you couldn't imagine what your life would've been like if they had never been in your life. Real love is inexplainable, you just know that this person means the world to you. Real love can be for family, friends, or a significant other. Americans see death as a very fearful thing. If you live your life as you want, you shouldn't be afraid of death. You should feel as if there is nothing left but the end, because you have loved the best you could love and you have accomplished all you wished to accomplish. Death can be related to materialism by the way we feel as if someone is truly gone just because they don't live anymore. Morrie told Mitch that if he ever needed to let something out, he could go and visit Morrie's grave. Morrie explained to him that relationship never die, people do. I completely believe that; 'our fingerprints don't fade from the lives we touch". Our feelings about death are also related to individualism by the way in which we view others. We see each other as individuals, who touch us in different ways. That's why loss is so difficult, because each person means something different to us. We all have different memories and a different kind of love for one another.

Community Service

On Sunday, February 26th I participated in the Polar Plunge at Fox Lake. In order to participate in this event you needed to raise at least $75; I raised $100 to donate to the Special Olympics. When I first walked in I was excited to see all the different people that were obviously so spirited about the event. We waited a couple hours for them to set up the water for us to jump into. They needed to cut away the ice ontop of the water, yet it kept freezing over again. When I heard this, it made me hesitate, but I jumped anyway. The Patriot Plungers was the first group, after the costume winners, to jump into the freezing water. I was excited to be doing such a crazy thing for a good cause. Once we jumped into the water, the cold didnt actually hit until i ran out. Not to mention I ran out barefoot. It was such a fun experience and though it was freezing I would do it again.
On Tuesday, February 28th I went to the St. Joseph's Soup Kitchen in Chicago. I didnt know what to expect going into it. I had volunteered at a soup kitchen before, but it was a completely different experience. At this soup kitchen, I interacted much more with the people that came in. I served them their soup and it was so nice to hear how grateful they were. I couldn't get a smile off of my face the whole time because it just felt so great seeing all those people have a good meal. There were a few children there, and seeing that was so sad. One little girl ran up to me and was playing around with me. It was lifechanging to see this little girl stuck in a hard situation, but still so happy and always smiling. I spoke with several people and they were so caring and sweet. It defnitely lifted my spirits that  they made the best of their situation by being so nice and grateful. I loved this trip so much. These kinds of things broaden your view of the world and allow you to be so grateful for everything you have.

This week in class we learned more about cultural differences. Everyone in different countries are used to their surroundings as they grow. We adapt to our own culture and it is hard to understand anything different from that. The fishbowl analogy illustrates this point. We may be able to see outside of our fishbowl, but there will always be our own values standing in the way (the glass and water).
The road in India may seem completely insane to Americans, but it is a norm for everyone living in India. They are all adapted to that behavior that it just comes naturally. Americans are so used to stop lights and people yeilding to pedestrians. If an American were to travel to India, they would experience culture shock either trying to drive or cross the street.
In "God Grew Tired of Us" it was so interesting to see how completely different two countries can be. The Lost Boys were so used to be in a relaxed and interactive environment. When they got to American they experienced complete culture shock. It was a totally different place. They expressed that they felt more isolated in America because everyone was expected to have a job or go to school and always stay busy. Everything was fast pace. Time became so important that human interaction weakened. The Lost Boys also explained how people in America were unfriendly and less welcoming. This just shows how social norms affect cultures. Being 'your own person' is expected in America, while togetherness is common where the Lost Boys were from.