The American Family

Interviewing several American students about their family made me realize that I can make generalizations with some aspects but also not in most of the cases. For instance, American families usually don’t have their extended families stay in their home for a very long period of time. Some might go to their home but only for purposes of family gatherings or visit. Also, American parents try to maintain a balance with regards to giving their child enough freedom to experience child life and teaching them to be responsible enough even at a young age. But with regards to other aspects, American families have different rules. For instance, some American parents give full financial support to their child when they enter college; some offer a 50% financial support or other proportions, while some do not support their child at all. But in this case, the financial status of a family can also be a factor that might influence this practice but for certain reasons, some do it for the purpose of teaching their child to learn the typical American values of being self-reliant and independent enough by implicitly telling their child to look for a job to be able to pay for college tuition and fees. On the other hand, some American students told me that they call their parents mom and dad while some call their parents by their first name. Some might think that this is awkward or disrespectful but looking at the positive side of things, it might be a reason to augment the existing relationship in the household and feel that they are equal to one another, which is one of the typical American values. While American Families might have similarities and differences, you can still see the typical American values entrenched in their family practices.

Effect of Discrimination to Minorities

Minority groups are sociological groups that can reach only the moon but not the stars. They can be categorized into racial, ethnic, gender and religion. They are usually discriminated, separated, excluded, or treated differently by members of the majority groups without justification and rationalization. They suffer extreme magnitude of emotional humiliation which affects their entire being as they grow up. Some people take it negatively where they look down at themselves and even turn themselves into what is perceived by other people for them. But some people view it as a challenge to better themselves and break those stereotypes people have created for them. It is hard to obliterate what has been done and what has been said especially if it gave a psychological impact to those individuals. Unnoticeably, you will just see them succeeding in their respective fields because the impact on them had been tremendously big and that it turns them to be persistent and tenacious enough to prove the people who excludes them wrong.

Gun Law and Perception

In the Philippines, the regulation of guns is categorized as restrictive. Under this system, the person wishing to acquire a gun must provide the licensing authority an evidence for having a good character and a valid reason for acquiring it. This method tries to reduce gun violence by reducing the number of guns in circulation.

For me, keeping a gun at home is not a good idea. I know that it benefits individuals because it is a form of protection. But I believe that this poses a certain danger to some extent because there are greater chances for homicides and suicides. For instance, a simple fight is more likely to turn deadly because of the presence of the gun at home. It has somehow a psychological consequence. I guess one move to prevent these things to happen is to reduce the number of guns in circulation. Besides, if you are planning to have a gun at home, you have to store it in a safe place or a gun vault because there would be a great risk of having child injuries and death.

American Football

Football will always be a part of the identity of Americans. Besides, it is the most popular sport in America. It consists of two teams, each with eleven players, trying to score points by advancing the ball to the opposing team’s end zone. The offense team will have four tries or downs to advance at least ten yards but if the team wasn’t able to advance, the other team will take control of the ball. It the offense team advanced the ball to the end zone or what you call touchdown, they score six points with a chance to score a point after touchdown. The point after touchdown can either be one point for kicking the ball through the goalpost or two points for re-advancing the ball into the opponent’s end zone for a two point conversion. The game has four quarters with 15 minutes each.

The Homecoming football game was the chance for me to watch the game live. I can say that it is really interesting and fun especially if you know all the information, from rules to penalties, of the game. I think one reason why Americans love football is because of the image the game gives them. The “macho” image which has been prevalent during the American frontier has impacted the American values and beliefs. I believe that the game football makes their image stronger and heroic especially that the players’ uniform have a masculine helmet and pads over their shoulders, thigh and other parts of their body. In addition, I also believe that they love the game because of the exceptional satisfaction and thrill it gives to their life.

Historic Buildings on the North Side of Eau Claire

Sacred Heart Church (418 North Dewey Street, Eau Claire, WI)

The church was completed in 1928 and is considered a historic building because of its unique architectural design. It has metal-covered twin towers supporting a Latin cross on each tower, rose-colored windows and round arched openings. It was built by 60 German-speaking Catholic families.

Sears Catalog House (1403 Omaha Street, Eau Claire, WI)

Sears Catalog Homes were constructed between 1908 and 1940. Catalog homes, also known as kit houses, were prefabricated housing that became popular in the United States in the first half of the 20^th century. It is considered as a historic building because of its interesting architecture wherein the buyer will be receiving two boxcar loads of materials together with the detailed plans and construction information.

UWEC Ropes Course

“Live your life without regret.” Those were the words flashing in my mind before doing the swing part of the ropes course. Unnoticeably, I was just putting on the harness, climbing the ladder and executed the swing activity. I never thought I would be able to overcome my fear of heights again. But fortunately, I was able to conquer it with the help of the Ropes Course. With all the mental and physical activities we performed, I learned more of cooperation, teamwork and the importance of communication skills, both verbal and non-verbal. With this ropes course, the professor doesn’t only want us to develop our critical thinking skills but also our interpersonal skills. I realized that American Universities are inclined to balancing the academic life and extra-curricular activities of students. That is why 12 credits are already sufficient enough for one student to be able to participate in other activities of the university.

Culture: Our way of life

*  *  C  U  L  T  U  R  E  *  *

Culture is a collective symbol that lets you have the ability to infer something to a group with just studying an individual belonging to that group.  It’s like pieces of puzzles that when you put together, you would know what it wants to portray and how it differs from other puzzles. Same with a group of people with the same culture, you would notice that they have unique practices and distinct way of living. In another point of view, culture is being who you are since it made a significant influence in your personality, character and perception for life. It is acting in a way your family, your friends and your environment raised you up. Also, it is showing to others how different and distinct we are from one another. But no matter how distinct our cultures are, I strongly believe that there is no right or wrong in one’s culture.