Social Class- November 26

          Last week in class we have talked a lot about social class and distribution of wealth. These past couple of days we have been working on a project that has really opened up my eyes. I never really knew what class to consider myself in and wasn't very educated on how much everything costs once we grow up.

          My group and I were assigned a family in the middle class which, like the name conveys, is not the best but not the worst. There are other groups in class that can barely provide the bare minimum of essentials for their families. Seeing and calculating how expensive everything is has really changed the way I think about things. Growing up in an area like Long Grove, I had never really thought about the families who are different than mine. Even when I came to Stevenson, I overlooked the people who aren't as privileged as I am and have been caught up in the stereotype that everyone has money because we live in a wealthy area. Obviously we do live in a wealthy area, but there are definitely people that go to Stevenson who aren't as fortunate as others. But nevertheless, I have began to truly appreciate the privileges and opportunities available to me. I think about things that are a part of my everyday life that may be a luxury to others. It is important to realize the differences in wealth around us and that we be thankful for whatever we do have. 

gender vs sex

This week in class we talked a lot about gender vs sex and even got a chance to listen to the stories of 4 students who are part of the LGBTQ community. I really enjoyed getting the chance to listen to these students experiences and it really opened my eyes to a lot of different things. For starters, I never really thought about the stress that these students have to go through. I thought that the stress of school, friends, sports, etc was a lot and hard for me to deal with. I never could even imagine what some of these students must go through. The stress of being an outsider and the stress of not being accepted. It is one thing to not be accepted by other students at school, but one of the girls on the panel was talking about not being accepted by her own brother. I could not even imagine what my life would be like if I wasn't supported by my friends and family. The extra baggage that those students carry with them is huge and really affects their character. After everything those students have gone through, they are so strong. They are stronger than most people I know because of what they deal with everyday. They have faced hardships of not knowing who they are, not knowing what to do or who to turn to. The amount of stress that comes with those hardships is unbearable and I have so much respect for the students who were on that panel sharing their stories with us. It really opened my eyes and I am very thankful to have had the opportunity to listen to the students who shared a part of their lives with me.
The other topic we talked a lot about was the idea of raising a child without a gender. I was intrigued by this idea but in the end thought that it could end very badly. I thought about if my parents had raised me this way and how I might have turned out. I ultimately thought that I would be very confused and a little upset at my parents. I think if I was raised this way, I would have been even more of an outsider because I wouldn't know what I was supposed to be. I think that the best way to go about this kind of situation is to raise a child as the sex that they were born with. If they grow up and realize that their gender does not match up with their sex then they have the opportunity to be who they want to be. But raising a child to be an "x" would turn out badly in my opinion.

Family Socialization

This week in class we have been talking a lot about family socialization and how that has impacted who we are today. When I was interviewing my parents I learned a lot about how they planned to raise me, what traditions they hoped I would carry on, and different personality traits they see in me that they also see in themselves. After talking to them, they basically told me a lot of things I expected to hear. Such as how they wanted me to grow up and be a good student, have a family, and be a good person. They hoped I would someday go to college and be successful and independent. But something that kept coming up in our discussion was the importance of family. In class I talked about my families tradition of getting together with my extended family on sundays for dinner. I have been doing this all my life and have never really thought about why. My dad pretty much just explained to me that it is really important to spend time with your family and if you don't make an effort to spend consistent time together, those relationships won't be as strong. I realized how truly lucky I am to have aunts, uncles, and cousins be such meaningful people in my life. But the answer that surprised me the most was the character traits my parents see both in me and themselves. It never really crossed my mind how similar I am to my parents. For starters, both my parents and I are the oldest child, so they see a sense of responsibility in me. I have always known that I am similar to my mom but I never realized how much of my dad I see in myself as well. We both have a tendency to be shy in new places, we both are very determined, and we both are always on time for things. Throughout this whole assignment, I learned a lot about myself and my family. I realized how close I actually am with my family and how similar I am to my parents.

Charity Run and Fun

This past sunday I volunteered at the Kildeer 5K/8K Charity Run and Fun. This run was for the countryside association for people with disabilities. Going into this event I was very excited. I had never worked for a charity run before and thought it would be a really cool experience. I did not really know what to expect and was not assigned a job until I got there. I woke up at 6 am to be at Whole Foods, where the run started, at 7 am. I was not too thrilled at the fact that I had to wake up so early but I was doing a nice thing and it was only one sunday morning. When I got there, I was disappointed at the job I was given. One other volunteer and I were chosen to direct people so they knew which way to run. Normally this would be a nice job if I was put in a location where I needed to direct people. Unfortunately, I was not put at an intersection or two way street but I was put on the corner of a road fairly close to the starting point of the run where there was no where else to go besides straight ahead. So I was basically sitting on the corner of the street directing people to the only place that they were able to run. My job seemed a little bit stupid and kind of pointless and I wish I would've been able to do something more productive. Although I ended up sitting in a chair doing nothing for about 2 hours I was happy to have the chance to watch everyone running together. It was nice to see a community coming together to raise money for a good cause. There were people of all ages running, from grandparents to kids to even a family pushing their child in a stroller. I very much enjoyed watching everyone with a smile on their face as they completed the race. Since I was close to the start, which also happened to be the finish, I was able to cheer on the runners as they were almost done. I was happy to encourage the runners and see a smile across their face knowing that someone cares about them. I was overall happy with my experience volunteering at the Charity Run and Fun and it definitely made me want to participate in a run myself! 

lost boys of sudan

This week in class we watched a documentary called the Lost Boys of Sudan. This movie followed a couple boys through their journey of moving from Sudan to America. They had to adjust to a whole new culture and lifestyle here in America that is very different than what they were used to. I find it incredible that two cultures can be so different from each other and have no idea about what life is like outside their own culture. These boys did not know how electricity worked, what a shower was or even know the concept of time. All these things were new to the boys as they traveled across the world to essentially start a new life. As the boys started to adapt to life in America they found that everything revolves around time and that time is money. I found it sad that once the boys all got jobs and were going to school they didn't have as much time to spend with each other. I think that is a flaw in our culture because I wish I had all the time in the world for my family and friends. It was also so interesting to me how unselfish these boys were. As soon as they were able to support themselves they pretty much spent all their money on others. Whether it was sending money back home to their people, trying to support their families, funding organizations or building schools in Sudan it was all to help everyone but themselves. They did not completely understand why they were the ones chosen to have this incredible opportunity and they felt they needed to share their wealth with their families and friends. Lastly, it really is amazing how much a culture can change you as a person. By the end of the film, many of the boys' english was much better and they were finally understanding and getting used to our culture here. One of the most interesting lines at the end of the documentary was when one of the boys referred to a pond back home as "5 to 10 minutes away" from his house. Living in America has changed how he thinks about things. If he was still living in Sudan, he probably would have referred to the pond as very close, or not far. But living in America has made him think about things based off of time and minutes. Overall, I really enjoyed this film. It really makes you understand how different cultures are from each other and how much I really don't know about other cultures besides my own. Other people in different culture's worlds are so different from mine and I hope I get the chance to experience some one day.

culture

This week in class we have been talking a lot about culture. We talked about how culture is the lens through which we see the world. Our culture affects out language, beliefs, values, norms and behaviors and causes us to think certain ways about other cultures. Ethnocentrism causes us to basically judge other cultures based on their values and beliefs just because they may differ from our own. I guess I could say I'm a little ethnocentric but I think that is just because I don't really know much about other cultures and haven't experienced anything different from my own. Hearing Ms. Brownstone's experience in China really intrigued me and made me interested in visiting other countries and getting a feel for their culture. I'm not really sure if I'm brave enough to do what she did and live in a foreign city for almost 3 years. But I would love to study abroad in college because it seems like a life changing experience. It is so cool hearing about the difference in people's behaviors, norms, language, and values all because they grew up knowing something different than me. I hope one day I get the chance to experience something like Ms. Brownstone's story because I think it is important to not be caught up in my own culture and think that is the only way things work. There is so much out there in the world that I have not seen or experienced yet and studying about the differences in cultures this week has made me want to travel to new places and have the opportunity to experience these other cultures.

Spirit Fest

The second community service activity that I volunteered for was spirit fest. Spirit fest is a community service opportunity through Stevenson, specifically through the club NHS. This year spirit fest was a fundraiser for the Christopher Steele Foundation and took place on the football field here at Stevenson High School. I have been to spirit fest in the past but this year was my first time volunteering for it so I really did not know what to expect. I was happy to be volunteering for a fundraiser that was raising money for a cancer foundation because both of my grandparents have passed due to cancer. This was something that meant a lot to me personally and I was excited to be a part of it. When I arrived at 2 o'clock to help set up, we were all assigned different tasks. My task was to register people as they walked in once the fundraiser began. Before it started I helped others by blowing up and tying balloons to hang along the fence around the track. I also helped set up a board that was going to be recognizing different people who have fought cancer. Once spirit fest actually began, it was pretty hectic registering different people. I sat at a table helping check in students and adults by collecting their money and giving them wrist bands. Although I enjoyed helping out for a good cause, I did not feel like I was doing anything special for my community. I did not come into direct contact or get to talk to any individuals fighting or who have survived cancer. Unlike some other community service opportunities I have participated in, I did not feel fulfilled at the end of my four hours of volunteering. Spirit fest overall is very fun with lots of different and cool activities but I did not get a chance to participate in any of those things. Although I worked for a good cause, I would have felt more accomplished if I had heard different individual's stories of how they dealt with cancer.