HELLO GUYS

This is just a reminder that we are closing the blog now. From today on, we should be focusing on your final exams. I am quite happy at the progress all of you have made during this bimester. Congratulations. Rick

Some Reminders

(1) Do not erase your previous versions or any of my comments.

Remember that your portofolio needs to contain all of your drafts and that you will also be graded on your progress, so I need to remember how “bad” your writings were to compare to how wonderful they have become

(2) Don’t use a new post to publish your rewrites.

Please, rewrite your papers under the same entry by cutting and pasting your lastest work under COMMENT. Also, remember that we have lots of students writing on the blog. If you revise an older post, I will not get to know about it unless you write me informing of the changes. Simply open up another entry and call it REMINDER. Then, inform me which paper(s) you have worked on and want me to take a look at.)

(3) Click on your name under Categories to find your entries.

Due to the overwhelming number of posts, it was getting harder and harder for students to find their own entries. All you need to do is to find your name under Categories and only your entries will be shown.

Note: Obviously, for this feature to work, you will need to click under your names when you write your new posts.

Have a great weekend you all.

Rick

PS: We are approaching the end of Week 2, which means that you should have a minimum of 4 entries posted and commented under your name. Some of you have all 4; some others have even more than that. Congratulations on all the effort you have been putting into the course.

However, some of your have only 2 or 3, and there are people with only 1 entry. Unfortunately, for these people, I cannot handle more than two entries per student a week for several reasons:

(1) it is physically impossible for me to comment on more than two writings per student a week for administrative reasons. As a teacher, I reserve a certain time to give my students feedback during the week. If all my students turn in several late assignments at the same time, I will not have the time to dedicate to my comments as I would if you turned them in on the due date. Besides, you are graded for meeting your deadlines as well. Please, refer to your folder for details; 

(2) writing is not learned by doing bulks of entries in one sitting. Writing is a process and every time you write a piece, you learn from doing it. Furthermore, lessons take time to sink in, so many assignments turned in at the same time defeats the entire purpose.

Paper # 2 – Birth Order

Write on how being born the oldest (youngest, middle, only) child has affected you in becoming the person you are today. My paper is about how being born Japanese in a foreign country has made me the person I am today. As in all assignments, you guys are free to modify the topic to fit a reality in your life.

How Having Been Born Japanese Brazilian Affected My Life

Having been born Japanese in the Brazilian culture has certainly brought me up with a severe aversion to touch. In the Japanese culture, touching others is a clear sign of invasion of someone’s personal space. Unlike Latin cultures, the Japanese do not greet each other with kisses or hand shakes. A single bow usually suffices. At home while I was growing up, my parents and relatives did not use to touch me in any occasion. When a Brazilian visited my parents’ place when I was a child, they used to respect our tradition and just nod whenever we were around. To make matters harder for me, I went to elementary school and junior high-school in California, where Americans do not greet each other with kisses on the cheeks either. Nevertheless, after I came back to study at Colégio Bandeirantes as a teen, kisses and handshakes became inevitable in the school environment. I still remember the first time a girl came closer to reach for my cheeks. I was twelve at the time and she was thirteen. Watching her lips come close me was a weird mixture of euphoria and invasion of personal space. As I felt her body heat next to mine, my whole body tensed up in a freeze. At the same time that I enjoyed the contact, I also found it repugnant. I thought I would relax after the kiss, but I remained with my eyes closed for an extra microsecond after the greeting, probably making the girl think that I was some sort of a nerd. It took me quite sometime to get used to it, and I must confess that until today I am not so comfortable with kissing people I barely know. And I am quite sure that other Japanese people born in Latin countries probably feel the same way I do about touch.

Paper # 1 – Introducing Yourselves

Introduce yourself to the other members of the blog. Here is mine as an example.

SPFC RULES!

For those who don’t know me, let me start with some personal background. My real name is Ricardo Nishioka, and not Rick, as most people call me. It is just that my dad is also Ricardo, so we have all agreed on Rick at home. I guess I have lost all the identification with the name Ricardo – at least when referring to myself.

Also, I was born here in São Paulo, unlike many of my students think. It is just that I was raised in Long Beach, California most of my life, and act more American than anything else — in spite of being of Japanese decent. But I must confess, though, that having developed a love for soccer in these last 8 years has helped me build stronger ties to this tropical country. Today, I would not leave the city of São Paulo for a new life in California anymore. How on earth would I be able to watch my SPFC games live?

As far as my professional background goes, I have got a Master’s Degree in Linguistics and Rhetoric, and worked as a Freshmen Composition instructor at California State University Long Beach in the early 90’s. When my green card was rejected by the Immigration and Naturalization Service, I was forced to come back to Brazil, and have been happily working as a teacher at Alumni Association since 1997.

Hi Guys!

Welcome to our Alumni Writing 1 Blog! We will be using this blog as a way to give each other feedback. There will be two classes involved in this project, which is an intrinsic part of our course. We will be using both the themes in Alumni’s Writing 1 folder as well as others that will probably come about as we progress into the course. We all hope we enjoy this experience.

Truely,

Rick