What is the worst weather event that you’ve ever experienced?

2003, I was a sophomore in high school and it was the middle of the school year. I had my hands full with assignments but so far I had everything under control. We had just return from winter break so I was rested and ready for anything. It was the middle of January and it seemed like it was going to be another regular winter in the DC metro area with not that many significant snow storms. I remember that I was asked to be part of a wedding at a church where my sister used to attend. The wedding was in Maryland and it was going to take place on a Saturday. I went to stay over my sister house four a couple of days and my plan was to come back on Sunday. The wedding was very lovely and after the reception I went to my sister’s house. I actually wanted to come back that same night so I called my brother. By brother said he could not pick me up because it was snowing and that he would come Sunday morning. The next day when I woke up I came to realized that it had snowed close to two feet of snow. I could not believe my eyes. I called my brother right away to see f he was coming and he told me that the all roads were blocked. I wanted to go back home so badly because I knew I had many assignments to complete. All of Sunday I tried to find a ride home but I was unsuccessful. As it turns out, school was canceled for the whole week due to the heavy snow fall. In fact I got home a couple of days later just to find out that school was cancel for two week straight due to the fact that there were other small snow storms. Even though I was stuck in Maryland for a few days thanks to the blizzard, the extra vacation was not so bad.

Do animals have something to teach us? What is it?

I think that animals do have many things that they could teach us if we pay attention to them. For example we have the colony of ants. These little insects work really and they work together to accomplish great things. Not only that they plan for the future storing food before every winter. We can definitely learn about being wise and work in teams from the little ants. Recently a bird made a nest under the roof of my house. The place where the bird chooses to make the nest was on top of the lamp just outside house next to the door. As it turns out this is a very difficult place to build a nest. The bird keep bring the material to build the nest and the material kept falling. I do not know how many weeks it this bird to build the nest but the fact is that the bird eventually completed the nest. A couple of week later there were a couple of eggs in the nest. From this I learn that with determination and hard work anything can be done even if something seems impossible. Even more important is that when you have people you care about you should do everything in your power to help them. Another amazing thing about the bird was that every time someone opened the door it would fly away. However the bird would not go too far. It would actually stay very close by to keep an eye on the nest. Again this shows that if you acre for someone you should always keep an eye on them, to protect them and help them.

Write about the things you do when you are procrastinating?

When it comes to procrastinating I do many different activities. When I am procrastinating I usually will surf the web. I will log on to my page in Myspace and in Facebook. I will spend a few minutes browsing through my friends profiles and may be comment on their photos. I also usually will go to Yahoo to check on the news for the day. Another one of my activities while I am procrastinating is watching a TV show or a movie. Many times I am studying real hard and some one turn on the TV and so it happens there is one of my favorite movies playing. I usually will also go out with my friends and maybe go watch a movie or go eat at a restaurant. Sometimes I also decide to work out a little bit while am procrastinating. One of my favorite activities I have while I procrastinate is sleeping. Studying Electrical Engineering can be really exhausted. Many times I have come home with many assignments to work on. Even though I know I need to work on these assignments I always decide to take a 5-10 minute nap that turns in to a 2 hour nap. What is worst is that a night I even more tired. You would think that after sleeping a couple of hours during the day I would be able to stay awake longer at night but that is not usually the case, sadly.

Describe a very, very hot day.

Just the other day I experienced one of the hottest days in my life. I started driving from school to work and the digital thermometer in my car read 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat was unbearable. Being inside my car felt like being on an oven with wheels. I opened the window of my car to let some cool air in. To my surprise the air out side was almost just as hot as the air inside the car. I could feel drops of sweat running down my face; In fact I could feel drops of sweat running down my whole body. At times it was even a bit hard to breathe. The air felt very thick and warm. Since I was on the road at that time, things just got works. It felt like all those driving (including my self) where just adding to the temperature with the heat from our car engines. The sun was very bright, there was no wind. What made it worst was he fact that it was not even the middle of the day year. All that came to my mind while I was driving was that I did not want to go to work and that I wanted to go to the beach instead.

Describe living for a week without your cell phone

Just four years ago, I use to think that I did not really need a cell phone. In fact, I got my until my freshman year in college. Somehow I managed to go thru high school with out ever needing a cell phone. College was a different story; every time I wanted to meet with my friends I could not locate them. It was then that I decided that it was time for me to get a cell phone. The cell phone has become a very important part in my life with out me realizing it. I hardly can spend a day with out my cell phone. Even just a few hours are too much time to be without a cell phone. If I go an entire week without a cell phone I would almost go crazy. I would be a bit desperate and I would like to use other means of contact the important people in my life. I would really get frustrated. I would feel like not having a cell hone would somehow disconnect me from my family and friends, especially friends since I don’t see them as often as I see family. I am sure I would be emailing a lot and use social site such as my space to try and keep in touch with all my friends. It is hard to believe that a small electronic device could have such an impact in someone’s life.

Write a letter as yourself to the child you were at age 10.

Dear Victor Mendez
First of all you should get a translator to read this letter since you do not read, write nor speak English yet. In just a couple of year many great changes will come to your life, some are good and some are bad. I think the best thing you can do at this moment in your life is enjoy your last couple years of your child hood. Don worry about growing up and learning how to drive or getting a job so that you can earn money. You should enjoy this carefree life you have at the moment and just have fun. However, keep studying hard and if you can study even harder. Every time you have an opportunity to learn something new go for it, you never know when it might come in handy. Enjoy the beautiful city you live in. Take a time to relax and appreciate the suppleness of the life in Ciudad Barrios. You should also try to visit your grandparents, aunts and uncles more often. If you can maybe try and learn some English, at least some basic vocabulary. If you can take hiking trip to the mountains and just enjoy the beautiful landscape of San Miguel. You live in a beautiful place full with pleasant people. Enjoy every minute you have in lovely Ciudad Barrios.

Describe the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you.

The most embarrassing that has happened was when I accidentally spill a soda all over my pants. What made it really embarrassing was where, when and in front of whom it happened. I was in the middle of my freshmen year in high school. One week end I was set to go on a fieldtrip with the Early Identification Program, EIP. In this program I met students from school all round Fairfax, Arlington and Falls Church. I was exited to spend some time with friends from my high school and my friend from EIP. In our way to a museum in Washington DC, I decided to open one of my snacks for the day. I bought a large bag of Skittles for the trip. The bag seemed to be sealed very tight so when I forced it open, Skittles flew all the way around the front of the bus. It was very embarrassing but thankfully everyone helped me clean up. Sadly my misfortunes were just beginning. I was a bit thirsty so I open the soda I brought along for the trip. After a couple sips I put the cap back in the soda and put the soda inside my backpack. After about 30 minutes we finally arrived at the museum in Washington DC. I looked at the bottom of my seat and noticed that it was all wet. I picked at my backpack and it was soaking wet. I was really mad. My rage turned to embarrassment when I noticed that the right side and the back side of my pants were also wet. For about 3 hours I walked around the museum looking like I had urinated in my pants.

What do you do when you get home from work?

If everything went according to plan, after I get home from work at 7:40 PM, I would eat dinner, and rest for about 10 to 15 minutes. I would do some reading for my physics class and also check the website for my English class for any new updates. I would also take the time to check myspace page and facebook to see if there is anything new. However, in my life I find it difficult to do anything according to plan. Most of the time, I start correctly eating my dinner. Many times as I am eating my dinner I tend to look at the TV and I usually find a good movie that I want to watch. After 2 hours I realize that I did not follow my schedule so I must stay awake for a couple of extra hours just to finish my work. A similar situation happens if I decide to check my myspace and facebook profiles. With out noticing I spend 2 hours in front of my computer wasting my time. This means extra hours to finish any school work. Lately however I have found it easier to follow my schedule and keep up with things. I am hoping that once I graduate I can actually have a more normal life with out worrying too much and actually have some free time for myself.

Respond to the quote: “Memory is our favorite form of time travel.”

Well memory is not only our favorite form of time travel but also our only form of time travel, so far. I think that this quote is actually very true. I do not think there is not a single person in the world who does not contemplate his or her past at one time or another. I often find myself thinking about my life and how it was 10 or 15 years ago. I often take long trips down memory lane to a time when life was very different for me. As an engineer student at Mason I often get very stressed out with all the work. Many times in the middle of my stress I start thinking about my childhood. I think about my once care free life. I think about the time when homework, was not as long and not as hard as it is today. Many times I found myself in a familiar problem so I take a look back at my memories and I try to figure out how I solved the problem before so that I can manage to solve it in the present.
I think memories bring back unique experiences with in a person’s past. This is the reason why many people at one time or another will think about their past. This is the reason why memory is not only our favorite form of time travel but our only one. It is one thing to see an event of the past, but a different thing to actually relieve it. I think memory is the only way we can relieve our past experiences.

Remember the first time that you ever went to the library. Describe your impressions of the experience. (Freewrite, 10 minutes.)

I think the actual first time I went to the library I was in the second grade. I was back in El Salvador so the experience of going to a library over there is different from the library experience here in the United States. I remember I was working on a project about volcanoes with one of my best friends. We went to the town library to look for some book that would give us some useful information. When I went inside I was overwhelm to see many selves full of books. I though to myself that I would never find the information I was looking for. What was also scary is that I saw students in there that were from 8th and 9th grade. There where even some students who were maybe even senior in high school. I felt out of place to see many people older than me looking around for books. In El Salvador the libraries do not have an advance system for storing the information about books, at least not I the time when I was in second grade. My friend and I went to the front desk and ask one of the receptionists for help. Lucky for us there was a section with in the library with books that were at hour level of education. At the end my friend and I were able to find all the information we were looking for. Form that day on, I looked forward to projects that involved coming to the library. (Until I became a teenager and lost interest in books)

list of metaphors that relate to the computer interface

Mouse
Scrolling
Window
Keyboard
Close Window
Open Window
Pointer
Zoom in
Zoom out
Mouse Click
Input
Output
Delete
Undo
Repeat
Cut
Paste

Computer have with out a doubt have made an impact on our writing. The most obvious effect of this impact is that know writing is a lot easier for everyone. A few decades ago it might have been hard for someone who had poor hand writing to develop good written communication skills. Having legible handwriting is still very important, even today. However the computer has made it easier for many more people to develop better written communication skills.
The computer has also impacted the way we think. The computer helps in organizing our though better. For example when some one is writing a research paper, they could easily have all the information in their computer rather than in a table full of books. In a way the computer has made it easier for us to think since we do no longer have to worry too much on gathering information.

Free Write

It is hard to realize that my college experience is almost over when I still feel like it has just begun. After I graduated high school I joined a program known as the Student Transition Empowerment Program also so known as STEP. This program was designed to help students make the transition from high school to college. Many of my good friends from high school were also in the program so it was a very fun and interesting experience. The program consisted in taking to summer classes while living on campus at George Mason University. The program was to last about eight weeks; the full duration of the summer classes. The program paid for the tuition, the housing, the books and the food. All we had to worry about was making sure we passed the classes and that we actively participated in activities design to help prepare for college life. Before I knew it my experience with the STEP was over. I started my fall semester on 2005 and I fully embarked in my college voyage. Six semester and three years later I realize that in lest than a year I will be graduating and that a new chapter in my life will be written. I confess that I am scared of the fact of finally leaving school and starting a professional life. On the other hand, I am very happy to realize that all my hard work and sacrifice will soon pay off.

Free Write

Finally she is here, after nine months of waiting my niece was born. She is a very especial baby to my family. My family consists of 5 brothers and 1 sister. My sister and 2 of my brothers already have a few kids. However until now, I only had nephews. I did not mind having only nephews but for a long time everyone on my family wanted a baby girl. When my brother told me that his wife was pregnant with a baby girl I was overjoyed with the news. For a couple of week my sister in law said that she was having some pains as if the baby was about to be born. However, every time she went to the hospital they told her it was not time yet. On Saturday June 28, my sister in law began to have some major pains and she again went to the hospital. Again, the doctors told my sister in law that it was not time for the baby to be born but it would be soon. She came to our housed and stayed overnight. She was home all day Sunday until the afternoon. At that time she began having pains again so she went to the hospital. This time the doctors conformed that the baby was going to be born around 8:00 PM or 8:30 PM. My brother contacted me so I went to the hospital. I was there for about 40 minutes when my sister told me that my niece had been born. I came in the room and saw the cuties, tiniest human being. I could not believe my eyes when I saw my little nice crying and moving. After she had been cleaned and she had some clothes on, I carried my baby niece and gave her big “welcome to the family.”