Cisco Alers
9-13-15
Project 1
My name is Cisco I am around five feet and five inches, I have green eyes, a Mohawk, I like playing handball, going for runs in those cool, but also warm mornings, and swimming in warm water. I also enjoy ice cream especially chocolate chip ice cream. Some of the favorite things I like to do are playing with legos, playing video games, and spending time with friends, family and loved ones. In addition to those interests drawing is the most important part of my life. It allows me to be the most creative and imaginative I can be. Some pivotal points of my drawing experience are the time when I used to play with my Legos, video games, my time with my parents, my best friend, showers and exercising.
When I was younger I used to come home from school everyday and quickly finish my homework. I did this because there was a certain time of day which the sun would hit my room creating a small warm spot to sit on the floor and play with my legos. Doing this allowed me to be able to find a comfortable spot and be able to think creatively even if there was loud music or a lot going on around in my home. You could say that they were the building blocks of my imagination, no pun intended.
Video games are exciting, saddening, difficult, and they can change the way you think about life, its kind of like a book and a movie in one. One thing I can say about video games is that I would never have been the creative person I am today with out it. Back when I was around 6 was when played my first video game and that was Mario. Mario was the first video game character I drew. After that I started seeing new characters and faces as well as backgrounds with different designs and it helped me have new ideas for drawings. It helped me be more of a creative person then I already was.
There was a time when I had a little desk that my parents bout me back when I was in elementary school. It was an art desk for little kids who were starting to learn how to draw accurately or put the right lines at the right length in the right place. One day during the week end I had woken up early I couldn’t go back to sleep so I decided to sit at the desk and start drawing. My father woke up for work and saw that I was struggling with a picture of a lion. He started helping me and told me to try my best and stay focused on the picture while you draw. Those words coming from him is what motivated me to draw and be creative throughout the years.
A very good friend of mine, an old friend, some how in away knows when I’m feeling down or just not into it during the day. He’d always find a way to bring my day up. There are people who get what’s called writers block. Well artist get the block as well, they get to the point where they draw or create things so much that they cant really think of what else to create and could probably end their job as an artist. I have experienced the block first hand a few times in my life. My friend is one of the few things that help me with that no in person, but in my mind. We’ve been friends since childhood which I guess is why he would always help me in a time of need. When I would get my artist block I’d get a little frustrated then go lay down and think about a time when me and my friend would sit at a lunch table and just joke around till class started and then eventually I would fall to sleep and some how wake up with a new idea. This is one of the reasons why I keep my creative side with me and use it in the best way that I can.
Another way that I deal with my lack of creativity is I don’t even think about it, stop for a few hours and go take a really, really long shower some close to about two hours. That is where I get most of my crazy awesome ideas. For example, there was a time when I was thinking of a way to pant my room. I was thinking about it for days and I couldn’t think of the right way to have the room either light colors or cool colors, do I want to be calm or energetic in my room and what design would I want it to be. There were so many concerns that I didn’t come up with an answer for days. Until I decided to go shower while thinking of a an Idea, about an hour later my mind went on autopilot and it said why not mix the colors with an abstract design and I loved the idea so that’s exactly what I did. Now when ever I want to feel energized or calm, I pick a color to look at and it effects the energy I feel through out my body.
The most important way I deal with artist block is probably the one that involves the most work, but is the most helpful out of all of them. This is when I go for a run or do any type of exercise that gets my heart pumping and blood rushing. The reason why I say that it’s the most important is because it gives me my most creative ideas, ideas that not only help me draw but also help me create different ways to motivate me to draw more and more. With running I came up with the idea of taking a shower to help me with my artist block. Later I asked about to a teacher on it and found that it was proven to help as well as sleeping and exercising. This is due to the fact that these three actions increase the dopamine levels that are in the brain, giving us the ability to think critically and that it also distracts our conscious so that our subconscious can work.
These pivotal points in my life are the reason why I am a drawer today and why I have such a creative mind. In the future I don’t want to draw as a job because I feel as if I need to work for me to draw I wont be as motivated as I am now. So I will keep it as a hobby because I enjoy drawing just to draw for the fun of it. I will use my creative mind in the future as a mechanical engineer to better change the world and create an energy source that is helpful to the environment and the people in it. I will also find ways to make things look more fun in this world. For example, there was a time when I was waiting for a train and I saw the train designed with watches, it may have just been a picture, but it still brightened my day. Everyday I think of new things and ideas, as well as new things to create and I am going to be as creative as I can be.

Hey I’m Jason, and I love exploring, not only walking around the city and learning new areas along with the experiences that they offer, but hearing stories about the experiences that others have had. Some of the best explorations I’ve made, have been in video games, not because the areas are vast, or because some of the stories are rich with creativity and information, but because video games provide a virtual experience where ideas come to life and imagination runs wild. In video games you can experience worlds where you have abilities that don’t exist in real life, and in some games you might be purposely limited, to place you in a scenario where you wouldn’t want to be, in order to scare you. As of 2015, people in different parts of the world can play with each other and enjoy the same experiences whether they work together or not. This multiplayer experience can create more immersive game play because multiple people can work as a team and find new ways to do exact same objective. When I was little, my brother (being a large part and influence in my life) showed me what video games were and the possibilities it opened up. I’ve loved video games ever since.

One of the first games I remember enjoying as a kid was Pokemon: Gold Version, an RPG (Role-Playing Game) where you capture and train small “monsters” called Pokemon. In the game I would just explore the areas and look for random Pokemon that peaked my interest, one of them being the starter Pokemon “Totodile”. In the game “Totodile” was a water based Pokemon, which meant that there were other elements that it was effective against (being fire, ground and rock types) as well as some that were effective against it (being grass types and electric types). While I played this game, my brother played the alternate Pokemon: Silver version, so when I had a question about the game, he would help me understand it better. Through this help, he showed me how although some Pokemon were weak against others, they could still take them down with the right tactics, for example when “Totodile” evolved and leveled up he could learn a new move called “Ice Beam” which being an Ice type move, could do a lot of damage to Grass types(which it was weak against) meaning that I wouldn’t be helpless if one of my opponents had Grass type Pokemon and all I had was my Feraligatr (The final evolution of Totodile). When my brother showed me new ways to play, I took it a step further and from there on, I always thought outside the box.

As I grew up, I played more games and found myself really loving the “get every achievement” type of game play and ironically, I always ended up doing challenges in the way that the game didn’t want me to play. I would abuse certain power ups or abilities, and find either pixel perfect jumps, glitch my way into certain areas or use an ability/power up that wasn’t meant for the level. One of my favorite games ever is Kirby: Squeak Squad. This particular game was shown to me by a friend back in 5th grade, who had recommended I play it. The game was about a small pink ball-like character named “Kirby”, he had an iconic ability to suck foes in and copy their powers. I invested days, maybe weeks worth of time in this one game just to obtain everything and to this day I don’t regret it because it was the one game that got me to start playing to get everything available, not to add on that the game was extremely fun. The game taught me that there is more to games then just the story they provide. Every time I unlocked something new I would test old levels and see if I could now reach new areas to check that everything was discovered. In my efforts to finish the game entirely I always made my own little achievements where I would try to beat a boss using only one power up or no power ups at all, because I wanted to see how far my ingenuity could take me.

Being a kid, I loved experimenting on different ideas and because video games were a big part of my life I experimented in those as well. I must have spent more time in video games playing around with the different worlds then actually playing through the story or objective. The game that I’ve been really hooked on this past year is a relatively controversial game called Destiny. The game is considered a Massively Multiplayer Online, First Person Shooter(with some Role-playing game aspects) or MMOFPS for short. The reason I say controversial is because the Downloadable Content (commonly referred to as DLC) could be bought with it on release, and this caused problems with gamers because it was a new idea to console games. Anyways in Destiny you are a guardian who protects the last city of humanity over seven hundred years into the future, wielding an unknown power only referred to as “The Light”, which comes from the presence of “The Traveler”. As Guardians you have to investigate and destroy threats which could wipe out humanity. Coming from games that don’t really have a “grind” I thought Destiny wouldn’t be a great game, but when I played the beta(an experimental version of a game to test issues with players) I fell in love with it and saw the potential it had and the fun that could come out of it. The game, although lacking a good story (there is even a quote that has become iconic which goes, “I don’t have time to explain, why I don’t have time to explain”), has one of the best end game experiences I have had, because after beating the story, you still have gear to collect and bosses to fight and the supers and abilities are amazing to think about. An example being, Triple jump, yes you read that right, TRIPLE Jump, as in one jump after the first two jumps. Most console players are casual gamers who play to have a good time and don’t really sit down for a prolonged period of time, and ironically Destiny is a game about the grind, where you play a long time  to “catch that carrot-on-a-stick”. I honestly consider myself somewhat of a casual gamer, but I love the grind that goes into the game, where trying to get the top weaponry takes some time and luck, but I had amazing luck, because I was able to get all the best stuff at the time with maybe a fourth of the time then most players. 

Only being 17(as of writing this) I honestly see that I’ve learned a lot about life through video games and I hope that going into adulthood doesn’t change too much about what I’ve been taught. Ever since I was in middle school, there has been an idea that has stuck with me, “you will remember what you’re doing”. This idea was something I “came up with”, and it’s more or less a way to remind myself to not do something stupid, or to take the risk in hopes of a good outcome or something funny to look at in the future. I must have made dozens of stupid ideas and made risks that I am not proud of, but looking back at my memories I believe that none of my video game experiences are losses, because of the fun and amazing times I had while playing, and from here on I hope that never changes. 

Angelica Vargas
Jason W. Ellis
ENG1101 D380
10/05/2015

           
             My name is Angelica Vargas. I usually tell people to call me by the name childhood nickname, Angie. My friends from high school called me Angie they all thought that was my name. During high school I thought Angie was a much cooler name than Angelica ,plus it was way more easier to remember. Facing the “new world” (college )I realized I had start signing my full name. I knew in college no professor would take me serious if I used my nickname Angie, therefore I lost my childhood nickname and decided to become Angelica. It was time for a new beginning , new friends, a new academic life style, and more responsibilities. I’m currently attending the amazing college that goes by the name New York City College of Technology. My major is Communication Design Management. When I got accepted to City Tech I was a happy camper. I was the first one in my household to apply to a four year college, and got accepted.We all have something that catches our attention the first try. For me it was volleyball. Volleyball has played a big role in my life, it has made me stay in shape and has become a big stress reliever . Recently the sport has become important to me ,especially throughout my high school experience. I learned that working with a team really helps an individual gain self confidence. At first I had some regrets on joining the team because I didn’t take judgement very well. I’m a naturally athletic person. Judging by my past experience with sports, I have been in track and volleyball in high school. I was also in karate between the ages 7 and 16, I attended karate for almost 9 years. I quit due to the fact I had to focus on my studies and move on to bigger and better things. The better things that came my way was volleyball. Volleyball was an eye opener for me cause I saw many opportunities. I was getting better during the summer of 2014, which sucked because I didn’t really have the skills during my high school experience. When my mom was living in her hometown in Dominican Republic she was in a volleyball team. That’s one thing I’m very proud of ,I took my mothers steps in high school. Volleyball will continue to be in my life.
         When I first entered Academy for Careers and Television in film , the high school was located in Astoria, Queens under I.S 204. Sadly the school only had possession to the basement. When my freshmen class entered we had completed the school with all four grades. We were the fourth gradation class (class of 2015) .During my sophomore year, my principal gathered all the students in the auditorium. He had a huge announcement. We were finally moving into another building .It sucked for the seniors that were graduating in 2013. They wouldn’t have the experience of moving into the building with the lower grades. The whole school moved within a year. I spent my junior and senior years in a beautiful building near the Long Island city piers, which had a beautiful view of the city. Unfortunately the school still had to share the building with two other schools, But this time we had two floors. Throughout my high school experience I had a lot of regrets about joining the school’s team. I didn’t expect my failures like a grown adult. I got angry at little things that happened. Just imagine how would I have reacted to games where I failed? I would have embarrassed myself infront of my team,my school, and especially my coach. Throughout my high school experience I learned how to overcome my failures. I also regret not joining the team earlier just because of the fact I could have taken advantage of those four years on the team.Let’s say I started the volleyball team during my freshman year ; I would have been team captain by my senior year .I would have also had the advantage of getting multiple scholarships from colleges out of state.I lacked on my social skills on making the right friends.During my freshman year, I attended all of the school’s volleyball games. To get a sense of how they played.Meeting the right people in high school is very difficult. My Friends were the type to easily slack and go off to smoke weed and drink after school hours. Being with the bad crew of friends really labeled me when it come to first impressions in the classroom with my teacher. The volleyball coach was the physical education teacher. In my gym class freshman year I never got prepared. It was easy to get prepared because I only had to bring sneakers. Having friends that were under the influence, was very tempting. They always wanted things to go there way. If you can’t tell already I used to be a follower which got me nowhere. I’m actually proud of my high school experience it shaped me to be the person that I am today.

               When I first realized I was interested in joining my high school’s volleyball team it was around the summer of 2014. My family had planned a BBQ  at sunken meadow beach in Long Island. We were all enjoying ourselves. When the afternoon was slowly approaching we decided it would be a fun activity if the whole family would play volleyball together. My father saw that strangely I wasn’t playing with my family. I knew If I would have played at first, my family would have asked me so many questions about volleyball. It would obviously be all good things but I didn’t want to be encouraged to be in volleyball team anytime soon.At the beach, My family kept asking me questions about what I wanted to do after I graduate high school. These questions were so difficult to answer when I was 16 . Eventually I got up to play and saw I was doing better than before the last time I played. What really made me change my mind was, that I was the main player who was helping my team to win. My team was winning mainly because of my serves. I felt I was worth being in a team finally. Luckily nobody convinced me into joining that day. I saw hope in myself to be the best that I can be that day. I knew senior year for me would be hardest, because I didn’t pass my global regents .My goal was to pass the global regents in first semester of my senior year. Unfortunately I didn’t, I failed the global regents once again by one point.I didn’t want to join volleyball cause I thought I was going to get a class on global. I got a short tutoring session with two other students. When ever I had the chance in summer 2014 I practiced. I literally practiced everywhere you can think off ( outside ).The park, beach, piers, backyards, front yards, and dangerously on top of my roof. My father supported me while I was practicing. He took me to flushing meadow park to play with me. It took skills .It was a great workout for both of us .Yes I used to be go practice on my building’s rooftop. When I used to go off and practice on top of my rooftop ,I usually was stressed out. It was a challenge at first.It was a learning experience. I was testing out my skills of controlling the ball. What I did was I threw the ball up and I bumped it with my forearm. I kept bumping it until I couldn’t anymore .If the ball would have fell  down to the ground. I would have gotten it and ran back up to my position and start all over again. That barely happened though. To be able to play at a rooftop you have to be aware on the amount of space you have. It’s exactly the same way when you are on a volleyball court. You have to be aware with the back lines ,and sidelines ,because if the ball goes out then you will be giving the other team points.My friends and cousins helped me with my progress. Im really greatfull for the people who supported me in the summer and within the fall semester of senior year.

            My mother is an immigrant from the Dominican Republic. She came here due to the fact she wanted a better lifestyle for her future and her family. I remember my mom telling my sister about her past experiences during her education life style in the Dominican Republic. My sister also was involved with volleyball in middle school. She should have continue her path into volleyball in high school. Anywho my mom was a real inspiration to me cause I wanted to be just like her. According to what my mom has told me , she was very skilled .She used math to win her games. I can’t really explain because I still don’t get it. She tried to teach me her ways within the summer, but I still didn’t get it. My father on the other hand is also from the Dominican Republic. His older uncle bought his brothers and sister over to new york to better their lives. My father and I have special bond .Ever since I told him I wanted to quit karate he was very disappointed, because he didn’t raise no loser. My father always told me “quitters never prosper”. So when I made the decision on giving up on karate and joining my high school’s volleyball team, at first he wasn’t supportive. He learned how to expect my choice because it was my life. My dad decided to help me by practicing with me and also by working out with me. When It started getting cold we went to the gym to practice. It was 5 days and 3 hours during the week in the gym. Mostly doing weights and playing volleyball in the gym.I really appreciate my parents for supporting me when I needed them the most in my life.

          Volleyball has changed my life. The sport has helped me in many ways, such as controlling my anger and stress. Also the sport has prepared me for the real world in accepting my failures. Failures such as getting multiple volleyballs thrown at me to learn and lesson, giving the other team points because of my bad serves within games, and hearing girls judging me on my team. A team is about helping others out in order to bring out the best out of a person. In my high school the girls didn’t follow that rule. They were very judgmental and worried about themselves. I tired to be focused on myself and becoming better then them. That just made thing worst. I never seen volleyball as a competition, I have always seen it as a motivator. It has helped with a lot of my struggles throughout my life.Volleyball will forever continue being my one true love in my life.=

Chelsea McKensie

Dr. Jason Ellis

9/10/15

My name is Chelsea McKensie. My major is Hospitality Management. Hospitality management is the study of the hospitality industry meaning food and business, some of my interest are watching and drawing anime, watching UFC wrestling, Greco, freestyle wrestling, watching the food network and cooking. In addition to those interests, tattooing is an important part of my life. The word tattoo means a rhythmic tapping or drumming, it is an action. The word tattoo is said to have two major derivations from the Polynesian word “ta” which means striking something and the Tahitian word “tat au” which means, “to mark something”.

I love tattoos so much I think it is as if your body is a canvas and the ink is the paint. You put all the things that inspire you and the people you love and everything you find beautiful about the world on your skin for the world to see. Tattooing has been practiced across the globe for a very long time. The oldest discovery of tattooed human skin was found on the upper lip of a chin churo culture mummy from South America. Tattooing was created by inserting colored materials beneath the skin surface. Technology has improved and evolved so much since then tattoos are painful now imagine then. The first tattoo was probably created by accident. It probably started out as a cut and they trying to treat it and it left marks of there skin maybe even in a pattern.

The only people that still stereotype tattoos are middle aged to old people today. Tattoos are becoming more common and less looked down upon in today’s age unless your literally covered in them from head to toe. Now if your tattoos are offensive that may also be a different story, but if you have genuine tattoos that are part of you and mean something special theirs no reason to be stereotyped. Your supporting arguments make absolutely no sense! It drives me crazy! Every tattoo tells a story, belief, or holds a memory. What happened to “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover”? I’m sure you all have been looked down upon at one point in your lives, so why would you feel the need to be so cruel as to return the favor? It’s truly disgusting!! I have PLENTY of tattoos, but you know what? I have done ten times better in school and at work than most of those who DON’T have tattoos. Tattoos are a way of expression, and a way to stand out in a crowd, to be a piece of art! I think the most beautiful people are the ones that have tattoos, not once in my life have I notice a person without tattoos, why? They blend in. I understand if someone gets something ridiculous, like a lawn mower, it’s truly beautiful, as is the person with it. Inside and out, unlike you negative people.

Tattoos have become a respectable art form and are no longer viewed by most and something disagreeable. Once upon a time only those who served in the military had them. Then civilians with questionable reputations got them–prisoners, gang members etc.–and now nearly everyone under the age of 50 has one. TV reality shows about tattoo artists abound and the art form has become more sophisticated. Even the older generations are beginning to come around and accept tattoos as a part of our culture. “When a tattoo artist makes marks on skin, he or she joins a conversation in progress. When you choose a tattoo, you reveal something about yourself that is already there, even if it’s only a hope.”

Some of the positive aspects of being tattooed can be expressed by many tattoo lovers. The rush of putting something decorative on their bodies is like no other feeling in the world. Knowing the mark of the needle is there forever is a beautiful commitment to many ink seekers. Picking a design and saying it is part of “you” is what drives some to commit to tattoo collecting. Sports teams, girlfriends names, children’s favorite play toys, favorite foods, brand names, flowers, and even frightening subjects are part of the tattooing design platform. A tattoo can mean a commitment between two friends to be friends forever. A tattoo can commemorate a death of a family member, friend, or even a pet. Many times while doing memorial tattoos, artists will see the tears of the living flow under the buzz of the needle. The tattoo gives closure and security in knowing the memorial is permanently a part of the grieving person’s body. “Wearing your heart on your sleeve” is actually what the memorial tattoo does for the client seeking to show their love, committment, or grief of losing a loved one. This is just one positive effect of getting tattooed. Another effect that can be positive is the ornamental decoration of one’s body. Many decorative designs can be seen on young people and even people in their eighties. One episode of Miami Ink showed an eighty year old lady getting her first tattoo. She was a perky eighty year old and wanted to have her initial on her upper arm. It was an honor for Ami to decorate her virgin skin at the age of eighty.

My name is Bilal Shadizai, and I’m 17 years old. I’m an immigrant from Pakistan who came to the U.S, 5 years ago. I’m a college freshman and my major is computer programming. I believe that almost everyone has something that’s important to them. To me the most important thing is bowling. In my junior year high school I joined the school bowling team which was called RFK Bowling team. I joined the team because of my friends.  Bowling started to become an important part of my life. Bowling became everything to me without me realizing it. To me there’s no other sport that is as much fun as bowling. I’m so grateful for bowling because it taught me important things about life. Every time I play bowling it excites me so much. Bowling taught me so many important things about life. Some milestones of me playing bowling are teamwork, competition, and the experience of both losing, and winning.
When I first joined Bowling I didn’t like it but I joined because my friends were joining it and I wanted to play the same sport as my friends. Once I was settled in the bowling team, there was no doubt that it was the right place and right game for me. On my first game I scored 79 out of 300. There were 17 player when I first joined. Each player in the team cooperated very well. It felt like I was in the team for years. Gradually I started to enjoy every moment with that team. Everyone in the team supported each other and encouraged each other in every game. Some of us were new to bowling and weren’t really good at bowling. We tried our best in all of the games. We all became close friends and had new kinds of experiences together. Throughout the season we were all improving. I felt like Bowling was the right sport for me because I’ve never experienced so much joy playing a sport, like I did when I played bowling. We all wanted to win because we wanted to play as many games as we could together rather than losing and getting eliminated. High school bowling requires teamwork, without teamwork games would be difficult to win and would be less fun.
Another reason bowling is important in my life is because of the competition. I like competing with other people. When I first joined bowling I didn’t even know the rules of the game. However, by seeing how our team’s best player Andrew played, I was inspired and wanted to be as good as him. Andrew was the team’s captain. Andrew’s bowling average was 256 while mine was around 90. In my junior year of high school, I was ranked C in bowling, which means I was the lowest ranked player. That year we were so close to winning a division but we didn’t because there was another team whom were better than us. Our coach was also my economy teacher. One day I went to after school to finish my economy work and I heard our coach was talking to another teacher saying that we needed one more skilled player to win a division. I didn’t want to be in the lower rank and I wanted to catch up to the team’s best player. During the summer time I started to practice on my own. There was a person in the bowling place where I used to practice his name is Arthur and he worked in the bowling place. Arthur saw me practicing like almost 4 or 5 days per week and one day he came up to me and said that “you have improved so much”. Arthur was also a very skilled player in bowling, he started teaching me bowling. Every time I practiced I had one thing in mind and it was to make it to the A team. By the time I was a senior in high school, I became one of the team’s top ranked player. My average went up from 90 to 180. I didn’t become as good as the team’s best player was but I ranked 2nd in the team. After all the hard work my team and I did we won the division during my senior year. When I was graduating I got an award for the most improved bowling player. After getting the award for the most improved bowling player I felt satisfied because all my hard work paid off. Almost everyone in the bowling team thought that we won the division because of my improvement but I thought otherwise. I believed that we won because we all worked hard and helped each other. We won the division because of everyone’s effort not only mine. Now I like bowling more than any other sport. I have so many great memories which I wouldn’t have if I never started bowling.
Bowling is also important to me because it taught me the meaning of winning and losing. Before I started bowling, whenever I failed in something, I gave up on it without trying a second time. I used to play soccer before bowling and I wasn’t as skilled as the other players. It bothered me how I couldn’t play as well as other players but instead of trying and practicing more I gave up on soccer. In bowling whenever we won from our opponent’s team I noticed that they were even better the next time our teams versed each other. By seeing how our opponents were getting better after losing I realized that people shouldn’t give up and should work harder in order to succeed. Bowling taught me that losing is a way to get stronger. By playing bowling I realized that every time I lose I must work harder to succeed in what I want to. I used to think that losing meant failure but now after playing bowling I think the real loser is the one who gives up. The joy of winning comes after a certain loss. To me bowling is more than a sport. It shaped me to be who I’m now. Bowling also made me realized that the feeling of losing wouldn’t stay for long, but the thought of me giving up would. All I have to do is keep trying and work harder.

If I could I will never stop bowling because of bowling I learned so many important things. I found new friends, new personality, and new experiences. I will continue playing bowling maybe not as much as I used to because of my studies but I will keep playing. I want to see what other great experiences bowling can bring. In future if I could I will join another team with who I can play bowling because the full excitement of bowling comes when people play in teams. I’m so grateful to bowling because when I look back at how I was back then I think I never would have find friends and never would have known the real meaning of winning and losing. I’m also grateful to Arthur for teaching me bowling skills, I don’t think I could have improved so much in such short time if Arthur had not trained me. I wouldn’t have experienced the joy of winning after the hard work if I have not joined bowling. Bowling is more than a sport to me I respect bowling and I think most likely I will be playing it in future too. I will not stop bowling because nothing excites me more than bowling.

My name is Sher I Syed and I was born in Brooklyn New York but raised in my parent’s homeland Pakistan. I am majoring in Computer Programming at the City Tech College. My name was given to me by my grandmother but she died after 15 days when I born because she suffered from cancer. I believe life never remains the same. There are circumstances that lead us to changes in our lives, that is what occurred to me. In my parent’s homeland, I studied hard and learned about my culture and religion. However, while I was in Pakistan, I experienced a tragic turning point in my life when my father passed away. My father was everything to me and his lost impacted my life. With my father’s demise, I began to notice some relative’s real faces, which opened my eyes but weakened my trust in people. My father took care of his brothers and sister and supported the financially because he was the only one who had a job in the household. He helped his brothers and sister to migrate to America and helped them to achieve citizenship of America. However, when my father died, his siblings turned their back on me and my family. They wanted all my father’s money and property that he left after he died. My father was a religious person and I wanted to carry his teachings and cultural values within my life. After 2 years, due to issues with relatives and my mother’s health we had to move back to America. When I came to New York, I saw a new environment and a new culture; everything was different than the life style that I experienced in Pakistan. To live here I had to adapt this new culture but also had to respect my cultural values, which interested me on how I was going to be able to balance my native culture while being introduced to a new culture. Indeed, moving to America caused changes to my personal and social life. However, It also set new goals in my life and it gave me the opportunity to advance my studies. Moving to America helped me learn a new language.

Moving to America and seeing a new culture had various effects on my personal life. Before moving to America, I used to wear my culture clothes but when I moved to America I saw new types of clothes and had to wear them due to American culture. However, I still like to wear my native cultural clothes that are Shalwar and Qameez. When I visited Pakistan a few months ago, I bought many of my cultural outfits and brought them with me to America. The relationship with my family also changed. We all can speak English but still choose to talk to each other in our native language. We share new things that we learn and increase each other’s knowledge. I am the youngest child at home including my twin brother. My brothers and sisters help us deal with college life, they show us what we should do in college and how to get higher grades in classes. In America almost every teenager has a life partner and even people ask me if I have a girlfriend but my religion and culture doesn’t allow me to have girlfriends so I stay away from that. However, I have to talk to girls in my class or outside due to American culture but I talk respectfully and in a humble manner the way my parents have taught me.

                                                                    These are my cultural clothes

Earlier in Pakistan I use to depend on other people (servants in Pakistan, servants do not cost a lot), never tried to do my work alone because I knew that other people could do it for me. I was raised in a really luxurious way, because in Pakistan it was easy to live a luxurious life. When I came to America, everything was different I had to do my own work and things were expensive. It was harder life comparing to Pakistan because it was all depended on me. My life changed when I came to America, from my dress code, to family bond and the experiences of this diverse world.

As I moved to America the introduction to a new culture affected my social life and behavior. My parents raised me in a really religious environment where they never let me go outside and make new friends because they were afraid that I would get strayed or will get in to bad people’s company. I was a quiet person who never spoke a lot even with classmates. I did not have friends and had to stay home all time. Sometimes I go out with my family but never let me go out with other people. However, when I came to America I saw advanced culture that has not many restrictions. Socializing is key to success in America and I was bad in it. When I started high school, I realized that I needed to improve my social skills. I started to make friends and began to socialize. I have many friends now and they treat me with respect. It does not matter to me that the person is bad or good if he or she treats me with respect, I will too. I still have problem in public speaking, its nearly impossible for me to talk freely. I never was able to speak openly even with my friends. I keep my friendship in limit according to the person how he or she treats me. I never judge a person by their skin color or background. I also realized people over here are really open-minded comparing to people in Pakistan. My first year of high school was really bad because I did not have any friends and stayed quiet all time. When I saw myself alone, then I decided to make friends and make myself socially active. In high school I made too many friends and learned new things about other people. I experienced the outside world. Moving to America changed the way I speak, made new friends, helped to get rid of my shyness, and gotten to know the outside world.

While I was in Pakistan, I saw people struggling in daily life. There weren’t good educational system and jobs opportunities because Pakistan isn’t a well-developed country where people can get good jobs with high pay rate. In Pakistan, if you had to study, you would have to go to the schools where you have to pay a lot of money that average people cannot afford. There were not any student programs that could help them to get financial help or any future development. When I moved to America, I saw new opportunities in studies and in my career, then it motivated me to work hard and to become successful. My elder brother also has a computer major and he teaches me programming when he is free. My main goal is to open a company that provides opportunities for programmers to get job easily and with fair pay rate. This could help advancement in programming field. When I started high school in America the first problem that I faced was language barrier. I hardy knew English. I could read and write English but it was first time I experienced to speak English. I used to get extremely nervous during class participation. When the teacher began to ask me questions, I started to get afraid that now I’ll answer in my broken language. My first experience was really bad because my voice was shaking and I was completely nervous. My reading skills in English were already good because I used to watch movies and anime. I learned British English in Pakistan but teachers were not that skilled that they could even speak English, which created trouble in learning English. I had gotten advance ESL class in high school and I passed the NYSESLAT in my first year. I really didn’t know how to write an essay or to do a graphic organizer. It was my English teacher who taught me how to write an essay and to do graphic organizer. Due to my hard work and my teacher’s teachings I was able to pass the CUNY assessment test and got admission in New York College Of Technology. Moving to America helped to remove the language barrier, provided me new goals and opportunities in studies and jobs.

Losing my father and introduction to a new culture in America had really big affect on me change in dressing code, family bond and experience in new world. Also affected my social skills and made changes in my behaviors that I was shy and never spoke to people but now I am changed. Furthermore, it also gave me new opportunities in studies and jobs and set new goals in my life. As I experienced new things in life, I began to learn the affects of cultural change within myself. Cultural diversity changed my life in positive way where I’ve also been respecting the teaching of my father and my native culture and will take it with me for whole life and pass it down to my generation.