Damn……I really can’t believe that the semester is fast approaching and that we would be able to get this far. When I first started college via a computer, I was really on the edge of how things were going to work out and that if I was going to be able to work well as for the course of the semester. Never in a million years, would I have thought that things would be the way they are and that we were going to live in such a period of loss. As individuals, this pandemic has shown us to appreciate those around us and not to take things for granted. This pandemic has changed our lifestyle, but as New Yorkers we know what is like to be strong and not let things defeat us. Defeat is what leads us to our downfall and as people, we have to prevent that. Also this week, I was reviewing and talking with other professors about the upcoming final exams and papers that have to be given in by the end of the semester. It’s quite a stressful period, but resilience is what is going to keep many of us to work hard and do well in our finals.

This week in class, we did a reading by George Saunders, known as “Elliot Spencer”, which is a novel that is unique and one of the most interesting ones we have read this semester in class. I really enjoyed this reading because it taught me that language and style of a text is important towards creating this connection with the audience. This helps get across this meaning that the author want us to get across in our heads. It’s a story that really was worth the read and would like to read other stories, just like it. Besides that, we did a proposal of what we’re going to do for our final research essay for this class, which would consist of a question that we’re going to analyze and discuss, through the use of research. I really look forward for this assignment and I hope that everything works as planned and not to get that overwhelmed with the many things upon many of us, not only me.

A final thing, is that I just wanted to say that my psychopathology writing class, was one of the chillest and fair classes I ever took this semester. It was a class, that taught me how to distinguish myself and express myself in writing. It has taught me the importance of reading and that writing has an impact on how we display things on paper. 😊

This week I went to upstate New York to visit some family members and celebrate Thanksgiving together. We did a lot of eating that day and a lot of catching up. It was a fun and joyful thanksgiving and it was a time to recall back memories and take away some bad experiences that had been felt in this pandemic. On thanksgiving, my dad cooked the turkey and my mom helped my aunt to cook many of the side dishes that were prepared that day. After thanksgiving, we went to a local Christmas shop and bought many decorations that could be put up in our Christmas tree. On the weekend, we decided to come back to the city early morning and buy more Christmas gifts. Christmas is one of my favorite holidays and most of the time we tend to go over the top, decorating. Also, this weekend we decided to put up our Christmas tree and begin decorating our apartment. Our apartment is spacious and has enough room to put up a lot of Christmas decorations. We still have a long way to go and can’t wait till the Christmas season officially kicks off.

As for this weeK, it was a short one and we were introduced to our final essay. We were asked to choose a question in which we would like to explore and work with in this final essay. I really enjoyed the fact that we get to decide what question we want to use and what is expected from us really won’t be a problem since I tend to do things in a timely fashion, without the rush.

I’m really happy with myself that I was able to work well through the semester, even with such difficult times that we are living in.

This week was one of those weeks, where you didn’t feel the days go by. All of a sudden it was already Sunday and another week is about to start again. Pretty much this week, the only major thing I did was completing a primary source analysis for my US history classes which consisted of the use of documents and evidence that would support the claim I made in my paper. I was a bit stress with it because it was a big chunk of my class grade and if I do bad, it would have a great impact on my overall grade for that class. Lately, I have been a bit stress thinking of the things to come and the finals that are fast approaching. I’m literally worry with what’s to come and the way finals would look like for many of my classes. My biggest fear is doing bad in them and messing up my whole class grade which can have an impact in my overall standing in college. Overall, I hope for good things to come and have luck in my side.

Now turning over to what we did this week in my psychopathology class, is that we discussed our opinions on the novels we chose to read and the 2 genres we would like to work on for our upcoming project. Overall, I really enjoyed reading “We Have Always Lived in the Castle” by Shirley Jackson and consider it one of his best works that I have read from him. Also, for the 2 genres I chose to do a poem and a piece of art/drawing which would incorporate many of the things both characters experienced through the course of the book. In other terms, I will see ways in how to incorporate what I read into those two pieces. Overall, I hope to get a better idea of what to do as I progress through the project. Additionally, this week is Thanksgiving and can’t wait to stuff myself with food and all side dishes most of my family tends to do.

I hope to have a nice week and a very relaxing thanksgiving break.

This past week was quite busy and chill in a way. Although I had a lot of things to do in regards with completing assignments for specific classes and having to manage everyday challenges that go on in life, everything went well. For this week, I started doing some Christmas shopping with my sister and went all through the city to find Christmas decorations and look for interesting things. I know it’s a bit early to start Christmas shopping, but my family usually starts everything early, so we don’t have to rush buying things when the time approaches. Also this week I went to visit some of my mom’s family in upstate New York. It was a fun ride going to upstate New York and it was nice visiting some of my mom’s family members upstate, after not seeing them for over a year already. With all Christmas shopping that my sister and I did, we completely forgot about Thanksgiving and just skipped it. Thanksgiving is another holiday, my family enjoys a lot and I enjoy it particularly as well. It’s a time where my family and some of our closest friends join us together to have thanksgiving dinner. Although it’s less than two weeks away, I really can’t wait to stuff myself with a whole bunch of food.

As for this week, in my writing class for psychopathology, we were recommended some good poetry/films that had to deal with some type of psychological disorder. In our discussion, I was introduced to very good recommendations of movies that had to deal with psychological disorders and I recommended some in my part. I recommended Girl, Interrupted (1999), and its a movie I would recommend many of you to watch. Also as for this class we read an essay called “Navigating Genres” by Kerry Dirk that overall taught us a very good lesson about the use of genres. It taught me that genres are crucial in the development of a person’s writing and the way we use it would have a whole different effect on what we write.

Overall, this week introduced us to many new things and can’t wait for what is to come for the rest of the semester.

This past week was a bit chill and calming for me. In my past journal I had talked about applying to a job, and I have an update. I got the job and my new boss is so nice and so flexible with the hours I am going to work. My first day was on Friday 11/6 and it was quite a different experience. It had been a while since I had worked and being put into this new environment was intriguing. Thankfully, my first day at work went well and many of my co-workers are chill as well. Hopefully this would serve as an opportunity to meet new people and get to know others. Especially since this pandemic has affected the way we interact with others. Additionally, this week I went with my sister and some of my cousins to vote in the presidential election. Although I couldn’t vote yet, it was so fascinating to see many people in lines in order to perform their right as an American. This week I also did my spring 2021 schedule and fixed some problems in regards with my class credit with my advisor.

This week in class, we were asked to talk about the books we chose and tell our opinions on it based on how far we had read the story. In other terms, the story I chose is “We Have Always Lived In the Castle” and is a book I would recommend others reading. Also this week we were asked to read “Dream House” by Maria Machado and such story introduced us into a new form of writing. “Dream House as Choose Your Own Adventure”, we were able to choose our own path and in some way the paths I chose led me to where I would initially would have started in. Overall, the reading of this week was fun and enjoyable to read as we were introduced to a different style of writing that helped showed the audience the visual of an abusive relationship.

Furthermore, this week I plan to finish the book that I was reading and prepare myself with the upcoming assignment for this class.

This past week, was so calm and peaceful that it had been a while since I was able to rest and go out to get some fresh air. This week I sorted out some things with my advisor and talked about the upcoming spring 2021 semester. Although we are most likely to go online, I look forward to what is to come and the many things I will learn at CCNY. Since we’re mostly doing this semester online it has been quite hard to seek for opportunities and have experiences that will help you with your career. Also since this week was so peaceful and was bored, I went out to look for a job since it had been a while since I had worked. Previously to COVID-19 I had a job, but once it hit the city hard, all workers at my job were laid off. So looking for a job was ideal to do and I’m just waiting for them to get back to me confirming that I got the job. Hopefully, I get the job since I’m that type of individual who doesn’t like being home all day. Being home for the fall 2020 semester is something that took me a while to get used to because I always liked the idea of waking up early to go to school along with your fellow peers. At first I didn’t like the idea of being home for school, but overtime I have gotten used to it.

As for this week in class, we read “Now We Are Five” by David Sedaris and “Strawberry Spring” by Stephen King. Both stories were really interesting to read and each author has their own style of writing that makes the stories to be unique from each other. Each story had there own elements which brought upon different themes. Personally, out of the two reading I enjoyed more “Strawberry Spring” by Stephen King Since it was some sort of horror type of story. I like horror and mystery and this book actually brought upon those two type of elements in the story. Although it’s not your typical horror story that involves chase scenes, gruesome deaths and a final revelation of the killer; “Strawberry String” is written in such a way that invokes you to read more and makes you want to wonder, who the killer is and the motives behind the killings involves in the story.

Overall, this week was good and was the first time, spending Halloween at home, but everything went well as for the week. I expect to do well and continue having a positive mindset in order to end the semester strong.

This week was a very calm week that allow me to do many things and complete much of the work I had to finish for most of my classes. I went to a pumpkin patch with my family and to a haunted house with my friends. It had been a while since I met up with people to enjoy many of things that are out there. Since the pandemic started, I mostly stood home and didn’t go out, unless if it was necessary to do so. That is why, this week was a very chilling/enjoyable week, in which I had time to hang out with those close to me. Also, this week, I spent a portion of my time completing my character profile assignment, which was interesting to write. We were asked to go deep into a character and come up with a diagnosis about them. This assignment included a research portion for which I found interesting and was my first time, using research to support my writing. I really enjoy this class because, I am always being introduced to new writing habits that in a way are useful to improve my writing.

Also this week, we read our first non-fiction text in which was “The Disembodied Lady”, in which we are introduced to the importance of the mind and body. In other words, we we were introduced to what happens to one once the mind and body, don’t work with each other. Cristina who is mentioned to lose her proprioception, is someone who doesn’t feel part of her body, which makes it hard for her to control it. It’s like a piece of her has left her, although not physically, it’s something that she repeatedly mentions through “The Disembodied Lady” . It was a very interesting story to read and gave me more of an insight of the role the mind and body plays on an individual. As for this week, I also started reading “We Have Always Lived in the Castle” by Shirley Jackson, in which so far I have found to be a very intriguing book. I hope for this upcoming days to read more of the book I have decided to read and see what’s to come for the upcoming weeks for this class. Although this semester has been an unusual one, so far I have learned a lot and has allowed me to develop more as an individual.

This week was quite an overwhelming week, but I was able to manage it for the most part. After a whole week of taking midterms for several of my classes, I feel less stressed and looking forward for what is to come. Also, this past week I talked to my advisor and went over the classes I should take for the following semester. A couple of days ago, I realized that we were half way through the semester already. I never realized how fast time has gone and that my first semester in college is quickly coming to an end. I sometimes wonder how things would had been like if COVID-19 never existed. However, we are forced to such harsh reality in which no one isn’t able to do much about it. The only thing I can say is that college is changing me and making me a new individual. Looking back, college had change my views and expanded my overall thinking in general. Never in a million years, did I ever see myself being able to survive college, but here I am doing what I can to succeed and do what I want to do in life.

As for this week, we didn’t do any readings in class as we mostly focus this week on trying to format and come up with a topic for our Character Profile Assignment. I really look forward for this assignment as it involves analyzing and studying a character from a specific reading that we have done in class and coming up with a diagnosis. As for this assignment, I chose to talk about Seymour in “A perfect day for bananafish” as it was something that I personally found, would be interesting to talk about. Also this week, in my psychopathology writing class we were asked to do research that would go more into depth of the diagnosis made upon our chosen character. Doing research is something I find interesting and exciting to do because you are looking for pieces that would help you learn and understand more from that particular topic that you decided to talk about.

As for the upcoming days, I’m going to finalize my character profile assignment and try to manage all the work given in other classes. Although college might be stressful for some, with proper management and effort, one will be able to go through such busy times.

This past week, in some of my classes we discuss and talked about the upcoming midterms we have this upcoming week. This few weeks, have been a bit challenging, but I am someone who likes being challenged because in a way it forces me to go beyond of what I know. So far, college has been a wild experience and fun in a way. Being in college allows you to explore a variety of opportunities and allows you to get more familiarize with things that allow for progression in your career. City College has been one of the best choices I’ve have ever done and I don’t regret nothing. The professors that I have are so caring and understanding of student’s needs, and take much in consideration of what is happening around us. Although college can create stress in some, it’s important for us to learn on how to overcome it.

This week in my writing class in psychopathology, we were asked to read some short stories that I really found interesting to read. One of those stories was “The Stone Boy” and the way it was written was different from previous reading we have read in class. “The Stone Boy” is written in this “over the shoulder narration” that allows us to go deeper into the mind of characters that gives them a better depiction of what they are like and the many emotions that they are experiencing. In such case, in “The Stone Boy”, we can see what others in particular thought of Arnold after he accidentally shot his brother. Although, Arnold shot him, we barely see emotion in Arnold or any other thoughts of him. We notice how Arnold sees and knows what others are saying about him in particularly, that in a way causes more of a burden on him.

We were also asked to read “The House Of Asterion” and “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” in where magical realism is used, which helps draw this realistic world with elements of fantasy in it. In both stories we are shown how society acts, when a person that doesn’t fit the norm is beaten and shamed. It helped bring upon one of the many problems the world faces as a whole. Such stories were interesting to read that help bring upon this element that allowed the reader to understand their meaning of them.

As for this week, we’re preparing to do our character profile assignment and can’t wait to see what direction it takes.

This past week concluded my first whole month in college and never in a million years would I have thought doing college in front of a computer. Although I would miss the opportunity of making new friends and being more inclusive in such a new community, hopefully there would be more opportunities for me in the future. This past week was a bit overwhelming, since there was a lot of things for me to do. However, this didn’t stop me from doing and completing the things that had to be done. I noticed that as time progresses, it tends to get more complicated and complex. It’s up to an individual to continue on doing such ongoing work and to not let their emotions overwhelm them.

As for this week, we were asked to do our personal narrative final drafts and incorporate an extra piece of research that would help tie up our whole narratives. This assignment in particular was one that I really liked and enjoyed in particular. Although at times I had trouble on what to put in or delete, such assignment helped me further develop my writing. Peer editing and the feedback given by the professor was really useful in writing the personal narrative as well.

This week we read “The Swimmer” by John Cheever and was a really interesting short story to read. Each week there is a new reading that is introduced that is so intriguing and interesting. I’ve always been a person who likes reading and getting the chance to explore a great variety of texts/readings. Furthermore, “The Swimmer” was such a story that was so ordinary and had its own style of how things were said throughout. In regards with the character Nelly, I was able to characterize him as childish, reckless, and inattentive. We concluded that Nelly act such ways in order to not be faced into the true reality he is living in. We noticed how he is going through such times, in which he rather forget and continue on doing the things he does throughout the story. As for when I read it, it was kind of interesting because it was my first time reading “The Swimmer” and introduced me to a new form of literature in a way.

As for the upcoming weeks, I can’t wait to what is to come and with motivation one would be able to do the things that are asked to be done and completed. I hope to read more interesting stories and get better with writing and expressing my thoughts.