Over the course of the semester, I definitely was less stressed out each week. Which is weird, because normally it is the other way around. Looking back, I am kind of glad that you made us do that horribly long Research Proposal Essay in the beginning, because it was the hardest thing to do but it set the tone for the rest of the semester and every assignment after it. I was pretty lost for a while on what I wanted to do and how I wanted to pull it off. My blog turned out very nice (the other one, not this one). I am going to try to continue posting even after this semester, because I see stories on homelessness all the time on Facebook and Tumblr. It would be nice to have all of them in one location to look back on.
I learned a lot this semester. I have a new found passion for homelessness, especially since I have volunteered. It really opened my eyes to how incredibly harsh it is. One thing in particular I learned was to practice, practice, practice. Speeches, that is. I also learned not to say “um” too much. I had my speech pretty close to perfectly memorized but every time I would think of what was next in my head, “um” would come out, and I couldn’t quite control it. However, I do think that this speech went better than the first for sure. I felt I got my message across and that is all that really matters. Something else I learned was to do my research more thoroughly. I stopped doing my original subject, prisoner’s life outside of prison, but I couldn’t find much research on it. Homelessness had so much research that it was hard to choose. Plus, it was something that I really did care about so it was much easier to find research and actually read what I was finding. I learned not to stress out too much, especially with your class. You give us plenty of time to do things, but it all seemed like so much at once that it was kind of terrifying. Just breathe!
I faced many challenges this semester. Finding research on my original idea was definitely the big one. Another challenge would be the mentor situation. I contacted Phoenix Rescue Mission, but due to me and the assistant’s off schedules, we weren’t able to meet. Luckily, my dad’s girlfriends’ office volunteers with St. Vincent De Paul at least once a month. I learned a lot from that experience, and I think I will always remember it. I hope to do it again soon. Another big challenge was my nerves. Like I talked about before, the “um” thing kind of disappointed me, because I know I could do better if I would have just focused a little bit more and slowed down. But it is over with now, and I can only move on.
I hope to continue my blog on homelessness and share it on my Facebook and Tumblr pages. I might convert my Weebly page to a Tumblr page eventually, but not until I have the time to do it. I also hope to continue volunteering. It was an amazing experience and it made me feel really good. It feels great to make other people feel grateful and happy. Seeing a smile on those peoples’ face is something so rare and that’s what made it so special.
Word Count: 577 words (:
I learned a lot this semester. I have a new found passion for homelessness, especially since I have volunteered. It really opened my eyes to how incredibly harsh it is. One thing in particular I learned was to practice, practice, practice. Speeches, that is. I also learned not to say “um” too much. I had my speech pretty close to perfectly memorized but every time I would think of what was next in my head, “um” would come out, and I couldn’t quite control it. However, I do think that this speech went better than the first for sure. I felt I got my message across and that is all that really matters. Something else I learned was to do my research more thoroughly. I stopped doing my original subject, prisoner’s life outside of prison, but I couldn’t find much research on it. Homelessness had so much research that it was hard to choose. Plus, it was something that I really did care about so it was much easier to find research and actually read what I was finding. I learned not to stress out too much, especially with your class. You give us plenty of time to do things, but it all seemed like so much at once that it was kind of terrifying. Just breathe!
I faced many challenges this semester. Finding research on my original idea was definitely the big one. Another challenge would be the mentor situation. I contacted Phoenix Rescue Mission, but due to me and the assistant’s off schedules, we weren’t able to meet. Luckily, my dad’s girlfriends’ office volunteers with St. Vincent De Paul at least once a month. I learned a lot from that experience, and I think I will always remember it. I hope to do it again soon. Another big challenge was my nerves. Like I talked about before, the “um” thing kind of disappointed me, because I know I could do better if I would have just focused a little bit more and slowed down. But it is over with now, and I can only move on.
I hope to continue my blog on homelessness and share it on my Facebook and Tumblr pages. I might convert my Weebly page to a Tumblr page eventually, but not until I have the time to do it. I also hope to continue volunteering. It was an amazing experience and it made me feel really good. It feels great to make other people feel grateful and happy. Seeing a smile on those peoples’ face is something so rare and that’s what made it so special.
Word Count: 577 words (: