Sujey Leiva

December 17, 2007

ENC 1101

Course Portoflio.

I remember when I first started this class I was super scared and anxious both at the same time. Not only because I was starting college for the first time but also because I was coming to a campus where I knew noone. After hearing some stories about Carlos and Alex and how they were all about the community so I assured myself it wouldn't be that bad. Throughout the course I've learned about better writing, social problems, communication, friendship and some weird book called "Ishmael" along the way =]. Point is that the purpose of this portoflio is to make a combination of our best work during the course for things like significant postings, my two kick as essays, service learning journal and pictures and anything else we found interesting throughout the term. Hope you like.

A day forever in my heart.

It was an ordinary Tuesday just like any other. It was about 6:15 am in the morning when I woke up on my usual routine of the day for school. Except that day I had a pep rally performance so I needed the extra time to get ready. It was a 1-3-5 schedule so I would be attending Math, Civics and Dance. The pep rally would take place during 3rd period, so we would go to class first and than head to the gym. At about 9:00 am in my Civics, class after studying the attack on Pearl Harbor we began to head to the pep rally. Just like every other performance, the cheerleaders rocked the crowd, got them a little rowdy and unfortunately told them we had to return to class. At that point is where every detail of this day haunts me and becomes a day forever in my heart.

As my overwhelmed and out of control classmates and I returned to class we were suddenly stopped by the loud and shocking cries and screams our Civics teacher was giving while staring at the TV just inches from her face. After some minutes that it took a couple of us to calm her down she sadly told us that the horrible catastrophes we had just finished studying about before the pep rally had unfolded right before our country’s eyes. One of the twin towers of the World Trade Center had just been hit . It didn’t take me more than 2 seconds to regain my senses, rush to the TV and see for myself the truth of one of my biggest fears today, a possible terrorist attack. Not only were tears running down my eyes for the thought of the ones dying but because one of my friends father was in New York City for a business trip, where he would be visiting the World Trade Center that same day for a meeting he was going to be conducting.

Unfortunately, she was absent that day so I wouldn’t be able to know anything about it until I got home after school. Minute after minute and hour after hour student by student began getting picked up early from school. Of course, I was in 7th grade at the time so I was very naïve and didn’t understand why everyone was going home in South Florida when this was happening up North. Right before I got picked up from school, the CNN news had announced that the second tower had also been hit shortly after followed by The Pentagon, meaning this accident was no longer an accident.

Now at this point we had absolutely no idea if there were any additional planes that had been "hi-jacked" and heading for an assigned target. This day drove everyone up the walls, families who didn’t know where their loved ones were, if they were alive, if they were hurt, if they were even in the buildings. Firefighters and armed forces running in and out of the fires, loosing their lives while trying to save others. The government trying to figure what went wrong and who was behind it all. Imagine me a thirteen year old attempting to help these people and answer those questions myself.

Little did I know that the next and last tragedy of that day would be the one to touch and affect me the most. The last of the four planes that had been accounted for as "hi-jacked" planes by Saudi’s had landed in the middle of a field somewhere in Pennsylvania. At first I didn’t make much of it because it had not hit anything and lots more lives had been lost at the other accidents. All we knew about this mystery plane is that there were no survivors and luckily it had not hit a final destination, whatever that may have been, or so we assumed.

The day went on with people crying, suffering, worried and concerned about their loved ones. For months our country was in our own self-created, mourning. No smiles, no happiness, no fun, just as if our hearts had been ripped right out. September eleventh became a day people would never forget. Luckily it also became a day my friend and her father wouldn’t forget either, it turns out his alarm clock never rang and he woke up at about 9:45 am to the sound of the sirens and honks through his window.

At first when the tragedies had occurred I tried no to attach myself to them too much because I am very sensitive to things like this. But after sometime I couldn’t help but wanting to find out about that mystery airplane. Eventually news from it began unfolding and after about a year I was able to truly find out what had happened to the so called "mystery" plane, which led me to become so attached. It was known as United Flight 93. It had been hi-jacked but not brought down easily. It was the only plane whose passengers were able to call out and let family and friends know "they weren’t coming home". They were the reasons why we were able to put pieces together and figure out who led the attacks. It hasn’t been 100% proven but it is said that Flight 93 was originally headed for The White House. The plane consisted of 40 passengers plus the 4 hi-jackers and to our knowledge was the only plane that went down with a fight. Those 40 passengers decided to use their last minutes alive not to say good-bye, not to cry, not to pray but to fight to gain back control of their plane and prevent the terrorists from fulfilling their plan.

They have opened my eyes to so many things and have taught me to value life. You may never know when it’s going to get planned out for you. The one thing that I can honestly say this day did for me physically was attach me more to god, ever since that day I find myself praying and going to church a lot more now that I pray for them not just myself. What has it done for the community? Well, lets say they the UNITED States of America definitely became united. Everyone can relate to this day someway, somehow because everyone either has a story, an experience or a feeling about it.

They didn’t go down in history as victims of an attack or as loved ones that were lost but as heroes who looked beyond people’s selfish ways and made a difference. They made a difference in everyone’s life as well as mine. I’ve learned to view and approach things in a different way. I admire and pray for them each and everyday and hope others do so too. These were just some of the many things that made the day so unforgettable to me but so many more lives, souls and hopes were lost at the towers, the Pentagon and Pennsylvania. It will always be a day forever in my heart.

Untold Stories.

Hearing about an infant dying because it was left in the car in an atrociously hot temperature, hearing that an eight year olds body was found in a trash can, or that a teacher reported a child to HRS who was filled with bruises, all disgust me and they all derive from child abuse. A child’s whole life can be left traumatized due to these kinds of situations. It is reported that more than 2,000 children in the U.S. die of child abuse and neglect each year, and the actual number of abuse and neglect deaths is estimated to be much higher than that reported.

What is child abuse exactly? Child abuse is when anger is taken out on a child purposely with no remorse by the person who is either the parent or guardian who is responsible for them. When you hear that a child has been abused you may immediately think he was physically abused, but in reality there is so much more to it. Yes, the main type of anger over a child may be physical abuse but it sometimes may not be the most hurtful towards the child. This anger may not necessarily mean physical abuse but there are so many more types of abuse. But one of the hardest parts is that this can happen to just about anyone. The people who go through this are normal, ordinary down to earth humans not people chosen by god to be significantly treated differently. It can happen to anyone.

Dave Pelzer, for example, is a perfect example to make you understand the gravity of the matter of someone who completely normal and was abused. Most people already know him because of his brave courage to come forward with his experiences and horrifying stories of his abused and rough childhood. Dave Pelzer was born in Daly City, California to Stephen Joseph Pelzer and Catherine R. Pelzer. Dave has experienced a truly extraordinary life. As a child, he endured the horrors of child abuse, which included physical torture, mental cruelty, and near starvation. Upon Dave's rescue, he was identified as one of the most severely abused children in California's history. At age 12, Dave's teachers risked their careers to notify the authorities and saved his life. Upon Dave's removal, he was made a ward of the court and placed in foster care until the of age 18. I first came to discover Dave's story when my step-mother suggested I should read the book "A child called it" because she knew I would end up falling in love with it. To my surprise, after about the first 5 pages it was quite difficult to put the book down without having tears in my eyes. The book was Dave's first biography describing his life, his stories, his trauma at home at approximately the age of eight. His kind of abuse is defined as physical abuse, emotional and verbal abuse. Emotional abuse for example, which is attacking one’s emotional development and sense of self-worth, meaning constantly criticizing, insulting, rejecting, and teasing, all leading to a child feeling completely un-loved and worthless. Verbal abuse, making up about 17% of child abuse reported. Verbal child abuse includes acts of commission or omission by the parents and other caregivers that could cause the child to have serious behavioral, emotional, or mental disorders.

Dave Pelzer’s story goes to show how normal you can be and how it can happen to anyone, even me because like Dave Pelzer I’ve experienced something similar. I am the oldest of 6 children on my mother's side, 3 girls, 3 boys, and like any other adolescent person, my mother had me when she was about sixteen years old proving that she was completely incapable of taking care of an infant, leading her to leave me in the care of my grandmother. My mother was the type of mother who was always there but never there for me. I lived with my grandmother. While my mother had my two younger brothers at that time, the other three children she had came throughout the years after I was separated from her. The only time she ever came around to visit was to pick up my child support check, leave me baby sitting while she went out, or to ask my grandmother for money, even though she was broke. My grandmother was like a mother to me, my role model and of course she didn’t consider me a grandaughter she considered me her daughter, so my mother had a pretty unique way of asking my grandma for money. If my grandmother wouldn’t approve of giving her money the first time she asked, she would threaten to take me away and never give me back and of course my grandmother would absentmindedly give whatever it was we had. When I first found out that my siblings were abused I didn’t realize that confronting her about it would cause me to join the rest of my siblings. Unfortunately, my father was not allowed to see me till I was about five, so at the time of my abusive stages we didn’t have that big of a bond, but it still doesn't stop a dad from having a heart of gold. Although it broke my grandmother's heart, she knew I didn’t deserve the life I was living so at the age of 12 maybe 13 she asked me to move out with my father, and yes it did break my heart to leave my grandmother and brothers but I knew it was for the better.

My father was eventually given full custody of me by HRS. The other 3 kids she had I haven't met because I don’t see my mother but I have heard of recently from my grandmother and brother who I recently got in touch with, that I hadn’t seen or heard of since I moved out about 5-6 years ago when he was 9 and the one following him which was 5 and who now are 14 and 10 and man what a difference to the memories that I had of them. It was heartbreaking having to move from my grandmother’s house after having lived with her all my life. Not only leaving my grandmother but letting go of my brothers and not being able to stay in contact with them for so many years. I can honestly say that living an abusive childhood is hard but you just have to know how to deal, put it in the past and just move on. Luckily I've turned out exactly how my grandma was hoping for when she let me go and she is one of the reasons why I keep pushing each and everyday.

My story just goes to prove that things like this can happen to anyone any day and you wouldn’t even know, because I can assure you never thought I’d be one of those kids. But no one ever did either, my story was a secret until my father and grandmother stood up for me and did something about it. Unfortunately all my siblings still reside with my mother but do have my adoring grandmother sticking by their side and pushing for them each and everyday. But I’ve promised my brothers that I would help them move on too and that’s what I intend to do. Not everyone in this world has the luck and love that I had of my grandmother and father to rescue me, some just have to continue putting through it and that’s why we should do anything in our power to stop it from happening.

Why don’t these children just come forward with it? Well simple, it’s called fear. A child sees that he is getting beat, yelled at, hit and hurt each and everyday so some just get used to the way of living like Dave Pelzer did and some just keep it in for fear, fear of loosing the fight and gaining even worse beatings, fear of not being believed, fear of others, fear of everything.
There are so many different types of abuse, just imagine how many kids get at least one of these four abuses each and everyday and how many kids get all of theses abuses at once each and everyday? The idea is insane. Children often do not tell us with words that they have been sexually abused or that they have successfully resisted an assault and don't know quite what to do next. The best we can do is notice the symptoms and attempt to prevent them. To me child abuse is one of the biggest issues children face now a days and I find it extremely cruel to be a parent who somehow finds the courage to beat their child with no mercy and it is why I chose to write about it.

There are many organizations in Miami, Florida against child abuse for people who are moved by the cause and issues and would like to do something about it. These organizations, search for volunteers, donations and lots of help for children who are living in foster homes due to child abuse. If you or anyone do witness such cruel struggles or child abuse of any kind doesn’t hesitate to call the nearest child abuse organization and report it. One main child abuse hot line that is available for Florida is (800) 96-ABUSE.

Child abuse continues to grow day by day, whether it be here in America, Mexico or even Uganda, point is its happening people!!! And unfortunately were not doing anything about it. The fact that most of children's deaths are caused by child abuse that was never reported or prevented is shocking, the numbers will tell the story. Join an organization, donate to a foundation, report a case, pray for the thousands that go through it, do just about anything, every bit counts and every bit helps. Remember earlier in the essay when I spoke about that child’s body found in the trash can? Well think of it as it being your own child’s body dumped out, then what would you do? Don’t let it continue. Don’t be an observer, make a difference in any child's life, better yet BE the difference.

Day-to-day general service learning reflection.

I was actually kind of nervous when I was getting to the service learning coordinator's office at Centro Mater. I have to admit I was scared that she was going to say something like "Your doing all these hours this late in the semester?!" since in reality it was quite late in the semester. I finally met the woman, Ana Atkinson, who more than welcomely greeted me, asked me to fill out a paper and follow her. I was actually sort of shocked that she didn't ask me questions pertaning to anything, I mean for all she knows I could be a child molester but apparently I didnt' give her that impression. She walked me over to the playground where there were two classes in recess. She assigned me to one of them and I was on my way.

I was volunteering for a class of 22 children which included one diseased, one foreign, one abused and one autistic. There teacher's were Xiomara, Eliana and Maria. It was pretty much like a day care, my class because none of the children in the class were past three years old. We stayed in the playground till about 11:30, then slowly began bringing them into class for lunch. They ate lunch for about an hour, picked up their tray's, used the bathroom and prepared for nap time. During the kid's nap times I had a conversation with one of the teachers, Eliana, and discovered some shocking things about the children and realized what a small world it could be.
Eliana was trying to get to know me by asking me where I was from?, where I work?, and where I went to school?. Ofcourse I didn't want to sound cocky by saying the Honos College at Miami Dade so I simply said Miami Dade. She told me her daughter also studied at Miami Dade but that she was in the Honors College, looks like she didn't mind bragging about it. Turns out that her daughter is one of my closest friends here at the HC, and who happens to be well known loud, tiny and talkative cuban we all know as Elianet.

After my talk with Eliana, Xiomara one of the other teachers figured that because I was in the HC I was smart and ironically asked me to tutor in math while the kids were sleeping. She was going to take the CPT soon to enroll in school and she couldn't remember anything in algebra.
At about 3:00 pm the kids woke up, ate a snack and began to play. I decided to have a Salinas and challenge the kids at something creative and brainstorming. I split the class in two teams, team #1 and team #2. I gave team #1 a box of blocks and gave team#2 a box of connectors. The mission was that they had to build either the tallest tower or the longest chain but the catch was they couldn't speak to each other. The HC did something similar to this in our freshman orientation to test our teamwork skills.

Turns that the first day I spent there I had a blast and I couldn't wait to go back the next day. Not only was I giving back to the community which I love doing but I was doing it with children whom are one of my biggest passions.

The second day I went in, I arrived with Chary and Rosamarina. Unfortunately, we didn't have the same class, because they wanted something a little older. But that didn't stop my day from being great again. The minute I got there the kids all started calling out my name, some saying Ms. S or some just saying teacher. I arrived during snack time so we really didnt' get much interaction that day because nap time is right after snack time. I did homework while I waited the two hours of nap time then when they finally woke up it was game time. It's funny because that day I stayed later so I got too see some of the things they do after play time, for example dance and sing time. Man can those two year olds dance.

The third day was actually quite the same as the second. The only difference was that at one point in the day we had an arts and crafts time and made a couple of christmas cards for the parents and made a christmas section in the classroom. Now this day is where I got to meet one of our special kids because he usually comes to the class at 3:00 from his school. His name is Gean and he is an autistic child. Eliana which is the one who takes the most responsibility of him told me all about him before he arrived. When he first arrived at Centro Mater, he was the typical disabled child, did not interact with anyone, did not want anyone to touch him and did not like anyone contradicting him. But eventually as Eliana began to grow love of for him and struggle with him day by day he slowly became comfortable himself.

The minute I saw I couldn't believe that he was autistic. He looked completely normal. The cutest part was that the minute he walked through the door he saw Eliana and ran as fast as he could to hug her. He later than approached me, hugged me and smiled. He interacte with everyone and spoke a little here and there. He was the cutest thing. Unfortunately, he isn't the only one with problems in the class. But the problems I'm reffering to aren't as seriuos as his.
For example, we have a little black kid who's name is Isaiah and we can never communicate with either him or his parents. Why you say? Well, all they speak is Creole. Whenever I would tell him to do something, he wouldn't it, he would look aat me with a confused face or just look away. So ofcourse at first I thought he was just hard headed and didn't want to do what I told him until Eliana told me that he didn'y understand a word we were saying.

Another suprising but kind of funny thing I found in one of my children was in a little girl named Victoria. The first day I went in for service learning, she was one of the first one's i connected with. She kept asking me if her papi had came, if he had brought her food? and I wouldn't know what to say because I thought the kids ate at school. Throughout my days there I noticed that she would tell me things like that the food made her itch and thats why her dad brought her food, or how the lunch lady would come to the classroom twice one time to bring everyone's food and the second time was for Victoria. After seeing this for many lunches and snacks, I decided to ask the teachers what was wrong with her? Suprisingly, they told me that she has some sort of disease that makes her allergic to just about anything and everything. And I'm not exxgerating about her being allergic to everything.

Yeah, I had a laugh out of her story but there was just something more seriuos about one of the kids, which was the one that affected me the most, and maybe because I went through it to so I can relate. There is this little girl named Alliah who is just the most adorable thing on earth but that hasn't had the best of luck. Eliana told all about her and her story in one of our conversations. Alliah and her older brother had been taken away from there mother because it was noticed that their step dad would abuse an beat them to the point that the brother face and her nack have been left scarred. They were taken away and given to the father where they "hopefully" now safely live. It first came to my attention when she had gone to the bathroom, peed with the door open and whn i tried to close she yelled and said no please no! and after that the teachers had thought they say a bruise on her eye. Obviuosly wondered why they were so cautious about her and why she was scared in the bathroom and than told me everyhting.

Now just because the other kids dont have interesting stories or have some special disorder doesn't mean they aren't special cause they all were. I fell in love with each and everyone of them anf that always happens to me. I volunteer for a summer camp every year, get attached to them and then when the time comes around I have to let them go. But not this time! I'll continue going even after I am done with my "10 hours of service". All in all point is that my service learning experience had been one of a kind, from day to day. I couldn't have asked for a better experience. My services will continue and just get better as they come.

Pictures.

[Angelina and I] * [Little Raymond]


[Veronica learning how to read] * [Our holiday season section]




[Veronica (Ms. Alergic) and I] * [The Centro Mater Playground]

[Teacher Eliana and Gean, her favorite] * [Alliah and Veronica with their b-day prizes]

[Innocent Alliah :/ and I] * [Our blonde cutie, Gean(autistic)]

[Our little Creole foreigner, Isaiah]

[Team #1's tallest tower] * [Team #2's longest chain]

THE END.