3 weeks until I go to FRANCE!

just sharing my excitement :)

Cultural Literacies

I pride myself on being an avid reader, I always have been and I probably always will be. However, I will admit that I wouldn't describe the books I read as "diverse" or even "culturious." After reading E.D. Hirsch's excerpt, I found myself questioning whether or not that played a role in my ability to learn and be knowledgeable. I do agree that knowledge builds upon itself, and those who have knowledge (especially in specific areas) are able to more quickly grasp new concepts and ideas. I see that all around me in classes. Take Economics for example; never in my life had I taken any course that related to economics, yet as a business major I am required to take it. Needless to say, I struggled, I mean reallyyyyy struggled, especially first semester of Econ 211. I sat next to a boy who had taken econ in high school and he had no problems with the class. I barely passed, but moving on into Econ 212, it was soooo much easier! And it was because I already knew the general concepts. (I know that was a bit of a rabbit trail so back to the point) E.D. Hirsch definitely captured my attention in his statements correlating knowledge and reading. After watching the videos, I realized that I honestly know nothing about the culture I am about to enter. I saw the importance of knowing and understanding different customs and traditions, and I feel after finishing this blog, I will probably google French culture and see what I can understand before I leave in three weeks. Understanding cultures builds knowledge, and knowledge is power. I have been given a gift in the opportunity to study abroad, and I intend to make the most of it...and it can all start by being "culturious."

oops!

Okay so I did the picture post incorrectly so once again here is my original photo (it is of course of Clemson's death valley :)

and here is it reduced to 480 X 640

Now hopefully this is correct! 

photos

Today we had to post photos at different sizes to show the way we can change the pixels so that they can be better posted to our blogs 

So this is my original photo

and this is my smaller photo

technology and me

Facebook. Facebook. Facebook. It is basically my life. It is a little ridiculous the amount of time I spend on it, and the importance it has in my every day routine. But, that is just me. I have had my facebook since 2006 and was the third person at my high school to have one (a fact I am very proud of, although it just shows my obsession) I love being able to interact with my friends and family, I am a self proclaimed "creeper" in that I will spend hours looking at pictures and comments on friend's pages. I believe that what one puts on facebook can tell a lot about him, so I enjoy getting to know people better through their pages. I really enjoy meeting new people and then finding them on facebook and getting to know them better, and being able to communicate. I feel that while personal interaction is the best way to evolve a realtionship, that facebook opens doors that might otherwise be closed. I personally utilize uploading photos, writing on walls, chat, messaging, poking (yes i still do that), events...basically all the basic functions of facebook. I was NOT a farmville user and I do not play games through facebook. Recently I did finally get a twitter account, but I just don't enjoy it as much. So I tweet and I facebook, and those are my online communities!

new beginnings

Never in my life have I had a blog, but I have many friends who do. So when I was presented with the opportunity to take a class that involved me blogging about my experiences in a different culture, I decided this was probably better than writing a ten page paper. I find it fun and exciting to be able to talk about my experiences abroad in a place where not only my class and professor can read, but also my friends and family. (My mother is loving that I am taking this class!) It definitely took me awhile to get the hang of this whole "blogger world,"and I am sure my page will be changing as I learn new things, or figure out what I am actually doing, but that is part of the fun right? I have exactly a month until I leave for Vichy, France and I am both nervous and excited! Hopefully I will learn how to adequately use my blog by then!