Immigration Project Reflection

The literature circle book I read was called Once Upon A Quinceanera. I'm glad I chose this book because I wanted to know more about Latina immigration because they are a lot of the United States population. Something important I learned from this book was that Quinceaneras are a huge part of the Latin culture and they always keep their traditions and even if the family doesn't have a lot of money or it is hard for them to be able to give their daughter a Quinceanera they will find a way to no matter what because it is very important to them. I think the process we had in our literature groups was really good but I think maybe we could have done a couple vocabulary words for every post. I liked blogging a lot better than sharing in a group because it's a lot easier because we can focus better and we have more time to work on them. I didn't have any problems with blogging and by my peers responding I think it helped because I got to see different perspectives about the book and it let me have more ideas too.
I chose to redo a book cover because I thought the book cover was kind of boring because it was just a girl in a dress sitting down. I think people wouldn't know what the book was about if it wasn't for the title and I wanted to make something that showed what the book was about without having to read the title and making it more colorful. On my painting I put a big Quinceanera cake as the center of the painting because they have big cakes just like weddings and it's a big part of the party. In the background I put a high heel shoe because during Quince's they start off wearing flats the when they become a women they put a high heel onto her to represent becoming a women. I also put a crown in the background with a number 15 on it because they wear crowns at their Quince's and they have Quince's when they turn 15. I think my painting turned out really nice and I like the colors in it and I think it really represents a Quinceanera. I think for my painting I could have worked better on the little details and the outline of the objects. I learned that by making a painting for literature circles can help people and myself see the book in a different perspective and it is was really fun and a good way to learn about the book and how to think in different views.
When I interviewed Pau Pau my immigrant, she was very friendly and liked the idea of getting interviewed but for me it was very difficult to understand what she was saying, I got by pretty good but I had a lot of troubles with that. Although other than that I was able to get a lot of information from her and it was easy to talk to her, we also got a long very well. I interviewed my immigrant at the IRC, so we only had to do two in person interviews but I liked being able to see them twice and it was easy to connect better. From the first in person interview I learned a lot about her life here in California but after seeing her once then going back she was more comfortable and answered a lot more questions from her life in Thailand then when I asked her in the first interview. Interviewing an actual immigrant helped me understand a lot more about immigration and knowing what they've gone through and it makes you want to learn more in depth about immigration because everyone had their own special personal connection. I made my immigrant a painting about her immigration and her favorite things. I drew the Thailand flag as the background, and then I drew Thailand as the center of the painting. On the side I drew the beach because her favorite thing to do in California is go to the beach.
Overall I really liked this project and I learned a lot more about immigration then I thought I would. I liked this project because we got to learn one person's personal story and all about immigration from all over the world.

Once Upon A Quinceanera Final Post

Quote 1- "These celebrations serve to draw us together, keep us going," Norma asserts. "Really a ritual is transformative for the whole community, not just for the individual going through it." Page 235~ Paragraph 2

Significance- I think this quote has to do with the question, "How do the characters maintain their cultural ties to their homeland while living in America?" I think this quote has a lot to do specifically with this question because it is stating how quinces aren't just parties but celebrations for friends and family to come together even during hard times and still be able to have fun and remember the good times.

Personal Connection- I personally connect to this because if you may have a party for just anyone to come to then you get to meet new people and get closer to your surroundings. Then if you have say just a family party you all get to share your personal stories and we'll all listen and be respectful because we're not just just celebrating, say someones birthday but all of us together having fun.

Question 1- What does "ritual" mean?

Quote 2- "asking for their wisdom and their stories, their benediction to cherish and preserve and now pass on." Page 269~ Paragraph 3

Significance- I chose this quote because it was important because it is the last thing in the book. It tells you that the book is over and what the authors last words were. I think this is important because in this quote, the author is talking directly to the reader and asking and hoping that we learned something from reading this book and that we would cherish, preserve, and pass on our new knowledge.

Personal Connection- I personally connect to this because whenever you learn something new, the person who taught it to you wishes you will share it with many others and hopes not just you benefits from their knowledge. They want you to be wise with what they have provided you and they want you to and hope you remember it forever.

Once Upon A Quinceanera Post 5

Quote 1- "So I had turned into a girl who would call the police on her parents, ay Dios santos! What a monster they had raised!" Paragraph 3~ Page 193

Significance- I think this quote has to do with the question, "What challenges do the characters face upon their arrival?" I think this has to do with it because it is showing how the girl is acting because of something so little and that she would call the cops on her own parents. I also think since ay Dios santos, she is talking about God and it shows how she feels.

Personal Connection- I personally connect to this because as a kid there's many times you get mad at your parents. Also if your a different ethnicity you may use that type of culture to say something about the situation or handle it differently because of that. This connects to the real world.

Question 1- If she knows she's a "monster" then why do you think she "called the police"?

Quote 2- "Women's Way" Title~ Page 217

Significance- I think this quote best related to the question, "What was the life/role of the characters in their home country?" I think this quote has to do to with this question because it is saying how the woman is kind of taking charge, or that they're using her way. I think this has to do with their life in the Dominican Republic because the women usually stay home and do all the things around the house so it reminds me of women from their culture.

Personal Connection- I personally connect to this because even though it's just a title and two very short words, it means a lot and says a lot about their culture and different ways. Here in America the men still usually do most of the family money and things and the wife takes care of things around the house but there are way more women that have jobs here and can be much freeer.

Question 2- What kind of "way" do you think they mwan when they says "women's way"?

Once Upon A Quinceanera Post 4

Quote 1- "Quinces like this are definitely "in" among upper-class Dominican girls." Paragraph 2~ Page 160

Significance- I think this quote has to do with the question, "How do the characters maintain their cultural ties to their homeland while living in America?" I think this because it is talking about how Dominican girls have quinces. Also how people notice that it's specifically Dominican girls and that mostly every one has quinces.

Personal Connection- I connect to this quote because people I know that are Hispanic in some way are having a quince. Also places you go you notice either people talking about it or sometimes people say help me raise money, and you see people having sales for example maybe saying, "Oh come get your Quinceanera dresses here."

Question 1- Why do you think it's "in" for the upper class more?

Quote 2- "The quince dream belongs to the mothers." Paagraph 3~ Page 175

Significance- I think this quote relates to the question, "What was the life/role of the characters in their home country?" I think this relates to the quote because it is showing how big of deal a quince is for the whole family. I think it's a big deal for the mother because they get to throw their daughter a party meaning she's basically a woman.

Personal Connection- I personally connect to this becaus I think all mother's are attached to their daughters and don't want them to grow up. I also think that the mom would want their kid to have the best of the best.

Question 2- Why do you think the mother plays such an important role in a quince?

Once Upon A Quinceanera Post 3

Quote 1- " These invented traditions are likely to appear when a group is under going transformation, and they serve as a way to legitimize and galvanize it's members by establishing continuity with a past that may be largely fictitious."

Significance- I think this quote best related to the question "How do the characters maintain their cultural ties to their homeland while living in America?" I think it goes with this question because it is saying how even though new traditions are invented, you should go along with them and/or keep your old ones. Also I think it's saying that they are teaching people their new traditions but telling them to continue and not forget their past ones because those are the most memorable.

Personal Connection- I personally connect to this because as a kid growing up somewhere like America. So many traditions, new and old holidays surround you. In school for example you're taught different religions and holidays and traditions.

Question 1- What do you think "fictitious" means? and what does it actually mean?

Quote 2- "Well I don't know about poster boy. But I guess I could be an American success story. I mean I went to college and all."

Significance- I think this quote is important because it is saying that he doesn't really know if he is so much the perfect boy but he is saying he guesses he could be a good person to talk about and how he has succeeded from coming here. I think this quote relates to the question "What challenges do the characters face upon their arrival?" but opposite. Such as what good things happen to the characters. I think this is a good thing because they want to know his successes.

Personal Connection- I personally connect to this because if someone starts something, maybe like a sport people will want to know how it's going and what your successes have been.

Question 2- What do you think they mean by "poster boy."

Once Upon A Quinceanera Post 2

Quote 1- "Our cultural habits and traditions can be revised to work better for us in the new realities we are facing right now." pg 81~ last paragraph~ narrator

Significance- I think the quote has a little do do with this question, "Why have the characters in your book come to America?" I think this quote is important and relates because it is talking about how the way they live right now will end up turning out to something good. Also I think it's good how it's talking about the bad things that will happened can turn into good things. How we can keep tradition and habits is nice too.

Personal Connection- I see people everywhere sharing their traditions had habits to the public because this is a free country, that is why people love it and immigrate to it so much. Also people everywhere have hard times and we see them everywhere but they turn into good things.

Question 1- What kind of different traditions and habits from different cultures do you notice?

Quote 2- "Education is teaching our children to desire the right things," Plato wrote. And sometimes that involves reeducating ourselves as well so we can rightly teach our children. pg 86~ last paragraph~ Plato

Significance- I think this quote most relates to the question, "What was the life/role of the characters in their home country?" This quote is saying that education is one of the most important things to have if you want to be successful. I think this quote has to do with the question because it is taking on the role of being responsible to start over and get an education.

Personal Connection- I connect to this because everywhere you see adult schools and a lot of immigrants. You also see people getting their citizenship which has a lot to do with responsibility. It also taught their kids how to be and it makes them capable of teaching their kids correct things.

Question 2- What do you think Plato means by 'desire the right things'?

Once Upon A Quinceanera Post 1

Quote 1- "As I read the research, I was alarmed by how our teen Latinas are topping the charts for all sorts of at-risk behaviors: From teen pregnancy to substance abuse to dropping out of High School. What is going on?" Page 6~ Paragraph 2~ Narrator

Significance- I think this quote relates to the question; What hardships do the characters endure as they make a new life? I think it relates because it's referring to how Latina girls are doing inappropriate or bad things. This could be hardships as they come to America.

Personal connection- I personally connect to this because you hear everywhere now a days about young people getting pregnant. Also people from other countries maybe don't know as much about America and they do things such as drugs or get pregnant.

Question 1- What question do you think my quote best follows? (Questions from the list Ms. Abbassi gave us.)

Quote 2- "In fact, our country of Addison now has 400 illegal Mexican migrant workers doing the milking jobs on dairy farms that would go under if this cheap and round-the-clock workforce were deported." Page 13~ Paragraph 5~ Narrator

Significance- I think this quote relates to the question; How do the Americans treat the characters? This may not specifically relate to the characters in the book but it relates to their culture. I think this shows how Americans treat the Mexican culture by using them as labor workers and things to do around their house. It shows what it is like to live their and to know how your same kind is treated and it's hard to try to fit in.

Personal Connection- I personally connect to this quote because all around us you see mainly different raced people working for white people. Either as labor workers, house keepers, nanny's or anything. From my view I think they are mainly Mexican and this is how it relates to the quote.

Question 2- What do you think "cheap and round-the-clock workforce were deported" means in the quote?