5c - Reflection

1. Who is your classmate, what is the component category, what is the name of the choice?
My classmate Denya Beaudry, My California authors - Arax, Liu, Parker, and Mackey.



2. What is something this classmate said about the choice that relates to any of the assignments in projects 2-3?
The reading made me think of how we are all so obsessed with such material things. We are always needing to have the biggest and best of everything and never settle. It's amazing how a city can be so spoiled as to have its own refuse trucked out of the city. They have no cemeteries, hospitals, or slums. They think so highly of themselves that they are too good to show any signs of a normal city. Instead, they parade around in their SUV limos wearing clothes probably more expensive then my rent. It somewhat reminded me of the movie Wall-E and how we are all so reliant on technology and "things" instead of enjoying the beauty and simplicity of life.



3. What is something different this classmate said about their choice that you did not realize before when you completed projects 2-3?
I did not know about the tradition of the lanterns on the river. It sounds like it would be an amazing site to see. It reminds me of the luminaries that they display during the Relay for Life.



4. How would you relate this to Freire's ideas regarding dialogue? For example, you went in thinking one idea, your classmate had a different idea. What new idea emerged from this process?
I realized that your views and opinions help you form your general ideas about things and places. Due to my personal experiences and knowledge of Beverly Hills, I would have different opinions on that city compared to Denya. I would not say her ideas are wrong, but the more personal experiences you have could vary or change your overall opinion. You would be surprised that Beverly Hills has a diverse culture and all kinds of financial status. So, people tend to believe that this so-called glamorous city is filled with rich people and nice cars is only part of the overall population.



5. How has project 2-3 helped you with the readings of the textbook?
I have noticed that 2 people can read the same story and come out with totally different opinions and perceptions about the topic. All of this can vary from the individuals personal experiences and their own views about what they have read and how they interpret it.

5b - Reflection

1. Who is your classmate, what is the component category, what is the name of the choice?
My classmate Meredith Porter, My California authors - Dumas, Major, Chabon, and Goldmark.

2. What is something this classmate said about the choice that relates to any of the assignments in projects 2-3?
This story made me think of my own trips to Berkeley, and how very good Chabon is at capturing the feel of the city. I particular, I remember one journey there with my family, when we got lost and couldn't find our way out of the city. Chabon's amused frustration with Berkeley is something I can relate to.

3. What is something different this classmate said about their choice that you did not realize before when you completed projects 2-3?
I learned a lot about Newport Beach from this story, as I didn't know anything about the area before reading this. I think this piece told a lot of unique details about Newport Beach, such as the funny and pretentious naming conventions of the streets in the planned community.

4. How would you relate this to Freire's ideas regarding dialogue? For example, you went in thinking one idea, your classmate had a different idea. What new idea emerged from this
process?
Even though we all grew up in different places and were raised differently, think alot of us have similar thoughts about common things when it comes down to it. We aren't so different after all it seems after reading a few assignments.

5. How has project 2-3 helped you with the readings of the textbook?
Doing projects 2 and 3 helped prepare us for understanding what we were reading and what parts of the story we would relate to and think about our own encounters in life.

5a - Group #2

AN ORDINARY PLACE by D.J. Waldie

2. D.J. Waldie tells a story of growing up in Lakewood, California, a suburb in the most southeast corner of Los Angeles County. His parents bought a modest but small home in 1946, when tract homes were the desirable place to raise a family. The middle to lower working class were mainly living in surburbia during this time. The residents of Lakewood were grateful for their homes and livestyle. but they already adjusted to the idea of not be able to afford a "mega mansion" in the more up-scale neighborhoods of Los Angeles. He nows lives in the home his parents purchased and is quite content in his surburbia lifestyle.

3. My favorite part of the story: Page 150 --- Loyalty is the last habit that anyone would impute to those of us who live in surburbia; we're supposed to be so dissatisfied. But I'm not unusual in living in Lakewood for all these years I have. Nearly twenty-seven percent of the city's residents have lived here thirty years or more. Perhaps, like me, they've found a place that permits restless people to be still. The primal mythmakers of Los Angeles are its real estate agents, and one of them told me that Lakewood attracted aspirant homebuyers because "it's in the heart of the metroplex." Or, maybe, it's just in the heart. I live here because Lakewood is adequate to the demands of my desire, although I know there's a price to pay.

4. This story makes me think of my childhood living in a suburb of downtown San Diego. We were considered San Diego (living in Pacific Beach) but it took approximately 15 minutes to reach downtown minus the traffic. There are numerous reasons that people like where they live and are content with it. It could be location, weather, neighborhood safety, friends and family that live close by.

5. I didn't know that you could find out ethnic diversity for the area you live in through The Public Policy Institute of California. That is a handy tool and could tell you alot about the area you live in or are considering moving to.

ALMOST HOME by Gerald Haslam

2. Gerald tells a story of an area in California's Central Valley called Oildale. It is a small community that lies north of Bakersfield. This town is known for it's oil refinery, which gives it a distinct smell of sulfuric and crude oil. His great-great grandparents migrated to the valley in the 1850's from Mexico. Even though Oildale wasn't the best place to live or raise a family due to the pollution in the air, Gerald called it home. Now he calls Penngrove home.

3. My favorite part of the story: Page 154/155 --- In some ways the setting, not the people, dominates. Oildale is part of one of the most productive unnatural landscapes in the history of the world: transported water, chemical agriculture, steam-infused petroleum and more than a little political chicanery produce jobs for many, wealth for few. Despite the absense of buildings, the nearby fields and hills are as developed as downtown Bakersfield.

4. This story reminds me of driving down Interstate 5 from the bay area to southern California. There aren't many desirable places to live off of Interstate 5 between Stockton and the Grapevine area. Since Gerald did grow up in that area near Bakersfield, he wouldn't know any different and it would be and feel like home to him. I totally understand where he is coming from in his story.

5. I did not know that Oildale (North Bakersfield area) was so dry and gets less than six inches of rain per year. Also this area is home to a variety of wildlife from ants, lizards, rabbits, coyotes, and hawks.

MY LITTLE SAIGON by Anh Do

2. Anh tells a story of growing up in the middle of Westminster, a bedroom community in Orange County. This area of Orange County has a high population of Vietnamese and the majority of them don't speak English. Her high school was 1/3 Vietnamese, 1/3 Latino, and 1/3 White kids. This area called "Little Saigon" has become it's own little world in the sense that everything they need is within a mile and a half stretch. This neighborhood sits between Santa Ana, Garden Grove, and Fountain Valley with more than three-thousand Vietnamese run businsesses .

3. My favorite part of the story: Page 160 --- Tens of thousands of immigrants had crossed the ocean at the end of the Vietnam War and church sponsors resettled them in places like Arkansas and Pennsylvania. But those states were too isolated, too cold. The refugees began streaming to Southern California, seduced by the sun and block after block of buildable land.

4. This story made me think of this particular area in Orange County, I actually drove through this area a few times while visiting Disneyland and getting lost driving in the area trying to find other places such as Knott's Berry Farm. I do remember seeing quite a few of the mom and pop stores that Anh mentions and thinking that this area was predominantly Vietnamese but I wasn't too sure. I am not very good with guessing what nationality people are.

5. I didn't realize that the generation gap in this particular area has issues with ESL. The younger generations have better opportunities than the older workers due to the language barrier. This is a great opportunity for the younger generation to teach and get the older generation accustomed to living in an area that has predominately English speaking people.

THE NICEST PERSON IN SAN FRANCISCO by Derek M. Powazek

2. This story that Derek wrote about his first visit to San Francisco and the Bay Area was quite amusing. He tells how his first trip to the bay area while in high school was quite the adventure and was partly there to check out UC Berkeley which he visited for a few hours. He bravely drove his father's car across the Bay Bridge back into San Francisco which his father didn't want him to do. Some very interesting people came into his path like a drug dealer, a police officer, a ticketing agent, etc. He sure learned some valuable lessons that day and made it back to his hotel in Berkeley right before his father did.

3. My favorite part of the story: Page 172/173 --- And in a flash I was back on the Bay Bridge, through the tunnel, into Berkeley, and into the hotel. I made the drive in thirty minutes. I don't think anyone has ever made it faster, especially in rush-hour traffic. I ran down the hall and into the room. I collapsed on the bed and let out a sigh. Just then I heard my dad's keys at the door. "Hi," he said as he came in. "How was Berkeley?" I rolled over on the bed. "Berkeley? Berkeley was fine, Dad."

4. This story made me think of my first time driving into San Francisco when I was 20 years old in my new truck that was a stick shift. I had just bought my truck a week prior and never drove a stick shift before that week. It was quite the experience to drive into San Francisco because there are so many things to look at, so many cars and people, and trying not to stall my truck with so many distractions. The parking situation in San Francisco is a whole other situation when you are driving a stick shift in the city and don't want to park on a hill.

5. Due to my lack of experiences in San Francisco, I never knew that people would just offer to sell you drugs in the Haight-Ashbury area. There are so many risks with undercover cops around, I didn't think people would be that ignorant and do that. I just can't believe that Derek would buy marijuana from anyone he didn't know. That scares me!

4c - TEXT READINGS/PROJECT 3

For components b and c of project 4, we will spend our time in dialogue and reflection of our classmates' work from project 3.

I decided to read more about Meredith's comparison of Sacramento and Fresno (inland areas). Since I know more about Sacramento I was curious about her thoughts and comparisons to Fresno. Even though there are many things to do in both cities, locals and tourists aren't flocking to them as particularly interesting places to visit despite the wealth of things to do culturally. I didn't realize they are just about the same size in population being that they are both inland cities and Sacramento is the capitol of California. Sacramento has rivers flowing through the city and Fresno is landlocked, which I wasn't aware of. Also Sacramento being the capitol is more involved in politics that Fresno, which surprised me.

4b - REFLECTIONS/PROJECT 3

For components b and c of project 4, we will spend our time in dialogue and reflection of our classmates' work from project 3.

I decided to read Jena's comparison of beaches from project 3. I was curious to find out her thoughts and the history behind Seal Beach and Bodega Bay. I was hoping to get some insight of a beach in Northern California compared to one in Southern California. I knew that Bodega Bay was a major tourist spot in our area but I wasn't aware that Seal Beach is as popular due to it being in Southern California. It was nice to read Jena's assumptions and stereotypes about Seal Beach being an overpriced beach town filled senior citizens, which I wouldn't have thought myself.

4a - Group #2

Ode To Caltrans by Hector Tobar

2. Hector's story about growing up in Los Angeles near various freeways (Hollywood, Santa Ana, and Pasadena). He was born in Los Angeles but his parents are immigrants from Guatemala. Hector shared a few stories about the various freeways he grew up around and how they affected his life during important times in his life. He explained how the freeways have changed over time but somehow remained the same in his memories from childhood. It seems something fairly insignificant as a freeway can have a great affect on someone and their memory of it.

3. Favorite part of reading: Pages 53-54 --- Once I witnessed a sports car flip in the air on the long curve where Arroyo Seco Boulevard ends and the freeway begins. The car twisted in the air like a gyroscope before landing right side up, its driver staring out at me, his eyes empty in shock. I mouthed the words, "Are you okay?" as I drove past, but he didn't answer.

4. The reading made me think of my own childhood in San Diego living so close to the 5 freeway that stopped about 2 blocks from my house and turned into a 3 lane road. We could hear tires screeching, watch cars pull over for mechanical problems, and once in a while we would hear metal slamming into metal. There were many children in my area and we were not allowed to go on the sidewalk outside of our neighborhood. But sometimes we would sit in someone's backyard or up in a tree and watch cars flying by or slamming on their brakes for the red light.

5. From reading Hector's story, I did not realize that there were so many houses and a school that were so close to the Hollywood Freeway. That just doesn't sound like a great idea. Whoever planned that wasn't very smart.

Montalvo, Myths and Dreams of Home by Thomas Steinbeck

2. Thomas begins his short story explaining history in California in the 1500's. He proceeds to tell us about Cortez in Baja California and Lewis and Clark. He tends to throw out little bits of information about various little moments in time about people that dreamed of coming to California. People would talk about California like it was it's own country and not part of the United States. It seems like a mystical place and the curiosity would deepen for those who never seen the Pacific Ocean. Even though California is such a small place on the map, it sure has quite a reputation.

3. My favorite part of the story: Page 65 -- What impresses the studied observer over a period of time is the fact that a marginal literary invention from an eminently forgettable sixteenth-century romance novel should still hold so many people in thrall to the present day. In a lifetime of travel I have become acquainted with hundreds of people who dreamed of coming to Calfiornia. Most of them couldn't have cared less about the other forty-nine states, for it was the intricate stratification and emotional significance of the California myth to which they clung like wided-eyed orphans.

4. This short story made me think of how lucky we are to live in the greatest state in the best country in the world. People that live in California don't realize and take for granted what a great part of the world we live in. We have so much at our disposal and get to have experiences that others don't. There is nothing better than driving from Sonoma County down the coast to San Diego.....what a breaktaking experience!

5. There were quite a few things I didn't know before reading the story. He stated a lot of history I wasn't aware of and used some words I didn't know. Overall, I think his writing style was harder to comprehend than a few other stories in the book.

The Last Little Beach Town by Edward Humes

2. Edward tells a story about his first encounter with the town of Seal Beach and the hospitible locals he crossed paths with. He proceeds to explain how the California coast varies from Seal Beach down the Pacific Coast Highway in Orange County (the OC). He describes how the town of Seal Beach looks compared to the surrounding cities such as Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, and Laguna Beach. Since he is a fan of Seal Beach, he told a few stories about how the town changed each time he drove through, telling how many gas stations there are and strip malls.

3. My favorite part of the story: Page 70 --- People actually walk here. We leave our cars at home and stroll to the not-Starbucks coffee shop, amble to the Gap-less and Banana Republic-free Main Street, walk our kids to school, or simply put one foot in front of the other until we reach the beach or the market or the playground. Sometimes we even talk to each other along the way, which turns out, after all, not to be unlawful in car-centric So Cal.

4. This story reminded me of my last trip driving from Sonoma County down the coast to Los Angeles visiting friends in Orange County. It is quite different than Northern California because of the beaches and scenery, it is more plush in Southern California. The surroundings look nicer and more expensive, you can tell people have a wealth of money in that area.

5. I really didn't have any idea how people in Seal Beach are towards others (maybe tourists), because I haven't spent time in that area. But it has made me even more curious to visit that area sometime to experience it for myself.

Surfacing by Matt Warshaw

2. Surfacing is a story about Jay Moriarity from Santa Cruz who is an avid surfer. This story revolves around the surf scene between central and northern California. Unless you are into surfing or understand the lingo, the story doesn't make much sense to me (I haven't had the desire to surf) so it sounds like a scary adventure to partake in.

3. My favorite part of the story: Page 80 --- The religious metaphor is an easy one to make -- since bigwave surfers themselves so often use spiritual terms to characterize and illustrate their sport -- but it makes you wonder how God, or Lono, or any such devine presence, could have decided to flick Jay Moriarity, Maverick's youngest and sweetest surfer, into the abyss.

4. This story made me think of a few things for starters. How scary surfing is to me and what is invovled in being out in the ocean. But there is something exciting about watching surfers from the beach, the excitement and nervousness of it all. Also California must be one of the best places to surf in the United States, what awesome beaches and views to take advantage of.

5. I had no idea about surfing history, Edward, David and Cupid Kawananakoa were three Hawaiian teenagers atttending local military school. They crafted boards for themselves from redwood planks and tested shorebreak near the San Lorenzo rivermouth, becoming the first surfers in America not just Santa Cruz.

3c - PALM SPRINGS/SACRAMENTO

I decided to choose to write about Palm Springs and Sacramento because I have visited both cities so I wanted to see what kind of information I could find on each inland city to help answer the questions and see what the outcome is.

What are some assumptions/stereotypes you think people have of each location:

Well even though these two inland areas have various similarities and differences, I think people get varied opinions on them which makes it interesting to look at both cities. Sacramento is considered to be a semi-metropolitan city but it happens to be the capitol of California. It only has approximately 475,000 people. Where Palm Springs only has a population of 42,807. So they are quite different but are considered inland cities. Sacramento has a huge diverse population, that ranges from college students, government employees, families, singles, etc. Palm Springs is considered to have a large retirement and gay/lesbian community. The median income is $35,973 for Palm Springs and $37,049 for Sacramento, so that isn't a big difference at all.

List 3 things that make each location similar:

Both Palm Springs and Sacramento are similar in that they have diverse cultures, weather patterns, and have a variety of arts and culture to take advantage of.

List 3 things that make each location so different:

Being that Sacramento is the capitol of California, it is a faster paced lifestyle than Palm Springs. There is more to a bigger city such as public transit, variety of education, and living closer to the Sierras and the Bay Area. There is more to offer living in the Sacramento area than Palm Springs.

What else would you like to know about these places?

I would like to be able to research them further as far as what are the major advantages of living in either city for retirement. It seems that when people retire in California, they tend to move inland for inexpensive housing to make their dollar go further. Both cities have advantages and many things to offer the retirement community depending on what interests you have and what type of atmosphere you desire.

Using your classmates work from last week, tell us one thing you learned from 1 student. Is this one thing some common experience you share or some experience that is completely different than what you experienced?

I learned from reading Ryan's blog that there are special features at AT&T park in San Francisco. Even though I have been there a few times, I didn't realize or take the time to learn more about that park. It was interesting to read his blog about AT&T park!

The ballpark is identified by several defining characteristics. One the large Coca Cola Slide located beyond the bleachers. Most notably is McCovey Cove named after Willie McCovey which is a small section of the bay that hitters can, if they have the power, blast a homerun into. This is called a splash hit.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_Springs,_California

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacramento