Assignment #2 What do I love?

I interviewed my dear aunt Lois. I spent most of my childhood years with her. I asked her the following three questions.

1. What was I like the first 5 years of my life?
2. What things did I love, what games did I like to play, and what did you think was so unique about me?
3. What did you think I would become when I grew up?

1. For the first 5 years of Vanessa's life I can say that she was a happy child who
was loved dearly. She was very compliant and rarely did she ever have any
meltdowns. She possessed wonderful pretend play skills and was very social with her
peers and conversational with adults. She beamed with confidence and was very
loving.

2. As a child, Vanessa enjoyed dressing up, putting on make-up, shopping, and
putting on performances of song and dance. She loved being in front of an audience!
Her favorite thing by far was playing with her God-brother who was 8 months younger
than her. Oh how they enjoyed each other's company.

The one thing that made her unique was the love, respect, empathy and
understanding she had towards people, especially those who loved her dearly.
Despite the hardships she had to endure as a child, she always remained a very
loving and caring child.

3. I always thought Vanessa would grow up to be a reporter or an actress. Her
ability to communicate with people and her love of song and dance made me believe
she would be involved in the media in one way or another. Not everyone has the
ability to captivate an audience and she did. She is a beautiful person in every
sense of the word.

I also asked a couple of my friends what they thought were my greatest gifts and strengths and this what they responded.

Becky: "You're very driven and always willing to lend a hand, you put others before you which in turn makes you selfless. You're very people friendly and outgoing, which makes you talk to everyone even if you don't know them ha ha in a good way of course. You're also very respectful, I also see leadership skills in you because you always try to find what is best for not only you but others as well".

Giovanna: "You are trustworthy and I know that I can confide in you. You are also a very good listener. You are able to express yourself very well which makes you a good speaker. You are very honest and loyal. It's always fun to be around you because you're very outgoing!

Julie: " You're greatest gift is your big smile and your laughter no matter how you feel you try and not let it get to you. You always stay positive and look at the bright side of things. You also make people feel better if they're having a bad day. You're biggest strength is your heart you can love so much. I've never seen anyone with as much love to give as you."

Kim: I would have to say that one of Vanessa's greatest strengths is her ambition and determination. Once she has her mind set on a goal there is no stopping her from achieving it. About two semesters ago she faced a family crisis which involved her mother, and when most people I know would have broken down and lost sanity, she kept her composure and never let it affect her schooling. While it would have been acceptable and understanding for Vanessa to have taken some time off from school she decided to continue which I admired greatly.


Kino: Vanessa Alvarez has the uncanny ability to make any individual feel great
about themselves. She is a great listener, she's funny, very outgoing,
intelligent, very well spoken, and she brings out nothing but the best in
others. Vanessa Alvarez is selfless, she's always trying to help others
in need not for her own self gratification but for the well being of the
other person. But, the greatest gifts that Vanessa Alvarez possess are
the gifts of caring,loving, and having faith. You have a huge heart and
I've never met someone quite like you. I am grateful and very fortunate
that God allowed us to cross paths. What you did for me on THAT day I'll
never forget and I will cherish that moment the rest of my life. Your
smile alone gave me so much warmth on that day. Your words of encouragement
opened me up. Your simple gesture had a huge impact in my life and with
your gifts you will surely impact the lives of many more. It was your
friendship that allowed me to believe that such a relationship even
existed. The more and more I saw and talked with you the more I learned.
Continue to have faith in what you do and believe in. You are a
gift from God; not only a gift to me but to this world. It was
through your friendship and companionship that allowed me to see the best
in me and I thank you for that. You are a special person and I love you so
much. My love for you will never be upset at you, never judge you or hurt
you, never disrespect or yell at you, never die. Instead it will listen to
you, allow both of us to grow, to be by your side both in good times and
in bad,. My love for you is FREE and your happiness is mine. You are more
than a friend to me and all I can say is that I love you Vanessa with all
my heart and soul. I'm sorry to have side-tracked a little bit but I
wanted to write this to you because I have witnessed your gifts and seen
you strengths and how they have transcended upon me. I love you now and ALWAYS...

Do one of things you love from the in-class activities...

During 7th grade and throughout high school I absolutely loved and enjoyed
reading young adult fiction novels. Among my favorite authors were Robert
Cormier, V.C Andrews, Judy Blume and Jack London. I was so fascinated by
these writers simple yet very real and direct way of story telling. My
favorite novels included The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier, Tigers Eyes
by Judy Blume, The entire Dollanger Series Flowers in the Attic by V.C
Andrews. The dialogue in these novels was so real and the description of
the characters was superb. I could visualize everything so perfectly my
imagination ran wild. I even had crushes on some of the male characters in
the novels! That's how much I loved reading. I sound like a complete nerd
but I could read novels like these in about 3-5 days. About a week ago I
was able to relive these adolescent memories with a good friend of mine
at the Barnes and Noble book store. I happen to be there because I was
looking purchase the book "Let Your Life Speak" by P. Parker. But before
going to the register to pick up that book, I told my friend to accompany
me to the young adult fiction section. I picked up a copy of
The Chocolate War and read the entire 2nd chapter to him aloud. It felt
great it happened to be one of my favorite dialogues. My friend absolutely enjoyed it and
really got kick out me reading this out loud. He said that he liked the way I
read it that I really got into the characters. How could I not get into it?I thought to myself if I loved this and still do!

Childhood Memories

I am a Junior at UIC my concentration is the teaching of Spanish at the secondary level (high school). I decided to take the course Leadership for Change because it fit my schedule perfectly. When I registered for this course it did not have a title, so I did not know what I was getting myself into. However, after our first class meeting, I was delighted that I registered for this course. What I hope to get out of this course is to really find out what truly makes me happy. I think everyone is always searching for that happiness in life. However few people attain true happiness and enlightenment in their lives. I want to be one of those few people. When I was a child I felt great joy and happiness being surrounded by people that loved me and cared for me and nurtured my soul. My childhood for the most part was full of happy memories. During my childhood I remember feeling a great sense of security and confidence in myself. I attribute this to very special someone who was not only a maternal figure in my life but a positive role model Lois. As a child my favorite pastime was role playing / playing make believe. I played with friends and younger cousins in the backyard we played “casita” meaning little house. I was the mother my duties included cooking and cleaning. Since we had a vegetable garden I used real tomatoes to make salsa. I also remember playing with the water hose with my younger sister and making believe that we were both starring and directing our own movie! A particular scene that standouts is that of the rain storm and the girl (me) trying find shelter to evade the rain. Looking back and reflecting on what I enjoyed most during my childhood I feel that a part of me still enjoys those things. Later in high school I joined the drama club and was in the school play. I have always enjoyed acting and many people tell me that I am a great story teller and that I can really take on a character. I sometimes wonder if instead of teaching I should have pursued acting. But I guess I was afraid of failing at something I knew I really enjoyed doing. And besides I did not think I could make a living out of acting because the market is competitive.