Taking AP

AP classes are pushed on us like crazy. All we hear is, “Take AP” “It will help you in college” “You can get college credit!” Ah yeah if you get a 5 on the exam which is hard as hell. So is it really worth it to take AP? In my opinion it is because AP classes teach great study habits, increase reading skills, and challenge the average student. Most colleges won't accept AP credit unless it is a very high score, and some won't accept any at all. So there is much more to taking these challenging classes than college credit.

AP classes are great to take because they truly force students to create strong study skills. The textbooks are longer, and harder, thus making the test more difficult. AP students have to study effectively and often to succeed in the classes. Also the material cannot be forgotten because most students take the AP Exam in May. So these classes are cumulative, which adds extra studying time. AP students have to know when the need to really sit down and learn the material. These important study skills are required to do well in college. AP classes help build a strong foundation for success.

Another pro of taking AP classes is that they increase reading skills. AP textbooks are college level and are go into much great detail than regular level textbooks. AP classes also require more reading weekly because all of the material has to be covered by April, in time for the exam. These reading skills will help not only in Aps but also outside of school and on standardized tests. A strong reader will succeed in any class, no matter the subject.

Lastly, AP classes expect more out of the students than regular level. AP students are considered the higher level. Aps raise the academic bar for student expectations. Teachers, and principals, look at AP classes as college classes and then they expect college level work out of their students.

Overall, AP classes should be taken by all students. They teach study habits, increase reading skills, and challenge students. Don't take Aps for college credit because you mostly likely won't get that much. Take AP classes to become a better, and more well-rounded, student.  (405)

Nicholas Sparks

Dear Lord, Thank you for Nicholas Sparks. Nicholas Sparks knows who to write to the heart. His books are those books that once you start, you're screwed. And by that I mean you won't be able to put the book the down until it's finished. He is the master mind behind The Notebook, Dear John, and The Last Song. His books are for the “hopeless-romantic” type. Which, lets be honest, everyone is a romantic at heart. Almost every one of his books have been made into movies and have been very successful.

Perhaps the most famous of this books is The Notebook. This is a story of two teenagers that feel in love. Then girl moved away and the boy never recovered. Of course, they meet again years later and rekindled their love for each other. TWIST, she is engaged! Many events happen but they end up spending the rest of their live's together and have children. Happily ever after! In the movie, Ryan Gosling plays the man, Noah. Ryan Gosling, I love you. So does the rest of the female population. The best line of the whole movie is when they confess their love for each other:

               "So it's not gonna be easy. It's gonna be really hard. We're gonna have to work at this every day, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you, forever, you and me, everyday. Will you do something for me, please? Just picture your life for me? 30 years from now, 40 years from now? What's it look like? If it's with him, go. Go! I lost you once, I think I can do it again. If I thought that's what you really wanted. But don't you take the easy way out."
So romantic!

Another great novel by Nicholas Sparks is The Last Song. This is the story of a rebellious girl who is forced to live with her Dad all summer. She meets a rich, hot guy and they fall in love. Much more happens but I don't want to spoil it!

Overall, Nicholas Sparks books are great reads for anyone. Well maybe not anyone, but if you're a guy go for it. I promise, you won't be disappointed. Warning: don't start reading unless you have all day to finish! Happy reading.  (409)

Scary Movies

Americans love a good scare. We go to haunted house, tell ghost stories, read scary books, and watch scary movies. We live for the thrill. Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.” This statement is very true because we love the adrenaline rush that happens when something scares us. This is why we pay up $20 just to go in a haunted house and much more for admission into an amusement park. There is always a murder mystery show playing on TV or shows about the most wanted killers in America. When these shows start playing, we become glued to the TV.

There are some channels that play only murder mystery shows. This is something I don't understand. You can only watch a couple murder shows until you start feeling a tad bit depressed. But a whole channel dedicated to it? Too much. Imagine being a victim of this kind a violence and having it be all over TV.

Apart from murder shows on TV, there are numerous scary movies too watch. Usually they aren't even that scary. “Scary” movies are scary because of suspense or blood and guts. The story lines are events that would never happen in real life. Especially the zombie and alien abduction movies. But these movies put a picture in our mind about all the impossible things that maybe, somehow, could happen and then kill us. Most of the time, the characters in these movies are just dumb but their stupidity is what makes the movies good. For some reason when a killer enters their house, they just stay there and run around. That would most likely not happen in real life. Normal people with average intelligence would know to get the hell out of there.

Even though most scary movies are just bad, there are some really good ones. These good ones actually have interesting characters and a real storyline. Americans will always love scary things because we live the rush they give us. It's natural. Maybe, someday scary shows and movies will start actually becoming interesting. (361)

Cultura de Honduras

The world is waiting to be discovered. Get out of Iowa and see new cultures, meet new people, learn new things. My sister lives by these words. She was one of the few people in her graduating class to go to an out-of-state college. She took the chance and ended up loving it. She graduated with an Early Childhood Education degree and is now teaching first grade in Honduras. Honduras is a whole new world. The culture is so amazing and the people's opinions are different than Americans.

My sister came home for the holidays and had major culture shock. Every aspect of live is different than Honduras, which is considered a third world country. Here are some examples:

1. School Lunches- In Honduras, the moms bring their children hot lunch everyday. They bring the lunches to the school gate and hand them to the muchachas (janitors). Their meals usually consist of tortillas, beans, eggs, meat, and rice. All of the food is freshly made, not all of this processed crap that Americans eat everyday. The children are also feed a lot because in Honduran culture it is very important for children to look healthy, not skinny. This is interesting because many families are poor and have a hard time putting food on the table but their children will still look well fed.
2. Everything is for show- Honduran people are very poor considered to the rest of the world but they will act like they are not. They want their families, houses, and themselves to look perfect. Its just part of the culture.
3. Men are lazy- In Honduras, women do most of the work. They raise the children, keep up the house, and run the family while men sit around. Adultery is also very common. Men just feel like they can do whatever they want.
4. Things are cheaper- For example, my sister bought a Honduran cell phone for five american dollars. She only makes $350 a month, which is just enough to get by. Fruit costs about 50 cents and only $5.
5. Families live together- Mostly, the whole family, including aunts, uncles, children, cousins, and grandparents, live in the same house. They all work together to support the family and to raise the children.

Overall, Honduras is very different than America. We would think that some of their customs are “odd” but they would think the same about us. Traveling the world gives you insight about different cultures and turns you into a well-rounded person.  (420)

It's Time

The New Year brings a fresh start, at least that's what people think. I'm going to be honest, January 1^st didn't feel any different than December 31^st. People look at New Years as a fresh start but you have the chance at a fresh start everyday. The sun will always rise and then set and you will always have a chance to make tomorrow better than today. New Years should be a time of reflection of the past year. The accomplishments, the mistakes, and everything in between. It should also be a time to look forward to the coming year and all it has to offer. The New Year is truly a time to ponder your past decisions and to plan for the future.

Each year brings different challenges and these change as we grow. In elementary school, the New Year was just another day, just another year. Now as we grow older and we look at the year ahead of us, there are new goals to work towards and expectations to meet. For me, at this point in my life, this year brings huge decisions. The biggest is college. I am going to be graduating in a year and a half and I still have no idea where I'm going to go to college. I have to enter the real world soon. Apart from college, I could also go on another path which would cause me to graduate a year later than I'm suppose to. For this path I would move away from home, my friends, and my hometown, a year earlier. I can't go into detail about this path because it has yet to be paved. It is slowly being cleared of brush and leaves, and will soon become a new adventure.

Its only the third day of the year and I am already ready for it to be over. I'm not scared, I'm excited. This will be the most exciting year of my life so far. The decisions I make will be life-changing. I am so thankful for all of the opportunities in reach. And if these opportunities turn out to be failures, I will know that everything happens for a reason. If I fail, those paths weren't right for me in the first place. This year will fly by and I hope by next New Years Eve, while I am reflecting on 2013, I will have a smile on my face and say, “This was a great year.” So bring it on 2013, I'm ready to fight. (430)

All About Christmas

This blog is going to be all about CHRISTMAS! I might go off on some tangents but that's because I can't think about any thing else to blog about. Christmas time is here, full of joy and cheer. Yes, yes it is. The sad thing is that it honestly doesn't feel like Christmas. Where did time go? I remember when I was young used to count down the days till Christmas day. It seemed like an eternity. Now Christmas sneaks up on us so quick, I barely have time to go gift shopping!

Gift shopping is so stressful and I am honestly the worst person when it comes to buying gifts. I just never know what to get people. I need to be more creative. I definitely need to be more creative. I usually just end up going with the classic gift card. I mean gift cards are great, they just aren't the most exciting gift. When you open a gift card its like, “Oh yay! This is cash that I can only spend at one place.” The worst thing is that by the time I come up with something creative to get I usually have to order it. Then when I go to order it, shipping has to take forever and it won't make it here by Christmas. My goal this year is to get at least one person a original gift.

Another great thing about Christmas season is food. So. Much. Food. All. The. Time. My mom loves to bake so we always have cookies and cake. The best kind of cookies are the peanut butter ones with the Hershey Kiss on top. YUM. We still make cookies for Santa and his helpers. Every Christmas morning the milk is gone and the cookies are eaten. I wonder who did that? Santa duh. We also still leave carrots and water for Santa's reindeer. Flying all around the world makes them pretty hungry!

Overall, Christmas is the best holiday of the year. There are just so many activities that go along with it! Merry Christmas to all and all a goodnight. 

Crocodile Hunter

Steve Irwin, the famous Crocodile Hunter, is the bomb.com. Some people might not know who he is because he died a couple years ago. Steve was an Australian Native and was a animal activist. He opened zoos, did shows, and traveled around the world preaching that deadly animals should not be feared, but respected. He got the name the Crocodile Hunter because he mostly worked with crocs. Steve almost had a sixth scent when I came to working with dangerous animals, he could predict their reactions before they happened.

I grew up watching Steve and I thought he was the coolest person ever. I have always had a fascination with animals and especially dangerous ones. I would watch is show religiously and I even saw one of his live shows when I was in Australia. One Christmas, Santa gave me his audio-biography and I read it in two days. I <3 Steve.

Tragically, Steve died very unexpectedly in 2006. He was killed by a stingray in a tragic and rare accident while filming a segment for a children's show. I think its amazing how one person can have such a huge impact on the world. The most interesting part is that he was such a unique person, and he was also uniquely known. He wasn't known for being the first man on the moon, or for being the man to invent the newest gadget. Steve was known as a passionate, sincere, and caring guy who truly cared about educating the public about animals.

The Crocodile Hunter left his Wife, Terri, and two kids Bindi and Bob. Bindi followed in her father's foot steps and continues to do shows about animals. Their family still runs the Australia Zoo which was started by Steve. Steve Irwin made such an impact on the world and was truly loved by all that knew him.

“I believe that education is all about being excited about something. Seeing passion and enthusiasm helps push an educational message.”

“I have a message for my fans. Whatever you want to do in this world, it is achievable. The most important thing that I've found, that perhaps you could use, is be passionate and enthusiastic in the direction that you choose in life, and you'll be a winner.”