An event that has shaped me the way I am today is when my dad left. I know it’s not a common story people tell when they are writing how they became the person they are today, but in my case it works. I strive to do everything that he never did. I go to school so I can be more successful than him.
In eighth grade he abandoned me when him and my mother got into a fight. He never said bye or told me sorry, he just left. My parents were already divorced so it didn’t hurt my mom to much, but it did for me. My dad and I were really close. We used to do everything together. I considered him my best friend and I loved him. When he left it changed me. I started to not trust people and not to like new people that I met.
I realized what I was doing and decided I wanted to change. I was letting him win by turning into him. Now I challenge myself to be the opposite of him. I make sure I go to school and do my work so I can graduate from college. Just by going to college I have already done more than him. On a brighter side another person who has made me who I am is my mom. She was always there for me and helping me with anything I needed. I want to be like her in a way for my kids.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Thursday, October 1, 2009
vocabulary
Baklava
Part of speech: noun
In Berkeley, and only in Berkeley, my name drew people like flies to baklava. (Funny in Farsi, 64)
Context clues: logic, “drew people like flies”, flies are drawn to food
Def: A Near Easter pastry made of many layers of paper-thin dough with filling of nuts, baked dough and honey
Sentence: Ms. Henderson brought baklava for the class to try.
Exempt
Part of speech: verb
The Christian and Jewish children at my school were exempt from religious studies, a fact that caused much envy among the rest of us. (Funny in Farsi, 105)
Context clues: logic, figured it out after the comma when it said “a fact that caused much envy among the rest of us.”
Def: to free from an obligation or liability to which others are subject.
Sentence: I was exempt from taking algebra since I had already taken it in eighth grade.
Gendarmes
Part of speech: noun
The gendarmes started sifting through the clothes and the myriad of gifts I had brought for my host family. (Funny in Farsi, 133)
Context clues: I had a already known what gendarmes meant
Def: name for police officers in European Countries
Sentence: The gendarmes can be very annoyed with tourists when they are asked all day where things are.
Part of speech: noun
In Berkeley, and only in Berkeley, my name drew people like flies to baklava. (Funny in Farsi, 64)
Context clues: logic, “drew people like flies”, flies are drawn to food
Def: A Near Easter pastry made of many layers of paper-thin dough with filling of nuts, baked dough and honey
Sentence: Ms. Henderson brought baklava for the class to try.
Exempt
Part of speech: verb
The Christian and Jewish children at my school were exempt from religious studies, a fact that caused much envy among the rest of us. (Funny in Farsi, 105)
Context clues: logic, figured it out after the comma when it said “a fact that caused much envy among the rest of us.”
Def: to free from an obligation or liability to which others are subject.
Sentence: I was exempt from taking algebra since I had already taken it in eighth grade.
Gendarmes
Part of speech: noun
The gendarmes started sifting through the clothes and the myriad of gifts I had brought for my host family. (Funny in Farsi, 133)
Context clues: I had a already known what gendarmes meant
Def: name for police officers in European Countries
Sentence: The gendarmes can be very annoyed with tourists when they are asked all day where things are.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Reflection
My reading habits aren’t the best in the world. Reading doesn’t really interest me very much. It’s not a good habit to have when in our society people are praised more on there reading skills and are considered to be smarter or more intelligent. When I pick up a book it is usually not by choice. It is usually because I have to read for school. When I start a book it is hard for me to continuously keep reading or remembering to read a little each day. I usually start to fall behind and aren’t where I’m supposed to be with the rest of the class.
If I had to say what my strengths were in reading are when I do read I usually understand something the first time read it. I don’t have to go back over and re-read what I read the first time. It is hard for me to find something that interests me; usually books I’m interested in are sports books.
The people that I know that love to read are my dad and my sister. They can sit there all day long and read a book. My sister and dad read the whole Twilight series in four days. When they finish a book the first thing they do is find a new one. I did grow up in a house where I was told to read my parents used to buy me books and told me to read them, but I just could never find the motivation to read them or get into them. I know it’s not good to not read, but that’s just how I am.
If I had to say what my strengths were in reading are when I do read I usually understand something the first time read it. I don’t have to go back over and re-read what I read the first time. It is hard for me to find something that interests me; usually books I’m interested in are sports books.
The people that I know that love to read are my dad and my sister. They can sit there all day long and read a book. My sister and dad read the whole Twilight series in four days. When they finish a book the first thing they do is find a new one. I did grow up in a house where I was told to read my parents used to buy me books and told me to read them, but I just could never find the motivation to read them or get into them. I know it’s not good to not read, but that’s just how I am.
Vocabulary
Noxious
Part of Speech: adj
I scrubbed intensely, trying my best not to inhale the noxious fumes. (Funny in Farsi, 127)
Context clues: logic to figure out that noxious was bad, with the word fumes.
Def: harmful or injurious to health or physical well-being
Sentence: Bleach gives off noxious fumes, if inhaled to long it could harm different parts of the body.
Apathetic
Part of speech: adj
I told my father that his “SHIP ‘EM ABROAD” program didn’t sound too democratic to me, that perhaps included in the freedoms in this country is the freedom to be apathetic. (Funny in Farsi, 118)
Context clues: definition, “didn’t sound to democratic to me” is part of the definition with having no emotion too.
Def: having or showing little or no emotion
Sentence: Jason behavior was very apathetic when he found out he had been accepted into Harvard Law School.
Frugal
Part of speech: adj
After having baby-sat for every frugal family in town, I eventually hit the mother lode. (Funny in Farsi, 123)
Context clues: logic, the sentence before shows that frugal means to be scanty or little expense
Def: entailing little expense, requiring few resources, meager, scanty
Sentence: If getting paid eight dollars an hour wasn’t bad enough; my manager counts every cent we earn with each minute over the hour.
Part of Speech: adj
I scrubbed intensely, trying my best not to inhale the noxious fumes. (Funny in Farsi, 127)
Context clues: logic to figure out that noxious was bad, with the word fumes.
Def: harmful or injurious to health or physical well-being
Sentence: Bleach gives off noxious fumes, if inhaled to long it could harm different parts of the body.
Apathetic
Part of speech: adj
I told my father that his “SHIP ‘EM ABROAD” program didn’t sound too democratic to me, that perhaps included in the freedoms in this country is the freedom to be apathetic. (Funny in Farsi, 118)
Context clues: definition, “didn’t sound to democratic to me” is part of the definition with having no emotion too.
Def: having or showing little or no emotion
Sentence: Jason behavior was very apathetic when he found out he had been accepted into Harvard Law School.
Frugal
Part of speech: adj
After having baby-sat for every frugal family in town, I eventually hit the mother lode. (Funny in Farsi, 123)
Context clues: logic, the sentence before shows that frugal means to be scanty or little expense
Def: entailing little expense, requiring few resources, meager, scanty
Sentence: If getting paid eight dollars an hour wasn’t bad enough; my manager counts every cent we earn with each minute over the hour.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
reflection
The vocabulary words that we have learned in this class aren’t too hard. They are words that I have seen or heard before. Actually knowing and understanding these words have helped me when I talk to people. I noticed that I use some of the words.
I noticed that when I hear a word that I am unfamiliar with I think about what it might mean. If I cant I'll sometimes go and look it up in the dictionary, but only if I am really curious to know what it means otherwise I’ll forget about it. In high school I never really liked vocabulary and dreaded having to do vocabulary cards. Now I’m interested in expanding my vocabulary and learning words that I wouldn’t normally use.
Some of the words that we learned for our first vocabulary test I still remember. These words stuck in my mind I think mostly because I liked the word or that I knew what the word kind of meant. The other words I have no idea what they mean and if were asked to give the definition of it I would stand there like a deer in the headlights.
Overall I think that the impact that the vocabulary is having on me is that it’s making me more intelligent. When people talk and you different words it makes them sound smart and that’s how I would like to be taken as a person when I’m older. I want people to look at me and say that I know what I'm talking about or that I’m very well educated.
I noticed that when I hear a word that I am unfamiliar with I think about what it might mean. If I cant I'll sometimes go and look it up in the dictionary, but only if I am really curious to know what it means otherwise I’ll forget about it. In high school I never really liked vocabulary and dreaded having to do vocabulary cards. Now I’m interested in expanding my vocabulary and learning words that I wouldn’t normally use.
Some of the words that we learned for our first vocabulary test I still remember. These words stuck in my mind I think mostly because I liked the word or that I knew what the word kind of meant. The other words I have no idea what they mean and if were asked to give the definition of it I would stand there like a deer in the headlights.
Overall I think that the impact that the vocabulary is having on me is that it’s making me more intelligent. When people talk and you different words it makes them sound smart and that’s how I would like to be taken as a person when I’m older. I want people to look at me and say that I know what I'm talking about or that I’m very well educated.
vocabulary
Strewn
Part of speech: verb
“To my delight, I found that the lawn had been strewn with miniature Iranian flags.” ( Funny in Farsi, 113)
Context clues: Used logic with miniature Iranian flags and the lawn.
Def: to cover or overspread with something scattered or sprinkled.
Original sentence: When I woke up this morning, I found that toilet paper had been strewed all over my house.
Dote
Part of speech: verb
“Now, whenever we visit my relatives, all of whom dote on my husband, I realized he didn’t marry me despite my tribe, he married me because of them.” (Funny in Farsi, 103)
Context clues: used logic with he married me because of them
Def: to bestow or express excessive love or fondness habitually
I dote on the fact that my sister is only seven. She attracts girls like crazy hence how cute she is.
Enviable
Part of speech: adj
“Even thought their condominium has only a tiny garden, they have managed to cultivate an enviable cornucopia of figs, pomegranates, sweet lemons, and herbs.” (Funny in Farsi, 98)
Context clues: used logic with a tiny garden and cornucopia of figs, pomegranates, sweet lemons, and herbs.
Def: worthy of envy, desirable
As Michigan’s freshman quarterback he has managed to gather an enviable amount of people that want to be him.
Part of speech: verb
“To my delight, I found that the lawn had been strewn with miniature Iranian flags.” ( Funny in Farsi, 113)
Context clues: Used logic with miniature Iranian flags and the lawn.
Def: to cover or overspread with something scattered or sprinkled.
Original sentence: When I woke up this morning, I found that toilet paper had been strewed all over my house.
Dote
Part of speech: verb
“Now, whenever we visit my relatives, all of whom dote on my husband, I realized he didn’t marry me despite my tribe, he married me because of them.” (Funny in Farsi, 103)
Context clues: used logic with he married me because of them
Def: to bestow or express excessive love or fondness habitually
I dote on the fact that my sister is only seven. She attracts girls like crazy hence how cute she is.
Enviable
Part of speech: adj
“Even thought their condominium has only a tiny garden, they have managed to cultivate an enviable cornucopia of figs, pomegranates, sweet lemons, and herbs.” (Funny in Farsi, 98)
Context clues: used logic with a tiny garden and cornucopia of figs, pomegranates, sweet lemons, and herbs.
Def: worthy of envy, desirable
As Michigan’s freshman quarterback he has managed to gather an enviable amount of people that want to be him.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
vocabulary
Word: Sensuous
Part of speech: Adj
Funny in Farsi (pg 25)When the meal was finally ready, we all sat together and savored the sensuous experience of a delicious Persian meal.
Context Clue: The taste of the Persian food and smell and the experience of the taste.
Def:Highly susceptible to influence through the senses.
Original Sentence:The sensuous food hit my senses when i walked into the restaurant.
word: insatiable
Part of speech: adj
Funny in Farsi (pg 27)On other nights, we ate pizza, marveling at the strechy cheese and our insatiable appetite for this wondrous food.
context clue: logic- wondrous and marveling to show that insatiable is positive.
Def:incapable of being satisfied
original sentence:Mark has an insatiable desire for snowboarding. His dad has to drag him off the mountain even after the lifts have closed.
Dubious
Part of speech: adj
Def: of doubtful promise or outcome
Source sentence: My brother Farshid, with his schedule full of soccer, wrestling, and karate, was too busy to be recruited for this dubious honor.
Context clues: Firoozeh did not want to be the interpreter which was not an honor since it was being dragged around by the mother.
Original Sentence: The boys mother was dubious when asking her son to clean his room.
***partner was absent and didnt get last word. used a word from another group
Part of speech: Adj
Funny in Farsi (pg 25)When the meal was finally ready, we all sat together and savored the sensuous experience of a delicious Persian meal.
Context Clue: The taste of the Persian food and smell and the experience of the taste.
Def:Highly susceptible to influence through the senses.
Original Sentence:The sensuous food hit my senses when i walked into the restaurant.
word: insatiable
Part of speech: adj
Funny in Farsi (pg 27)On other nights, we ate pizza, marveling at the strechy cheese and our insatiable appetite for this wondrous food.
context clue: logic- wondrous and marveling to show that insatiable is positive.
Def:incapable of being satisfied
original sentence:Mark has an insatiable desire for snowboarding. His dad has to drag him off the mountain even after the lifts have closed.
Dubious
Part of speech: adj
Def: of doubtful promise or outcome
Source sentence: My brother Farshid, with his schedule full of soccer, wrestling, and karate, was too busy to be recruited for this dubious honor.
Context clues: Firoozeh did not want to be the interpreter which was not an honor since it was being dragged around by the mother.
Original Sentence: The boys mother was dubious when asking her son to clean his room.
***partner was absent and didnt get last word. used a word from another group
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