3 Writing Journal

WRITING JOURNAL

1. How your life has changed since you came to the United States

     I've never been lucky enough to go to the United States, but I'm sure my life would change as it's a pending dream I have. My dream has always been to go on an exchange and live the typical American life that appears in the movies. In addition to being an animator. And thanks to studying this career I will be able to go abroad and learn many things about American culture. Another thing I would also like is to work there for a while since that way I could learn more language to speak more fluently and learn their customs. And because it has been my dream since I was very little. But I wouldn't want to spend a lot of time away either, because I don't like being so long apart from my family since we're all very close. 

 

2. A special skill I have

     A special skill I have is cooking, especially desserts, because when I prepare a meal I always end burning it or making a mess; they only meal I can prepare is the potato omelet. I love cooking desserts and giving them to my family to try. Also, as I have my cousins as my neighbors, I love doing extra dessert to give them a little bit so they can try it. When I’m cooking it’s my moment of disconnection and my moment of peace, as I lock myself in the kitchen and prepare what I like and in my own way. I think I got this skill from my mother since we both love to cook. An example is that during Christmas Holidays we love to do some Christmas dessert and for the day of the three kings we love to prepare the typical ‘Roscón de Reyes’. 

 

3. A hobby

    My favorite hobby is reading. Because it’s my way of disconnecting from the world, and at the same time daydreaming. Because when I read, I imagine what the protagonists are like, where they are, how they are dressed, ... One thing I like to do while reading is to listen to music because it also relaxes me a lot and if I’m in a quiet and beautiful place it becomes perfect. Another reason why I like to read is because when I finish a chapter or a book, I love to discuss it with my friends and advise them on the best, even though we have different tastes. But I'm always trying to get the books I like to read so I can discuss them together, and sometimes I win, and we can talk a little bit about the characters and of those who have seemed to us. 

 

4. Learning to play a sport

     I think learning to play a sport is difficult because you have to work very hard, but with motivation and training every day comes a point where you get to do almost perfect. And over the years you will be perfecting it, and that happens with each and every one of the different sports that there is. That’s why you should never give up and fight for what you like regardless of what people say. But it’s true that all of these depend on the person and from the one who teaches you, because it is very important the way in which they teach you things, as learning to play a sport is like learning something at the school, an depending on the teacher someone can be more motivated or less. To sum up, it all depends on the person that is going to learn a sport and on the person who is going to teach you. 

 

5. My favorite sport to play or watch

     My favorite sport to watch and play is probably ice skating, as I find it a spectacular and very difficult sport, and every time I see it on TV I get the creeps of how beautiful it looks to me. Also, ice skating reminds me of winter and that’s my favorite season of the year, so two things I like come together: skating and winter. When I was younger, I play skating, and it was one of my favorite sports as is like a moment to relax and stay with many people, but I left it when I started high school and signed up for dancing, which is also another sport that I love. Another sport that I also like is volleyball, not that I am very good at playing but whenever I play, I have a great time and laughter is assured. 

 

6. An accident

     I am a very but very clumsy person, so I always go full of purple because I go stumbling and hitting everywhere. But my biggest accident was when I went this summer with some friends to the river and while we were looking for a place to bathe, I did not notice that the floor slipped and just tread that piece I fell on my side, and I made a huge bruise that even my leg swelled. And even three months later I still have the mark of the blow and there are days that it hurts because it swells a little. The pity was that no one noticed that I had fallen until they heard the knock because I was last, and it would have been very funny to have seen me fall in slow motion, but when we meet, we always laugh at how I fell and how I carry my leg because it is funny to remember that moment.

 

7. Being on time

     I know that being on time is very important and that many people are very picky with punctuality. But it’s that being on time and I’m not something that goes together, because as much as I fix or prepare with time I’m always late everywhere. It is something that every year I intend to change but I never get it, although this year as I go in bus to the university if I must be on time because otherwise the autobus goes without me. In my defense I will say that I am not always late to the sites, but no matter how early I start to fix myself, something always happens and makes me late. But my friends are already accused, so they do not get angry when I arrive a little later than the time we had met. 

 

8. The people I live with

     The people I live with in my house are my father, my mother, my brother, and me. In my opinion, my family is the best as we talk about everything, and when I have a problem, I know that I can talk with them, and they will help me to solve it. We live in a house, with three bedrooms and three bathrooms. I love my home, but above all I love my bedroom, because it is the place where I rest and feel at peace, because in my room I have everything, I have a desk to study, my bed, a good closet to store my clothes and a sofa to rest without having to rest in the afternoons. Plus, I’m lucky to have my cousins as neighbors, so when I’m bored, I go to their house to hang out with them. 

 

9. American customs you like/dislike

     One thing that I don’t like about the American customs is the pay sales tax. As here in Spain we are used to seeing the price of items directly on the labels. And that's why I don't like it, since I see a nonsense that they put on the labels the prices without taxes, because if they put the wreck directly it would be much faster to make the purchase because everyone would know more or less what everything is going to cost, but in this way you have to wait until the end to know the total of everything since it is more complicated to make it product by product. But I think that this depend on the person, because if someone is used to making the purchase that way it will not be strange, but for someone from another country if it is strange.

 

10. An important story in the news

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11. The working students

     To be a working student is very hard, as you need to assist to class, be responsible and also do a part-time job, because if you have class in the afternoon you need to work in the morning and if you go to class in the morning you need to work at the afternoon, and it is hard since when you are studying you need to do homework and when you spend all day going from one place to another you go to your house very tired and without desire to do things. So, because of these is very hard, but with positive mind and hope you will do whatever you want. 

 

12. A big mistake you once made

     One day I was cooking some chips with my brother, and I put the fire as high as possible so that the oil would heat up before, and I also put the lid on it. But I forgot that I had put the oil to heat, because I had to go hang the clothes. When my brother and I came back the oil was too hot and the lid was burning, so when I removed it, fire started coming out of the pan, but my brother and I managed to stop the fire before a great misfortune happened. But from that moment I am afraid to cook things in which there is oil, and I prefer not to do too much to the kitchen lest I do something that I should not. Also, my parents don't let me get very close to the kitchen, so they usually make me and they always mess with me because they don't know how I could do that. 

 

13. Using e-mail

     Nowadays it is very easy to talk to people who live far away and at any time as we can write to you via email. Although little by little due to social networks are not usually written emails and much less letters, and the only thing that are used these two methods is to write very important things or important people. And now when we want to talk with someone no matter whether it is important or not, we use WhatsApp or other kind of application like this. And for example, when we are in school depending on the grade that you are the teacher can send you a message form classroom or aula virtual, so it is not very useful the email as you can send messages throw these applications. 

 

14. Cell phones

     Nowadays everyone has a cell phone, regardless of their age. On the one hand, it is good because they can talk to their friends while each one of them is at home or if something happens in the street call someone on the phone to help them, also when you are far away from your family you can talk with them thanks of the social media that are in your cell phones. But, on the other hand, you can get addicted and more now with social networks that spend more time with mobile than doing productive activities and because of this you probably are wasting your time, such as that they send you at school to do at home, leave everything for the last minute, don’t helping at home for staying with the mobile, …

 

15. Teenagers

     Nowadays teenagers are increasingly spoiled, as they give what they want whether they deserve it or not. By this I do not mean that everyone is like that, but that the majority are behaving as such and doing things that they should not. On the other hand, they are also doing things when they are older like smoking or drinking alcohol, when for example when I was little, I used to play dolls or go to the park to play with other children my age. But now what they do is go out and be mobile or use a language not suitable for their ages. In addition to being with mobile phones or wanting to go out worry less about studies and waste more time. 

 

16. The right age to get married

     There is no specific age to get married, it is only the exact time. One should marry when he is ready and finds the right person. But it is not always necessary to marry, because a couple both two girls, two boys or a boy and a girl can live together and have a family without the need to marry. And especially nowadays, it is very easy to get married and any couple can adopt children. In addition, there are many ways to get married, they can be civil or church, and if you want to make a celebration, it does not matter where you get married that you can celebrate it equally with your loved ones. 

 

17. A good friend

     A good friend to me is someone you can trust. And I don’t mean to trust you to tell him your secrets, it’s someone you know is going to be both good and bad. That is, if you have to cry you cry together and if you have to laugh you laugh together, as well as rejoice at the achievements of the other person. That’s why you have to be careful who you tell your things to, because there are very bad people who instead of seeing you happy want to hurt you. But there are times when you must trust some people to be able to see if they really are to trust or not, but always with care of what is said. Finally, a good friend is someone honest and loyal, who is trustworthy.

 

18. Shopping

     Nowadays it is very easy to buy since you can buy in physical stores or in online stores. Thanks to online stores it is not necessary to leave home to buy clothes or even make the purchase of the week, since although before you could only buy clothes online, now you can also buy food. There are also apps where you can order food to have it brought home. In addition, since we had to be locked at home due to COVID many people have learned to buy online without the need to leave their homes, and the truth is that it is very comfortable since you can do it at any time, at any time of the day and even with your pajamas. And it is also very useful for people who do not have time to go out to buy can do it in any gap they have, so they do not waste so much time in stores queuing to pay. 

 

19. Your last day in my country

     My last day I think it would be a bit sad because I don't like to say goodbye to the people I like, but also very happy to travel and get to know new places. Because I love to travel and even more if it is to a place, I like it. The only thing that scares me a little is traveling by plane, since I have never traveled in that means of transport, because both my mother and I are a little afraid and claustrophobic to be locked in something so small for so long. I even get into an elevator, so even if I have to climb eight floors up the stairs, I prefer to do it before than go up the elevator. What also makes me sad is saying goodbye to my grandmother, since she is a little older and I love spending time with her and that's why I wouldn't want to say goodbye to her. 

 

20. Your first day in the United States

     My first day in the US would be a bit sad as I would just be separated from my family and a bit lonely because I don't know anyone who lives there. But I'm sure that over time I would go to bed to live without them, and I would have a great time, since I like to meet people, and even more if they are from different places. I also think it would be very nice to start my life in a new place and change of scenery even if it is in a short period of time. In addition, it never hurts to have friends from different leagues with different tastes, different beliefs, ... And thanks to new technologies I could talk to my family more often and keep them abreast of everything that happens to me, both good things and bad things. 

 

21. Discrimination

     Discrimination is the unfair or harmful treatment of individuals and groups based on characteristics such as race, gender, age, or sexual orientation. That's the simple answer. But explaining why it happens is more complicated. The human brain naturally puts things into categories to make sense of the world. Very young children quickly learn the difference between boys and girls, for example. But the values we place in different categories are learned: from our parents, our peers, and the observations we make about how the world works. Often, discrimination stems from fear and misunderstanding.

 

22. My favorite food

     My favorite food is pizza, I know it's very typical but I love it. I love pizza, because you can throw everything you want and it will always be good. You can make it sweet or salty, and since I like sweet, that's a very important thing. The pizzas I like the most are: carbonara and the four cheeses, but I also like the others. Also, I love pizza because it reminds me of my brother, as we have pizza every Thursday night while watching a movie or series, and that's our time to relax, be together, or discuss our day. And sometimes we usually get all my family together and make our pizzas ourselves to spend more time together and because we are all pizza fans. 

 

23. The best car to own

     I got my driver's license very recently since this year I turned 18, but my dream car is the jeep wrangler. I know it's a car that everyone doesn't like, but I love it in particular. And whenever I see one on the street, he usually takes a picture to pass it to my brother, since he also likes this car. To my regret I do not have money to buy that car and I have to take a seat from 20 years ago, but well I do not complain because at least I have a car. In addition, when I have a fixed job and I can afford it I will buy that car, since right now I do not need it since we have two cars in my house to use them and right now it is not that I am using the car much since I go to the university by bus. 

 

24. Smoking in public places

     Smoking in public places seems to me in very bad taste, if it is true that everyone free to do what they want in public areas, but it seems very bad. It may also seem bad to me since I do not like the smell of tobacco at all, and because whenever there is someone around me smoking it does not matter where I put it that the smoke will always reach me. In addition, smoking is bad for health and apart from a waste of money, so I think they should remove tobacco from sale to the public. By this I also mean that they would have to remove all kinds of things that look like smoking and that harm the lungs. 

 

25. A movie star or singer you like

     A movie star that I like is Jenna Ortega since I have recently seen a series in which she is the protagonist and I loved it. The series is called Wednesday, and for me they have given him a role and acts very well. She has made more movies and series, but Wednesday is the one I like the most in which she has acted, also in this series she is the protagonist. And the clothes she wears in the series, despite being black and I do not like to be dressed all in black but there are some things that she wears that I do like. On the other hand, a singer I like is Ed Sheeran, since his songs are in English and the lyrics are very nice, not like the songs of now that only say bad sounding words.

 

26. A belief you have or used to have

     One belief I used to have was that doing a lot of sports made you strong, but that’s wrong since the most important thing is to have a good diet. I know a lot of sports makes you grow, but if you don’t eat right, you’re not going to lose weight or be strong. And I learned this because my brother loves to play sports and take care of himself. Another belief I have is that you have to treat people the same way you would want them to treat you, because if for example you do something good or help someone with something, I believe that something good will happen to you.  

27. A story from my childhood

     My grandmother always told me a story about when I was very little, and that is that one day she had to go shopping and as she realized that I had pooped and as she was not going to leave me with the dirty diaper on, but she did not want to wake me, she put a rag in the lamp, but I was so sleepy I didn’t wake up and when he came back from shopping I was still sleeping and in the position in which he had left me. I liked to sleep so much that I did not wake up to eat, there are other babies who wake up crying because they are hungry, but that was not my case, I had to wake up because I did not eat.

 

28. My favorite possession

     My favorite possession is a picture with dedications that my family gave me for my 14th birthday. In the picture, every member of my family wrote me a message. I have it on as soon as I enter my room and I love reading their messages, because I remember when they gave it to me and I was extremely happy. On all my birthdays my family writes me a card with messages and photos, which I also love. But that painting is the best of all gifts. Another possession that I love is my bracelet, since my parents gave it to me for my birthday and every time I get something they give me a charm, at the moment I take a mini car because I have taken my driving license, some books that refer to that I graduated from high school and a heart with an 18 for my eighteenth birthday, and I think it's a very special detail.  

 

29. Music that is special to you

     A special song for me is Impossible by James Arthur, as it reminds me of my childhood, when I spent the afternoons singing with my cousins in their room. And this particular song was one of the ones I first learned and above in English. I remember that this song always came to my head, and I sang it all the time. And the funniest thing is that even a long time later I still remember the song, and even more, I remember my cousins. Nowadays, my tastes have varied a bit since I listen to all kinds of songs, depending on the moment in which it is and also depends on what I am doing. 

 

30. A special gift you have given or received

     A special gift I gave was a book with dedications to my brother on his birthday. I agreed with my whole family to pass me pictures with him and write him mini notes to put him together in a small book. In my opinion I think it is a very special gift since we all help prepare that gift and the most important thing is that he loved it. Because sometimes something made by ourselves is more beautiful than something material. I also like to write notes to my loved ones, so they know how much I love them, how much I care about them, and how grateful I am to have them as my family. And sometimes I like to make them sweets as small tokens of affection.

 

31. A special day or event in my life

     For me every day is special, but if I have to choose one would be the day I visited Santiago de Compostela. I went with my family, since every summer we visited a different place in Spain. And I love it since I have a great time and I love spending time with my family. We visited the cathedral and then went to eat the typical dishes of Galicia, such as the octopus, the typical dessert, … and for me the day was super special and I will never forget. In addition, a future plan I have is to return to the cathedral doing the Camino de Santiago, since I loved it and I would like to return to that place. This path I would like to do with my group of friends or with my cousins since it is something they also want to do and surely, we will have a great time. 

 

32. My worst habit

     My worst habit is eating chocolate and not playing sports. My favorite part of the meal is the dessert, and I love eating after lunch a piece of chocolate or some sweet, and the more stress I have more desire for sweet. But I almost never do sports because I don’t have much time, so I feel a little guilty about eating candy and not playing sports. So, little by little I want to get out of that habit. It is so difficult because it is like a habit, but I try to convince my mum to stop buying chocolate so if there is not chocolate in my house, I won’t eat it. Although I know it would not be fair to my family, but they also want to stop eating so much sugar since it is not good for our health, so it is best to take it only on special occasions. 

 

33. A frightening experience

     A terrifying experience I had was that as a child when I was about five years old my parents took me to the beach, and in a moment of carelessness as there were many waves they did not realize and it turns out that I was on the shore face down almost drowning, because as I was very small, I did not know how to turn around. But in the end my parents turned me around and nothing happened to me. Of course, all this was told to me by my mother a couple of years ago because I didn't know anything. This story is not very scary for me because I had no idea that this had happened, but I think for my parents it was. As far as I can remember right now, I haven't had any scary experiences, because I don't even watch scary movies because I know that if I watch them, I'm going to spend all night thinking about the movie and I'm not going to be able to sleep. Although on more than one occasion my friends have forced me to see a scary one, and they always laugh at me because I usually cover my face with a cushion so as not to see it.