Community Service

I volunteered for an organization called Orphans of the Storm, which is an animal shelter located in Riverwoods. I attended an off site adoption event showcasing the cats and dogs at Northbrook Court on Saturday from 11AM-4: 45PM and Sunday from 12AM-5PM. Overall, I was extremely excited to volunteer because I adore animals and I knew it would bring joy to my life helping these innocent animals find a home. I realize that they also need affection and care, as well as humans do, so I decided to help donate and become a part of the event. You would expect many people to be open about adopting an animal, but as time went on, I realized that there are many different reasons why people can't adopt such as allergies, other pets at home, or they're simply not old enough. Obviously there are many other reasons, but acknowledging those circumstances, I started promoting donations towards little things such as extra newspapers, blankets, animal food, etc. The shelter is always in need of extra materials to provide the animals, and if someone is interested but cannot adopt a pet, or just has those supplies at home, why not help the cause? 

The people I came in counter with had many different attitudes, ages, races, and genders, but one thing they all had in common had been wealth. I appreciated the people who had given me the time of day and listened to the information I had provided. I felt reassured and grateful when donations were given to the specific dog that I was speaking about, or giving care to. Taking the time out of their day to give attention to the animals and donate their money to a good cause had brightened my day and I couldn't help but smile. While I was volunteering, I thought of how great it is to give back to my community and how thoughtful some people are to open organizations like these and support such causes. People who try to make a change in the world are the most genuine kind of people in my eyes. The supervisor was an extremely sweet lady named Jackie Borchew, who encouraged not only the volunteers, but also the others viewing the animals. She contributed to the wonderful experience I had, and could be contacted at Jackie@orphansofthestorm.org. The tasks i was instructed to do didn't take very long, they were practically effortless especially because I felt like I was doing something for a good cause, a great reason, rather than feeling forced to finish a dreadful task that would go unnoticed. On my way home, I had been in an uplifting mood, which followed through with me the rest of the night.  

Culture

When growing up, you learn certain rules, values, or behaviors to live by due to your specific culture. You don't know any other way of living because you've only been exposed or adapted to the environment around you. Nothing seems out of place, everyone around you also conforms and views the things you do to be "normal." Everything that is normal is a result of people and their cultural relativity.

Arriving from one culture to another could be quite overwhelming for an individual. Everything around seems so different, so new. They struggle to grasp the idea of things by taking everything in all at once. Some may feel like they have been living the wrong way and that's a result of cultural shock. Experiencing a new culture that pushes ethnocentrism can enhance this feeling. When others strive to make that individual behave the way they do, it's typically done through non-material culture such as rules, languages and gestures. These aspects vary from culture to culture, and because of this, it may make one feel as though it is necessary to conform to the cultural relativity, just to fit in. When my Hispanic friend told me he had a headache, I asked him if he wanted Ibuprofen. He then looked at me funny and said no, you. I looked at him with the same weird look and asked him why, thinking why wouldn't he want to help himself? He then told me in his culture, medicine is looked down upon and that the healthiest form of medicine is being natural; letting the body heal it. Due to the American culture, always quick with prescribing drugs and taking drugs when problems occur, it was my first instinct to just tell him to take a pill. Now looking back at the situation, he had not fallen into my ethnocentric idea; instead, he used a traditional rule from his culture.

The parts of non-material culture include folkways, mores and taboos. A folkway is the way of acting with more traditional rules, but not being judged. A more is something very serious that is supposed to be done and if it's not, the consequence will result in being judged. That something serious is like a moral or tradition. An example is if you decide not to wash your hands after you use the bathroom, people are going to judge you by viewing you as an unsanitary person. You would think that someone would want to after using the bathroom, but some do not and that's what distinguishes it from being a more versus a folkway or taboo. Now, a taboo is something so serious that even thinking about it would make you embarrassed. An example of a taboo from the story "Social time" is that here in America, people arrive at appointments earlier than they're supposed to because even thinking about being late makes Americans nervous.

Post 3

An individual's group, status, and role determine the generalizations or stereotypes given to them, also resulting in the way they perceive others. Generalizations can only be useful when applied accurately. We Generalize by comparing similarities in each experience, which help us classify certain things. In the movie A Bronx Tale, C's father generalizes Sonny as a "bad man" based on his prior knowledge of him. When we compare situations using false judgement, we are then stereotyping. As a young girl, I played for an all girls basketball team. I was stereotyped as a tom-boy for playing that specific sport. In reality, I was the furtherest thing from a tom-boy, I simply just enjoyed playing the sport. People are often quick to judge based on the little knowledge they know.

Sociologist study both micro and macro sociology. Macro sociology is the study of long-term social patterns, due to wide scale social systems. On the other hand, Micro sociology is the study of how people socially interact in small groups within a wider social system. Setting sail is an example of both studies. The decision of who would stay and who would go, depended mainly on the individuals' usefulness.  As an American culture, usefulness ranges from: strength, knowledge, health, opportunity and youth. All of these characteristics are portrayed as useful because they resemble a sense of future.

Sociologist study using two types of research, qualitative and quantitative. Qualitative data regards interviews, observations or notes which get more into scope of one's true self, while quantitative data deals more with surveys generalizing one's "idealistic" perspective of themselves and creating a statement about society as a whole. In the beginning of Gang Leader For a Day, he approaches the situation with quantitative data by having people take a survey, during the end of the story, he realizes that qualitative data is more useful because it gives sociologists a better understanding of the study.

Post 2

Within the past week we've read and discussed situations regarding sociological mindfulness, sociological imagination and the social construction of reality.

To recap, sociological mindfulness is realizing why each individual is the way they are, taking their perspective into consideration, and accepting it. Gang Leader For a Day demonstrates that anyone could ask a bunch of meaningless questions, but to experience poor men in their natural habitat, you are exposed to their true colors. This revealed something that had even struck the narrator himself, stereotypes. Many people probably assume they were poor because they hadn't gotten much education, when in fact, the leader of the gang (J.T). spoke of the experience he had with sociology in college. Also, he assumed J.T was going to order his gang members to kill him; instead, J.T. had taught him a powerful lesson. People aren't always are who you think they are. No one takes the time to get to know one another and that's why society is the way it is. We are so quick to judge based on what others tell us; in order to get past that, we must have awareness by seeing the whole dynamic of another and appreciating it.

Next, sociological imagination is something you can not see, but it impacts each individual by where they live, and when they live. Each person is shaped by society or the people they associate themselves with. An example all women in the U.S. can relate to is the idea that being thin is looked at as beautiful. Years ago, it was quite the opposite. Having fat on you was beautiful, not only because of appearance, but because it showed you were wealthy enough to afford food. The idea that you are shaped by where and when you live is demonstrated in the story Outliers. The town of Roseto was not healthy because of medical history, but more so, the idea of the social interaction and sense of community and family life. Rosetans thought nothing of this because this was considered normal where they lived.

Lastly, the sociological construction of reality is a society created of thoughts and experience, otherwise known as the "social norm." Females go to the restroom with other females constantly and that is something that is looked upon as socially acceptable. On the other hand, if males were to do that, they would be looked at funny. In reality, it's the same exact concept except society has told us it's not a "social norm" therefore we should shun the idea of it.

Who am I?

My name is Dena, but most of my friends like to call me Deans. I value everyone who has crossed my path, for they've taken part of the ongoing process that continues to define who I am. My purpose in life is to experience more; by doing so I must get more comfortable being uncomfortable. I want to gain confidence with being unsure of things. I'm not so concerned with being right anymore. I simply would like to inspire people to question everything and come up with their own truths. As Socrates quoted "in order to find yourself, you must think for yourself first."

Although we are not blood related, my mother and I share a special bond. I like to think she is the main influence in my life. I follow her morals and core beliefs; furthermore, we share extremely similar personalities. I love my mom unconditionally. No matter what happens, no matter how much we disagree or fight, I realize at the end of the day she will be there for me. Children or young adults spend years wishing their parents would get off their back, only to realize that they were one of the only ones who ever really had their back. My parents have always been my support system. They support all the choices I make, even if they aren't the best. Both guide me by recommending specific decisions I would prefer not to choose; overall, those decisions will always benefit my future. I am so grateful and appreciative of all the opportunities my parents have been able to give to me. Without them, I wouldn't be nearly the wonderful person I am today.

Having a job, working with special needs students, and participating in a sport are all learning experiences. Each one of them has shaped the way I perceive others on a more intellectual level. I have become more aware of my surroundings and other people's feelings considering these opportunities have changed my perspective on humanity as a whole. I've learned that if you ask the right questions you'll discover how fascinating people are. Working with all kinds of people, of all different ages has taught me how to think and act regarding specific situations. Working as a team means all for one and one for all. Influencing myself and others to work together cohesively is one of the most crucial parts of maturity.  Collaborating with others is something I have to do everyday and because of this, I have adapted the ability to read body language. Someone's body language can tell you more than that person ever will.

Something I've struggled with my entire life is knowing that it's appropriate to put myself before others, rather than always putting others before myself. Sometimes it's okay to be selfish. I've always been told that in order to love others and to be loved, you have to love yourself first. Too many people waste their lives trying to make everyone else happy before themselves. Some may say that this is a weak characteristic, but in my opinion this is one of my strongest traits that differentiates me from being just another person. 

I was involved in cheerleading Freshman and Sophomore year, but the time commitment started to overwhelm me. After taking a break, I realized I couldn't sit around and let myself go crazy. I have a ton of energy and I consider myself to be an active person. Something I enjoy doing in my free time is going to the gym. I am passionate about exercising not only because it affects my health in a positive matter, but it truly takes my mind off of any problems going on in my life. Being an assiduous girl, I've learned that in order to get what you truly want, you have to be willing to do things you've never done before. Sometimes I have to step out of my comfort zone to accomplish my goals. I am both physically and mentally flexible. It's not difficult for me to adjust to new situations quickly. I'm an extremely straightforward person and I do not hesitate when I'm confronted with making a decision. 

Optimistic should be my middle name. Just like Marilyn Monroe, I believe bad things need to occur in order for you to appreciate things when they are good. You create your own happiness. I've concluded that if you wake up every morning thinking it's going to be a great day, then it will be. Happiness is a choice. Yeah, things in life make it difficult but at the end of the day I know I control my own happiness. I typically chose to look at the good things in every situation instead of dwelling on the negatives. People are going to have their opinions of you no matter who you are or what you're capable of. They will have their ideas about you and the details in your life, but it's up to you and how you react. I simply allow it to make me better rather than bitter. I surround myself with people who bring out the best in me, not people I have to bring my best out for. I appreciate people that support my dreams. You can feel a free energy around people who are comfortable and confident with who they are and where they are in life. When I was told someone had felt that free energy around me, that was one of the best compliments I've ever gotten. I recognize that in order to move onto greater things in life, I must let go of past mistakes. I refuse to get upset over things that are out of my control.

Recently, I broke my ankle and fractured my foot. This is my first major injury and it's something that I have to accept because I have absolutely no control over it. Being crippled is a struggle when one can not accomplish activities or things usually enjoyed in their daily life. I realize giving things time heal is more important than jumping into anything because in the end, it'll only make things worse. I could take my boot off at any given moment; I just chose not to. Comparing this to patience, I concluded that it is difficult to wait, but the outcome is rewarding when the time finally arrives.

The other kind of patience is the one you give to others the time of day. "Patience is a virtue". I can tolerate a lot before I start to get frustrated. Working with children, the elderly and special needs students has helped me grow an understanding on how to become more patient. You need to learn to walk before you run. Being patient has become rare because this generation is so used to having everything at their fingertips. Personally, I love giving others the time of day because depending on who it is, it could mean the world to them.

If you don't respect others how do you expect them to respect you? You don't need a reason to be nice to someone. The smallest actions can make someones day. Being polite is a trait I've developed on my own. Yeah, as a child I was taught manners but I choose to take it to the next level. I go out of my way to hold doors for everyone, even if they are a substantial distance away. No matter who it is, I always smile at others to show acknowledgment. I believe making other people happy is the key to your own happiness. I am always there for anyone who needs someone to vent to.As a result, not only does this help grow my understanding on others, but myself as well.