August 28

I left my Dad at security, and Sarah and I walked into the line. It was the worst feeling to walk away from my Dad and know I wouldn’t see him for a week. I had always been an uneasy traveler and this trip was no exception. Sarah and I were taking our first trip together without our parents. We were going to Seattle to visit our Aunt and Uncle. As we boarded the plane I started to get really nervous. Sarah was wondering why she agreed to go on this trip with me: the worst traveler in the family.

The first flight was uneventful and I made it to Phoenix without passing out. When we got to Phoenix I walked out of the plane with a huge sense of freedom. I had never been anywhere without my parents and it was so liberating to think that I could make all of my own decisions. On the next plane ride, there was excessive turbulence and the flight attendants were told to sit down. I thought the plane was going to crash. I pulled out my knitting as I always did and hoped for the best. The more nervous I got, the faster I knitted. I made it to Seattle with not only my sense of freedom and achievement on making my first trip alone but also with two new scarves to show for it.

August 26

Overall, I have really enjoyed the readings we have done so far. My favorite would be “How to Tame a Wild Tongue.” I loved the way that she incorporated Spanish into the text. I felt that it kept the writing exciting and moving even though many people felt like it talked in circles. I could see how she was moving in circles, but I liked it because I felt like I picked up more from reading it multiple times. The Hampl readings have been interesting as well but they have been harder for me to understand. Her way of writing is not as clear as the other author, so I have a harder time keeping myself engaged and focused in the readings.  The one reading I didn’t enjoy was the one by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It was very confusing and I didn’t understand much of what was going on. I think his writing style was what threw me off the most. 

August 25

Yes, I feel that language does evolve. It is evolving all of the time. There is evidence from the past that Latin evolved into English and Spanish as well as other languages, so I have no doubt that our language is still changing now. I don’t feel that in our life we will ever notice the changes of language evolution because they will be so slight that we will start using them without thinking about it. People make up words all of the time that become part of our everyday vocabulary which can change the way we speak. For example, someone might “google” something to look it up, it’s now a term that everyone uses, although it’s not in the dictionary, it is a commonly understood word. With small changes like these, I feel that our language is changing slowing but years from now I don’t think that it will be anything like it is today.   

August 22

I can't recall a specific person telling me something that really moved me, but i know someone with a story that did. Joan Benoit Samuelson is an Olympic gold medalist in the women's marathon. Before she was a gold medalist, she was injured. She broke her femur while skiing and had to switch sports to running. While I didn't change sports, I have had to deal with many injuries that changed my ability to do what I wanted. Samuelson has been my inspiration through all of my injuries. Talking to her, you get a sense of strength and determination. Although she has never told me her story, she displays characteristics of them and has become stronger from it; I want to be just like that. Her story and her ability to move past her injuries has pushed me to become a better person and hopefully a more successful athlete. 

August 22

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