Amateur Eyes

Difference in perspectives

Perspective by any definition is a point of view. This, by default, can’t help be influenced and even manipulated by our circumstance and past experiences. If a person lives their entire life in a place, when a new neighbor comes along they will notice new things, for they are seeing the place for the first time and with new eyes. Unless there is a massive construction where even traffic jams happen then usually the renovations or a new restaurant, will probably go unnoticed. Personally my mother raised my brothers and I to be always alert to danger. If we are in the car talking, then we must have the engine running so if danger arises you put it in drive and leave, is just an example of how I was raised. One would think my mother was a police officer or a con woman but she’s actually an extremely religious, hard workingwoman. The reasons behind these kinds of precautions are just because of her protective side. There we see an example of what can manipulate the way we observe and by relation our perspective.
The best example of difference in perspective is religion. There is one book and over 3 different interpretations based on perspective alone. In class we discussed the first chapter on the book “On Looking” by Alexandra Horowitz which had to do with difference in perspective and what we might miss by concentrating on everything. As humans we can’t experience everything around us at the same time. As I write I have music on, and I know its on but I do not listen to it when I really write. It becomes background noise you don’t pay attention to. When you hear but don’t listen you are taking away from that noise and giving importance to another aspect of what’s happening around you, in my case its my writing.
When you go around the block a car may pass that is blaring an urban tyoe music and that may catch your attention but maybe your friend is caught by the model or sound of the engine the car that drove past. Likes and dislikes may influence what you choose to see and your perspective on it. You think the owner of the car has terrible music taste and your friend sees that he has an amazing taste in cars. Perspective has the best ye old time example with the exercise “is the glass half full or half empty”. In fact this perspective exercise is one that can change on a daily if even an hourly basis depending on your mood. In the end there is no one perspective, not even in the most basic and trivial of things. But there is a middle ground in which opinions can grow for the best.

Conference:

On February the 4^th we had a conference activity on lexicon. The title was  “The Lexicon in Varieties of English Around The World, Puerto Rico, The USA, Britain and Malta”. It was given by, Dr. Manfred King from the University of Bamberg in Germany. In this conference we were shown data from years of studies and surveys that had the finality of identifying which English, be that Britain or American, influenced most in Puerto Rico and Malta. Malta is a southern European archipelago that is densely populated, just like Puerto Rico is. Thus, I believe, is one of the reasons the professor chose these two islands, and of course the fact that English is the second most spoken language in both places.

The results stated that Malta is most influenced by the British English than the American and that Puerto Rico is most influenced by the latter. Not surprisingly on account of the location of these islands. However, there are exceptions in words; specifically in Puerto Rico, where the professor pointed out is influenced by British English like the word aluminum. Just like, astoundingly, not only British English but also a bit of Italian influence the English spoken in Malta.

Running Brave:

Movie based on the life of Olympic runner Billy Mills and his internal and external journey as a North American Indian, born and raised, in a Native American reservation. He confronts problems and obstacles but overcomes all of them and surprises everyone at the end by, not only competing in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, but also taking the gold medal.

He goes through a time of adaptation when he gets to Kansas University because he is received with judgment. Not knowingly, he too judged his fellow teammates. In time his teammates respect him and even finds a friend in his roommate. He falls in love with a well to do young girl, who exposes him to another side of the American culture. His coach though obsessed with winning had the best intentions with his training. He saw the incredible potential in Mills but was biased by past experiences with Native Americans that had quit whenever they got homesick. Billy Mills did not quit simply because he was homesick but the visit from Frank and Eddie Mills made him feel that by following his dream to become an Olympic runner he would be betraying his culture, his people and his family. When he leaves, on his way home he encounters two children that ask him if he will become the second “brother” to win a gold medal in the Olympics. Because he is going through a very difficult time this shocks him and makes him smile. After the kids leave he expresses nostalgia, as if already missing his dream and what could have been.

His time back home was a short one, for the death of Frank Mills, wakes him up and gives him the drive and confidence he needed. He graduates from Kansas University and enlists in the Marines Reserve. As a Marine he trains to be a runner once again. He makes the US Olympic team and places second, because of this he was not considered a contender in the 10,000m race. At the Tokyo Olympics, the real contenders were the representatives of Australia, Ethiopia, and Tunisia. During the last lap of the race he was pushed by Clarke (runner for Australia) and later pushed again by Gammoudi, which landed him in the 4^th position. He ran as fast as he could and took the lead again just as he passed the finish line, making him the first, and only, to this day to win the 10,000 meter race. He came from obscurity and became a legend.

If you want to see the full movie click here

Mon Voyage

My family loves to travel. What family doesn't, really? Our plan is to travel the world together and experience as many cultures as we possibly can. For my 15th birthday we went on a cruise through the Mediterranean, visiting most of Italy, France, Monaco, and Spain. Although my favorite of all the destinations was Civitavecchia(Rome), the place that influences me the most is Barcelona, Spain. I am 2nd generation Puerto Rican from my mother's side and the rest are Spaniards. I come from a very matriarch family therefore when I had the opportunity to experience first hand this culture I found myself feeling at home; more so than with my native one. My mother and my grandfather have made it their mission; it seems, to make sure the following generations with our last name stay true to our Spanish roots.

When I first landed in Barcelona, we went directly to "La Rambla" which is a street filled with artists, performers, art, fashion, everything you can imagine Catalan. As a 15 year old with self-esteem issues and going through puberty, seeing all this liberty in expression, be that by their wardrobe, make up, art, expressing themselves so freely and it all felt so unedited and confident.  It changed me forever and made me able to express myself freely and confidently as well when I returned. When it comes to having your first encounter with European cultures its impossible to stay the same. No matter which European culture you are specifically exposed to it will mark the way you look at your own culture and even your way of life.

The way they hate the English language but are constantly reading and using English words in their everyday life was something that also shocked me. For example: they would literally read bus as if it were written in Spanish and write the word bacon how it phonetically sounds in English. They are unapologetic in their way of life. That was one of the main things that influence me. To the point that, when I got back, I completely changed the way I expressed myself both through speech and fashion. At first it was a bit manipulated by the spanish culture, using bright colors and a few colloquial Spanish words, but after a while I found my own voice.