Reflecting on my writing performance
The students must write a paragraph on the improvement and difficulties they went through in their writing process.
Reflection
When I realize my first essay of the quarter, I can say that I had difficulties when I used some tense because I did not remember, so I had to review them later.
I was also difficult to use some specific vocabulary words related to the theme developed. But in reality, the topic was so easy and I don´t have lot of problems.
My favorite place in the world.
By: Nazareth Vargas Brenes
My favorite place in the world is not a place little known in Costa Rica. It is a place where the sun always shines; the water is warm and unparalleled beauty. I cannot describe how much it means to me the ocean; waves, sand, sun, water, the world under the surface that no human being really understands everything about it just connects with me. That's why my favorite place is the Manuel Antonio National Park, one of the most beautiful places in the world for sites specializing in tourism. In 2011, it was listed by Forbes among the world's 12 most beautiful national parks.Manuel Antonio, is the smallest of any Costa Rican national park. This protected wilderness area is located on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, in the canton of Aguirre, Puntarenas province. It was created on November 15, 1972 by Law No. 5100. The region where this park is situated, was populated by indigenous Quepoa. Later, the place was inhabited by foreigners who blocked access, so this will encouraged the local people to the creation of a Comite Pro National Park that persuaded the national authorities, who declared the site a national park.The park is full of wildlife around, the dense forests and wide variety of wildlife is pleasing to the eye and look. The park offers a variety of beauty and adventure. There is an extreme difference between the park and its surroundings. There are abundant flora and fauna within the park and large and luxurious hotels around. The Manuel Antonio National Park is rich in flora and fauna. In this area you can see species of birds like the toucan, pelican, osprey, green kingfisher and chirincoca. Among the mammals we are in this place are the raccoon, the coati, the agouti, sloths, white-faced monkeys and marmoset monkeys. It is also possible to observe iguanas, lizards and snakes.I wanted to know this place since I was a little girl, but I could know the park six years ago. Now, I visit this place whenever I can. I like to be staying at a hostel called Vista Serena, although it is a bit far from the park, this hostel has a spectacular view of the sea at sunset. My routine when I visit this place is to watch the sunset and relax, then at night, eating out and play pool or dance with my friends. The next day, leave early heading for the park.When I am already in the park, I like doing a lot of outdoor activities such as hiking through the woods. I love to swim and see underwater life around me, but it is important to be careful, for example, I was swimming and I saw very closely a sea serpent; I had read that this kind of snakes were poisonous, so I got scared and I left quickly from the sea. I almost forgot to mention that there are different species of dolphins that can be seen at certain times of year. There are also many water activities such as snorkeling, diving, fishing and surfing.In conclusion, I recommend visiting this wonderful place, it certainly is one of the most famous places in Costa Rica, Manuel Antonio has become a top travel destination for nature lovers, eco-travel and adventure lovers alike. But it is important to note that if we go to visit it, we must respect nature and not pollute this beautiful natural treasure of Costa Rica.
Reflection
To performing this assay, we needed to choice a specific topic, I found it very interesting the topic that I chose this topic, because often we do not start to think much about the future, although it is important to set goals and write about it can help.
Actually, I was not hard because the subject was easy.
What are your plans for the future?
By: Nazareth Vargas Brenes
Everyone has dreams and I have dreams for the future just like everyone else. When I was a little girl my dream was to be a park guards, and as the time goes by, I had other dreams, for example, I wanted to be a doctor. But now I am in the last year of my studies in university and I realized that I chose a different career, a career that I would never have imagined: I'm studying Law. I'm hoping to get my Bachelor degree in Law and then, I want to specialize in Business Law.
After I graduate, I want to work in a big company such as the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) or in an important Estate Institution. However, for that I need to study even more because my profession is very competitive and today there are thousands of lawyers in Costa Rica. Lately I've been researching different specialties in my career, for now I think I'm going to choose to study a specialty in Notarial Law and then I would study a Master of Intellectual Property.
I definitely want to spend the rest of my life working in what I like, I want to share everything with my family. Also, I want to fulfill one of my biggest dreams, I hope to travel around Asia someday. But for that, I need to have greater economic stability. I dream to meet South Korea and enjoy their beautiful culture; I want to know the modern cities of Japan and the mystical beaches of Thailand. With only that, I could die in peace.
I also want to enjoy my country, for now, that is a possible dream because this year I hope to travel a lot in this beautiful country. In May, I will travel to several beaches of Guanacaste such as Tamarindo, Conchal, Carrillo, Montezuma, Panama and others. This trip I will make with my boyfriend's family, they spent several months planning this trip and hope it will be fun. In July, my friends want to travel to Cahuita and I hope to have money to go. They say it will be a trip just for girls, they too want to go to Bocas del Toro in Panama because it is very close to that place.
The education is a very important issue in my life, but my family is the most important to me. I hope to have many good times with my family and also want to have my own family. I always had the desire to be a mom, I think I could marry within three years and then I want to have 2 children. I long to be a good mom and devote much time to my children. Right now I think that to have a family if necessary to have enough money because I want them to have the necessities. Therefore, this is a medium-term goal for me. I had forgotten, but I want to have a house that is not so large but has a huge garden, I also hope to have many dogs.
As you can see, I have many plans for my future. I know I can have big problems along the way but I will not give up. I want my parents are very proud of me, so I know that I need work very hard.
Reflection
This is the last test of the semester and amused myself really remembering my life experiences.
This time, the paragraph was to be performed on a specific topic. Although the teacher gave a list of topics, I wanted to improvise a little and adapt this essay to my own experiences.
Essay # 3: Adversity
By Nazareth Vargas Brenes
“The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.” ― Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
The previous sentence is a beautiful thought, it is not my idea but is ideal for analyzing: all people have some difficulty at some point. I am twenty-five and I can say that my life has been riddled with adversity. I really had to face many difficulties since my childhood, for this I cannot talk about a specific problem because it is difficult. But today I can say that having had to face many problems has helped me become a better person and helped me to mature. Everything from major health related problems from my brother, my family and finally my cousin dying; all have made me realize truly the strength that I possess to carry on.
My brother has overcome and he continuing to overcome many health related issues all of which stem from birth. When my brother was six months old he was diagnosed with intestinal reflux, he was just a little baby and he vomited all he ate. Then when he was 3 years old, he had a bad surgery and since that moment he has hypothyroidism. My parents suffered much to see my brother so ill, they had a lot of expenses to buy medicines and pay doctors.
When I was 20 my parents split up. They took me to a restaurant, bought me pasta and told me my dad was moving out. I couldn’t breathe. The whole foundation of my life, my close-knit loving family, had been shattered. Irreversibly changed.
I’d seen it coming. But then again, I hadn’t. They’d been married for more than 23 years, and I just thought after that long you get your shit together and sort it out. The problem with being an adult child of divorce is that you understand everything that’s happening. You feel the very real and raw pain of your parents, every word that goes unsaid, and every awkwardly polite exchange.
Finally the most recent and trying trial of my life has been the death of my cousin, Marinielsy. By relation we were distant cousins, but by heart sisters. I was her nanny when she was a child. Since she got the news that she had lymphatic cancer, he never reneged about that. I spent many hours day and night with Mari for the last days of her life. Mari was heavily medicated with pain medication, she would come and go from being conscious. I smiled constantly so as to make sure that when Mari opened her eyes she would see a smiling face. Last year she died at the age of 15, this was a time of great suffering for me. I miss her so much. She is an inspiration to me in the dignity, strength and extraordinary optimism she carried herself with in her final days.
"Men stumble over pebbles, never over mountains.” - Anonymous
This life I am getting hit with mountains, but I'm getting fairly good at scaling them. I am a self-motivated person who can overcome anything. I strive to have the same outlook of optimism that Mari had.