The ropes course

    The ropes course was an incredible experience to me. I really enjoyed, but it was more than a funny afternoon. As well that activity represented a great benefit to me as an individual. I learnt that I can trust in others and not just in myself. Trustfulness is essencial in all kind of relationships. Furthermore, I realized that sometimes good leaders should remain quite and hear other's opinions. 

 

     As a class it was really useful too. The ropes course was a perfect reason to get to know each other a little bit better. In addition, that activity motivates us to work as a team and to achieve a common goal. We did our best to complete every task and looked for alternative solutions. 

     Compared with chapter 4, this kind of activity is closely associated with inventiveness and can-do spirit. The whole group was very optimistic; for us every problem had a solution. However, there is an important American value that differs with this activity. We could not be self-reliant; instead we had to work as a team and trust each other. Every individual had a significant role.

 My friend Asya is a good example of the can-do spirit.

     I am not sure if there is something similar to this course in Costa Rica.  I think probably it is more related with the American culture and the can-do spirit that most Americans have.  I believe the ropes courses are a very powerful way to show leadership skills and work as a team.

How Would You Describe American Football to Someone in Your Country? Why Do Americans Love this Game?

After my first month experiencing American Culture I am going to try to describe as precise as possible an incredible and unique sport in the United States: American football.  If I would have to explain this sport to someone in my country, I would start saying that it is a sport full of adrenaline.  It is amazing to see a team of about hundred men in the court.  The players look like an army of ants in the field. Since it is a very rude discipline, the uniform players wear is very particular.  They necessarily have to wear a helmet and something over their shoulders.  The main purpose of this quirky uniform is to protect the most vulnerable parts of the body such as shoulders, face and head.

It takes time to understand the rules of this game; I think they are complicated.  The game consists of 60 minutes divided into quarters.  It starts when eleven players of each team are in the center of the field.  The team who has the ball should try to advance to the other half of the court where it is the other team. Consequently this team will try to avoid that the other team avance into their area.  The player who has the ball should run as fast as he can in order to avance into the enemy field.  The players of the contrary team try to block this man by jumping over the player.  If the team that was trying to avance arrives to the end of the field it means they score.  When this happens, both teams start to play again in the middle of the court and so on.  Of course the team with the highest score win the match.

I took this picture in Carson Park.

Finally, Americans love this game because it is part of their culture; It has a great importance for most of them.  This discipline is unique in the United States.  Most of Americans regularly attend to the games. They support their favorite team by clapping and screaming.  I would say this is like their own sport. I have attended to two games and it is amazing who they enjoy it.  I would recommend people in my contry to attend to an American football game if they ever go to the United States. I really enjoyed the game!

Immigration Story

I had a very interesting conversation with an American girl who study at UWEC. I ask her different questions about her ancestors and their ethnic background. Her greatgrandparents were from German, Norway and Irish. Some of them came over to the United States in the Eighteenth century. Other came before the Second World War in the thirties decade. Even one of her ancestors, came aboard the Mayflower in sixteenth century. Also, one of her greatgrandfather was a native American.

All they face challenges in order to provide a better standard of living for their families. At that time they had to work really hard in order to survive because their resources were limited. Most of them were farmers or worked in loggers. In addition, she told me that nobody in her family speaks the language of the original country. However, some of her relatives such as her grandmother still keeps in touch with some relatives in Norway. There are some traditions from the old country that her family still preserves, especially a lot of traditional food.

Furthermore, she told me that both of her grandmothers made family trees and that is why she knows about her ancestors's background. It was very interesting to talk with this girl because she knows a lot of details about her background in spite she is really young. Besides, she was very enthusiastic when we talked about the immigration story of her relatives. I think that she is so proud of her background and that it is a very important aspect of her identity.