My Last Post...For Now

I can't believe this is my last human geography class... I can't even begin to say how much I'm going to miss this class! I learned so much and had a lot of fun when doing so! And I got to meet Alyssa, my human geo bestie! It really sucks that we aren't going to be in the same class anymore, because I have Mr. Teter and she has Mr. Schick. Mr. Schick taught us all so much and I really enjoyed this class! The blogs rock :) I'm going to miss posting them! Maybe I will start my own blog! I don't know what I would talk about though... But anyways keep doing the blogs! Maybe more partner work would be fun for the next semester people! But either than that everything was awesome! I hope that I will have Mr. Schick as a teacher again someday in the future! Wish me luck when getting Mr. Teter, I heard he gives out a lot of homework. Lord give me strength! Goodbye Human Geography, thanks for everything :)

Radioactive Bananas & Geographical Luck

It's no secret that my human geography class is a little... well, crazy. I swear, if i don't get a good grade on my test Friday because you had some people blabbing on and on about radioactive bananas, I will find them and probably either throw my laptop at their face (so then it would break and I would get a new one) or find a way to explode a radioactive banana in their face. Just saying. Maybe I'm a little harsh but this is the last grade of the class and I want to do well! WOW! IT JUST HIT ME! This is the second to last class! OH MY GOD! THIS IS MY SECOND TO LAST BLOG! That's so weird! And it makes me sad! I'm really gonna miss this class and hanging out with Alyssa! I had so much fun and learned so much! I do feel confident for the test Friday! Oh someone should totally bring food to eat for Friday! Maybe some taco dip :) or cupcakes! Doesn't matter!

Apparently Monkeys are Carnivores!

Today in human geo, we watched more on the video of Jared Diamond, the bird watched/ professor and his search for why some people are more advanced than others! Really it just comes down to geographical luck. Geographical luck is luck that people have from their location. Like in the Middle-East, they had geographical luck because they were able to grow wheat and barley which contained protein. But the people in Papa New Guinea only had the Gopa tree (I may have spelled that wrong) which lacks good protein. Another example of this was animals. In the Middle-East they were able to raise goats for a source of milk, protein, wool for clothes, and fertilizer! This started the beginning of the end of hunting like Nomads. They domesticated these things to their advantage, like horses were used for transportation and plowing! Meanwhile, in New Guinea they only had pigs. Pigs couldn't provide milk or wool, and they also couldn't provide much fertilizer since the New Guineans had to focus on feeding themselves. They only thing pigs were good for was meat. This put the New Guineans at a disadvantage. We also saw in the video of why people didn't domesticate carnivores. It's not because they are dangerous, but it was because in order to keep the carnivores alive you needed to provide them with food! At this point in the video it was paused with a monkey chomping on a flamingo! I THOUGHT MONKEYS ATE BANANAS! I mean in the book/movie Catching Fire we see killer monkeys, but they were genetically engineered by the Capitol to kill Katniss, Peeta and Finnick! Did i mention I know a lot about the Hunger Games :) It's m favorite series EVER! Anyways that was today! Only two more days of class left!!!!

The Quest For Answers!

Today in human geography we went into the story of a scientist, named Jared Diamond, who is troubled by a question and is determined to figure it out. A man from New Guinea asked him, “Why do you white men have more cargo than us?” By “us” this man was referring to the New Guineans, whom had for over thousands of years were hunter gathers. Jared Diamond found out that this question was more complex than it seemed. What makes a civilization thrive and prosper? What is a civilization’s downfall? Jared Diamond’s quest to find the answer took him back thousands and thousands of years to the Middle East. People of that time were nomads. They went from place to place to find food and water. But around that time another ice age occurred causing a thousand year drought, yet the humans survived this. How? The answer is simple: they un-nomaded themselves! The people of that time began to settle and form villages. But how did they do that with the drought going on? They began to advance. The people planted crops of wheat and barley and were able to store them for long periods of time. This was a huge advancement and was the building blocks for civilizations to come! I agree with Diamond’s theory that it took the key step of starting to build villages and staying in one place was the start to growing civilizations. Jared believes that because the people of New Guinea haven’t advanced because they are still hunter gathers. I agree with Jared Diamond’s ideas about this matter because it’s true! Without coming together and growing food on our own and building villages we wouldn’t be where we are today!

P.S. I can’t believe this is the last week of human geography! I’m really going to miss it!

I'm Posting This from My Parent's IPad

Some may ask why I am posting this blog post from my parent's IPad, well it because of my lovely laptop. I seriously starting to think about tying a bank safe to my laptop, going to a cliff a 1000 ft above some sort of ocean and dropping it off the top of this cliff and watching it sink to the bottom of the ocean!!! Then the fish can have fun trying to fix my piece of junk. An octopus can take it for all I care! The struggle is real. Now my laptop is telling me that it can't connect to ANY wifi at all! Not just at school but at my house as well. So now I have no way of posting anything from my laptop. So I guess I'm going to be using this for the next couple of days. Anyways yesterday we talked about the speech and debate team, and I have to admit, I kind of want to join. It sounds like a lot of fun and I'm not that bad at speaking and it's a great thing to get into! I may join at the beginning of next year. I think we should totally have a debate day in class! It would be a lot of fun. We did discuss a little more about urban geography in the Roman Empire! It was pretty interesting and I look forward to the last week of class.

The Infamous Wednesday

Wednesday. There are thousands of words I could use to describe it! From "Hump Day" to "the longest most horrendous day of the week." On the small bright side to this Wednesday we came in two hours late! So, our classes our much shorter and not so long and painful. The day itself was pretty normal! There weren't any massive snow storms or frost-bite cold temperatures (although it was still chilly out!) I'm finally getting back into the swing of things. I was successful in Spanish class today because I was able to finally get my Spanish speaking exam over and done with! I had a few mistakes, but I did very well overall! Today in human geo we talked more about Urban Geography and how people used to sacrifice humans as offerings to the Gods! Harsh right? Well, we will probably learn more about this topic tomorrow! I now have to go and type about my service hours -__-

I'm Back!

Break and exams are finally over, and now I'm back at school! It's bittersweet because I did miss my friends and I'm excited about the new semester starting soon, but on the down side I don't get to sleep in till eleven and I get a new social studies teacher in two weeks! It's crazy how half of the school year is already coming to an end. It feels like just yesterday on the first day of class we were watching the video of Mr. Schick saying he wasn't going to be here for our first day! Crazy, right? With only two weeks left, we are learning about Urban Geography. This is going to lead into next semester's course of Western Civilization. Oh yeah, I totally forgot to mention I got a 92 on my exam! RAISE THE ROOF! I was so psyched I did so well! I really did enjoy this course and I look forward to my last couple of weeks.

Way Back When

Wow! This week flew by! Probably because we had off Monday and Tuesday! Don't get me wrong I'm glad the weekend is here, but on the down side I'm stuck at home having to study all weekend long! Just the thought of exams is giving my anxiety and when I have anxiety, let me tell you, it's not pretty! I mean just on a normal test I scared half to death! So when the day of exams come, I may pass out or have a heart attack or an asthma attack or just die. It's weird because we are reviewing and going back to the beginning of the year. I feel like I learned so much in the past four months. It honestly feels like years ago since we talked about Socrates. I realize I have grown as a student and I learned a lot from this class and I will carry these lessons for the rest of my life! I feel like I will do good on the exam because I feel that I really took up the goal of "excellence."

It's Wednesday Already?

It's Wednesday! I haven't posted in a while because we have had two snow days! And let me tell you this, it was awesome! I basically had a four day weekend! Not to mention I got a lot done in the past four days! On Saturday I worked at the Christmas Bazaar at St. Ignatius and got to do face painting with my friends! Then, we saw Frozen! Let me tell you this, it was AMAZING! I started crying, well I'm not sure if it was because the movie was so moving or if I drank way too much soda and had to use the bathroom. Then over the weekend I got the majority of my Christmas shopping done for my family and friends! I also went sledding with my neighbors, and sadly I ended up face planting into the snow and getting hit smack in the head with a sled (which is a long story!) So that was my past four days! Today in human geo, we went over our tests! And we talked about exams, which is really starting to stress me out. Lord give me strength!

My Ears Hurt from All the Clapping!

There was a lot of clapping in Section 7! That's because everyone in our class got amazing grades on our Microfinance test! And I got 100! YAY! but then everyone starting clapping a lot and now my head hurts! I didn't end up going to Quiditch because it was cancelled, due to bad weather! But on the bright side I got to watch the Sound of Music! IT WAS BRILLIANT! I cried at least twice! My mom used half a box of tissues! I highly recommend it and Carrie Underwood crushed it! As for today, it seems to be going pretty slow, but hopefully it will get better. Have a happy weekend :)

Is Wednesday Over Yet? Thursday Come Quicker!

The notorious "Hump Day" is a pain in my neck, to put it nicely. I just took a test one mod ago and probably failed it! I will be lucky if I get a C! On the bright side... OH WAIT there is no bright side! When tomorrow comes I will be so happy! I have three reasons why! One: I get to leave school early because my sister has her psychiatrist appointment! Two: My friend Grace Cooney is in the Bel Air Quiditch Game! And she's on Gryfindor! I'm so excited to see how she does! And Three: The Sound of Music is being preformed live tomorrow on NBC! Considering The Sound of Music is my favorite musical, I can't wait to see how Carrie Underwood portrays Maria! Oh I forgot to talk about what we did in class today! We reviewed Microfinance and Microloans! We also discussed student loans as well! I think I will do good on my test Friday! I'm totally going to start studying tonight!

10 Microfinance Test Questions!

What is "microfinance?"

Microfinance is the providing of financial services like loans, savings, insurance, and training to people living in poverty.

What are some big issues in third world countries?
Diseases (like Malaria), famine, droughts, poor health care, poverty, pollution, lack of supplies, etc.

What are microloans used for?
Helping entrepreneurs start businesses, getting products for businesses, getting machinery, etc.

What are some positive things about microloans?

The businesses can benefit the community, allows people access to banks and insurances, and they create choose. This allows people to switch professions and work in a field that interests them, or at least interests them more than their last job.

True or False: Malaria kills 655,000 people a year?

True

What do Peace Corps. volunteers do?

They are working on business issues and are focuses on increasing family income, improving environment for businesses, educating young people, and help businesses find markets for their products/services.

Who gets microloans?

Microloans can be loaned to individuals that do not have access to banking services, have low incomes, and given to those who have good ideas but need help getting them started.

How Does Microfinance work?

Microfinance is like one big circle. Like on the micro-loaning website KIVA, you can send out a microloan and eventually that person will pay you back! It's a win, win for everybody!

Do you have to be poor in order to receive microloans?

It's actually a matter of eligibility. It would be much more likely a struggling entrepreneur in Africa would get a microloan over a middle class business owner in America.

Essay Question: Would you give out a Microloan? Why or why not?

I would most certainly give out a microloan! It is an awesome idea. There are so many good things about it! It's a circle of giving and receiving and there are no losers. This helps business owners get the nudge they need to succeed!

The End :)

It's December Already?

God, I wish break wasn't over! Sleeping in late was the best thing, but know I'm back to waking up at the crack of dawn. Yay (Hint the sarcasm). On the bright side there's only three more weeks until Christmas Break! On the down side exams are getting closer. Just thinking about exams sends chills down my spine, considering I'm beyond nervous for them. Especially Earth Science with Mr. Perry. Warning I may pass out that day. Another down side is that this class will almost be over, and I will move on to my new teacher for Western Civilization with Mr. Teter. It's bittersweet. I'm excited to find out how that class is. But I'm sad I will no longer have Mr. Schick considering he was a pretty awesome teacher. Another down side is that me and Alyssa will be in different classes :( It really sucks because she such an awesome friend and we always have the best discussions in Human Geo. On the brighter side, no more blogs! I feel like I've grown a lot in the past three/four months. And I feel like this class prepared me for what is to come, and I'm beyond grateful for that! Oh yeah, I almost forgot to talk about what we did today in class. Sorry, I always get carried away when once I start talking, I usually can't shut up. We reviewed our class PowerPoint, and I firmly believe Alyssa and my blog was the best by far! We crushed it! I'm gonna make sure I really enjoy these last couple weeks of class! When I really think about it I will miss my blog! But until then I will keep blogging, mainly because I'm required to!

Best Tuesday Ever!

FINALLY BREAK IS HERE! I'm so happy I could do a double back flip, but I won't because I would end up breaking my neck... But either than that I'm so so so happy! Just the thought of being able to sleep in tomorrow morning makes me smile! Today in class we all just chilled and listened to music and worked on stuff. I ended up working on creating a William Shakspeare Facebook page for my English class. It turns out Will's favorite movie is Twilight! I guess he has a thing for love stories, except Bella and Edward have a happy ending unlike Romeo and Juliet. Maybe in his eyes there love was beautifully tragic and that's the best love story of all. Anyways I'm about to go to the Senior Variety Show! YAY! Well I'm actually being forced to go by my parents since my sister is in it. I hope she does well with her dance routine. And that's about it! I'm off to enjoy my break :) PEACE OUT!

I am EXTREMELY Close to Smashing my Laptop!

Okay, so here’s the deal: I HATE MY COMPUTER! I am seriously going to throw it out a window, hit it with a sledge hammer, run over it with a 100 gallon cement truck, and burn it with a flame thrower. Did I get my point across? What happened was my computer decided not to load, as usual. And Alyssa’s laptop wasn’t charged so she had to use my laptop. Eventually we got my laptop to work after many harsh words were exchanged between the computer and me. The entire class was in charge of contributing a slide to a PowerPoint on microfinance. Let me just say ours was the best! It was simple yet it had excellent information. I even came up with the word microentrepeneurs! Not to mention Alyssa and I did our slide in half the time everyone else did considering we were dealing with technical issues. We are totally going to get an A! By the way I really think we shouldn’t do a PowerPoint with the entire class again! No one can work for five seconds without someone changing the background black!

All I Can Say is Catching Fire is AH MA ZING!

I am so so so so so so so happy one of my family members reminded me to do my blog from yesterday! Since it technically isn’t due until 12:00 I still have a solid 40 some minutes to complete my post, and I doubt it will take that long. Yesterday we continued on our Peace Corps challenge and Alyssa and I saved the tribe of Wazuzu! That deserves a happy dance. Then we basically listened to music and sang off key. Overall it was an awesome class! We should totally do this more often, seriously! I can’t really think of anything else to talk about, but I did have an amazing last couple of days because I saw The Hunger Games: Catching Fire! It was life changing and beyond perfect! I mean the visual effects were stunning and they captured the beauty of the book and were able to transfer it on screen! Plus who wouldn’t want to see Josh Hutcherson! ;)

Worst Luck Wednesday

Let me say this, I have probably hard the worst luck this Wednesday! First thing this morning while I’m bringing in my canned good the bag breaks on the staircase! There were cans going every which way! The worst part: my sister, Tia, didn’t even help me! Then I had an earth science test that didn’t go to well. I don’t know what I got yet, but I have a bad feeling about it. When human geo came I spent a good half of the class in the tech lab trying to fix my laptop again. I don’t know what I’m going to do about it! There has to be something wrong with my laptop because everyone else’s WIFI is working just fine! I finally returned to class after it seemed like my computer was fixed, but it turns out when I returned to class my WIFI didn’t work! I shouldn’t be surprised. On the bright side Alyssa and I worked on the Peace Corps challenge and saved the small village of Wazuzu! Plus we got to listen to music! We should do stuff like that way more often! 

Praise the Lord!

Thank goodness I got a good grade on the world leaders test! The majority of my class didn’t do too well! I got a 97% so I’m beyond happy about it! Only one other person got a good grade in my class, and they kind of lost it and did a major happy dance. I mean I guess you can be happy about getting a good grade, but you shouldn’t be vulgar about it. It turns out that when reviewing the test the most common error was misreading the question. There was only one question that wasn’t on the PowerPoint that was made for our help. I made a lucky guess about which world leader was nicknamed “Bibi.” Coming up we are going to learn more about Economic Geography. I look forward to learning more about microfinance and the Peace Corps. It seems like it’s going to be an interesting topic to get into! 

Peace Corps. is Amazing!

Happy Monday! I can’t believe that this semester is almost over, which means I will have to move onto a new teacher! It’s very bittersweet! But on the bright side Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner! Today we discussed microloans. It’s really cool how that works. There no down side to it! You lend your money to a building business and this helps that person get on their feet and help their own community out. Plus, you get paid back! It’s like a cycle of never ending helping! It’s a win win! We discussed the Peace Corps and what they do. I really love the idea of going around the world and giving help o those who need it. I almost like the idea of joining it. Just being able to help all those people, and making a difference in their lives would be amazing. There is so much we can do to help the world, so why not go to these places in need and help out?

Blog #2!

So now I’m making sure I post my blog today, so I’m doing it while everyone is finishing up their test! Praise the Lord from Heaven above the test/quiz was open note, well open “blog.” I was nervous all day long about this quiz! I think I did really well, and if I had to guess I think the only one I got wrong was which leader had the nickname “Bibi.” I couldn’t find the answer on my blog anywhere! Oh well either than that I believe I did excellent! If I had one suggestion for the quiz is that the lines were long for my answers! Do you know how hard it is to fit “King and Prime Minister Abdullahbin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud” on one tiny line?  Try saying that fast five times! In the end I believe today was one of success not just in this class but others as well!