reflection # 3

There are many things in my life that have helped shape me into who I am today. My childhood especially has affected me and molded me into who I am. My parents separated when I was in first grade. I am the youngest of three girls by 3 years so my sisters never wanted to hang out with me because of my age. With my mom working three jobs I learned to be very independent and do things on my own a lot. At the time I didn't like it much, but I believe I had to mature a bit more than others my age, and now I am so grateful for having to learn that at a young age because now I am very independent and I now actually hate to depend on others. I'm very happy I didn’t grow up as a child being spoiled and babied all the time.My grandfather has my favorite memories in my childhood. I have birthday pictures of every year and my Grandpa was always there next to me and the cake. Even when I was too young to remember he would be there holding me up as a baby. He would always pull my hair, pinch the tip of my fingers, or have candy in his shirt pocket to share with me. He would always be telling jokes or doing a "project" on his house. He taught me how to be neat and use notebooks. He loved watching Laker games and made me watch them too when I wasn't interested in basketball in my younger days. Now I watch them all the time and think of all the memories I had with him yelling at the T.V. "No! Kobe didn’t foal anybody!". He was an amazing pianist, always playing for the family and teaching me about Beethoven and Bach. Now I am learning to play the piano. A year ago he had trouble with his heart so he had an emergency operation to have a pace maker put in him. I was so worried for him and visited a few days later. He showed me the scar they left and joked if I wanted to touch it. He taught me that even through sad and difficult things you can still find the humor in things to make others laugh. Even when he was diagnosed with stomach cancer he managed to keep living life as if nothing was wrong. He was the biggest impact in my life and I will never forget him. He is the reason why I am the way I am. I try my hardest to be positive, see the humor in everything possible, and always keep learning for more.

staunch

Staunch Adjective

The Source Sentence and Page Number: “In 1980, however, despite my father’s staunch devotion to freedom and fairness, he was still a foreigner with an accent, an accent that after the Iranian Revolution was associated with all things bad.” Pg 119; Funny in Farsi

Context Clues: S: devotion - commitments/loyalty

Definition: firm or steadfast in principle, adherence, loyalty, etc.

Original sentence: I wish my friends would act like my dog and be staunch.

deranged

deranged: Adjective

sourse sentence: " I felt like King Tut, except that I was alive and trapped in the mausoleum with a deranged koala." Funny in Farsi, pg 123

context clues: trapped

definition: disordered; disarranged; insane

original sentence: I found a cat on the street and when I tried to pet her she acted like a deranged montser.

tutelage

tutelage: N.

context clues: teacher

definition: the act of guarding, protecting, or guiding; office or function of a guardian; guardianship.

sourse sentence: "I had been taking French since seventh grade, and under the tutelage of my high school teacher, Mr. Polkingharn, affertionately known as Le Polk, I had become quite fluent." Funny In Farsi. pg 130

original sentence: I had a wonderful tutelage when I played soccer, that coach showed me how to kick the ball hard.

reflection #2

I’ve learned in my life that reading is different for everyone. Some people enjoy reading and can not get enough, others hate reading and do the minimum just to get by. But reading has become a necessity in today’s society. I did not learn how to read until I was in third grade, and I thank my third grade teacher for putting up with my slow and under level reading habits. My mother focused more on teaching me math and how to print so teachers would be able to read my writing. Although I did not enjoy reading until I was a sophomore in high school, I managed to reach the correct reading level by sixth grade and did not struggle much in jr. high. I later learned that I wasn’t a bad reader at all, that many my age struggled as much as I did if not more. My spelling, however, was and still is in need of major improvement, I believe it was because of my lack of reading skills as a younger child.
My grandpa loved to read. He was the only person I knew to read the newspaper front to back, and several different ones of the same day. Reading was not encouraged much in my family since my mom didn’t read much herself. I only read in school until my friends introduced me to Japanese comic books. I was hooked on them ever since then.
I believe the reason why I never got into reading much was because I lost interest. Everything I was reading was boring in school. The comic books were entertaining and fast, so I kept interest. I then found Fahrenheit 451,the Giver, Catcher in the Rye, Go ask Alice, and 1984 and fell in love with those books. I enjoyed reading for once in my life. I noticed I like books I can relate to. Books that are “easy read” are ones I enjoy and keep interest.

vacillate

Vacillate Verb

The Source Sentence and Page Number : “We vacillate and fluctuate.” Connect pg 153

Context Clues : S: fluctuate, to change

Definition : to sway unsteadily; waver; totter; stagger

Original Sentence : Before I make a decision, I usually vacillate for a while so I won’t make a decision that I would regret in the future.

dote

Dote Verb

The source sentence and Page Number : "Now, whenever we visit my relatives, all of whom dote on my husband, I realize that he didn’t marry me despite my tribe; he married me because of them." Funny in Farsi, Page 103

Context Clues : Y: "All of whom dote on my husband."(if you marry someone it should be love)

Definition : To show excessive fondness of loveOriginal Sentence : My family dote towards each other.

angst

angst n.

The Source Sentence and Page Number : “We vacillate and fluctuate.” Connect pg 153
Context Clues : S: fluctuate (change)

Definition : to sway unsteadily; waver; totter; stagger

Original Sentence : Before I make a decision, I usually vacillate for a while so I won’t make a decision that I would regret in the future.

reflection #1

Vocabulary is very important. I know by experience the more vocabulary I know the better I can communicate with people around me. Learning and studying vocabulary for the class has help to understand the book and the lessons we learn in class a lot better.

I believe that once you have been exposed to something you tend to pay attention to it more. For instance if I learn a new word I tend to find it in a lot of different places that I would probably never think in seeing. Its much better to find a word, know what it means instead of just skipping past it like most do with unknown vocabulary.

When usually reading and I don’t know what a word means, I tend to just skip it and guess what it means, or fit anything that might go in with that sentence. Now I try a lot to look up an unknown word and use it as much as I can so I can get the full meaning of it.

I use a lot of the words that I find. Knowing a lot of different words helps one communicate a lot better as oppose to one that doesn’t have a ride range of vocabulary.

There are some words that I learn and never use in my own personal vocabulary. But there a some words I learn and use in my day to day life and those are the words I remember long term. It’s a horrible feeling to study so hard for a vocabulary test then forget the words right after you take the test.

baklava

The Word : baklava, Noun

The Source Sentence and page number : "In Berkeley, and only in Berkeley, my name drew people likes flies to baklava." pg 64

Context Clue :"drew people likes flies"(flies likes things that are sweet)

Definition : A dessert made of paper-thin layers of pastry, chopped nuts, and honey.

Original Sentence : The first time I tried baklava, I thought it was the best tasting dessert ever.

enviable

Enviable , Adjective

The source sentence and Page #:"Even though their condominium has only a tiny garden, they have managed to cultivate an enviable cornucopia of figs, pomegranates, sweet lemons, and herbs." funny is farsi P. 98

Context Clues: I had heard the word before, and enviable is kind of like lucky or envy.

Definition: Worthy of envy; very desirable

Original Sentence:Celebrities are enviable because they are so rich.

capacity

capacity, noun

source sentence: "As he found within himself the capacity to rise above his humiliating circumstances, he became an observer as well as a participant in the experience."
Connect, pg. 152

context clues: rise, found within himself

Definition: the maximum amount or number that can be received or contained

original sentence: The gasoline tank has a capacity of 20 gallons.

bucolic

The word: bucolic

Context: (funny in farsi page 30)

Part of speech :adjective

The source sentence: “Or we’d try to be more bucolic mentioning being south of the beautiful Captain Sea.”

Context clues: “We’d try to be”Definition: Of shepherds pastral, of country life; rustic

Original sentence: Hannah Montanna is very bucolic because of the farmland she lives around.

elite

elite

text context: connect pg 40

sentence: "The elite may derive their culture from expensive theater shows or opera performances where tickets can cost $100 each."

context clues: "opera performances, $100 tickets"

definition: the socially superior part of society

sentence: "Michael Jackson's wealth and fame made him an elite member in our society."

innocuous

The Word: innocuous

Part Of Speech: Adjective

The Source Sentence and (Page Number): Funny in Farsi (pg. 57) “The seemingly innocuous cut became infected.

Context Clues: seemingly/became infected. (Antonym)
Definition: harmless, not controversial

Your Original Sentence: The fly is an innocuous insect; it does not harm humans.

proverbial

Proverbial

the sourse sentence: Funny in Farsi pg. 57

context clues: "But, like all Buffalo, he eventually grew and turned into the proverbial bull in the china shop."

Def.: of, relating to, or resembling

Original Sen.: The proverbial student walked down the hall with his heavy backpack and books.