This last week was pretty bouncy to start knowing that I had a bit of work and studying to do before the week's end in order to keep up with the demanding and grueling pace of the college life. In addition to my workload, I had my first exam on Thursday in my Calculus class. I felt confident in how I did overall but I do not think I got an A because there is always that one question I know how to do before the test but forgot how to do the problem once it sits in front of me on test day. Away from the classroom, I have been able to do several things. Two Saturdays ago, I was able to participate in Step-In To Statesboro which was an event dedicated to viewing the sites and history of Statesboro along with exploring several volunteering opportunities to fulfill the requirements for the Honors Program this school year. On Monday night, I participated in the Honors LLC Student Advisory Board meeting as the Treasurer and had positive and beneficial conversations in regards to what the club would do moving forward. Besides those things, I have been taking time to clean my dorm room, relax a little bit, and exercise on a daily basis.
Along with all of those events last week, our FYE class tackled yet another interesting topic that could be viewed in many different ways. We spent the majority of Monday and Wednesday class time addressing the topic of immigration. Our class spent Monday watching the first part of the film 'Which Way Home?' which followed the journey of several young children trying to get into the United States illegally on train cars. In order to finish the film, I watched it out of the classroom on Tuesday. Over the course of the film, many heartstrings were pulled as there were many scenes showing the hardships many children and families go through in their home countries that are clouded by the issue of poverty. It was sad to see the extent that people are willing to go through in order to get out of their countries and try and pursue the slight chance at a better life because many people have died trying to get to the United States. On Wednesday, we spent the class time going over the film and how we felt about it. We were put into groups to discuss the film. I was put in a group of fellow classmates Will and Avery, We discussed the director and the purpose she had for the film. I saw the film as a chance for the director to give the countries where migrants come from as a slap on the back of the head because there is the question of 'why would their countries let this happen to their citizens'. After discussing that and finishing out our class, I took the time to look over the video of 'International Migration' on Youtube. The video laid out some key points on why people migrate from their home countries (jobs, money, better life) and why people think migration of people into countries is troublesome (loss of nationalism and expenses for helping migrants).
Going over the topic of immigration in a college environment is definitely touchy as people have their own set opinions on the issue. While this is completely fine in a well constructed classroom like my FYE class, situations outside the classroom dealing with the topic can be very problematic. While I want to promote the film 'Which Way Home' and spread awareness for children in rough life and financial situations in Mexico and Latin American countries, there is only so much I can do as a college student to support and possibly help people in those poorer countries. The discussions also provide me with the opportunity to be grateful for the life I have and make the most of it because I could have been born or placed anywhere else in the world.
Thank you for reading my blog this week and here are some sources of the pictures and references used!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOZmqIwqur4
The HBO documentary 'Which Way Home?'
https://media.npr.org/assets/news/2010/02/25/kevinandfito-a2f769d8981e26dcb42e963ec593d6f3ab461525-s800-c85.jpg
https://webstockreview.net/explore/clipart-books-teal/
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