Friday, January 14, 2011
Natural Disaster Project
My partner was Kelly McCloskey and we did Wildfires as our natural disaster
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Language Interview
I did my Language and Experience Project on a guy from the John Carroll School. His name is Lionel Owona, and he is in the freshman class.
Q: Where do you come from? Where is it located in the world?
A: I come from a country called Cameroon. It is located in central Africa on the West coast bordered by Nigeria, Gabon, Central African Republic, Chad, Guinea, Congo, and the Atlantic Ocean.
Q: When did you come to America? How do you like it so far?
A: I came to America in July, so I have been here for about 6 months now. It is great here! I really like John Carroll and the people here. I have been learning a lot, and I have been having a lot of fun so far!
Q: What is your favorite part of America?
A: I really like New York City! I have been there twice, once over Thanksgiving break and another time over Christmas break. I went there over Christmas break for a basketball tournament with the John Carroll team. It was a lot of fun. It is a totally different experience for me, a huge city like New York, because there are no cities quite like New York in Cameroon. It is amazing.
Q: What languages can you speak?
A: I know how to speak French, English, and Spanish. French and English are the official languages of Cameroon, so I have been able to speak them since I was little. I spoke mostly French when I lived in Cameroon, so I am still learning more English, but living in America for so long has really helped. I am taking Spanish as my language here so I will be able to speak another language other than French and English. I think it is very important to be able to speak many different languages, so you will be that much more smart and prepared for any job that you have.
Q: What is your favorite subject at John Carroll? Do you have the same classes in Cameroon?
A: My favorite subject at John Carroll is algebra. I like algebra a lot because no matter what country you are in, it is always the same because it’s just numbers and letters. We do have the same subjects in Cameroon than we do in America, so it’s not that hard to keep up with the classes. Algebra is just a better class to me personally. I like it a lot more than most classes.
Q: Where is the education harder- Cameroon or America?
A: The education in Cameroon is harder than here. The classes are much harder, we stay in classes longer, and we have to be bilingual to pass many of the grades. You have to be able to be bilingual in French and English to make it through primary school, so it coming to America was not a very hard transition in that way. The education in Cameroon is among the best in Africa, so I was lucky to be able to have a good education.
Q: Do you still speak your primary language with your family and friends from Cameroon?
A: Yes, whenever I am able to speak to my family and friends from Cameroon I speak to them in French. They are not as fluent in English as I am since they were not fortunate enough to be able to come here with me.
Q: What is your favorite hometown memory? What do you miss most about Cameroon?
A: My favorite memory from Cameroon is my house. I liked it so much because my family and friends were always there with me in my house and in town. I miss my family and friends very much. I haven’t been able to go back to Cameroon, and I am not sure when I will be able to. I hope I can see my family soon because I miss them very much.
Q: How is the United States different?
A: America is very different from my country with the houses, food, weather, season, and culture. The houses in America are much larger than the ones in Cameroon. They are also much larger and nicer. There is a different variety of food in America. There is Mexican food, Italian, German, any kind of food imaginable really. Cameroon is also very hot and tropical, and unlike America, there aren’t different seasons. It is just hot and humid all year long.
Q: Do you think you will stay in American after high school or go back to Cameroon?
A: I will stay in America to go to college and possibly make a career after college. |
| Cameroon Flag Cite: http://www.33ff.com/flags/worldflags/Cameroon_flag.html |
Thursday, January 6, 2011
If It Were My Home- Romania
January 6:
Dear Journal,
I am about to leave to start my journey as a foreign exchange student to Romania today. I will be in Romania for a full year, and I will write down my thoughts and feelings about Romania every 6 months. I don't know that much about Romania yet. I know that it is in Europe in between Bulgaria and Ukraine, but I don't know anything about those countries, so I don't know if that is a good or bad thing. I hear that they don't have the best weather there, a lot of snow and thunderstorms, not the type of weather I like. My main problem going over to Romania is that I speak English, and the official language is Romanian which I am not familiar with. I guess I will have to learn and hope I pick up on it if I will be living there for a whole year! I have been doing some research about Romania and I have learned a few things about what life is like there. There are a lot of gypsies, which is very scary because gypsies are known for stealing anything and everything in sight. I will have to make sure to keep all my money in a safe! I have learned that women generally go to school there for 15 years similar to United States, which is 17 years. I hope that they have a good education system there. Over 96% of Romanian women over 15 can read and write, which is very good! I am very excited to see what Romania is like!
July 9:
Dear Journal,
Romania is a very different to me, but it is a good different. I am learning what different areas of the world are like instead of being restricted to just the United States. Romania is a lot like the United States in some ways, but it is also very different.
I have learned that recently, Romania is trying to revive its education. Like the United States, Romanian children start off at the age of 3, going into kindergarten which is optional but highly recommended in this country. As the graduate from kindergarten, children are sent to lower secondary, elementary, school at age six until the reach ten. Once you graduate lower secondary school, you move up to upper secondary school for six years. If you want to continue in an education and reach an upper cycle of high school, you must take and pass The National Test, which is a very difficult aptitude test. Most people finish their education in upper secondary school and don't go to upper high school. Then, after you go through high school, you take another national test called Romanian Baccalaureate Exam, and if you pass you can continue on into a university. I have really been focusing on the education of Romania these past 6 months, but my last half of the year I am going to focus more on the actually country itself and its economy and people.
January 5:
Dear Journal,
My last six months in Romania taught me a lot about the country itself. I learned a lot about the people of Romania as well as government and economy.
The people of Romania:
They have a negative population growth rate meaning that more citizens are dying in Romania then citizens are being born. Their growth rate is -0.247% which is not a huge difference between the amount of deaths and births, but still more deaths. The birth rate is 9.58 births/1,000 people. The death rate is 11.78 deaths/1,000 people. There are about 22 million citizens living in Romania as of July of 2010, which makes it the 53 most populated country in the world. Most people live to be about 73 years old, which is 5 1/2 years earlier than the average person in the United States dies. On a more positive note, less than 0.1% of people in Romania are living with HIV/AIDS which means you are 83% less likely to have AIDS if you lived in Romania than America. There are only about 87,000 people living with AIDS in Romania!
Government and Economy of Romania:
Romania is a republic country, which means that the power lies in the citizens, like the Unites States. It received its republic dependences on December 30,1947. Romania has been dealing with many financial issues recently. Their GDP fell more than 7% in 2009, and their unemployment nearly doubled, but they are working to build their economy back up.
Works Cited:
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~bmash/blogger/blogger.html
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ro.html#top
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html
http://www.ifitweremyhome.com/compare/US/RO
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_Romania.svg
http://www.romanianeducation.com
http://www.euroeducation.net/prof/romco.htm
http://www.babble.com/CS/blogs/strollerderby/archive/2008/06/27/11-year-old-romanian-permitted-to-have-an-abortion.aspx
http://romerican.com/2006/08/23/cantecele-oltului-in-calimanesti/
Dear Journal,
 |
| Romanian Gypsy |
I am about to leave to start my journey as a foreign exchange student to Romania today. I will be in Romania for a full year, and I will write down my thoughts and feelings about Romania every 6 months. I don't know that much about Romania yet. I know that it is in Europe in between Bulgaria and Ukraine, but I don't know anything about those countries, so I don't know if that is a good or bad thing. I hear that they don't have the best weather there, a lot of snow and thunderstorms, not the type of weather I like. My main problem going over to Romania is that I speak English, and the official language is Romanian which I am not familiar with. I guess I will have to learn and hope I pick up on it if I will be living there for a whole year! I have been doing some research about Romania and I have learned a few things about what life is like there. There are a lot of gypsies, which is very scary because gypsies are known for stealing anything and everything in sight. I will have to make sure to keep all my money in a safe! I have learned that women generally go to school there for 15 years similar to United States, which is 17 years. I hope that they have a good education system there. Over 96% of Romanian women over 15 can read and write, which is very good! I am very excited to see what Romania is like!
July 9:
Dear Journal,
Romania is a very different to me, but it is a good different. I am learning what different areas of the world are like instead of being restricted to just the United States. Romania is a lot like the United States in some ways, but it is also very different.
 |
| A University in Romania |
January 5:
Dear Journal,
My last six months in Romania taught me a lot about the country itself. I learned a lot about the people of Romania as well as government and economy.
The people of Romania:
 |
| Traditional Romanian Women Clothing |
Government and Economy of Romania:
Romania is a republic country, which means that the power lies in the citizens, like the Unites States. It received its republic dependences on December 30,1947. Romania has been dealing with many financial issues recently. Their GDP fell more than 7% in 2009, and their unemployment nearly doubled, but they are working to build their economy back up.
 |
| Traditional Romanian People |
 |
| Romanian Flag |
 |
| Romania |
Works Cited:
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~bmash/blogger/blogger.html
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ro.html#top
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html
http://www.ifitweremyhome.com/compare/US/RO
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_Romania.svg
http://www.romanianeducation.com
http://www.euroeducation.net/prof/romco.htm
http://www.babble.com/CS/blogs/strollerderby/archive/2008/06/27/11-year-old-romanian-permitted-to-have-an-abortion.aspx
http://romerican.com/2006/08/23/cantecele-oltului-in-calimanesti/
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Nigeria vs. United States
Nigeria
There are a lot of differences between the United States of America and Nigeria. First off, their area of their countries are very different. Nigeria's area 574,002.823 sq miles, which is the 32nd largest country in the world, which is about the size of California. United States has an area of 6.106,012.76 sq miles which is the third largest country in the world. The weather in Nigeria is mostly tropical and hot in the center, and arid when you go north. The United States has varies in weather. It is tropical in places like Hawaii and Florida, and artic in Alaska, arid in the mid-West, and the rest normal temperature. Nigeria does not have as many natural resources like the United States. The United States has about 20 natural resources and Nigeria has around 10. The population of Nigeria is 152,217,341 people which is the eighth largest in the world. United States has a population of 310,232,863 people in their country, which is the third largest in the world. 2.6 million people are living with AIDS in Nigeria today. There are 1.2 million people in Unites States with AIDS. People in Nigeria have a very high risk for major infections and diseases like hepatitis, malaria, meningitis, rabies, and a lot of other diseases. There are not a lot of deathly infectious diseases in the United States, but there are some, it is just not as big as an issue in the Unites States. The main languages for Nigeria are English, Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, and Fulani. English is their official language, just like the United States. Children are only expected to go to school for an average of 9 years in Nigeria, unlike the United States where they go for about 16 years. There are many things different from Nigeria and the United States, but they are both very heavily populated countries which have an important role in the world.
Works Cited:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_population
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ni.html
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2836.htm
http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/tt/4aa52/
Top 10 Countries Map
Countries and Their Capital's.
1. China: Beijing
2.India: New Dehli
3.United States: Washington D.C.
4.Indonesia: Jakarta
5.Brazil: Brasilia
6.Pakistan: Islamabad
7.Nigeria: Abuja
8.Bangladesh: Dhaka
9.Russia: Moscow
10. Japan: Tokyo
Works Cited:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_population
2.India: New Dehli
3.United States: Washington D.C.
4.Indonesia: Jakarta
5.Brazil: Brasilia
6.Pakistan: Islamabad
7.Nigeria: Abuja
8.Bangladesh: Dhaka
9.Russia: Moscow
10. Japan: Tokyo
Works Cited:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_population
Monday, December 13, 2010
Monday, November 1, 2010
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