Blog self-evaluation

Assignment 1: Questions about American and Costa Rican culture 7/10. I feel that I could have done job with this post, since I posted it late.
Assignment 2: Linking behaviors to cultural values 8/10
I feel that I could have done job with this post, since I posted it my answers were a bit incomplete. I identified some behaviors, and they weren't concrete enough.

Assignment 3: Describing your own personal culture 8/10 after my teacher commented and said that I needed to be concrete; I changed my post and tried to make it a little better.

Assignment 4: Paragraphs combining multiple answers 9/10. I feel I did a good job.

Assignment 5: Culture shock questions 8/10. I feel that I could have done job with this post, since my answers weren't concrete, they were a bit incomplete. But after my teacher commented and said that I needed to be concrete, I changed my post and tried to make it better.

Experiencing the Culture Shock phenomenon

I have been very lucky having or experiencing the Culture Shock phenomenon; I have had a chance to travel, so every country I have visited had experienced this phenomenon. People are very different around the world; their personal cultural habits could shock us. The language, the food, and the way they live and how they act, impact our feelings. When I have to travel, I try to accept the food, and sometimes try many rare meals. I remember in Mexico, I tried “Escamoles”, they are escamule in English or “ant larva’s”, I didn´t like at first, but they are much tasted, that´s the way I deal with culture shock.

I really recommend to the people who are suffering of culture shock, that there is only a chance in the life, don´t waste it, thinking of mom, think about what you haven´t seen yet.

I tell my children, they have to study, work and travel, the rest comes alone.

The story of my name W5 Homework - Ronald Delgado

I didn´t understand why do I have an American name if I live in a Latin American country, it is not a good idea to name children with foreign names. In my case, there was very common forty or fifty years ago, that the father used to name the children, not the mother.

Ronald was a name that liked to a very close friend of my father, well, that was the story that my mother told me about my name. I don´t really like my name, many of my friends call me Ronaldo, or Ronaldinho and I understand that, because it is very easy for Latin American speakers finishing the names in vowels, not in consonant different of “n” and “s”.

I didn´t mistake with the name of my children, Maria del Mar, Camila and Sofia; they are a very Latin names, and I really like them.

I don´t know how, but in my wife family, all the names are American or European names, may be cause some of them are Jehovah's Witnesses, that is the reason that I suppose. I hate that custom. I prefer the names according with the culture where you are coming from.

“Ronald meaning and name origin

Ronald \r(o)-na-ld\ as a boy's name is pronounced RAH-nald. It is of Old Norse origin, and the meaning of Ronald is "ruler's counselor". Also possibly from the same root as Reginald and Reynold. Ronald emerged among the Scots, and was not widely used in the rest of the English-speaking world until the end of the 19th century. Ranald is a Scottish form, Ronaldo is Spanish. American President Ronald Reagan; clown Ronald McDonald.

Ronald has 12 variant forms: Ranald, Renaldo, Ron, Ronal, Ronaldo, Rondale, Roneld, Ronell, Ronello, Ronn, Ronnie and Ronny.”

http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/1/Ronald


If I had to invent a name for my alter-ego, I would choose Pedro Pablo, wonderful, isn´t it?

Personal Culture W4 Homework _ Ronald Delgado

This time, I'd like you to talk about my own personal "culture."

It is necessary before talking about personal culture, talking about values. The value is a concept that describes people beliefs, and how people could act in a specific situation. All depend on the personal culture, but before having our own background that could eventually describe our personal culture; we had or inherited values from our family. So I think we are a mirror of our parents our personal culture describes where and who we come from.

Some of these values are moral, doctrinal, ideological, political and religious, they persist in all our life, everything we get cause of learning and reading are a complement of our values.

Some aspects that characterize our personal culture are:

Moral aspects: how do we perceive the behaviors of different people, if we could accept some situations that compared with our own behaves, would be an acceptable, but we have the open-minded enough taking it easy, and be conscious on the same time.

Ideological: We also have to manage all of our thoughts related with politics, economics, and religion. It is very common to meet people who don´t believe in God; we have to get away with that situation despite of our ideological values. It is more important the friendship and relationship that diverging of thoughts.
Sometimes it is very hard to keep a good relationship with foreign people; personal culture is representative between two or more groups. You have to persuade people of keeping away racial differences, and trying to share ideas for solving the main topic or goal you have.

In my case, I try to learn from other people, keeping away racial differences, and getting from them the good ideas or recommendation for making easier all in my life, improving my skills and sometimes discussing relevant topics.
Nothing is enough when you try to learn about people, every person we meet is a new story, a new relationship and a new opportunity to grow myself. I think that is my main interest of learning a new language.

AP 6 Homework 1 - Responding to the discussion questions

-Why is culture important in studying language?

People, who decided to learn a new language, need to know many topics related with the countries and their culture. In that way, to share experiences and to meet new people and get new friends, is a method to develop good relationships between each other. As William Kornblum from City University of New York says, there are three main topics for definition of culture: ideas, norms and material culture. Ideas are all knowledge we inherit from our families, norms are roles and standards from countries and foreign cultures, and material culture are technique and technology from countries and their own development.

-What aspects of your culture are most interesting for foreigners?

Some aspects of our culture those are most interesting for foreigners are: the food, dressing, eating habits, greetings, transportation, to know how expensive is the country and how safe are the cities.

-What aspects of your culture are most challenging for foreigners?

Some aspects of our culture those are most challenging for foreigners are: the food, working timetable, dressing, and language.

-What do you like best/least about American culture?

I appreciate from American culture, the timetable they use for working and living, the language, how open-minded is the people in some aspects like economics and energy, and how friendly the people are. I really think highly of their technology and infrastructure, and the movies industry.

-What do you like best/least about Costa Rican culture?

Speaking about Costa Rican culture, I like the people and their behaviors with foreigners, peaceful, and nature. I really like to enjoy with friends and families parties. Many small towns celebrate a fest in honor of their Saint (Patron), all these things are a manner to conserve the roots and culture heritage.

-What would you change about Costa Rican culture if you had the chance?

If I had chance to change something of our culture is accepting without questions, that something cannot be changed, changing is always happening, but in Costa Rica, people don’t understand that.

See you soon.

Different points of View about critical issues

Invitro Fertilization

The Male Point of View: For many couples, the introduction of children into a relationship is the ultimate fulfillment and goal of the relationship.
The Female point of view: You and your partner may struggle with the fact that you are unable to conceive by natural means.

Abortion

Arguments against abortion: the first set of arguments we will consider are biblical arguments.
In 1973 the American Supreme Court stated that Americans’ right to privacy included: "the right of a woman to decide whether to have children, and the right of a woman and her doctor to make that decision without state interference".

Switzerland: a land of dreams. (Homework 4 - Review)

Usually, when you have enough time and money you need for going on vacation, it is necessary to make a plan. But the place where you want to go, depends on the money and time that you have.

That happened in a small town in Switzerland called Airolo, close to the Alps Mountains, between the German Region and Italy. Airolo is a beautiful small country with only 1500 people, with a lot of very old people; many of them live only with their cat or dog.

It was almost 12 midnight, when we wanted to come back home after having a tasted dinner, a cuple of beers or more, I believed it was a very strange night. When we were going back to the house, located four or six blocks from my swiss friend’s house, something happend.

We started to walk in the right direction, nobody was in the street, only two men with black hats and gray suits. They were just talking, until we passed close to them, as soon as we saw them, they hushed. When we, (my friend and I), were coming close to my friend’s house, everything was ok and calm. It was time to say good bye; my friend stayed in my other friend’s house. In my case, I used to sleep in Valle, the small villa where I was destined to doze case I didn’t have enough time to rest for going to work early in the morning. Eventhough, it wasn’t a business trip, I had to work enough for paying my ticket. I was only 23 years old.

I took vacation from my university to start the journey to the paradise, not a formal job, not credit card, only my passport, my luggage full of beers for my Swiss friends and a few Euros for getting saved.

I started to walk again after saying good bye, alone, walking on the street in the Europe small towns, where there are very undersized sidewalks; I had a preference for strolling on the street. I was sure there were only six blocks away; but after walking about ten minutes I realized I was lost. All houses seemed the same, flower in front, high roofs and many similar boulevards; I pretended to find a rounded fountain in front of the villa, but I was surprised cause I didn’t notice one in the neighborhood.

After walking for a while I found my villa, when I opened the door there was a huge black dog inside. It was the first time I saw him, the dog glanced at me and kept asleep again.

When I got into my room, there was no suitcase, no clothes, nothing a lot, I thought, I was awful, what was happening?, I asked to myself, it could have been a theft. No way, I entered to another room.

After getting to my authentic room, I promised not be dunk anymore in a foreign country.

Southwest Windpower, the world’s leading supplier of distributed wind generators

Presentation 1 - Ronald Delgado

My presentation is about identifying a company for being relocated, in this case is the world’s leading supplier of distributed wind generators.
The company that we are thinking to relocate is the Southwest Windpower; in order to improve the natural energy source in our country, it is a great opportunity for increasing the wind power plants in Costa Rica.

An ideal location for a business in Costa Rica

Homework 2 - Ronald Delgado
After good life, comes the real life. Old people need a helping hand for getting to the elder edge. In Costa Rica and many others countries around the word, the society has to solve this problem. Every day people are being more and more old. A good business is to install an elder care medical institution; it must have enough places for resting, strolling and enjoying about the nature. Ones we got on this time, there is not very much thing to do; old people need to be quiet, calm and having the benefit of a peaceful ending tome.
I recommend developing an ideal location with experts who try and take care of these people in a relaxed and serene treatment center for older people.
There are many locations in Costa Rica where you can start a medical treatment center: Palmares, San Ramón, Grecia and Sarchí have a very good weather for approaching and developing this business; their own facilities and good location is an extremely chance to make a real big business.

Practice Exercises – Ronald Delgado – (homework)

The following sentences all are run-on sentences or contain comma splices. Use one of the techniques mentioned today to correct the sentences.

1. Pablo went to Maxi Bodega, because he needed to buy a microwave. (T3)

2. Americans shake hands when they meet; instead, the Japanese bow.

3. While the girls watched TV, the boys stayed in the kitchen.

4. I want to learn French, but Yeison wants to learn German.

5. Although people in Costa Rica say they like peace, they don’t want an army.

6. As I will make that change to your account, I just need your telephone number. Can you hold on, while I pull up some information?

7. Last year we went to Greece. It is a beautiful and exotic country.

8. I have many plans for this coming weekend. If it doesn’t rain, we’ll go to La Fortuna; however, if it does rain, we’ll stay at home and play games.

9. Because I told him that he was wrong, he got angry at me.

10. What’s happening to this neighborhood? Now, you can’t even go outside, without being afraid of getting shot!

11. When we looked at his car, it had a flat; this sort of thing always seems to happen to him.

12. Can you call Kate? Her number’s there on the counter.

13. I’d like to present you to Professor Schneider. She’s the visiting researcher from Munich.

14. The replacement part will be sent to you in five days, you can expect to receive it by then; however, if it’s not there, call us.

15. Thank you for your interest in our company. It is clients like yourself, who makes this job rewarding.

How we normally eat.

The manners we have eating, depend on the region you come from, of course the meals you usually eat and time that you dispose for.
I have had the experience in others countries, where the act of eating is very important for the people, one of them is Mexico, where people normally eat with enough time and share some ideas or anecdotes each other, and spend valuable time daily.

In my case, because of our responsibilities, we usually have enough time on weekends, so it is common to drink a beer, my wife and me, before having lunch or while she cooks, in that time we share with our girls, they are always speaking, so we use to listen to them. One of my girls likes to help to cook to her mom, so usually the rest of the family just wait, talking and laughing.

When the meal is really, other of my girls sets the table, she usually does the same, and forgets some of the silverware, and then we seat in the same places.

It is common to have a pitcher with some fruits juice, and sometimes Coca Cola, or something like that. My wife and I prefer to drink water or another beer, at dinner I prefer to drink wine, but my wife likes to drink soft or charming wine, I prefer the red one.

Usually we prepare a salad or a soup for entries, when we have time to share while eating we enjoy a lot. In San Ramón we often eat white rice, blacks or red beans and a piece of meat, pork meat or beef, ones a week, we eat chicken, and sometimes fish. We rather eat pasta and soup or stews, but personally I love them.

“Soups and Stews
Olla de carne is a delicious stew made with beef, potatoes, carrots, chayote (vegetable pear), plantains and yucca. Sopa negra is a simple soup made with black beans. The hearty Sopa de mondongo is made with tripe and vegetables. Guiso de maíz is a corn stew.” http://www.vivacostarica.com/costa-rica-information/costa-rica-food.html

Thanks to the people who will give tips and advice to improve our English as a second language.

This is the beginning of the new experience of learning English; I really appreciated any suggestion for getting more skills for communicating better every day.

Ronald Delgado