Spiritual Pathway Assessment Reflection

1) Based on my understanding of my spiritual pathway, what are one or two activities I need to engage in regularly to stay connected with God? How will I incorporate these activities into the rhythm of my life?

According to the test results, I am somebody who can connect best to God in nature. And I can sort of agree because when I am outside and surrounded by nature, I feel like I can really see God' s hand into nature. Just the way that everything is created just seems to scream that there is some majestic creator out there, somewhere, and it makes me just feel so small but so ALIVE at the same time. When I went hiking in the mountains, the part where I just get to lie down and stare up at the stars is my absolute favorite part. In Korea, I haven't been able to have these moments however, except for one instance (once in my 5 years here) where I went camping with my youth group. I think that just lying in the middle of our school field, talking with some friends after school could be a great benefit to me personally (and to others who have a similar spiritual pathway).

2) In what ways can I stretch myself to experience God in new ways?

I could try and increase my service and my relational pathways. I know for a fact that I love working, talking, and just being with other people. like I said before, maybe talking with people surrounded by nature could be a great way for me to increase my sensitivity and relationship with God. Just sitting by myself and talking to God through nature could also be a great way. I always make an effort in the morning to make sure I know what the color of the sky is. Right before I get out of school, I ask myself, "do you know what the color of the sky is today?" and sometimes I'm disgusted to find that no, sometimes, I don't! I hate these times because I am forced to realize that I've been too busy even to take a look at the sky above.

Reflection after Ms. Gunther's visit #7

Today Ms. Gunther came into our classroom for the very last time. We went over the "most interesting careers" worksheet together as a class, and I was shocked and a bit sad to see I only guessed 3 out of 10 correct. Actually, I realized that I had heard of the snake milker's job before on Animal Planet (Discovery Channel) but I hadn't known the technical name for them until after Ms. Gunther's visit! This made me think that yes, you really DID learn something new everyday :D. (The shoe iron-creaser job made me laugh. For no particular reason of course, but me and Jiho just snickered when that question came up~). I believe this entire unit with "Life-Changing Decisions" was sort of long, but I think it was a really good oppurtunity to question myself, and what I truly want. It also made me honestly consider what was more important to me: What I wanted or what God wanted from me. I honestly don't know what I'm going to be, want to be, or what God wants me to be when I grow up. So for now, I'm just going to try and use and grow my talents as much as I can and do my best in everything.

Reflection after Ms. Gunther's Visit #6

Today Ms. Gunther came to our classroom and the class started with a lecture that made us think a little bit more on our personal learning styles. I looked over my learning style quiz results and I found that currently I learned well in all three areas. I personally think I don't have a particular
"way" of learning thats the best, but it is easy for me to communicate by writing. It is also quite easy for me to talk about things, and to remember certain things. I think that if I practice and grow in the "auditory" style, it will give me a good advantage. However, for me getting up and trying things out to learn things isn't difficult to me either. Being a Kenisthetic learner or a visual learner isn't hard...I just think I haven't come to grow particularly in one area yet.

Reflection after Ms. Gunther's Visit #5

Today during Writing class we took the personality and my learning style quizzes. Before I took these quizzes, I heard from upperclassmen that these tests weren't accurate (LOL) so I took the test with a very wary attitude. I tried to answer as accurately as possible, and then to judge the answers with criticism. However, I failed because the answers for my personality test were exactly what I didn't expect: they were completely accurate. I remember taking a similar test during Korean class, and I think I got a similar result. I absolutely agree with the test when it says that I am a creative and spontaneous person. I also agree with the test when it says that I love to talk (I do love to talk, actually. To me, writing IS talking. :)). It was interesting to see the different jobs that people said were satisfying and challenging for an ENFP person, and I was delighted to see "creative writing" and "secondary school education" to be part of them.

Reflection after Ms. Gunther's Visit #4

Wow. Today's session was the most interesting of all. :O

Ms. Gunther came in today and we took an interesting test. Before I took this test, I was kind of familiar with the format because in Korean class we had taken a similarly set-out personality test. I knew that each category was meant to represent a broad range of talents/interests that we had currently. When I started taking the test, I immediately went "EW!" and then "Oooooh~" and finally, "OH! WOW.......;" The Artistic and Social categories really appealed to me, while the Realistic and the other more academic (science and mathematical. blegh.) categories really made me want to scream. It was so interesting to see how my final score was so original because I had a tie with S and A for most popular. My code then became SIE or AIE....or, ISE, SEA, ESI, and etc... I was so shocked to see that there were so many jobs one could choose from! It made me think more and made me realize that I really shouldn't place a box in my mind around what I can't, and can do. I really can be anything I want to. I can also be something I never knew existed!

Reflection after Ms. Gunther's Visit #3

Today in Writing class we had Ms. Gunther come speak to us again. We further discussed about our career choices and what things should help us determine the type of career we choose for our lives. After today's talk, I was able to be honest with myself and look at the chart that I created. The chart was about what factors we considered the most important that influenced our job decisions. Although I haven't been consciously thinking about these factors in my mind, I think it was helpful to me why I have come to a decision about what job I want to have in the future. I came to realize that I want to be able to influence the world the most, because I want to make a difference in this world before I die. I want to use the talents that God gave to me to spread the message of his truth and love to everyone in this world, because I really think its unfair that some people go to Hell (or don't have the opportunity to make it to heaven) because they never hear about the truth.

Journal Entry: Questoin #1

Question: How can I become the person that I want to be? How can I become the person God wants me to be?

- I can become the person I want to be by knowing what kind of person I want to be. I want to be the person that people point to and say, "Oh yeah, thats her over there. I know, right! She's so nice, smart and funny. Dang...I wanna be like her one day." I know that this might be a lot to ask for, but it's something I've been working for a while. Jesus is a good example of this, I think. He was the one people pointed to when they needed help and love. I want to be that person to. I can also become the person I want to be by knowing what kind of person I DON'T want to be. I don't want to be the person that people point to as the person who knows the most gossip, or the one that people advise to avoid. However, I don't want to be somebody who everybody likes, just so that everyone can like me. I want to be who I want to be, not what others want me to be.

- I can become the person God wants me to be by following the example that Jesus Christ made for us when he came to Earth and sacrificed his life for those he loved. I want to serve others and make a difference in this world during the time I'm given in this world.

Reflection after Ms. Gunther's Visit #2

Today was Ms. Gunther's second visit to our Writing G block classroom. Today we discussed about our personal talents, and the definition of the word "talent." Although I have already been thinking about what my future career choice will be, I have only been concentrating on one of my talents: writing. During today's discussion session however, the challenge that God left to us in the Bible really made me think. I really do want Jesus to look at me one day and say, "Well done my good and faithful servant! *hug*." And to receive his blessing, I have realized that I need to work for it just as hard as anything else. I feel like this has motivated me to use not only my talent for writing in my future career, but my other talents as well including singing, teaching, and having fun! I want to influence the world with many if not all of my talents, not just one. I also enjoy working with younger children and I have been thinking of becoming a teacher later on. I don't know if this will still be true in 10 years but it has definitely got me thinking. It was a comfort to know that I don't have to make just one decision; I still have time to change my mind and become who I want to be.

Reflection after Ms. Gunther's Visit #1

Today was the first time Ms. Gunther came into our classroom.

I'm not sure what any of us were expecting, but I think all of us gained something positive out of her visit. She really made me think about what I wanted to do and be when I grew up. I already knew that I wanted to be a writer (a novel writer if possible) because writing made me happy, but I hadn't thought much behind that. And it was really interesting to see that 5 years ago my priorities were completely different then they are today, which means that what I want for my life 10 years from now will most likely dramatically change as well. I looked twice at my life today, and reading the verses from Proverbs gave me alot to think about. I think I will try hard not to procrastinate as much and be "wise like the ants" by working hard all the time for the Lord.

Reflection Narrative Essay

In reflecting upon the Narrative Essay you just completed, answer the following questions on your blog using complete sentences: (Please number them)

1. What are some of the aspects of Narrative writing and did you like using them?

1) Narrative writing tells a story to the reader. It usually has the layout of beginning, middle, and end. It has a definite plot and the entire story follows the plot structure.
2) Narrative writing also is usually in first person, but it can be in other perspectives as well.
3) I enjoyed how in Narrative writing, the author has total control of what happens. The author basically controls how much information is exposed to the reader, and I enjoyed putting in details to help paint a picture to the reader. I like to think that I trigger emtions in the reader as they read my piece of writing.

2. How did you determine what details were relevant and necessary to support your ideas?
I chose the details that enabled the emotion to reach the reader in the most gripping way. I wanted to use all of my details and dialogue to show the reader that something was coming up. I wanted to write a story that really brought intensity up until the "dramatic" climax and then bring the crushingly unexcpected news onto the reader at the peak of the story.


3. How did you create a unique piece of writing and still meet the expectations of a Narrative essay?
I created a unique piece of writing that still met the expectations by adding my personal voice into my writing. I created interesting pieces of dialogue that kept the plot moving and amusing to the reader. I also tried to incorporate words that best fit the sentence, and tried to avoid being repitive. One of the things that I did to try and make my writing unique was to show the reader in just a few scenes how my family was different from other families, along with some silimarities.

4. How did you craft your writing to meet the audience expectations? What is easy or hard?
Personally, this was not a difficult assignment. I love to write stories, and writing a narrative essay about a dramatic moment in my life was easy once I got started. I knew my audience well and I know what kinds of writing style attracts the most readers of my age group and a little above so I tried to write in a way that would attract me. The hardest part I think was actually coming up with a dramatic moment to write about. Other than that, everything else just fell into place like connecting the dots in a picuture.

5. How did your personal experience and faith shape the way you told this story?
I don't have a perfectly clear memory of that day. Most of the dialogue that I used wasn't precisely exact to what my mother, father, and sister said. I added lots of extra dialogue in to provide some more entertainment to the reader. The reason I put in the specific types of dialogue was to convey the emotion I was feeling in a way that the reader would have no choice but to experience. From that moment in my life, its the memory of the feeling of being shocked and hurt that I most remember. I wanted to make this the center of my story.

6. What would your life be like without the experience?
Oh wow...I thought about this once before, and I feel like this is one of the major conflicts in my life. Without the move to Korea, I would never have met many of my friends that I know now. I would never have been able to been involved with any KAIAC tournaments or created the same type of friendships. On the other hand, if I had never moved to Korea I would have still been in contact with my best friend, and I would still be able to see all of my old friends everyday.

GOOD IDEAS....?!?!?

1)How do you know an idea to write about is "good"? 2)What is the hardest aspect of making an idea a complete paper?

1) You know that an idea is good if you yourself are interested in it. Chances are, if what you are writing about is something that you would stop yourself in your busy schedule to take the time and read, than other people are going to do that too. If what you are writing about bores you, than obviously it will bore others as well. This might not be true if what you are writing about is for a different age group, but in most cases this is correct. A good idea is also something that stays in your head and makes you think about it. It moves your heart and mind and challenges you to delve deeper and want to find out more about it. It is exciting and moves along with quick pace. It doesn't drag or need lots of words to make it come alive. Its in your mind, and once moved onto paper, it gives other people a visualized image of something they didn't know before.

2) The hardest aspect for me to making an idea a complete paper is the ending. I don't have a hard time writing the beginning or coming up with an idea to write about, but I do have a hard time with conclusions. I tend to be repitive and not know when to stop TALKING (writing).

BOOKS-->MOVIES.....Do i like this?

I don't exactly have a definite opinion on this. I half want to say that I don't like it when books are turned into movies because I think the movie gets much of the book just WRONG, but to see a book come onto screen is always exciting :) For example, I was so pumped and crazy to go see the book TWILIGHT made into a movie, and me and my friends went to my friend's house to watch it before it came on theaters (shhh) but I think its safe to say we were all disapointed in the movie. The movie itself was a really bad play-out compared to the book, but we still appreciated the effort Robert Pattinson gave to try and fill Edward's shoes. So I think my final answer would have to be yes and no. Its always interesting to see one director's opinion of how the book should come to life, but its always a bit dissapointing because it shatters your view of the book in some ways.

Tralala~My Reading Habits

I can read anywhere. Its a habit of mine to block out everything anytime and focus on one thing, which is usually the book that I'm reading. Its a good habit for me because it comes in handy alot and lets me concentrate on the task at hand, but it annoys my mother because I ignore her completely :). I can honestly say that once I'm reading a book, everything else just fades away. The same thing happens with music, but thats a little different. I prefer to read in my room with the door closed, and my blanket wrapped snugly around myself. I love to listen to music anytime and anywhere (really I do) except when I'm reading. Unless the book is a classic or one I have a hard time getting "into," I don't turn on the music.

What I like to Read!

As a general rule, I love to read. Its a hobby of mine and I love books. I won't lie and say I like all books, but I love to read a good book. I am a fantasy freak (quite literally), but I am currently obssessed with reading classic books and murder mysteries thanks to Emily Bronte and Agatha Christie. I love action and thriller books too, like Dan Brown's Angels and Demons, and I don't think I could survive a day without re-reading a section from Stephenie Meyer's Twilight. I like to read all genres of books, but I honestly have a hard time actually sitting down and picking up a history book. One of my favorite book series are the Pendragon Series; I started reading book 1 when I was in 4th grade. The last book, number 10, just came out this past summer and I love this series. I would love to meet D.J. McHale, the author, in person.

5 Most Recently Read Books

1) The Awakening by Kate Chopin


2) Angels and Demons by Dan Brown


3) Nemesis by Agatha Christie


4) Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

5) City of Glass by Cassandra Clare

Hmm.......This is is how I feel about reading XD

I absoloutley love to read, and it gets me excited just like rainbow man when a book I'm waiting for finally gets published :)