The Way

After watching The Way, there are a lot of things I have learned. When Tom began his journey, he had one goal in mind. Giving his son one last final tribute and placing his ashes along the Camino trail. Just like each of us when we begin a journey, we have one goal in mind. However, throughout is journey, Tom met people along the way who changed his view on life, and also his goal in mind. Similarly, we meet people along our journey that change our goal. I believe that the Camino Walk is an inspiring way to find the true meaning of life, and if i were ever given the opportunity to do it, i definitely would. This movie taught me that it is not always about the destination of a trip, but the journey you take to get there. Through all his trials and tribulations along the way, Tom was shaped, changed and inevitably grew throughout his journey. Likewise, we all change and grow along each journey that we take.

Mixed Messages

Some of the positive messages sent to women were mentioned in the article. Official teachings in the church honor women as equal to men in dignity. These messages can remind us that relationships should be unifying love. Here at the Mount, in a Catholic school environment, we are taught as young women to be leaders and founders. I think this is a privilege and a gift to learn this at an all girls Catholic academy, and gives us the confidence and wisdom we need as women in our society today. Some negative messages women have received is that they are not always equal to men. For example: why can men be priests but not women? Why are there more male saints than female? All of these examples pose the question of why women are sometimes not equal to men.

Abortion

The article presented brings in a new controversial topic to abortion debates. In these countries, the abortions are being done illegally, but also unhealthy. These unsafe abortions are causing problems to obviously the unborn baby, but also the mother. This new topic further suggests the unsafe and unethical opinion to abortion. In these developing countries, things like contraception would prevent pregnancy and furthermore prevent these unhealthy abortions.

IVF

There are many pros and cons that go along with IVF. The obvious pros, are that of a child being born and brought into the world. Parents who are not able to conceive are given another shot at creating life. However, this process can also come along with some cons. The cons to this process were as seen in the Dateline special- a mother could receive the wrong eggs to be fertilized. Additionally, IVF is very expensive. The church teaches that it is immoral to have a baby other than in the way of having intimate sexual intercourse with your husband/wife. However, some women biologically are not able to conceive a baby. In this case, I find it completely moral and appropriate to try IVF. God's plan of man and wife was to create a family and bring others into the world. However, how are two supposed to accomplish such a task if the woman is not biologically able to? I believe that IVF is a moral way of conceiving children and starting new life.

He's Just Not That Into You...

In the movie "He's Just Not That Into You", my favorite couple to follow were Beth and Neil. In the beginning of the movie, we are introduced to the fun loving couple as one of the relationships in the movie that seems to be going great. They are both madly in love and have been together for seven years. However we eventually learn that Beth is upset because she wants to get married and Neil does not. This was an example that I had never really thought about much. It was always an issue of getting married too early, or for the wrong reasons. However, the relationship between Beth and Neil was so perfect, it led me to the question; Why would he never want to get married?


So it got me thinking. There was no obvious reason for Neil not wanting to marry. It obviously was not a commitment issue-they had been together for seven years. As a girl, I could tell where Beth was coming from. She wanted a huge ceremony and a beautiful dress to match what she had drempt about for all of her life. This would seal the deal for her and Neil's relationship-and be a new beginning. The only thing I could find wrong in Neils request to not marry, would be that it is harder to raise a family in a relationship where there is no husband and wife title. In the end of the movie, Beth realizes that Neil is exactly what she wants-no matter if they are married or not, exactly when Neil realizes that he wants to marry Beth. All in all, I have realized that there is no harm in marriage when a couple has been together for many years, but also no true rush to tie the knot.

The Changing Face of Marriage

Growing up, my parents always did a great job of raising my siblings and I. We were taught to share, learn, and most importantly, we were taught about our faith. We attended Church every Sunday, (still do as much as our demanding schedules will let us), received every sacrament, and although we did not attend a catholic grade school, we attended CCD every wednesday night, with my mom as the teacher. Ultimately, faith has always been a big role in my up-bringing. Along with this, I have learned and experienced much of my parents loving marriage, the trials and tribulations, and how they use faith to keep a healthy and happy marriage. One thing that I have learned is that it is important to bring up your children in a stable home and environment. In the movie "Hes Just Not That Into You", Jennifer Aniston was unhappy about her partners not wanted to get married. I agree with her in the fact that marriage should be a step in life to seal the love you have for another person, and also to being the foundation of a family. After all, I have learned that my parents together are the strongest bond that holds my family together. With studies being done about college graduates with degrees potentially being less probable to get a divorce, it gives me hope that i will have a successful marriage one day. I feel that marriage is an important stepping stone in establishing a life the way that God would have planned for me.

Dating and "hooking up"

After reading chapter 5 and also the article on busted halo, I noticed that there was a negative connotation on dating. In today's society as a High School student, dating is usually pretty casual. Both the article and the chapter talked about the sexual part of being in a relationship. In the chapter, it was perceived more as a sexual relationship with a person you are dating. However, in the article on Busted Halo, the sexual part was just a "one night stand." I think the article portrays more how the sexual part of a relationship is bad only if you are not dating that person, or maybe not even friends. I think that having a sexual relationship with a person you are not dating or have no true long-term interest in is pointless. However, I think dating is an essential part to life, giving a person the opportunity to find what you like in a person you are going to spend the rest of your life with.

Love Story

The love story of my parents has taught me a lot about love, not only from doing this project, but also through the years. I have learned from my parents story that true love is existing in life. I have also learned that you have to work at a relationship. My parents story was like any other that you see in a movie, where they meet at a restaurant and immediately hit it off. Then after dating, get engaged, married and have kids. However in movies, I have noticed that most times, relationships work out in two ways: they either live happily ever after, or they get into a fight and go their separate ways.
I have learned from my parents marriage that you have to be willing to fight for one another, and to lean on each other through hard times. I have also learned that fighting is normal in a relationship, and the true test is being able to forgive that person. After 25 years of marriage, my parents have set a great example for me of what love should be like in my life. I chose the song 1000 years by Christina Perri because it talks about everlasting love that I see in my parents marriage and that I hope to have myself one day. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtOvBOTyX00

Some Say Love....

"I hold onto the night, you looked me in the eye and told me you loved me"- Forever&Always
" But you were stealing my heart I fell in love in the back of a cop car"- Cop Car Keith Urban
"A world where you and I belong Where faith and love will keep us strong Exactly who we are is just enough"-Theres a Place For Us Carrie Underwood

"For me you'll always be eighteen and beautiful And dancing away with my heart"- Dancin Away with my heart- Lady A 

"Same old empty feeling in your heart 'Cause love comes slow and it goes so fast"-Passenger 

I often look to songs when I think about what love is supposed to be. These quotes come from some of my favorite songs about love, and the words are very applicable to being in a relationship. When I grow up I hope to find a husband who will be my best friend, make me laugh and love me unconditionally. I sometimes think relationships are sugar coated in songs. In media, and especially songs, the story unfolds where two people are in love, something usually bad happens, and the song ends with the two falling back in love. However, in life couples are given daily obstacles to overcome. What I have learned through my parents is that love and marriage is not all about being gushy gushy in love and never getting over the "honeymoon" stage. After 25 years of marriage, my parents are definitely past that. After reading the article, I realized that Angela and her husband may have just grown out of the honeymoon stage. My parents still love each other very much, even after 25 years. However, being in love and being married is much more. Its okay to get in fights and to be sick of each other sometimes, true love is being able to get over the obstacles and realize that not everything is going to be perfect all of the time, but together you will be there to lean on the other person through it all. 

Gender

1.) From a young age, I have always been taught that one should always act and express the way they feel. As a child, I played soccer, softball, basketball, etc. However, I was also a ballerina for 10 years. As I got older, I noticed that boys would play in the dirt at recess while the girls would swing on the swings. I guess from a young age I realized the masculine stereotype for boys, and the feminine one for girls. My parents never told me I had to be a ballerina instead of a soccer player. It was always just what I was interested in. However in middle school I noticed a difference. Girls were considered "weird" if they wore boy things such as shorts and sneakers to school everyday. And boys were "weird" if they didn't play a sport. I think from a young age we are all taught through experience that boys are the "sporty" ones, while girls should be playing with dolls and painting nails.
2.) Having an older brother and an older sister, I have noticed first hand how things can be different between boys and girls. My brother is always the one to help out my dad when fixing things around the house, or even helping him bring in our 12 foot Christmas tree into the house. My sister and I are the two that usually clean up the dishes after dinner or help our mom fold the laundry. These chores have been things we have seen our mom and dad do since we were little, and it has not changed much since we've gotten older.
3.) Going to the Mount has instilled in me a sense of confidence in being a woman. I have learned that society needs more woman leaders, and my classmates and I are the people of the future. In today's society, gender differences are prominent in the work place, and we are the ones who are going to be in charge of changing that. The Mount fosters intelligence in young women, which in turn will change society's view of us in the future.
4.) I think that "back in the day" men and women were very different. By this I mean watching old movies, you see the man open the woman's door when she is getting out of the car, or entering a building. Not that this doesnt happen anymore, but the importance of it has been forgotten. Boys in today's society are being taught to look down on girls or to "use" them. I do think that this is only an issue in immature teenage boys, or maybe that is my biased opinion as a teenage girl hoping that boys will ever become more mature. I think that when boys get older, they realize the importance of gender differences (in a good way) such as holding the door or buying a girl flowers.

Miss Representation

      After watching Miss Representation, and also reading the article on the sexualization of women in todays society, there are many things I have learned, been surprised from, and also things that I had already known. Being a teenage girl in today's world, I have felt the pressure first hand of having to be the most beautiful girl in the room, or the one with the best clothes, just so I will be accepted by others. Not only do girls today do this for boys, but also for the acceptance of other girls as well- to be accepted in the "popular group" at school, or to be invited to the coolest party on the weekend.
     However, these roles of gender have become extreme in today's society. Most often women do not get the proper respect of men, no matter what age. Currently, women in the workplace are usually looked at to be inferior to men. In the political world, women are very scarce. Men are the primary people in every category of politics. The reality of this is simple: Women can do the exact same things that men can do. It is simply a matter of judgement that today's world puts on women, and the fact that they believe we are not as superior as men. As a high school student, preparing for college and soon-to-be member of the work force, it is scary and unpromising to think that I may be discriminated by my gender when it comes to getting a job.
       Although there is a gender "misrepresentation" in society, attending the Mount has taught me a great deal of standing up and being a leader in the world. The Mount has instilled in me a sense of ability that I am able to do whatever I set my mind to, and that no one can tell me differently. I have learned to challenge myself, and also to be competetive. This will help me in the near future when I begin my life in the working world. However, I hope that gender differences will be a thing of the past by that point!

Mission Statement

As a teenager in the Catholic church, I am called to first and foremost be a child of God. It is my mission to make a difference in the lives of many people on earth. I am called to get an education, and learn about my life. As I get older, I hope to prosper both spiritually and mentally. I am inspired to continue to grow in my faith as a Catholic, and to find God in all that I do. It is my mission to spread this knowledge to everyone I encounter in life. I hope to change lives of many people that I meet, by giving them laughter, love and hope to cherish throughout their own life.

Identity

The first thing in my life that has shaped me to be the person I am today is my family. My family has taught me about many things in life. My parents are a constant support system in my life. They guide me along my journey and teach me the good and bad in life. My brother and sister are my best friends. Ever since I was little my siblings have taught me a lot about myself. They are huge mentors in my life and great role models to look up to. Because of my siblings, I want to be a better person. They show me the ropes in life and I learn a lot from them.

 The second thing in my life that has shaped me are my friends. I have a very great group of friends that are always there for me. My friends are there for me when im happy, sad, frustrated or even confused. They always make me laugh and help me remember all of the good things in my life. When I look back on my years at the Mount, I think of all the sisters that I have made, who will stay with me for the rest of my life.

 Finally, The last thing that has shaped my identity is being an athlete on the crew team. Rowing has taught me a lot about myself. It has shown me how hard I can push myself, and has taught me how to reach my fullest potential. From being a rower, I have learned that pain is only temporary, and success is built off of hard work. I have learned great time management from rowing. Most importantly, I have learned how to be a loyal teammate. Mount Crew