02/05/04
Pineapples:
in your interchange groups, report on the following:
Where specifically do you find evidence of Milagros' transformation?
Where specifically, do you find evidence of Nelda's transformation? And Victors?
What are the themes in the story? Explain.
Tomato and Mango groups: What are the themes in "Her Wild American
Self"? Make sure you indicate specific places in the text to support your
theme(s) + page numbers.
Grape and Pineapple groups: What are the themes in "Lectures on How You
Never Lived Back Home"? Make sure you indicate specific places in the text
to support your theme(s) + page numbers.
[Message #1]
Kristina Gregorio:
ummm....which pages do you find the "transformation"?
[Message #2]
Joseph Cabaltica:
For milagros its 33,347.36.42.46
[Message #3]
Joseph Cabaltica:
for nelda its 31-33, 42-44
[Message #4]
Nikki Santiago:
in our group from tuesday we had pgs 31-37 & 42-49
[Message #5]
Joseph Cabaltica:
And for victor its 35, 36, 40, 49
[Message #6]
Kristina Gregorio:
thanks!
[Message #7]
Joseph Cabaltica:
your welcome
[Message #8]
Nikki Santiago:
so i guess we should talk about the sed transformation huh?
[Message #9]
Nikki Santiago:
this pc is kind slow
[Message #10]
Nikki Santiago:
did you guys get to read the story?
[Message #11]
Joseph Cabaltica:
what is sed?????
[Message #12]
Joseph Cabaltica:
I read it yesterday
[Message #13]
Nikki Santiago:
said... i just got lazy
[Message #14]
Joseph Cabaltica:
ohh ok
[Message #15]
Joseph Cabaltica:
what group were you in on tuesday
[Message #16]
Kristina Gregorio:
ok, now what are we supposed to be talking about?
[Message #17]
Nikki Santiago:
green
[Message #18]
Joseph Cabaltica:
i was with you then
[Message #19]
Nikki Santiago:
i have no idea what exactly it is we should be talking about but probably be better if we talked about the story
[Message #20]
Nikki Santiago:
yes, joseph i was in the same group as you were in on tuesday
[Message #21]
Nikki Santiago:
kristina did you study for history?
[Message #22]
Nikki Santiago:
we have a quiz today
[Message #23]
Kristina Gregorio:
wow, my pc is pretty slow too
[Message #24]
Joseph Cabaltica:
What happened to uncle victor at the end of the story?
[Message #25]
Joseph Cabaltica:
Why was he crying?
[Message #26]
Kristina Gregorio:
damn, i didn't get that far yet, i'm still reading it
[Message #27]
Nikki Santiago:
on that packet he gave us after the vocab quiz... joseph, what do you mean what happened to uncle victor?
[Message #28]
Joseph Cabaltica:
At the end of the story he was crying... Why was he depressed????
[Message #29]
Nikki Santiago:
well, i think because he had a change of heart... like when he was looking for a job he was very optimistic about living in the united states... then when he finally found a job he had a really bad job where he wasn't appreciated as an intellectual
[Message #30]
Joseph Cabaltica:
Ohh ok thats what i was thinking about but wasn't sure if their was something deeper than that.
[Message #31]
Kristina Gregorio:
i don't understand what happened on page 48
[Message #32]
Nikki Santiago:
nah i think it was just that... and other things too
[Message #33]
Nikki Santiago:
wait hold on let me see here
[Message #34]
Kristina Gregorio:
the top of the page with the waiter thing
[Message #35]
Joseph Cabaltica:
On what's going on with milagros
[Message #36]
Nikki Santiago:
well, uncle victor was a prominent and successful lawyer in the philippines, and then all of a sudden he and his family moves to the states and the fastest way he can find a job is to get a lower class job like a blue collar job... so he wasn't even a waiter, he was the busboy
[Message #37]
Kristina Gregorio:
oh ok, now i get it
[Message #38]
Nikki Santiago:
on which part are you talking about joseph?
[Message #39]
Joseph Cabaltica:
When nelda was going to say something to the two guys but milagros stopped her from saying anything
[Message #40]
Joseph Cabaltica:
What are the themes of the story???
[Message #41]
Nikki Santiago:
milagros, like the other children of uncle victor, thought that he was employed as a lawyer, so she was about to tell the two customers at the restaurant to back off
[Message #42]
Joseph Cabaltica:
I got that its on understanding between Milagros and Nelda
[Message #43]
Joseph Cabaltica:
And with victor is coming out of denial?
[Message #44]
Nikki Santiago:
i have no idea what you mean joseph?
[Message #45]
Kristina Gregorio:
i think the one of the themes is the transition for milagros coming to america
[Message #46]
Nikki Santiago:
yeah, kristina, you're right
[Message #47]
Kristina Gregorio:
i got the sense that she hated the fact that she lived in the states
[Message #48]
Joseph Cabaltica:
for the themes of the story, Milagros and Nelda understands eachother on how much they are alike and different
[Message #49]
Kristina Gregorio:
joseph's right, victor finally got a fat reality check when he finally got a "job in america"
[Message #50]
Joseph Cabaltica:
Milagras was homesick.
[Message #51]
Kristina Gregorio:
what's the date today?
[Message #52]
Joseph Cabaltica:
MIlagras always wrote letters to the philippines and looked at the pictures of her friends back home.
[Message #53]
Joseph Cabaltica:
2/05/04
[Message #54]
Nikki Santiago:
yup she did... i think milagros didn't like the fact that she had no choice in the move... her parents dictated her stay in the states becuase she was still a minor. but also because she had to leave her comfortable life form back home. i mean she grew up in a good catholic exclusive school which meant she had privilegdes. and she had a lot of friends because of the class picture she kept looking at... me thinks she was more than just homesick she was bitter about the move she was uncertain of her and her family's future in the US and she wanted more than anything for her life to be "back to normal"
[Message #55]
Nikki Santiago:
today is feb 5, 2004
[Message #56]
Joseph Cabaltica:
Thats true.
[Message #57]
Kristina Gregorio:
how is it that milagros knew how to hula dance?
[Message #58]
Nikki Santiago:
were you both born here?
[Message #59]
Kristina Gregorio:
who?
[Message #60]
Joseph Cabaltica:
I was born in Chicago
[Message #61]
Joseph Cabaltica:
I never been to the Philippines.
[Message #62]
Kristina Gregorio:
i love the P.I.
[Message #63]
Kristina Gregorio:
but i was born in San Jose
[Message #64]
Nikki Santiago:
more than likely, milagros learned how to hula dance in the philippines... a lot of exclusive catholic schools in the philippines have extra-curricular activities that are social events for youngsters... like dancing, and acting, and singing... we have "clubs"... i was born and grew up in the philippines... i very much know how milagros feels... and yes i did learn a lot of dancing in school from back home
[Message #65]
Nikki Santiago:
have you guys ever had relatives who decide to emigrate here live with you guys?
[Message #66]
Kristina Gregorio:
whoa, i didn't know that. i only went to school there when i was in preschool and kindergarten
[Message #67]
Kristina Gregorio:
yup, i did
[Message #68]
Nikki Santiago:
didn't you ever notice how sometimes they'd just collect themselves in their own rooms instead of socialize with the rest of the household... specially the ones who were born ehre?
[Message #69]
Joseph Cabaltica:
My uncle went to my aunts house. Then his kids came over.
[Message #70]
Kristina Gregorio:
yup
[Message #71]
Joseph Cabaltica:
yup
[Message #72]
Kristina Gregorio:
when do you guys think milagros's true transformation took place?
[Message #73]
Nikki Santiago:
i think it's because we really don't feel like we don't belong here... this isn't our land. we feel like any minute somebody can just attack our being "different"
[Message #74]
Joseph Cabaltica:
When she threw the rock to help Nelda.
[Message #75]
Kristina Gregorio:
do you feel "different" nikki?
[Message #76]
Kristina Gregorio:
i was thinking the same thing joseph
[Message #77]
Joseph Cabaltica:
Ohhhh. Because when my cousins came they always stayed in their room.
[Message #78]
Kristina Gregorio:
can i call you "joe" or "joey"? "joseph" sounds so formal
[Message #79]
Joseph Cabaltica:
anything
[Message #80]
Nikki Santiago:
i think it wasn't really too much of a transformation as it was an acceptance and realization... she has a deep seated fear that her family miht not succeed and they might have to rebuild back home and her fears also consisted of finding out disappointment through her parents' eyes.
[Message #81]
Joseph Cabaltica:
some people call me joe, some joey
[Message #82]
Kristina Gregorio:
it also doesn't help that she's a teenage girl
[Message #83]
Nikki Santiago:
i used to feel that way, but i know better now... it's still a bit hard but i'm managing things... when i moved here i didn't have any friends, i had a mountain back home, and i had boyfriends here and there and i had nobody here... and the weather was entirely differnet so i couldn't even wera the same things i used to wear from home.
[Message #84]
Joseph Cabaltica:
How long have you been here?
[Message #85]
Joseph Cabaltica:
I also felt Milagros didn't feel comfortable satying with Nelda but at the end of the story she started to feel more open.
[Message #86]
Nikki Santiago:
i've been here for about 4 yrs
[Message #87]
Nikki Santiago:
milagros was never comfortable with staying with nelda i think... but she didn't have much of a choice, also she had to show nelda that she had to take care of her family so she had to open up... not that she really wanted to... i think she could have gone for ages not talking to nelda at all... besides they weren't even exactly family... their fathers knew each other coz they grew up in the same province in the philippines but they're not blood related
[Message #88]
Nikki Santiago:
lets read the other story shall we?
[Message #89]
Joseph Cabaltica:
ohhhh.
[Message #90]
Kristina Gregorio:
i skimmed the story just now, and i get the feeling of resentment
[Message #91]
Nikki Santiago:
why resentment?
[Message #92]
Kristina Gregorio:
well i only got that in the middle of the story when she's talking about the differences of living here and in the P.I. it's like she has a sense of frustration of having a "hyphenated" culture. i feel like she's feeling pressure
[Message #93]
Kristina Gregorio:
but isn't that what seems to be the themes of most of the stories or poems that we have read so far?
[Message #94]
Kristina Gregorio:
whether the authors are feeling sadness or joy, there always seems to be some sort of pressure
[Message #95]
Joseph Cabaltica:
She feel pressure from being an american born. And she is still Filipino and was told that back home was Philippines.
[Message #96]
Kristina Gregorio:
but where does she feel "home" really is?
[Message #97]
Nikki Santiago:
yeah.. pretty much... i think its coz it really hard to beloing in a culture that's really different from you mother culture... but everybody gets to stand out one time or another may it be in a good way or bad way... the pressure just helps the author let thier stars shine don't you think?
[Message #98]
Joseph Cabaltica:
She is pressered from her family alot. I feel the pressure she got from them is that shes here in the U.S. to do better then if she was in the Philippines.
[Message #99]
Joseph Cabaltica:
Because I can relate to her that since you live here you have no respect.
[Message #100]
Kristina Gregorio:
these short stories are fiction right? or are they some sort of autobiographies?
[Message #101]
Nikki Santiago:
i think there are some truths to these short stories but most of them are fiction
[Message #102]
Joseph Cabaltica:
I don't know.
[Message #103]
Nikki Santiago:
although i can't help but think that the stories are accounts of the author's memories
[Message #104]
Kristina Gregorio:
k bye!
[Message #105]
Nikki Santiago:
byers!
[Message #106]
Amy Lawlor:
end 02/05