Monday, November 12, 2018

Blog #6 Discourse Community and Community of Practice

Me, Myself, and, I



Related image

Growing up I continued to develop many identities depending on the situations I am in, roles I am taking, and the people I am with. I am a daughter, a twin, and a friend. I am a student, and an employee. These identities may be different, but they all are “me”. There are certain qualities of me that makes me who I am and is present in all of my identities. Let us put it this way, if I were to ask a friend and a co-worker about my qualities, chances are that they both would have some similar answers such as that quiet, nice, and, friendly. Those qualities are what I always hear whenever someone describes me to someone else and I believe that those are some of my dominant qualities.

In the article, “Discourse Communities and Communities of Practice: Membership, Conflict, and Diversity,” Ann M. Johns discusses the discourse communities (Groups that have goals or purposes, and use communication to achieve these goals) and communities of practice (complex collections of individuals who share genres, language, values, concepts, and “ways of being”). Discourse communities uses language for effectively communicating within their groups and they also have “unwritten rules” about what can be said how can it be said such as in academic journals. On the other hand, communities of practice can exist in physical settings such as school classrooms, or virtual settings such as thru email, and social media.

An individual may engage in many discourse communities and communities of practice and each community have different set of goals. Thus, it makes sense that we also express ourselves depending on the goals, purposes and values of theses communities. Trying to become a member of a community may be a struggle at first but once you get the rules, and goals of that community, it will be easier to be involved.

At work, I find myself conversing more with other people (just because I have to be friendlier especially with customers) than when I am at school where I pretty much just want to be by myself and not talk to anyone. It was definitely a struggle at first to have to talk so much to strangers when I first started working but once I got the hang of it, it becomes easier. There is definitely some more room for growth and I am continuously learning new things every day at work.

When I am at home or with close friends, I am a different “me” in a way because I am more comfortable to talk to and act around my family and friends. Also, I find that language is also a factor when conversing with other people. For example, the way I talk to my Filipino friends is certainly different than the way I talk to my friends of other nationalities. If I said something funny in my language, it may not be as funny if I translate it in English and may have different meaning.

Learning about these communities is important in establishing my future identity because the groups and organizations I will try to join now will either help or not help me gain experience that would be beneficial to me after I graduate.

Friday, November 9, 2018

Blog #5

"Breaking Stereotypes"


Image result for fast foods

In the article “Learning to Serve: The Language and Literacy of Food Service Workers,” Tony Mirabelli discusses the common negative stereotypes associated with the food service 
workers. Sadly, a lot of people have many negative stereotypes on workers in this type of industry because they may think that it is so easy to work at such industry and because workers earn a minimum wage. One of the stereotypes is “that waitresses (and waiters) are ignorant and stupid and that waiting on tables contributes little to society...” (Mirabelli, p 144)

It also doesn’t help that this kind of work is defined as a “low skilled profession” by the 
government of corporate entities which strengthens the negative stereotypes. However, this 
is not entirely true, and that people should not generalize food service workers as such because this type of job is not as easy as it seems like. Mirabelli argues that “there is complexity and skill that may go unrecognized by the general public or institutions such as universities.”

One of the many skills that is required of this job is “literacy” such as language and work 
literacy which may be different from what is taught in universities. For example, food service workers need to be able to understand their wide range menu, how to take regular and special orders, how to deal with rude customers, and many more.

I can totally relate to these stereotypes because I have worked in three food service 
industries, including my first as well as current job. At my first job, I have learned to take 
customer orders, make food and drinks, take drive-thru orders, tender cash, and hand out orders at the window or the counter.

I was overwhelmed on my first day! And I assumed that most people who worked at a food 
service industry for their first job felt the same. There were a lot of food items I needed to memorize and locate in the POS computer, I also needed to be able to learn to do tasks pretty quick because it is a fast-paced environment and it was very surprising how easily customers get mad over waiting 2 minutes for their order.

It took me about a week to be able to take orders as well as do other tasks without someone shadowing me and eventually, I just relied on my muscle-memory. I am very thankful that I worked at that job as my first job because I have learned a lot about hard work, patience, leadership, and it opened up my mind to the crucial reality about stereotypes that many food-service workers experience every single day.

Food service industries are not just the works that are stereotyped, all other types of jobs 
have negative and positive stereotypes associated with them. I, for one, would not deny that 
I sometimes rely on stereotypes about a certain job that I don’t know anything about. 
However, as I continuously gained work experience from food service industry, I have learned not to rely on the stereotypes too much since most of the time they are just not true. 

Salted caramel ice cream and Chocolate Tofino


As a Foods and Nutrition undergrad, I am hoping to become a registered dietitian in the future. There are many stereotypes associated with this job. I was one of the people who assumed that dietitians always eat “perfectly”, engage in physical activities all the time, and that all dietitians are thin and have perfect health. When I started studying nutrition, it became obvious to me that these are all just stereotypes and that dietitians are also normal people who may or may not have the “perfect” body, and health. Some other stereotypes include: assuming that seeing a dietitian means that you are going to end up on a diet, dietitians focus exclusively on nutrition, and that dietitians judge what people eat. In reality, Dietitians help people achieve their specific goals by providing sound recommendations without sacrificing the taste of the food, considers other factors such as exercise, stress and sleep, and most of all, Dietitians do not judge people by the food they eat.

To prevent relying on stereotypes, it is important to research a little bit more about a certain job and the skills that is required of the job before jumping into conclusions because we might be surprised how wrong we are about assumptions, whether negative or positive.

Tuesday, September 11, 2018

Blog # 3

I Am From...


I am from the 7, 107 islands, Pearl of the Orient, sun rising from the east
Where there is beauty and disaster
I am from the typhoons, floods, and fires 
where there is camaraderie and smiling faces despite the misfortunes
I am from the clear waters and dirt roads to row houses and commercial buildings

I am from diaries and stickers
I am from rope games and hide-and-seek, playing ‘till the sun goes down
I am from the pink barbie rolling backpacks and superhero lunch box
I am from school parades and marching band
I am from a twin sister and a brother

I am from superstitious beliefs like “jump as high as you can on new year to be taller”
I am from ghost stories and gossips
I am from the loudest new years, counting from ten to one
(Firecrackers, loud vehicle horns, and fireworks)
I am from traditional Christmas celebrations
 From feasts, caroling, exchange gifts, and Christmas songs played everywhere from September

Friday, September 7, 2018

Blog #2: Mushfaking


"I'm Great at Faking it"




What is “Mushfaking”? To understand that term we must first understand what a Discourse means. 

According to James Paul Gee in his journal “Literacy, Discourse, and Linguistics,” a Discourse is a sort of “identity kit” which comes complete with the appropriate costume and instructions on how to act, talk, and often write, so as to take on a particular role that others will recognize. Furthermore, a Discourse is not something that can be acquired by “overt instruction” but by learning and experiencing social practices with the guidance of the people around you who have already mastered the Discourse. In other words, what we have learned from our primary social groups such as our family and peers when we were young will determine what Discourses we have now and how well we mastered have it. But as we grew up, we are continually experiencing new things in our life which can bring us to situations we are unfamiliar with. When this happens, we perform a certain role we have not yet mastered. This is called the “Mushfake Discourse” which means “partial acquisition coupled with meta-knowledge and strategies to make-do.” In other words, you are able to pretend you have learned an unmastered Discourse whenever necessary.

I can tell you that I am always mushfaking. Whether it be at work, school, or with acquaintances, I always have to fake a Discourse. Even right now, I am mushfaking in this blog. Ever since I was young, I am not very vocal with my feelings and I struggle with making conversations. Making this blog and pretending like I know what I am doing is quite ironic isn’t it? What you probably did not know is that it took me a long time to get this blog to be this long. With that being said, I would like to share you my biggest mushfake experience, or so I remember.

So, you guys know how nerve-racking is the interview process for a job right? During my interview for my third job, my interviewer was all cheerful and friendly so I tried to be as cheerful as possible as well. I tried to smile and nod as often as possible to whatever was being said, acted optimistic, and during that time, I was able to make conversations longer than I usually am able to. I also wore white pants and a light blue formal button-up shirt tucked in to look decent. However, deep inside I was intimidated, my energy was draining and all I could think of was “how long is this interview gonna be?” I think that I went overboard that time as compared to my real personality and I really felt that I was a different person, if that makes sense. But I think that it paid off because I got the job right away. However, by the time I started my first day, I kind of toned down my cheerful personality and went back to being timid. I still have to fake my work Discourse though because I don’t think I will survive if I become my real self at work. At work I am all smiles, nice, very hardworking, I seldom complain, and always tell people I am “okay”. Basically, I am like the child in the picture above. At home I am a little lazy, still nice but I am more truthful with my feelings, and expressive. If I get stressed at work and school, I only show it at home and so sometimes I get irritable at home, so I like to spend time alone sometimes to keep my stress levels low. Overtime, it gets easier to perform my “work role” but it still is not the same as how I am outside of work. 



Sunday, September 2, 2018

Blog #1: Six-Word Memoir


The Simple Things I Appreciate Most



I love the color of the sky when the sun hits the horizon. I love the colorful flowers that blooms in the Spring. In fall, I love when the leaves slowly fall off the trees and cover the ground with maple colors. I love dogs, especially Penny, my family’s chihuahua mix. I love the feeling of the cold wind in my face when it is hot outside. I love walking by the bay and just admiring everything that I see. And I love being with my family when I’m free. All these things I realized and experienced here in San Diego and I am always thankful to the Lord for these blessings. 

The top picture was taken at school grounds. I was working on a project and I decided to take this photo.


This is my first San Diego cruise experience. I remember thinking that it was
gonna be boring since we were gonna be on a cruise for an hour but I ended
 up enjoying it. I thought it was very relaxing and I really like watching the
 sun go down.

Another sunset look of the sky. I don't know what it is about the sky that I never
get tired of looking at. This is in Mission Bay. I was walking with my sister and a
 friend at this moment.


A little background about me is that I grew up in the Philippines and that I moved here in San Diego when I was 18 years old, about 4 years ago. I cannot believe that it has been that long already! During those years, I experienced many new things and I have learned to appreciate the little things. As you might already know, Philippines is so much different than San Diego. From the culture, people, environment, food, and weather. But it didn’t take me long to be able to adjust to the culture here. I experienced my many firsts here including: my first job, cruise, hike, owning a car, and more. After about a year after moving here, I started school and from there I also started to become more outgoing.


I love the lavender color of the flowers or leaves in here.
I took this picture as I was waiting for the bus to go to
work.
I think that I took this photo from the backyard
 of my step-grandma. It looks like the sun is peeking
at you doesn't it?


I love the look of the condensation in the windows. I
could smell the morning air just by looking at this picture.


Whenever I took the bus to work and to school (since I didn’t know how to drive yet at the time), I always feel thankful for being able to look at the beautiful environment. Up until now, I still get mesmerized by the seasonal changes I see in San Diego. I love looking at the trees and sky whenever I walk outside. I smile when I see any tiny animals like birds, butterflies, and snails minding their own business. I often find myself just looking at things and think how lucky I am to be able to see these things. 


Oh, and I just want to share some pictures of my dog Penny. She looks a lot bigger than a normal chihuahua and she looks a little like a pitbull too. We don't know exactly what mix she has except chihuahua so I don't usually know what to tell people when they don't believe she is a chihuahua mix. LOL. Anyways, I hope these pictures will bring a smile to your faces. 



 








Blog #6 Discourse Community and Community of Practice

Me, Myself, and, I Growing up I continued to develop many identities depending on the situations I am in, roles I am taking, an...