What I learned in AMST 100

There are many things I learned this semester, but one thing that especially sticks out in my mind is that culture is made up of experiences. The reason why some cultures behave the way they do is not because they were born in a certain area, but because they were raised that way. This epiphany came through the various readings from our textbook, about the millennials and generation X, etc. We are all Americans, but we turned out so different due to the environment that we lived in.

Word Count: 88

Paper 2 Draft: Memories

I find that most people have one or two memories that they can vividly remember from their childhoods. Mine is when I was leaving to go to America from Korea. I remember looking out the back of a taxi cab, watching the sun rise behind the apartment we lived in for eight years. I remember the sounds of my mother crying softly and the sight of my father smiling a bittersweet smile. I even remember what the people on the radio were talking about; it was some Korean radio talk show about the weather and a new movie that was coming out. I remember my feelings of anxiety of moving away from the only place I've known for all of my life. I was sad that I wasn't going to be able to walk across the street to my friend's house anymore. I wasn't going to be able to walk down to my grandmother's house and ask her to cook for me. I wasn't going to be able to walk down to my aunt and uncle's house and play computer games with my cousin. But at the same time, I was excited. I saw America in the news many times; I wanted to see the cool looking cars and live in those huge homes that everyone seemed to live in. On television, everyone in America seemed happy, rich, and satisfied. The mix of my emotions left me confused and unable to decide whether I should be happy or sad. It was only when I finally came to America that I realized that, even though Korea is great, I'd rather live in this amazing country of opportunities.

Word Count: 276

Home Court

The basketball court located in GORC park near my house is a popular gathering location for high school students and some live-at-home college students (like myself). Completed with two courts and four hoops, it is a good location for friends to meet up and play basketball. In my observation, I found that rarely anyone went in the mornings, but around five or six o' clock, the court was filled. The court is easily accessible, as it is located in the middle of my neighborhood. This is a great place for really anyone looking to play a pickup game of basketball.

Word Count: 100

This I Believe (Alandre Cato)

Success Through Failure
Alandre Cato

Word Count: 251

I used to believe that in this world, there were naturally smart people and naturally not-so-smart people. I believed that some things were out of reach for some people, and that sometimes, no matter how much one tried to achieve something, it wouldn’t matter, as that thing was just too high on the shelf of possible achievements.

Then I learned that the world wasn’t divided between naturally smart people and naturally not-so-smart people. The world is divided into people who try and don’t try. There are people who make an effort to be good at something, and there are others who tell themselves that they won’t be able to do it. The people who make an effort fail often, and the people who don’t make an effort fail once. I learned that it’s only through failure that people succeed. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team. It took a thousand tries for Thomas Edison to develop a successful prototype of the light bulb. Walt Disney was fired from his newspaper job for “lacking imagination” and “having no original ideas,” and Oprah Winfrey was demoted from her job as a news anchor because she “wasn’t fit for television.”

And so I’ve learned to try at things. Through my process of writing this paper, I’ve realized that I haven’t failed much because I haven’t tried much. People say that “failure is life’s greatest teacher,” and I agree completely.

I believe that true success comes through genuine effort and disappointing failures.

Apple is my stuffed bear

Kids always have that special stuffed animal that later becomes a sign of their childhood comfort. For me, my stuffed bear is an Apple iPod Nano, which later turned into an iPod Touch and finally into my iPhone. I'm used to Apple products, and so if I can, I'll lean towards getting them. I'll always lean towards something that makes me comfortable, mainly because I'm not someone who is willing to branch out and try new stuff. In fact, I'll probably get a Mac once I graduate and move out, because Apple just makes me comfortable. I like comfortable.

Word count: 99

My name is Alandre, and I have two hometowns

I was born in Staten Island, New York, and so if I wanted to impress a certain group of individuals in a certain way I would tell them I am from Staten Island. Four months after I was born my mother and father returned to Korea, specifically to Daegu, the fourth largest city in Korea. I would say it was a good balance; I would satisfy my American dad by getting my fill of "America" at my English-speaking school, then would return home to satisfy my Korean mother by being immersed in the Korean culture the rest of the time.

Word Count: 100