Getahun’s English Blog

When I watched the film "Lamb" (2015), I felt like it captured what Ethiopian culture is like. The story follows a young boy named Ephraim who moves to the countryside to live with relatives after his mother dies, bringing his beloved lamb with him. I recognized so many parts of my own culture in the movie—from the way families interact, to the importance of food, farming, and faith. The scenery, language, and traditions all felt very real and familiar. It was nice to see Ethiopia shown in a respectful and honest way, without the usual stereotypes. Watching this movie made me feel proud of my background, and I think it helps others understand how beautiful and rich Ethiopian culture is. I also found many parallels in the life that the boy in the movie was living and the life my dad had lived growing up in Ethiopia, when it came to farming, herding, religion, etc. Summary: Today, we watched the rest of the groups present their projects about negative cultural stereotypes portr...

Something I have outgrown but still miss is playing video games. I still play video games from time to time, but not nearly as frequently as in the past, and I also don't enjoy as much as I used to. I believe it to be one of the things that I can do throughout my life, but the enjoyment from it decreases. This may be in part to having less free time the older I get and that being the same with my friends so that I just have less time to enjoy it. It could also be due to the fact I have played these games for a long part of my life, and I simply have gotten tired, or I am just growing out of it. Despite all of this, I do miss the memories and fun that it would bring. Playing afterschool or afterchurch with my friends are some of the best memories I have from my childhood. I don't plan on giving up video games entirely, but I hope when I do play I can feel like a kid again. Summary: Today we worked on a vocabulary assignment in class and we had a substitute teacher. We had to cho...

Some common stereotypes I believed about high school students included that I thought the athletes would all be arrogant and not care about school, that the popular kids would be mean and exclusive, and that everyone would be divided into rigid cliques like in the movies. I also assumed that upperclassmen would look down on freshmen and that high school would be filled with constant drama. Although, when I actually lived through high school, I realized these stereotypes were very exaggerated and untrue for the most part. While some students did fit those molds a little, most people were way more complex and open than I expected. Overall, I learned that those stereotypes weren’t very accurate, and high school students are a lot more diverse than I originally thought. Absent this day.

A few years ago, when I was volunteering at a local homeless shelter, I realized my perception of homelessness was shaped by stereotypes, in that I had assumed most people there were struggling due to poor life choices or addiction to substances. Although, after hearing stories from individuals who had lost jobs due to illness, fled domestic violence, or faced other hardships, I saw how complex and varied their experiences were. This realization challenged my assumptions and made me more empathetic and less judgmental. I began educating myself on the root and systemic causes of homelessness and made a conscious effort to see people as humans with universal experiences and motives rather than as simply labels. Summary: Today we were introduced to a group project regarding negative stereotypes on a selected culture. My group's selected culture was East Asia. In the project, we must create a 10 slide PowerPoint in which find a film, tv show, or other piece of media that portrays negat...

I remember when a new student moved to the middle school I went to, and because she wore a hijab, I, myself as well as others assumed she was quiet and possibly even oppressed. This single story we created in our heads, shaped by media stereotypes, completely overlooked her outgoing, funny, and independent personality. I saw firsthand how people missed out on knowing her real self because they attached to one narrow perspective. Limiting ourselves to a single story is dangerous because it creates misunderstanding and flattens people's nuances and complexities into one-dimensional characters. To truly see people and cultures more fully, we should stay curious, ask questions, and disregard preconceived notions. Everyone is more than the first impression we might have of them. Summary: Today, we worked on a CommonLit assignment about the danger of a single story. The author describes how stereotypes and assumptions about others can create a harmful single story of various things. She ...

Mastering precise vocabulary can impact your daily communication and academic success through making it easier to express your ideas and feelings correctly and clearly. It makes communication easier because there is less of a chance for others to misinterpret what you are saying and reduces the chance of miscommunication and confusion. A stronger and more precise vocabulary can also increase your confidence because you know you have a strong grasp on the concept or idea you are trying to express, which can help you talk to others or speak up publicly. It can also strengthen academic success because it displays a strong understanding of material and lessons and can put more weight into your arguments which can in turn improve your grades.    Absent this day.

When I become an adult I think I would prefer to live in the city rather than in the suburbs. This is because of the greater convenience of things around, greater cultural diversity, and the greater amount of opportunities that are present compared to the suburbs. When living in the city, most amenities and necessities are nearby and easy to access in contrast to the suburbs where things you need may be miles away. These include grocery stories, public transit, restaurants, and even a job. Also, a city is almost always more culturally diverse than the suburbs. This opens city dwellers up to experience the varying cultures that live together in a city, whether it be through food at restaurants, or music heard in the streets, or languages spoken. Finally, since most companies and organizations tend to settle in urban areas, it provides better opportunities in finding jobs and making important connections. Plus, the environmental benefits are greater from a smaller carbon footprint due to...