Life Long Lesson

If I tried to capture my experience abroad in a few words I would fail myself for trying to do so. My experience abroad was one to remember not only because it was my first time out of the United States but because I met great people, did exciting things like travel to Iguazoo and go on a bike ride through out the city. But rather than speak on individual experiences I will attempt to wrap up my experience in Buenos Aires, Argentina in this blog and what lesson I learned that I will carry with me for the rest of my days.

If I learned something from the Argentina folk that I met it's to live life to the fullest while also appreciating where you are and what is around you. I can't express enough how friendly and outgoing the Argentine people were. Every individual interaction that I had with an Argentine person was both informative and exciting at the same time. To be more specific I met a guy named Christian. Christian was born and raised in Argentina so he knew about all the historical sites, all the greatest restaurants and bars and even introduced me to more Argentine folks. Whenever Christian was around it felt as though there was a presence of life where it was absent. What I mean by this is that Christian would always have a huge smile on his face and would talk to everyone that was around him. It may seem as though I am describing a lot of people that I know but for some reason this interaction was different. It was educational and fun at the same time. Christian would get everyone in the perimeter to indulge themselves in whatever it was that we were doing. If we went sightseeing Christian would make sure that everyone was paying attention to what we were seeing. When we went out to have fun Christian would make sure that everyone was having fun. Christian was the kind of person that you wanted to be around. The reason that I am using Christian as a representation of the Argentine folk is because every Argentine that I met was this way. They were a very outgoing and happy people much less resource and material than the American people. I thought to myself when I was in Argentina "how are these people always so happy and outgoing".

Recently I heard someone in seminar mention something about pride. I saw pride in every single Argentine persons face while I was abroad in Argentina. The pride that the Argentine folk have was extremely apparent and easy to see. I also thought to myself "I really should have more pride in where I'm from and what I have rather than focus on what I don't have". This thought occurred over and over while I was in Argentina.

Christian taught me that wherever you are and wherever you go enjoy it and live in the moment. Christian also taught me to involve everyone around you in the fun that your having or the activities that you are doing. This is something that I have trouble with seeing as how I'm not a very social person but Christian taught me to set aside my insecurities and doubts and live the one and only life that we've been given. Live each and every opportunity that you have because in the end this life is really the only thing that we as a people really have.

After my experience in Argentina I will carry myself with more confidence, life and ultimately pride in myself and everything that I have and am on my way to doing.

La BOMBA de TIEMPO!!

 Talk about a good time. About a week into my trip overseas in Buenos Aires, Argentina the crew and myself decided to take a trip to a place where there would be a combination of cultural richness and a place where we could have fun. So we went to La BOMBA de TIEMPO. No this is not a typo, that is actually how their name is spelled! Nowhere have I ever felt so connected to a place as I did on this day at this event. The drummers all seemed as though they were one with the music and with how the people felt. As the drums slowed down the pace at which the people were dancing slowed down and when the drummers picked the pace back up the people were going wild! I would consider this event to be a sort of cultural entity in which the Argentine people come and support drummers and the music. Besides drums there was also a mixture of different instruments that were used to get the Argentine people going. There were maracas and tamborines which added to the richness of sound in the music. There was also what is known in the United States as a "Maestro" who led the music and directed the sound with hand movement and even jumped in and added his own music at times. Below are a couple more pictures that were taken at La BOMBA de TIEMPO...

Just as the drums are a big part of other cultures musics, they are huge in Argentina. I felt alive at this event. The people moved with the beat of the drums and I followed. The ambiance in the place was amazing and I enjoyed listening to every second of the beautiful sounds that came from every instrument during the show. 

Buenos Aires Cemetery

Buenos Aires Cemetery

On my fourth day in Buenos Aires, Argentina  a couple of the guys and I took a trip to the infamous cemetery of Buenos Aires where historical figures, political figures and even famous scientists have immaculate and beautiful tombs dedicated to their existence. Once we walked into this cemetery what was most notable to they eye were the unique monuments that are placed immediately at the forefront of the cemetery. This cemetery was astonishing especially because of the structure and layout of it all. It reminded me of a small scale city, with beautiful architecture. There were pathways that were like sidewalks and each of these pathways led you down a path with more and more tombs. What surprised me the most was the fact that you can see caskets right inside the tombs, which was also pretty scary. I tried to look inside of all of the tombs and found that some of the tombs contained staircases that led to a lower level. That also really freaked me out. Directly below you can see the inside of a tomb as well as a guide map of the cemetery which shows the layout including all of the pathways...

Another amazing fact about the cemetery is that it is the cemetery where Eva Duarte De Peror has her tomb. Eva Peror was a woman that fought not only for the rights of woman's rights in Argentina but for all marginalized groups. These groups included workers rights as well as woman's rights. Below you will find pictures that demonstrate that Eva is united with her family in her tomb as well as notes that people that travel from around the world to see her tomb leave for her in appreciation of what she has accomplished...

Just walking into this historic cemetery I felt as though I was a small part of the history of Argentina. I felt the essence of the importance of the Argentine history as well. Touring the cemetery was a wonderful and insightful experience and I would never think twice about visiting again.

How have internships affected my career goals and how have internships prepared me for employment?

Throughout the time that I have spent at Southern New Hampshire University through the College Unbound program I have obtained internships. The purpose of obtaining these internships is to prepare us in our field of interest and to inform our choices thereafter regarding our career choice. Just recently I have completed an internship at the Department Of Education, where I worked closely with the Deputy Commissioner of Education, Paul Leather. Whilst there, I was assigned several tasks such as generating a report discussing the reasons for the drop-out rates in Manchester and Nashua, writing research papers on important educational figures in the country and I have even partaken in meetings with the State Board of Education, the Stupski Foundation and the Manchester School of Technology. These experiences have not only helped inform and narrow what I want to do in my future but have opened the doors to more opportunity. For example, one of the projects that I worked on toward the end of my internship at the Department Of Education was coordinating a Student Summit. This involved a lot of meetings with folks that were participating in the Summit and also involved me connecting with an educational pioneer all the way from Oakland, CA. These tasks have allowed me to make impressions and connections with new perspective places of employment. Having gone through this internship has also helped me to narrow what I want to do and how I want to change education. Coming in to College Unbound I knew I wanted to change education but didn't really know how. Now I know exactly what I want to do and am working toward doing it.

Internships and internship opportunities have prepared me for employment in several ways. One of the ways in which my previous internship has prepared me for employment is through the practice of professionalism. In the Department Of Education there was rarely any room for casual behavior because I was always in a situation where I had to be professional. Another way that my internship has helped me for employment is through work ethic. Whenever I was assigned a task I had to complete the task promptly and report to Paul as soon as I had finished. These little things and more have helped me to reach my goal of beginning a career in the field of education.

How is Twitter beneficial to Business Communications?

Some may see Twitter as a social network site (SNS) that eludes to excessive time consumption. Others see Twitter as a marketing and communication tactic that proves to be pretty effective and successful in reaching our "online population" of people. I am personally one to look at Twitter in the same light as Facebook, a waste of what could be productive time and a networking site that is risky to allow in any workplace as this website is ultimately utilized for ones own personal purposes. But this blog isn't about what I think. This blog post identifies why Twitter might actually be a benefit to businesses and ultimately business communication with the masses.

Twitter, launched from San Francisco in 2006, is a cross between an online discussion board and an instant messaging system, that allows for users to post updates up to 140 characters on their activities. Users can subscribe to other users Twitter accounts and updates. Some Twitter posters even develop armies of followers.

In the case of Howard Lindzon, partner at a Toronto based hedge fund Knight's Bridge Capitol Partners, Twitter is actually a very useful tool. Unlike security trading message boards, "Twitter is not spam-filled with people talking about penny stocks" says Lizdon (Trombly, M., 2008). Lizdon actually liked the idea of Twitter being a closed conversation circuit so much that he created StockTwits, a service that searches for Twitter postings that mention stock symbols. 

In another case where Twitter serves as a beneficial networking site for the purpose of business communications, Timothy Sykes utilizes Twitter to promote his blog which offers investment advice "for entertainment purposes only," and for research. "I would guess that there are thousands-or tens of thousands-of financial industry professionals who are not using their real names and following people" says Sykes (Trombly, M., 2008).

But it is not just individual entrepreneurs utilizing the Twitter service phenomena. The Milwaukee Police Department is one of hundreds of police agencies also utilizing Twitter to promptly communicate as well as the Wellesley Mass. Police Department who was one of the first police departments to use Twitter to mass distribute any information that they see as noteworthy. These departments are tweeting about traffic situations, ground searches, descriptions of missing children and vulnerable adults, and crime information such as suspect descriptions (Perin, M., 2009). 

So maybe Twitter isn't as bad as I initially thought. Like anything else, the networking website has its pro's and con's, just as Facebook has it's own. Police departments use the site to mass distribute urgent news while business entrepreneurs use it to inform their followers of certain things, such as stocks and investment advice. In conclusion, Twitter is only going to be beneficial to business communications if utilized in the correct manner and Twitter will not be beneficial if not utilized in the correct manner. The sources used for this post prove that Twitter is a beneficial service in some cases if used properly and responsibly.

 

 

Facebook controversy arises in workplaces..

Should Facebook be banned from the workplace? Can an employers internet access be revoked?..

Questions like this arise when touching on the sensitive topic of Facebook in the workplace. Recently the government of Ontario has barred it employees from access to Facebook. Apparently employers believe that allowing access to social networking sites such as Facebook decreases productivity within the workplace. Originally Facebook was created to connect students in colleges for easier access to information in 2004 at Harvard University. Facebook has now turned into a media outlet for millions of people across the world. Exchanging valuable information over a social networking website such as Facebook is now almost an unimaginable reality because of the amount of people who actually have a Facebook account now. The issue of  minors joining the Facebook phenomena is now also an issue in which Facebook seeks to fix.

Facebook in the work place can be very distracting and this is the reason that the Ontarian government and workforce employers are choosing to stick with. If you ask me I completely agree that Facebook can be a distraction in the workplace and if it isn't than employees shouldn't have a problem with it being banned from the workplace to begin with. If Facebook wasn't a distraction in the workplace employees wouldn't mind it being banned because the issue wouldn't be that serious. Some of the reasons employers seek Facebook to be a distraction is because it can ultimately decrease the amount of time an employee actually spends working which is what employees get payed for. 

Ultimately, I agree with the Ontario government that Facebook should in fact be banned from workplaces. Maybe not all workplaces depending on the leniency of the environment but in places such as government offices and workplaces of that nature. This issue is really a case by case basis, but the idea of the Facebook phenomena being eliminated from the workplace sounds like a good idea to me. It's less tempting and ultimately far less distracting than knowing that you can access Facebook at any time.

Facebook in higher education organizations should also consider banning Facebook. Facebook has a large impact on the younger population considering the amount of access that Facebook gives the user to other sources such as games, links to other networking sites, videos, messaging and etc. Facebook can also contain pornographic content which can ultimately lead to the firing of an employee or the emancipation of a student from their class. Like most other things in today's age Facebook serves as a temptation and an escape from where one currently is. If a student is said "bored" in class they will likely turn to Facebook, a getaway from what is going on in the moment or during an important lecture. If an employee is bored and has said "nothing to do" they will also likely turn to a resource such as Facebook instead of finding other tasks to complete in order to keep busy.

Think about it this way.. If you owned an organization or corporation and you were the employer of approximately 1,000 plus employees all within the age group of 21-35, would you be worried about the amount of time people were spending actually working? Personally, I would eliminate that worry by saying farewell to Facebook in my workplace!

Source: www.employmentlawtoday.com (Facebook controversies arise in workplaces)