My Batman.

For this last action project for my humanities class called Stories, we talked about heroes and how we can analyze them in stories and in movies. In order to do that we learned about Joseph Campbell's the theory of Monomyth. What I found most challenging about this project was understanding Campbell’s theory, because I don’t really think that way when I watch a movie, or read a book. But now that I know Campbell’s theory, it makes movies and stories easier to understand. What I enjoyed the most about this action project was creating it. This action project is so different from any I have done during this course and I like how it challenged me. 

For my project I picked Batman as one of my heroes. I grew up watching the movie Batman Returns, so it really reminds me of my childhood, plus Batman is the only superhero that I actually like. For my real-life hero I picked my mom, and the reasoning for that is because she did so much for my sibling and I; as a young mom she got to graduate high school and continue with college. My mom is a very brave and strong woman. I look up to her everyday. She is also very caring, and just like Batman, she always wants to help other people and puts those she loves first before herself. Below is my 8 stages of my hero's journey, its a slideshow on paper that explains what Batman went through. Also below is my interview with my mom, learning about her 8 stages of a hero's journey. 

Created by JV, "Batman" 2014*

Created by JV, "Batman" 2014*

Me: What made you want to become a nurse, and working at a nursing home?
Mom: I always wanted to be a nurse since I was a little girl, it was just something that I always wanted to do. I wanted to work at a nursing home because I knew that I would be helping seniors who needed extra care and I wanted to give them that. 

Me: what motivates you to keep doing what you do?
Mom: What motivates me is you and your sibling, you guys mean so much to me and I know what I am doing is so good for your guys future. What also motivates me is all the people that I am helping.

Me: Do you have a mentor?
Mom: Yes! your father is my mentor he helped me grow as a person and pushed me when I was falling. He also helped me raise you guys, and helped me go to school.

Me: Have you ever mentored anyone?
Mom: Yes, I have trained many people at my job! I trained them very well so they can learn and pass down good working habits!

Me: What were you doing before you became a nurse?
Mom: I was in school and raising you, when I left high school you were a baby. Than when I entered college I was pregnant with your sister. Nursing was my first job ever, so it was a big transition and hard to get use to.

Me: What was the biggest challenge that you went through when you first became a nurse?
Mom: The biggest challenge was raising two little babies when I first became a nurse, and learning all about nursing because it wasn't easy at all!

Me: What was the biggest challenge that you face throughout your life?
Mom: The biggest challenge that I faced was finding out that I have a heart condition. I was so scared because I was always in the hospital and I didn't even know that I had a heart disease. That changed my life so much.

Me: How did you finding out you had a heart disease change you for the better?
Mom: Finding out that I had a heart disease changed me for the better because I wanted to get better for me and for you guys. I started exercising more and eating healthy, also started to appreciate life more as well.

Me: What skills have you learned/held on to your whole life?
Mom: Good question! Um, I would say one helping other people because you're giving them your time and when you help other people, in return you will receive good things in your life. Other would be to be patient and never take nothing for granted.

Citations: Movie and Pictures. 

Batman Returns. DR. Tim Burton. Prod. Tim Burton. Warner bros, 1992

Curtis Lopez. Curtis & Movies. January 2, 2013. Internet: curtisandmovies.blogspot.com. 23 Oct 2014.

The Diamond Shell.

During this Unit called lessons in my Humanities Stories, I learned about fables and how they work. For this action project, I had to create and share my own fable to teach a lesson based on my values and life goals. My fable is to teach how to be comfortable in your own body, and not to care what people think about you. I feel like a lot of people deal with this all around the world, and especially teenagers because we are going through so many changes as we are getting older. What I learned during this unit is to really understand what a story is trying to say, and what meaning the author is trying to tell the reader. What I found most challenging about this project was writing my story; I love writing stories, but writing fables is so much harder because you have to show the meaning, and use animals as humans. What I enjoyed most about this project was coming out of my shell like Ina did, to write about how I feel in real life.

 Created by JV "Ina the Turtle" 2014*

It was a cold autumn morning in Camon France, where the leaves are dark fall colors and the wind is chilly. Ina was laying in her shell looking up wondering, why she looked so different from the other turtles in her village. All the other girls, had dull colors on their shell, like gray and brown with no patterns. Ina’s skin is gray but her shell looks like colorful diamonds were placed on her back. Ina has a great personality. She is very outgoing, open-minded, and gets attached to people very fast. Even though she is amazing, she is very quiet and shy because other animals judge the way she looks. Some say she is weird looking, some say she is boring and mean because she never talks. Some don’t like her because they are too jealous.

When Ina stopped thinking about how she looked, she popped out of her shell and started getting ready for school. When she arrived she saw her best friend Mora, who is a rabbit and is very open and flirts with everyone she loves every inch of her body and never care’s about what anybody thinks. She is very slim has beautiful rosy red cheeks and eye lashes that are as long as weeds in a field. 

Mora went up to Ina and said, “Hey what are you doing after school?”

Ina spoke very softly, “I don’t have any plans why whats up?”

More smiled, “Lets hang out with Cindy, and Jay?”

Ina Chuckled, “Um oh I’m not sure.”

Ina didn't want to join them because everybody always treated her so weirdly, because of the way she looked. She always felt very uncomfortable around other girls her age because their bodies looked so different from her’s. But deep down, Ina didn't want to care what people thought about her, as Mora was walking away, Ina shouted, “Mora I’ll go!” She wanted to show everybody who she really was, not just who she is because of her body.

After school all four of them met up by the French coffee house, as they talked they got to know in better. Cindy told Jay, “Ina is a really cool turt!” Jay replied back “I really loved getting to know her, she is amazing!” As Ina got to know more people at her school, she realized that she can be herself completely. She can be comfortable in her own colorful shell!

 Created by JV "French Cafe" 2014*

Planet Balance.

The purpose for this first Action project for my Humanities class, Stories, a history and culture class that focused on past, present, and future stories. During the first unit, “Creations”, I learned about stories and myths that come from a variety of cultures. For this AP, I had to come up with my own creation myth using descriptive language that helps explain the features of my world as I imagine it to be. I wanted my myth to be a fairy tale, because as a kid I loved reading stories like that. What I found helpful was using similes and metaphors in my story because those are devices I need to work on. What I found most challenging was writing out my ideas using sensory imagery because I am not use to writing out ideas. I enjoyed creating my own myth; I thought that was very different, and it helped me open up my imagination. 

Created by JV "Balance" 2014*

The Planet Balance gets its name from the balance of witches, fairies, and vampires that live on the planet. All three creatures are responsible for the existence of Balance. The witches were created with Balance; they are like the heart and soul of the planet. Balance is right next to that boring Planet Earth, but Balance is so small that no one can “actually” see it. Balance is the ideal world to live in because it has anything and everything you can think of, like being happy the fairies can hypnotize other creatures and make them very sleepy dreaming of magical things. The shape of the plant is oval, because that represents the Black Jewels symbol of magic.

The witches are called Black Jewels because sometimes they can be insidious with their black magic. At other times they shine like diamonds and can be so peaceful and harmless. The witches love their hocus pocus. The closest relatives that the Black Jewels have are the Human Fairies, which are the rulers of the west side of Balance. An enchanted fairyland that has nothing but peace and happiness. There is nothing evil in the west no sadness, either. The fairies are as sweet as honey - they bring balance to what life is with their happiness and enjoyment of life and what it means, The witches love nature, and the west side of Balance is clean and undamaged. The fairies love and care for everyone no matter how others treat them. Human fairyland is like a dream but way better, anything and everything can happen there. The fairies fly around spreading love and happiness, they make the whole planet light up like a bright highlighter. Their house are made out of leaves and twigs, so big that a thousand can live in one. The planets smell like sweet candy.

The Vampires are the evil ones, but they also provide balance in the planet because they create drama and suspense. They like to feed on any animal that is a part of Balance, but don’t like to feed on fairies because their blood is too sweet. The Vampires were created by the Black Jewels because they needed something evil, carefree and dark to take over the eastern region part of Balance. Cold-blooded creatures were needed because of the temperatures in that area.

The weather in Balance is always autumn-like, because none of the creatures can live in warm weather the sky is always dull with black clouds, and there is always an eclipse. None of the creatures can live with much sunlight, yet the plants bloom in different colors like dark purple, burnt orange, mist yellow, and bold red, looking very whimsical and vibrant. The land itself is covered with very dark green grass, and the animals of Balance look crazy and creepy, made of different dark colors, like they came out of a Halloween movie. It is always raining on Balance and is a time when the witches’ spirits come out to clean any darkness the vampires have created, which is constant.

There's one holiday that all the creatures celebrate and that is Devina. The name of this special day comes from the oldest Black Jewel, who was the most powerful of all the witches, but died while creating the Vampires. When Devina created the vampires she gave them everything she had which was her happiness, darkness, and sadness. All her magic went to the Black jewels and fairies giving each one their own unique power. Till this day no Black Jewel or Fairy knows who will be the next Supreme Witch. The holiday happens at the end of every three months when all of the creatures get together in the deep and wicked woods, where the branches have eyes and the leaves bite, they gather to see what creature can be created next through the Black Jewels’ magic.