Essay 8

On Tuesday I went into town for groceries and got dinner at McDonald’s with my friends. When I was at McDonald’s it was very lively and busy because it was the dinner time. I saw many school uniforms and delivery drivers as well. There was a lot to observe. I remember we were sat across the restaurant from a family of four, with two young children. One had to be under four and the other was probably around 8 or 9. I observed many nonverbal ways of communication, specifically between the mother and the children. At many points in the dinner, the younger child started to wander and the mom would wave him back or use the stop hand motion. I recognized these as examples of emblems. I also noticed her use of affect displays when she was trying to control the younger child. Her eyebrows would furrow every time the little boy would walk away to show him that she was frustrated. I also noticed that the father was keeping track of the older child and at one point noticed his use of haptics to show his son love when he hugged him tight. Additionally, I saw at one point the father gave the older boy a head nod to tell him he could go to the bathroom. This is what I understand to be an example of a regulator. In just a simple dinner, I observed many ways this family communicated nonverbally.

 

Essay 4

As I was thinking about my “cores” and flexes” while watching this Ted Talk, I started to get a little confused because I believe I am very flex heavy. Middleton mentions during her talk that teenagers usually tend to be more flex because we are more apt to try knew things and test out what our actual core values are. I believe this is very true when it comes to me, especially in this stage of my life. Things that I thought my cores are, actually turned out to be flexes. For example, I first thought of my frustration with people being on time. I have a friend who is awful at it and it sometimes can get on my nerves because it seems to be such an easy thing to do. After more thinking, I realized that I am very forgiving and if it were to be a situation where it was a cultural difference, I would have no problem containing my frustrations. I then thought about the people I surround myself with and how they affect me. This is something I have been thinking about a lot since being here at Harlaxton. I have found that I enjoy positive people and “yes mans.” Negativity does not have a place in my life and it is one of my biggest pet peeves. I’m not sure if this can count as a true “core” but for me it is something I truly value in my life. I value always saying yes and trying knew things even if I am not totally excited about doing it. I also think this has become much more apparent to me since being in such a vulnerable place during study abroad. Being young and traveling lends itself to try to make the most out of every experience. I live by the quote “you only live once.” For right now, that feels like the closest thing to my core but I am eager to learn and grow with myself.

 

Essay 1

In class the other day when we were talking about our experiences with language barriers, I immediately thought of my dad while we were on a trip to Mexico. We were visiting Merida and had booked a full day trip, visiting three different cenotes. We had a driver for the entire day, but he spoke very little english, and my dad only spoke very basic Spanish. The day started off very quiet and awkward but every ride we had, my dad would try his best to ask the driver questions about himself. By the end of the day, we invited the driver to dinner, and he was showing us pictures of his daughters who were in university. Although we had a rough start, by the end we made a new friend because we pushed through the awkward language barrier portion. I am very eager to learn about and speak with people from different cultures. From the very small experiences I have, it is heartwarming to be able to connect with people who do not share my same life experiences. As a theatre artist, that is what my life is all about. Human connection. Collecting stories and memories is what I live for as a storyteller. I think taking this class is going to help me out more than I thought and I am curious to dive deeper into this work. I am most curious to improve my communication skills and see how they translate as I travel this semester.