- Communication Skills -

          For this assignment I interviewed my mom, Carrie, because she doesn't mind being honest and we tend to argue a lot just because we are those kind of people so I thought she would say some interesting things. I also interviewed my friend Emily, who I met last year when I came to FPU. She is one of my best friends who is always around me, so I knew that she would have a lot of experience to draw from, plus she doesn't mind being honest.

          As far as strengths go, both my mom and Emily agreed that I have a good repertoire of skills and I know how and when to use each one. My mom noted that I am good with all sorts of age groups, and Emily said that I am always willing to start a conversation with someone which gives me a lot of experience. In addition, they said that when I am interested in a conversation that I will get very involved with it and I am interested in keeping the conversation going.

          On the other hand, in regard to involvement Emily said that I tend to be fairly obvious when I am not interested in a conversation, so in those cases I am less involved. As far as perspective and empathy go, my mom and Emily both agreed that this is one of my weaknesses because I tend to be very stubborn and opinionated. I always voice my opinion if it is a strong one, and I have a hard time listening to an opposing opinion.

          The results did not really surprise me, but it was interesting to talk to them because they pointed out things I had never noticed. For example, I never really thought about the fact that I am good with all age groups. Now that my mom said it I realized that is very true because I have been working with kids a lot over the years, plus I know a lot of adults through my parents who I have known for a long time and I have grown accustomed to learning how to communicate well with them.

          In order to improve my biggest weakness, perspective, I believe I have been working on this for years already. I have always been aware that I am stubborn and I have a hard time admitting to being wrong. My mom suggested that something like this is common in teens who tend to be egotistical, and things like travel and being in a variety of situations can help to fix this. Therefore it looks like I can put my patience into practice while in Vienna in order to see the perspectives of people who live in situations that may be hard for me to understand.

 

Me and Emily causing trouble at the bowling alley!

- 3 Interesting Blogs -

For Fans of Dr. Seuss' Journal

http://community.livejournal.com/_dr_seuss/

I recently visited my 6  year-old cousin and I was reading his Dr. Seuss books and it reminded me of how much I love the political aspects, morals, and creativity and fun of Dr. Seuss' writing's. The Lorax is my favorite = )

Fantasy Book Critic

http://fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com/

I really love reading fantasy novels and this blog has quite a long list of books that are reviewed by other readers. I never knew anything like this existed so I though it was pretty interesting.

Obama Blog

http://obamabarack.blogspot.com/

I am a big fan of President Barack Obama and I know that he has really used the internet to his advantage in order to reach teens so it's cool to look at the information that he is trying to get out to the youth of America.

- My Hopes for Vienna -

        During the semester in Vienna, I am hoping to become close with the other FP students going abroad. I only know a few of the students, and I do not know any of them especially well. Even though I am sad to be leaving my friends at school, I hope to become close with the other kids going to Vienna through this trip. I also want to travel throughout Europe quite a bit, since I have family all over Europe. Therefore I am hoping that the other FP students will be open to traveling all over Europe with me.

     My hopes for Professor Tullio and her family are that they are able to enjoy their trip as much as all of the students. I know that it must be a lot of work for Professor Tullio to plan out a semester in another country, so I hope that she knows how much we appreciate her efforts. I also hope that her family has fun and is able to interact with us. I love kids and hope to be able to hang out with them too!

     As far as my hopes for me go, I am primarily interested in being immersed in a new culture and being able to see what it is like to live in a foreign country. I have lived in many locations throughout the United States, but I have never lived outside of the country, yet I have always wanted to. In addition, as an Anthropology major I am very interested in cultural studies so I am hoping to learn about the culture in Vienna from a participant observation position. Since I have moved around so much I have learned to love it, so living in Vienna for 3 months is yet another opportunity for me to meet new people and branch out a little bit more. I believe that I am a very unique person due to the fact that I have lived in so many different places and I hope that this experience will add to this.

      I am nervous about a few things. First of all, I am not especially independent when it comes to travel, so I hope that I will become comfortable going all around Europe by myself and not being dependent on those around me. I am also a bit nervous about being home sick. I went to Hungary for 3 weeks when I was 14 and I got very homesick, so I hope that won't be a problem this time around. One other thing I am nervous about is not making the most of the trip. Since I was originally supposed to go to Athens, Vienna was not my first choice. I reluctantly decided to go to Vienna in the end, but I am now very excited about it. I hope that I will really enjoy the trip and be able to make the most of being in Vienna because I know this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I have wanted to study abroad since I was a kid, and I am nervous that I will not make the very best of it.

me, franca (my little sister), carrie (my mom), and megan (my big sister) on vacation in mexico!