Here at Xavier making new friends is quite easy for me. It has never been difficult for me to make friends. I feel that I can make friends any where I go and be at home once we become friends. Now there are all type of friends I have; for instance, I have Monday, Wednesday, and Friday friends, Tuesday and Thursday Friends, Residence Hall friends, and 5th Floor friends. I just have make a lot of friends here at Xavier that make me feel like I belong.
I study with my roommate and my other two friends. When we study it like I understand the concept better than when the teacher is giving it. I feel that we all can relate to one another so when we study its like I know that if I don’t understand they will be there to help me.
Here at Xavier I know so many people. Everyday I meet someone new and it’s like once I meet them I never forget who they are. I think I know so many people because I speak to everyone when I’m walking from class to class. It was the way I was brought up so have no choice in the matter.
My home is approximately 80 miles for Xavier. I’m pretty close to home so that’s probably why I feel so comfortable here. It is actually a great thing to be able to live this close to home so when I feel home sick all I have to do is go home.
Gevonne Ruffins:New Community of Friends Monday, Nov 24 2008
Uncategorized 5:20 am
Gevonne Ruffins Reflections on Tom Piazza and the Election Monday, Nov 24 2008
Uncategorized 4:56 am
Tom Piazza was a good speaker. He spoke well and he was willing to answer any questions anyone had about the book. I think it was a great idea for him to read an excerpt from his book “City of Refugees.” I felt that book had a great influence behind it. I think one day I might actually read the book. The book sounded like it will be a page-turner.
The election was a BIG change for America. I was so overjoyed at 10:30 p.m. when they announced that our President-Elect was Barack Obama. I didn’t know at that particular moment how I was feeling. At first I didn’t feel real to me, it took me a while to actually believe that he was the newly elected President of the United States. There was no doubt in my mind that he wasn’t going to win, but it was a life changing experience. I’m glad that I was able to vote in this historic election and that I have a historic experience that I can tell to my children and my grandchildren about. I’m not only excited about the election but I was also excited that the candidate that I actually voted for, actually won the election. My first time voting in an election and I was actually proud of the outcome. I hope that someday November 4.2008 will be not only Election Day but Obama Day. This election marked a new beginning for America. A fresh start and a fresh mind. I’m so proud. Obama Rules!
Gevonne Ruffins:The Presidental Election and Mr. DeBerry Monday, Nov 24 2008
Uncategorized 4:37 am
Citizenship to me means you have every right to every word under the constitution. I have a strong belief that if you are a citizen of this country then you have the right to an opinion. That’s my feeling of citizenship it’s a strong power within that word and it can mean so many different things to many people.
I WILL vote this election. It is my first election and I am so excited to vote. I feel that now I will be able to complain about any bad decisions that occur amongst the Americans because I will have exercised my right to vote. I am entitled to my own opinion and I can now feel like I am really an adult because I have the right to vote and I’m of legal age. This election is making me feel so vibrant. I say Obama rules!
Mr. DeBerry was a great speaker. I think he spoke really well to the freshmen class. I felt that he had a great connection with our class and he really related to New Orleans well. His love for New Orleans is a strong one and he isn’t afraid to show it. Also, Mr. DeBerry isn’t afraid to tackle the real issues that we as young Americans face in the world toady. I think he is a great motivational speaker and that he is on his way to making a BIG change for New Orleans. He is making this city so proud of him and what he has accomplished and is going to achieve. I say hats off to Mr. DeBerry and to continue to do what he is doing and love; making a difference through his words.
Local culture Tuesday, Nov 18 2008
Uncategorized 4:02 am
the neighborhood where I’m livign right now is a Vietnamese and Spanish neighborhood. They live together and doing business with each other. There is a Vietnamese market next to a Mexican restaurant. People seem to enjoy theirselves regardless of the races. It is a nice, quiet neighborhood. There is a small church where I usually go to. They have Both English, Vietnamese and Spanish masses. They also have coffee shops, bakeries and other stores opening for everyone. Eventhough it’s a Vietnamese neighborhood, African-American and White families are still there. They’ve been working together to rebuild the neighborhood after Katrina.
In my opinion, it doesn’t really matter it is a Asian, Black, or White neighborhood; the people still be nice to each other. They are living together, working together just to build a better New Orleans
Local Comunity Tuesday, Nov 18 2008
Uncategorized 3:40 am
During this time, people have been talking about why crime rate is still so high in New Orleans. The rates of killings and most types of property crime have kept pace with the city’s population increase .Such crimes are increasing despite an aggressive federal, state and city campaign that includes patrols by the National Guard and state police. In the past, New Orleans was rated as the bloodiest city in American. It is still the same right now.For me, there are some reasons why the rate of crime is high :
+ Turf wars between drug dealers who are vying for a smaller pool of users. An overwhelming number of killings revolve around selling and buying drugs.
+ Robbing has also increased, especially in New Orleans East area.
+ There are still a lot of gang crews.
So, the best thing to do right now is to increase the number of police officers. This will help control the crime rate. And also we have to secure our homes, our children. Be careful when going out at night and help preventing crimes.
Social Community Saturday, Nov 15 2008
Uncategorized 4:39 am
Making friends are the hardest thing for me to make. I’m really shy at first until i meet someone that i can talk to then i will open up. It usually takes me a while to make friends, i would say it is difficult for me to form a new community of friends. Now that I have some friends at Xavier, its easier for me to talk to people. The people i study with are Jordan and Sonja. I met them by my math class. Jordan has all my classes actually. I dont know a lot of people at Xavier, i guess that im use to the people im with for a while and then i met some people for other classes, but overall i dont have much friends at Xavier. Exactly how far do i live from Xavier, i live about 20 minutes away, I live in Metairie, so its quiet a drive, not too short or long.
Election Time Saturday, Nov 15 2008
Uncategorized 4:29 am
This election has hectic due to everyone voting and the news was crazy! Everyone around school had been excited and was excited for the night. Watching the news was ridiculous, watching the states turn in their numbers and having every state enter who won the most votes. All the blue and red colored on the United State picture. It was a close call for a second, and then it just varied. Then the big new OBAMA won. I could tell from the news that everyone had gotten excited, people crying, and people just going crazy. That day was a big day for not only Obama, but for history. Obama becoming the first black president had made a lot of people happy, just to see that one can fufil their dreams in making history in the making. I remember my dad walking around the house saying.. “Obama WON!” The next day at school was crazy too, everyone saying how excited they were and everything else. It was a moment to remember.
Social Community Friday, Nov 14 2008
Your first Xavier experience 10:09 pm
It is hard to make new friends! Especially when you have to start everything all over again; just like going to college. Ever since I started college, I’ve make a couple of new friends. When I first attended Xavier, I talk to some of my classmate and they are really friendly. Making new friend is not an easy thing for me to do because I’m very shy and I don’t really like to talk to stranger. I feel weird because I don’t know what to say or how to act in front of them. I still remember that I’m having a difficult time when I first attended Xavier. I feel like I was trap in a world where I don’t know anyone and I was afraid. I have some friend in Xavier that goes to the same high school with me, but I don’t have any class with them because we have a different major. A few weeks afterward, I feel like I fit in better. Although college is way different from high school, I know that I’m in process of learning how to be independent and grow up. Now, I don’t really remember how many people I know at Xavier because I’ve been talking to a lot of my classmate lately. Usually, I study by myself because I don’t study well with other people. I tend to get distracted when there are people around me. I’m glad that I talk to my classmate because when I got stuck with something, I tend to ask them first before I ask my instructor. I don’t know why, but I feel more comfortable asking my classmate.
Social Community Friday, Nov 14 2008
Uncategorized 4:14 am
I believe college could be easy and fun if you make friends in college. I have a few friends that already attended Xavier so I learned my around quickly because of them. There are a few of my friends from high school that came with me to Xavier so starting from day 1, I have people to talk to. I thought I had enough friends to get me through college, but it’s never a bad thing to have more friends. I’ve met a few other students in my classes to get help with any work or I could help them and learn more. Meeting people isn’t that hard, just be who you are. Then after awhile, my new friends would introduce me to some of their friends, and expand my “community of friends”. You would want to act yourself, so the other person could be relax around you. It’s not so hard for me because I’m just a friendly guy. I’ll crack some jokes from there to there to lighten up the mood at times. Even though I make new friends and get help from them, I don’t really study with others. I can’t concentrate with a study group because majority of the time, everyone tends to dose off the studying and start talking about other things. I just study by myself at Xavier’s library or at home. My house isn’t that far from Xavier. I live in the westbank, so that’s about a good 10-15 minutes if there isn’t traffic on the highway.
Tom Piazza and the Election Friday, Nov 7 2008
Uncategorized 4:17 am
Finally no more staying back til 7:00pm for a freshmen seminar event til next semester! So Tom Piazza, pretty cool dude. I thought he was going to be like a very boring-sounding speaker, but he was he sound like he was enjoying it. I think after like 10 minutes through, he started to read part of his story about Katrina. It was pretty late for me so I sort of slept through it. After he finished, he asked the students if they had any questions or critique about his book Why New Orleans Matters. I thought it was pretty humorous, but yet a stab in the heart, when the first student Piazza picked said he didn’t like the book at all. Other than that, he kept us in for an extra 15 minutes.
Now about the election. Right after I got home from voting, which took a minute, I turned on the T.V. and waited for the election to come on. When it came on, I was hooked onto the T.V. like when Pokemon and Yugioh came on when I was kid. One by one, the gray states started to turn red or blue. Obama was winning by a landslide while McCain was like fifty votes below. I didn’t care for all the small states. The way I see it, who ever wins California and Florida is the winner. Everything started to slow down when Obama had around 200 votes and McCain had like 100. Then all of sudden, the news announced that Obama won and told everyone that he got California and Florida. Obama won in a huge landslide with McCain. Everyone that voted for Obama was shouting and crying for his victory, which I thought was pretty humorous. McCain gave his speech about how he’ll help Obama with the presidency and Obama gave his speech about what he’ll do for the country. Hope Obama will do all of us proud and change the country for the good.
