As a part of our course, “Journey in Literature”, we have developed our knowledge in various assignments like our Journey Journals, life-compasses and multi-genre projects.
In my Journey Journal, I was able to be a free writer. No worries about perfect grammar or sentence structure or avoiding to curse. I would just “let my hand go” and went “for the jugular”, as my professor, Dr. Cynthia Pittmann, would say. It’s a 10-minute exercise, and you really get the hang of it after a while. Like my friend and classmate, Miguel, said once, it was a challenge at the beginning, because you want everything to make sense and be coherent for when you eventually read your journal in the future. But that wasn’t the point. It was about getting used to writing, making your brain get out of a strict agenda, and get more into your comfort zone as a writer. I thoroughly enjoyed this exercise, as it allowed me to explore my mind and get back into writing, which is something I really love.
The life-compass made me realize how stressed I was all the time. Based on 4 criteria: emotional, mental, spiritual and physical, I had to rate these out of 10. It was a good recap of how I was doing that day, kind of like a diary. But, I came to realize, if I was honest with myself, I always wrote down: stressed. Sometimes, these descriptions went along with: tired, sleepy, drained. So, with this is how I really reflected on my day and my overall attitude, and I knew I needed a change. After the University’s strike, the changes of semester/ trimester schedules, plus the hurricanes and political turmoil that stirred the Island, it affected me greatly, and I noticed with this compass exercise. So, slowly but surely, I made changes in my life.
Lastly, the multi-genre projects allowed me to explore my creativity which is something I also put off for a while now. I got really into it, exploring my identity in each assignment. Especially those with collages, as I could do my own thing, and see where my imagination would take me. Another aspect I re-discovered (about myself) with these projects was my love for photography. Each assignment brought on a new aspect of self-discovery, which was truly amazing to see.
In summation, this course, “Journey in Literature”, allowed me to explore that creative side of myself, not just the “science-y” part. I got to navigate and dig deep into my emotions, fears, doubts, dreams, and even my life in terms of what I learned from my past, how my present affects me and how to work toward my future goals. Through these assignments, and these blog posts, I got to develop my character and it was another step in my journey of self-discovery. Thank you to my group, The Holistic Nomads, because you guys were also a big part of it. And thank you Dr. Pittmann, for this wonderful course. It really meant a lot to me and my wandering mind.
HIIIIIIIII!!!!!!! My favorite part of your post was ¨I got to navigate and dig deep into my emotions, fears, doubts, dreams, and even my life in terms of what I learned from my past, how my present affects me and how to work toward my future goals´¨ ¨. Im glad you got back to writing!!!!
ReplyDeleteI am glad these assignments allowed you to explore your creative side! I believe it goes for everyone when I say that we all grew from this experience. Keep up the great work!
ReplyDeleteHI!! I loved when you said "Like my friend and classmate, Miguel, said once, it was a challenge at the beginning, because you want everything to make sense and be coherent for when you eventually read your journal in the future." Also, I'm glad that the journal helped you realize that some changes needed to be done, it did the same for me!
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