1st Semester Student Portfolio Questions

1. I enjoyed Roots and recipes..it's somewhat rooted in out hearts. Reading it brought me back to my childhood, It had the same effect with my daughter and probably with the following generations to come. Plus... it made me really hungry.
2. I think that your portfolio is perfect, I see the importance of family and  customs in your writings. I feel optimism your heart.
3. I liked your organization because of the way you identify what is important.
4. I think you should continue developing on your word choice. It grows as you mature as a writer.

KC3 Essay: 2nd Draft

 Hawaii holds a variety of resources. Agriculture used to be one of the most important because of Hawaii’s plantation era. Although, over the past twenty years, Hawaii’s agricultural production has declined. Today, however, Hawaii is working to rely on more sustainable resources, and agriculture is one of them.

 Because Hawaii has a mild, year-round climate, and approximately forty percent of its land is farmland. Here, you can find about 3,600 crop farms and 1,100 livestock farms, although ninety percent of Hawaii's food is still imported. With all of the resources we have, I think that Hawaii would be able to thrive within its own produce. Also, importing a smaller amount of food here will possibly lead to price drops for food, due to the fact that it isn't cheap. For the past twenty years, however, Hawaii’s agricultural production has declined. Its sugar production dropped down to two plantations, one being on Kauai, and the other on Maui, and pineapples are found only in central Oahu and Maui, a forty percent decline in production. I think that Hawaii should pay more attention to its agriculture. It’s always been a part of its history, and it could also be incorporated into tourism. Although Hawaii's agriculture is working to be sustainable.

 Hawaii was recently planning for a more sustainable farming system. To some, sustainability is about protecting the environment, and to others, it was seen as a matter of economic resilience. To me, sustainability is the conservation of certain natural resources. I think that relying on sustainable resources will help Hawaii economically and environmentally. Also, having more farming systems in Hawaii leads to more jobs. Considering the fact that Hawaii is starting to depend on its agriculture, I think that this is a good thing. Also, local food production will buffer Hawaii's supply of external forces, allowing it to depend less on imported foods. And even though farm employment is declining nationally, Hawaii's is growing.

 Hawaii's agricultural sales make approximately $1.94 billion annually. That means that agriculture contributes to about 3% of gross state product. I think that if Hawaii would make more money on agricultural services, Hawaii could start turning towards agriculture as its most important resource. If we continue to promote agriculture as our most important resource, Hawaii could be a cleaner, more environmentally friendly place to live in. Although building an agricultural industry have its own downsides. For example, farmers don't invest much on their equipment, which leads to thousands of acres of uncultivated land. I think the government should focus on agricultural services more. Farms should be funded by the government to help the farmers out. Appreciating, respecting, and sharing land is a basic Hawaiian value; it is 'Aloha Made Visible.'

 Agriculture was very important to human beings since the beginning of time. Although it still is, we are still relying on un-natural, or processed foods to get us by through our everyday lives. Although that can change. Making agriculture more important is one step to bringing back the more, natural, side of Hawaii, if you will. And hopefully, a greener Hawaii may spread and lead to other parts of the world to change the way they live.

KC3 Essay Draft: Agriculture

Hawaii holds a variety of resources. One of the most important being its agriculture, which makes up much of its gross state product. In fact, Hawaii's sugar canes and pineapples contribute to more in total sales than other crops, which include bananas, coffee, papayas, ginger, and macadamia nuts.

Because Hawaii has a mild, year-round climate, approximately 40 percent of its land is farmland. Here, you can find about 3,600 crop farms and 1,100 livestock farms, although 90% of Hawaii's food is still imported. With all of the resources we have, I think that Hawaii would be able to thrive within its own produce. Also, importing a smaller amount of food here will possibly lead to price drops for food, due to the fact that it isn't cheap. For the past 20 years, Hawaii's economy has depended on tourism, although its agriculture is slowly catching up. I think that it's good that Hawaii is slowly turning to natural resources for a better economy. Unlike agriculture, tourism is vulnerable and if the number of tourists decline, Hawaii's economy would most likely go downhill. Although Hawaii's agricultures is working to be sustainable.

Hawaii was recently planning for a more sustainable farming system. To some, sustainability is about protecting the environment, and to others, it was seen as a matter of economic resilience. To me, sustainability is the conservation of certain natural resources. I think that relying on sustainable resources will help Hawaii economically and environmentally. Also, having more farming systems in Hawaii leads to more jobs. Considering the fact that Hawaii is starting to depend on its agriculture, I think that this is a good thing. Also, local food production will buffer Hawaii's supply of external forces, allowing it to depend less on imported foods. And even though farm employment is declining nationally, Hawaii's is growing.

Hawaii's agricultural sales make approximately $1.94 billion annually. That means that agriculture contributes to about 3% of gross state product. I think that if Hawaii would make more money on agricultural services, Hawaii could start turning towards agriculture as its most important resource. If we continue to promote agriculture as our most important resource, Hawaii could be a cleaner, more environmentally-friendly place to live in. Although building an agricultural industry has its own downsides. For example, farmers don't invest much on their equipment, which leads to thousands of acres of uncultivated land. I think the government should focus on agricultural services more. Farms should be funded by the government to help the farmers out. Appreciating, respecting, and sharing land is a basic Hawaiian value; it is 'Aloha Made Visible.'

Agriculture was very important to human beings since the beginning of time. Although it still is, we are still relying on un-natural, or processed foods to get us by through our everyday lives. Although that can change. Making agriculture more important is one step to bringing back the more, natural, side of Hawaii, if you will. And hopefully, a greener Hawaii may spread and lead to other parts of the world to change the way they live.

Graphic Card

Querencia Second Draft

During a typical, sunny afternoon in the Philippines, I either had the choice to: 1. Have my nannies play tea party with me, 2. Go over to my neighbor’s house to play games with me, or 3. Lay down on my hammock in the garden. I looked up at the clouds, and I decided to visit my grandmother’s garden.

I walked through the path that led me to the garden, and on the way, the sun beamed on a spider web so intricately designed, I wondered how spiders manage to make such a thing. It almost looked like a castle. After watching that inch of a spider create it’s food providing home, I decided to walk on towards the garden.

It was absolutely beautiful. Sunbeams hit spots of the garden that wasn’t hidden by trees that surrounded it, there were different fruits and vegetables, bushes with little specks of red, pink, and white flowers, and right in the middle of the garden was a hammock that my grandmother had bought for me as a welcome-home present. I lay down on the green, red, and white net hammock, and looked up. Above me were the highest points of a mango tree, with little green mangoes peeking through the leaves, and the cloudless sky. I smelled nothing but crisp, fresh air, and the familiar earthy smell of the dirt. The wind chimed through my hair, and as I closed my eyes, I heard rustling. I quickly sat up and saw my white, curly-haired dog. I picked her up, placed her on my lap, and swirled her long, thick hair. 

When I was younger, I would have visits to the Philippines with my mom and brother. On this particular visit, which took place in May, my mom decided that I should stay with my dad for a year or two. Of course, I loved the idea, since I was a daddy’s-girl type, so my dad, mum, and I went school hunting. When we came to a school that we all agreed on, we went inside. It was a big school. At that time, all I really noticed was the little, grey pebbles that had been plastered into the floor. When I was told that school would start a few days after my vacation had just started, though, I freaked out. I didn’t like to show my aggressive side to the public, because it consisted of crying and yelling, so I gave quiet, “No’s” to my mom and dad. Unfortunately, they still registered me, so when we reached the car, I let out every single thought that had passed through my mind as they signed papers. I ended up crying during the process. As much as I loved being in the Philippines, I was very shallow as a child, and I didn’t want to go to school in June, so I was strongly against my parents’ choice.

When I got home, I had my nannies pick up snacks for me. I was eating, when a shrill “DING!” reached my ears. It was our extremely annoying doorbell, and on the other side of the gate was an old friend of mine, Monica. She and I had been friends since we were very young, probably because she lived right in front of me. We decided to play in the garden. I didn’t really notice the garden when I first arrived. It was just a big plot of land my grandmother would spend a lot of her time in, and it is, but let’s not get into that right now. We walked to the garden, and decided to make mud pies. We ended up with a big pile of mud with leaves and stones as our decorations. Even though it wasn’t much, it still occupied us for about three hours. Monica ended up going home at twilight, and very dirty, too.

After that afternoon, I spent more time in the garden. I started watching my grandmother plant herbs, water her mango and avocado trees, and trim little parts of bushes that were out of place. My grandmother, who now lives in California with my aunt, was diagnosed with cancer this year, but none of us were surprised, because she had a smoking addiction. My family won’t let her go back home, because it’s too dirty in the Philippines, so she’s stuck in California. My family doesn’t visit as often as we used to, even though we have a house and lot to clean. I really do miss going home. If I were given the chance to go home, I wouldn’t hesitate to go. I was born there, so it’s literally a second home to me.

The garden was a place where I could be alone to think, where I could play, where I could spend time with my grandmother doing something we both love. It was a place of memories, both good and bad. That’s when I realized that the garden was my special place. I can’t fly to the Philippines everyday, which is why I think it’s special for me. And I think it’s better that way, so that once I arrive at the Philippines, I know that I can spend some time alone in my own little sanctuary.

Querencia Draft

During a typical, sunny afternoon in the Philippines, I either had the choice to: 1. Have my nannies play tea party with me, 2. Go over to my neighbor’s house to play doctor with me, or 3. Lay down on my hammock in the garden. I looked up at the clouds, and I decided to visit my grandmother’s garden.

            I walked through the path that led me to the garden, and on the way, the sun beamed on a spider web so intricately designed, I wondered how spiders manage to make such a thing. It almost looked like a castle. After watching that inch of a spider create it’s food providing home, I decided to walk on towards the garden.

            It was absolutely beautiful. Sunbeams hit spots of the garden that wasn’t hidden by trees that surrounded it, there were different fruits and vegetables, bushes with little specks of red, pink, and white flowers, and right in the middle of the garden was a hammock that my grandmother had bought for me as a welcome-home present. I lay down on the green, red, and white net hammock, and looked up. Above me were the highest points of a mango tree, with little green mangoes peeking through the leaves, and the cloudless sky. The wind chimed through my hair, and as I closed my eyes, I heard rustling. I quickly sat up and saw my white, curly-haired dog. I picked her up, placed her on my lap, and swirled her long hair.

            That’s when I realized that the garden was my special place. I can’t fly to the Philippines everyday, which is why I think it’s special for me. And I think it’s better that way, so that once I arrive at the Philippines, I know that I can spend some time alone in my own little sanctuary.

Querencia Brainstorm

My special place is my grandmother's garden in the Philippines. I would always sit in the garden whenever I needed a breath or two, or when I just needed to think to myself. My family and I don't visit as often as we used too, so it's a very special place to me. Sunbeams hit spots of the garden that wasn’t hidden by trees that surrounded it, there were different fruits and vegetables, bushes with little specks of red, pink, and white flowers, and right in the middle of the garden was a hammock that my grandmother had bought for me as a welcome-home present. Above me were the highest points of a tree, with little fuits peeking through the leaves, and the cloudless sky. The garden was my quiet place, where I could read, write, and just think.

Roots and Recipes 2nd Draft

As I talked to my mom about leche flan, a memory went through my mind. Suddenly, I was walking through the front door of my childhood home. Picture this: the cool, night air surrounding us, and a bright light, enabling us to see our Christmas tree, which was beautifully decorated with silver and blue trinkets, my parent's favorite colors. My brother and I played and laughed until our stomaches ached, and my older cousins locked themselves in a room because they didn't want us to peek at our gifts. It was the perfect scene for Christmas Eve.

When I stepped into the kitchen, I couldn't help but smile. It smelled amazing. My grandmother placed the honey glazed ham into the oven, my uncle put rich, creamy butter onto slices of garlic bread, my dad stirred the pot of boiling spaghetti sauce, and my mom mixed condensed milk and egg, which was to be used for leche flan. That was when I decided to help my mom. I watched as she melted sugar in a pot. It took a lot of patience, but my mom didn't seem to mind. I asked her why she didn't mind making such a time consuming dessert. "It brings back memories of my childhood," she told me.

I was playing a game with my cousins and brother, until I heard, "DINNER'S READY!" I ran down, and the smell of sweet and slightly spiced ham, garlic, and spaghetti sauce wafted up my nose. When dinner arrived, a smile lit up on everyone's faces, followed by an exasperated shout of, "Finally!" And then, my family and I dug in. We talked, we laughed, and of course, we all ate. That was probably the closest my family was in a very long time. Although when dessert arrived, everyone was even more excited. We had a chocolate cake, decorated with my grandmother's frosting, buko pandan, which is a mixture of coconut meat, pandan flavored jello, tapioca pearls, condensed milk, and cream; which act as fillers. We had a few more desserts come in, and finally, the leche flan came in. It was in it's usual oval shaped pan, which was then turned over a plate, revealing the melted sugar over it. It looked gorgeous.

I placed some onto my plate, and took a bite of it. the milky, creamy, taste ran over my mouth, followed by the caramel-like taste of the sugar. More memories flashed into my head. I remember the first time I tried it. When I was 4, my family visited my aunt's house,  and at first, I didn't like it, but as more family gatherings and parties passed, I grew to like the wibbly, wobbly, jelly-like dessert. "Mom, how did you learn how to make this?" I asked. "When I was a kid, I watched my uncle make leche flan, and I wanted to make this for my future family and friends, so I asked him to teach me," she replied. And then I realized that I'd finished my slice. I immediately took a second.

Reality all of a sudden snapped back to me, and I thought, why not learn the recipe now? I asked my mom to teach me how to make it, and even though my first time making it wasn't as good as my mom's, I'm going to continue to work at my leche-flan-making skills, and hopefully someday, I could make it as well as my mom does it.

Roots and Recipes Draft

As I talked to my mom about leche flan, a memory went through my mind. Suddenly, I was walking through the front door of my childhood home. Picture this: the cool, night air surrounding us, and a bright light, enabling us to see our Christmas tree, beautifully decorated with silver and blue trinkets, which were my parent's favorite colors. My brother and I were playing and laughing until our stomaches ached, and my older cousins locked themselves in a room because they didn't want us to peek at our Christmas gifts. It was the perfect scene for Christmas Eve.

I remember bugging my mom, dad, grandmother, uncle, and cousins about what they were doing. I was very spoiled, impatient, and pig-headed. Although once I stepped into the kitchen, I couldn't help but smile. It smelled amazing. My grandmother was placing the honey glazed ham into the oven, my uncle putting rich, creamy butter onto slices of garlic bread, My dad stirring the pot of boiling spaghetti sauce, and my mom was mixing condensed milk and egg, which was to be used for leche flan. That was when I decided to help my mom. I watched as she melted sugar in a pot. It took a lot of patience, but my mom didn't seem to mind. I asked her why she didn't mind making such a time consuming dessert. "It brings back memories of my childhood," she told me.

I was playing a game with my cousins and brother, until I heard, "DINNER'S READY!" I ran down, and the smell of sweet and slightly spiced ham, garlic, and spaghetti sauce wafted up my nose. The light was a lot dimmer, though. Only one light was on, although you could still see that not a foot of the house was covered in Christmas decorations. It was the type of scene that I'd go back to at anytime of the year. That night was absolutely perfect.

When dinner arrived, a smile lit up on everyone's faces, followed by an exasperated shout of, "Finally!" And then, we dug in. We talked, we laughed, and of course we all ate, but there was something out in the air. That was probably the closest my family was in a very long time. Although when dessert arrived, everyone was even more excited. We had a chocolate cake, beautifully decorated with my grandmother's frosting, buko pandan, which is a mixture of coconut meat, pandan flavored jello, tapioca pearls, condensed milk, and cream; which act as fillers. We had a few more desserts come in, and finally, the leche flan came in. It was in it's usual oval shaped pan, which was then turned over a plate, revealing the melted sugar over it. It looked gorgeous.

I placed some onto my plate, and took a bite of it. the milky, creamy, taste ran over my mouth, followed by the caramel-like taste of the sugar. "Mom, how did you learn how to make this?" I asked. "When I was a kid, I watched my uncle make leche flan, and I wanted to make this for my future family and friends, so I asked him to teach me," she replied. And then I realized that I'd finished my slice. I immediately took a second.

Although before I could finish, my family's clock struck 12 o'clock, and I was surrounded by a chorus of "Merry Christmas!" I laughed and joined in.

Roots and Recipes Brainstorm

I'm going to do leche flan. Basically, it's a flan, with caramel sauce over it. I'm interviewing my mom for this project.