Assignment 0

I am a sophomore here at St. Lawrence Univeristy. At this point I have not delcared a major but I am considering either psychology or anthropology. Pschology interests me becuase I think it is important to understand how and why people act the way they do. I am fascinated by how the mind works and the reasons that it sometimes doesn't work the way it should.  Psychology gives you great insight into understanding other people's behavior and makes you look at society in a whole new light. I am also interested in anthropology because I enjoy learning about different cultures from around thw world adn how humans have changed and evolved throughout time.

I am from Darien Connecticut. I have enjoyed growing up there; New England is a very beautfiul place. My town is located along Long Island Sound, so in the summer it is always fun to go to the beach and swim or sail.

Aside from writing my interests include skiing, biking and crocheting. Throughout high school I attended Okemo Mountain School, a ski academy in Ludlow Vermont. This school gave me a chance to fully pursue an activity that i really well. It also gave me the opportunity to form close bonds with numerous unique individuals. I also enjoy crocheting, a hobby i picked up at Okemo Moutain School. It is notuncommon to walk through the lounge downstairs and see the students knitting or crocheting hats and mittens. My other major hobby is biking, luckily many of the roads surrounding Canton are very good for riding.

My first year program was really the first opportunity I had to get feedback from my peers. Most of the other feedback i had recieved was from teachers of professors marking comments on rought drafts of my papers. Although it can be difficult to hear people critisize your work. I now have the ability to keep and open mind and hear what others have to say about my work.

I believe good writing has two elements. I think that the author must feel excitment and passion about about what he or she is reading and be able to transfer this to the reader. I reader must feel the energy that the writing was putting into his story.

One author I admire is Khaled Hosseini, the author of "Kite Runner," as well as "A Thousand Splendid Suns." This author manages to draw the reader into a world that is completely foreign to most of the western world. Both of thses books revolve around the issues faced by the citizens of Afghanistan. Hosseieni has used his skill as an author to both entertain the reader as well as educate readers about this country. I believe it is important to have knowledge on cultures besides your own. Reading his books dismisses many misconceptions about Afgahnistan. 

I hope this class will enable me to freely transfer the thougts and ideas I have onto paper for myself and others to enjoy. I took pleasure in writing stories when I was younger but lately I have not had the opportunity to write creatively. I also hope to acquire writing skills that will help me throughout the rest of my college career and later on in life.