Blog #9

1) What are you most stressed-out with at the moment? Why? Is your body re-acting to this stress? Devise a plan to deal with it.



I'm most stressed out about money and grades. I feel like I'm spending too much money on things I don't need when I could be saving it for things like books. I also hate spending my money so once in a while I ask for money from my parents, but I always feel guilty about it because then I feel like I'm wasting their money on unnecessary things. With the end of the semester coming up I'm also worried about my grades. I keep wondering if I tried my hardest or if I could of done better. I feel like my body is kind of reacting to this. I'm going to try to limit my spending and make sure I study as much as I can until the end of the semester.



2) FFN: Chapter 8 / This is a creative writing exercise! Read the following scenario and finish it based on your knowledge after reading Chapter 8. You are "Raul" and have just immigrated to the American West illegally from Mexico. You brought your wife and two young children with you on a frightening and expensive 4-day journey in the back of a beat-up truck to arrive in Texas. You can't find work there and Border Patrol is cracking down, so you decide to migrate north a bit where you have relatives in Colorado. You are hired on the spot by ConAgra to work in one of their "beef processing" plants.

-Describe in sensory detail your place of employment. (What's it looks like, what is going on, how do people act, what do you wear, what is your job? etc..)
I work in a large plant that is filled with machinery, blood, and meat. It is freezing cold and smells horrible. I wear normal clothes usually with a an apron and boots because there is blood all over the floor. Some people are killing the animals, some are cutting the meat, and some are picking up scraps. Everybody is trying to do their job as fast as they can because they don't want to fall behind. I have to stand in crowded line where I can barely move and grab pieces of meat and slice it.


-How much $$$ do you earn?
I barely earn enough money to support my family.


-How do your days go? What are your work hours and what do you do after work?
I work about ten hours a day. I dread going to work because each time I go there is a possibility I could be seriously injured. After work I go home and I have to sharpen my knife and then I spend what time I can with my family.


-Where do you live, what do you live in, how is your quality of life?
I live in a mobile home in a not so good neighborhood. I have shelter, food, water and clothes. My quality of life is ok. I get by.