JOURNAL 4

                                                   GOING BACK TO HOME

This week I read an article about living with parents after teenage age. Writer talks about the people who live with their parents. I have some differences of opinion because writer thinks this situation as a problem but I think it’s not abnormal. I think the reason of this difference of opinion is culture differences.

            In Turkey, we love being with our families. We tend to live crowded families with grandmother, grandfather, son, daughter, etc. Even if our son or daughter marry we continue live together. In U.S.A this situation is a bit different. When children become 18 they go out from home and stay away from their families. They attend a university or find a job and they start to live alone. Thus when their children go back their home for a lot of reasons they become shock and find this situation strange. However when time passes they like this situation and they get used to live with their children. However in Turkey even if the child wants to stay away from home, families don’t let.

            We can look at this situation from two perspective. The first one is living with families is beneficial for both parents and children. If children have job and they earn money, they can support their families economically. Also the intimacy between children and parents makes them feel better. They live in a safe atmosphere. The second one is living with families is harmful for both parents and children. If children don’t have a job and they don’t earn money, they get used to live like an parasitical with their parents. They addict their parents and they aren’t be able to do their own works. They become a coach potato. They make their parents tired also they make themselves useless.

            To some up, living with families can be beneficial or harmful. Balance is very important in this situation. When you lose this balance it can be worse. On the other hand when you arrange everything correctly it can become perfect.

 

JOURNAL 3

                                                             THE TRUMAN SHOW

                                          

 

              Last semester I was very bored and I didn’t know what to do. Then I started watching a film whose name is ‘ The Truman Show’. It’s star is Jim Carrey who I admire so much. Also there is another performer whose names are Laura Linney, Noah Emmerich, and Natascha McElhone.It was made in 1998. Although it is very old movie , I think it is very good and still very popular.

                I want to talk about its plot. There is a man whose name is Truman Burbank. He lives in a small town with his wife. He has a ordinary life and he is happy with it. Every morning he goes his work, comes back his home and has time with his wife or friends. He wants to discover the world from his childhood but every time he starts to do this he encounters with blocks. Thus he lives in this small town and can’t go anywhere. Almost every day he does same things, he lives a repetitive life. While he lives in this town, he realizes some different occasions. One day he sees his dead father at the street and he becomes shocked. When he starts to thinking he realizes that his wife, his friends even his mother act weird and Truman can’t understand the reason of it. Actually Truman is a part of a Tv show and he doesn’t know this. The town he lives is actually a studio and the people who live with him actually are actors with small headphones on their ears. They are directed by the director of the program. Truman doesn’t know these but he realizes that there is something different and he decides to learn what’s going on. He remember his old girlfriend who met his college years. In a strange way everyone wants them to break up and while they stay alone the girl’s father comes suddenly and takes the girl. The girl says to Truman reality about this Tv show  but Truman can’t understand what she means. These occasions become tip for Truman and he starts to discover truths.

                After that point I won’t talk about the film because I don’t want to give spoil to people who haven’t watched yet. I can say that If you haven’ seen that movie yet you should watch it because it makes you query your own life. Also this film raises that question to people’s mind: If I learned that my whole life is a lie like Truman’s life, what would I do? I think you should watch this movie immediately because I think you will enjoy it.

               

JOURNAL 1

                                                          THE CHARITY TEAM

                In this journal I want to talk about Ankara Volunteer Team. This is a group which helps students who can’t find sufficient chance for their education and its members are METU students.I chose this subject because I am one of the member of this team for 2 years and every sunday I meet my children.

            In 2009 Ankara Volunteer Team founded and since 2009 helps a lot of children.When I came METU I heard this name and I wanted to be a part of this team.I think it is very useful because everyone can’t have same chance and somebody should help them and I am happy for helping these children.Ankara Volunteer Team works in two ways.In first way volunteers go these children’s school and make some activities with these children at their schools on weekend.For example volunteers teach acting abilities for theatre also they teach how to read more fast the passage.They study together whole weekend and both volunteers and children have fun.In second way volunteers go children’s home every weekend and study there.I am in the group who go children’s home.I think it’s very good to go children’s home becaus you try to communicate with them and it’s better to see their own home and how to live there. Also we can observe their parent’s behaviour and it gives us clue about children’s behaviour.We can talk about not only children but also parents deeply and doing this we try to help both of them.

I talked a lot about the children’s benefit but now I want to talk about my benefits which I gain from Ankara Volunteer Team.First of all I will become a teacher and from now on I have a chance to learn how to communicate with children.I want learn not only teaching a lesson but also how to touch their life because I think a good teacher should do both of them.In Ankara Volunteer Team I can learn this.Also there is another benefit for me. In university we are living alone and we aren’t together with our families.Thus when I go my children’s home I can feel the intimacy of family in that house because their mother acts as if she is also my mother.She prepares delicious food for me and they are waiting me eagerly.

You can see that I am very happy to be a member of this team and I strongly recommend join us. I am sure that while you learn so many things ,you enjoy. Also you feel better because you like taste of helping somebody.

JOURNAL 2

                              

                                      FRIENDSHIP OR ROMANCE?

Men are from Mars and women are from Venus. We all know that this expression. According to the this expression, women and men are different from each others. They like different things, they do different activities, they even eat different meals but do you think this opinion is changing nowadays?

In ancient times the role of women and men are very different and their place in society are strictly determined. The only relationship between them was romance because they have no other things to share. Women used to come together and do something, men also used to come together and do something else. However traditions are changing nowadays so women and men are becoming closer each other in social life. Women are at work life now, they are working, they are interested in men’s interest. Also men are becoming more interested in women issues when we compare the previous years’ men. They are cooking, cleaning, helping their wife even they are waxing. This is the situation and a question rises here: Can  women and men who can’t be friends in ancient times be friends now? There are speculations about this and everyone can support their thesis about this situation. Some people say that this is difficult because there is always confusion whether they are lovers or friends. Also between these friend , sexual attraction may occur and this may hurt their friendship. We know that men have been more powerful from ancient times. Thus in this type of friendship, predominance problems may occur so this friendship may have difficulties for this inequality. Also there is social effect that we shouldn’t forget. In a society people always come and ask ‘Are you really just friends?’ to these people. This is very annoying and can affect friendship’s quality.    

There is a media effect on the other hand. In movies, tv serials there are a man and a woman  trying to be good friend and they can achieve this but at the end of the movie they become lovers. In all movies this situation occurs and approximately no man and woman can stay as friends. The people watching these movies starts to thinking that this friendship will become a romance relationship eventually.

I think man-woman relationship is a difficult issue. There is a lot of thing to think but I think true love ,don’t think as romance love, true friendship love can achieve this.