Gifts

After Thansgiving comes Black Friday. I love shopping on Black Friday, there are so many sales and saving opportunities. I get to buy what I want and what I want to give as presents. This is very convenient because in December Christmas is here.

I like giving presents, but my family isn't really into that. We used to get a ton of Christmas presents but when we started going to Mexico the airplane trip ended up being our present. I appreciated it but I felt like I still wanted a heartfelt and personal gift. 

Something I really like doing with my friends is Secret Santa. About 2 years ago I had a secret santa exchange with my family and ended up loving the experience and the mystery of it. We met up at a fancy restaurant and had a big party. This year im doing it with my friends. It'll be a fun experience. 

The funny thing is that most of the Christmas presents I've received are pretty generic. Clothes, food, other stuff. They aren't really that special. It was just something physical and not really something to make a big deal of even though I really appreciated it. However, if I had to pick a favorite it would be my trips to Mexico from my parents. Mexico is a really phenomenal  escape from the cold weather in Illinois. I like going to beaches and pools as well as spending the holidays with my family. That's my favorite present.

Favorite Quote

Favorite quotes are similar to favorite songs or books in the way that it's hard to decide which one is the best. My favorite quote is , "We accept the love we think we deserve," or' " difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations." I like these quotes because they are things that I believe in and things that are personal to me. The first quote means that we set the standards up for ourselves. If we think we are worth less we will strive for less and what we think is reachable. However some people need to set higher standards and believe in themselves and just perservere.The second quote means a lot to me because I feel like people need to realize that just because some things are difficult does not mean that they should give up. They should strive for the outcome and think past the hardships and to the beautiful destinations. These are two of my favorite quotes.

 

My Name

My name is Citlalli. Its from a native language and it means star. My parents were going to name me Brittany but they decided on Citlalli. I have to thank God for that choice. A lot of people can't prounounce my name correctly so I have to interact with them and correct them. I personally like my name because it sounds exotic and rolls well in my native language, Spanish. My middle name, Guadalupe, means valley or river with the Arabic origin. My last name means emotionally stabled and peacemaker. It's origin is from Spain. A name means a lot. Some names have certain stigma like Brittany or Tiffany. I like my name and I really appreciate my name.

Every year we have many things to be grateful. This year I am grateful for my friends, family, new opportunities, etc. Though people might not realize they have so many things to be grateful for. Sometimes people whine about not having enough when really, depending on your perspective, you have so much more. We all want to obtain more and more but if we tried to make a list of all the things we have to be grateful for it would be as long as a roll of tape. All we need to do is voice out our thanks, and try to give back.

Election Thoughts

The election of 2016 has been in my opinion, a horrible one. Choosing between Hillary and Donald Trump is like choosing a way to die. One will kill you slowly but give no pain but the other will be a quick stab to the gut. No matter which one you choose you'll end up in a dead end. Luckily, I wasn't one of the people voting, as I am not eligible yet, but I have pity for the people who were forced to make a decision. The elction was decided by these voters, who I think did a bad job (come on people Donald Trump!!!). but it was, sadly, the slight majority.

I wouldn't say I'm involved with politics. I know whats going on only if its something insane on social media. This happens quite a lot which really tells you how America is changing. I would like to be involved more and I think I will be forced to because it might bring some personal changes (immigration laws.) To do that I'll try to read one of the plethora of articles that we have access to.

In the next election I want to vote. I want to have part in who will be President but I think I'll have trouble with that unless we have better candidates running next election (as the ones now are very inadequate) I'm not excited about it but now more than ever I know the importance of a few votes. I know that immigration and abortion laws are important to me so I will be looking at these the most next election.

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Blogging Tips

1. Choose Topics Wisely

Like in the real world, we need to watch and analyze the way we speak. We can't just talk about anything. I learned that we need to choose our topics wisely and make sure to have a central theme for our blog.

2. Have a Point

Writing is useless without a point. It doesn't matter to entertain, persuade, or inform we need to be conscience of it. If we want to persuade use a call to action, leave us motivated to do something. If you want to inform, make sure your info is valid and unbiased.

These are a few of the tips I will use in my writing.

A Place I've Been To: Mexico

I've been to Mexico many times before there is a visit I enjoyed the most. In December 2011, when I was 9 years old I remember going to Mexico for winter break. It was the first and longest road trip , which I spent mostly sleeping, of my life (so far.)

It's hard to remember all the details but some things stuck with me. One of these things was the death of Piggy the guinea pig. My guinea pig died because of heat and lack of air. Sadly, Mexico is widely known for being hot, even throughout the winter years. When my family was heading towards Mazamitla we made many stops to see what Mexico had offer and ended up taking too long in one. We didn't even notice he had died until we got to a hotel and I cried or what seemed like a week now. When I look back I can see that I was making a huge deal out of a pet that did nothing. R.I.P. Piggy...

Another thing I remember was my trip to Janitzio, Michoacan. If you go to Pascuaro you can take a boat ride about 10 minutes or less and head to Janitzio.

This is my family on the boat. When you get  to the island you immediately notice all the stores.

There are all kinds of things. They have clothes, pots, handmade cups, paintings, jewelry, etc. Another thing you notice is that the walk up isn't easy. The stairs are huge and all go up to the center of the island where there is a small playground, a small pyramid, and a giant statue.

The giant statue is of Jose Maria Morelos a hero from the Mexican Revolution. One thing I noticed is that its super tall. You can actually go in it. Here's a picture:

There are more stairs to go up which makes you tired, but its fun to see all the art and culture.

After we finished we continued driving to Mazamitla, Jalisco. This is where my mom and dad are from. If you go now there are a lot of tourists and people but in 2011 it wasn't that bad. It's a small place in America's POV and everything is centered around the plaza.

Its a beautiful place, especially around Christmas. The people of Mazamitla go out of their way to decorate and celebrate with fireworks. In the night they make a tower of spinning fireworks and let of "el torro." The torro, the bull, is basically a man who carries around a fireworks bull chasing people in the plaza. Its fun to see the crowd run around. There are a lot of ways to enjoy yourself in Mexico. These are a few things from my trip.