Social psychology homework III

They do not have access to clean water (they use sea water for almost everything, and sometimes “freshwater” from the swamp for the most important activities like cooking). Furthermore, the region floods every year, and at those times they lose all their belongings.
In this environment we worked for seven days. The level of motivation in the team was high with some exceptions (between particularly those members who did not think that improving the situation of those people were was possible, or our responsibility). This was an example of other psychological phenomena covered during this course –when people do not interpret these situations as problems, or do not feel responsible for what is happening there, or when we see others doing nothing to change it, it is probable that the bystander effect happens. 

That provoked conflict between some members of the group (to be honest between two of the psychologists of the group, who thought that their only responsibility was dealing with the “psychological problems” of the community, and myself, the other psychologist, who since the first day stopped waiting for “patients”, and worked as a dental assistant, optometrist assistant, doctor’s assistant, nurse, or just washing and sterilizing the dental instruments). I wish I could say that we used the “third side” or that we solved our problems in order to keep helping others… but that never happened. I quit as a psychologist for the majority of the trip, and worked in areas that I considered the priority (it is impossible to solve any “psychological” issue if you are struggling to survive).
During this experience I was able to verify the positive influence of others upon us. When the normative behavior was helping others, a chain reaction happened: we motivated one another to keep working, some days even more than 14 hours a day… and even the members of the group who did not want to get involved in activities different of from their area of expertise, helped others (several psychological principles can be applied to explain this situation, but just to mention some covered during the readings and lectures: conformity with the group, normative behavior, reciprocity norm, social responsibility norm, a general good mood, we were observing several hopeful models all day long, we had plenty of time to do it, etc.). A different source of motivation was to know that some people had to paddle canoes for hours to get where we they (?)could receive our help.

Social psychology homework II

Even if the days before we had shown real really compassionate behavior (giving your time without expecting any retribution, creating good relationships with your team partners and supervisors, and creating a plan to work in the community), my compassion days of showing compassion were going to start.
The people who transported us to the island showed a positive attitude towards us. Why? Because we were “estudiantes de la Universidad que vienen a ayudar” (UNAM students who came to help us), and any UNAM student is an “educated” and “important” person. It is important to point out the good reputation of UNAM in all of Mexico (a stereotype, even if it is but a positive one, a concept that has been covered during this course). This stereotype made people behave as compassionately as they could towards the students, giving their time (most of them had to stop working for several hours to take us to Basanta, and as a fisherman, some hours are literally the difference between earning enough money to buy food or not that day), and taking care of the students (teaching us what we had to do, and what things we had to avoid in order to be safe in the mangrove swamp). Even if some students did not fit this stereotype (probably cognitive dissonance made those people to behave in the way they did, even though the evidence showed something different that, in a different situation, could have made them act in a different manner). [not sure what this last part in parentheses means]
Once in on the island, one person was our personal guide during for the whole week (he did not work during this time, it was so important that we were safe and comfortable that the locals decided that it was going to be his only responsibility). We were guided to the island’s school. The size of the room was just 3 meters long and 2 meters wide! In fact it was the only school in the region, and it had just 4 students. Sometimes they did not have a professional teacher (all of them quit), whereby a member of the community who knows how to read and write, sum add and subtract, was assigned this job.
The island does not have any facilities. There were are no sewers, concrete floors, roads or paths, and with the exceptions of the community school almost all their houses are made of pieces of wood, cardboard boxes and reeds (just only some people can afford using concrete). The only source of electricity are is solar panels which the government had given them a year before we were there (they have electricity for just a couple of hours a day).

Social psychology homework I

Even if the idea of this activity is to give us the opportunity of using what we have learned in this course to improve our life (understanding this as our environment, people and their behavior, and how we interact with one another). I want to this chance to describe and analyze an event that changed my life in a positive way. I would like to call called it my 14 days of compassion.
The Univesidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) is the oldest university in the continent (UNAM, 2014), and the most important public institution in Mexico. As part of her its undergraduate and graduate programs, this institution nurtures research and social services in order to improve the social reality  of that the country.
The Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala (FES-I) is one of its campuses. In this entity Bachelors’s, Masters, and Ph. D. programs in Medicine, Nursing, Biology, Optometry, Odontology, and Psychology are taught there.
In 2011, the FES-I organized what was called the Programa Universitario Multidisciplinario de Atención Comunitaria (PUMAC). The purpose of this program is to help the poorest communities in Mexico through sending teams of students of the six majors in order to work in their fields of specialization in those towns or villages. The students would not receive any money retribution, class credit, or even permission to be absent in other classes. This made it possible so that for just the most motivated students (compassionate if you want) to participate participated.
I had the opportunity of being to be part of one of those teams as a psychology student. We were sent to Alvarado, a city located in the state of Veracruz, Mexico. The trip was made in three buses, and several trucks which transported all the material needed (the dentist’s mobile chairs, electric generators, optometrist’s kits, medicine and medical supplies, etc.). I need to should mention that all the materials were carried in the trucks by the students.
Because carrying our own food for 12 days was impossible, the plan with the community was: feed the students, and give them a place to sleep, and in retribution they will work as much as possible for the community.
More than 60 students took the trip. We were spread throughout the entire city and its surroundings in order to assist as many people as possible. My team was sent to Basanta, an island where the only way to get there is by a one-hour boat trip (if your boat had an engine).

My first writing here!

Well, this is the first time that I have used use Italki, so I'm noit pretty not really sure where to start, or what to say...
Probably, the first thing that I think I should comment is explain are my reasons for learning a new language. My history with the English language started when I was finishing college (actually in Mexico, where I come from, we just have "Universidades" Universities, actually it's pretty similar, but once you are there, you just take classes about what you really want to study, not like in the U.S where you take a lot of classes, about a lot of topics -in fact, we do that in high school...) where I was supposed to be able to read, and understand scientific papers about my field (Psychology) in order to enter to the Masters program (Masters, masters??? I have no idea, please feel free to correct me!).
So, at that moment time in my life I was taking the last semesters of my bachelor degree, while also working in a Hospital as part of my social service (in order to get your degree you have to practice in different scenarios what you learned in classes), training MMA (or possibly Muay Thai, or Boxing... I don't remember very well, but I just had to practice two hours per day, from Monday to Friday), .  I was working (just on weekends, but 12 hours every day!), and trying to have a social life!. Fortunately, I got I day off during the weekends and I could star start my English classes... six hours every Saturday!
In the last semester I had to stop taking classes, because I was trying to write my thesis, and passing pass my classes (and all the other things, of course).
I had forgotten to tell you guys that I have had family living in Miami, since 2000 (my "mami" and my little sister). Something happened that made me come to the U.S, quit my job in Mexico, and stay six months here... During that time I decided to move to this place. While I was here, I was taking "English classes" here in Miami, but being to be honest they weren't too very good (it's difficult because there are a lot of people who speak Spanish, and a lot who don't care about learning the official language of this country, and of course, some others who don't have the chance to learn it because they have to work so many hours and here in this city, if you want you can survive without speaking it). I ended up taking "grammar classes" at Miami Dade College...
Now, I'm struggling with my Speaking skills, I wish I were better, but I know that the only way to improve is by practicing... so, that's why I'm here. I just want to make some friends, helpe help them, and speak a lot!

Jeet Kune Do

Jeet Kune Do is a martial art FORM created and developed by Bruce Lee in 1960. This martial art has some keys for XXX correct practice.
The first one is: simplicity.
The second one: XXXXX economy OF MOVEMENT.
The third one: adaptability.

I have trained IN  JKD for four years, and I AM still doing it. In the future I hope to be an instructor of this martial art.

Nowadays the main instructors of this martial art are Joaquin Marcelo and Tommy Carruthers.

The problem of this martial art is that Dan Inosanto created "Jeet Kune Do Concepts" and a lot of people THINK that IT is the true Jeet Kune Do, but the true jeet kune DO doesn't teach a mix of martial arts as JKD Concepts does. The original Jeet kune Do TEACHES the study of Bruce Lee WHICH CONTINUED for more THAN twenty years.

The original Jeet Kune Do REQUIRES a lot of technical skills and also NEEDS YOU TO BE IN good physical shape. You can achieve that with dumbells, pullouts, pushup, sit up, squats and others...

If you like this entry you can search in youtube or google for: Tommy Carruthers, Ted Wond, or Joaquin Marcelo. I don't recommend THAT you search FOR Jeet Kune Do, because this name is used by fake instructors to achieve more fame.

I attach a photo of me training Jeet Kune Do.

Regards.