Deported-Weasel's Diary

http://www.radiodiaries.org/deported-weasels-diary/

As soon as I read the title I clicked on the link. Why? Simply because I felt like perhaps I could relate to this topic since I have had family and friends go through this experience. I have heard many different types of stories from family and friends and from the most part, they've all gone through different experiences with one similarity; being treated inhumanly with the process. Due to this, I wonder if he went through this harshly like everyone else I have known(most likely yes), or perhaps he was legal and he was deported because of his looks. Jose William Hueso, known as Weasel, was deported to El Salvador, his home town. Weasel had not been in El Salvador since he was five and can somewhat speak Spanish. He is the youngest from seven kids. All his siblings live in different places. He studied here, in the USA, in Los Angeles, his whole life and now he's been kicked out. This must feel very frustrating and unfair. When he was in the third or fourth grade, his intelligence was tested and he was considered gifted. However, he got caught up. He began to get into drugs and gang banging. He then was deported because he committed a crime and when his time was almost due, they felt like there was no possibility for change in him therefore they deported him.

Halfrican-Jeff's Diary

http://www.radiodiaries.org/jeff-in-boston-halfrican/

Jeff is sixteen, lives with his family in Boston., and like Disco music. This story interested me because identity struggle is a struggle that we all go through. In Jeff's case, it's a bit different. He is constantly being confused by many by thinking that he is Puerto Rican even though he is half African(by father) and half White(by mother). He was bullied when he was younger because he was big, but he says that because of this, its made him more sharp tongued. When he got to middle school he started to take care of himself by combing his hair and dressing differently, girl then began to pay attention to him. In school, every race sits together with their own race, he usually sits with at the "black table". He was left out when they said that there was going to be a "race war" and that the reason that no one told him was because he was half and half and that he could not be trusted with this because they didn't know who's side he was going to be on. Later on, his family talks a bit about their background. Jeff states that he loves being different.

Audio Stories 01/29

Thembi's AIDS Diary

http://www.radiodiaries.org/thembis-aids-diary/

This story about a nineteen year old named Thembi who lives in South Africa and has AIDS. When I read the title of this story, I thought it was going to be about how much Thembi hates to have AIDS and that she would be depressed. However, I was very surprised from the very first minute of the story. When she said that she wakes up every morning, looks in the mirror and decides to take control between her and AIDS, I thought she was a very courageous being. Thembi was infected by an ex-boyfriend. How she found out that it was her ex-boyfriend was when her ex-boyfriend's sister told Thembi symptoms that were familiar to AIDS. She decided to make sure that her suspicion was incorrect, but unfortunately she was mistaken, she had AIDS. She now has a boyfriend who's perfectly aware of her disease and loves her just the way she is. For her, it was very hard to tell him since she was terrified of his rejection towards her because of her disease. She goes to the doctor quite often for check ups. Time passes and she begin to speak of the symptoms that have started to take effect. She says that she did not want to look into the mirror because she was afraid to the physical changes. Also, she did not like going out because of what people were saying due to her physical changes. Later, Thembi and her boyfriend have a child and luckily, the child was HIV negative. She compares her relationship with her child, with the relationship with her mother, in a way explaining that she now knows what it is like to be a mother. She then confesses to her father that she has AIDS, someone who thinks awfully about this disease, but all she wanted him to know was that she was not afraid and that everything was going to be fine. Thembi is not scared of dying, she is afraid of not being here, in Earth and not watching her daughter grow. She wants a future, and as she says, "I'm just going on with my life."

What If God...-Ricky's Diary

http://www.radiodiaries.org/ricky-in-buffalo-grove-illinois-what-if-god-2/

This story was about Ricky trying to find out what he believes. His father is atheist, which is why he decided to go in search of what he believed in. He says it is no big deal, except the small things that his father does not like;for example "bless you"when he someone sneezes. He says it is hard for him because people make fun of him by telling him that he worships the devil. Ricky,is however, knows that is not true. He is very confused. His mother does not have a stable belief. Ricky has been through many situations because of his father's strong will towards atheism. His father thinks that we are all born atheist, but that some of us are taught to be superstitious. Ricky then asks his father about he thinks happens when we die. His father's response is that we all just rot, in other words he does not believe in the afterlife. He also hopes that Ricky grows up and becomes an atheist along the way. In my opinion, I thought that was interesting thesis to go off of. I chose this story because I am very curious as to what paths people decide to choose from out of the millions out there, therefore I wanted to see what he chooses in the end. In the end, he does not choose a religion. Ricky says that he would most likely be whatever his wife's religion is.

Audio Stories 01/13

Rudy Rush-Harlem Cowboy

http://themoth.org/stories/liverpool-street

This was a story focusing on a event that changed Harlem's life almost radically. Harlem is a man who moved to New York to start a business. Later on, he partners up with someone else to create a bar in which he met two people who invited him to a rodeo that was out of New York. As the comedian that he is, he decided to give it a chance for he has a very positive attitude; it could be due to the fact that he is a comedian, plus he enjoys going through new experiences. He eventually began to like going to rodeo and therefore attended one during the 9/11 unforgettable event. He felt very much worried for when this happened because his mother worked really close to the Twin Towers and he had family in New York. The people in the rodeo eventually got to know him well and became a very close to them so they comforted and supported him. They made sure that he knew that they were there for him. He truly appreciated this moment and was very flabbergasted to know that he had good friends there. Some of the questions that may have been asked for this interview(story) may have been the following:

• Did you live anywhere else before New York?
• What did you wish to accomplish in New York?
• Describe a moment that you were not expecting to occur.
• Describe an intense moment in which you felt like you were worried.

Going Home-Cristel's Diary

http://www.radiodiaries.org/going-home-cristels-diary/

This story is about a fifteen year old who was incarcerated for viciously attacking a girl who was her classmate, which was also her rival, with a razor blade. She speaks about her experience in the jail. Cristel has a daughter. The story was quite interesting because it had live sound from when people came to visit her and when she narrates the story as if was a diary. The story gave me intense goosebumps because of the way she described the event, with sound effects and detail.She also speaks about what her childhood was like. She had a rough childhood that included seeing people on drugs and witnessing the police breaking into her home. Through out her incarceration she went from being a "punk ready to fight the word" to a "very loving adult and mother". Her change is so drastic that it impacted many of the people who worked in the jail. Questions that may have served for the interview may have been the following:

• What was your childhood like?
• Describe a moment that changed your life completely.
• What was the hardest thing you went through during your incarceration?
• What do you think your life may have been like if you had never done what you did?
• What went through your mind when you were set free?

Book Proposal

The book I would like to read is Of Mice and Men. I would like to read this book because I have heard great reviews about it and I want to join the journey of the main character. It seems like I would enjoy reading this book because I have always liked reading about peoples' personal experiences, life lessons, and who themselves are all about.

Audio Stories

Man and Beast-Alan Rabinowitz
http://themoth.org/stories/man-and-beast

This story was quite impressive. Who would have known that his inability to speak would have taken him so far in life? The story was about a man who had a severe stuttering problem since the day he was born. He went through many things from his parents' denial to people's critisms. The story made me feel proud of the dedication he put into completing his promise to animals. The promise was that if he was ever able to speak, he will speak for them since he thought that he was like animals, misunderstood and not listened to. In many sections of the story, I felt comovement when thinking about all the difficult events that he must have went through due to his problem of severe stuttering. When he was speaking, I could feel his exicitment, sadness, despair, (etc.) all from the tone of his voice when remembering every detail of the event he had faced.


The Small Town Prisoner-Wanda Bullard
http://themoth.org/stories/lol

This story was very different from the story above. It was different because it wasn't a life time lesson, but rather a simple quick story in which there was humor and one main event. The story provided curiosity and inquisition. The narrator's voice and tone helped the humor aspect, but most importantly, it helped arise the surprise of her father's intelligence towards the end. I liked the story very much because it was a great mixture of a casual event with an unexpected ending.