Final Blog

Starting something new always brings new experience into your life; especially for a person like me, who is not so experienced with new technology. The blogging assignments were difficult for me. 

In the beginning, I felt very uncomfortable, with sharing my personal life with complete strangers; and did not know how to write on a blog.  However, when I began to read our class blog, it really touched me, because after every new post, we started to grow closer to each other by sharing our opinions, comments and life stories.

Creating a blog was not a bad idea; it really helps shy people to communicate a little better in a social environment. It also helped me improve my writing skills, it gave me an opportunity to share my voice, and my feelings on different topics, and make a lot of new friends. It truly changed my life.  

As for the future, I will continue my blog, if I have the time.  It will be good practice for me. Although I enjoyed all the blogs, there were a few that truly effected me in a positive way.  I really enjoyed reading Rowena Lejano’s blog. She always had some interesting experience or comment that would take your breath away.  Continuing to read the blogs each week, I found great inspiration in the postings of Yvonne, Tina Time, and Ana C. Medina. In spite of their young age, they taught me a great deal in the way they wrote. Their writing styles were very clear, and beautifully expressive. Reading their blogs, truly improved my own writing skills.

I want to thank all of my classmates, in both classes that contributed to the blog. I wish each of them great luck and success in their lives. A special thanks to our teacher, Mrs. Crocker, for her continued patience with our composition class.  Although this class was difficult, I truly walked away with a treasure of knowledge and experience that I will never forget. 

TED video

In Mark Bittman’s video it had a lot of information, which I mostly agreed with. He expresses that the way we eat, affects conditions of our health, and the quality and duration our lives.

I was shocked to see the information about greenhouse gases, and what pollution is generated from livestock production; it is more than gas used for transportation. These livestock gases are the initiators for pollution on our planet. It was very interesting, and humorous at the same time. It was also very interesting to hear about the evaluation of food, and how it has changed during the years. 

Jamie Oliver had a nice presentation. It surprised by the statistical facts that more people died from diet related diseases, than from murder or homicide. It was sad to see pictures of children who are obese, and they can’t live longer, because they will die from their obesity. Another thing that seemed unrealistic, was to hear the children in elementary school in England, that did not  know the name of vegetables!

I agree with Jamie Oliver and in what he wants to do to change the way America eats today. I liked his idea of putting a person in supermarkets, who is educated in nutrition, to help costumers buy the right food, and show them how to cook quick and tasty meals. I know this would be important and helpful to people who have busy lives. It is also important to teach kids how to cook, starting in school. This could save their lives in the future.

I really liked the Ann Coopers video, it was very interesting to listen to her, and how enthusiastically, she’s fighting for healthy eating for kids; and the health of the future generations.  It was really sad to hear that more money is being spent on prisoners, than in feeding a child.  I was also saddened by the information that if parents and society do not change the eating habits of the children today, the new generation of children will die before the parents. I really like what she is doing for the kids by opening cooking classes to teach them how to cook, and make the right decisions in their food choices.

Most important people on my life...

 Most important people on my life are my family members. In this blog, I want  write about my mom, dad and husband.

My mom is the person who gave me life. She raised me, gave me an education. She is a very loving, patient, and frank woman, who wants only the best things for me. She has always helped and supported me in difficult situations throughout my life. She’s taught me to never give up, and only strive forward . My mother is a type of woman who can encourage you with the use of only one word, giving you hope, and making you feel that everything will be alright. We have a  great relationship, although distance separate us,  I feel her near me everyday. I am very thankful for everything she does for me, and grateful that she is in my life.

 My dad is a very emotionally strong man, with a strict, yet loving nature.  He has been a great influence in my life. He is caring and responsible, and has tried to teach me to be the same way in my life. Growing up, he was always the one to teach me right from wrong, and had a very strong influence in encouraging me to take action, in difficult situations and find solutions.

My husband is my big support today financially and spiritually. From the time we met, he has always been enthusiastic and optimistic about life.  He is very creative with many good ideas, and always knows what he wants from life.  He has given me many ideas and creative approaches in my life, to not be afraid to try something creative and new. He has opened a new world to me, with deep love and romance.

The Most Delicious Pumpkin Bread Review

On the weekend we wanted to make a tasty treat. I was looking for healthy recipes on the internet, and found The Food Network cooking website. It is a great site for whomever likes spending time in the kitchen cooking. They have very easy instructions; they have simple recipes written by professional chefs, excellent photos of dishes, and recipe preparation videos.

I tried to prepare some dishes from their recipes, and they came out very tasty. The last one was pumpkin bread. It had high ratings from people, who had prepared this bread, and I decided to write about their experiences; and now I am preparing my review of this recipe.  It was not a hard recipe, only what I changed, I added brown sugar, instead white, and put walnuts, not pumpkin seeds. A lot of people, who tried this recipe, did not suggest using the pumpkin seeds, and they suggested using a fresh pumpkin, not from a can, because it has more water.  I also used a  cake pan, instead of a glass pyrex, because it comes out prettier.

The secret is to prepare the mixture correctly as stated in the recipe, you need to mix dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately, and then add it all together. Once it was baked, it was very delicious bread! It has a nice golden-brown color on the outside, and moist and delicious inside, with pumpkin and cinnamon flavoring. Also, people could modify the recipe by adding their own ingredients, like adding raisins, or cranberries to the mixture.

This is very yummy, and if you want, you can make it for your Thanksgiving Day family get together.  It will be a great hit with your guests.

My opinion about FFN...

I found The Fast Food Nation a very interesting book. It affected me very deeply, I felt the author, Eric Schlosser, did very good research and presented it to the reader very effectively. It was very shocking to me, reading chapter after chapter, what really went on with these fast food industries here. I was really upset, especially reading chapters eight and nine, which showed how these companies treat their employees, and how they really do not care about what happens to their workers, in the slaughterhouses. I was frustrated reading how unskilled workers have been placed in the meat processing departments, and how  E.coli and Salmonella was being found on the meat, really made me sick. . It was really disgusting to read how they fed the animals, what was contained in the meat, and realizing, that the meat will then be eaten by the consumers.

Also we learned how fast food is unhealthy, and eating it frequently will make people obese and cause serious diseases.

I haven’t had much experience with fast food in my country, but after I came here, I have tried fast food, and haven’t any desire to eat it. After reading this book, I immediately changed my interest in fast food, and the consumption of meat also! Humorously, my family and I have learned to graze on grains and vegetables. We have completely changed the way we eat.  This book not only affected me in making a serious change in my eating habits, but also my entire family.  We have eliminated meat from our diet, and have decided to stick with fruits, grains and vegetables.  But we are still all refusing to give up the cheese!

This semester in college...

On the blog which is true, my true statement was: My dog loves cats. We have a dog, her name is Jassie, and her best friend is cat named Natty. Every morning Jassie runs and greets Natty goodmorning, and licks her ears and her face, until she finally drives Natty so crazy that Natty chases Jassie around the yard. It is truly hilarious to watch. Who says cats and dogs can’t be friends.

This semester in college

It’s my second semester taking my classes in college. Speaking the truth, starting this semester was hard for me, especially with this English class. The first time I saw the assignments we needed to do online and in class, and how much reading and writing we needed to do, I was confused! In the beginning, I spent about 8-10 hours a day doing my assignments. It was hard, because it was hard to translate from my language to English, sometimes it worked, and sometimes it didn’t make sense. The meaning got lost in translation. It seemed like I would never finish this, but what could I do…I said to myself, I’m not the first or the last, everybody is going through this.

By the way, I am fine now, a little nervous about finishing the research papers, and the other essays. I chose this hard class, and it is challenging and pushing me to do my work better, and I am trying. I stay motivated because I have a very clear goal in my heart to achieve success, each time I feel like I will lose it, I think of the outcome of reaching my goal for myself and my family, and know that I will.. It was very hard for me to come back to school the second time, as all my professional licenses of 12 years of education, could not be converted to American medical licenses. We sometimes get pushed to square one to start all over again, but at least we can imagine we are still moving forward. Regardless of the set backs, you need to be sure of what you want, and to push yourself to get it.

Which is true?

1. I drink coffee before bed time, it really helps me sleep.

2. My dog loves cats.

3. Meryl Streep is my third cousin.

4. I have won large amounts of money in a lottery before.

5. My first job was a fortune teller.

6. I took my English class to improve my blog writing skills.

"Visions" by Armenchik - Nokia Concert 2009 Music (Video)

Should marijuana laws be relaxed?

In current times, marijuana law debates remain open. Many people today, especially young people, like to live in freedom and do whatever they want. For entertainment, they like using marijuana in the form of joints, or mixed in brownies, to experience a psychological reaction causing sedative and analgetic effects, known as a “High”. However, marijuana is a drug, and using it is illegal in the USA. This drug is bad for you, and has many negative effects on the body and brain, because it can cause such things as loss of memory, schizophrenia, paranoia, anxiety and breathing problems, and other such serious illnesses. On the other hand, marijuana has many therapeutic uses also, and has successfully been used for easing symptoms for patients with glaucoma, AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis, and patients with other chronic diseases or terminal conditions. Although each side presented good points on the Pros/Cons of their arguments for and against relaxing marijuana laws, I personally agree with the Con portion written by Robert L, Dupont, M.D. President of the Institute for Behavioral Health. As a doctor, I see his medical views very well. I know the medical complications that marijuana causes, not only to the physical body, but also the environment of the users, such as the negative effects it has on the families, or even worse on fetus of pregnant women, who are either users, or their partners are users, impacts the growth and development of the fetus. Also some babies may be born with dependency on marijuana, and have future learning disabilities which will impact them for the rest of their lives. It’s a personal choice for each individual, if they believe the consequences are worth it.

Armenian Family

Making a family is the most important thing in most cultures. Families can be big or small, young or old. Around the world the families can eat, dress and work differently, but all are united to take responsibility to care for their kin. Armenian families are not an exception. An average traditional Armenian house is composed of, a man and a woman. The man assumes leadership and major responsibilities, and is known to be the sole decision maker. The woman’s responsibility is assumed as the cook, housekeeper, dutiful wife, and mother who raise the children. These responsibilities are reserved for females, even though they may work outside the home.
The kitchen is the "territory" of the Armenian women and one dares cross the boundary, and especially not during cooking. When the man comes home from work, the dinner must be at the table. The Armenian man is an excellent food critic, so he thinks. They are very critical, as the food never measures up to that of their mothers, but in their eyes, they are offering constructive criticism. One thing that saves the Armenian woman from food preparation errors is that the recipes are "full proof", as they have been handed down generations after generations, from grandmothers and great, great grandmothers and on.
One of the delights in a day of the Armenian woman is Armenian coffee, otherwise known as Turkish coffee. It is a daily ritual for them; they may drink it several times a day. After drinking, it is traditional to put the plate on top of the cup; they agitate the cup a couple of times and make a wish, then turn the cup upside down onto the plate. This ritual has been taught to the family members from grandparents, who would then read the coffee grinds, which they believed told their fortunes. Younger Armenian girls look forward to this portion of the coffee drinking, as they are very interested to know when their Prince Charming will show up. The older women on the other hand, are very interested to know when the money will show up. These moments always leave room for lots of humor.
In Armenian families, it is a standard to have children. Average 2 or 3 children are in the home. Children are the center of attention, and are traditionally raised by their mothers, but grandmothers and aunts also help raise the children. When the first child is born, it is often named after either the maternal or paternal grandparents.
Armenian families are known to be very strongly united. The word "divorce" is not one that is appreciated or respected, as the mentality is to be married for life. I remember when I was married; my father said to me,” In our family we don’t know the word "divorce", if you choose your husband once, it is forever". It was a good advice from my father to me.
In our culture we have a big respect for man’s elderly parents’ .However they live together with parents and take care of them and their health.
Also Armenians like invited guests for an evening dinner, or call to invite themselves for coffee to spend together time.
For me family is big support, because you can to rely in a difficult situation, and you know they can help in a different time.

When I Was Lost In Moscow

Every summer my family spent our vacation in Moscow, Russia. Moscow was a huge city, and also famous for being the capital of the former USSR, now Russia. It was a business city, and had a lot of historical places you could see. Moscow was famous for the Red Square, the Kremlin, Lenin’s Mausoleum, and the metro station.
Red Square was the most visited place by tourists. The Red Square was made from red bricks, and the name translated to “beautiful” in old Russian. It was the center of the Soviet government, and the main entrance to the Kremlin. Another interesting place that attracted tourists was Lenin Mausoleum. Lenin was mummified in 1924. If you wanted to see him, you would need to stand in the long line, but luckily, it moved swiftly.
I was ten years old. .I was shy person and close to my parents. It was my first time visiting Moscow. My family and I liked spending our time in historical places to learn about the history. We went to see the State Tretyakov Gallery, the morning that the event happened. It was a beautiful morning, and everything was going well. I was amazed by Tretyakov Gallery. The Tretyakov Gallery was famous for its awesome art of landscapes, portraits and other painting , and also icons. It was interesting to see the artwork.

We entered into different halls, and spent six or seven hours looking at amazing art. Believe me, we could not see everything in one day, so we needed to go again. It was at lunchtime when we exited from the gallery. Our tour guide said, “We can get lunch now”. One man from our group suggested, we take the extra time to go see the Lenin’s Mausoleum and the Kremlin. If we did not go, it would have been like visiting New York, and not having seen the Statue of Liberty.
Everyone started pushing and shoving to get in line to see Lenin. You could never imagine how many people were in the Red Square at that time. You could easily get lost in the chaos. People split me from my parents, and pushed me to another side. My parents believed I was behind them. But in all this chaos, I was lost and alone. I could not find my parents. I was a little girl lost without my parents, without any money, in an unknown place. I did not know what I could do. I felt too shy at that moment, and did not ask anybody for help. The time approached evening hours. I waited hoping my parents would return to find me.
All at once, I heard whispering, “Where are they? Why are they not here?”
I turned around, and saw a tall, middle-aged man, dressed with a white shirt and jeans, walking back and forth. I shyly asked the man,
“Did you lose somebody?” He looked at me and surprised said,
“Yes, my children. They were going to see Lenin in Mausoleum, and I lost them in this chaos.” I plucked up courage, and I said to the man, “You know, I lost my family too. I am in the same situation.” One second later, I asked him, “Do you have five pennies for metro station? I want to go to my hotel.” He said, “Yes, of course.” He put five pennies in my hand. I was so happy; I could go back to my hotel. These five pennies for me were like five million dollars!
Thank God, the metro station was behind me. I ran to the metro, put five pennies in the ticket gate, sat on my train, and after forty minutes, I was at the hotel.
I walked into the hotel lobby, and waited. Half an hour passed. Through the big hotel window, I saw my parents coming into the hotel. I saw my mother crying. When she saw me, she said, “Thank God, you are found and fine!” They had reported me “lost” to the police station. That event changed me from a shy person, gave me courage, and helped me in my life to know, if you have difficult situations, you can find solutions with some courage.

Interviewing my classmate

I was interviewing my classmate, Danielle Hernandez, who is a freshman, and full-time student at Oxnard College.
In spit of her age, as she is only 18 years old, she is a shooting guard on the girl’s basketball team. Danielle has a busy schedule, and she has a job at “Ventura Sports Zone Imaging”, where she is an “on call” worker.
She lives with her parents, older brother and sister, and their three dogs.
When I asked her who motivated her to attend college, she said, “My parents, because they did not have the possibility to get an education, and they could not graduate from a high school. My parents inspired me to come and study at Oxnard College. They wanted to see me educated. It is a big step for my family and me.”
Danielle is very close with her family and grandparents. For her, her mother is a role model in her life.
In her school schedule, she is taking English and Art Appreciation on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and basketball on Fridays.
She has only weekends when she can rest at home, spend her time with friends, going to the cinema or malls. Sometimes she and her best friends like to meet at each other’s houses to spend time together.
When I asked her, “Can you describe your self in three words”; She said with smile, “I am silly, amusing and athletic. I am goofy, and always laughing which make me amusing. I like to play basketball because I am athletic.”
Danielle is a very friendly, trusting girl, she likes to consider herself as a very understanding and self-critical person .In the future, she wants to see herself married, with family, be healthy, successful and financially stable. She said, “To be successful in the school, I have my philosophy, get what you need to be done, so you have time to do what you want.”
Danielle stated she likes to take classes in Oxnard College because the college is not crowded and they have a basketball team. She likes the fact, that, college is more independent than high school. She likes the independents of preparing her homework in college, but she did not have the same opportunity in high school.
She hopes that in the future, maybe, Oxnard College classes will be improved, so that fewer students would drop out.
In closing quote she stated, “I shall always make time to make someone laugh or smile, because laugh and smiles give me energy for others”.
I loved interviewing Danielle; She was very warm and friendly. She is a bright and energetic yang lady, and I hope she fullfills all of her dreams.

Text messages

Text messages are a part of everyday life for millions of people. People are using messaging for some reasons; however sometimes it can be a problem. For some of them, it is a way in which they can support boyfriend or girlfriend relationships.
For others, it is a possibility when they can communicate if they are not able to talk face to face.
People are using messaging because it makes their life easier, and it is a perfect method to connect with friends, or family without interrupting their work or company.
Sometimes it becomes an addiction for more people. It is a big distraction when they drive. They put themselves and people at risk at this moment.
In addition, it is a distraction for children too. They sending or reading messages during their classes, even if the teacher forbids it.
Using text messaging today is the fast and cheapest way to communicate and we can use it responsibly. In normal situations, it does not hurt us.

Reality TV

Millions of people in the world are watching reality shows. I am not an exception. I watch them, when I have time.
First they are entertaining and pleasing to me (some of them), because these shows create amusement by the participants’ ridiculous behaviors. This is funny to discuss with family or friends.
I like many shows: “Dancing with the Stars,” American Idol and “Iron Chef”. I started to watch “Iron Chef” when Mario Batali signed his book to me.
“Dancing with the stars” is an interesting and colorful show. You can learn to dance by yourself from professional dancers. You can see your favorite stars, nice dresses and finally, you can get a wonderful spirit.
With “American Idol”, you can enjoy seeing people who come to this show to get their success, and this show gives them the chance to be famous.
In “Iron Chef”, I love to see when chefs challenge each other. It is surprising that they can make five dishes just in one hour! It is interesting to see how quickly it does.
I avoid shows showing force, aggression, abuse when you hear swearwords, see immoral behavior. I was surprised, when I read the article that says, most people show interest in these types of shows. I really did not understand why….Maybe aggression stimulates them. These shows send a wrong message to people. We have some shows on TV they show negative effects on children and teenagers. They are learning bad things from some of the shows.
I think, the good shows are only for the benefits of people. People find something useful to themselves by watching. Sometimes reality shows help people forget there real-life problems. They can get a good spirit after the show.
Some people see participants in the show .It makes them exited. Some of them than decide to go and to participate in these shows. It is the chance to be famous or win money.
I understand that reality TV shows are inexpensive productions, producers make more money, and these shows are cheaper than producing a film.
It is a fact ,reality television has been constantly on the rise, and every day millions of Americans watch their favorite television shows and they don’t know if it is good for them or not.

My view about fastfood

From My childhood and to this day I have eaten homemade food. My mother always prepared us tasty dishes .My sister and I learned more from mom.She prepared  breakfast, lunch or dinner and every  thing was perfect and tasty.

In Armenia and Georgia we don't have fast food restaurants,because we don't need them.Our women prepare food at home. Because it's healthy.Our restorant's serve good quality ,fresh,and natural meals.
The first time  I heard about fast food was when I was at school.Our teacher talked about american meals ,what americans like to eat.It was interesting and funny to us .We had never tasted hamburgers,and she described it to us with more details. One of my classmates said :" We can't taste hamburgers an in real life ,please don't open  our appetite ,I am hungry!"

When I came here,I said: "O.K.  Now I can taste! ". My first hamburger was at the Mc.Donald's .If you asked me what it was, I would say: "I didn't understand what I am eating .For me ,it whas something tasteless".
Later I tasted other hamburgers,I liked some of them. In reality,I like food from my country and I miss  it.
I noticed that a lot of Americans like this fast  food.They always spend their time in a fast  food restaurans.I understand ,that it's a comfortable thing.I was impressed how fast  food is served in a drive-true window without waiting for a long time.
But on the other hand ,this food that we are eating today has many preservatives,hormones and chemicals. Because of these ,I don't like to eat it.It's so harmful  for our health. It causes weight  gan ,obesity,diabetis, high blood pressure,cholesterol and many other diseases.It is also dangerous for children and pregnant womens.Children here are growing  fast and they are hitting puberty earlier.
This diseases are not a game,our organism is very sensitive .If we ignore these, it gives us more problems.
Now ,in my new family , we also prepare at home .My  mother- in- law  is good cooker.I learn from her a couple secrets , how can you prepare a tasty food.
Occasionaly  my  husband and me like going to eat  to "In and Out" hamburgers.I know ,it's not healthy,but it's for variety.

About Me

I was born in Batumi in the Republic of Georgia, located in South Caucasus on the Black Sea coast. It borders with Turkey, Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Batumi a resort city, is infamous for it's very long boulevard, musical fountains which are spectacular to watch every night. The city is also known for it's beautiful botanical gardens located on a quite spot on a cliff, known to locals as Green Cliff.


The boulevard is close to the seacoast. Where it is a pleasure to walk, as the scent of magnolia trees fill the air, and you feel the fresh sea breeze; which took me back to my childhood, when my father took my sister and I to the beach, and we sunbathed, enjoying the waves crashing against the stony beach, as we swam in the sea until we were exhausted. It was a great pleasure to swim in the Black Sea. After our day was near its end, my father would take us to the local cafe for ice cream. A treat that we were always looking forward to. Then we sat and we watched the sunset, the most magnificent view you can ever imagine. We would sit on the beach and wait for the last sunray to sink into the sea, as the locals believed was an opportunity to make a wish. It was the most amazing, blissful view you can see in your life.



Moving to the US was a strange experience. Where everything from the roads, to the people, to the shopping experiences were so different. In fact, it is fair to say a 360 degree difference. But one thing that captured my heart while walking in Oxnard, along the ocean and the harbor, it strangely reminded me of Batumi. Especially, the similarity in the climate, and the ocean experience. I found myself home again for a moment, as that little girl on the ocean.



Now married and living in Oxnard, I had to get used to an all new life, in a new country, with a new family, and pursuing my career here in the states. My love of medicine and helping people never disappeared. I had to follow my heart once again, in a career that I love. I know it's not far from me to achieve my goal. I will continue pursuing my education in medicine with the passion that I have always had, and know that I will lead a purposeful life, in helping and caring for people.