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CULTURAL ENCOUNTERS BLOG REFLECTION

On your Cultural Encounters blog, make a new post and complete the following reflection. Be sure to use complete sentences and write in paragraphs.

1. What was one thing you learned from the simulations we played in class? How did this help you understand the essential questions better? I got to kind of experience how people lived back then- always moving to different places because they had to. Sometimes, the King wanted land and there were a lot of diseases going on, there was also a drought so we had to move next to a river and join other groups or families. I can't believe it was so hard living, even NOW!

2. Reading was a part of Cultural Encounters. When you read the books you were asked to think about your reading. What did you learn about your reading while doing this? I learned that tailors were not very rich but medium. They sowed clothes for everyone back then.

3. Did the journal entries help you to better understand your character? Why or why not? Explain in detail.
It really did. It's like a whole diary from the beginning of the journey to the New world till they settle there. On every single journal entry, it tell's you to write about a topic like when they encountered the Indians and then you really dig deep into that. After all those journal entries were connected and edited, It looked like a colonist had wrote it. I got a 4.5 out of a 5 for my score so I'm pretty happy and I learned a lot about what the colonist's encountered.

4. What was the best part of your presentation? How could it have been improved? Everyone was cooperating in the presentation and it was like a play so that was fun. We could have cooperated more and we should have been louder but other than that it was really good.

5. What was the biggest learning you gained from this unit? Explain with details.
I learned that working together was the biggest learning I gained because without every single person- you can't make nation or something way smaller like a group. If everyone cooperates we will alway's succeed.

Reactions and Changes

Hello. My name is Penelope Wade. I'm a tailor and here I am sitting on the dock with my daughter wondering what my future holds for me. In the last few years I've been selling the clothes I have sewn in order to board this ship. Right now I feel anxious, excited and happy waiting to board the ship. I wonder what it will be like in the New World. I feel like I'm starting a whole new life. I feel that today I'm going to turn the other cheek and I'm leading myself into another world. But at the same time, I'm feeling very anxious. I'm not too sure the boat will fit all of the people going to the New World. I can't believe I'm going to another place. I have never been on the ocean. What if things go wrong? What if I starve we death? Will I have to work harder in the New World? I have so many questions. I hope that the journey through the ocean will be safe and we don't run out of food. The dark waters look scary and I hope they do no harm to us. Once I'm in the New World I dream to be free and content. I have brought my sewing tools and my daughter Eliza to help me with my stitchery. I dream that Eliza and I will make beautiful clothes and embroider lovely pictures on them. I wonder if we're going to meet people in the New World. I doubt it though. I'm moving to the New World because I believe I will have more freedom and land. Also because of religious reasons. I just hope everything goes well.

I'm sitting on my bed below the deck in a stuffy room that is extremely small. I feel terrible. Did I really make the right decision by moving to the New World? I know it's too late to ask myself. Eliza and I are homesick, seasick, depressed, bored and starved. Eliza vomited three times today and is sleeping next to me. I don't think we're going to make it to the New World. Two people have passed away and it's only our first month on this ship. I don't know how long it will take us to reach. The ship has been through one storm and it was terrifying. The ship swayed heavily and almost knocked me down. The ship is still rocking and it won't stop.I should have chosen to stay in Europe with my husband John and not have brought Eliza with me. I'm regretting myself. We are scarce of food and that is why Eliza is ill. I fear my poor Eliza will not make it.

Alas! Those two months on the ship were awful but Eliza and I finally made it to the New World! I was wrong. We are so happy that we are off the ship. Now we are free! I am so excited. Unfortunately, a few people passed away on the ship and I don't think we came at the right time in the year. It's winter right now and we haven't grown any food yet. I wonder how we will survive. Eliza and I are trying to find shelter and the farmers are trying to grow food quickly before it's too late! Now that I'm here Eliza and I are sure we are going to make fine stitchery and clothes. Right now Eliza and I are helping our colony by stitching new clothes. I'm missing Europe very much though I know we will do well in the New World.

I am doing pretty good here but I still have some doubts. We don't have enough food to survive the winter so our colony had a town meeting. We discussed about the things we could have done about this situation all though it was like. We are planning to trade the Native's some gold in order to have some more food. Also, Instead of just growing crops we are going to hunt animals to have meat. I'm not too sure the Native's will trade us but we will try our very best. I met a very kind Native named Mikayla and she helped us build our shelter. The sanitation here isn't great but It's still okay. We have five people ill and we are trying our best to treat them. Right now, Eliza and I are trading the fur-traders for their fur to keep warm and for the clothes. We are still getting used to this new place.

Oh no! The native's did not accept our trade. What are we going to do?! Our colony has sent some people to other tribe's to trade for food but so far three people have came back unsuccessfully. Our colony was reported that one person from our colony encountered an unexpected Native group and had got shot by one of their arrows! The others haven't arrived yet and we really hope that we get food from the Natives. The farmers are going wild and growing crops every hour of the day and the tanner's are hunting animals like crazy. In these last two weeks everyone has been all over the place. It's bizarre! Oh my lord, let us survive this winter!

Daily life is pretty steady. Eventually one problem comes up but we get over it. This is how my routine goes every day: Waking up to start a new day, doing my prayers with Eliza, occasionally showering, eating breakfast, start making and stitching clothes;embroidering throughout the day and trading till tea time. Then Eliza and I go to town meetings if needed and then we make supper. That is probably a typical day in my life. Conditions have changed these several months. Our colony has made friends with a native tribe. Our colony trades with them daily. Eliza and I are healthy and we're having a lot of success. A lot of people are buying our clothes and we are trading a lot of clothes. We have traded our clothes for all kinds of things. Chickens, meat, fur and I even got some money from a lady. Both Eliza and I are in good shape. I feel that we will have a great life in this New World.

Molly's Dream

1) What dream does Molly have?

Molly dreamt of sewing a dream picture with geese, ducks and dogs using yarn and thread to make the sampler of the dream picture.  She wanted to sew a house in the middle, which would  remind her of her family back in Scotland. But most importantly, she wanted to become like Mrs.Simmons. Kind, has courage, skilled and intelligent. Molly wanted to become a business woman when she grew up just like Mrs.Simmons even though she was an indentured servant. Molly dreamt of going to live with her brother Willie when they were eighteen who was also an indentured servant in America. 

2)What will she need to do to make her dream come true?

She will need to be eighteen in order to be free to make this dream come true. With her freedom in America she can do whatever she wants and not be an indentured servant. Molly has her contract with Mrs.Simmons for seven years and in the duration of those seven years, Mrs.Simmons has taught Molly to sew samples and has made Molly learn how to read and write. Part of Molly's dream is to become a business woman which means she must be well educated which would not have happened if Molly was living in Scotland.  Another part of Molly's dream was to sew her dream picture. This wouldn't have happened if she hadn't worked for Mrs.Simmons. 

A New Kind of Freedom

1) What convinced Johann to go to America?

Johann was convinced to go to America because of what Pastor Vogel said. There was so much more land in "the new land" than in Europe. There was so much land that Johann could have 450 acres of land for free! There was a lot of freedom too because the people could worship whoever they wanted to. In Europe, If you were caught worshiping a god in your religion you would be arrested.

2) How did he feel about the decision later?

He felt good about his decision because a lot of the people from Germany (the country that he was living in before moving to America) were living there with him so it was like his whole neighborhood had just moved from Germany to America. Also, a lot of crops grew, rye, oats and barley and then they could try growing new things because of the bigger fields and different culture of foods. The Indians grew Indian corn so they tried growing Indian corn as well.

Imagration

Many settlers who settled in America were Europeans. They came to America from the May Flower. Some were poor and wanted new land. America had a big amount of unpopulated land compared to Europe.Others moved because of religious intolerance- In America there was very less. They also moved because it was expensive in Europe and wanted to buy things at a cheaper rate. That is why they all immigrated from Europe into the new land America.

Essential Questions

Why do people move?

There are many, many reasons. Some people move because they are poor and can't afford the expenses in the place they are living in. They might move because they want more land, money and freedom like the immigrants who came to America did. Some people might move because there is war in their country or because of their jobs. People move because they want better education, a cleaner environment and a healthier place to live. People like to experience different places and therefor they move into other places.

What happens when people don't think, act, or speak like you do?

Sometimes you can be friends with them. Or, you may be mean to them and stay away from them. Some people think the other people are weird and stay away from them. There are a lot of different reactions people have when they encounter people who don't think, act or speak the way you do.