From North to South

From meeting in a coffee shop to bumping into each other in a concert, people get to know the person which whom, eventually, they will create a family. All families have their history and most of them have a particular way of being formed; mine isn't an exception. From North to South, fate brought my parents together and gave them the opportunity to bring to life what is our family today.

Since the very beginning of my family's history, my family has been characterized to be created in such unique means that one must think that it was definitely God's will what brought the couples in it, together. Three clear examples are my grandparents and parents. My mom's father lived in Puerto Barrios and her mom lived in Chiquimula. Destiny made them meet and they had my mom. Right after my grandparents got married, they moved to Puerto Barrios, where she grew up. Same thing happened with my father side of the family. His mom is from Sololá and his dad is from Antigua Guatemala. They met, got married, and had my dad. Happy for the birth of their son, my dad's parents moved to Escuintla, where my dad grew up.

After my mom and dad had lived their childhood in completely different places, each one decided to come to the city to have better opportunities and study at college. Without a clue that they would find their "other half", they started their studies at college. My mom was studying medicine and my dad was in laws. They met thanks to friends they had in common and started to hang out more often.

After a year or so, my mom changed her career because she found laws more exciting. My parents then got to spend even more time together. One day, they found out my mom was pregnant. Excited with the news, they moved to a guest house together and, two years later, they found the perfect home for me to grow up.  After my birth, my mom stayed at home for two years, taking care of me. Once my parents were okay with leaving me with a nanny, my mom got a job and finished law school.

Ten years passed by since I was born and one April afternoon my mom found out she was pregnant again. More than happy to know this, we waited for my sister until November. Another member in my little family. Time has passed by and my family has stayed the same until this day.

Twists and turns are included, for sure, in my family's history, but what if not it? It has been one of the most interesting love stories I have ever heard of, and, fun fact, I got to know the main characters.

My Family History

My story began many years ago, by different people coming together and creating life.  My great grandparents were Pedro Pedroza, Carmen Carillo, Matías Huertas, and Toribia López, form my dad’s side, and from my mom’s, Margarito, and Lola Ortiz.  And although I never met them, I got to know them through my mom and dad’s stories, through the food they thought them how to cook, and even the jokes they tell today.

My grandma always talks about her parents, she misses them a lot, her dad was a shoemaker, and her mom stayed at home.  She is the second of 10 siblings, and money often was tight, but that never made them sad or angry, they simply adjusted.  They went to school in the morning and in the afternoon, the older kids would help make dinner while the younger ones played.  Although she was born in Patulul, she had to move to the city with her aunt and her uncle at a young age due to different illnesses, so she didn’t see her family much until later in life.

 

From what I’ve heard from my dad my great grandfather was farmer, and he would sometimes take him on field trips, he remembers running from a cow on several occasions, climbing trees and swimming in the river.  He remembers living in the same house through out all his life.  My mom on the other hand, moved a lot, she had a very different childhood.  She went back to Patulul the day after school ended and wouldn’t come back until the day before it started, those are of her fondest memories, she would take the bus with her grandma, Mama Lola, and when they arrived she got to see all her cousins and getting home late after playing in the park.  As she grew older my grandma remarried, and her life changed a lot, it was better in many ways, but she didn’t get to see her grandma and her family as much, but then my uncle was born and she says she was the happiest and proudest older sister.  

 

After many years, my parents’ paths crossed, and became friends, but it wasn’t until 7 years that they would date.  They went out for a while, but my dad decided to move to the U.S., so they were apart for about five years, but one, he called and decided to get back together and started dating.  One day, he came back to Guatemala without telling anyone, he proposed and she said yes, and they got married in 1998.  Almost five years later they had me, and a year after they had my little brother.  And that is, partly, my story. 

 

 

 

What do you know about your family history?  

Where do they come from? 

How did they meet? 

Write a narrative essay about your FAMILY HISTORY

 Negative Effects of Technology

                                                             How beneficial is it actually?

Technology is something that helps us and make our work and daily life easier. It is something available everywhere so people can easily use it either in the work place or for personal matters. We search for something when we need it but nowadays, we rely on internet or other developed technologies and there are very few of us who really want to develop something new. It has damaged the interaction and even can become an issue for our health. So is technology advancing actually beneficial to the human being?

Isolation is one of the main problems. Technologies, such as social media, are designed to bring people together, yet they may have the opposite effect in some cases. A study made in 2017 showed  in young adults aged 19–32 years found that people with higher social media use were more than three times as likely to feel socially isolated than those who did not use social media as often.Finding ways to reduce social media use, such as setting time limits for social apps, may help reduce feelings of isolation in some people. Reduced physical activity is considered to be a very worring subject.Most everyday digital technologies are sedentary. More extended use of these technologies promotes a more sedentary lifestyle, which is known to have negative health effects, such as contributing to:

• obesity

• cardiovascular deseas 

• type 2 diabetes

• premature death

Depression and anxiety  can be a very serious part of the use of tecnology  Experts discussed the link between social networks and mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety.Their research found mixed results. People who had more positive interactions and social support on these platforms appeared to have lower levels of depression and anxiety.However, the reverse was also true. People who perceived that they had more negative social interactions online and who were more prone to social comparison experienced higher levels of depression and anxiety.So, while there does appear to be a link between social media and mental health, a significant determining factor is the types of interactions people feel they are having on these platforms.The way many people use mobile devices and computers may also contribute to incorrect posture. Over time, this may lead to musculoskeletal issues.Many technologies promote a “down and forward” user position, meaning the person is hunched forward and looking down at the screen. This can put an unnecessary amount of pressure on the neck and spine.A long 5 year study in the journal Applied Ergonomics found an association between texting on a mobile phone and neck or upper back pain in young adults.

 

Sleep problems is a very comon factor.Using technology too close to bedtime may cause issues with sleep. This effect has to do with the fact that blue light, such as the light from cell phones, e-readers, and computers, stimulates the brain. Authors of a 2014 study found that this blue light is enough to disturb the body’s natural circadian rhythm. This disturbance could make it harder to fall asleep or lead to a person feeling less alert the next day.To avoid the potential impact of blue light on the brain, people can stop using electronic devices that emit blue light in the hour or two before bedtime.Gentle activities to wind down with instead, such as reading a book, doing gentle stretches, or taking a bath, are alternatives. Finding ways to take breaks from sedentary technologies may help promote a more active lifestyle.

 

We cannot think about living without technology, because it is everywhere we have learned to depend on it so much that even to cook our food we need technology. It is everywhere, but it is up to us how much we use it and how we can limit its access. In different research it has been found that mobile phones are not good for infants, still, many children play like a toy with mobile phones. One should really think about these things and develop their own ideas to deal with it.

Friend or Enemy 

 

Technology hasn’t stopped and will not stop evolving, and it is because it’s improving lives.  From the medical field to communications, technology has not only made our lives easier, but it also makes education and health more accessible helps start a business and makes international communications a thoughtless process.  I believe that technology is one of the most important inventions, it’s given us phones, laptops, and cars among other things, but it’s also made an entire generation addicted to a black screen, another susceptible to fake news, and another feel the pressure of social media since the womb.  Technology is a double-edged sword. 

Although technology has affected my life positively in more than one way, I still believe that prioritizing ease, and temporary needs rather than a healthy mind and genuine relationships it’s the reason we keep going around this vicious circle.  Thinking that having surgery is worth a thousand likes is unbelievable and thinking that reposting a picture of a starving child makes us activists is also a problem.  Technology has made us believe that everything we do matters, and it has made us superficial and materialistic. 

 

For example, when you are eating at a restaurant your first instinct is to take a picture of your food, when you are with your family the first thing you do is post about it.  Everything you do, everything you buy and eat you do it to impress others instead of yourself.  We think that if we do not take a picture of our every move it somehow does not matter.  And this can be dangerous, texting or filming a video while driving, go to dangerous places to get the perfect photo, and spending money you do not have to not feel left out.  It can also affect our productivity, using our phone every moment we are awake is not healthy, wanting to know what is going on in the world 24/7 is an addiction, some people can’t even go to the bathroom without theirs.

 

I believe that technology has benefited us in immeasurable ways, but it has also left us with this sense of emptiness, we do not feel complete unless we always have a square in our pocket, we took something beneficial and helpful and turned it into to something harmful and addicting.  And I am afraid we have crossed the point where we cannot go back.  

 

 Technology Progress: Positive or Negative?

Technology has taken the lead in everything we do, how do we act, etc.  That sometimes we do not notice how much time we spend on it every day.  As I was thinking it is amazing and unimaginable to think what they did before technology.

One of the main reasons I have to really point out, is that it has changed how we communicate letters to a device at the size of our hand, on which we don´t need to travel to another country or state to deliver our message. This sure is effective and faster than before. Moreover, it can turn into addiction, as some people has experienced that without noticing we spend the whole day in this.

I can say I agree to the development that is having science and technology every year without limits, the idea of mixing both of them to the help of humanity is amazing, how we can take example from animals, and ask ourselves how do they manage to live during harsh environments. We can apply it to our hospitals, schools, etc. On the other side, as technology is not really that affordable to anyone just yet. Does this mean that this is only useful to medium and high class?

Nevertheless, the way structures are constructed has been changing overtime, as we discover materials that are more resistant to water, earthquakes, floods, etc. It is less likely to have casualties. But we see the day that everyone can afford these materials and to make the world a better place.

 

I strongly agree with the advances that are being discovered by geniuses every day, whose search for the wellbeing of all people around the world. Solving problems like water-wasting, desertification, climate change, erosion etc.  As we all want a bright future for the newest generations that are yet to come.

 

Side Effects of Technological Progress

 Thirty years ago, people barely knew what a computer or internet was.  A decade ago, society wasn’t able to travel by plane to whatever place in Earth they wanted or order food from their favourite restaurant from their couch.  The past ten years have brought with them huge technological devices and practical gadgets that have made our life easier and have marked the progress of society as we know it today.  Nevertheless, there is little to non-investigation on the results that all technological progress may have in us in the long term.  Innovations such as GMO’s and cell phones may harm our health in the years to come.

Most packaged foods contain ingredient derived from corn, soy, canola, and sugar beet.  It has been reported that the vast majority of those crops are genetically modified.  Genetically modified organisms (GMO’s) pose a serious threat to farmer sovereignty and the national food security of any country where they are grown.  It is widely recognized that these substances are being used to artificially develop different traits in plants, such as resistance to browning in apples.  However, in March 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) determined that the herbicide glyphosate, the key ingredient in most GMO’s, is probably carcinogenic to humans.

 

Cell phones are another proof of technological progress that is not necessarily beneficial.  When it comes to women’s and men’s health, Portland physicians are increasingly seeing patients who exhibit signs of technology overuse, particularly with the reliance on smartphones in our day-to-day lives.  It has been shown that Americans spend nearly 12 hours a day looking at multiple digital screens.  As a result, people suffer form digital eye strain, due to the long periods of time they spend gazed at the screens; sleep disorders, because of the heavy cell phone usage; and physical inactivity, as a result of excessive time using computers, playing videogames, and watching TV.  Sadly, all these illnesses can be permanent if people don’t learn how to control the usage of technology.

 

Therefore, I strongly agree with the thought that not all technological progress is positive.  In the years to  come, technology will continue developing new ways of easing our lives, which can bring with them more means to damage our health without our consent or us noticing the damage.