Am I Really Who I Am?

  When I think about who I am I think about what defines me, and that’s my name. My name is Ghazal. Yes, like the animal. When I was younger I used to think my name was weird and I hated my name because people would mispronounce my name or misspell it. Teachers always mispronounce my name as “Guzle” or “Gaazle” whenever they called attendance on the first day of school. Every time I corrected them, they would ask, “Like the animal?” Now, I somewhat dread the first day of school, as the teachers still mispronounce my name, but I’m getting used to it. It seems as if the older I get the better the teachers get at pronouncing my name correctly, or maybe I’m getting used to the fact that they can’t pronounce my name properly. Now that I am older and I actually know the meaning of my name, I tend to like it a lot better. When I considering who I am, I know that I am unique because I have a name that nobody else has. Ultimately, I don't think anyone completely knows who they are. Every day lived, one will learn something new about onesself. As Oprah Winfrey said, "as you become more clear about who you really are, you'll be better able to decide what's best for you." 


Before taking sociology I defined myself by the traits that I have, my characteristics, and personality. Now that I have take sociology I realize that I am not only defined by myself, but those that surround me. I am influenced not only by myself but by my friends, family, school, teachers, workplace, and city in which I reside. Without them, I would not be myself, and there wouldn't be anyone to define. 

Volunteering Experience #5

Throughout the month of December I organized a holiday piano recital for the senior citizens at Sunrise Assisted Living. My brother, sister, and I planned on performing a few songs for the recital, a few classical pieces and a few holiday pieces. I’ve been playing piano for eight years, and my piano teacher in Michigan organized a holiday recital every year, so I thought it would be a good idea to perform for the senior citizens, since I volunteered at Sunrise Assisted Living over the summer. Overall, it was a good experience. It’s wonderful how much they appreciated something that was very ordinary my me and my siblings. It felt to bring a smile to their faces with each song, and to spread the holiday spirit.

HolidayPiano Recital

Performers: Ghazal, Babak, & Denna Baniasad.

          Do You Hear What I Hear .....  Denna

Fur Elise ….. Beethoven ….. Ghazal

Sailing in the Sun ….. Crystal Bowman ….. Denna

Showboat ….. Denna

Dreamcatcher ….. Jennifer Linn ….. Babak

The Clock Shop ….. Denna

The Haunted Mouse ….. Crystal Bowman ….. Denna

Pachelbel Canon ….. Johann Pachelbel ….. Ghazal

Wipe Out ..... Surfaris ….. Babak

Tribute to Pikes Peek ….. Melody Bober ….. Ghazal

The Most wonderful Time of the Year.... Denna

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer…..Ghazal & Denna

Special Thanks to Lisa Knight and Heidi Yang

                  Happy Holidays!

Volunteering Experience #4

On Saturday, December 17 I donated my old clothes to the Salvation Army. It was surprising to see how many clothes I had from the past few months that I didn’t like anymore. I dropped off the clothes at the donation center and after donating my clothes I checked out the Salvation Army to see the people making purchases at the store, and the types of items they bought. My mom told me that she cleans out her closet, my closets, and my siblings’ closets once every other month to donate to charity. After this volunteering experience I look forward to going through my closet every other month with my mom to find donations. 

Volunteering Experience #3

On Thursday, December 8 I donated my hair to Locks for Love for the third time. Breast cancer is a disease that is close to my heart because when I was in third grade my aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer. At such a young age I wasn’t able to help her in any way, so since my hair was really long at the time I decided to donate my hair for the cause. After donating my hair for the first time I had the greatest feeling. After my aunt survived her battle against breast cancer I promised myself I would donate my hair as many times as I can. In order to be able to donate your hair, it must be untreated, so no dye. Also, your hair has to be a minimum of ten inches long. After experience this opportunity multiple times I have come to realize that you don’t need to give someone less fortunate money or material objects in order to make them happy. Something small, such as hair, will suffice. 

Volunteering Experience #2

On Sunday, October 23 I volunteered at Save.A.Pet Adoption Center for four hours. It was not what I predicted. I anticipated playing with cats and dogs the majority of the four our time slot. Instead, we cleaned outdoor animal play area by raking the leaves and sticks. We also cleaned one of the visiting rooms and folded laundry. I was surprised to see that the volunteer coordinator didn’t have many tasks for us to do. For example after every time we cleaned, we had to wait twenty minutes for the coordinator to find something else for us to do. I chose this volunteering opportunity because I love animals, and I have never had the experience of having a dog of my own. My dad passes by this shelter on his way to work every morning, and he recommended this volunteering experience. After helping out at the shelter I learned that not only people are less fortunate, but animals are as well. I’m glad that I found this opportunity, and I look forward to volunteering more often in the future. 

End Racism.

     This week we watched the movie "Crash." This film portrayed racial tension among black, white, Mexican, Persian, and Asian people. While watching this movie I thought that the main theme was racism, but towards the end I realized that the theme is also people's fear and avoidance of racism. Many people think that if they don't explicitly make racist comments, or call someone out because of their race, that they are not racist. In the movie, Crash, Sandra Bullock's character demonstrated a married women who had a gun pointed at her face and had her car stolen. Earlier, she was implicitly racist for holding onto her husband's arm as soon as she saw the two black guys. Later, when she got home, she was explicitly racist for telling her husband that she thought the Mexican locksmith would give a copy of their key for one of his "gang banger friends." Neither one of these reactions is okay. 

     We have to realize that the news and media make the world seem more dangerous than it actually is. The doctor in Oprah said that only 3% of rapists/crimes are done by people of color. This means that 97% of them are white. Also, in the movie characters assumed that the Persians were Arab just because of their skin tone, facial hair, and the tone while speaking. Some people assume that because someone is Muslim they have some sort of terrorist affiliation, but only 6% of all terrorists are Muslim. The rest are white. This is not what most people think. It’s because of the media that they think this way.  Countless times have a seen people look at others in a certain way because of the color of their skin or an article of clothing. This is not right. We should not make any assumptions before we actually talk to the person. 

Racism is Wrong.

     This week  we talked about racism, which branches out into two parts: implicit racism and explicit racism. Explicit racism is an open, negative act towards one's race. An example of this is the Klu Klux Klan,  who don't try to hide their hate. Implicit racism is the opposite, and an example of this can be statements written newspaper that aren't deliberate. 

      In addition to racism we talked about race with an emphasis on the idea that one of the first characteristics that people notice about each other is the color of their skin, and other physical features. In class we classified different balls into different categories. The class recognized that it's difficult to place them into proper categories in which each one belongs because each ball has multiple physical traits. This demonstration is similar to people. You can't place people in specific categories. For example, just one person can be placed into numerous categories: female, Persian, long hair, dark hair, oval face, brown eyes, coffee/milk colored skin, and list goes on. This proves that two people may have a few similar physical traits, but a group of people can't be placed into definite groups. To me this is extremely disturbing. It's important to realize that everyone is the same on the outside, but has differences on the inside, therefore instead of trying to guess what someone's race, ask them about their aspirations. 

Monopoly: Being Rich Doesn't Mean Being Happy.

This we talked about old money and new money, and the idea that once you start out as lower, middle, or upper class, majority of the time you will stay in that class. An example of this was seen in class when we played Monopoly in groups of four. Player one was high class, player two was upper-middle class, player three was middle class, and player four water upper-lower class. The player that started in the upper-middle class stayed in the that class, and the same happened with all the rest of the players. This is very similar to real life as well. If you are born into a rich family, or you inherit money, you will most likely spend the rest of your life being well off. This occurs because although all the players spend approximately the same amount of money, the upper class player has more advantages compared to the lower class player, such as higher income and the easy way out when they are sent to jail.

We also learned about the difference in being an upper class citizen and a middle or lower class citizen. If you are an upper class citizen, your kids have to start going to a prestigious pre-school, then a private secondary school, a membership to an expensive country club, and a lot more. The cycle continues with generations to come, until your last name is one that will always be remembered.

All in all,  I think it's important to live your life as best you can. Work hard in your career, and enjoy it all in one. Don't compare yourself with those "above" you because having a lot of money doesn't always mean they have a lot of happiness.

Life is much more than just Rich vs. Poor

     This week we talked about the social classes in our country, with an emphasis on the idea that people in the same community receive different incomes that create large gaps between the rich and the poor. Although some believe that they are not making a lot of money because they're not living the mansions that are displayed through the media in shows such as "Gossip Girl" and "Keeping Up With the Kardashians,"  the reality is that these people are actually richer than 95% of the world's population. For example, living in my neighborhood,  I always considered my family and the neighbors surrounding me as middle class, but after our class discussions this week I've realized that we are all much more providential when we compare ourselves to the rest of the world population. 

      It's important to realize that the big name celebrities that we are looking up to, such as the Kardashians, Trumps, and Hiltons only make up 1% of the entire world's wealth. In addition, these celebrities fall in the small category for two possible reasons. They are either old money, meaning that they have inherited money from many generations, or they own an exceptionally large company or business. In conclusion, it's important to realize that we are all more fortunate than we actually think we are. We only think that we are less fortunate because we are constantly comparing ourselves to the rich celebrities surrounding us through the media. According to the Global Rich List, citizens who make $800 annually are considered middle class. In other words, they are richer than 50.28% of the world population. Ultimately, we should be happy with everything that we have instead of constantly wishing we had more because we are a lot more fortunate that we think. 

Don't Assume. Say "Thank You."

     This week we talked about deviance, which is actions or behaviors that violate cultural norms in one's society, these actions can be both positive and negative. We were assigned a positive deviance project in which we were supposed to do a good deed for someone else. My act of positive deviance was baking a homemade pumpkin pie and a card for my mom. My mom and I are so close we are practically sisters. My mom does countless favors for me on a daily basis. She makes me breakfast, lunch, and dinner, drives me to school every morning, picks me up from after school sports and clubs, and MUCH more. But my sisterly relationship with her has caused me to take advantage of everything that she does for me. I gave her the pie and the handmade card thanking her for everything that she has done for me, and she really enjoyed it. She said it was "really unexpected and heartwarming." I think that it's important to not assume that the most important people in our lives know that we appreciate them, and love them. It's important to tell those people I much you love them and care about them from time to time. It could really make their day! 

Boos: The Persian Kiss

      This week in sociology we talked about deviance, which are behaviors that violate cultural norms in our society. We were given a list of actions such as "two men kissing" and "someone with a tattoo." After I started circling actions that our society finds deviant I realized that a person's deviance depends on their age and wear they live. 

       For example, in some Middle Eastern and European countries men kiss each other on the cheek as a way of greeting each other. In French this term is called "la bise" and in Persian it's called "boos." Persian men and women alternate cheeks, with two/three pecks on the cheek. As a Persian, this is sometimes very confusing. Although most Persians take part in two kisses, with people I don't spend much time with I don't know whether they are comfortable with two or three booses. And with family friends that I spend a lot of time with I have to remember how many booses they expect, or else I will be stuck in a very awkward situation.

      For those who have tattoos, I feel like it's more of a generation based deviance. For example, I hope to get a tattoo when I turn 18. My parents are fine with it, and teenagers don't see anything wrong with it either, but I know an older generation may think that people with tattoos are "trashy," "hopeless," or "rednecks." In some countries tattoos are a cultural acceptance for all ages. 

      After this lesson I realized that actions are seen as deviant depending on your age, on wear you live, and sometime even your gender. 

A Fake Role Model

This week we talked about gender characteristics represented in the media. In order for a product to be seen as "masculine" it must be blue or green in color, and the words that precede the product name should have something to do with being "adventurous." On the other, girl's products must be pink and purple, and must proceed with words like "princess." At a very young age girls are deemed to realize that being a girl is all about beauty on the outside, and not from within, which is not true. Boys, on the other hand, are constantly seen trying to be manlier, with their muscles and adventurous attitude. 

After watching my family watch television for the un-TV assignment in my sociology class, I realized that our society is corrupted by today’s media. As I was watching my mom watch her favorite TV show, Monk, I occasionally interrupted her thirty-minute TV show by asking her when dinner would be ready and if she could sign a permission slip. She angrily tells me to stop blocking the television. Clearly watching TV is more important than my hunger.

            In addition to corrupting your mind, today’s media feeds into the constant stereotypes that we make. For example, the Halloween commercials emphasize the idea that young women should be dressed in sexy costumes and men should dress in masculine outfits.

            After finishing the un-TV assignment I realized that today’s media keeps the audience from demonstrating their personal freedom because the media is brainwashing us. I have learned that most things that the media shows is not true, and if you are trying to be something or someone that is depicted by the media you should stop because that person or thing that is supposedly your role model is fake. 

A bit different, but mostly the same

      This week we went on an in-school field trip and viewed a panel of gay and transgender students, and one gay parent. This panel clarified the difference between sex and gender roles, as well as the difference between nature and nurture. They talked about It was really interesting to listen to each student's experiences with their family and coming out. It made me less ignorant to the fact that there are gay students in our school. I learned that I should never assume someone is straight. One of the panel speakers, Sam, talked about how his teacher assumed that he was straight. His teacher asked him if he was "going to the football game to pick up chicks." Sam was extremely offended by his teachers words since the entire class knew he was gay, and was laughing at the teacher's ignorance. Sam also talked about how he had to reassure his mom that everything would end up being okay. In our society, this is a bit unusual because we normally see a parental figure nurturing their children, instead of the other way around. After this assembly I also learned that there is a difference between sexuality and a gender role. I also learned about the difficulties that are transgender students face on a daily basis. For example, when Nick goes to the guy's bathroom the school security guards get mad and him. On the other hand when he uses the girl's bathroom, girls look at her as if she's in the wrong place. 

       Although I am straight, and I have not faced any of the difficulties that the gay/transgender students have faced, I have gay friends and I know that words such as "fag" and "gay," that are casually used among teenagers are extremely offensive to students that are actually gay. When I hear these offensive words used in everyday conversation, such as "that's so gay," I hear an intended meaning of stupid. I know for a fact that gay students are not stupid. They are just like us; they are intelligent and are actively involved in our community and extracurricular activities. There is only one difference between gay students and straight students, other than that one difference, we are the same.

Just Chill Out!

This week for Sociology I did nothing. Yup, that’s right, my teacher assigned us the nothing assignment in which we had to sit somewhere and do nothing, just observe our surroundings. On Tuesday I took the bus to school for the first time all year. I was a bit hesitant to take on this task since I take the bus after school and talk to all the kids on the bus. Although it was a bit uncomfortable not being able to talk to any of my friends, I took the challenge anyway.

I extended my legs along the length of the ugly, brown bus seat, crossed my arms, and observed. I listened to the conversations that my friends were having around me, and I realized all the conversations were surprisingly short since I didn’t have any input in them. In addition to being mute for ten minutes, I faced a very mean situation. At the last bus stop, this boy asked me if he could sit next to me, since there were no other seats left. I continued to sit there, following the guidelines of the homework assignment. I just stared at him, not being able to move. He asked me a few more times until he finally gave up. I’m not sure if that was the point of the assignment, but I felt so bad. After five minutes slowly passed by I was starting to get irritated and fidgety. I needed to move my hands, lips, and legs.

I felt so useless for those ten minutes. I am constantly filling up the minutes of my life. Whether this time is spent on school work, talking, texting, eating or sleeping, I am constantly occupying my time with an activity. If I’m not doing something I feel as if I’m wasting my time. Even when I sleeping, yes I’m re-energizing my body, but I think to myself “I COULD be doing something more useful right now.”

After completing the nothing assignment I realized that in our society we are constantly taking the time to do stuff and we hardly ever take the time to just chill out. There is not a time that I’m not thinking about how my homework I have and what plans I have to make for the upcoming weekend. Even my thoughts are constantly changing; there is never a time that I’m thinking about nothing.

I’ve learned that I should take at least five minutes out of the 1,440 minutes in my day to take a deep breathe and empty my mind of all that I’m stressing about. Just chill out.

Cultural Values

This week in sociology we talked about American values versus other culture’s values. Each culture is different because they value different aspects of life. For example, German’s place an emphasis on family time, and therefore close all supermarkets on Sundays. In America, we are always competing for businesses, so Walgreens, McDonald’s, and Wendy’s are open 24-7 in order to make a greater profit.

            In addition to having a first-hand experience in different cultural values, other countries have assumptions about the values of countries abroad. For example, this past summer I hosted a French student and the agency gave the exchange student and host family a page of expectations. The host family had to keep in mind that French people “don’t smile” often, and that they don’t usually go out of their way to smile and say hello to anyone. The French students had to realize they shouldn’t close the door to their room because it would “offend” the host family, and it would seem as if the French exchange student is mad, or doesn’t want to talk. These are absurd values that misjudged. After the four week exchange I realized that you shouldn’t generalize an entire group of people and their values. You should get to know someone for who they are by spending time with them, and also visiting their country. This way you can see, first hand, what they value.

            When I visited Iran seven years ago I was shocked with the difference in cultural values from America. In America we have a two-day weekend, but public businesses are still open. In Iran, Friday is their only day off, and every place is closed: all the markets, restaurants, and offices. This is because Friday is family time. The guy who owns the supermarket has the day off and is spending it with his family. In America, we don’t emphasize this as much. We do our grocery shopping, get our nails done, and deposit checks over the weekend. Although I eat dinner with my family every night, just like my relatives in Iran, I know many of my friends who never eat dinner with their family. This value is not emphasized in America as other nations.

Does a "Thumbs Up" Really Represent a Good Thing?

This week in Sociology we learned about cultural differences within material culture such as toilets, food, and transportation, as well as nonmaterial culture, such as language and gestures. We also touched on ethnocentrism, which is when someone thinks that the way they were brought up (they’re ingroup) is the best way and the only way. For example, when someone from a different country visits the United States, many Americans are ignorant towards their standards or norms, such as their nonmaterial culture of language. I have heard so many Americans say “why can’t they just learn how to speak English? They are in America.” These Americans don’t realize how difficult it is for tourists to learn English. The Americans in this example are demonstrating ethnocentrism because they believe that their language is the best language, and that it should be the primary language.

My dad has explained to me how for a long time Iran the thumb was the equivalent to the middle finger in America. Many Persians would use their middle finger to point out something, instead of using their pointer finger, since the middle finger is longer. With an increase in Westernization the thumb has evolved to the middle finger, and more people point using their pointer finger.

                             Does a "Thumbs Up" Really Represent a Good Thing? 

After this week I have realized that I should be more open to other cultural norms. I have always looked forward to traveling when I’m older, but now I know read about the language, gestures, and norms before I visit a new place. 

                                                                Thumbs Up! 

Culture Shock

This week in sociology we learned about culture shock, which is when you have lived with a certain set of norms, and you then enter a completely different set of standards or customs. My teacher gave us the example of someone bringing a fish home in a plastic bag from a pet store. When they place the fish in a bowl the fish will experience a culture shock whether it's the a change in size, temperature, or material items. Another example is that in America one is used to seeing mothers strolling their babies in their strollers and taking their children into restaurants. If an American mother were to travel to Denmark, they would face a culture shock when they see that mother’s in Denmark leave their baby carriages on the sidewalk with the mindset that children constantly need fresh air.

 I faced a culture shock when I visited Iran seven years ago. I speak some Persian (primary language spoken in Iran) with my parents at home, but this was the first time that I was in a nation where everyone spoke the language. It was hard for me to adjust because everyone spoke so fast. In addition to their rate in speaking, the bathroom in my aunt’s house was a hole in the floor. It was hard for me to get acquainted with this way of living. For the first week of my stay I was constantly at my grandma’s house since she had a “normal” toilet. Although this trip was a complete step outside of my bubble of norms, it was an extremely influential that I hope to take again in the near future.

A Bronx Tale: Social Construction of Reality

One of the main themes in the movie A Bronx Tale is the social construction of reality. The city that Calogero lives in is clearly separated into distinct neighborhoods. When Calogero’s dad drops Jane off at her bus stop you could tell that the bridge was the dividing line between the city and the “black neighborhood.” There is also the separate Italian neighborhood.  The distinction between the two neighborhoods is clear because Italians shouldn’t enter the black neighborhood, and vice versa. If this unwritten rule is broken, the “trespasser” will get beaten up. I believe that this unwritten rule was created through an extreme in racist ideas. The Italians don’t like the black people, because the black people aren’t Italian. The black people have the same belief towards the Italians. Therefore, they have a mutual belief that they should not interact with each other in any way. 

The community and I face social construction of reality on a daily basis when we watch TV because it has a different meaning towards people with different backgrounds. Depending on the person’s past experiences they will interpret the news or commercials differently. If the news talks about the increase in unemployment and poverty, my younger sister and I will view this news differently. I might receive this information in a negative way; thinking about this will decrease my chances to find a job. My sister might see positively by looking forward to a way to increase her community service hours at a homeless shelter.

Community Service

To kick off my ten hours of community service for my Sociology class, my friend and I volunteered at “SHS Friends” for an hour during eighth period today. “SHS Friends” involves an opportunity to spend time with special needs students at my school. It was a really great experience. We started with the class and volunteers introducing themselves as an ice breaker. Throughout the 60 minutes we played games, such as bingo and charades, with the students and got acquainted with them. It was a very pleasant experience and I am planning on taking part in it every Friday for the rest of the school year. 

Don't Judge a Book By Its Cover

This week in sociology we discussed stereotypes. Although most of the time stereotyping is bad, and it can negatively affect you and your surroundings, everyone takes part in it in their daily activities. Whether it’s something small such as deciding not to eat a red candy because you think the cherry taste is not appealing, or going to the extreme and not driving on the road with an Asian person because they are supposedly “all bad drivers,” everyone stereotypes.

 In the chapter “How Does It Feel to Be Black and Poor?” in Suhir Venkatesh’s book, Gang Leader for a Day, the author conducts widespread surveys in Chicago. He ends up in a dangerous neighborhood in Chicago and gets acquainted with a gang. He naïvely asks them questions such as, “how does it feel to be black and poor?” The gang leader, J.T told Suhir to come hang out with them sometime in order to actually get to know them, instead of asking them generic or artificial questions. Suhir though that just because the gang was black and they lived on the streets, they were poor and unhappy. The moral of this chapter is that you can’t know someone or something just by looking at them.

Just like the old saying, “you can’t judge a book by its cover,” one has to interact with someone or something in order to really get to know them. For example, a few days ago I gave all my red pieces of candy to a friend because I feared that they would taste like cherry. Now I realize that I shouldn’t have refused to eat a red candy just because I assumed that it tasted like cherry. For all I knew it could’ve been strawberry or watermelon flavored, and I would have never known if I didn’t try it. Not all red candies are cherry flavored. This goes the same for more serious stereotypes as well. Not all Asians are bad drivers. Not all Jewish people are cheap. Not all Muslims are terrorists. One has to interact with people before stereotyping or generalizing a group. Most importantly, don’t judge a book by its cover.