Emeliana+P.

Phase I: Who Am I? What's My Place?

The component that really makes up my identity, I would have to say, is my upbringing in the military life. My Mother and Father were both in the Air Force at the time I was born and this would be the life I live for the next 14 years of my life. The military gave us the opportunity to travel the world, meet various kinds of people, and also taught my family and I many useful life lessons. Lessons that I wouldnt learn to appreciate until recently. From birth to about the age of six, my family and I lived on the Island of Okinawa in the Ryukyu Islands of Japan. We quickly made many friends, Japanese and from the mainland alike. We also encountered other families from Hawaii and "adopted" them as our calabash family. There was a very diverse selection of people on this little island, as they were stationed here from all over the world. With all these people around me, people skills were not at all hard for me to gain and these skills have proved very useful to me to this day. From Okinawa, we were then assigned to F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Oh boy, what a transition that was. At the young age of six, I had three younger sisters to care for, so you could imagine the responsibility I had to uphold. We as a family packed up our household goods, sat in a plane seat for 13 hours and finally arrived in the Mainland, USA. Different people, different environment, different jobs, different school, everything was different now, but us being the strong family that we are, as a whole and individually, we prospered. We also experienced many more adventures as well as hardships but through it all, we stayed together and grew stronger each and every day.At the current age of seventeen, I can honestly say that I benefited in more ways than I could imagine from all the hardships and pains that I experienced being a military brat, and the military life shaped me to be well rounded, open minded, outgoing and responsible person I am today.
 * What __really__ makes up your identity?


 * What __really__ makes up your sense of place?

I am usually the/a leader in group projects and assignments. I've always been the strong leader type and my people and leadership skills are key in times like these. I am an understanding person and I try my best to include everyone's opinion and input into the final project. I am also realistic and I implement common sense into my work and the work of others, especially wtih things like deadlines and responsibility to do ones share of work. Staying on task and making sure everyone gets along and works well together are other things I try to maintain in group projects as well.
 * What roles do your identity and sense of place play when you work with others in a group project?


 * What are the qualities that you bring to the GLIP conversation that will help you make a contribution to your global group?


 * What is one local problem (where you live) that you believe needs to be addressed? Suggest some steps could you take to try to solve it?


 * Finally, some problems have been around for a long time. What qualities do you think a person must have to step up and try to solve them?

Phase II: Sense of Place

Upload image (s) here: This is the view of my hometown, Kaneohe, from the beautiful Ko'olau Mountain Ridge that overlooks her. []

Rain is an everyday thing in Kaneohe and when it rains on the mountains, several breathtaking waterfalls appear on the mountain range.

Use these questions to help you determine which picture shows someone else why your “place” is so special to you.
 * Does a scenic picture represent the beauty you believe that your town has?
 * Does a picture of a group of people represent and show a warmth and friendliness that your town has?
 * Does a statue or building convey the feeling of history that makes your place important and unique?
 * Is there a cultural event that represents the values of your home location?

What are your initial thoughts about how your image addresses the questions above? Later, you will be working with the members of your group to create a travel package that includes visits to each group member's home location (see Phase II)

Phase III: Identify Local Issue:

What is your local issue?

What can you do to be address the issue?

What is the global impact of your local issue?

Add these thoughts to your Group's Discussion Forum on Local Issues