Blog #9

1) What are you most stressed-out with at the moment? Why? Is your body re-acting to this stress? Devise a plan to deal with it.
Right now I am most stressed out with still trying to fix my procrastination!!! I am getting a little better though, but I still wish it wasn't this bad. It's just frustrating.... i want to get my homework done, but i just keep putting it off. I think my body is reacting to it a little, because i always feel worn out and I'm not even doing any thing. I really have to write out a plan/schedule for studying time and free time, then abide by that schedule.
2) FFN: Chapter 8 / This is a creative writing exercise! Read the following scenario and finish it based on your knowledge after reading Chapter 8.
You are "Raul" and have just immigrated to the American West illegally from Mexico. You brought your wife and two young children with you on a frightening and expensive 4-day journey in the back of a beat-up truck to arrive in Texas. You can't find work there and Border Patrol is cracking down, so you decide to migrate north a bit where you have relatives in Colorado. You are hired on the spot by ConAgra to work in one of their "beef processing" plants. -Describe in sensory detail your place of employment. (What's it look like, what is going on, how do people act, what do you wear, what is your job? etc..)
-How much $$$ do you earn?
-How do your days go? What are your work hours and what do you do after work?
-Where do you live, what do you live in, how is your quality of life?
I have just been hired into the beef processing buisness, and the future doesn't look so bright. It is a dark, plain looking building that I walk into every day. I put on my hard hat, metal-like apron, coat, and my boots and then head to my station. I work in an area where my quickness and strength is put to the test. I, along with many other men, must use a large metal hook to drag a large piece of meat of a conver belt, use a large knife and all our strength to cut away meat that is unwanted, and then throw it back on the belt. It is a very physical and mental demanding job. The pay does not fit the job at all. I am getting paid minimum wage even though I am working horribly long shifts and not getting paid extra for any overtime.
The working conditions are almost unbearable. It is cool in this part of the factory, but with the type of work I am doing.... It feels like a hundred degrees. So far, I have witnessed that there is no time to think; you just do it. And if your actions and your other limbs dont match up, then something bad happens. I have not been here very long, but i have already witnessed horrible things. The smell is almost unbearable. The noise level is outrageous. There is no emotion unless you take the split second to look into the eyes of the person next to you. You may catch that glimpse of regret or depression.
When I'm done with work, I wearily make it back to my family in the basement of my realitives' home. They are waiting for me to arrive so we can spend a few minutes together before I go to bed to prepare for the next early rise. We dont have much, but we try to make the best of all we have, and just remain thankful for having each other and a place to stay.