Blog Post 5

1. Sofia certainly has changed from her experiences, and it is exemplified in one of the first chapters. After her first failed boyfriend she found, in pretty much the same day, a new guy. Her new love was in the form of a German tourist whom she met in Colombia (or some other country in South America, as she explains it frequently changes between stories) changed her as person in terms of her relationship with her father. Considering that her father, Carlos, is a very traditional Dominican, the fact that she married a European foreigner was a shock to him. In accordance with this Sofia's character is changed as she no longer acts the same around her father anymore in that she is constantly trying to do things to get back on a good basis with him. She has a relationship forever altered and that is certainly a change to her character because now her entire being shifts into a different 'mode' when around her father because she knows he hates things about her and it is awkward; like a formal friend you do not like but have to talk to kind of awkward, which is alot like witchcraft.

2. Although most of the chapters are almost exclusively about the various problems between the sisters and the people around them some conflicts actually prompt positive things. For example, the conflict in the Dominican Republic (the war) forces the Garcias to move to the United States. This is certainly positive considering they have just left a dangerous, possibly life-threatening, situation to move to a, at least respectively, safe place. Although nothing is specifically said, for example no one says the house was blown up a day later so they only just escaped, it can be infered that something bad probably would have happened to at least one member of the Garcia family had they stayed in the Dominican Republic and not have moved the United STates of America. Now that they have moved they are in a much safer place and how could that be considered as anything other than positive? They may have possibly saved lives in their own family and thus anyone who thinks that is not positive is probably a witchcraft practicer and should be burned at the stake.

3. I think that Jeremy is perfect example of an adequate connection with the book and its questions about identity of nationalities. I think that Jeremy Lin's success has forced people to look at race identities, particularly Asian, in a different. Besides odd balls like Yao Ming, who could barely speak English and did not really embody the Asian -American persona, Lin is the first person to portray what Asian -Americans can actually do. Basketball could have been stereotypically attributed as an African-American sport where even white americans had trouble getting in. The fact that Lin has gotten into the professional league, and caused such a fervor and stir and "Linsanity" at that, attests to the fact that people should get rid of this block views of races. Where an Asian can become a basketball star a white guy can dominate rap (Eminem anyone?). Whether Lin meant to cause such interest or not is not sure, though he is probably riding the wave pretty enjoyably, but he certainly has cause more than simply changing views, but only time will tell how the 'revolution' evolves and goes through its course in the NBA and the US.