Contribute to the World

One contribution I can make to be a responsible citizen of the community and world is to be a role model to young children. As a member of the Shenandoah softball team, we are required to spend two hours every other week at the Boys and Girls club in Winchester. As a team and an individual we have an important role with these children. Spending our time there is something I truly enjoy doing. While we are there, we help them with homework and tutor them with anything they don't understand. By doing this, we can show these young students the importance of academics. After we help them with their academics, we play games as a group. Through this, we are able to teach them the importance of leadership and team work. Even though we are only required to go every other week, a lot of the team members will go on our own time to help out. This shows how much we love spending time with the kids and our focus on bettering the world. The children there look forward to us coming and see us as role models.  Every week, we hear from them how they want to be just like us when they grow up. These children are the future of Winchester as well as the world. Every minute spent there is an opportunity to help these children become better people in the future.

Chac

Chaac is the Rain God of the Maya. The maya felt a particular devotion for the deities controlling rain. Rain gods were worshipped from very ancient times, and were known as various names by the different Mesoamerican people. Chaac is also known as Chac and Chaahk among the ancient Maya. Chaac was also related to the four cardinal directions and was connected with a specific color.

Chac was the god of rain, storms, and lightening. He is represented holding axes and snakes that he used to hit the clouds which produced rain. He was assisted in these duties by dwarfs. The rain he produced assured the growth of corn and vegetation. Natural events such as storms and the dangerous hailstorms and hurricanes were believed to be the manifestations of the god.

The rain god had a strong relationship with rulers because rulers were considered to be rainmakers and could intercede with the gods. These rulers could reach the places where the rain gods dwelled and intercede with them for people. They lived on the top of mountains and in high forests hidden by clouds. In these places, the clouds were hit by Chaac and his helpers, then rains were announced by thunder and lightening.

We only have representations of Chaac from the Classic and Postclassic period. Images describing the rain god are on Classic period painted vessels and Postclassic codices. Chaac is found to be a human with characteristics of an animal. He has reptile attributes, fish scales, a curly nose and protruding lower lip. He holds a stone axe used to produce lighting and wears an elaborate headdress.

Ceremonies were held in honor of the rain god in each Maya city. Rituals to wish for rain took place in the fields. Sacrifices of young boys took place after dramatic periods such as a long period of drought. Rituals asking for rain are found for the Late Postclassical and Colonial times in the Yucatan.

The Creation Story

What is the real creation story? Does anyone really know how we all got here? These are questions that no one really knows the answer to. Some people believe we were created by a supernatural such as a God, and others believe in evolution. It was interesting to learn the creation stories from different countries. Each story has their similarities and differences. They all started with nothing and then something became. Each country's story is based off the characteristics of that country. For example, Japan talked about islands and the sea while Hawaii talked about volcanoes. I never realized that different countries had their own creation story. I guess it's just something I never thought of. I think it would be interesting to learn the creation stories of every country and see how they relate.

What is cool?

I believe that men should be tough and strong. But I also feel that it is okay for them to show other sides of their personality in public. Men have always been known as strong and protectors of their families and women. Our culture is changing though, and women are becoming more independent. Women are starting to have some of men's characteristics and are getting more rights.

To me there is no such thing as cool. What is said to be "cool" in America changes over the years. Things go out of style and aren't considered "cool" anymore. I don't think men should always try to project the current image of "cool". I feel that every person in this would should be their self, a unique individual.

I think that being "cool" is liked to how manhood gets defined in American culture. If a man does the "cool" things, then they are usually considered manly. Men display their coolness by being physically fit, having a lot of girls, a nice car, usually athletic, and being popular. Sometimes people get the wrong impression and feel that to be "cool" drugs and alcohol have to be involved also. Cool is just an term that doesn't exist to me. Everyone should be their self, regardless if they're "cool" or not.

Time

What is time? When a person is asked this question, they know what time is but don't necessarily know how to explain it. Everyone has a different view of time depending on where they live, their culture, and what they do in their life. Everyone in America seems to be obsessed with time. In other words meaning that their lives revolve around time. In the exercise we did with naming sports teams and dancers, we got a feel for time. Yeah, each exercise might have been the same amount of minutes, but it didn't feel the same. While doing the sports teams, the time seemed to go so fast. But once we did the dancers, time felt like it went on forever. Time for me seems to go faster when I'm enjoying what I'm doing, and slower when I'm not entertained. I found this section about the Maya very interesting. It's always fun learning how different cultures see things differently. Even though we use the linear version of time, I still think that somethings are seen through cyclical time.