v Quarter 4 below v
Renaissance Faire - Giovanna Garzoni
More of this project can be found under the Writing and World Geography tabs.
TIME Magazine Cover
I included this in my ePortfolio because I think it demonstrates my ability to make my work realistic. Although this is not written, I believe it looks very much like a possible Time cover. Most people do not know about her vow of chastity, either, therefore the nickname.
Future Invention
Reflection
I posted this because this idea excited me. Based on the advancement of technology already happening today, I'm expecting this will be possible in the near future! This connected to Giovanna Garzoni because I feel like this would be something she would use as an artist of fruit.
I posted this because this idea excited me. Based on the advancement of technology already happening today, I'm expecting this will be possible in the near future! This connected to Giovanna Garzoni because I feel like this would be something she would use as an artist of fruit.
v Quarter 3 below v
GMO Mission Impossible
Here are some photos of us working during the Food Fair.
Reflection
The food fair was very fun. We all had a good time and ate some good food and learned a lot about other civilizations as well as ours. I had a lot of fun cooking the meal, citrus herb roasted chicken with cornbread and sweetened mustard.
Reflection
The food fair was very fun. We all had a good time and ate some good food and learned a lot about other civilizations as well as ours. I had a lot of fun cooking the meal, citrus herb roasted chicken with cornbread and sweetened mustard.
v Quarter 2 below v
Trans-Saharan Trade Journal
September 18, 1493
Dear Journal,
My name is Kamaria Kushangaza and I am 16 years old. Kamaria means ‘like the moon’ and Kushangaza means ‘amazing’. You probably don’t know me, but soon you will. Or at least it will seem like you do.
I live in Tlemcem, but the majority of this journal will be in Awlil. I have to travel to Awlil and visit my family, because my Bibi Amani passed away and we must ask the Gods to give her a good afterlife. I wish that I didn’t have to go, except this is for my Bibi, so I am willing to take a few risks. I will travel with my Mama Uzuri, my Baba Nguvu, and my brother Uwezo. We must travel through the Sahara Desert and stop at Reggan, an oasis along the way. Mama insists that I stop by a merchant to buy a small gift to leave at Bibi’s mazishi.
I will write an entry when I stop there, but for now, farewell.
September 18, 1493 (same day)
Dear Journal,
I am currently talking to the merchant. He is very kind and has many things to offer. I found a beautiful golden locket that was made in Djenne, and immediately I notice how perfect it is for Bibi Amani. I ask him how much it costs and it is a high price, but I realize that it is worth it for Bibi.
After I buy it, I show it to Mama, and she smiles warmly. I show it to Baba and he nods. That seems to be how our family communicates, through expressions.
I have to go now, but I will write once again tomorrow when we leave for Awlil.
September 19, 1493
Dear Journal,
I think I am actually looking forward to leaving now. I have never left Tlemcem and I am excited to meet family that lives far away. Although the journey is long, I am ready.
We put our gifts in a small satchel, and I hand it to Mama. She shakes her head and offers it to me. I am honored to carry something so important.
We are saddling our camels with the bags we need. We are ready to leave. I say goodbye to the few close friends I have.
Mama takes my hand and helps me up onto the camel. My short legs barely make it over. The saddle is comfortable; my mother wove it for me out of hand-dyed cotton.
We leave and are on our way to Reggan. I will write when we arrive.
September 30, 1493
Dear Journal,
We arrive in Reggan and everyone is ecstatic! This is a major point in our journey and it took us 11 days to get here.
We unexpectedly just met some Arab Berbers and traders. I have some yams and garlic that I brought along, and Mama encourages that I make a trade so that I can learn how. I trade with a nice man who has gold in return. My Arabic is a little shabby, but I know what to say. I do not get much, but I am glad to have it.
I am sitting by the fire and listening to people telling stories of their travels. I look up and see caravans of men coming towards us. I am not sure what to think, I don’t know if they are more traders or what.
One of them dismounts their camel and walks to the leader of the Arabic trade group. He said something about giving him things. It was then that I realized that they were robbers!
Baba fires his gun twice into the sky, and this scares them off. I was not expecting those shots to make them leave, but they did. I think they thought that we shot one of their members, because at exactly that moment, a member collapsed from heat stroke and fell off of his camel. I can’t believe we made it!
I will write when we arrive in Awlil. The next few days will be very busy.
October 12, 1493
Dear Journal,
We finally arrived in Awlil! We just completed the Mazishi ceremony for Bibi and it was beautiful. I hope that she will have a wonderful afterlife.
The stop here is very quick, which I am disappointed about. Awlil is a really nice place, and I wish I could stay here longer, but we’re leaving tomorrow. It is drier and warmer here than it is in Tlemcem.
I have a discussion with my Shangazi who converted to Islam recently. The religion is really different from ours, and I don’t agree with the beliefs. She encourages our family to, but we say that we are happy to keep the traditional African religion alive. Most people we know are Muslims now.
I am surprised when I say that I have now filled up this journal. This journey was full of action, love, and ‘firsts’. First time traveling this far, first time going to a Mazishi, first time trading. I hope that people in the future will read this and wonder if life in Africa or Arabia is really like this, and the answer is ndiyo. Farewell, journal, but not forever.
Swahili Word Dictionary
Mazishi – funeral
Bibi – grandmother
Baba – father
Mama – mother
Uzuri – Beauty
Uwezo – Able
Amani – Peace
Nguvu – Strong
Ndiyo - Yes
Shangazi - Aunt
Reflection
I included this piece because I loved writing it. It was a great demonstration of my ability to interpret other languages into it. I love how I personified Kamaria and made her seem real.
Dear Journal,
My name is Kamaria Kushangaza and I am 16 years old. Kamaria means ‘like the moon’ and Kushangaza means ‘amazing’. You probably don’t know me, but soon you will. Or at least it will seem like you do.
I live in Tlemcem, but the majority of this journal will be in Awlil. I have to travel to Awlil and visit my family, because my Bibi Amani passed away and we must ask the Gods to give her a good afterlife. I wish that I didn’t have to go, except this is for my Bibi, so I am willing to take a few risks. I will travel with my Mama Uzuri, my Baba Nguvu, and my brother Uwezo. We must travel through the Sahara Desert and stop at Reggan, an oasis along the way. Mama insists that I stop by a merchant to buy a small gift to leave at Bibi’s mazishi.
I will write an entry when I stop there, but for now, farewell.
September 18, 1493 (same day)
Dear Journal,
I am currently talking to the merchant. He is very kind and has many things to offer. I found a beautiful golden locket that was made in Djenne, and immediately I notice how perfect it is for Bibi Amani. I ask him how much it costs and it is a high price, but I realize that it is worth it for Bibi.
After I buy it, I show it to Mama, and she smiles warmly. I show it to Baba and he nods. That seems to be how our family communicates, through expressions.
I have to go now, but I will write once again tomorrow when we leave for Awlil.
September 19, 1493
Dear Journal,
I think I am actually looking forward to leaving now. I have never left Tlemcem and I am excited to meet family that lives far away. Although the journey is long, I am ready.
We put our gifts in a small satchel, and I hand it to Mama. She shakes her head and offers it to me. I am honored to carry something so important.
We are saddling our camels with the bags we need. We are ready to leave. I say goodbye to the few close friends I have.
Mama takes my hand and helps me up onto the camel. My short legs barely make it over. The saddle is comfortable; my mother wove it for me out of hand-dyed cotton.
We leave and are on our way to Reggan. I will write when we arrive.
September 30, 1493
Dear Journal,
We arrive in Reggan and everyone is ecstatic! This is a major point in our journey and it took us 11 days to get here.
We unexpectedly just met some Arab Berbers and traders. I have some yams and garlic that I brought along, and Mama encourages that I make a trade so that I can learn how. I trade with a nice man who has gold in return. My Arabic is a little shabby, but I know what to say. I do not get much, but I am glad to have it.
I am sitting by the fire and listening to people telling stories of their travels. I look up and see caravans of men coming towards us. I am not sure what to think, I don’t know if they are more traders or what.
One of them dismounts their camel and walks to the leader of the Arabic trade group. He said something about giving him things. It was then that I realized that they were robbers!
Baba fires his gun twice into the sky, and this scares them off. I was not expecting those shots to make them leave, but they did. I think they thought that we shot one of their members, because at exactly that moment, a member collapsed from heat stroke and fell off of his camel. I can’t believe we made it!
I will write when we arrive in Awlil. The next few days will be very busy.
October 12, 1493
Dear Journal,
We finally arrived in Awlil! We just completed the Mazishi ceremony for Bibi and it was beautiful. I hope that she will have a wonderful afterlife.
The stop here is very quick, which I am disappointed about. Awlil is a really nice place, and I wish I could stay here longer, but we’re leaving tomorrow. It is drier and warmer here than it is in Tlemcem.
I have a discussion with my Shangazi who converted to Islam recently. The religion is really different from ours, and I don’t agree with the beliefs. She encourages our family to, but we say that we are happy to keep the traditional African religion alive. Most people we know are Muslims now.
I am surprised when I say that I have now filled up this journal. This journey was full of action, love, and ‘firsts’. First time traveling this far, first time going to a Mazishi, first time trading. I hope that people in the future will read this and wonder if life in Africa or Arabia is really like this, and the answer is ndiyo. Farewell, journal, but not forever.
Swahili Word Dictionary
Mazishi – funeral
Bibi – grandmother
Baba – father
Mama – mother
Uzuri – Beauty
Uwezo – Able
Amani – Peace
Nguvu – Strong
Ndiyo - Yes
Shangazi - Aunt
Reflection
I included this piece because I loved writing it. It was a great demonstration of my ability to interpret other languages into it. I love how I personified Kamaria and made her seem real.
v Quarter 1 below v
Supercreature
NIXUNIULHUNOMAID DISCOVERED BY FISHERMAN
Beware men of all ages! The Nixuniulhunomaid (see concept image on left) has been discovered recently, and is extremely dangerous. She is half-girl and has tentacles, a horn, immortality, and the ability to move through solid earth. We interviewed the viewer of the Nixuniulhunomaid, an old fisherman named Kyle.
He said, “I was fishin’ in my boat when I saw a golden horn poke through the water. The horn was like the blade of a golden sword. Then her beautiful face popped out too, and I moved my boat towards her. I knew the ol’ fishermen’s tale of mermaids, and was excited to experience it myself. What I wasn’t ready for happened when I said hello to her. Her slippery tentacles slid out of the water, then wrapped around my mast! She cracked the mast off of the boat and it dropped into the ocean. She seemed to be some sort of combination of Cthulhu, a mermaid, a unicorn, a phoenix and a gnome! I tried to fight back but she wasn’t injured at all, then she buried into the ground and carved straight through like a gopher.”
CAUTION: Although her torso may seem alluring, do not approach. Her tentacles are incredibly strong and can destroy tough objects.
Reflection
This was a follow-up project to the Creature Investigation presentation. I chose a few mythological creatures to combine into one giant supercreature. This shows my ability to write realistic fiction through the newspaper article. Unfortunately, I was unable to attach the article, but here is the photo of the drawing. Enjoy!
Beware men of all ages! The Nixuniulhunomaid (see concept image on left) has been discovered recently, and is extremely dangerous. She is half-girl and has tentacles, a horn, immortality, and the ability to move through solid earth. We interviewed the viewer of the Nixuniulhunomaid, an old fisherman named Kyle.
He said, “I was fishin’ in my boat when I saw a golden horn poke through the water. The horn was like the blade of a golden sword. Then her beautiful face popped out too, and I moved my boat towards her. I knew the ol’ fishermen’s tale of mermaids, and was excited to experience it myself. What I wasn’t ready for happened when I said hello to her. Her slippery tentacles slid out of the water, then wrapped around my mast! She cracked the mast off of the boat and it dropped into the ocean. She seemed to be some sort of combination of Cthulhu, a mermaid, a unicorn, a phoenix and a gnome! I tried to fight back but she wasn’t injured at all, then she buried into the ground and carved straight through like a gopher.”
CAUTION: Although her torso may seem alluring, do not approach. Her tentacles are incredibly strong and can destroy tough objects.
Reflection
This was a follow-up project to the Creature Investigation presentation. I chose a few mythological creatures to combine into one giant supercreature. This shows my ability to write realistic fiction through the newspaper article. Unfortunately, I was unable to attach the article, but here is the photo of the drawing. Enjoy!
Creature Investigation
This was a fun project for Halloween where we chose a mythological creature to research. I created a movie on Cthulhu, included below. This shows my ability to present my research through video-form. I narrated the video, also demonstrating my ability to present orally. Enjoy!
Fall of Rome Community Service Project and Top 3 Reasons
Slideshow
Top 3 Reasons why Rome Fell Lego Stop Motion Video