Alexandria House

I started going to Alexandria house in September and I would only go once a week on Thursdays from three in the afternoon and leave at nine in the night. I kept going every week. At this point I had already exceeded the hours I was supposed to do for my assignment I love going there so much that I did more than forty hours. I was not keeping track until the end and that is how I know.

I remember the first time I arrived to the house; as soon as I walked in the house I started working. Michelle, who is the coordinator for the after school and youth program, she right away gave me a task. The house is always filled with positive energy from both the children and volunteers. It is such a good working environment, despite the fact that most of the people are in the house are of low requisites. They have been open little more then ten years now and the house has been remodeled trying to fit people’s facilities.

I have become so attached with the children that I want to keep going there whenever I have time. I love seeing children grow mentally and physically because it shows me how much progress that have done. I feel that I have helped the children of Alexandria house with their school work and even just by being a real friend. I will never forget opening my heart and harms to Alexandria House, it is one of the best thing have I have encountered in my life.

Gaining Experince

I have liked the experience working with others Alexandria. This included toddlers, children and youth. I also loved working with Michelle who is the coordinator and some of the volunteers that made the after school programs possible. Since I want to be a teacher, volunteering for Alexandria as a tutor was a perfect start for experience. Tutoring children on a one on one level was a good experience. I needed to be patient and a good listener. Children acquire much attention and that is something I did not realized. I also got to remember in my childhood years and acknowledge the fact that I was lucky enough to have some one the thing that some of these children do not have. These kids see Alexandria House as a place where they can escape their own home. When they come to Alexandria House they feel safe and protected because depending on the community that they live sometimes its better in Alexandria House. Volunteering in Alexandria has really helped me gain experience to become a teacher, mentor, and good role model.

What will I change in Alexandria?

If I were to change anything that goes on in Alexandria, my best thoughts would be getting more government money so that there can be more activates to engage the women and children in the house and in the community. The money would be used for the after school programs so that we can get more supplies for the kids which includes more computers. Have a built in playground in the back so that the children can play and escape their troubles. Bring in more leadership workshop because it never hurts to try to help someone be a leader. From the time that I have spent there I have noticed that some of the children that live there, at night or even on the weekend they find themselves having a lone time. What I will like to change about that is actually have someone to come and distract them. I know that when I spoke to one of the teens that lives in Alexandria, she expressed to me that she feels so bored sometimes because everyone at the house is younger than her and she has no one to play with or at least spend quality time with her. I would love to make a difference in her life and also in the others by providing fun activities. Those fun activities can consist of: Pamper Yourself Day, Movie Night, Arts and Crafts, Cooking, Exercise Day, Video Game day, and many more. Alexandria a good place, but don’t get me wrong but there are so many good ideas that can be brought but just so little money.

HIV/AIDS in Brazil

What do you get when you compare Brazil and the United States of America? I asked myself the same question and the topic of the HIV/AIDS epidemic was one of my main concerns. It is obvious that the United States is a developed country that has a lot of advantages towards health care, education, and the standard of living. Brazil on the other hand is a developing country that is struggling to be a better country by battling a poor government and topping it off combating the HIV/ AIDS epidemic. After reading the latest articles on how Brazil deals with a mass of diseases, I would want to share their strategies on how this country sees progress. Battling an epidemic can be difficult for Brazil, but if countries come together and share ideas, battling the epidemic will then become an easier process.

As a developing country, Brazil is based on a population that consists of either rich or poor. The poverty rate is really high. What this means is that poor families that are infected with diseases can not afford to get a cure. According to, UNAIDS 2008 Report on the global AIDS epidemic article, over a period of ten years, Brazil has managed to show a great improvement in containing HIV and AIDS in a low number of cases. The thing that keeps working for Brazil is that fact that they have universal health care. They are provided with ARV’s to whomever is diagnosed with the virus will be fully covered and don not discriminate regardless of gender, where you live, social economic status.


Little by little, universal health care tends to be effective because more people become more aware of prevention of the horrible diseases. The Fighting against AIDS: the Brazilian experience stated that AIDS-related mortality cases have dramatically decreased by more than half of original estimation in ten years due to more people getting testing and being more aware. This gives hope for people who are infected because the people can not afford a cure will be given a second chance to live.

A great thing that Brazil has established has been prevention programs. As reading HIV/AIDS in Brazil, the article read that Brazil’s government encourages HIV testing worldwide that way everyone knows their status. Brazil focuses on condom distribution instead of abstinence which can be a conflict with other countries, especially the U.S... US government offered $40 million funding but Brazil refused because it did not like the idea of promoting abstinence. Instead Brazil supports sex workers and that is why they promote condom usage. This is something that the US would never permit because they believe it is unethical. When looking at the US, I see that there is no universal health care to provide the poor, and that is one of the root problem that the US has with tackling the epidemic.

I propose universal health care for the US. If a developing country can decrease the number of mortality rate by more than half in a period of ten years so can we. We need to educate ourselves on the use of condoms and other contraceptives and make them available to anyone. Attacking the problem of HIV/AIDS in the US is not a new thing but why is it still happening? It is difficult to determine what causes HIV/AIDS but if we can make similar approaches towards the epidemic then we can finally end the death rates. If we continue with my plan, by 2018 HIV/AIDS will be history.













Becerra, 3

Works Cited Page:

1. UNAIDS 2008 Report on global AIDS epidemic
2. Levi, Guido Carlos, and Victoria Marco, Marco Antonio A. (December 6th 2002), ‘Fighting against AIDS: the Brazilian experience’, AIDS 16: pp2373-2383
3. ‘Brazil Refuses $4014 in U.S. AIDS Grants to Protest Policy Requiring Groups to Condemn Commercial Sex Work’. 03 may 2005. Medical New Today. 11. < http///www/medicalnewtoday.com/articles 123-1244php
4. Bacon O., M. L. Pecoraro et al. (2004), ‘HIV/AIDS in Brazil’, AIDS Research Policy Centre, University of California

Globalization Is a Good Thing

Vivian Becerra
Eng. 1A
9/14/08

Globalization Is a Good Thing

The Philippe Legrain’s essay explains the positives affects of globalizations on foreign countries, “In Defense of Globalization: Why Cultural Exchange Is Still an Overwhelming Force for Good Globalization.” He argues that globalizations enriches and enlarges all countries cultural repertoires. He identifies Western ideas as a good thing because it reshapes the way people view themselves and the world. I strongly agree with all his arguments of globalization because I can relate to what he is saying.

As the prominent philosopher Legrain put many counter ideas in to question like, “Just because someone is born in France does not mean that person can only aspire to speak French, eat French food, read French books, and so on.” Pg 209, Legrain/ In Defense of Globalization. Globalization increases individual freedom. Everyone should be free to try out new things and expand their cultural enrichment. One example is studying abroad program that’s some colleges offer. What this means is that college students have the opportunity to travel to a different country and learn other from cultures and become more open minded. Although it is unfortunate that’s some people are not allowed to be different according to the country they live in. For example, Cuba is a communist country meaning that the people there are not allowed to be different and express their individuality, for example they way they dress. Compared to my case, I was born in America and I was able be bilingual, eat different kinds of foods and read and learn many languages. I was able to do so because the country that I live in is globalize.


Becerra, 2
Western ideas are good ideas, argues Legrain. Think of what life would be like if
People did not get abolish slavery. All over the world people thought that owning a person was okay, it turns out it is not right. Even though slavery still exists in countries there are many attempts to stop it. It is now being called human trafficking and that is very threatening to society because it creates fear for people. This is an example of globalization because the idea of slavery was very common and when it was abolished it made people think of how they see themselves and others.

I strongly believe in globalization because I wouldn’t want to know a person who is identical as me. Imagine what the world would be like if everyone from their own region had the same clothes, ate the same thing. The world needs to conserve the traditions that one culture might have so they won’t disappear. At the same time we need to expand the cultural globalization to be more aware of or surroundings. In the west, we cast off old customs only if they are not relevant. For example, no one forces to shut down night clubs to bring back line dancing. People don’t see how different the world has become, and that is why I feel that globalization is a good thing to be more aware of our actions.

People around the world are seeing images in the media of people acting a certain way in the West and defining themselves but it should not be like that. First one is to learn how other countries culture before acting upon it. Although being born in a country does not symbolize who you are. This means that someone shouldn’t be forced to eat, talk or read the same. People gain more knowledge when they are multi culture by choice. It is okay to love foreign customs and only you can define who you are. As time pass the world is slowly changing but for the best. Thanks to cultural globalization people are enriching their lives and becoming more open minded about tolerance.

Becerra,3



















Becerra, 4Works Cited Page:
Philippe Legrain. In Defense of Globalization: Why Cultural Exchange Is Still an Overwhelming Force for Good Globalization. New York: June Johnson: 2007: 209-14