Blog Post #1: Welcome to My Blog!

About me:

 My name is Gabriel Alvarez; I’m 18 years old. My first language is Spanish since I was born and lived in Cuba most of my life. My childhood was very influenced by family and friends; I grew up with my grandparents and my mom, and most of my friends were close to me, sharing interests and preferences. All of them helped develop in me a significant affinity for music, video games, and fantasy-related movies. At the age of 16, I came to the United States. It wasn't easy, a new country, new ways of life, all different from what I was accustomed to while I lived in Cuba, but time passed, and all sorts of new and wonderful, life-changing things happened that helped me adapt.

 Currently, I’m a senior student from South Miami Senior High School, and I’m even willing to get the Cambridge Diploma. I'm enrolled in the Key Club, a club that promotes community service and provides a long list of community-focused activities. I really liked to join this club because I always felt fulfilled whenever I helped someone. Also, I joined the Spanish club, which I like because of its approach to the Hispanic heritage and all the traditions and traits that form our roots as Hispanics, and I joined the Gaming Club too. The last one, because since I was a kid, I have always liked to play video games, I would say I have a special affinity with this type of entertainment over any other. I simply feel connected to any game I like. I try always to be kind, to make others feel heard and seen, and I try my best every time I do something I really like. I'm trying to do everything good during this time of my life, I don't want to grow older to then look back in time and say: "I should have done that."

 I’m taking the Media Studies class because I have always liked movies, and I would like to know their process of creation, the messages they transmit, how everything is there for a reason, and, most importantly, the message that these movies carry and how they influence society. Through this course, I hope to learn how to make an analysis of the different types of media, the techniques used to capture the audience’s attention, and better enjoy those childhood movies with a now enhanced knowledge of media.

My life’s soundtrack 

 This one would have an enormous variety of songs, but just 3 make the difference because of their significance.

• “Caribbean Blue”, a song by the Irish singer Enya, was part of my life since I was a little kid; my grandparents always used to play it while the family gathered to eat or just have a time together. It makes me feel nostalgic, to put it simply. But I chose this song because it was the first Enya masterpiece I listened to, not because it was the only one I liked. I highly recommend hearing the mesmerizing creations of this singer; it will captivate the listener with its soft, beautiful tones.

• “Anoana”, by the experimental folk group Heilung, is an incredibly strong, powerful track that evokes some sense of belonging to the ancient and sacred that is almost impossible for me to explain. It is simply a must-hear song that captivates and shivers me every time I listen to it. I discovered it by chance, and I thank myself for whatever reason I decided to listen to it, because I discovered what, in my opinion, is the closest thing to magic in the form of a song I've ever heard.

• “Caramel”, by the rock band Sleep Token; this one plays a kind of romantic role in my life; it was the song that both my partner and I chose one day, without knowing, to be our song. It simply makes us feel together in an unexplainable way. It combines a calm rhythm at the start of the song with a sudden hit of rock when it goes by the middle of the track. I feel that it represents our relationship, tranquil but intense at the same time.