Friday, September 27, 2013

Enlightenment

MarKeisha Snaith
September 26, 2013
Professor Juniper Ellis
EN 101: Understanding Literature
iExamen 1

            Having been born into a generation in which technology is readily available for any purpose, it is very difficult to disconnect from all electronic communication.  Not only is it challenging to go about a daily routine without the use of electronics; in today’s society it has become a necessity.  Continuously, one question kept running through my mind, what influences how people communicate with others?  Although these influences may sometimes vary, many find verbal and electronic communication more or less suitable in different environments.  Such decisions are influenced by the communicator.  The desire to communicate is not always necessary, however, common-place and accessibility of technology creates a new dimension of “need” that is similar to that of “want”. 
            The assignment guided me through a course of obstacles, leading me to engage in more activities on campus.  I would have faced greater difficulty if the assessment lasted longer than a 24-hour period.  The ability to verbally communicate with my peers substantially improved.  Before the exercise(s) I was disconnected from society but found myself becoming a part of that society.  In fact, the hour that I was supposed to disconnect myself from technology quickly turned into two enjoyable hours.  My roommates and I began speaking to each other and it was a fun experience for me.  I learned much more about these girls I live with and this was beneficial to both my life and my living environment.  As a result, I realized that I rely solely on electronic communication.  In this, my attempt to follow through with the assignment led to a discovery of myself and the world I am surrounded by.  

iExamen 1


James Pirro
Eng 101
9/26/13
Dr. Ells
iExamen

            On Tuesday, September 24 I decided to put my cellphone down for a day. Thinking about the iExamen made me cringe; I use my phone for everything during the day. Some of the things I use my phone for include texting, talking to my parents, emailing my professors, and checking all my social media websites. I didn't think it would be possible turn off my phone for an hour. I turned my phone off at 4:30 in the afternoon. Just two minutes later I instantly reached into my pocket to check my phone for, well anything; messages, emails and social media notifications. To my disappointment my phone was turned off and I then realized that I was partaking in the iExamen. From then on I had the urge to look at my phone every two to five minutes that happened to about 4:50 or so when I suppose my brain just forgot about my phone. The following hour went by quickly partaking in honest and true conversations with my roommates instead of just texting them from my bed. I suggested we all put our phones away, at first they we hesitant but eventually succumbed to my idea. After dinner we walked back to the room and at this time it was at least six o’clock and I decided that the iExamen was over and I could use my phone, although I missed many texts the iExamen as a hole was worth it.

            The feeling of not having to rely on my cell phone for conversation was quite relaxing. Even though it was just an hour or so the iExamen allowed me and my roommates to truly appreciate each other’s company. It is kind of a strange tranquility when ones pocket seems lighter due to the absence of a cell phone, this feeling is one that I enjoyed more than I thought I would. When the iExamen was over and I looked at my phone I was a little overwhelmed by the amount of texts I missed which actually reinforced my feelings toward the greatness of the iExamen. Going into the iExamen I thought it would be challenging and something I would hate but in reality it’s something I might make time for on a weekly basis.

Thursday, September 26, 2013

unplugged

Sean Conboy 
Understanding Literature
IExamen 1
Dr. Ellis

            Over the course of the day I have come to realize that we live in a society fueled by communication between different individuals.  Whether it is face to face, over text, through email, or on the telephone people have developed technology to communicate through multiple different mediums.  Today it was extremely difficult lacking the technology to communicate with people whom I was not in company with.  Even for just an hour, not possessing communication technology helped me observe interesting habits that many people, as well as myself have developed surrounding cell phones, computers, etc.       
            The most frequent method of communication I use daily is texting.  This is common with most college students as well as most of the youth today.  Texting is convenient as people can have a conversation over large distances.  The problem with texting is that there is no emotion involved.  You cannot judge a persons feelings or emotions with just words.  And as helpful as smiley faces and emojis are, they do not suffice for displaying a certain show of emotion.  Society has come to accept texting due to its simplicity, sacrificing many things that come along with face-to-face conversation.
            Throughout the hour I spent without technology, things were extremely different, and I wasn’t aware of how much of my life revolves around communication technology.  My first thought was to walk throughout the dorm and talk to my friends and roommates about whatever there was to talk about.  Whether it be sports, schoolwork, or going to the gym everything seemed to be normal until I observed everyone eventually reach for their cellphones in their pockets.  Seeing this I reached for my phone just by habit.  It was here where I realized how even in the middle of a casual conversation people resort to texting, checking Facebook, or looking at twitter.  After this I decided to go for a walk.  It’s amazing the things a person can notice when they are not preoccupied by a cell phone or technology.  I walked through campus admiring the beauty of the old buildings such as humanities that I never would have realized had I had my cellphone.  I also noticed the beauty of nature like the different shades of blue in the sky and the greenness of the grass.  The experience gave me a sense of relaxation, being able to enjoy things without the worry of what my friends may be doing at that time.  It was a feeling of calmness that was short lived.  As I returned to my room, the urge was just too great and I had to check my emails, texts, and twitter, ultimately returning to reality.

            Reflecting on what I experienced over the course of the day, taking a few hours a week to refrain from using technology can be very helpful to relax and reflect.  It was an eye opening experience observing how people rely on communication technology in today’s society.  Ultimately, I believe that communication technology is essential, but often times it may be helpful to spend a few hours “unplugged.”
Dylan Liguori                                                                                                                         9/25/13
Self-Examination
            Personally, I examine myself all the time, whether I say hello to a random someone walking along the street, and also in the middle of a conversation I just focus on what should be said next to not make myself look weird or out of touch. I’m not a very outgoing person which makes it hard not to judge myself and look into what I can do differently to enhance my lifestyle. Honestly, however, I like being by myself and focusing on the important things that matter to me. This Iexamen really helped me understand why I do the things I do and the thinking that goes into actually performing those everyday things.
            First I’ll begin by saying that the hour without technology only inhibited my ability to write this paper. I have an Iphone, but social networks aren’t my thing. I haven’t used Facebook in almost two years and I have never had a twitter and the whole thing seems unnecessary to me, but that’s just me. For the hour I went to the Fitness and Aquatics center to play some basketball, well actually I stayed for two hours but when you play ball you have no sense of time. So it was like any other day, but while these two hours occurred I did think about how others felt without their phones or other sorts of technology to help them through the day and I felt sorry for them because they could be doing so many better things than to be on their phone all day.
            Now the part where I examined myself. Like I said before I almost always do this on a daily occurrence. When I hold a door for someone or vice versa, I don’t know why but those moments stick in my mind for a considerable amount of time. I really love it when someone holds the door for you because it shows in the smallest away that all people aren’t consumed with themselves and actually do care about other human beings in the world. The way I talk to people is I’m usually not the one to talk first unless it’s circumstantial. I like to be very friendly and another thing I’ve been beginning to notice is people can’t really tell who I am unless they’ve known me for a while. Is it a curse, who’s to tell, but I guess you can’t judge a book by its cover?  Other things were noticed but I wrote down all the important things in here.

            While concluding the day I did realize some things that I haven’t noticed before. The fact is I genuinely believe that I’m a very good person. If others can’t see it then Oh well. This assignment really did help me in my path to truly find myself and things that I should continue to do and other things I should sweep under the bed and leave them in the past.

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

awkward.


Anthony DeCaprio
awkward.
            Communication is not something that I am particularly good at, which makes me seem awkward to some. Not in the way that I do not like to talk to people or be around friends, it is just that I am a person who chooses to say few words throughout the day. Solidarity and silence have been two concepts that have been with me for many years, and I feel that I have honed in on mastering these them. I know that I am introverted; it is something that I observe about myself everyday. I have learned to live with not being able to always say my thoughts out loud unprovoked, or without somebody interrogating me to speak up. Not only have I done that, but also, what I observed on Saturday, and everyday, is that I have learned to use my personality in an effective way.
            Being so introverted and shy can actually, I have learned, bring out a lot from yourself and from others who interact with you. People who know me know that whenever I say something, it will be what I am actually thinking, because I won’t, and for some reason, can’t, expend the energy to say more than what I am comfortable with. Along with being introverted, I also have a problem with eye contact and where to put my hands.
            As people came up to me on Saturday, I noticed that as I talked to them, my eyes always began to wander. I do make eye contact, but as conversations grow deeper, I feel uncomfortable staring into somebody’s eyes for too long of a time. My hands go from in my pockets, to at my side, to fixing my hair, to even faking fixing my backpack. These are things I did with almost every conversation that I had, and it happens on a daily basis. As far as content of conversation and what I actually say to people, people always say I’m too polite. My voice is always soft and low, and I always walk at the same pace, no matter what kind of rush I am in. I observe too many things in my mind: what the clouds look like, how the trees are blowing in the breeze, which bricks got stolen the night before, and what I’m going to do after class is over. Many times I’ll be so caught up in observation that I won’t even hear people who are calling my name.
            My best format of communication is silence, which may sound weird. Silence is powerful, and when used right, can speak louder than words. Most of my friends gravitate towards me when they need to talk, and when they do, silence is all they need to hear. Sometimes people just need someone to talk to who will not interrupt or say anything, someone who can just be there to bounce things off of. And when the time is right, what ever you say after silence, after thought, always seems more sincere then just shouting it in their faces or spelling it out for them in bright, neon colors. People feel comfortable in a silent and sincere setting, and that is where I feel most comfortable. I still don’t say many things in that setting, but with silence, there is a special way that you can connect with people so that you need not say many things, but what little you say is not just sufficient enough, but can sometimes be more than deep conversation.
            This even happened on Saturday when one of my friends wanted to talk about something in her life. After about twenty minutes of her besieging me with her strong words, I let her cool down for a couple minuets, then just said how I felt and didn’t say only what would be easiest for her. I don’t have many conversations throughout the day, however, the ones that I do have, I make them count.
As a student leader on campus, sometimes the upfront, outgoing leader is not going to notice the little things that people like me go through or show through facial expressions, such as subtle sadness in the face or secluding themselves from conversation and from the group. On trips, like the climbing trip I went on Sunday, I can pick out those kids, relate to them, and use what we are comfortable with to help them out.
As far as texting, I do text, but what I noticed is that I don’t say much. I try to use as little words as possible, just out of personality and habit. The same goes with Face Book; I only go on to see if someone has contacted me, then I do other things with my life.
            For my one hour, I chose to do something that makes me feel comfortable: music. Music is a way that I can express my feelings and think about important things in my life. I didn’t listen to music electronically, but I played my acoustic guitar for an hour. Writing and playing music has always been my way of getting out feelings in me. I relate to myself more than I do when I’m out and about. I’m able to think about inner feelings and relate my mood and thoughts into notes on a fret board: fast, aggressive when I’m mad, jazzy when I’m happy, and slow, melodic when I’m feeling down. And when people talk to me while I’m playing, I’m always myself. I don’t change just because I don’t use technology, without technology is actually where I am most comfortable. Going back from not using technology, I still don’t make any changes. Technology is not a necessity for me, just used for efficiency and communication, so my actions around that technology never change. Being an outdoor leader, things like solidarity in nature are among my favorite things in the world, and sometimes, coming back into civilized world takes me a few days to acclimate back to its chaos and demands. I am still that shy kid who doesn’t know where to put his hands during a conversation.
            Silence and solidarity are two very undermined concepts for communication, and they concepts that I have learned to accept and use effectively. It is not possible for me to put myself out there and be outgoing, and I have accepted that because it is not comfortable for me. So I will continue to observe how I interact, and in doing that, I will understand myself better, and learn that being introverted isn’t a disadvantage, or think of myself as awkward, but just another way of effective communication.

Communication in the Modern World


James Peabody-Harrington
iExamen 1

Communication in the Modern World
       I learned several things about social interaction during my reflections for the iExamen. While practicing self-observation of my communicative skills I noticed how people rarely make eye contact. As I observed communication through social networking such as Facebook or Twitter, I realized how difficult it is to use sarcasm over the internet. During my hour without technology I felt disconnected from the social world yet closer and more observant to my natural surroundings. The iExamen exercise opened me up to a better understanding of human behavior and the lack of communication in modern society.
       Walking across campus, or through the halls, or even while talking to a friend or acquaintance I realized how rare direct eye contact is. I was walking over the bridge on my way to Boulder and I noticed if I looked up at someone then they would usually look away quickly. It was almost as if people were afraid to look me in the eye. I was not glaring or making strange faces at people but just looking them in the eye once I got close and it would startle them and they would quickly glance at the ground or off to the side. On Monday in my Calculus class some one was called on to answer a question and they did not look up at the professor or down at their paper but off to the side when the answered the question while flashing their eyes on and off the professor but acting as if they could not hold eye contact for more then a second or two. Even while talking with my roommate later that day, I noticed that we would not really look into each others eyes when we were talking. It was strange and I tried to focus on the person I was talking to when I spoke to them and it seemed to almost make the conversation more personal. It was as if when we look at each other we could talk on a more meaningful level because that would be what the focus was on, each other. The iExamen has prompted me to try and make eye contact more often while I speak with people because it really makes for a more meaningful and fulfilling interaction.
       Social networking sites have a huge impact on society in the current day and age, but it is still difficult to communicate sarcasm. Facebook and Twitter are both major ways of staying connected with old friends and distant relatives or even just checking up with a friend down the street. However, what I began to notice as I surfed the web on social media is how sarcasm creates confusion online. Sense the tone of voice and facial expression, two things very important in communication, can not be displayed online there is often misunderstanding when sarcasm is used. Confusion like this can create anger if a joke is taken literally or it can make a serious situation out to be no big deal. People need to be straight forward when communicating across text or social media to prevent confusion.
       Being unplugged from technology for one hour created a sense of disconnection and discomfort, yet at the same time it felt liberating to be free to observe natural features overlooked by technology. I did not really know what to expect coming into this exercise because I never thought of myself as being very connected to my phone, computer, or other technologies. However, I realized that I very much am. Since I have been at college I have been doing a lot of talking and texting with my parents, brother, sister, and friends from back home. During the hour I was anxious to be able to check my phone to see if I received messages from any of those people. I wanted to flick on the television and watch the football game Sunday or get on my laptop and check Twitter or throw in some headphones and listen to Blake Shelton. For the first few minutes I felt really bored as if I was going to miss something important. However, as I sat there on my bed I turned over and opened up the window. I live on the 8th floor of Campion and I was instantly surprised by the sound of the street bellow and how loud and detailed the noise was. I could hear some birds chirping and the wind whistling. I watched the cars go by and some people walking or jogging on the sidewalk. I am almost embarrassed to say it but I ended up people watching. I saw an older man walking with a cane down the sidewalk. I noticed a few birds fly by and off into the trees. Then as I felt the cool air blow in through my window it smelled like fall and it reminded me of home in Maine. The sounds and smells took me back home to the woods and I could picture the foliage on the trees and the crisp air in my head. The nature connected me to back home just like technology connected me to my family and friends back home. After I got past the original discomfort the hour without technology was very fulfilling and meaningful and I think I might actually try to make it a regular thing.
       The iExamen opened my eyes to several behaviors of communication in modern society. The lack of eye contact between people is startling because eye contact creates such meaningful interactions. The use of sarcasm over social media is often misconstrued and confusing. The removal of technology and acceptance of nature can create emotions that I thought only technology would bring. I am going to use what I learned in the iExamen to better communicate with those around me and across social media.  

A day full of bonding with others whether I liked it or not

I chose this past Saturday to practice my self-observation. On Saturday, half my day consisted of going hiking with my Loyola 101 class in the morning and then going to a fall festival where we were treated to lunch and dessert and by the time we got home it was about 2:30pm. One thing I noticed about me when I first wake up is that I don’t like talking to anyone before I brush my teeth so I usually try my best to dodge my roommates until I’ve gone through my morning routine. After getting ready I head out to the bottom of the steps at Hopkins, I live in Campion, where I met two of my friends in my Loyola 101 group and then we proceeded to walk down to the FAC where our class was supposed to meet. The day started out very slow since no one, including me, was in the mood to go hiking so early in the morning. However, the rest of our trip was actually a fantastic excursion.
The hiking was a great time for our group to bond since we were forced to strike up conversations with various people in our group who we do not know very well as we walked.  I got to learn more about my peers than I would have ever had without the hike even though, naturally, I like listening to other people and the stories they have to tell in general. Our group really bonded throughout that day even when we were able to go and do our own things at the fall festival we all managed to stick together as one solid group. The bonding didn't stop on our way to and from the hiking place, the fall festival, and home thanks to one of our awesome teachers who is actually a senior at Loyola now. She was awesome enough to treat our whole van of 6 students to Dunkin’ Donuts which made us have our own little inside joke about the reasoning’s behind why we were so  late to the hiking area and from there our relationships just flourished whenever we got in that van.
The second half of my day was spent going to the Towson Mall with a handful of my friends because I was on a mission to buy my new phone, the iPhone 5S which came in the mail today and am now using, and also to get my computer fixed at the apple store. I could feel myself getting more and more anxious for the day as I took a shower to clean off all the grime from the morning and get ready to go to the mall. After getting ready I made a stop at the room across the hall from mine where some of my roommates were and surprised them with a box of apple cider donuts that one of my teachers was sweet enough to get from the fair for me since I had never had one before. From there I headed to the Collegetown Shuttle stop where I met up with my friends; we then caught up on each of our lives since I hadn't seen them in a while since they all live in Flannery.
My first stop in the mall was a failed attempted to buy my iPhone since I was not authorized to make changes in our T-Mobile account.  After this I went around the mall with one of my friends where I learned about his extreme obsession with JCrew; it was one of those things where you had to actually see it in action to believe that it’s true because he looked like he literally wanted to buy the whole store. After shopping around at various stores we went to the Apple Store where we were so happy that I made a reservation for the “Genius Bar” because the place was packed. I somehow managed to short circuit my computer and the guy who was helping me had to actually open it up and manually reboot it to get it to work again. After that and getting everything cleared up with T-Mobile, all my friends and I headed back to the store where they took an extremely long time ordering my phone; my friends ended up leaving the two of us there since they didn't want to miss the shuttle. We ended up missing the shuttle which turned out to be okay since we got dinner at the food court and were able to talk about each other and get to know more about each other which we wouldn't have been able to do without that alone time together.
I guess I may be cheating just a little but with the hour I was not allowed to communicate with anyone using technology since, the whole time we were on our hike, we were only allowed to use our phones as cameras. Regardless, and even though I already mentioned it, I really enjoyed and appreciated getting to know everyone in my Loyola 101 group. Overall I really ended up relishing my day of self-observation. I found myself really noticing and retaining more of the events that happened in my day that I wouldn't have otherwise. Besides telling my friends where I was, where I was going to meet them, etc. throughout the day I really tried not to use my phone or any other form of communication besides actually just talking to people face to face. I observed more of everything from random acts of kindness to bizarre fashion trends going on with our youths today. Something I noted in communicating through technology was how quickly our emotions can get heightened for no good reason besides the fact that we aren't able to see the person on the other side of the screen. For example, I was getting so frustrated with my mother when she had to authorize me for my phone since I had to wait for her to answer my texts and then actually do it and then me having to go back to the store where I wouldn't have if I was actually with her. This task gave me the opportunity to really be in the now and appreciate what goes in the world around me on a daily basis.

Observation of Communication Methods and Nature

Observation of Communication Methods and Nature
     In this self examination and analysis of communication over a wide variety of formats I was forced to compare my own lackluster communication skills with the skills of others. As I myself am both shy and have an introverted personality my communication with others is vastly different from how most people interact. Knowing myself I was able to start analyzing the differences between myself and others from memory and began to form assumptions, some of which where incorrect. I have learned several things while performing this examination and analysis about the ways in which we communicate.
     The most common form of communication between people is the same as it has been since the invention of spoken language perhaps hundreds of thousands of years ago, it is face to face communication. Face to face communication also has the supporting aspect of body language to make it the most precise and accurate form of communication. Being an introvert I fully recognize face to face communication's advantages in conveying messages in the most direct manner to maximize efficiency. What I observed however was that often times people will not state the purpose of their speech for example when asking for something people may try to “walk around” the actual question. This usually occurs when the other person seems reluctant to ask the question maybe because they are afraid that that person will not help in which case they wasted time that could have been utilized looking for another person to help. Sometimes people also do something similar in making statements, they will add a lot of extra information that is not needed to get there point across. This most often happens when people do not really want to make a point, but rather just to converse to get attention. These practices serve to slow down the transfer of ideas and information through face to face conversation, However, the supporting aspects to face to face communication make it the most precise form of communication. Facial expressions and body language serve to show emotions, interest, and as an aid to explaining ideas, much more easily than in other forms of communication where they require extra effort or are not possible at all.
     Despite the advantages of face to face communication it requires the most energy of any form of communication. The form of communication that requires the least amount of energy is what we display and how we display ourselves with what we wear. When people wear certain clothing they are usually trying to represent themselves to others in a certain way to get people to think of them in the way that they want others to. I noticed some correlations in how people dressed with respect to color and type of clothing, and how they act and what they do. I noticed that most of the time people who seemed more overtly happy and talkative wore more bright colors and excessively revealing clothing; while those who wore more conservative clothing and darker colors where more reserved and often doing work. Those wearing the revealing and colorful clothing were likely trying to get the attention of others and trying to get others to form opinions that they are attractive or fun based solely on what they wore. The people who wore dark colors on the other hand were often doing work and would not like to draw attention and have their work interrupted as a result. In this observation I learned that we may subconsciously make these connections to what others are wearing that tell us their moods or if they are approachable for conversation. This requires little effort or energy as it is just the wearing of specific clothing that allows this passive communication but while it is almost completely effortless the depth of the information conveyed is extremely limited.
     Modern day electronic communication has grown so quickly that we are living in what has been designated the Information Era. Electronic communication such as email, texting, and talking on cellphones has some major advantages over both face to face and passive wear communication with the only real weakness being the ease of which emotions can be conveyed with the other forms of communication. What has caused electronic communication's rapid proliferation into our everyday lives are its advantages of extremely high accessibility and speed. Almost everywhere I went I could observe people texting, talking, or using email all on their cellphones. This accessibility mixed with the almost instantaneous messaging creates the easiest and fastest form of communication today, and while the only technical fault is that it is harder to show emotions, there are some other problems with this form of communication. The use of cellphones can be used to set up meetings, but I noticed that when people where talking to each other many times at least one would be on their cellphone. When on their cellphone they could still be talking with the person next to them in face to face communication but they would stop using body language and facial expressions negating the advantage of face to face communication.
     Electronic communication not only distracts us from each other but it also distracts us from the world around us. During the hour in which I did not use any technology I noticed few changes in the way I perceive the world around me. I have only had a cellphone for about two months and have not become to absorbed in it. The new things I observed about the world around me where more of a result of actively trying to look at and listen to the world as apposed to the absence of technology. As I usually do not walk around with my phone in hand there where few new things to notice but there was one each involving sight and sound. I first noticed the shadows of some railings and how they cut a grid into the ground and so I decided to watch the shadows. As I walked I came across the shadows of some trees blowing in the wind and how the leaves would occasionally let light through but those spots would quickly close and others would appear. This reminded me of a theory in physics where subatomic quantum particles come into existence for just a miniscule amount of time and then just as quickly cease to exist. The other thing I noticed was based on sound which I usually almost completely block out with my thoughts. I noticed the Doppler effect in singing birds and in the jets that so commonly fly over here.
     During this exercise I learned about several types of communication including symbolic communication and what the advantages of different communication types are. Face to face communication is the most accurate and encompassing form while electronic is the fastest most accessible form and symbolic is the form requiring the least energy. During my hour without technology I did not communicate any differently than I normally do, with the exception of not using my cellphone. During this hour I did, however, notice some things that I had not before. I noticed that many of the things we learn about in our classes can be observed in nature or in the observation of people. When I go back to using technology my view is a little biased by my own opinions but I believe I relate better to others with the use of that technology. I believe that the immense capability to connect with others and there is a sense that the connectivity technology gives us the strength of numbers and it gives us the power to affect the world while moving us closer to a global society. 

The Art of Self-Analyzing


Lauren Pope

                                                              The Art of Self-Analyzing 
Jesuits strongly believe in self-assessing themselves, which, in the long run, helps them better themselves and their appreciation for God. When performing the self-analysis for myself, I noticed things about myself that I would never have noticed. I found myself having trouble with not being able to have access to technology for an hour and trying to think of how I act around others, but in the long run I found things about myself that I never noticed.
            Occasionally I like to think about my actions and how they may affect those around me on a daily basis.  I notice how sometimes, when in a bad mood, I have a problem taking it out on those who are close to me. On the other hand when in a good mood I like to go out of my way to say hello to friends I pass and maybe even have a conversation with them.  Having gone through counseling myself, I always think about my moves and actions. I know what to do when I’m upset or angry to make myself more joyful and outgoing. It’s helped me become a more outgoing person towards others. Instead of keeping to myself, I know that being outward towards people makes me the happiest in the long run. Feeling like I have friends who care about my life and are willing to say hello to me really make me feel like it’s worth it. 
            Having gone to an all girls’ Catholic high school, I have learned to appreciate the things that God has given us.  When unplugging myself from the real world, I finally had time to think on my own and reflect on the great things I have in my life.  Technology is such a huge aspect of my life and I didn’t realize it until I was away from it for an hour.  In a way I feel disconnected from the world without technology. I’m not sure how I would have been able to survive without technology if I had lived in the past. I use it to text friends, email professors, check the photos of my friends and so much more.  While not being able to have this ability at my fingertips, I was able to go outside and enjoy nature. I tried thinking as a Jesuit would about nature and how beautiful God’s creation really is.  I realized technology does pull us away from the ability to appreciate all the world has to offer. After this experience I will definitely consider cutting down on my technology usage.
            Before doing the iExamen, I thought that I wouldn’t have much to think or analyze about myself. The whole day I thought about what each of my roommates had said to me or asked of me. They know me best and aren’t afraid to tell me if I’m in a bad mood or not. After, I realize I need to check my attitude and what I am saying and instead ask them how can I help.  After interacting with my roommates for a little over a year, I feel I can say that they have become the sisters I never had. I help them with things like makeup and we all borrow each other’s clothes. In our apartment any closet is an open closet to borrow from. One major thing I realized over this self-assessing is that I am an outgoing person and that’s how others view me as well.
            When doing the homework assignment I felt that I was able to build upon some of the traditional Jesuit techniques.  These techniques really helped me analyze the way that I interact with others, nature and technology. As a result I have learned from this and hope to change some of my flaws to become a better, well-rounded person.