Wendy Buchanan, English 302 October 19, 2011 1 Word Count: 826

by:wendy buchanan

Everything we see, every place that we go, and all that we experience in our

everyday lives may seem ordinary, but these things will inevitably impact who

we are and who we will become. As I think over the many events that have

occurred throughout my almost thirty-three years, it is hard to narrow them

down to just one important time in my life. Since all of the other significant events in my life would not have even

been possible without my birth, that seems to be a logical place to start.

My parents were living in Kentucky in 1978 and experiencing one of the worst winters they had ever seen.

That winter season had days so cold that no space heater, vegetable soup and cornbread, hot chocolate or extra

layers of clothing could chase away the chill that had permanently seeped into their bones. Mailboxes and car

doors were frozen shut as if someone had super-glued them in place, and of course it had to be on a frigid night

like this that I would alert my mother of my imminent arrival.

I was born on the three hundred and fifty-fifth day of that year. My birthdate typically marks Winter

Solstice. On this day in 1937, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the world’s first full-length animated feature,

premiered. “Word-Cross,” the first crossword puzzle, was published in New York World in 1913. The first manned

mission to the moon, Apollo 8, was launched from the Kennedy Space Center. My birth date was made significant

in other years by exploding bombs, erupting volcanoes (volcanoes that had been dormant for fifty years, no less),

and the outbreak of wars and conflicts. December 21, 2012 is now being predicted as the end of the world as we

know it.

All of that feels significant, somehow, to who I am today. My skin is pale like Snow White’s skin, and while I do

not have seven little men at my beck and call, I do feel that my growth was stunted. (How else do I explain my

parents, sister and half-brother all being at least six feet tall while I am a glorious five foot three inches?) Word

games are one of my most favorite past-times, and my uncle has worked for NASA since 1973. I can say with

complete certainty that I have never lived in the midst of a war or felt the effects of a volcano upchucking hot

molten lava anywhere near my home, but I always feel like I have been through some kind of battle or natural

disaster after a family gathering.

Even my parents still recognize the significance of the day I was born. When I asked my mother what

detail she best remembered from the day I was born she replied, “Your dad left me at the hospital, alone, and

went to his company’s Christmas party. Then, the next day he rode in the Christmas parade with people from our

3fifty5

Wendy Buchanan, English 302 October 19, 2011 2 Word Count: 826

church.” I will admit that my vainglorious side was expecting something about beautiful blue eyes or sweet little

hands, but I didn’t let Momma’s response worry me too much because a father remembers everything about the

birth of his princess. I asked him, “Daddy, what do you remember about the day I was born?” (I would like to confess

that at this point in the interview process I was being all kinds of sinful with my pride, knowing Daddy was going to

go on and on about me being the most beautiful baby girl he had ever seen.) “Well,” he said, “Farrah Fawcett was

on the cover of Playboy at that time.” As you can imagine, things suddenly became awkward between my daddy

and me.

My parents may not have said anything earth-moving about my birth, but it really isn’t that big of a deal.

Their commentary, or lack thereof, does not make the event any less significant. I mean, of course my birth is

significant to my parents. Momma and Daddy have just gotten older and forgotten some things over the years.

(Yes, I realize that I have just admitted that Christmas parties and models on magazines are easier for my parents

to recall than the birth of their own child, but I have accepted the whole ordeal and moved on. Perhaps I should

say kind of moved on. Okay, I haven’t moved on from it at all, but that is another topic for another memoir.) Really,

their memories just prove my original point that everything in life is significant. Dates, events, and people -- they all

mean something. I feel like Momma and Daddy’s memories -“about my birth”- are even significant because they

are like billboards showing me the direction in which my career should go: FICTION WRITING! At least then my sense

of self-respect would still be intact and I could make up an elaborate tale about the significance of December 21,

1978.

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose

under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to

plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-2

Your Classes

Your Colleagues

Your Careers

Standards for Educators:

WCU’s Professional Writing program offers a unique combination of creative writing and real-world writing courses.

Career Preparation:

Students take courses that focus on editing, publishing, writing on the web, technical writing, business writing.

First-Rate Faculty:

The English Department consists of accomplished teachers who will give you the best educational experience possible. The creative writing instructors are excellent teachers and also award-winning authors who have published more than twelve volumes of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. The technical writing faculty have published technical writing manuals and stay up-to-date on the latest technology so that students graduate with cutting edge experience.

Dynamic Peers:

Engl ish s tudents are winning prizes for their writing, including a prestigious national award from the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) for a short story by an English major. Additionally, one English class wrote, edited, and named Western’s first magazine,Imagine. Recent interns and alumni have written documentation for Volvo, written for C-SPAN, published creative work in national literary journals, and been admitted into prestigious graduate Creative Writing programs.

Spring Literary Festival:

Our annual Spring Literary Festival had been bringing local and national writers to the campus since 2003. Distinguished authors, such as Jim Harrison, Leslie Silko, Mazine Kumin, Sherman Alexie, Silas House, Elizabeth Kostova, Brett Lott, and Kathryn Stripling Byer have all been featured artists at the Spring Literary Festival. Members of the English faculty, such as Catherine Carter, Ron Rash, Deidre Elliott, Pamela Duncan, and Mary Adams, have also performed in past festival events.

Sought-After Graduates:

More employers ask for good writing than almost any other skill!

Other Choices:

Many professional writers enter the business profession or go on to graduate programs, including law and other professions.

Writing Experience:• Poems• CreativeNonfiction• Short Stories• Novels• TechnicalDocuments

English students• Designandeditwebsites• Writeandeditforpublicand

private organizations• Studyabroad• Holdexcitingstudentinternships

Careers with this degree:• Editor• TechnicalWriter• Journalist• Poet• WebDesigner• MuseumCurator• Speechwriter

E n g l i s h . WC U. e d u

English Deparment * 305 Coulter Building * Cullowhee, NC 28723 * 828.227.7264

Western Carolina University

Western Carolina University Alumni David Joy graduated with with a BA in English Literature and an MA in Professional Writing. Joy was a featured artist at the tenth annual Spring Literary Festival and is seen here reading from his first published book Growing Gills: A Fly Fisherman’s Journey.

PROFESSIONAL WRITING

Your ClassesYour Colleagues

Your Careers

Standards for Educators:

Motion Picture Studies is a combination of verbal and written skills with media literacy. Students will take courses that explore visual media and will develop an understanding of visual culture.

Career Preparation:

Students gain experience through film screenings, classes with visiting filmmakers, senior seminar, and internships.

First-Rate Faculty:

The Motion Picture Studies faculty has advanded degrees in the their fields, are active scholars, and attend and present their research at national academic conferences. Students in this major can take courses with Hollywood professionals, including a director, screenwriter, and cinematographer.

Dynamic Peers:

A university-wide competition recently selected a group of students who were majoring in this program to attend the Full Frame Film Festival in Durham, NC. Students have met fiml and television production professionals and documentary filmmakers, giving students a unique variety of interdisciplinary educational opportunities.

Spring Literary Festival:

Our annual Spring Literary Festival had been bringing local and national writers to the campus since 2003. Distinguished authors, such as Jim Harrison, Leslie Silko, Mazine Kumin, Sherman Alexie, Silas House, Elizabeth Kostova, Brett Lott, and Kathryn Stripling Byer have all been featured artists at the Spring Literary Festival. Members of the English faculty, such as Catherine Carter, Ron Rash, Deidre Elliott, Pamela Duncan, and Mary Adams, have also performed in past festival events.

Sought-After Graduates:

English students possess the communication, writing, and critical thinking skills that employers want in their employees.

Other Choices:

Many undergraduates go to graduate and professional schools to continue their English studies or to pursue new areas, such as law, art, or communication.

Film Studies in:• Theory• Genres• Screenwriting• Adaptation• History

English students• Compete in poetry slams• Design and edit web sites• Write and edit for public and

private organizations• Hold exciting student internships

Careers with this degree:• Lawyer• Technical Writer• Editor• Journalist• Web Designer• Reporter• Broadcaster

E n g l i s h . WC U. e d u

English Deparment * 305 Coulter Building * Cullowhee, NC 28723 * 828.227.7264

Western Carolina University

MOTIONPICTURESTUDIES

Standards for Educators:

Program includes courses that focus on the works of Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton, Dickinson, and Faulkner.

Career Preparation:

English Majors concentrating in literature gain rich exposure to literary history, texts, movements, and authors.

Students will:

• Study literacy criticism and theory• Participate in senior seminar• Develop writing and critical thinking skills

Your Classes

Your Colleagues

Your Careers

First-Rate Faculty:

WCU’s English faculty are focused on providing the very best learning experience to students through small classes, cutting edge content, technology, discussion formats, and experiential learning. Several English professors have won the most prestigious teaching awards at WCU and in the UNC system. They can offer students such engaging teaching because they are also active scholars who publish articles andbooksintheirfields,aswellaspresenttheirresearchatnationalacademic conferences.

Dynamic Peers:

English students give presentations about their research at NCUR, the National Conference on Undergraduate Research. Students are also studying abroad, winning awards for their writing, taking part in local service projects and participating in various English clubs and events.

Spring Literary Festival:

Our annual Spring Literary Festival had been bringing local and national writers to the campus since 2003. Distinguished authors, such as Jim Harrison, Leslie Silko, Mazine Kumin, Sherman Alexie, Silas House, Elizabeth Kostova, Brett Lott, and Kathryn Stripling Byer have all been featured artists at the Spring Literary Festival. Members of the English faculty, such as Catherine Carter, Ron Rash, Deidre Elliott, Pamela Duncan, and Mary Adams, have also performed in past festival events.

English students• Compete in poetry slams• Design and edit web sites• Write and edit for public and

private organizations• Hold exciting student internships

English.WCU.edu

English Deparment * 305 Coulter Building * Cullowhee, NC 28723 * 828.227.7264

Western Carolina University

Sought-After Graduates:

English students possess the communication, writing, and critical thinking skills that employers want in their employees.

Other Choices:

Many undergraduates go to graduate and professional schools to continue their English studies or to pursue new areas, such as law, art, or communication.

Careers with this degree:• Editor• Technical Writer• Journalist• Web Designer• Speechwriter• Novelist

Study Literature• British• American• Eco/

Environmental• Appalachian• Southern• Native American

English students can join the English Club or choose to work on WCU’s literary magazine, The Nomad. Upper-level students may be invited to join Sigma Tau Delta, the international honor society for English students.

LITERATURE

Your Classes

Your Colleagues

Your Careers

Standards for Educators:

Program includes literature courses that focus on Fairy Tale, Post-Colonial, African-American, and Appalachian studies. English Education students also take courses in TESOL, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.

Career Preparation:

Students gain a variety of field experiences throughout the four-year program.

• Methods in Teaching English• Methods in Teaching Writing • Intern I• Intern II (You are the teacher for 12 weeks!)

First-Rate Faculty:

The English Department consists of accomplished teachers who will give you the best educational experience possible. Your teachers have published award-winning books and journal essays and have written content for television and film. They bring their own real-life experiences to class and use these to help you grow in your student teaching, ultimately preparing you for a successful career.

Dynamic Peers:

Peer support is one of your greatest resources as a student majoring in an English program. Many of these hardworking students are North Carolina Teaching Fellows who present their essays at regional and national conferences and actively participate in community service projects.

Spring Literary Festival:

Our annual Spring Literary Festival had been bringing local and national writers to the campus since 2003. Distinguished authors, such as Jim Harrison, Leslie Silko, Mazine Kumin, Sherman Alexie, Silas House, Elizabeth Kostova, Brett Lott, and Kathryn Stripling Byer have all been featured artists at the Spring Literary Festival. Members of the English faculty, such as Catherine Carter, Ron Rash, Deidre Elliott, Pamela Duncan, and Mary Adams, have also performed in past festival events.

Sought-After Graduates:

Program conveniently places students in and beyond the region. Recent graduates are currently teaching at Smoky Mountain, South Iredell, Cherokee, Lake Norman and Pisgah high schools.

Other Choices:

Teachers wanting to teach in higher education may choose to go on to graduate work for their Masters of Arts in Education or for a Doctorate in Education.

Study Literature:• Milton• Chaucer• Shakespeare

English students• Compete in poetry slams• Design and edit web sites• Write and edit for public and

private organizations• Volunteer in public schools• Hold exciting student internships

Advanced Opportunities:• Administrationatlocalorstatelevel• PrivateSchools• TestingandAssesmentsforthestate

E n g l i s h . WC U. e d u

English Deparment * 305 Coulter Building * Cullowhee, NC 28723 * 828.227.7264

Western Carolina University

ENGLISHEDUCATION

MO NST ERSWAMPTHE

AT HOMEPoetry by Catherine Carter

Men’s Neckties

They’re power nooses choking offbrains from bodies, just enoughto prove a man is something morethan some bright rooster. His top draweris civilized and affluent,in charge, his status bought and spenton silk, the wormspun ornament.And yet, the swinging way they hang’s...suggestive, don’t you think? The thingsties say are all expressed aslant,but their glance is toward knife-creased pants:silk arrows pointing down at cocksthat crow through wire and fence and lock.It’s Y, not X, that marks the spot.

Catherine Carter, The Swamp Monster at Home

Terrifying student workers since 2011

The intimidator

front 

sleeve 

No hour is too late, No night is too dark,

To keep the Grill Master from lighting his spark.

The Grill Master

Beverly mi madre

Steve mi padre

Ronnie mi suegro

Kathy mi suegra

Travis (aka Alce) mi cuñado

Brittney mi cuñada Jason

mi cuñado

Eli, Max y Clay

mis sobrinos

Laura mi cuñada

Annie mi cuñada

Jonah y Garrett

mis sobrinos Wren

mi sobrina

Jeff mi medio hermano

Katie mi hermana Dustin mi esposo

Tucker mi hijo

Addison mi hija

Baxter mi perro

wendy árbol de la familia

Scott mi cuñado

Wendy Buchanan

Population: 15,007,343 Size: 109,483 sq. miles Quito Colorado 1832- The Galapagos Islands

Información

Multiple Climate Regions

Natural Hazards

Deforestation

La tierra

San Rafael Falls, Ecuador

Farmland in Ecuador

Roman Catholic

“Mestizos”

Media

Viven en Ecuador

http://youtu.be/j_okL_AJ35o

1830- Independent Republic

Representative Democracy

2008 – New Ecuadorian Constitution

Gobierno

President Rafael Correa January 2007

Presidential Elections

3 Branches of Government

“Tribunal Supremo Electoral”

“If you have belongings stolen, the police will be helpful in filing a report for you

to give to your insurance company. Just don’t expect any stolen items to be recovered and returned.“ (South American Living)

Policía

http://youtu.be/mDcAaJwiZEM

Corruption

Minimal Justice

Tourist Police

January 2009 – Higher Standards

October 2010 – State of Emergency

Official Currency: U.S. Dollar

Bills and Coins ATMs

Low Cost of Living

Dinero Personal Pan Pizza

$1.50

Plate Lunch (Chicken, rice and beans) $1.75

New Car: $16,000

Costo de la vida Coke/Pepsi (0.33 Liter bottle) $ 0.66 Water (0.33 Liter bottle) $ 0.53 Milk (1 Liter) $ 1. 02 Loaf of Bread $ 1.38 Fresh Cheese (1 Kg) $ 5.28 1 Pack of Marlboro Cigarettes $ 4.71 Gasoline (1 Liter) $ 0.46 City Bus $0.25 or $1/hour Taxi $2-$3 per 15 minute ride Standard Doctor Consult $25 Teeth Cleaning $40

Groceries for a family $150/month Basic Utilities (Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) $41.25/month Rent 1 Bedroom Apartment $150-$200/month Buy small apartment $30,000

Levis 501 Blue jeans $ 80

Summer Dress from Chain Store $ 62

1 Pair of Nike Shoes $ 107

Educación

Greatest Concern Bilingual Education System

1980s

Improvements Important Universities

Resources

Adventure Logger. Digital image. Blogspot. Web. 24 May 2011.

<http://adventurelogger.blogspot.com/2007/11/waterfalls-of-world.html>.

Channel, Ecuador. "Education in Ecuador | By Ecuador Channel." Ecuador Channel.

Web. 25 May 2011. <http://www.ecuador.com/education/>.

CNN: Watch the Ecuador Police Riot. Web. 24 May 2011.

<http://youtu.be/mDcAaJwiZEM>.

"Cost of Living in Ecuador. Prices in Ecuador." Cost of Living. Web. 23 May 2011.

<http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/ country _result.jsp? country=

Ecuador>.

Digital image. Travelhouse. Web. 24 May 2011.

<http://www.travelhouseuk.co.uk/travelGallery/index.php/flags-

635972887/Ecuador_Flag>.

Resources

"Ecuador - Education." Country Studies. Web. 25 May 2011.

<http://countrystudies.us/ecuador/35.htm>.

Ecuador coin. Digital image. Web. 24 May 2011.

<http://www.24carat.co.uk/ecuador.html>.

"Ecuador Cost of Living: 2011 Cost of Living in Ecuador." Ecuador Real Estate, Guide

to Beachfront Properties in Ecuador. Web. 23 May 2011.

<http://ecuadorrealestate.org/ecuador-cost-of-living/>.

Ecuador Farmland. Digital image. Web. 24 May 2011.

<http://www.learnnc.org/lp/multimedia/2740>.

Ecuador Kentucky Fried Chicken. Digital image. Web. 25 May 2011.

<http://www.travelpod.com/travel-photo/adiosjlo/1/1288046389/kfc-a-

bit-big-no.jpg/t>.

Ecuador Map. Digital image. Web. 24 May 2011. <http://www.biologie.uni-

hamburg.de/b-online/world/maps/ecuador.htm>.

Resources

Ecuador Pizza Hut Delivery. Digital image. Web. 25 May 2011.

<http://www.flickr.com/photos/helixblue/503269783/>.

Ecuador police. Digital image. Web. 25 May 2011.

<http://www.ecuadorliving.com/2010/05/19/cotacachi-otavalo-

report.html>.

"Ecuador." South America Living. Web. 23 May 2011.

<http://www.southamericaliving.com/category/ecuador/>.

Ecuador students. Digital image. Web. 25 May 2011.

<http://www.realgap.com/Ecuador-Street-Children-Care-and-Education-

Gallery>.

Ecuador students. Digital image. Web. 25 May 2011.

<http://www.wrhine.com/irene/e30.php>.

"Education in Ecuador." World Map, Map of the World. Web. 25 May 2011.

<http://www.mapsofworld.com/ecuador/education/>.

Resources

Government Building in Downtown Guayaquil. Digital image. Web. 25 May 2011.

<http://www.flickr.com/photos/12670601@N02/2103759513/>.

Gualaceo´s Carnival 2011. Web. 24 May 2011. <http://youtu.be/j_okL_AJ35o>.

People of Ecuador. Digital image. Web. 25 May 2011.

<http://www.flickr.com/photos/12670601@N02/2103759513/>.

Rafael Correa. Digital image. Wikipedia. Web. 24 May 2011.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rafaelcorrea08122006.jpg>.

Volkswagen Golf. 2011. Photograph. Volkswagen. Web. 24 May 2011.

<http://www.volkswagen.com.ec/vwcms/master_public/virtualmaster/es_

ec/modelo/golf.html>.