My Journal Experience

Dedicated to my Father...

What is my journal about?  Like I said in my last post and in my informal presentation, is not like the average journal from my classmates.  The cover of the journal has a different meaning; it represents my way of thinking, my passions and my work.  My inner journey, represents my goals and my most meaningful things in life, like the picture in the left which you can see my first tattoo, it represents my last day with my Father. I was their for you until the end, I LOVE YOU...

What I learned from this writing project?  Easy, I have developed better my writing process for an essay or something easy, as this post hahaha.  I have always practice the unconscious way of writing but I did not know Carl Jung conceptualize it.  This way of writing I have always done it in Spanish writing.  Doing this journal project has help me a lot directly in my English.  

Throughout the entries, I notice a big difference towards my fluency.  I also notice the most present entries, I went to the jugular easily, did not cross out or stop writing.  I was surprise of my consistent writing and how I got better doing this in English.  In my compasses I did not see a consistent pattern, I noticed that my point in every characteristic depended of the day and my college stress. 

What I learned about me?  I learn that I have a potential writing anything, it could be an essay or even poetry.  I never imagined I had those writing skills until now that I put them in practice for my journal.  I learned you can write anything you have in your mind without knowing you have it and has logical thoughts as finished or as a whole.  This journal will be useful in a few years to see how I changed in my way of writing or even in my way of thinking.

Inner Help, Reflection of "Life is a Trip"

We read chapter 5, chapter 8 and chapter 13.  Chapters, 5, 8 and 13, from the book “Life is a trip” are reflecting essay and I can easily relate to them in my live.  Chapter 5 “Searching for forgiveness in Vietnam” was an entertaining reading.  This chapter talked about the war of USA against Vietnam and how it was their relationship after the war.  It showed us the guilt and the way veterans from both countries felt because of the acts done by both countries.   Is fascinating how the American is searching for answers and wanting to know what Vietnamese feel in the present about Americans.

Surprisingly, the Vietnamese didn’t care no more and didn’t want to know about the what.  They forgive the Americans and the main character was surprise about their present way of thinking of Americans.  This reading make us reflect in our life about the things that we should forgive and just continue in our life.  We need to live the present and try to not remember the past because it will always be there. 

In chapter 8 “Meeting Maximon in Guatemala”, talks about a human God that smokes and drinks.  This is a ritual from the people that live there.  People think that he me relieve you from your sin because himself is a sinner.  The main character didn’t believe and stayed away until he understand what was the procedure of the way of the Maximon works.  He felt relieve when Maximon forgive him and he felt relief.  This we can relate to it as the as the last chapter.  But this time we can add that it doesn’t what kind the person that for example had a personal conflict with, you should always forgive to “relief” yourselve of inner damage.

In chapter 13 “the other side of the Pilgrims’ Road in Spain”, talks about the experience people have walking or traveling the “Camino”.  We can understand that this road is not any road, is a special road because the experience people have when they travel it.  Is a long distance road, people start working together to complete the “Camino”.  Is a pilgrim thing to do this walking and serving in the “Camino”.  People had empathy with the others while traveling the “Camino”, they served and help each other.  This reminds me of the way Christmas is in Puerto Rico.  Is the only season that people are happy and neighbors help each other or when you’re in the “Campo” or in a hurricane.  That is that sad reality we live in in the island.  Reflecting in the chapters, can help us understand and reflect on the way we are to others, how we should forget and forgive the past and help others for our inner help.

Journal Reflection & Carl Jung

With the way of writing of Carl Jung his way (Unconscious writing) we have done a journal throughout the semester and that’s what I’m going to talk. But first, who is Carl Jung? Carl Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychotherapist who founded analytical psychology. His work has been influential not only in psychiatry but also in philosophy, anthropology, archaeology, literature, and religious studies. He was a prolific writer, though many of his works were not published until after his death. With his way of writing (Unconscious writing) we have done a journal throughout the semester and that’s what I’m going to talk. 

This journal is based in the way of writing with the unconscious, a theory or a way of writing proposed by Carl Jung.  This at first is hard to do, because we are used to do professional APA or MLA works for college. For me it hasn’t being any difficult because I always have practice this but I didn’t know Carl Jung was the one who conceptualize this way of writing. Unconscious way of writing is very useful when you need to do an essay because when you practice it the words and ideas come naturally without needing to force the mind.  My experience with it has being pretty useful as a stressed reliever.  This year has being a hard one for me and with this it has help focusing in my goals for this semester and in life. 


My personal journal is not like the average journal from my classmates.  My outer journey doesn’t represent where I want to go, it represents my way of thinking and way of being, my passions and my work.  My inner journey represent my goals and my most meaningful things in life.