FEATURES: - Marco Lozano`s Digital Portfolio

M A RCO LOZ A NO
Culture
GAZETTE
FEATURES:
1. History (Cultural)
2. Personal Narrative
3. Famous Scientist Project
1 | HI STORY
HI STORY
I was born in Ciudad Juárez,
Chihuahua, Mexico. My parents
were born in Parral, the same state.
The most dominant religion is
Catholicism (82.7% ).
Cd. Juárez (left) is a big city. It's
modern in some places, historical
in others.
In Juárez, most people move
around in cars. Bikes are not used
that much.
Symbols of pride in Mexico are its
food, its music, etc.
Its national language is Spanish
but there are also 68 native
languages (legally) recognized.
Ciudad Juárez, CHIH, México.
The political system used is
democracy.
2 l Fam ou s Sci en t i st Proj ect
RODOL FO
N ERI
VEL A
"From space, I see myself as one more perrson among the millions and millions w ho
lived, live, and w ill live on Earth. Inevitably, this makes me think about our existence and
the w ay in w hich w e should live to enjoy, to share our short lives as fully as possible
Rod ol f o Neri Vel a
Bi rt h d ay: Feb rary 19, 1952
Age: 62
The f act t hat a Mexican w en t t o
sp ace is a reason f or Mexico t o
b e p roud of . I t ' s a b ig
accom p lishm en t in a social an d
cult ural w ay. On ly 24 coun t ries
out of 195 have b een t o sp ace.
- I n t he m ission Neri Vela w as
in , t he crew dep loyed t hree
com m un icat ion s sat ellit es an d
t est ed t echn iques of
con st ruct in g st ruct ures in orb it .
' Fi rst M exi can Ci t i zen t o
h ave t ravel l ed t o sp ace'
Rodolf o Neri Vela is a Mexican scien t ist an d
ast ron aut . He is t he f irst an d on ly Mexican t o have
t ravelled t o sp ace. That is really im p ort an t
achievem en t f or Mexico He w as p art of t he crew in
t he Atlantis, STS- 61- B NASA m ission in 1985.
Works Cit ed:
"STS-61-B." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 20 Sept. 2006. Web. 15 Oct. 2014. <http:/ / en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/ STS-61-B>
"Rodolfo Neri Vela." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 6 Apr. 2007. Web. 15 Oct. 2014. <http:/ / en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/ Rodolfo_Neri_Vela>.
3 | Person al Narrat i ve
Person al Narrat i ve
MOVING TO THE U.S.
It all started with a simple question. It was a hot 100°F day in Juárez,
Mexico. My dad picked me up from school in his car, and then my two brothers;
just as everyday. I was kind of exhausted because it had been a hard day at
school. I felt so hungry I could eat a whole pizza by myself. My dad swiftly pulled
the car over at a store, but he did not leave the car, instead he looked at each one
of us with a straight eye. I felt uneasy because I thought he was going to tell us
something was wrong, but instead he began, ?I am going to ask you something
that you will never forget.? Now I felt more at ease, but I was nervous because his
tone was dead serious. Then came the question that I will always remember and
later would change my life.
?Would you like to live in the U.S.?? I blanked out. I was not sure if it was a
real question. I lived there all 12, almost 13, years of my life. I even went to the
same school since kindergarten? ?What?? I asked in an addled tone. He just
smiled at me in a way he made it clear he was serious.
`
This was just unbelievable. Not moving to another city in Mexico, not even
another state, It was another country! I did not know what I was feeling. Was it
excitement? Was it fear? In some way it would be awesome, because I had never
lived anywhere else. I travelled, but I never moved to a new place. We lived right
at the border with El Paso, TX and Juárez, Mexico.
My family went there shopping two or three times a month, and we had
friends there too. But my dad said it would not be anywhere near El Paso. On the
other hand, all my friends and family would be left behind and I would only see
them once a year in the summer, when normally I would see my friends everyday
at school, and my grandparents 4 times a year (they live in another city). It was a
tough decision but my told us to think about it. After a couple of hours, he told
me he had been interviewed through a phone call by a German company that has
offices in Wisconsin offered him a job there but he would have to be transferred
to Michigan a year after.
He gave us plenty of time to think. After a month, he told us:
4 | Person al Narrat i ve (2)
?So what do you think about the question? What do you guys say??
?Yes.? I replied reluctantly. I decided to take the risk. Of course, I was
happy in Mexico but I chose the new and unknown where my life would be
completely different and we would have to start again. I had been learning
English since kindergarten, so I knew I could speak and understand english. I
knew I wanted to try.
After almost a year of working on documentation, we were leaving Juárez.
We sold all our furniture and the only items we brought with us were all of our
clothes, computer, a keyboard, and more. We did not go on a plane, we travelled
in my dad?s brand new truck because we wanted to admire the landscapes. A
couple of weeks before that, I got a camera for my birthday and I could take
pictures so I was ok with it. My dad rented a U-HAUL and we towed it behind the
truck. We were starting our journey across America.
The first night, we got to Amarillo, TX. From 11am to almost 12am we
crossed New Mexico. The Second day started with hotel breakfast. We continued
on our journey across America. We noticed the red sand of Oklahoma, passed
through a small part of Arkansas and the Beaver Lake. That day I was having a
rush of feelings because it was not a thought or a possibility anymore; We left
Mexico. I thought a lot about the friends and family we left behind. I tried to
convince myself I would be seeing them once a year, but it was still hard. We
reached Springfield, MO and spent the night there. The third day we went
through Missouri and reached St. Louis. That was the best part of the journey
because I got to take pictures of the Arch of St. Louis and buildings and a lot of
other cool pictures of the summer landscape. We passed by Illinois and made it
to Wisconsin that day.
As soon as the ?Welcome to Wisconsin?sign was in sight, we were feeling
enthusiasm. New place, New life. We lived for a year in an apartment in WI. We
knew we were going to move to Michigan a year after, that was part of the
contract my dad signed. It was awesome for a first year in a new country; but as
soon as we finished the school year, we travelled to Mexico (this time, on a
plane). I was so happy to return and see my friends and family again. This time, I
did not feel like I wanted to stay there; not because I did not like it, but because I
felt I now had a life here in the U.S.
6 | Person al Narrat i ve (3)
When we returned, we had only one week left in WI and all we did that week
was pack everything. The apartment was impeccable after 6 days. We left
Wisconsin and arrived at Michigan on July 19th, 2014. So far, moving to the
U.S. has been the most significant event that has happened in my life yet. It
has impacted my life in a huge way and I learned that my own little world is
not all there is out there. Not everyone would dare to take risks as big as
this.You have to step out of your comfort zone if you want to try something
new.
Culture
GAZETTE
M arco Lozan o