The cirriculum has affected my motivation and interest in writing and thinking critically in a positive manner. One of the assignments that have made me think and write very critically was project 1. I wrote about a Hindu festival called Navratri that I attended. I didn't think it was such a big deal since I celebrated it every year. However, when I was asked to write all of the details, I was surprised to see how much there really was to the holiday than just a place to go in October. When I was told the number of pages that I had to write, I was so confused. I never thought that I would be able to write that much on just an event. However, when I thought back to everything I witnessed, I was surprised to see that there were so many literacies to the event that I took for granted since I was accustomed to them. Simple literacies like just understanding the language made me realize that it would be hard for anyone who came there to understand what was going on. Furthermore, the attire that was expected to be worn was a very important literacy because people who didn't come regularly would feel out of place from the event. I never realized this because ever since I started attending the Navratri, I always wore traditional Indian clothes. Lastly, taking off shoes at a religious observance was the biggest literacy that I took for granted. This is because I always take off my shoes in my house and any holy place. It is natural for me to do that but for others, it may be a foreign concept. The event that I experienced taught me how to think and write more critically.