I love to write. When I write I feel like I could show my readers who I am without even meeting them. When I put my pencil next to a blank piece of paper, it feels like magic. My hand just starts to write what I am feeling. As I keep going, I can picture what I am writing. It is a feeling that I cannot explain. I write about many different things: my parents, my daughter, my husband, my past, my future, the world, my culture, and so on.
There are times where I could hear my parents’ voices and how they always tell me that it is better to live your life the best way you can. They tell me that it is always better to tell the truth because a lie will soon come out. To always follow the rules and be a good citizen. To do my best in school and become somebody great, the person they know I am. I write for them and what they have taught me. I write to tell my parents how proud I am to be their daughter. To show them how much I love them with a thousand words.
I write for my daughter to show her who I am now and who I want to become. I write to tell her how much I will always love her. To show her that ever since I found I was pregnant I have become a happier person. That no matter what happens I will always be proud of her. I write to leave her a part of me when am gone, a part of my soul, and my memories. To let her know my past and everything I have been through. Therefore, that one day she learns from my mistakes and does not have to suffer as I did. I write to let her know I am here by her side and that I will be on her team no matter who are opponents are.
I write for my husband that I love with all my heart. To tell the whole world how much I love him and that I would die if he were not by my side. To tell our story and how it all started with a simple, “Hey.” How everything changed when we found out, we were going to be parents. I write how I plan to spend the rest of my life with him. How I picture us when we are eighty years old. I write about how I want our wedding to be and how we want our lives to be in ten, twenty years. To tell everybody about our adventures when we were in high school, we would ditch to his house, and all those times we spent together. To show through my writing how he always takes care of me in every way that he can.
I write to be a better person inside and out. To thank my parents for everything they have done for me. To have a better future for my family and I and to show them that they mean the world to me. I write to scream to the world what I am feeling. To always show my true colors. I write to show my ethnicity, culture, intelligence, braveness, strength and love.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
"Count on Yourself" by Chris Douglass
When you are in a life or death survival situation sometimes you will not have someone there to rescue you. In those moments don’t give up or just sit there and not do anything, there is still hope. The only thing you need to know is the five basic survival skills to stay live. If you do these five skills correctly you will save your life when a survival situation happens.
Before you go anywhere make sure you carry a backpack with items that will help you in a survival situation. The following things is what I have in my backpack.
• Waterproof lighter/matches/flint
• Metal cup
• Gloves
• Cold Gear like coats, heavy shirts, and heavy socks.
• Knife, saw, hatchet
• First Aid kit
The first skill is fire, it is the most important skill you need to know without it you will live in darkness, will not be able to drink water, you will not keep warm if it is cold, and you will be more likely to be attack by animals. There is a many ways to start a fire but I will tell you a one that will never fail you if you do it probably. You take something metal like a knife or even another rock against a rock or striking stone into your pile of wood kindling or shaving. If you do it right you will get embers that then blow on them or fan them with something which can make that ember into a flame of fire.
The second skill which is very important to know when you are in a life or death survival situation is how to make shelter. Without this skill you will be open to the elements, be an easier target for wildlife, and you will also not be able to keep warm from the weather. There are many styles of shelters you can make but the simplest form of shelter you can make is called a lean-to. To build this shelter you will need to first find tree or trees that have a low branch that is strong. Then find or cut a thick piece of wood about 4 or more inches in diameter that will be your canter beam. Then you built the foundation of the lean-to now to make the roof. You can use branches that have leafs on them or pieces of wood or a tarp. If it is colder you can make your roof thicker with another layer of cover. If you learn how to do this skill and build a good shelter you will make your life easier in a survival situation and save your life.
The third skill is signaling because if you don’t do that then you want to be lost which is not a bad thing when you want to be. There are two types of signals they are ground level or close by and far way signal. Smoke from your fire is a great way to signal for far way help. A signaling method for ground level are sign that would not be normal in nature like moving rocks in an arrow to point in the direction you are going or make marks in trees to show other you have been at that spot.
The fourth skill is food and water which falls under the energy category. Yet these are to hard things to find and get when you are out in the wilderness. It is very important to find food and water because it will save your life. For water you want to find a running water source like a river which will be the cleanest out there because the flow with a combo with the rocks allows it to not get thing that can kill you. Get some water and put it in a metal cup or metal container and boil it to make clean water that you can drink. To find food the best bet is to look around water source because animals and plants which you can eat need water too. You want foods that are high in proteins and carbohydrates; fish is a great source of protein and carbohydrates also it will make your brain work better too. So you can knock out two birds with one stone if you find a river because you can get water and food.
The fifth skill and the one skill you really don’t want to use when you are in a survival situation is first aid. But it is a skill you still need to know because the wilderness is a nasty place to get hurt; there is really no outside help for a couple of hours or more and if you don’t treat it you will make it harder for you to survive. Cuts and little things could turn to worst things like broken legs if not taken care of. So in your First Aid kit to carry band aids to cover cuts and things like that, a big roll of ace band aid to wrap sprains body parts and other things like that, hydrogen peroxide wipes to clean cuts. If you do come to use this skill I hope you now know what to have on you to save your life when a situation like this happens.
Another tip that can save your life is having good common sense. If you do one thing wrong that is a bad choice it could cost your life. One thing most people don’t think of when they first know they are lost is stop and ask this question: The question is, in the area I am in right now has all of the five skills but most important wood, water, food, and cover. If yes you need to stay in that area if you are lost for more than a day. If you answer no, you need to find an area with those four things around it, if you are lost for more than a day. By having good common sense you will keep yourself alive longer to be saved or find your way out.
There are a billion situations that could happen when you are lost but what I have told you will help you in all situations. The biggest thing that you need to do is believe in yourself that you can save yourself because you are the one that you have to count on all the time. By mastering and know the five skills and have good common sense you will increase your chances of surviving in a life or death situation greatly.
Before you go anywhere make sure you carry a backpack with items that will help you in a survival situation. The following things is what I have in my backpack.
• Waterproof lighter/matches/flint
• Metal cup
• Gloves
• Cold Gear like coats, heavy shirts, and heavy socks.
• Knife, saw, hatchet
• First Aid kit
The first skill is fire, it is the most important skill you need to know without it you will live in darkness, will not be able to drink water, you will not keep warm if it is cold, and you will be more likely to be attack by animals. There is a many ways to start a fire but I will tell you a one that will never fail you if you do it probably. You take something metal like a knife or even another rock against a rock or striking stone into your pile of wood kindling or shaving. If you do it right you will get embers that then blow on them or fan them with something which can make that ember into a flame of fire.
The second skill which is very important to know when you are in a life or death survival situation is how to make shelter. Without this skill you will be open to the elements, be an easier target for wildlife, and you will also not be able to keep warm from the weather. There are many styles of shelters you can make but the simplest form of shelter you can make is called a lean-to. To build this shelter you will need to first find tree or trees that have a low branch that is strong. Then find or cut a thick piece of wood about 4 or more inches in diameter that will be your canter beam. Then you built the foundation of the lean-to now to make the roof. You can use branches that have leafs on them or pieces of wood or a tarp. If it is colder you can make your roof thicker with another layer of cover. If you learn how to do this skill and build a good shelter you will make your life easier in a survival situation and save your life.
The third skill is signaling because if you don’t do that then you want to be lost which is not a bad thing when you want to be. There are two types of signals they are ground level or close by and far way signal. Smoke from your fire is a great way to signal for far way help. A signaling method for ground level are sign that would not be normal in nature like moving rocks in an arrow to point in the direction you are going or make marks in trees to show other you have been at that spot.
The fourth skill is food and water which falls under the energy category. Yet these are to hard things to find and get when you are out in the wilderness. It is very important to find food and water because it will save your life. For water you want to find a running water source like a river which will be the cleanest out there because the flow with a combo with the rocks allows it to not get thing that can kill you. Get some water and put it in a metal cup or metal container and boil it to make clean water that you can drink. To find food the best bet is to look around water source because animals and plants which you can eat need water too. You want foods that are high in proteins and carbohydrates; fish is a great source of protein and carbohydrates also it will make your brain work better too. So you can knock out two birds with one stone if you find a river because you can get water and food.
The fifth skill and the one skill you really don’t want to use when you are in a survival situation is first aid. But it is a skill you still need to know because the wilderness is a nasty place to get hurt; there is really no outside help for a couple of hours or more and if you don’t treat it you will make it harder for you to survive. Cuts and little things could turn to worst things like broken legs if not taken care of. So in your First Aid kit to carry band aids to cover cuts and things like that, a big roll of ace band aid to wrap sprains body parts and other things like that, hydrogen peroxide wipes to clean cuts. If you do come to use this skill I hope you now know what to have on you to save your life when a situation like this happens.
Another tip that can save your life is having good common sense. If you do one thing wrong that is a bad choice it could cost your life. One thing most people don’t think of when they first know they are lost is stop and ask this question: The question is, in the area I am in right now has all of the five skills but most important wood, water, food, and cover. If yes you need to stay in that area if you are lost for more than a day. If you answer no, you need to find an area with those four things around it, if you are lost for more than a day. By having good common sense you will keep yourself alive longer to be saved or find your way out.
There are a billion situations that could happen when you are lost but what I have told you will help you in all situations. The biggest thing that you need to do is believe in yourself that you can save yourself because you are the one that you have to count on all the time. By mastering and know the five skills and have good common sense you will increase your chances of surviving in a life or death situation greatly.
"Spar and the Squirrel" by Dominique Gonzales
The other day I got board and decided to go outside in the front yard. It was such a nice day for being October. The sun was out shinning around a blue sky with only a couple of clouds in sight just to the west. There was a slight breeze in the air just enough to make the trees branches sway just a little making the leaves that were left on the branches fall to the ground, and on the ground tumble around making a scraping noise followed by the crunch of the leave when they broke form being dry.
I looked around to admire everything and noticed that there was a brown and black face staring at me through our front window. I laughed as Spar sat there with a sad look ok on her black and brown face, her light brown hair on her back stood up as if she was wondering why I had not let her out, and her tail was wagging like she knew I was going to let her come in the front with me. But the reason I had not let her out in the first place is because all though she is a very good dog and listens she is also very wild and hyper. She cant help but jump on everyone, and chase everything. Even though she don’t leave the yard people walk around our block and some are old people I didn’t want her to go at them fast. Her size could hurt someone if she’s coming at you.
I opened the door and let her out. She ran straight for the leaves playing and jumping in them. Laughing at her I had a seat on the front step and decided to just watch her as she played and had fun. But when I didn’t expect it she seen a squirrel out the corner of her eye. For some reason I knew she would go for the squirrel because they look like rats with fur and anything with fur she goes for fore sum reason. So sure enough as the squirrel looked at her she did. She sprinted with excitement towards it. I knew she would not get it because squirrels are pretty fast, but she might give it a run for its life. The squirrel ran right to the only tree we had in our yard and she was right behind it trying to get up there but she couldn’t. After jumping up the tree making scuff marks with her nails all on the trunk for about 5 minuets, she decided not to leave but to relax and sit right at the bottom of the tree waiting for the squirrel. I felt so bad because the squirrel had no where to go and it just looked at Spar and Spar just lay on the broken leaves on the ground looking up at the squirrel. It seemed like she was just taunting the little squirrel. And the squirrel didn’t want to move it seamed afraid of what might happen if it was to fall.
After another couple of minuets spar took her eyes off of the squirrel got up walked over to the stairs where I was sitting and sat on her back legs right next to me. I looked at the tree with very few leaves on it and seen that the squirrel had noticed she had moved. Will the squirrel come down now? I wondered. It made its way gently and as quietly as possible. It came straight down the trunk and was still looking to see if Spar was looking, she wasn’t. But as soon as the squirrel touched the grass Spar took off again at it knocking me on the ground in the process. The squirrel took off to the other yard as fast as it could with Spar right behind it but as it passed the driveway it was in the clear. Spar had stopped knowing she could not go beyond that. I sat there laughing as Spar turned and had a frustrated look on her face. I said “ Well better luck next time girl.” But I knew that that squirrel was grateful that she didn’t get it. I was too, because she could have got sick. But it was just one of the funniest things I have seen my dog do.
I looked around to admire everything and noticed that there was a brown and black face staring at me through our front window. I laughed as Spar sat there with a sad look ok on her black and brown face, her light brown hair on her back stood up as if she was wondering why I had not let her out, and her tail was wagging like she knew I was going to let her come in the front with me. But the reason I had not let her out in the first place is because all though she is a very good dog and listens she is also very wild and hyper. She cant help but jump on everyone, and chase everything. Even though she don’t leave the yard people walk around our block and some are old people I didn’t want her to go at them fast. Her size could hurt someone if she’s coming at you.
I opened the door and let her out. She ran straight for the leaves playing and jumping in them. Laughing at her I had a seat on the front step and decided to just watch her as she played and had fun. But when I didn’t expect it she seen a squirrel out the corner of her eye. For some reason I knew she would go for the squirrel because they look like rats with fur and anything with fur she goes for fore sum reason. So sure enough as the squirrel looked at her she did. She sprinted with excitement towards it. I knew she would not get it because squirrels are pretty fast, but she might give it a run for its life. The squirrel ran right to the only tree we had in our yard and she was right behind it trying to get up there but she couldn’t. After jumping up the tree making scuff marks with her nails all on the trunk for about 5 minuets, she decided not to leave but to relax and sit right at the bottom of the tree waiting for the squirrel. I felt so bad because the squirrel had no where to go and it just looked at Spar and Spar just lay on the broken leaves on the ground looking up at the squirrel. It seemed like she was just taunting the little squirrel. And the squirrel didn’t want to move it seamed afraid of what might happen if it was to fall.
After another couple of minuets spar took her eyes off of the squirrel got up walked over to the stairs where I was sitting and sat on her back legs right next to me. I looked at the tree with very few leaves on it and seen that the squirrel had noticed she had moved. Will the squirrel come down now? I wondered. It made its way gently and as quietly as possible. It came straight down the trunk and was still looking to see if Spar was looking, she wasn’t. But as soon as the squirrel touched the grass Spar took off again at it knocking me on the ground in the process. The squirrel took off to the other yard as fast as it could with Spar right behind it but as it passed the driveway it was in the clear. Spar had stopped knowing she could not go beyond that. I sat there laughing as Spar turned and had a frustrated look on her face. I said “ Well better luck next time girl.” But I knew that that squirrel was grateful that she didn’t get it. I was too, because she could have got sick. But it was just one of the funniest things I have seen my dog do.
"What a Night!" by Maritsa Gracia-Meza
My cousin and I were going with two brothers, Daniel and Edgardo. One was my boyfriend and the other one was hers. Our dads are really jealous of their older daughter having boyfriends; they don’t let us go and hang out with them or just even talking to them on the phone. It was getting on my nerves: why would we want a boyfriend if we can’t even see them if talk to them.
One day my cousin had a great idea; if our parents don’t let us see them then we are going to see them the hard way without them noticing. My cousin has a big house with three doors to get out of the house one on the front of the house, back and one that takes you to the garage. Her idea was to sleep over and hang out like usual. When it was time to go to sleep, sneak out from the back door and come back in trough the garage door. We had everything planned out, we told boyfriends the idea they loved it.
There was a Quincenera on a Saturday January 15, 2007. My cousin and I love to dance so we decided that was going to be the day to try our plan. The day of the party I asked my parents if I could sleep over at, Erica’s house they said yes I was super happy it was going to be my first time seeing my boyfriend. So I get to my cousin’s house acting like everything is normal, taking about what we were going to wear how we are going to do our hair. We both called the boys to see if they had everything planned out. They both said yes. It was getting dark closer and closer to try our plan. I was nervous and scared. I kept thinking to myself what if my uncle wakes up and sees us going out the door all dressed up. Bad thoughts were running through my head.
It was 10 o’clock p.m. we acted as if we were all sleeping in our pajamas, but we had on our dressy clothing underneath. Me with my short purple dress and Erica with black shorts, a red and white strapless shirt. While we were waiting for the guys to come, I was so scared it was my first time doing something behind my parents back.
Our boyfriends came at eleven o’clock. It was time to do the plan we walked down the stairs tiptoeing really quietly. While going through the back door I tripped and broke a glass cup making lots of noise and while laughing it was not going good. We made it outside safe; we got in the car and drove to the party.
While in the party we were all dancing and having a good time. I totally forgot about the time it was two o’clock. My cousin and I were scared. I asked her “How in the world are we going to get in the house without waking your parents its super late.” We told the guys we need to get home fast. They took us back in a flash. We gave them a good bye kiss and a hug.
I was shivering of how nervous I was. I kept imagining my uncle with his belt just waiting for us to get in the house and yelling at us. Erica tries to open the back door but it was closed which was weird because she took off the lock. I was about to cry, how were we going to get in. All the other doors closed so my cousin was like “The back window is always open lets try and get in through there.” We had no other choose but to clam up a chair and jump through the window. We made it in the house without making any noise. Got to Erica’s room took off our party clothing and put back our pajamas. We were taking how fun it was to be dancing with our boyfriends all night. What I night we had.
It was nine in the morning time to wake up, for some reason I had five missed calls from my dad. Which was weird Erica and me go downstairs all of sudden I see my dad he was all like “What were you thinking? Do you think your uncle is dumb and would not notice you both left.” My dad yelling at me so loud I stated to cry and explained why I did it. He took my phone for two weeks; I could not go out with Erica anymore for a mouth. I learned my lesson, to never leave the house without permission. I never knew how they found out, but now we know why the back door was closed.
One day my cousin had a great idea; if our parents don’t let us see them then we are going to see them the hard way without them noticing. My cousin has a big house with three doors to get out of the house one on the front of the house, back and one that takes you to the garage. Her idea was to sleep over and hang out like usual. When it was time to go to sleep, sneak out from the back door and come back in trough the garage door. We had everything planned out, we told boyfriends the idea they loved it.
There was a Quincenera on a Saturday January 15, 2007. My cousin and I love to dance so we decided that was going to be the day to try our plan. The day of the party I asked my parents if I could sleep over at, Erica’s house they said yes I was super happy it was going to be my first time seeing my boyfriend. So I get to my cousin’s house acting like everything is normal, taking about what we were going to wear how we are going to do our hair. We both called the boys to see if they had everything planned out. They both said yes. It was getting dark closer and closer to try our plan. I was nervous and scared. I kept thinking to myself what if my uncle wakes up and sees us going out the door all dressed up. Bad thoughts were running through my head.
It was 10 o’clock p.m. we acted as if we were all sleeping in our pajamas, but we had on our dressy clothing underneath. Me with my short purple dress and Erica with black shorts, a red and white strapless shirt. While we were waiting for the guys to come, I was so scared it was my first time doing something behind my parents back.
Our boyfriends came at eleven o’clock. It was time to do the plan we walked down the stairs tiptoeing really quietly. While going through the back door I tripped and broke a glass cup making lots of noise and while laughing it was not going good. We made it outside safe; we got in the car and drove to the party.
While in the party we were all dancing and having a good time. I totally forgot about the time it was two o’clock. My cousin and I were scared. I asked her “How in the world are we going to get in the house without waking your parents its super late.” We told the guys we need to get home fast. They took us back in a flash. We gave them a good bye kiss and a hug.
I was shivering of how nervous I was. I kept imagining my uncle with his belt just waiting for us to get in the house and yelling at us. Erica tries to open the back door but it was closed which was weird because she took off the lock. I was about to cry, how were we going to get in. All the other doors closed so my cousin was like “The back window is always open lets try and get in through there.” We had no other choose but to clam up a chair and jump through the window. We made it in the house without making any noise. Got to Erica’s room took off our party clothing and put back our pajamas. We were taking how fun it was to be dancing with our boyfriends all night. What I night we had.
It was nine in the morning time to wake up, for some reason I had five missed calls from my dad. Which was weird Erica and me go downstairs all of sudden I see my dad he was all like “What were you thinking? Do you think your uncle is dumb and would not notice you both left.” My dad yelling at me so loud I stated to cry and explained why I did it. He took my phone for two weeks; I could not go out with Erica anymore for a mouth. I learned my lesson, to never leave the house without permission. I never knew how they found out, but now we know why the back door was closed.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Monday, December 6, 2010
I'm SICK!
So sorry, I guess the semester caught up with me. So I won't be in my office today to collect portfolios. You can go ahead and leave them in my mailbox in Room 313 or I'll be back all day tomorrow and Wednesday if you want to see me in person.
Thanks,
Nancy
So sorry, I guess the semester caught up with me. So I won't be in my office today to collect portfolios. You can go ahead and leave them in my mailbox in Room 313 or I'll be back all day tomorrow and Wednesday if you want to see me in person.
Thanks,
Nancy
Saturday, December 4, 2010
"The 'Princess' Story" by Natalia Kotenko
My grandmother’s name is Vera, which from Russian language means, “to believe”. She is almost 90 years old. She does not really like to tell the stories of her life or where she is from, or who her parents are. All those secrets that grandma kept in silence made us, younger generation, imagine some fairy stories, like as my elder brother once said about her: “Our granny is an escaped Romanov‘s youngest princess, who doesn’t want to undercover her emperor’s roots.” Of course, we laughed, but the nickname stuck for our grandmother. I was much luckier than my siblings or cousins. Being the only granddaughter and the youngest one, I had many privileges, including countless hugs, kisses and candies. I could talk my old wise ‘princess’ into conversations to which my cousins did not have any access. Once I told her, when I was eight: “Grandma, we love you very much, but we have the right to know our past. Your past is ours. It does not matter how sad it was. We have the right! ” She smiled and she finally spoke up. That brought the sadness and sorrow into the air from the moment she closed her eyes as to bring herself back into almost a hundred year old story.
Vera was born the youngest in the family alone with one more sister Katya, who was nine years older than her and three middle brothers. The kids were born in Kazakhstan. Her family lived in an old wood house somewhere in the middle of the Kazakh desert, close to the cleanest, clearest and as they will later discover, dangerous river, named Amudarya. The neighbors’ houses were located too far from each other. It was a happy fulfilled family, where the parents loved each other endlessly and where the kids respected and obeyed the parents and their efforts to give them everything they needed.
Vera was thirteen when World War 2 started, and it did not started with the fascism bombing over the USSR or radio announcement. No! It was a neighbor who signaled the misery, murder and crime in the country, preparing the family to pay a high price.
Vera’s father was a friendly and fair person, who never refused to help anybody who deserved it. It was May of 1941, a month before the war. Vera’s father invited a male neighbor to hunt with him on horseback, who pleasurably agreed, already feeding an evil thought in his head. That morning Matrena, Vera’s mother, was cheerily humming something while preparing lunch for her husband, whom she would never see alive again. The neighbor never came to Vera’s family to explain why their father disappeared. After two days his body was found shot somewhere next to his dead horse. Nobody went after the murderer, nobody. The woman was left with five kids alone without any help around. The death afflicted the family, when a couple weeks later Vera’s youngest brother went to fish in the Amudarya River with his old horse. The horse came back that evening, leaving the slim young body drowned in its deep blue water.
The two losses made the family forget for a long while how to laugh or even smile. Vera’s mother turned to be gray-headed, and she spoke rarely. Matrena made a meal with her head down, putting food in plates along with sadness and desperation.
In several months after the World War against Germany began, two Vera’s last two brothers left for battle. Vera was alone with her mother and sister. Nobody said a joke or a silly thing that would make the family smile. They forgot how eyes could narrow from a deep laugh.
The hardest time came when there was not wheat or meat left. The harvest that year was terrible. It seemed like nature was protesting since the war began refusing to give anything to people.
It was March of 1942, when Vera with her sister and mother received a letter, informing that the older son was killed. After Matrena had read the letter, she placed it on the table. She sat for one more minute in silence, then stood up and walked to her bedroom. Where behind the door Vera could hear nothing that would usually remind a cry or sob.
In April, the same year the women got finally good news with the letter where the middle son points out a day and time, when his command in a military train would stop at the station, which his mother and sisters could reach easily by walk. They would be able to see each other for about 10 minutes again. The delight of the coming date made Vera dance on the bare wood floor and she could not stop herself. Her mother and sister looked at her silly movements and smiled followed by Matrena’s tears. Vera stopped right there, ran to her already old and tired mother, sat on her lap and hugged her so tight, that nobody could tear them apart at that moment. Her sister stood up, took a glass bowl that a year ago would contain a main dish of a table, around which Vera’s whole family would gather, and Katya put the letter gently with her bony fingers inside. She came to her mother with Vera and hugged them protectively.
That day finally came. The hungry skinny ladies put on their nicest dresses and went to the train station, where they were supposed to meet at three pm the only male left in the family; a son and a brother at the same face.
It seemed very strange for them: it was already four pm, and the station was empty. Vera tried to keep her mind busy with anything else except bad thoughts about the train. She looked at her mother, who was sitting on her right. The hiding sun behind the sandy hills lit her mother so well, that now she could see, how unbelievably old Matrena looked, even though she was only approaching her fifties. Three of them were sitting quiet. Vera then noticed an old man crossing the long train station. Her mother stood up without an effort to straighten her back, walked up to him and asked him something so quietly, like being scared to hear the answer she was asking for. The old man grabbed Matrena’s left shoulder and said the words that we already knew, but refused to believe: “The train passed earlier yesterday, my dear, take your girls and go home, there is nothing for you to wait for!”
The train station for Vera gave an impression of an Island, within the dust ocean, where the trails looked like two endless canals from the past to the future, from life to death, from happiness to misery, and from laugh to cry. She looked at the man’s back, how he was walking away from the train trails.
Her mother stood at the same spot for a minute. She did not even glance at Katya and Vera, when Matrena turned her dry body and faced the end of the “canals”, which ends, from Vera’s imagination, would face something the most miserable on this Earth. She stood at the same frozen position for a minute more, than moved from that spot, like an old weak swan, that tries to fly away from the ground. She did two steps parallel to the trails, than tried to run, but she could not. Her feet refused to obey her; she fell down, moaning, like a wounded wolf over its dead pub. Matrena then stood up again and ran, and ran. Katya was running after her. When she caught her, they fell down on the sand this time together. Katya raised her mother and the women now walked home.
Vera’s mother never recovered after what had happened. In a week she died, leaving the girls behind. In a month after Matrena’s death, Vera and Katya received another letter, where it says how the last brother died.
The girls survived. They moved to Uzbekistan, where fifty years later I was born.
At the end of the story, my “princess” told me: “My dear, you will see how short the life is; how fast the train of your destiny will take you from one end to another. Do not look at that last end, do not eager to face it, but be aware of it and not scared. Be careful whom you travel in that train with, whom you choose as a company for the whole destination. Never forget and leave those who love you behind, because one day they may choose a different train that will not bring them back to you. Color you train in the colors of happiness and humanity, that will attract kind people into your world. Moreover, when you come to the end do not be afraid, but smile, because, who knows, and another train may come to pick up your happy butt again.”
Vera was born the youngest in the family alone with one more sister Katya, who was nine years older than her and three middle brothers. The kids were born in Kazakhstan. Her family lived in an old wood house somewhere in the middle of the Kazakh desert, close to the cleanest, clearest and as they will later discover, dangerous river, named Amudarya. The neighbors’ houses were located too far from each other. It was a happy fulfilled family, where the parents loved each other endlessly and where the kids respected and obeyed the parents and their efforts to give them everything they needed.
Vera was thirteen when World War 2 started, and it did not started with the fascism bombing over the USSR or radio announcement. No! It was a neighbor who signaled the misery, murder and crime in the country, preparing the family to pay a high price.
Vera’s father was a friendly and fair person, who never refused to help anybody who deserved it. It was May of 1941, a month before the war. Vera’s father invited a male neighbor to hunt with him on horseback, who pleasurably agreed, already feeding an evil thought in his head. That morning Matrena, Vera’s mother, was cheerily humming something while preparing lunch for her husband, whom she would never see alive again. The neighbor never came to Vera’s family to explain why their father disappeared. After two days his body was found shot somewhere next to his dead horse. Nobody went after the murderer, nobody. The woman was left with five kids alone without any help around. The death afflicted the family, when a couple weeks later Vera’s youngest brother went to fish in the Amudarya River with his old horse. The horse came back that evening, leaving the slim young body drowned in its deep blue water.
The two losses made the family forget for a long while how to laugh or even smile. Vera’s mother turned to be gray-headed, and she spoke rarely. Matrena made a meal with her head down, putting food in plates along with sadness and desperation.
In several months after the World War against Germany began, two Vera’s last two brothers left for battle. Vera was alone with her mother and sister. Nobody said a joke or a silly thing that would make the family smile. They forgot how eyes could narrow from a deep laugh.
The hardest time came when there was not wheat or meat left. The harvest that year was terrible. It seemed like nature was protesting since the war began refusing to give anything to people.
It was March of 1942, when Vera with her sister and mother received a letter, informing that the older son was killed. After Matrena had read the letter, she placed it on the table. She sat for one more minute in silence, then stood up and walked to her bedroom. Where behind the door Vera could hear nothing that would usually remind a cry or sob.
In April, the same year the women got finally good news with the letter where the middle son points out a day and time, when his command in a military train would stop at the station, which his mother and sisters could reach easily by walk. They would be able to see each other for about 10 minutes again. The delight of the coming date made Vera dance on the bare wood floor and she could not stop herself. Her mother and sister looked at her silly movements and smiled followed by Matrena’s tears. Vera stopped right there, ran to her already old and tired mother, sat on her lap and hugged her so tight, that nobody could tear them apart at that moment. Her sister stood up, took a glass bowl that a year ago would contain a main dish of a table, around which Vera’s whole family would gather, and Katya put the letter gently with her bony fingers inside. She came to her mother with Vera and hugged them protectively.
That day finally came. The hungry skinny ladies put on their nicest dresses and went to the train station, where they were supposed to meet at three pm the only male left in the family; a son and a brother at the same face.
It seemed very strange for them: it was already four pm, and the station was empty. Vera tried to keep her mind busy with anything else except bad thoughts about the train. She looked at her mother, who was sitting on her right. The hiding sun behind the sandy hills lit her mother so well, that now she could see, how unbelievably old Matrena looked, even though she was only approaching her fifties. Three of them were sitting quiet. Vera then noticed an old man crossing the long train station. Her mother stood up without an effort to straighten her back, walked up to him and asked him something so quietly, like being scared to hear the answer she was asking for. The old man grabbed Matrena’s left shoulder and said the words that we already knew, but refused to believe: “The train passed earlier yesterday, my dear, take your girls and go home, there is nothing for you to wait for!”
The train station for Vera gave an impression of an Island, within the dust ocean, where the trails looked like two endless canals from the past to the future, from life to death, from happiness to misery, and from laugh to cry. She looked at the man’s back, how he was walking away from the train trails.
Her mother stood at the same spot for a minute. She did not even glance at Katya and Vera, when Matrena turned her dry body and faced the end of the “canals”, which ends, from Vera’s imagination, would face something the most miserable on this Earth. She stood at the same frozen position for a minute more, than moved from that spot, like an old weak swan, that tries to fly away from the ground. She did two steps parallel to the trails, than tried to run, but she could not. Her feet refused to obey her; she fell down, moaning, like a wounded wolf over its dead pub. Matrena then stood up again and ran, and ran. Katya was running after her. When she caught her, they fell down on the sand this time together. Katya raised her mother and the women now walked home.
Vera’s mother never recovered after what had happened. In a week she died, leaving the girls behind. In a month after Matrena’s death, Vera and Katya received another letter, where it says how the last brother died.
The girls survived. They moved to Uzbekistan, where fifty years later I was born.
At the end of the story, my “princess” told me: “My dear, you will see how short the life is; how fast the train of your destiny will take you from one end to another. Do not look at that last end, do not eager to face it, but be aware of it and not scared. Be careful whom you travel in that train with, whom you choose as a company for the whole destination. Never forget and leave those who love you behind, because one day they may choose a different train that will not bring them back to you. Color you train in the colors of happiness and humanity, that will attract kind people into your world. Moreover, when you come to the end do not be afraid, but smile, because, who knows, and another train may come to pick up your happy butt again.”
"Happiness?" by Chinh Vong
"Happiness is a journey, not just a destination?"
A slanted small fire-eye, slightly smiling with white-milk-teeth on a lovable face, holding an ice cream stick in little hands which is the picture of a happy child. An image of slanted eyes which is accompanied with tears rolling down cheeks. They are not tears of the pain of losing something; instead, they are tears of happiness when a mother greets her son who just came back from the battlefield. There are two different kinds of emotion. To children, happiness is very simple in a moment they are satisfied by a demand such as ice cream stick or toys, etc... On the other hand, the happiness of a mother is spirit passion satisfied after many days looking forward to her son. Therefore, we have many ways to perform our emotion, but what are happiness and its quality in our life? When do people feel happy? How does it play a role in daily life?
Happiness is a state of emotion or feeling of humans when they satisfy a demand that carries abstract features. It is a high form of emotion in humans only. Happiness and satisfaction are two synonym words that imply comfortable feelings once you have achieved a goal, or a favorable outcome. However, the difference lies in the tangible or intangible result of achieving a purpose. For example, love, fame, freedom, success bring happiness; luxury, comfortable, and wealth living bring satisfaction. Thus, happiness is much related to mental state, and satisfaction is highly related to human instinct.
According to biology, recent research of German scientists and professors, Bruce Headey from Melbourne Institute of Melbourne University, showed genetic factors affect about 50% of happiness; the external factors influence it at equivalent levels. In addition, the evolution of perspective offers an alternative approach to understand what happiness in life is about.
In social approach, people in wealthy countries often identify that they are happier than do people in poorer countries; nonetheless, in a certain society, a rich man usually feels happy, yet this society may not be delighted if everybody is rich. Moreover, happiness contributes a significant role to define the character and culture of a society. Happy index (HI) is the key to assessing the satisfaction of a group of people in a certain society. It substantially contributes to economists in building the proper business strategies. Besides, since happiness has congenital factors, economists worry that the macro- and micro-economic policies will not be able to impact on the individual in the long term. However in some aspects, this will help economists evaluate the subjective satisfaction of the consumers without relying on the rate of consumption.
At different ages, the satisfaction level of happiness is different. Normally, kids are easy to make happy by meeting a specific demand. For those of working-age, the index of happiness is quite low because they concentrate more on substance and desired factors than the happiness factors. Furthermore, they rarely realize happiness because the elements of work, lifestyle, and working time have taken away their feeling of happiness. Meanwhile, elderly people simply are fulfilled with happiness. They are concerned with spiritual elements rather than substance ones. They feel happy, for instance, if their grandchildren come to visit frequently. Besides, happiness depends on other important factors such as lifestyle, hobbies, or personal choice. For example, people who always laugh or play sports will feel happier and pass life peacefully because when you laugh or do some positive activities, your stress and depression will be blown away.
Even me, I usually “ask” myself “what is happiness?” and try to figure out an answer. “Happiness is a journey, not just a destination.” “Happiness is beloved.” “Happiness is giving up, not keeping tight…..” There are many, many thousands of responses that already answer this question. However, I did not find an answer for myself until a day in an unexpected moment; I have “discovered” the meaning of the word “happiness.” That was the day I left Vietnam to immigrate to The United States (US). I realized I was really sorry for missing the happy time with my family and friends which I didn’t notice in my life. In the moment of saying “good bye,” I knew “happiness is respecting what you have.” Let do the good things and remember the lucky moments in life which makes you will feel happier.
A slanted small fire-eye, slightly smiling with white-milk-teeth on a lovable face, holding an ice cream stick in little hands which is the picture of a happy child. An image of slanted eyes which is accompanied with tears rolling down cheeks. They are not tears of the pain of losing something; instead, they are tears of happiness when a mother greets her son who just came back from the battlefield. There are two different kinds of emotion. To children, happiness is very simple in a moment they are satisfied by a demand such as ice cream stick or toys, etc... On the other hand, the happiness of a mother is spirit passion satisfied after many days looking forward to her son. Therefore, we have many ways to perform our emotion, but what are happiness and its quality in our life? When do people feel happy? How does it play a role in daily life?
Happiness is a state of emotion or feeling of humans when they satisfy a demand that carries abstract features. It is a high form of emotion in humans only. Happiness and satisfaction are two synonym words that imply comfortable feelings once you have achieved a goal, or a favorable outcome. However, the difference lies in the tangible or intangible result of achieving a purpose. For example, love, fame, freedom, success bring happiness; luxury, comfortable, and wealth living bring satisfaction. Thus, happiness is much related to mental state, and satisfaction is highly related to human instinct.
According to biology, recent research of German scientists and professors, Bruce Headey from Melbourne Institute of Melbourne University, showed genetic factors affect about 50% of happiness; the external factors influence it at equivalent levels. In addition, the evolution of perspective offers an alternative approach to understand what happiness in life is about.
In social approach, people in wealthy countries often identify that they are happier than do people in poorer countries; nonetheless, in a certain society, a rich man usually feels happy, yet this society may not be delighted if everybody is rich. Moreover, happiness contributes a significant role to define the character and culture of a society. Happy index (HI) is the key to assessing the satisfaction of a group of people in a certain society. It substantially contributes to economists in building the proper business strategies. Besides, since happiness has congenital factors, economists worry that the macro- and micro-economic policies will not be able to impact on the individual in the long term. However in some aspects, this will help economists evaluate the subjective satisfaction of the consumers without relying on the rate of consumption.
At different ages, the satisfaction level of happiness is different. Normally, kids are easy to make happy by meeting a specific demand. For those of working-age, the index of happiness is quite low because they concentrate more on substance and desired factors than the happiness factors. Furthermore, they rarely realize happiness because the elements of work, lifestyle, and working time have taken away their feeling of happiness. Meanwhile, elderly people simply are fulfilled with happiness. They are concerned with spiritual elements rather than substance ones. They feel happy, for instance, if their grandchildren come to visit frequently. Besides, happiness depends on other important factors such as lifestyle, hobbies, or personal choice. For example, people who always laugh or play sports will feel happier and pass life peacefully because when you laugh or do some positive activities, your stress and depression will be blown away.
Even me, I usually “ask” myself “what is happiness?” and try to figure out an answer. “Happiness is a journey, not just a destination.” “Happiness is beloved.” “Happiness is giving up, not keeping tight…..” There are many, many thousands of responses that already answer this question. However, I did not find an answer for myself until a day in an unexpected moment; I have “discovered” the meaning of the word “happiness.” That was the day I left Vietnam to immigrate to The United States (US). I realized I was really sorry for missing the happy time with my family and friends which I didn’t notice in my life. In the moment of saying “good bye,” I knew “happiness is respecting what you have.” Let do the good things and remember the lucky moments in life which makes you will feel happier.
"Walking on Sunshine" by Paola Cortes
On a gloomy, gray morning. Sitting at the doorstep waiting for the excitement to show some face. The weather is cold and as the strings of icy winds slap the surfaces of all other objects, I look up at the sky and start to flash back on the good old days worry free of the upcoming days. From this day, forward nothing will be the same all has to change, to have a new motive to continue on living. I have to break free of the chains that have me sink deep within the bottom of my icy heart. I got a mind full of hatred and evil thoughts, it time to get a reality check. There can be no more waiting, no more wanting, but more of make it, wanting it. A completely new reason to have a big bright smile that makes the sun sunshine look more heartwarming and welcoming to bring life. I open my eyes and thought I saw the small puddle smile at me. I look up and there is a rainbow with a long road up ahead, opening a new door. The star that keeps us alive has finally brighten up my heart, with a warm feeling glowing inside my heart I stand up and walk on the sunshine road leading to new horizons up ahead.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
"Oktoberfest in September" by Bryce Wakefield
This German festival is about celebrating a great tradition and heritage of the German people. Most people who go to this festival have some kind of German heritage in them. The festival this weekend is in Breckinridge, Colorado, a perfect place to celebrate Oktoberfest.
The temperature is like a mixture between hot and cold. The warm sun heats you up like a summer day; as the cold breezy shade makes you shiver in the cold fall air. The mountains allow you to experience the fresh air that only the mountains can provide. I can breath very well, that I feel like there are air fresheners on every corner of Main Street.
As I walk down Main Street, I notice the street is filled with people dressed up in German attire. Old men are wearing there short shorts with suspenders, even though they probably shouldn’t be. The women are dressed up in dresses that traditional to German culture. German’s are known for their passion for beer and bratwursts, and you can see clearly that Main Street is covered with tents of beer and brats. It’s almost eleven o’ clock Saturday morning, and everyone who can drink is in line to get a stein. As I watch these grownups wait anxiously for there turn in the front; is like when the small children wait in line to see Santa at Christmas. If you were to count the amount of people in Breckinridge who didn’t have a stein and have been drinking would be a lot easier then if you counted who did. The street was packed with binge drinking; but it is a German festival.
Closed for the event, Main Street was overly packed with tents of various items. Walking through Main Street was like walking through the food court at the mall. There were so many options of food and beverages to choose from. Stands varied from beer to schnitzels to ice cream. If you had a craving for something, you could find it at this festival. In the center of town, there was a German band performing for the crowd. People were dancing like they were on soul train. Most people probably didn’t even understand the German band but no one had a complaint. Everyone who came to this festival was just looking for an escape from the real world and party like a German for a weekend. There was so many people there, and have been drinking since eleven, that you meet so many new people. I think that’s what’s so great about this German tradition. The people are fun, the festival is fun, and the surroundings couldn’t get any better. The bright blue sky with the green bay packer colored trees surrounding the entire town. There isn’t one thing wrong with this day at all.
The temperature is like a mixture between hot and cold. The warm sun heats you up like a summer day; as the cold breezy shade makes you shiver in the cold fall air. The mountains allow you to experience the fresh air that only the mountains can provide. I can breath very well, that I feel like there are air fresheners on every corner of Main Street.
As I walk down Main Street, I notice the street is filled with people dressed up in German attire. Old men are wearing there short shorts with suspenders, even though they probably shouldn’t be. The women are dressed up in dresses that traditional to German culture. German’s are known for their passion for beer and bratwursts, and you can see clearly that Main Street is covered with tents of beer and brats. It’s almost eleven o’ clock Saturday morning, and everyone who can drink is in line to get a stein. As I watch these grownups wait anxiously for there turn in the front; is like when the small children wait in line to see Santa at Christmas. If you were to count the amount of people in Breckinridge who didn’t have a stein and have been drinking would be a lot easier then if you counted who did. The street was packed with binge drinking; but it is a German festival.
Closed for the event, Main Street was overly packed with tents of various items. Walking through Main Street was like walking through the food court at the mall. There were so many options of food and beverages to choose from. Stands varied from beer to schnitzels to ice cream. If you had a craving for something, you could find it at this festival. In the center of town, there was a German band performing for the crowd. People were dancing like they were on soul train. Most people probably didn’t even understand the German band but no one had a complaint. Everyone who came to this festival was just looking for an escape from the real world and party like a German for a weekend. There was so many people there, and have been drinking since eleven, that you meet so many new people. I think that’s what’s so great about this German tradition. The people are fun, the festival is fun, and the surroundings couldn’t get any better. The bright blue sky with the green bay packer colored trees surrounding the entire town. There isn’t one thing wrong with this day at all.
December 1, 2010
You're almost done!
Have fun reading all the great essays below.
Final Portfolios are due by Wednesday, December 8 at 3:00, either in my hand or in my mailbox. I will not accept portfolios after 3:00, and I will not accept them by email.
My mailbox: South Building Room 313
My office: South Building Room 230
I'll be in my office during our regular class times both Monday and Wednesday of next week.
See you then! Have fun with these--you've earned it. Congratulate yourself on all your hard work and progress this semester. I look forward to reading them all!
Nancy
Have fun reading all the great essays below.
Final Portfolios are due by Wednesday, December 8 at 3:00, either in my hand or in my mailbox. I will not accept portfolios after 3:00, and I will not accept them by email.
My mailbox: South Building Room 313
My office: South Building Room 230
I'll be in my office during our regular class times both Monday and Wednesday of next week.
See you then! Have fun with these--you've earned it. Congratulate yourself on all your hard work and progress this semester. I look forward to reading them all!
Nancy
"It's Your Life" by Beautiful
Everyone is different and that’s what makes us unique, but we do have one thing in common, we all have to make choices. I know that sometimes it’s hard, but we all have to do it. Employees, employers, students, teachers, parents, everybody. Successful students usually make choices that will get them farther to where they want to be. Those choices consist of getting up and getting to school on time, doing their work, and being involved in class. Successful students ask questions that they don’t know the answer to or if they aren’t sure if they should do something a specific way. They take advantage of opportunities and resources, even time. Employees make a choice on whether they’re going to go to work or stay at home. Choices are just a way of life, our future depends on the decisions we make in the present. We have to remember that we are the only ones to blame if our future doesn’t come out like we want, because of poor choices. We make choices every second and usually we make them based off of opportunity costs.
"Rap Music" by Regina Pizarro
In my life I’ve come to find that rap music has played a major part in my life. I listen to it when I’m sad, happy, mad. Rap music is poetry in its rarest, rawest form. It comes from ones heart. It flows into your heart, mind, body and soul. The beat reminds me of drums from a Northern Arapaho powwow that I have heard on my reservation so many times before.
The words are of a poet. They come from personal experience, they come from laying your woman down and loving her oh so gentle ( or rough), pain, struggles. They come from ones first love, the streets. It must be appreciated, respected, and understood. Rap music is the epitome of good music.
Theres been times in the world when it has been misunderstood. Although there happens to be some explicit rap music out. People tend to define Rap music as that’s all that music is about. Theres Rap artist’s such as Eminem, Tupac, Ice Cube that has been ridiculed for there music. Although Tupac had a short life,. He has left a huge impression on a lot of peoples lives.
There is a imaginary line between soft rap and hardcore. It has been greatly misunderstood. As I write this paper I want people to have an open mind when they hear the music that came from the streets where I’ve been and lived. Listen to the poetry.
“Bass so deep, I can’t even seem to feel my feet
Times change, but the music it remain’s the same
I hit them with the music from the slave
Oh my goodness, what my ancestor’s gave
They taught me how to reach deep down and touch the
Soul, Without my Music where would I be, You taught
me how to cry and I still remain a “G”………………………..
Music and Me go together in Perfect Harmony………..
-Nate Dogg
Then we have Tupac . He has made a major impression in everybody’s life.
Listen to the poetry in his Rap Music……………………
Come with me, Hail Mary
Run quick see, what do we have here
Now, do you wanna ride or die
La dadeada, lalalala
I ain’t a killer but don’t push me
Revenge is like the sweetest joy to getting pussy
Picture paragraphs unloaded, wise words being quoted
Peeped the weakness in the rap game and sewed it
Bow down, pray to God hoping that hes listening…………………..
-Tupac
These are the words of a great man, a poet. Someone that was misunderstood.
Was it because he was a black man that came from the streets? Or is it because he kept,it real and shared with the world that life is deeper than what people seem to think.
Theres so much that we as people chose to stay closed minded about.I insist that people open their minds, and stop being so judgemental. This is from a child, a young lady, a woman that has lived a life of struggles and pain,from the streets. This is from a woman that does not want pity, she doesn’t want no one go through what she had endured. Very few come back from this kind of life. This is,from a woman that wants people to stop stereotyping people. Stop being so
closeminded…………………………………..
The words are of a poet. They come from personal experience, they come from laying your woman down and loving her oh so gentle ( or rough), pain, struggles. They come from ones first love, the streets. It must be appreciated, respected, and understood. Rap music is the epitome of good music.
Theres been times in the world when it has been misunderstood. Although there happens to be some explicit rap music out. People tend to define Rap music as that’s all that music is about. Theres Rap artist’s such as Eminem, Tupac, Ice Cube that has been ridiculed for there music. Although Tupac had a short life,. He has left a huge impression on a lot of peoples lives.
There is a imaginary line between soft rap and hardcore. It has been greatly misunderstood. As I write this paper I want people to have an open mind when they hear the music that came from the streets where I’ve been and lived. Listen to the poetry.
“Bass so deep, I can’t even seem to feel my feet
Times change, but the music it remain’s the same
I hit them with the music from the slave
Oh my goodness, what my ancestor’s gave
They taught me how to reach deep down and touch the
Soul, Without my Music where would I be, You taught
me how to cry and I still remain a “G”………………………..
Music and Me go together in Perfect Harmony………..
-Nate Dogg
Then we have Tupac . He has made a major impression in everybody’s life.
Listen to the poetry in his Rap Music……………………
Come with me, Hail Mary
Run quick see, what do we have here
Now, do you wanna ride or die
La dadeada, lalalala
I ain’t a killer but don’t push me
Revenge is like the sweetest joy to getting pussy
Picture paragraphs unloaded, wise words being quoted
Peeped the weakness in the rap game and sewed it
Bow down, pray to God hoping that hes listening…………………..
-Tupac
These are the words of a great man, a poet. Someone that was misunderstood.
Was it because he was a black man that came from the streets? Or is it because he kept,it real and shared with the world that life is deeper than what people seem to think.
Theres so much that we as people chose to stay closed minded about.I insist that people open their minds, and stop being so judgemental. This is from a child, a young lady, a woman that has lived a life of struggles and pain,from the streets. This is from a woman that does not want pity, she doesn’t want no one go through what she had endured. Very few come back from this kind of life. This is,from a woman that wants people to stop stereotyping people. Stop being so
closeminded…………………………………..
"Music" by Lena Nammari
Music is important to a lot of people. It can mean a different thing to each person. Each person likes different genres of music. People also like listening to music in different ways, like stereos, headphones, musicals, operas, or concerts. Concerts are a great way for people to listen to their favorite music, see the artist with their own eyes, and get a new and enhanced feeling from that same music.
I have been to a few concerts. The most recent one was on September 5, 2010. It was probably one of my favorite concerts so far. The reason it was one of my favorites was because I love the band, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, that was playing. It was an amazing experience. I have seen them in concert two other times, Warped Tour 2007 and Big Gig 2009, but this one was the best. It was a little better than the other concerts because they were the headline act and it was in a smaller location. Having it at a smaller location made it more personable, made it feel like you were closer to them. They were playing at the Marquis, which is no bigger than the main lobby of CCD. The stage was rather small, too. It was triangular shaped, the front was rounded with speakers lining the front. There were speakers at the back of the stage, as well. Above the stage there were colorful lights that lit up the stage beautifully. The drummer (Jon) was in the left corner, the lead singer (Ronnie) was in front, and the three guitarist (Duke, Matt - lead, and Joey - bass) were behind Ronnie. Ronnie and Joey moved around the stage a lot during the performance and the other three stayed where they were basically the entire concert. The type of music they performed was alternative/rock. They also had a couple of slower songs that were a little less like rock. I love all of the types of songs that they sing, so I enjoyed everything.
The doors were suppose to open at 7:00 but I was running late, because I was at the lake with friends before hand. I was so nervous that I was going to be late, I did my make-up in my friends car on the way home. When I finally got home I ran into the house and threw my clothes on, a pair of dark washed cropped jeans and a white tank top with black stars. Then I threw some gel in my hair, because I didn’t have time to straighten it, and ran back out the door. I finally got to where I needed to be and I met up with my friend and his three friends. When we got in we found out that the concert didn’t even start until 8:00. There were two bands going on before The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, so we had plenty of time, after all. While we waited, we had a few drinks. There was a bar inside the lobby, it was on the right side of the stage. There was a wall partially separating the bar area and dance floor area. We had one Washington apple shot and about three PBR beers.
When it came time for The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus to perform, we made our way to the area right in front of the stage and we were about seven rows back. We were right behind the mosh pit so my feet got stepped on a lot and I was wearing flip-flops! I got ran into and elbowed, but I wasn’t too upset because its a mosh pit and everyone expects to get hurt. I thought seven rows back was great, but then my friend pushed me up a few rows, and I was now only three rows back! I was no longer behind the mosh pit so it was nice to not get run into anymore. It was also nice to see the band even better. By the end of the concert, I was in the very front. To be that close to my favorite band was absolutely amazing. They sounded incredible. They were loud, but not over powering. There were so many amazing sounds; I heard the loud rock music from the band, and from the screaming fans. The band sang all of my favorite songs.
At the end, I got a high five from two of the band members, Ronnie and Joey. I couldn’t have asked for any better ending to a great concert. But, it didn’t stop there, one of my friends got a guitar pick from the band and handed it to me. On the way out of the building they were handing out the bands new CD, EP The Hell or High Water, for free. When we were outside the drummer came out there and was on his phone and I got a high five from him, too. Not only did I leave with a guitar pick and free CD, but I got some amazing pictures with my phone. It was an incredible concert and fabulous night.
I have been to a few concerts. The most recent one was on September 5, 2010. It was probably one of my favorite concerts so far. The reason it was one of my favorites was because I love the band, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, that was playing. It was an amazing experience. I have seen them in concert two other times, Warped Tour 2007 and Big Gig 2009, but this one was the best. It was a little better than the other concerts because they were the headline act and it was in a smaller location. Having it at a smaller location made it more personable, made it feel like you were closer to them. They were playing at the Marquis, which is no bigger than the main lobby of CCD. The stage was rather small, too. It was triangular shaped, the front was rounded with speakers lining the front. There were speakers at the back of the stage, as well. Above the stage there were colorful lights that lit up the stage beautifully. The drummer (Jon) was in the left corner, the lead singer (Ronnie) was in front, and the three guitarist (Duke, Matt - lead, and Joey - bass) were behind Ronnie. Ronnie and Joey moved around the stage a lot during the performance and the other three stayed where they were basically the entire concert. The type of music they performed was alternative/rock. They also had a couple of slower songs that were a little less like rock. I love all of the types of songs that they sing, so I enjoyed everything.
The doors were suppose to open at 7:00 but I was running late, because I was at the lake with friends before hand. I was so nervous that I was going to be late, I did my make-up in my friends car on the way home. When I finally got home I ran into the house and threw my clothes on, a pair of dark washed cropped jeans and a white tank top with black stars. Then I threw some gel in my hair, because I didn’t have time to straighten it, and ran back out the door. I finally got to where I needed to be and I met up with my friend and his three friends. When we got in we found out that the concert didn’t even start until 8:00. There were two bands going on before The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, so we had plenty of time, after all. While we waited, we had a few drinks. There was a bar inside the lobby, it was on the right side of the stage. There was a wall partially separating the bar area and dance floor area. We had one Washington apple shot and about three PBR beers.
When it came time for The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus to perform, we made our way to the area right in front of the stage and we were about seven rows back. We were right behind the mosh pit so my feet got stepped on a lot and I was wearing flip-flops! I got ran into and elbowed, but I wasn’t too upset because its a mosh pit and everyone expects to get hurt. I thought seven rows back was great, but then my friend pushed me up a few rows, and I was now only three rows back! I was no longer behind the mosh pit so it was nice to not get run into anymore. It was also nice to see the band even better. By the end of the concert, I was in the very front. To be that close to my favorite band was absolutely amazing. They sounded incredible. They were loud, but not over powering. There were so many amazing sounds; I heard the loud rock music from the band, and from the screaming fans. The band sang all of my favorite songs.
At the end, I got a high five from two of the band members, Ronnie and Joey. I couldn’t have asked for any better ending to a great concert. But, it didn’t stop there, one of my friends got a guitar pick from the band and handed it to me. On the way out of the building they were handing out the bands new CD, EP The Hell or High Water, for free. When we were outside the drummer came out there and was on his phone and I got a high five from him, too. Not only did I leave with a guitar pick and free CD, but I got some amazing pictures with my phone. It was an incredible concert and fabulous night.
"The Smile" by Andrew Solano
Next stop Union Station! It was just another typical day on the 120x bus, people frantically enter the bus at central station on Sixteenth and Market St.. Everyone is doing their own little thing, voiding out the world and going in to a complete state of daze. There’s a middle aged business like woman that stood before me listening to her new Ipod Touch, she avoids everyone that walks by, acting like she owned the world. The woman seems to be in a pissed off mood focusing on her Ipod like it’s the last grain of rice on earth.
An older aged hefty Latino woman dressed in a housekeeping dress enters the bus carrying a wide array of items she held a water bottle, a book, a purse, and a backpack. It was hard for her to contain all these items because of her oddly shaped body. Bam! She drops her water bottle under the seat of the business lady. I ask the hefty lady, “ Do you need help .” No answer. Just a smile of despair, she most likely smiled because she spoke no English. This smile had to mean something though. It was a universal way of communication.
I reached under the business women's seat in front of me to grab the hefty Latino ladies water bottle, but couldn’t reach. The business ladies high end Coach purse, and Chanel coat lied in my path. The business woman seems to be tempered by me reaching under her seat. Her eyes roll back and forth and body stiffens up as a dead man lying in a grave. Shoving her pampered hands and fake acrylic nails under the seat she grabs the water bottle, an uncontrollable magnitude of anger is released. The business woman shoves the water bottle into the Latino women's hand, and gives a snobby head throw.
You’d think someone would offer to help this woman by picking up the water bottle for her but everyone just stares at her in awe. People on the bus seem to have no care towards one another, it’s like we all speak a different language. The Latino woman gathers all her belongings and grabs a seat. I look up at her and she gives another cheerful smile.No words spoke just a smile, it was a universal way of saying thanks. I look in front of me and I notice the business woman look at me. We make eye contact but pretend like we never saw each other. We look up once again make eye contact again, I smile. She sees my smile and she gives a obscene smirk. I then look back behind me to see what others are doing, I see nothing but people texting or listening to music. I question myself asking have I also been transformed into one of these dazed and disgruntled beings; that try to avoid the outside world by entering into a sort of trance. I think to myself no it can’t be.
The bus starts to roll again to the next and final stop. I look at the bus driver and he shakes his head, I believe the shaking of the head was a sign that we were taking off. He pops some BBQ sunflower seeds in his mouth and drives to the final stop. The final minutes of the ride are relatively bumpy I keep looking foreword through the windshield, not wanting to look back at the self centered people on the bus, but when I do I smile just like the Latino Lady did. The power of a smile is great, it could mean a million things. We hit a major bump and I bounce out of my seat, I see the Latino woman, this time she is counting her change to pay for her bus fare. She still has that smile on her face, it was delightful. She taught me that, even if we don’t speak the same language we can communicate greatly with our expressions. The business lady communicated she was self centered by her chagrin looks, the Latino Lady communicated she was delighted by life with her smile, the bus driver communicated he was more interested in eating than his job. A cycle of communication with no words.
An older aged hefty Latino woman dressed in a housekeeping dress enters the bus carrying a wide array of items she held a water bottle, a book, a purse, and a backpack. It was hard for her to contain all these items because of her oddly shaped body. Bam! She drops her water bottle under the seat of the business lady. I ask the hefty lady, “ Do you need help .” No answer. Just a smile of despair, she most likely smiled because she spoke no English. This smile had to mean something though. It was a universal way of communication.
I reached under the business women's seat in front of me to grab the hefty Latino ladies water bottle, but couldn’t reach. The business ladies high end Coach purse, and Chanel coat lied in my path. The business woman seems to be tempered by me reaching under her seat. Her eyes roll back and forth and body stiffens up as a dead man lying in a grave. Shoving her pampered hands and fake acrylic nails under the seat she grabs the water bottle, an uncontrollable magnitude of anger is released. The business woman shoves the water bottle into the Latino women's hand, and gives a snobby head throw.
You’d think someone would offer to help this woman by picking up the water bottle for her but everyone just stares at her in awe. People on the bus seem to have no care towards one another, it’s like we all speak a different language. The Latino woman gathers all her belongings and grabs a seat. I look up at her and she gives another cheerful smile.No words spoke just a smile, it was a universal way of saying thanks. I look in front of me and I notice the business woman look at me. We make eye contact but pretend like we never saw each other. We look up once again make eye contact again, I smile. She sees my smile and she gives a obscene smirk. I then look back behind me to see what others are doing, I see nothing but people texting or listening to music. I question myself asking have I also been transformed into one of these dazed and disgruntled beings; that try to avoid the outside world by entering into a sort of trance. I think to myself no it can’t be.
The bus starts to roll again to the next and final stop. I look at the bus driver and he shakes his head, I believe the shaking of the head was a sign that we were taking off. He pops some BBQ sunflower seeds in his mouth and drives to the final stop. The final minutes of the ride are relatively bumpy I keep looking foreword through the windshield, not wanting to look back at the self centered people on the bus, but when I do I smile just like the Latino Lady did. The power of a smile is great, it could mean a million things. We hit a major bump and I bounce out of my seat, I see the Latino woman, this time she is counting her change to pay for her bus fare. She still has that smile on her face, it was delightful. She taught me that, even if we don’t speak the same language we can communicate greatly with our expressions. The business lady communicated she was self centered by her chagrin looks, the Latino Lady communicated she was delighted by life with her smile, the bus driver communicated he was more interested in eating than his job. A cycle of communication with no words.
"Fuels" by Jacob Gasiorowski
Man, we are the dominant species on our planet Earth. Humans can even control the earth’s climate its self sadly this is something new and at first we didn’t know what was causing it. A few years ago man had its answer to what was changing the climate it was us the very fuels the we use to power our way of life was doing our civilization had finally grown so large it was affecting the earth’s its self, the only question is now what can be done to fix the problem?
The most common fuel we use is fossil fuel or commonly known as oil. We use oil to make gasoline which we use to run a great many machines most especially cars. Cars come in all sizes but 99% of all the cars today are still run by gasoline. The very machines we use as transportation to run our very way of life are literally destroying our planet and something must be done.
The simple fact is the as long as we use these fuels to run our cars we will continue to poison and destroy our world. There is a solution though there is other cleaner fuels that put out very little pollution or even none at all. How ever for any of these fuels to help they must be used world wide in unison with all other countries.
The problem with using another fuel is that it’s more expensive to make the other kinds of fuel such as ethanol or the electric car. In my opinion large corporations don’t make these fuels because the auto makers have not made enough cars that can use these fuels. The federal government should force these auto makers to begin making cars that use these fuels. If the auto makers begin to make cars that can use other fuels then the prices for those fuels would go down because the market has gone up for them such as oil did when it was first introduced.
The most common fuel we use is fossil fuel or commonly known as oil. We use oil to make gasoline which we use to run a great many machines most especially cars. Cars come in all sizes but 99% of all the cars today are still run by gasoline. The very machines we use as transportation to run our very way of life are literally destroying our planet and something must be done.
The simple fact is the as long as we use these fuels to run our cars we will continue to poison and destroy our world. There is a solution though there is other cleaner fuels that put out very little pollution or even none at all. How ever for any of these fuels to help they must be used world wide in unison with all other countries.
The problem with using another fuel is that it’s more expensive to make the other kinds of fuel such as ethanol or the electric car. In my opinion large corporations don’t make these fuels because the auto makers have not made enough cars that can use these fuels. The federal government should force these auto makers to begin making cars that use these fuels. If the auto makers begin to make cars that can use other fuels then the prices for those fuels would go down because the market has gone up for them such as oil did when it was first introduced.
"Mary" by Kathryn Reilly
It was not always easy being a part of Irish catholic family, but I always enjoyed hearing my Mom’s stories about growing up. One of my favorite stories was about her father who died when we were still too young to remember him.
She told me once, “I was born in a strict Irish catholic family at the height of the
Depression fall out. My Dad worked many odd jobs to keep our family afloat. Although there wasn’t much in the way of food and clothing he always provided for us.”
When I was in my twenties, I worked at Nordstom and my Mom loved sharing stories about her retail years.
“I worked at Walker Scotts,” she would say, “in the men’s department and they were such pigs! They would pull the men’s dress shirts apart and just throw them back on the table, so I was con-stantly refolding and pinning them back together. That’s also where I met your Daddy! Some mutual friends set us up. They brought him by the store after he was off work, and he was a mess from working all day!” She said she was a little concerned about how he would show up but her fears were put to rest when he came wearing a suit and tie. They were married a year lat-er.
There were many other stories and life went on. I got married and moved to Denver. My parents came to visit and she said she was losing weight and was healthier than she’d been. We talked, went shopping and went to dinners. It was just like old times. A couple of months later I received several urgent calls from my brother in-law, saying that my mom was in the hospital and had had a stroke. I had never felt more fear and sadness in my life!
Immediately, I went see her. She had lost most movement on the right side of her body and she couldn’t swallow well. When she spoke it was not her voice--she sounded like a toddler, but she still had a story to tell me. I crouched in beside her on the left side when she said “I dreamed there was a break in the rehab hospital. I was so scared they came in to rob us and I couldn’t move.” I smiled and gave her a big hug! It’s been years since her stroke, and she doesn’t tell her stories any more. She mostly sleeps and when I do speak to her on the phone it’s a very short conversation. The last time I saw her she was sitting in a wheelchair surrounded by her loved ones. She still has short, silver, permed hair with bright blue eyes. She is hunched, straining to sit up holding her left arm under her chin with her right to hold her head. It is hard to see her so frail but I always have her stories to cherish.
She told me once, “I was born in a strict Irish catholic family at the height of the
Depression fall out. My Dad worked many odd jobs to keep our family afloat. Although there wasn’t much in the way of food and clothing he always provided for us.”
When I was in my twenties, I worked at Nordstom and my Mom loved sharing stories about her retail years.
“I worked at Walker Scotts,” she would say, “in the men’s department and they were such pigs! They would pull the men’s dress shirts apart and just throw them back on the table, so I was con-stantly refolding and pinning them back together. That’s also where I met your Daddy! Some mutual friends set us up. They brought him by the store after he was off work, and he was a mess from working all day!” She said she was a little concerned about how he would show up but her fears were put to rest when he came wearing a suit and tie. They were married a year lat-er.
There were many other stories and life went on. I got married and moved to Denver. My parents came to visit and she said she was losing weight and was healthier than she’d been. We talked, went shopping and went to dinners. It was just like old times. A couple of months later I received several urgent calls from my brother in-law, saying that my mom was in the hospital and had had a stroke. I had never felt more fear and sadness in my life!
Immediately, I went see her. She had lost most movement on the right side of her body and she couldn’t swallow well. When she spoke it was not her voice--she sounded like a toddler, but she still had a story to tell me. I crouched in beside her on the left side when she said “I dreamed there was a break in the rehab hospital. I was so scared they came in to rob us and I couldn’t move.” I smiled and gave her a big hug! It’s been years since her stroke, and she doesn’t tell her stories any more. She mostly sleeps and when I do speak to her on the phone it’s a very short conversation. The last time I saw her she was sitting in a wheelchair surrounded by her loved ones. She still has short, silver, permed hair with bright blue eyes. She is hunched, straining to sit up holding her left arm under her chin with her right to hold her head. It is hard to see her so frail but I always have her stories to cherish.
"Who Am I?" by Ashley Hurtado
Sometimes people get lost in this big world and forget who they are. They get so
caught up in other things and try to keep up with the pace of life. People keep fighting an
uphill battle with themselves just to be themselves. They think they lose their true
identities in it all, but really nothing ever changes who you are. It’s always been you and
will always be you till the end.
I know me. I know my likes and dislikes, my thoughts and dreams. I know who I
am and where I’m going in this life. I’m a daughter of two hard working parents, who
have always been there to support me and love me with all they have. I’m a granddaughter
to four different individuals, who all came from different backgrounds. Two have since
passed, but with their love left me with a legacy and heritage that I can be proud of and
pass on some day. I’m a older sister to my little brother and a younger sister to my older
siblings. I know I got to grow up in a household full of love and patience. I know I never
went without anything, and that’s a blessing in the world today. I know that I have a
family that will do anything for me, and will always be there.
I know who my true friends are, and who just pretends to be. I know that when
your on top a lot of people want to be around, but when you fall only true friends will be
there to catch you. I know this because of past situations, and who cared enough to be
there or to find out where there was. I know who I can depend on for whatever reasons,
who would drop everything to help me not thinking about what’s in it for them. I know
that I would do the same for these real friends.
1
I know what love is suppose to be like and feel like. The real feeling of loving and
being loved by a man. Having that one person in your life, who can make everything else
seem so small. One of the greatest things a person can ever be fortunate enough to
experience is love. I know I have someone who loves me for me, the real me and not the
me I get so confused in. Someone that will hold me and I will hold them, someone I can
imagine growing old with. I know what love is.
I know how much I have to be thankful for, and how lucky I have been in this life
to experience and feel things that most people never get to. I’m a saint and I’m a sinner,
I’m a loser and I’m a winner, I am steady and unstable, I am young but I am able. I know
just where I stand, its all a part of me, it’s who I am. And now I ask you, “Do you know
who you are?”
“Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is enlightenment”
-Lao Tzu
caught up in other things and try to keep up with the pace of life. People keep fighting an
uphill battle with themselves just to be themselves. They think they lose their true
identities in it all, but really nothing ever changes who you are. It’s always been you and
will always be you till the end.
I know me. I know my likes and dislikes, my thoughts and dreams. I know who I
am and where I’m going in this life. I’m a daughter of two hard working parents, who
have always been there to support me and love me with all they have. I’m a granddaughter
to four different individuals, who all came from different backgrounds. Two have since
passed, but with their love left me with a legacy and heritage that I can be proud of and
pass on some day. I’m a older sister to my little brother and a younger sister to my older
siblings. I know I got to grow up in a household full of love and patience. I know I never
went without anything, and that’s a blessing in the world today. I know that I have a
family that will do anything for me, and will always be there.
I know who my true friends are, and who just pretends to be. I know that when
your on top a lot of people want to be around, but when you fall only true friends will be
there to catch you. I know this because of past situations, and who cared enough to be
there or to find out where there was. I know who I can depend on for whatever reasons,
who would drop everything to help me not thinking about what’s in it for them. I know
that I would do the same for these real friends.
1
I know what love is suppose to be like and feel like. The real feeling of loving and
being loved by a man. Having that one person in your life, who can make everything else
seem so small. One of the greatest things a person can ever be fortunate enough to
experience is love. I know I have someone who loves me for me, the real me and not the
me I get so confused in. Someone that will hold me and I will hold them, someone I can
imagine growing old with. I know what love is.
I know how much I have to be thankful for, and how lucky I have been in this life
to experience and feel things that most people never get to. I’m a saint and I’m a sinner,
I’m a loser and I’m a winner, I am steady and unstable, I am young but I am able. I know
just where I stand, its all a part of me, it’s who I am. And now I ask you, “Do you know
who you are?”
“Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is enlightenment”
-Lao Tzu
"Drifting Over the River" by Maggie Fuentes
I tagged along with my older sister to Noah’s Ark white water river rafting. It was my first time encountering the adventures of rafting. As I step out of the bus the blazing rays of heat scorches my face, making me crinkle my face like a pug. The sky was light blue with no sign of any scowling clouds. I begin to feel a sense of fear overtaking my body, not wanting to participate in the activity. We arrive to the chocolaty cabin where they instruct us on how to river raft. They hand us our damp wet suits and give us a faded orange life jacket.
My heart begins to beat fast as we get near the actual activity. I can hear the roaring water flow rapidly down the raging river and hit the massive rocks. I arrive with my pumped up group at the worn out orange rafts that are set aside on the rough gravel. I hop in the raft and I sit at the edge almost falling over, the skilled instructor demonstrates the proper way to sit. I tuck my feet under the white tube on the floor to keep me from falling backwards. There’s a twisted rope on the edge that keeps me from falling out of the raft. I grab my plastic yellow paddle and wait for the voyage to begin. Everyone is settled in and we head down the stream. We stroke our paddles forward and let the ravishing water carry us to our destination. The bright golden sun beams its reflection in the shimmering water. The motion of the raft is bumpy and hard to steer. I feel the light breeze of mist sprinkle over my face. Up ahead I can see our first rapid of waves, I can feel the tension in the air rise. The water glides over and around the rocks. My trembling hands grab a hold of the thick rough rope and I dig my feet under the tube. We enter the rapid and I am drenched in water from the waves. The water is freezing cold my body begins to shiver, I can hardly see which direction we are going towards. The rapids make the raft feel like a rollercoaster ride going up and down. We are paddling faster and faster so we do not hit any big and hazardous rocks. My arms become fragile from paddling so much, trying to fight the rowdy rapid. The rapid settles down ,the water becomes calm and gentle, now the raft is flowing smoothly down the river. I can see the tiny drops of water dripping down my group’s faces. We come to a stop and the instructor allows us to jump in the chilly water. Only a few people decided to jump in the cold water. They do cannonballs and splash into the water. The real struggle of this was getting them back onto the raft. I remember trying to pull the person in but it was just to hard. The instructor told us to push them in the water and then pull up. We listened to his words and at last the person was back in the raft. We got back on track and on to the next rapid, the water was brawny and I almost lost my balance a couple of times. I was beginning to enjoy riding over the rocks and listening to the water crash into the raft. We get to our final stop and I am sad to hear that our wonderful adventure has ended. I get off the raft and I realize taking this risk has led me to overcome my fears and a new insight on the wonders of rafting.
My heart begins to beat fast as we get near the actual activity. I can hear the roaring water flow rapidly down the raging river and hit the massive rocks. I arrive with my pumped up group at the worn out orange rafts that are set aside on the rough gravel. I hop in the raft and I sit at the edge almost falling over, the skilled instructor demonstrates the proper way to sit. I tuck my feet under the white tube on the floor to keep me from falling backwards. There’s a twisted rope on the edge that keeps me from falling out of the raft. I grab my plastic yellow paddle and wait for the voyage to begin. Everyone is settled in and we head down the stream. We stroke our paddles forward and let the ravishing water carry us to our destination. The bright golden sun beams its reflection in the shimmering water. The motion of the raft is bumpy and hard to steer. I feel the light breeze of mist sprinkle over my face. Up ahead I can see our first rapid of waves, I can feel the tension in the air rise. The water glides over and around the rocks. My trembling hands grab a hold of the thick rough rope and I dig my feet under the tube. We enter the rapid and I am drenched in water from the waves. The water is freezing cold my body begins to shiver, I can hardly see which direction we are going towards. The rapids make the raft feel like a rollercoaster ride going up and down. We are paddling faster and faster so we do not hit any big and hazardous rocks. My arms become fragile from paddling so much, trying to fight the rowdy rapid. The rapid settles down ,the water becomes calm and gentle, now the raft is flowing smoothly down the river. I can see the tiny drops of water dripping down my group’s faces. We come to a stop and the instructor allows us to jump in the chilly water. Only a few people decided to jump in the cold water. They do cannonballs and splash into the water. The real struggle of this was getting them back onto the raft. I remember trying to pull the person in but it was just to hard. The instructor told us to push them in the water and then pull up. We listened to his words and at last the person was back in the raft. We got back on track and on to the next rapid, the water was brawny and I almost lost my balance a couple of times. I was beginning to enjoy riding over the rocks and listening to the water crash into the raft. We get to our final stop and I am sad to hear that our wonderful adventure has ended. I get off the raft and I realize taking this risk has led me to overcome my fears and a new insight on the wonders of rafting.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)