Digging Deep

Personal Narrative Essays are supposed to be about something significant in your life, but I haven't done much yet to qualify for that. There have been a lot of moments worth telling, don't get me wrong. What has me in a bind is that it has to be a whole essay and have a meaning! So after really thinking about what I've done in life, I've decided that my trip to Africa in 2009 and breaking my arm in 2010 are prime candidates. 

During the summer before my eighth grade year, my grandparents took the entire family to Africa for an adventure safari. All 16 of us hopped on a plane in Chicago, and 36 hours later we landed near Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. This was going to be our home for the next 14 days. We spent a day or two in the city of Arusha to get to know the culture; the next day we drove into the wild safari. We saw so many kinds of wildlife, foliage, land formations, and people. In the middle of the Serengeti we stayed in tents exposed to any animal that would dare come near. This especially frightened me and put me out of my comfort zone. What if a lion, elephant, rhino, or any other animal decided that my tent was a threat and attacked? Those four nights, I barely slept at all! After leaving the Serengeti, we visited other places such as the Ngorongoro Crater, Tangire National Park Reserve, and Masai Villages. But at the very end of the trip we visited a small mountain village called Thloma. There, we had the opportunity to rebuild a kindergarten classroom and interact with the children there. This event was eye-opening. We brought with us old clothing, school supplies, things to decorate the classroom with, and lunch. For lunch, we introduced the young children to an American peanut butter & jelly sandwich. They were amazed with how different it was; it was weird to think how different their childhoods are. After lunch we got to play games; the boys went and played "football" and us girls learned a few things about each other. They taught us Swahili schoolyard chants, dances, and games. I gave my old Hannah Montana concert t-shirt to a little girl and she immediately put it on a lit up with a smile. Interacting with these children is something I'll never forget. At the end of the day, I realized that they taught me more than just schoolyard traditions; they taught me a new perspective. 

My whole life I've been very active and athletic. When I was around 4 years old, I decided that I wanted to be a competitive gymnast. My mom signed me up for gymnastics lessons and got my passion going. By the age of 9 I was on the competitive team at a level 4 and constantly at the gym practicing. I kept up with this same thing until I was twelve and at a level 7. Going into 7^th grade I wanted to be in cheer, volleyball, and track; so, I had to quit gymnastics. But, I didn’t totally stop. I continued to go to once-a-week tumbling lessons for the rest of that year. By 8^th grade, I wasn’t even going to classes anymore. During cheer season Amber convinced me to get back into tumbling, but at her gym. We went to a few lessons and I loved tumbling again. But this feeling was going to be short lived. At the fourth week of lessons, I was just casually going to do a pass across the floor when tragedy struck.

I ran out and in mid-flip I somehow decided to stop then and there. My arm snapped in two spots and I went black for a moment. The next thing I remember is holding up my left arm and looking at it; my arm was in the shape of an “S.” Moments after that, I began screaming and to be honest, I don’t remember much else. I was in a neck brace, in an ambulance. I couldn’t feel my left side and I was so scared. We arrived at the hospital and the doctors drugged me up, fixed me up, and sent me home. Since that day I haven’t stepped one foot on a tumbling floor or flipped since. This experience taught me that things that I feel are big parts of my life are things that I can learn to live without.

Tremendous Travels 2013

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only a page.” I couldn’t agree more with that quote by Saint Augustine. To me, travel is an important aspect of life; it puts you outside of your comfort zone. I have been lucky enough to get to experience what it’s like to be out of your comfort zone. Being in over ten countries before I even turn eighteen has broadened my view on life. This summer in particular I went to Europe with the school trip. We visited London, Paris, Florence, and Rome. In each city, we made memories that will last a lifetime.

On June 13, we touched down in London, England. We reached the ground and the fun began. We were all jet-lagged, unshowered, and a little crabby when we took on the town. That first day we got to experience the London Eye and a relaxing tube ride to our dinner. The next day we were fast and furious. We saw as much as we could in the smallest time possible. Buckingham Palace was definitely one of my favorites. The flag that signaled the Queen's presence was up so that was pretty cool! We got to see the changing of the guards, which was very exciting. I got to experience the love the British people have for their leaders. Later that day we got free time; most of us girls went shopping. Have you ever heard of Jack the Ripper? Well, I hadn't either, but after dinner that night I learned that he was an infamous serial killer. We went on a walking tour to see all of the places that he murdered and got to investigate the scandal. I believe he was working for the royal family, but we will never know!

After London, we were on to Paris. Two years ago, I visited Paris for eight days; so, coming back was what I was looking forward to the most. Paris has always been my favorite city! The people, the food, the atmosphere...it's all just so perfect! Everything and everyone is so chic, confident, and romantic. We visited the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Arc di Triomphe, Notre Dame Cathedral, Les Invalides, Montparnasse Tower, Champs Elysees, and Spanish Quarter. My favorite will always be the Eiffel Tower; seeing something so iconic in person is unreal. I'm taken back at the fact I've been there twice; I am so blessed. There's also something about Parisienne nights that makes me never want to leave. People are dancing on the river banks, kissing in the streets, and putting their love locks on the lock bridge. To me, Paris is all about feeling and culture rather than sightseeing and touristy things.  If I could come back to Paris every two years for the rest of my life, I would be in heaven.

Have you ever ridden on a night train? I don't recommend it. From Paris to Florence we were sqeezed into a cramped, six person-cabin with three layers of bunks on each side. We were on this for twelve hours and had to visit Florence (unshowered again!) the whole next day. But, to say it was worth it is an understatement. Florence was one of my favorite days of the trip. We toured the very quaint downtown and then had seven hours to do whatever we wanted. Five of the girls, including myself, chose to take on the climb to Piazza de Michelangelo. Florence is hot to start with, and when we were there it was record heat. Needless to say, we were sweaty messes by the end of it. But the sweat was so worth it. The view from the top of that hill was breathtakingly beatiful; I'll never forget it. You know what you see on those Olive Garden commercials? I saw it in real life. Looking over Florence, you could see the beautiful midieval city on one side, majestic mountains on another, and a lush valley on the other side. It was a highlight of the whole trip. En route from Florence to Rome the next day, we stopped on a small hillside village called Assisi. This was my absolute favorite day of the trip. This small town is where I ate the best meal of my entire life. The pasta was impeccable! It's here that I fell in love with Italy...and gelato. On the last day, we got a whirlwind tour of Rome. First stop: the Vatican. Being Catholic, this was very special to me. Seeing where my religion first thrived was fascinating. Michelangelo's work on the Sistine Chapel is the best piece of artwork that I've ever seen, and the fact that it's on a ceiling is just mind blowing! The mind-blowing didn't stop there; our next stop was St. Peter's Basillica. St. Peter's Basillica is a maginificent structure that stands nearly five hundred feet high. Just above it is where the new pope first debuted himself. It was so amazing to get to see that. Later that day we went exploring through "underground Rome" (aka where all of the ruins lie). We learn about the ancient structures in Rome in school, but you don't learn how big they or how sturdy they still are. To see them in person is just a whole new kind of learning. We ventured through the Roman forum and the Colosseum under the scorching Italian sun. Last stop was the Pantheon and the Trevie Fountain. Did you know that there is a huge hole in the ceiling of the Pantheon, but when it rains the inside never gets wet? Crazy! I loved the Trevie Fountain a lot; it was just so delicate and pretty. I hope that I'll be back to Italy again some day.

Back to Blog #1

Aaaaaaaaaand we're back for another year of schoology, blogger, writing, and freaking out! Being in Honors English III last year really prepared me for College English. Last year really tested my writing skills and challenged me; I hope this year will do the same. When I reflect on my academic writing from previous years, I can see a progression my abilities. I can see myself getting really stressed out with this class, but it all being worth it in the end. From last year I can see that my strengths are in opening statements, valid arguments, and creative wording. Madi Schulenberg commented, '"When you write you sound very sophisticated." I would agree with that as well. I am pretty confident in my writing ability. But there are always weaknesses, and I have plenty! There is the on-going love/hate relationship with conclusions and organization issues that I can definitely work on this year. Oh, and we can't forget about the random awkward wording problems, too. Let's just say I 've got a lot to improve on. I really enjoy the writing process that I developed last year; it worked fairly well for me. If this year is anything like last year, I think I'll be just fine.

Since this course is brand new at our school, of course I have questions...but I haven't thought of them yet. As the semester progresses I think that I'll run into a few questions. I'm actually very curious as to how this class is going to go. I just thought of a question: Will you be grading similarly to how you did in Honors English III? That's the only question I can think of currently. I'm very excited to get to write in different styles because my whole academic life we've been doing the same old things; it's getting boring! I'm assuming that this class should spice things up. Of course, it'll be hard and that will be my only apprehension. Kind of like fear of the unknown; we're the new class so I can't ask older students for advice! But that fear is what keeps me interested! Should be a great senior year!