9-14-11
All About me
From
day one, my life could be defined as “different,” or an “adventure” and for a good
reason. In order for me to talk about who I am today, I should probably start
from the very beginning. My name is ___________, my parents are still
married, I have an older brother who is 23, and a younger sister who is 14, I
am the middle child at 17 years old. Not a lot is known about my family
history. When people ask about my nationality, I just say I am American!
I
was born in Scottsdale, Arizona… on the way to the hospital. No, I’m not lying,
my birth certificate literally says “en route to hospital.” I do not find it a mere coincidence that I am
a naturally curious person today, dreaming of other cultures and traveling
overseas, apparently even then I couldn’t wait to see the world!
After
living in Arizona for three years, my parents, brother and I moved to Oregon
where my sister was born. We stayed there for four years then moved all the way
across country to_________________where I still am now! My mom
homeschooled my sister and me up until high-school when I decided to stop
homeschooling and try it out. It wasn’t long before I found out school was
nothing like the movies. The first year of it I felt trapped, there was such
rigid time schedules as apposed to the leniency of homeschooling. There was no
learning at your own pace which was difficult when I excelled or fell behind. I
found myself drowning in homework, where as in homeschooling all work was
homework so after school there was nothing extra to do. As two years passed I decided high-school
just wasn’t for me.
All
of the reasons listed above were contributing factors to my pursuit in the Duel
Enrollment program at Fitchburg State University. Junior year I came to FSU and loved it! Here
I am, yet another year later and still going to the college.
Which
leads me to how I came to be in this class. Because I am a Duel Enrollment
student we have a limited selection of classes to choose from and when I needed
another writing class I saw this and it was perfect! Adventure, and foreign
cultures! This is everything I talk about wanting in life! Plus I needed the
credit to graduate; this course must have been made for me!
I
think my adventurous spirit came partially from all of the reading I do. Ever
since I was young, reading has taken up a lot of my free time whether it is in
the car, before bed, after homework or on a rainy day. Through the books, I
have experienced so many different life styles, cultures, thrills, and dangers!
There is something so appealing about a life outside of a daily routine
sometimes.
Not
only have I experienced the world through books, but also first hand! In eighth
grade my aunt and uncle took me to Europe with them for about two weeks to visit
with friends. We did not always stay in hotels but mostly with the people. I
got to see how families in other countries live their lives, and even play a
part them for a short period of time. It was winter and nearing Christmas when
I visited the Czech Republic, Poland, and Austria. I was freezing, awestruck,
and captivated the whole time! I may not be great at history but the things I
learned in those two weeks will stick with me for the rest of my life, because
walked historical roads with my own feet, I went in ancient cathedrals that
took centuries to build, I took pictures of and with famous monuments. The
books and stories I read before hand were coming to life! I imagined myself as
a character in a in a novel, waiting for the story to unfold. Trying to picture
every detail in my mind, and how it would be written on paper. I was finally beginning
my own adventure!
Sophomore year of high-school
my mom, sister, my friend and I all went to visit the same uncle who took me to
Europe, only this time he and my aunt were in Senegal, Africa! If I was shocked
in Europe about the differences in cultures, I was dumbfounded in Senegal. In
the beginning of our trip I did not know what to think. This place was more than
strange, more than pore, and more than out of my comfort zone. It did not take
long however for me to embrace the differences. I admired their hard work
despite incredible poverty. I saw the
pride the women took in their appearance even while walking in dust and hot
weather, I saw their beauty, and thought how often Americans dress sloppily or
do not take care of themselves even though we are so much better off than them.
I saw the joy and gratitude in young boys who had no families when we brought them
the simplest of toys. I experienced
people with next to nothing, sharing everything they have to people who have
everything they could dream of, like me. When you get past the sand, dirt,
smell, heat, and fear you really begin to understand the beauty in simplicity
of a third world country.
The most recent trip
out of the United States I was on was a mission’s trip with my church to Haiti
this summer. I went in expecting it to be very similar to Senegal, and in some
ways the same and others completely different. In many cases, Haiti was a worse
off third world country than Senegal in terms of poverty. I did not know it was
possible. In the beginning, my heart absolutely broke for those people. There were countless tent cities, sources of
water contaminated, wild pigs roaming around, children wandering the streets,
unimaginable amounts of trash, a repugnant odor… but once again, despite
everything on the outside appearance, I fell in love. These people even after everything they had
been through loved and cared for each other, children looked after other
children, they played with what little they had and embraced us with love that
only a child can bring. Love that breaks the barriers of language and age. In
going to Haiti expecting to bless the orphans who we helped build an orphanage
for, and blessing the people who needed water and food, I feel as though I have
been blessed back by those very same people, in equal amounts if not more.
My heart does not
naturally belong confined in a classroom being taught by textbooks, and videos
telling you about the world. I was wired to experience, to walk, to see, to
smell, to taste to feel, as I learn and as I create my own story. When I was a
little girl I read so I would have an adventure now I am realizing that I have
the potential to make my own.
1 comment:
:) I love this last paragraph!
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