I must admit these past couples of weeks have been pretty hectic. In the midst of midterms, interning, completing summer applications and everything else this journey calls life loves to bear, I’ve been kept quite busy. To say the least, spring Break was much-needed. Despite the fact that I didn’t do any traveling, I knew for certain that I didn’t want to just stay home all day doing absolutely nothing because I don’t know about you but I get bored quite easily. With that being said I decided to spend some time exploring different setting around the NYC jungle, after all, field trips aren’t only for the kids. My first stop was the Brooklyn Botanical Garden followed by a visit to the Egg House, which is a new pop-up shop that recently opened
Walking into Walnut Hills High School right now would have anyone thinking the just walked into the middle of a tornado. Everyone you look there are students running in and out of doors, in and out of cars, and most certainly either turning in missing assignments or retaking tests. There is only one way for you to explain all this ciaos, Senior Year, the year that all teens await with so much excitement and ambition and the year that every single hour long study dates pays off. For the class of 2021 this isn’t just their final year at Walnut Hills this is the year that friends separate and head off to their different university to follow their dreams.
Finally at the end of my escape to "Bookland" (as dumb as it may sound), I decided to go back out to my parents. My mom called my dad, who, unbeknownst to me at that time, was at the car getting our family’s jackets. She told him that she was going to take me down the boardwalk further, and browse more stores. After she hung up, we headed down the long line of shops and restaurants, pausing occasionally to walk inside the quaint, snugly side-by-side stores and browse their individual items on sale. Eventually, my mom got tired, so we found a bench to sit on and patiently waited for my dad.
Then to make a long story short we fell in love, love formed on the most powerful shared trauma. We both decided we couldn't stand to live here anymore. She agreed to give up her elaborate lifestyle for something more simpler and is taking up motherhood very nicely, I could use a little work on the other hand. We both live in maryland now. Our new house is a bit bigger that the one I had at East Egg, yet still smaller than the other houses around it, but it's ours. I'm writing again, as you can see by reading this. Were taking care of Daisy and Tom’s little girl. She's not a fool, she’ll never be a fool. I love my new life, it fits me, but i'll never forget my life in new york, i mean how could anyone forget that. I'll never forget. Daisy comes to me often asking me questions I dont have the answer to
One summer morning, I woke up excited. My friends and I were going to Hershey Park. I’ve been busy this summer, so this is the first time I was able to go. Hershey Park is a big amusement park with big roller coasters and a big water park. The Fahrenheit is my favorite ride there. I woke up, took a shower, got dressed, ate breakfast, and waited for them to pick me up at my house. While I sat on my couch, I had my bag with a towel and a bathing suit for the water park and I could put my phone there. I was ready to go.
I instantly feel more relaxed and at ease here. There are no hotels or resorts of any kind on this island, merely a primitive campground laid out in several loops with each loop surrounding a bathhouse. The barrier separating the campground from the ocean is the massive dunes towering over the campsites. The entire campground is like a miniature oceanside community where neighbors are bound together by similar passions. Each site has its own fire ring and picnic table allowing for dinner under the tranquil sky. Everything is slower here where families can come to simply spend time together playing games, trail hiking and group biking are all activities that everyone here participates in. It is here, in this place, with these other people that I am effortlessly able to simply be me. There are several trails on the island that wind through the forest containing observation platforms on which to view the abundant wildlife offering limitless opportunities to take amazing photographs. The waters as well as the land are teaming with life. Crabs and crayfish scuttle in the shallows while turtles bask atop each other in the grass. There are even frogs the color of the sand that leap up if you surprise them. I can easily spend hours just strolling around and enjoying the moments surrounded by like-minded people. All worries seem to vanish here, and I’m left with only a calm feeling of being connected and
Vacations aren't always perfect there is always something that goes wrong. At least in my experiences. A perfect vacation to me is when we are all together as a family,which honestly doesn't happen that much. Having a 20 year old brother an 18 year old in post secondary school can make things complicated. Or having a vacation with no,ILLNESS, which can be very,very hard to do!! And I know I’m not the only one who has experienced this on a vacation!
It’s time to move outside the box, it’s time to find a place for me New York City here I come. I’ve been trapped in Houston for years in the same little district Spring Branch for 8 years, this is the place where I got to learn spanish, and how to have a good garage sell on a rainy saturday, going to choir surrounded by talented singers from all across the world this is the place I was able to break out of my shell and people accepted and, respected my creativity. Now that I’ve experienced the life of being in a small town, I feel it's time to build my confidence level and move to the “Big Apple”.
High school is supposed to be a one more step closer to college; it’s supposed to be preparing you for the future right? Wrong. My experience in high school was very different; I never quite fit in with anyone, the “friends” that I thought that I had used me for money. Let’s just say when I was a freshman I had a friend whom I knew from grade school, her name was Meghan Lawrence and she was the kind of person who I really believed I could tell her anything and she would keep it to herself. Once again I was proven wrong, I developed a crush on a boy and she knew that I had a crush on him; one morning before class both he and she went to the corner store, she thought it would be funny to tell him all about my crush, which he tortured me with, playing with my emotions, made me feel like he might actually like me back.
As a whole, Alternative Spring Break has radically changed my perception of myself. If not for the physical labor, I would not know how strong I was. If not for the knowledge imparted upon me by people like Abbey or Jessica, I would not be as wiser as I am now. If not for the teamwork needed to get the job done, I would not have made as many friends as I did. Furthermore, if I had not taken this opportunity I would not have made any effort to reach any of the six outcomes that were accomplished throughout this experience.
You would think that when I decided what to do with the rest of my life, it would be some profound moment when something huge took place. Nothing dangerous or crazy happened, but my heart was changed. Suddenly, everything made sense to me and I knew what journey I was going to take and why I was going to take it. The funny thing about all of this is, it was one kindergartner who opened my eyes. One five year-old who showed me what I’m destined to do for the rest of my life.
The fleeting changes that often accompany seasonal transition are especially exasperated in a child’s mind, most notably when the cool crisp winds of fall signal the summer’s end approaching. The lazy routine I had adopted over several months spent frolicking in the cool blue chlorine soaked waters of my family’s bungalow colony pool gave way to changes far beyond the weather and textbooks. As the surrounding foliage changed in anticipation of colder months, so did my family. My mother’s stomach grew larger as she approached the final days of her pregnancy and in the closing hours of my eight’ summer my mother gently awoke me from the uncomfortable sleep of a long car ride to inform of a wonderful surprise. No longer would we be returning to the four-story walk up I inhabited for the majority of my young life. Instead of the pavement surrounding my former building, the final turn of our seemingly endless journey revealed the sprawling grass expanse of a baseball field directly across from an unfamiliar driveway sloping in front of the red brick walls that eventually came to be know as home.
Letter Dear Dad and Mom, For the first time, visiting New York City is wonderful. They people in my neighborhood are successful and rich. They are many factories and businesses trying to competition between them. Everything that you could imagine was found in the New York City.
Even though they might not find out and you can get away with it , never lie to your parents. Sooner or later they may find out. Parents expect you to be honest with them. so you can earn their trust, and, lying to your parents about your location etcetera is not needed. I learned the hard way that honesty is always the best policy with just one night one the town.
It was one of the most exciting and nerve racking days of our lives. Although we were finally leaving high school, the feeling of being unsure didn’t go away. The whole day was full of practicing for the big moment when the entire class graduated on to a new beginning. All the girls wore shiny bright red robes and the guys were dressed in a shiny navy blue. Standing there, I had no idea what to expect. Some things I were aware of, my friends were leaving and we wouldn’t be the same friends anymore. My role was that of being so aware of the future that I was too shocked to soak in the present; being a pessimist was my main goal and everything I was sure of became true.
...new classes, I soon realized what would be the biggest challenge of college: deciding on a major. Yes, I am one of those people who started college without first declaring a major. I soon heard every question, suggestion, and response regarding possible options. I even began concocting false majors to throw some people off. Large-Scale Demolition was a crowd favorite.