The Grass is Always Greener

Momma! Momma! You must let me go on that roller coaster!

As a walked up the steps towards my first actual roller coaster ride, my heart racing, I could not wait to experience the magical ride my friends talked so much about. I just barely made the minimum height which many of my friends had reached months before. Finally, the line moving so slowly, I was almost on the ride I had dreamt about every night. As I boarded the small car, my mom gave me one final warning that I might not enjoy the ride as much as I thought. Since I heard this same warning many times, it didn’t lure me to hesitate to buckle myself in. As the car slowly pulled away from the loading area, I grew more and more excited. The car rose higher and higher, I could feel my heart pumping in my chest. I reached the very top of the roller coaster, and I realized something; I was afraid of heights. This had never occurred to me before but as I was nearing the top, this new fear arose. The next two minutes of the ride was absolute torture. My stomach felt like it was going to end up in my mouth.  I stepped off the platform, my arms and legs shaking, and decided that I didn’t like roller coasters at all.  

How I Handle Stress

I often get stressed out when it comes to balancing my homework and school with doing the things I enjoy as well as seeing friends. At the beginning of this last quarter, I was really stressed out about keeping up with the classes that I signed up for this year. Now, I feel like I have been able to balance things a bit better, but soon I will be playing soccer and will not have as much free time. This scares me a little because I will have to completely change my schedule. I sometimes deal with a lot of stress and have found some good ways to handle it. 

I like listening to music as well as playing the piano. 

I also like to take little breaks in between assignments and either have a snack or watch some tv. 

Doing a mini creative project also helps me when I have a lot of extra time and I am no longer working efficiently. 

And if none of the others work I will clean or rearrange my room 

These relax me and help me forget about what I was stressed about for a while. 

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A Single Memory

They say she used to be beautiful, 

that she had the most wonderful personality,

she didn't sit in bed all day and night. 

I can only remember one,

the one who is so weak she can barely lift a cup to her mouth, 

who rambles on about the past.

The one who cannot even recognize my face anymore. 

She lives in an elderly home now. 

Doesn't like it, 

not one bit. 

My mother gets so sad 

when she sees her grandmother in such a horrible state. 

I cannot understand;

not truly. 

I never experienced the fun woman 

who used to go horseback riding 

or traveled the world. 

Instead, 

to me she will never be more 

than an old, frail, woman. 

An Important Memory

With colored markers and little mini stickers my father taught me how to play piano. By matching the color of the note on the page to the little sticker on the piano key, I was able to stumble through some of my first experiences of creating music. When I think back on it now, that was so beautiful and simple. I had no idea that what I was doing then would later have such a huge impact on my life. I can’t help but wonder whether my dad had a clue of how important this would be or if he just thought I might have some fun. Without this somewhat silly little bit of teaching and exposure to something new and exciting, I might be a completely different person than I am today.

A Letter To My Parents

Dear Mom and Dad,

I know that I never say this enough, but I am so grateful for everything that you do for me. There are times when I get frustrated with the things you say or the rules you set but through all of that I know that all you have ever wanted was the best for me. I love you guys so much and I am so grateful for the constant support that I receive; I honestly don’t know what I would do without you in my life. Without your careful guidance, I would not have grown up to be who I am today. I love and appreciate you so much thank you for making my life amazing.

Your loving daughter,
Rosalyn

A Moment To Remember Forever

Throughout my life so far, I have experienced many little moments of happiness and joy. There are some I hope I never forget. From the first time I held my little brother in my arms to how it felt to perform the piano for the first time, there are dozens of little memories I take for granted but want to remember forever.
I remember the first time I was allowed to hold my brother very clearly. He was born at home, but for the first week or so (it felt like years) I was only allowed to look at him since I was too young to be trusted with holding him(I was two). I loved to sit next to him in his bed and just watch his little stomach go up and down as he breathed.
When I could finally hold him, I had a hard time controlling my excitement. He looked like a tiny little human and I felt so lucky to have him. He had been crying for a while, but the minute he was set in my arms, his entire face lit up with a giant smile. I wanted to hold him forever. It made me so happy seeing him light up like that; I will never forget it.

Persepolis Personal Writing- Doing Things Like a Girl

What if someone said you did something “like a girl?” Would you be offended? Would you feel as if the person making the comment was degrading you somehow? For the longest time, my answer to this question would probably have been no. I never really thought about how that phrase degraded me because, for whatever reason, I felt as though it did not relate to me.

This phrase “like a girl” can be so condescending and creates such a vivid image in our mind of some super girly girl doing something stupid. I thought this way for the longest time and since the media and TV do the same, it is automatic for people to think this way, I had accepted it and just thought nothing of it, as any people probably do, but this obvious sexism is actually a serious problem. You run like a girl, you cry like a girl, you throw like a girl — these are all comments meant to degrade people.

We hear people everyday say things like “you run like a girl” in an attempt to insult someone. The fact that it is a subconscious phrase used so often means we have a greater problem than we think. When people are using insults without stopping to consider what it actually means, and just accept it is a normal, comfortable and acceptable saying, we see that sexism and inequality is not just a myth.

This phrase has put a veil over me and all girls and given boys a way of putting us down just because we are the opposite sex. It is so easy for a boy to just say “Oh well you’re a girl” and immediately have everyone think that she is lesser somehow, although this is just wrong. 

My Own Comic

This is a comic strip that I created with the intention of trying to describe my life or an event in my life. I play many instruments, one of them being piano and I would like to think I am pretty good at it. One constant event when learning new songs or new styles goes something like this:

I feel as though this can apply to many situations when if comes to hard work and discipline, and it also reminds me of this American Proverb 

If at first you don’t succeed, try try again. 

Understanding Comics and Their Power

“Understanding Comics” by Scott McCloud talks about the power of a picture and how broad the idea of comics are. Some people believe that comics are not real pieces of literature and for a long time, I agreed with them. Since so many of them are about fictional stories, it is hard to imagine them being used instead as another version of writing. This relates directly to the idea of a single story and people deciding on how they feel about a subject before truly understanding it. "The Complete Persepolis' by Marjane Satrapi is a perfect example of how real and deep stories can be created in the form of a comic. 

Although The Complete Persepolis is not a cartoon, it is still closer to this idea than a regular novel is. Because we are able to see ourselves in comics, The Complete Persepolis gives us a different way of thinking and looking at the characters than a normal book might have. This makes relate to the story with a bit more depth and maybe even agree with it’s views. 

Understanding Comics page 36

Single Stories and Their Affects

Hey guys! 

The first subject I want to bring up is of single stories and different experiences that I have had; whether on the receiving end or the one actually making an assumption. Everyone is naive about some subject, where we realize this or not. This summer, I was required to watch a Ted Talk with Nigerian author Chimamanda Adichie who talks about the dangers of a "single story" (http://ed.ted.com/on/oQQimtYK) and actually found it quite interesting and enjoyable. Now what is a single story? A single story is a one-sided way of looking at the world; a single thought or idea which decides all of a subject in a person's head.  When I was younger, I hear stories about "the poor boys and girls" without very good schooling. Now although this is true in some countries of Africa, I now know it certainly doesn't include all of them. There are plenty of well educated western parts of Africa as well. 

I have also been on the receiving end of the single story. In the past, I have hidden my race and said I was Native American and Spanish, but not specifically said "Mexican". I have found myself doing this because I hate the stereotypes which come with this title. No, I don't speak spanish. No, I don't eat beans for dinner every night. No, I don't celebrate Cinco de Mayo. These little stereotypes (or single stories) frustrate me quite a bit at times. I have to take a step back and remember that people don't say this to offend me, they do it out of their own naivety. As Adichie says, 

"The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story.”. 

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