Conquering the Bunny Hill

Last weekend, my friend Becca and I went to Mt.Brighton to learn how to snowboard. I've been skiing practically my whole life, while my sister has tried to convince me that I should snowboard instead. Finally, I wanted to give snowboarding a try. It looked fun and exciting, and it seemed so different from skiing.

When we first arrived at Mt.Brighton, Becca and I put on all our warm snow clothes. My sister had used various snowboards in all her years on the slopes, and two of them happened to be perfect sizes for Becca and me. But boy, trying to put on the huge boots that fit into the snowboard bindings is really difficult!

Once we were finally ready, we stumbled over to what we thought was the bunny hill. It seemed too big to be for beginners, but we continued on anyway, and grabbed hold of the tow rope that took us up to the top of the hill. From there we slowly strapped our boots to our snowboards. It took me a little while to figure out how to do this, after all there are so many different little parts to the boots and snowboard!

I stood up with both feet tightened into the snowboard. I hopped forward and started sliding down the hill. Before I knew it, I was back on the ground. I fell almost right after I had started. It was then that I discovered snowboarding would not be as easy as it looked.

I got up and continued down the rest of the hill, falling quite a lot! It was very painful, but really funny at the same time. After getting used to the hill for a little while, Becca and I took a lesson. Our instructor laughed every time Becca or I fell. Of course, he was concerned for our safety, but our ridiculous lack of talent did happen to be very entertaining. Becca fell flat on her face more than once, as did I.

After the lesson was over we practiced some more, and by the end of the day, I was able to snowboard down the entire hill without falling, stopping successfully at the bottom. I am so proud of my accomplishment.

We went home, and the next day I woke up with a stiff back, sore neck, and arms that hurt every time I moved them. Yet the pain was all worth it, because learning how to snowboard is one of the best experiences I've ever had, and I hope to go back to Mt.Brighton to learn even more soon.

Snow Day Extreme

One day in the middle of winter, after it had snowed all night and continued to snow all day, there was ten feet of snow. Of course, school was cancelled, being so many children were trapped in their homes. Fortunately for me, there is a window in my bedroom upstairs that can easily be exited. I put on warm snow clothes, and slid out the window onto a pile of snow in my front yard. I met five of my friends, who had also escaped through their upstairs’ windows, at a nearby park to go sledding. But the park’s hill was too small for us big shots. We walked twenty miles at high speed to get to Mt. Brighton, lugging our sleds close behind. Once we arrived, we jumped on a chair lift while no one was looking. The chair lift carried us up to the top of the hill where we lined up across the snow buried hillside. "Ready, set, go!” I said, starting the race, and we all took off down the black diamond ski slope on our cheap plastic sleds.

I flew through the air, like an airplane above the ocean, feeling free and unleashed. I was in the lead too! That is, until one of my friends, Alexi, knocked my sled over! I shot off like a torpedo, and luckily landed right back on my sled again! It was time for my revenge, and we were already more than half way down the slope. I had to make my move, and do it quickly. I built up momentum and rammed my sled right into hers, but she didn't budge, and she flew past the designated finish line before I did! I had lost, she had won, it was over. But the fun had just begun.

When the five of us were stopped at the bottom of the hill Julia made a comment that made Gabe bubble over with pretend anger. Gabe dove towards the giant of our friends, Julia, and Julia, having much strength, threw Gabe to the side with ease. Another mock battle had begun.

I ran towards Julia, trying to help Gabe, and threw the snow I had in my hand right at Julia's head. Her face turned bright red, and her eyes grew wide in anger. I was in for it now. She ran at me full force, and knocked me down. I watched from the ground as Brooke tried to attack Alexi, who was defending Julia. Once again, a friend went down! Julia stood victorious with Alexi at her side.

Laughing off the competitive humorous fight, we started home into the darkness of the night. Our snow day had come to an end, and we soon were safely to our homes climbing the snow piles into our bedroom windows. Settled in my room, I thought back on my day and laughed. It had been the best snow day I'd ever had.

The Congo Needs Help

The United Nations should help the Democratic Republic of the Congo civilians so there isn’t a repeat of the incident in Rwanda, and so many innocent lives won’t be lost.

If the United Nations doesn’t stop the terror in the Congo, no one else will. These violent actions are soon to become another war like the one in Rwanda. The rebels need to be stopped immediately. Not even the Congolese Army can be trusted to protect the Congo’s civilians. When supported logistically by the U.N., the Congolese Army managed to kill many civilians, with the U.N.’s help! The U.N. was tricked into believing that the civilians’ safety can be achieved simply by the Congolese Army. Now that that option is no longer, the U.N. must take a stronger stand, and help the Congo’s civilians themselves. This means, of course, sending in U.N. troops.

The Congolese people don’t have the finances or resources to protect themselves. They need the U.N.’s support, training, resources, and protection, until they can manage to shield themselves from the rebels. Many innocent civilians of the Congo are dying each and every day, because they don’t have the necessities to care for themselves. With the U.N.’s training they could become a force to stop the rebels. With the U.N.’s resources and protection, they could prepare themselves, through training, to fight off the rebels. All they need is help, and if the world can’t take responsibility to support and protect innocent people, then many will suffer the unfair consequences.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/14/world/africa/14congo.html?_r=1

New Year!

The year 2009 seemed to fly by. But none the less, it has been yet another very eventful year. It is the year that I earned my high school varsity letter in cross-country and got my varsity jacket, experienced my first high school dances including homecoming, as well as many other new and amazing experiences. Yes, there are the experiences that I am happy to leave behind, but there are also the experiences that I hope to never forget.

I was able to celebrate the New Year with a huge group of friends at my house! We watched a somewhat scary movie the last two hours of 2009, which probably sounds like a poor way to spend the hours, but it was a lot of fun. At midnight we watched the ball drop on television then we ran around my neighborhood yelling and using our noise makers, excited to be a part of the New Year celebration! It was definitely cold outside because we forgot to put on our coats, but it was hardly noticeable over the excitement in the air. Part of me is sad to leave the year behind, but I know that 2010 will be even better if I choose to make it that way.

I am happy to get a fresh start, or so it feels. I want to make 2010 a year that matters, a year that I can make a difference. I don’t want it to be just another year counting away on the clock of life; it needs to be an important year that I can remember forever.

Christmas Traditions

Christmas is a time for family traditions in my household. My family wakes up early on the morning of Christmas and heads downstairs to open the longingly anticipated presents. But who is to receive the first gift of the year? That is for the pickle to decide. On our fake tree, a metallic green pickle is hidden between the branches. My sister and I circle around the tree searching for the pickle, and once one of us finds it, the ripping of wrapping paper begins!

Another tradition my family has takes place on Christmas day as well. Every year my aunt, uncle, and cousin come over for a holiday dinner. During thetime they are at our house, we open presents from each other. But we also open presents from our family down south in Louisiana. They send a package full of presents for each and every one of us. It is always exciting to see what they have sent to us, because usually it is an item that we would not find here in Michigan. Through these presents we are able to get a sense of what it would be like to live in Louisiana.

One more tradition that my family has over the holidays is to travel up north to my grandma’s house for a Christmas celebration! This event usually takes place a few days before, or after Christmas, and is a time for everyone on my mom's side of the family to gather as one huge family. All the family members that are under eighteen receive presents from everyone, while those above eighteen, participate in a joke gift exchange. I always find it fun to watch this exchange, even though I am obviously not allowed to participate in it yet! I love this family gathering, not because of the presents, but because of how much fun it is to gather with the people I love but never get to see.

The Power Of One

The Power of One has been one of the most graphically overwhelming movies I have ever seen. Sad, would be another word to describe how I felt as I watched hundreds of black Africans beaten to death. I have learned that South Africa has a dark and deep past, as this movie portrays. They have had disturbing and terrifying years, that can never be replaced.

This movie has shown me how much of a difference a single person can make in the world. P.K. taught only a handful of black Africans to write and readEnglish, but the knowledge he created was spread throughout many other adults and children. This simple knowledge was able to change the lives of many. And that, therefore, is definitely inspiring.

It really upset me how the white Africans treated the black Africans. They treated them as if they were animals, with no feelings or thoughts. There was nothing the blacks could do to protect themselves, and they knew that if they tried to act against the whites, they would most likely be killed. They are all human, the only difference being the color of their skin, white or black.

One of the saddest parts in the movie is when Geel Piet was beaten to death. He was a good man, who was only trying to achieve freedom. For a long time he had to live in fear, but in the last few minutes of his life, he experienced what it felt like to be free. He died a free man.

I Am Thankful For...

My family: Their love and support have always helped me through everything. I would be more than lost without their care, love, and support. Everything I am, everything I have, everything I hope to be, I owe to them.

A nice comfortable house to go home to everyday after school: I love my house and everything inside it. It is so nice and comforting. I am grateful to have a safe place to sleep at night, which I often take for granted.

Food: Without food I wouldn’t be able to live at all, so of course this has to be on my list! I love to eat, and Thanksgiving is one of the special occasions where I can eat a lot of fantastic foods, without feeling too guilty.

My freedom in the United States: Many countries don’t have the same kind of government system that we do. Even though our government is far from perfect, it still sustains freedom the majority of the time.

My friends: I would be so lonely without my friends and I love them all so much. They are always there to support me, and I know that I will always have fun when I am with them. They always want the best for me and they help me become a well-rounded person.

Technology: It provides entertainment and helps organize our lives. Cameras provide a way to capture memories and keep them forever. I personally take tons of pictures every where I go just because I want to be able to share the fun activities with others, and the pictures will be there to look back at in a few years. Also, I am thankful for music and music players as well as computers because they create fun for all ages.

Sports like cross-country and soccer: Even though all the hard work isn’t always fun, it almost always pays off in the end. I am thankful for such opportunities to have so much fun and make so many friends. Plus, without these sports, I don’t know how I would stay in shape!

Education and school: As much as I really don’t like the learning part of school, I know that it will really help me in the future, in my jobs and in life in general. Many kids don’t get the opportunity to attend schools, and sadly I usually complain about it. I am thankful for the chance to make friends in a usually friendly environment.

My health: It is what stabilizes my life. Many children and adults have health issues that change their lives, or even take their lives. I am very fortunate to be healthy, and to have lived a normal childhood and hopefully continue to live a healthy life.

My safety: I am so thankful to live in such a nice environment where I don’t always have to worry about my safety. Of course, I always have to be concerned and aware, but I am lucky to not have to live in one of those countries, where every night I have to worry about being abducted from my home.