The Adventues of High School

Life as a high school student isn't always as easy as parents think it may be. They always say, “I did what you’re doing in high school back when I was young.” However, they always forget that the standards are changing as the bars are getting higher and higher. Life of a high school student is made up of the 3 parts, including academics, a social life, and other activities.

Students must be able to balance their social life and their academic one. Being a high school student, academic studies is one of the most important things because without a good education, how would one get into a good college?

Students become stressed out as they worry about the future and where it will lead them. As high school is an important road to collage, students stress out as they take on loads of AP and honors classes. As us sophomores just recently had articulation, I went absolutely crazy trying to decide what classes to take as I knew  my decisions would be paving the path of my future.  

Each class comes a challenging course, including loads of homework which students try to find the time to finish before the due date. As a package, late nights are also included as students are at their heights buried in homework. As each day of the week passes by, we all just wish it was the weekend already so we could relax and have some down time. On some days, I wish that I was anyone but myself because I just wouldn't want to deal with the responsibilities I had.

Despite all the stress that high school might cause, it’s also considered one of the best parts of life as it filled with unforgettable experiences. I sometimes wish that time would stop so I am able to slow down to take a breather to realize how fast everything is moving and appreciate the adventures of high school.  

The Lunar New Year

Being one of my family’s most cherished holidays, I always look forward to the fun of the Lunar New Year. Looking out to my cherry blossom tree, I know when the Chinese New Year had arrived as the flowers are in full bloom. As it Chinese New Year starts, we always start out by cleaning up the house to bring in the good luck, followed by many other fun activities.

Chinese New Year also comes with many colorful and exciting celebrations, including festivals and family gatherings. Every year, we all gather at my grandpa’s house wearing the traditional ao dai as we receive red envelopes, talk and eat New Year foods. Other family traditions include going to the temples as we wish for another good year and good health for our loved ones.

Ever since I was little I would always look forward to the special performances such as dragon dancing. Unlike fairy tales where the dragons are portrayed ad scary or the villains of the story, dragons of the Chinese New Year are made to be colorful and to bring good fortune as they provide great entertainment. 

Summer Volunteering

Even though it’s only February, I can’t help but think about summer. Despite it beginning about 5 months until school ends, I long for that last school bell ring as I am set free to do whatever I want. Summer is the time when we students don’t have a care in the world as we play to our hearts content. No more essays, no more tests or projects. Summer is the time for us to have our adventures and vacations as we push the topic of school to the back of our heads.

Last summer, I got the privilege to volunteer at Mason Elementary School as a high school volunteer. Despite having to staple papers and hole punch booklets for most of the day, I can’t hope until summer comes so I can go back as a volunteer. Along with a friend and fellow volunteer, we both had a great time being assigned to a kindergarten classroom where we would help with papers, fun projects, reading, English and math. It was fun getting the chance to read their stories and telling them that eight plus 4 wasn't 11. It was quite amusing when they would come back from their recess time, arguing over petty things such as who would be at the end of the line, as they would even sometimes remind us of what we were sort of like when we were little. Working alongside a kindergarten class was fun and exhausting all at the same time, especially because they had so much energy.

The best part of my summer was the last week of volunteering, where all the kindergarten classes were holding an event called ‘water day’ in which they were able to have fun playing various water games. All of the high school volunteers were put in charge of a separate stations we would help them play the games.  And by the end of it, the playground was a mess! And of course, we were the ones cleaning it up! Calk was everywhere, and all they toys were all dirty. Regardless of it being a pain to clean up, I can’t help but laugh and smile as I remember that day.

I can’t wait until summer comes again as I get to go back to Mason as a volunteer. 

The Art of Studying

After returning back from winter break, we students are pushed to our limits as we get ready for the long awaited finals. Just the mere mention of it can leave students with many nightmares. Finals week is one of the most important times during the school year as our grades are at stake. As students, we live in constant fear of whether or not we are able to pass the test as these are the grades that go on our record. Finals is the definition of stress. How will students find the time to relax when they spend all of their time worrying and studying for finals?

When it comes to studying for these finals, I always begin with the question of “where do I begin?” These semester finals are supposed to test what we learned and know from the beginning of the year. But how do we remember what we learned from all the way back in September? How do we retain all this information we learned from all these different classes without losing our minds? The pressure of finals week is able to drive any student to the edge of a cliff as they try to cram as much information as possible with high hopes of passing. Sitting in my room I often just space out as I try to plan out my studying schedule, trying to make time to study for all there is. Where do you even begin when trying to study? I constantly ask myself and others these question as I am yet to still find an answer.

Finals week is also usually when students don’t get much sleep. Whether it’s just staying up late or trying to pull an all-nighter, students are exhausted. Even after studying for all night, it also most likely for students to remember what they studied, due to the great lack of sleep. Sitting in front of a textbook for hours has a major toll on the eyes. And whether it’s staring at the computer screen or the textbook, my vision eventually stars to blur out as they me I should go to sleep. The morning afterward is also a pain as I am forced to drag myself out of the bed to get ready for school. A major headache usually comes with the process as it takes me awhile to actually be aware of my surroundings.

As finals approach, I can only hope but to not go completely insane. 

Picture Source

Picture Source

Season's Greetings!

     The month of December is always a joyous time due to the many holidays that take place. Whether it’s celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa, it is a time where we all enjoy as we have fun and spend time with our loved ones.

     Christmas is a Christian holiday that honors the birth of Jesus Christ, a holiday that is celebrated by millions worldwide. Customs include tree decorating, exchanging gifts, caroling, cookies, drinking hot chocolate and eggnog, spending time with the family and of course setting out plates of cookies and milk for the one and only- Santa! Christmas is also an international commercial phenomenon, helping to spread some holiday cheer. This includes holiday movies, talk shows, songs, shopping sales and more! Some famous Christmas T.V. showings include Disney’s Christmas Parade and Ellen Degeneres’s 12 days of Giveaways.
http://www.history.com/topics/christmas

     Hanukkah is an eight-day Jewish holiday celebrating the victory of the Jewish people over religious persecution of the second temple in Jerusalem. Also called the Festival of Lights, Hanukkah is celebrated with the lighting of the menorah, food, games, gifts and of course- spending time with the family! The story of the Hanukkah “miracle” traces back to the second century B.C. According to the story, Judah Maccabee and the other Jews only had enough oil to keep the menorah’s candles burning for only one night. However the flame continued to burn, lasting eight days, giving them enough time to find a new source of oil. Being seen as a miracle the menorah became a symbol of the Jews unwavering faith. During Hanukkah, children also play a popular game called the dreidel, a four sided spinning top with a Hebrew character on each side.
http://www.history.com/topics/holidays/hanukkah

     Kwanzaa was created in hopes that people of African descent would keep and share their cultural heritage. The word Kwanzaa is taken for the phrase of “matunda ya kwanza”, or “first fruits” in Swahili. Despite it being celebrated in many different ways and forms, Kwanzaa celebrations typically include music, dancing, storytelling, African drums and many traditional foods. The seven days of Kwanzaa emphasis a set of ideals (also known as Nguzo Saba) put forth by Dr. Maulana Karenga. The Nguzo Saba are values of African culture that help the communities of African-Americans and on each of the seven days, a candle is lit for each principle.
http://www.history.com/topics/holidays/kwanzaa-history

     Despite the holidays all coming from different roots they all include spending time with the family and having fun!

Spending the Holidays at Disneyland

     As the shuttle bus pulls up on the curve of ‘the happiest place on earth’, I no longer could hold in my excitement as I step out to have my eyes lay upon Disneyland. As my family and I walk down the sidewalk, I reminisce back to when I was just a little girl just like it was my first time visiting the theme park. My parents said that I was just like a kid in a candy store. 

     My cousin hastily drags me as she can’t wait to start on the rides. We wanted to go on every ride there was, especially Space Mountain. We quickly got into the inside corridor of the building as I see the largest model of a space ship I have ever seen. My cousin and I step into the seats as the cart begins to move forward. I can feel the wind blow against my face as we stat our ‘adventure through space’. The cart ran up and down the track as images of the stars appear before my eyes, just as if I were actually in space, where I feel as if I am able to touch the stars. My adrenaline started to race, as if I were in a marathon where there was no end. When it can to an end, I slowly stepped off the ride as my feet have finally stepped onto solid ground where I would try to find my balance as my head was throbbing with excitement and my heart beating so fast it was as if I was going two-hundred miles per hour.

Despite the rides being one of the best parts in Disneyland, I can't help but fall head-over-heels for the parade and shows. Due to this being the time for the holidays, it was made suited for the occasion. Followed by the sweet sound of Christmas songs, the floats follow behind, having a showcase of dancing with all of the beloved Disney characters following behind. At California Adventure, my family and I were able to watch the new World of Color Winter Dreams with a Frozen special addition. The World of Color also included a sing-a-long, where I was able to hear the little kids around me singing at the top of their lungs. I absolutely loved seeing the beautiful lights and water as they would shoot up into the night sky.

Arranged Marriages

In a perfect world, everybody would marry for love. But it isn’t always that way as reality makes its way through. In some parts of the world, young girls, not even teens, are whisked off to be married to a completely unknown man. Child bribes are striped to their childhoods, education, health, future and their basic human rights as they a forced to be wedded to a stranger.  “Child marriage happens because adults believe they have the right to impose marriage upon a child. This denies children, particularly girls, their dignity and the opportunity to make choices that are central to their lives, such as when and whom to marry or when to have children.” (Too Young To Wed). These young brides aren't able to achieve anything as they are already married, never experiencing the feeling of falling in love or going to school and hanging out with friends.

Being married at such a young age, they don’t know how to do anything besides cooking, cleaning, taking care of their children and serving their husband. They won’t have the chance to go to school and get an education, learning about math or history. From childhood, their fate has already been decided, as they have no control of their lives, being nothing more than a puppet of the parents who arranged the marriages.  “A child bride often enters a marriage with feelings of fear and powerlessness.” (Too Young to Wed). Their lack of control over anything can create great emotional and philological damage. 

Being married to a complete stranger, having no say will leave the young brides to be emotionless, living as if they were stuck inside a dead corpse where they are able to feel nothing. Article 16 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution. Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.” Young brides shouldn't be forced into marriages in which everyone should be able to pick the one they love, the one they are going to marry.

Examples include the young girls of Afghanistan.17-year-old Humaira Taiba who is soon the be in an arranged marriage with a 45-year-old man, causing her to want to commit suicide. “I don’t want to marry the man who is 45 years old, the same age as my father,” says Humaira. From a young age, women are married off to honor promises made by their fathers and/or grandfathers. Women are married and traded off to be owned by males, treating them as if they were property.  Young brides shouldn't be forced into marriages because everyone should be able to pick their spouse as we the people have the right to choose who we will marry.

Information/Picture Sources
http://tooyoungtowed.org/blog/?lang=es
http://www.irinnews.org/indepthmain.aspx?indepthid=28&reportid=69984