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