Christopher He is a sixteen year old boy, and when you look at us simply as people, there is no difference; we are equal, two friends who share common interests, frequently engaging in activities together. We talk about how our day went, listening and communicating through more than just words. However, once you fill in the details, the prejudice comes rushing in like the tide, engulfing an amazing human being into a world separate from the one he fits perfectly… Read More »
Death By Isolation He was a hard working man, the kind of person who awoke before sunrise to feed his animals, the kind of farmer who tended his fields until his hands bruised, and the kind of father that didn’t rest until there was food on the table. He lived in a world very different from ours, a time where people traveled on horseback, and all work was done by hooves, where water was fetched from rivers, and all messages… Read More »
Can You Even See? I was born with a big head. Not gigantic, but big. In fact, the size of my skull has caused a myriad of issues, ranging from humorous to seriously limiting. I suppose I’ll start at the beginning. And by beginning, I mean beginning. My dad is a large man, with an equally large head. My mom, on the other hand, is a small woman, and while I may have inherited my dad’s head, it was ultimately… Read More »
My Honorary Sister While many girls have sisters, I have Randi. Although she has always had a place in my life, I would never take her for granted. Our friendship started in a different way than most. We met at an orphanage in Quzhou when we were each about a week old, Randi, born May 10, and myself, May 15. When we talk to other people about meeting each other before our parents, they have a hard time understanding this.… Read More »
Too Much Pressure As I sit in my classes, I cannot help but notice how flawed today’s schooling system is. There is not one class where I do not look around and see students, even supposedly “hard working students”, confessing their devious methods of cheating, and the A they got in result. They are not bad kids, but simply victims of the pressure the future holds. Coming into high school as a young freshman, I began to scheme and figure… Read More »
Unavoidable Read I’m fairly liberal about what I read; I can explore a range of literary topics. Though historical nonfiction and Middle Earth-type fantasy remain my favorite genres, I would never say no to a taut thriller, an insightful biography, or a brain-poking mystery. Even if a book is not particularly enjoyable, I still learn from it, as a reader and as a writer. I never really knew about the gargantuan popularity of Fifty Shades of Gray, however, until Winter… Read More »
Unhappy Holidays For most of us, the holidays are filled with times of joy, leisure, and family. We relax in our warm, cozy houses surrounded by piles of presents under the tree. This December, as my family and I crowd around the dinner table for a feast of kings, our biggest worry is how we are going to lose the weight from such a tremendous meal. We live in a shadow of the unknown: all around us, chaos, brutality,… Read More »
Rain Flies at Home Stout, green mountains hover dominating over the bowing, metal roofed homes. It had just rained and from as far as the eye could reach, up in the sky, countless rain flies brilliantly flutter their fragile four wings while several cats and birds collect around them in a hunting spree. The rain flies prevail, enjoying their very short life, looking to seem as though the whole aim in their creation is to fly zealously over Ayer Tana,… Read More »
Not Nuts About Nuts It was a normal summer afternoon about eight years ago. I was just a small fourth grader when my sister came home with a container full of cashews. Since I always enjoyed snacks containing peanut butter and tree nuts I was eager to taste them; not knowing what was ahead of me. I grabbed a handful and quickly ate the cashews; about 10 minutes later I noticed that I started feeling funny. My throat began to… Read More »
