Coming of Age Final Draft

Y'know, I’ve never considered how spoiled I really am after living on this island for over 11 years. I guess my spoiled self, alongside with living on an island so expensive to even live in, I’ve become oblivious of the world around me, only caring what I want to do or how I feel. And well, a certain change of pace ended up making me get all shaken up when my dad announced that we’re moving to the mainland. I’ve never been the type to merely accept things as is, so I spent days after days how much I hate this idea, and I how I’d prefer not to move to the mainland, despite its merits. I have a lot of friends on this small little island “paradise”, and I’d feel too uncomfortable if I just suddenly move, I’m not subject to change so easily you see.

I couldn’t help but think of how this was a negative impact on my life, never did I consider the positives. I had pessimistic views such as “How am I supposed to make new friends so easily” or “How am I supposed go to the same college as my friends”. And even if my mom asked me what I thought about it, I told her negatives as well, every single time. I guess my mom noticed or something, because when she came to pick me up from school one day, she brought up the topic again. And of course, I say the same, selfish thing. But, mom brought the conversation to me and asked, “Then what do you think about your friends who are in a military family, what do you think they go through” That kinda surprised me, but if I thought about it, they do almost always go through that, it's actually more of a miracle if their parents are stationed for longer than they should. When either military parent gets stationed, they have to move and leave behind everything they might have just gotten used to, friends, environment, and overall comfortability, they have to get rid of it all.

I couldn’t help but go through a guilt trip, regretting all my arguments I’ve selfishly made about the situation. If I only stopped and thought about how much of a bratty thing to complain about, when my own friends gone through the same already. It can’t be helped, humans are not subject to change after all. But I made sure to change my outlook on the situation, whenever my mother asks me about it, I tell her I don’t mind one bit, and that I’m rather excited to be able to move to the mainland in order to start a new life. I told my friends in advance, and made sure to contact them whenever I get the chance to. I feel that I’ve become less selfish, and to look things at a more positive outlook, despite how bad the situation can be.

Word Olympics Assignment

The group of girls are staring at disbelief, on the verge of tears. Their faces show emotion of despair as someone they were perhaps once were cheering on, is now losing, bringing an end to their hopes. Horror in their eyes are plain to the public to see as they hold their hands on their heads or reach out towards the very person or thing they are cheering on.

The old lady is smiling wryly, or perhaps laughing maniacally because she murdered someone with a gun, looking at her next victim. She is facing her next target with the kind of face that anyone would when they have authority or power over someone else, and she is enjoying that fact.

The family embrace each other one more time before their beloved father have to depart on his mission in the military. This is one of those very moments they won't be able to experience in a long time, so of course they’d feel sad, they won't see their father for years. That I'm itself will cause many people to feel sad because their loved one went away.

Coming of Age Rough Draft

I’ve been living on this island for about eleven years now, and I’ve accustomed to the environment, perhaps even too accustomed. One night, early as the first quarter where school would properly start, my broke news on our family that make all of uneasy. He told us that he has been finding difficulty finding new job openings, to a point where we have to the mainland and start anew. Now there’s nothing wrong with my dad, he has graduated from college, and have earned a living for our whole family by being a pharmacist, he just can’t find new openings in this tiny rock in the middle of the ocean. And of course, me who have been too used to the 11 years I’ve been on this island, the one who made many friends who will now have to leave them, I was shocked. I almost couldn’t believe it. I didn’t complain or anything, but I was frustrated, hoping that my dad never has to move so we can live the rest of our lives on the island I’ve lived for years.

After that point, I’ve never really found the motivation to think about it properly, all I’ve been thinking was about me and why I don’t like, how it hinders my current lifestyle. And whenever my mother asks me what my opinion on this is, it’s always the same thing, “If I leave, I won’t be able to do this or that with my friends” or “How am I supposed to make friends when there’s a 2% population of asians in texas”. (and yes I actually said that, mostly due to majority of my friends being asian) All the answers been the same, and I’ve been selfishly neglecting what the opportunities are truly behind this experience. I guess my mom noticed or something, because when she came to pick me up from school one day, she brought up the topic again. And of course, I say the same, selfish thing. Then my mom asked, “Then what do you think about your friends who are a military family, what do you think they go through” I never really thought about it that way, but if I truly thought about it, yeah, they do almost always go through that, it's actually more of a miracle if their parents are stationed for longer than they should. When either military parent gets stationed, they have to move and leave behind everything they might have just gotten used to, friends, environment, and overall comfortability, they have to get rid of it all.

That alone made me stop and question myself. Do I really have a right to complain when my friends gone through it multiple times before me, that it’s just not me who has to deal with change in lifestyle. I guess humans are really are not accustomed to change. From that point on, I tried to look at more positively, thinking about the good things about moving to the mainland, and how I can easily make new friends if I really try. I told my friends about the current situation I’m in, and never complained. They understood it’s a no-choice situation so it can’t be helped, I’m just glad that I’m not selfishly thinking about what I want as much anymore, I feel that I should look at things more positively, or at least neutrally before I reach a conclusion, just like this. Man, can’t wait to see what the mainland is like.