It all started with a knock on the front door.
That one simple knock on that one Tuesday evening changed everything and turned my life around. I was in the living room on the phone with David, the absolute love of my life, like my usual routine after I got home during the summer when that knock happened. ‘Knock, knock’ was the sound that rebounded off the front door and echoed throughout the halls.
David has been gone for a such a long time now, one whole entire month now, he has been off somewhere with his family in the middle of Switzerland. I do not know what there really is to do there during the summer because won't all the snow be gone, but I guess family bonding time is needed and necessary at times. Which is something that I'll never be able to experience anymore but it's about David right now. I just really want to see him after all this time. To make everything even worse he won't even tell me when he's getting back, his own girlfriend. I question his ways at times but if he did tell me, I would be thinking and counting down the day until I get to see him again, even though it's not like I don't do it everyday already.
I have been checking all the flights coming in from Switzerland. The last one arrived last night and David obviously wasn't on that one since he's calling me from halfway around the globe at this very minute. Speaking of which, I should probably get back to the phone call.
"Hi, Christel? Are you still there? Hello?" I heard someone call through the phone.
"Ummm, oh yea. Sorry I got lost in my thoughts." I managed to stutter out.
"What were you thinking about that could quite possibly be more important than me?" David responded quite cockily, this kid is full of himself. I guess Switzerland gave him a big head, even though he already had one to begin with.
I immediately replied with a "nothing" but he saw right through my lie.
"If you say so," was the response I received. I did say so, so that backfired on him.
"Hey so that Independence Day Father Daughter dance is coming up and I'm wondering if you will finally be going?" David asked.
Why does everyone always ask me this exact question every single year? Each time someone asks me that question, a bunch of different questions pop into my head that I want to ask. Why do you care? If I never go, why do you think it would be different this year? Who do you expect me to go with?
That last question is just a pain every time I think about it. Only the few people that are really close to me and hold my trust know what happened with my dad. I love my dad with all my heart. He was my best friend and companion through everything that I went through. I couldn't imagine life without him, I never even thought about life without him. I was able to talk to him about anything that went on in my life. A girl does have all her girl issues, guy problems, school drama and all the other good stuff. He had turned into my therapist through all the sad things and hard times that upset me and all the happy moments I've enjoyed. I cherished the precious time I spent with him.
Then dumb Presidents and their diplomacy or whatever they do decided it would be in the United States of America’s best interest to send our troops all the way across the Atlantic to help corral people. Unfortunately my dad who was a Lieutenant General happened to be one of them. The sadness and loneliness that I faced through those times.
I would come home everyday to an empty house that sort of seemed abandoned in ways. No flowers were being kept, no pets running around, no wonderful aromas flowing throughout the house from the kitchen, and most importantly no sense of home with a loving family. It was just me, myself, and I every single day. I had no joy to want to do anything. I just came home, did homework, I usually didn't eat much food, watch a couple minutes of TV and then go straight to bed. The unchanging cycle was one of the factors of my depression. The depression affected my grades, social life, my body and so many other things.
That all changed one day when someone knocked on the door. It was a uniformed official... Right when I saw him I knew my life had changed. The military never send people over unless your loved one has died while in combat.
"Hi Mrs. Wheeler," I was greeted with.
"It's Miss, I'm his daughter," I said while still trying to keep myself composed.
"I'm sorry Miss. I came today bearing sad news. Colonel Wheeler has become MIA."
From the second I heard that I started to cry. I just cried and cried for days into weeks. I had lost my best friend, there was an incomplete hole in my heart that just couldn't be replaced by anything. My depression got worse and I just pushed everyone away. People kept coming up to me and apologizing and saying they're sorry for what happened. I couldn't stand that... I knew they had meant well and were just trying to make me feel better but them apologizing couldn't change anything. They hadn't do anything anyways. Unless they were the people that killed him, it wasn't their fault that he's dead. It just irritated me that everyone was just coming up to me and saying I'm sorry. They haven't done anything wrong to be apologizing for.
My mom on the other hand moved on fairly quickly. One year later she married some rude business man from Prague named Bob. Every time he was around, which was thankfully very minimal, he thought he was able to order me around like a servant. He would just sit on the couch, prop his feet up on the vintage table, and tell me to hit him up with a bottle. He has no respect for me and thinks it's my duty to abide to his willing. That's not how things work. You have no right to order me around even if you are my mother's husband. You've never even been a father figure to me at all. I'm pretty sure he doesn't even know what my name is.
It's an understatement to say I hate Bob. I know it's mean but I honestly feel that way. I don't know whether it's because he's taking my mom away from me or from my dad. I will deal with him as long as my mom is happy and being respected. My mom has been through so much that she deserves some happiness in her life. Once he crosses that line, then I'm done. The two of them are always traveling together to foreign, exotic places having the time of their life forgetting all about me. They come back home once in a while unannounced and are too busy with each other to have time for me unless Bob is ordering me around. I just hope I get to see my mom's face again and actually get to have a conversation with her. If only she would come back, even if it is with Bob.
Only one person knows where my mom actually is and that's Cameron. I haven't talked to him in quite some time. We broke up two years ago when his family moved to Santa Barbara for his dad's work. He was the closest friend I had. He helped me through everything that had happened with my dad and everyone else. To make things cliché, he was my first love. It broke my heart when he told me that he had to leave. We stayed in contact for a while but then certain things happened and we just drifted away. I miss him especially when bad things happen and I just want everything to just end and be over. He always knows the right thing to say and how to make me feel better. He was just a really easy person to talk to. He's the one person that truly understands the things I go through and how I actually feel.
David is a really nice person but I guess like people say, you never really forget your first love. David had offered me so much more than I can ever ask of him. I know for sure that I don't return the same for him and he doesn't deserve that. He deserves so much better than I can ever give him.
The thought of David returned me back to reality but I wasn't hearing anything from the phone. I guess my life thinking was taking up too much time and I hadn't been responding to him. I’ll just call him back later and explain what had happened. David is really understanding and forgiving. Suddenly something else interrupted my thoughts again. ‘Knock, knock’.
I slowly walked to the door wondering who would be visiting me since everyone else is on vacation. There is a no soliciting sign on my front door as well so it couldn't be any salespeople. I also don't think I've done anything bad enough to be getting sued so I shouldn't be getting served. I looked through the peephole and couldn't see anyone. Must have been another ding dong ditch prank, typical people these days.
I opened the door to see if I can catch the pranksters and make them stop, I didn't see them but what didn't see was a guy hurriedly walking down the driveway. He didn't seem like a person to be going around and pranking people. Very poised posture, wearing dress shirt and khakis. So familiar and I could tell his features apart from anywhere. Especially that hair, how many times I've ran my fingers through that hair.
"Hey! Hey!"
Then he turned around and there was his face... It was him.
"Hi Christel. Have you missed me?"
He was back.
Thursday
Short Story
It all started with a knock on the front door.
That one simple knock on that one Tuesday evening changed everything. I was in the living room on the phone with David, the absolute love of my life, when that knock happened. ‘Knock, knock’ was the sound that rebounded off the front door.
David has been gone for a whole entire month now, he’s somewhere off with his family in the middle of Switzerland. I don’t know what there really is to do there during the summer but I guess family bonding time is needed and necessary at times. I just really want to see him after all this time. To make everything even worse he won't even tell me when he's getting back. I question his ways at times but if he did tell me, I would be thinking and counting down the day until I get to see him again, it's not like I don't do it everyday already.
I had checked all the flights coming in from Switzerland. The last one arrived last night and David obviously wasn't on that one since he's calling me from halfway around the globe at this very minute. Speaking of which, I should probably get back to the phone call.
"Hi, Christel? Are you still there? Hello?" I heard someone call through the phone.
"Ummm, oh yea. Sorry I got lost in my thoughts." I managed to stutter out.
"What were you thinking about that could quite possibly be more important than me?" David responded quite cockily, this kid is full of himself. I guess Switzerland gave him a big head, even though he already had one to begin with.
I immediately replied with a "nothing" but he saw right through my lie.
"If you say so," was the response I received. I did say so, so that backfired on him.
"Hey so that Independence Day Father Daughter dance is coming up and I'm wondering if you will finally be going?" David asked.
Why does everyone always ask me this exact question every single year? Each time someone asks me that question, a bunch of different questions pop into my head that I want to ask. Why do you care? If I never go, why do you think it would be different this year? Who do you expect me to go with?
That last question is just a pain every time I think about it. Only the few people that are really close to me and hold my trust know what happened with my dad. I love my dad with all my heart. He was my best friend and companion through everything that I went through. I couldn't imagine life without him, I never even thought about life without him. I was able to talk to him about anything that went on in my life.
Then dumb Presidents and their diplomacy or whatever they do decided it would be in the United States of America’s best interest to send our troops all the way across the Atlantic to help corral people. Unfortunately my dad happened to be one of them. The sadness and loneliness that I faced through those times. That all changed one day when someone knocked on the door. It was a uniformed official... Right when I saw him I knew my life had changed. The military never send people over unless your loved one has died while in combat.
"Hi Mrs. Wheeler," I was greeted with.
"It's Miss, I'm his daughter," I said while still trying to keep myself composed.
"I'm sorry Miss. I came today bearing sad news. Colonel Wheeler has become MIA."
From the second I heard that I started to cry. I just cried and cried for days into weeks. I had lost my best friend, there was an incomplete hole in my heart that just couldn't be replaced by anything.
My mom moved on fairly quickly. One year later she married some rude business man from Prague named Bob. It's an understatement to say I hate Bob. I know it's mean but I honestly feel that way. I don't know whether it's because he's taking my mom away from me or my dad. The two of them are always traveling together to foreign, exotic places forgetting all about me. They come back home once in a while unannounced and too busy with each other for me. I just hope I get to see my mom's face again and actually get to have a conversation with her. If only she would come back as well even if it is with Bob.
Only one person knows where my dad actually is and that's Cameron. I haven't talked to him in quite some time. We broke up two years ago when his family moved to Santa Barbara. He was the closest friend I had. He helped me through everything that had happened with my dad and everyone else. To make things cliché, he was my first love. It broke my heart when he told me that he had to leave. We stayed in contact for a while but then things happened and we just drifted away. I miss him especially when bad things happen and I just want everything to just end and be over. He always knows the right thing to say and how to make me feel better. He was just a really easy person to talk to.
David is a really nice person but I guess like people say, you never really forget your first love. David had offered me more than I can ever ask of him. I might not be the same towards him and he doesn't deserve that. He deserves so much better than I can ever do.
I returned back to reality but didn't hear anything on the phone. I guess life thinking took up too much time and I wasn’t responding to him. I’ll just call him back later and explain what had happened. Suddenly something else interrupted my thoughts again. ‘Knock, knock’.
I slowly walked to the door wondering who would be visiting me since everyone else is on vacation. There is a no soliciting sign on my front door as well. I looked through the peephole and didn't see anyone. Must have been another ding dong ditch prank, typical people these days.
I opened the door to see if I can catch the pranksters and saw a guy hurriedly walking down the driveway. He didn't seem like a person to be going around and pranking people. Very poised posture, wearing dress shirt and khakis.
"Hey! Hey!"
Then he turned around and there was his face... It was him.
That one simple knock on that one Tuesday evening changed everything. I was in the living room on the phone with David, the absolute love of my life, when that knock happened. ‘Knock, knock’ was the sound that rebounded off the front door.
David has been gone for a whole entire month now, he’s somewhere off with his family in the middle of Switzerland. I don’t know what there really is to do there during the summer but I guess family bonding time is needed and necessary at times. I just really want to see him after all this time. To make everything even worse he won't even tell me when he's getting back. I question his ways at times but if he did tell me, I would be thinking and counting down the day until I get to see him again, it's not like I don't do it everyday already.
I had checked all the flights coming in from Switzerland. The last one arrived last night and David obviously wasn't on that one since he's calling me from halfway around the globe at this very minute. Speaking of which, I should probably get back to the phone call.
"Hi, Christel? Are you still there? Hello?" I heard someone call through the phone.
"Ummm, oh yea. Sorry I got lost in my thoughts." I managed to stutter out.
"What were you thinking about that could quite possibly be more important than me?" David responded quite cockily, this kid is full of himself. I guess Switzerland gave him a big head, even though he already had one to begin with.
I immediately replied with a "nothing" but he saw right through my lie.
"If you say so," was the response I received. I did say so, so that backfired on him.
"Hey so that Independence Day Father Daughter dance is coming up and I'm wondering if you will finally be going?" David asked.
Why does everyone always ask me this exact question every single year? Each time someone asks me that question, a bunch of different questions pop into my head that I want to ask. Why do you care? If I never go, why do you think it would be different this year? Who do you expect me to go with?
That last question is just a pain every time I think about it. Only the few people that are really close to me and hold my trust know what happened with my dad. I love my dad with all my heart. He was my best friend and companion through everything that I went through. I couldn't imagine life without him, I never even thought about life without him. I was able to talk to him about anything that went on in my life.
Then dumb Presidents and their diplomacy or whatever they do decided it would be in the United States of America’s best interest to send our troops all the way across the Atlantic to help corral people. Unfortunately my dad happened to be one of them. The sadness and loneliness that I faced through those times. That all changed one day when someone knocked on the door. It was a uniformed official... Right when I saw him I knew my life had changed. The military never send people over unless your loved one has died while in combat.
"Hi Mrs. Wheeler," I was greeted with.
"It's Miss, I'm his daughter," I said while still trying to keep myself composed.
"I'm sorry Miss. I came today bearing sad news. Colonel Wheeler has become MIA."
From the second I heard that I started to cry. I just cried and cried for days into weeks. I had lost my best friend, there was an incomplete hole in my heart that just couldn't be replaced by anything.
My mom moved on fairly quickly. One year later she married some rude business man from Prague named Bob. It's an understatement to say I hate Bob. I know it's mean but I honestly feel that way. I don't know whether it's because he's taking my mom away from me or my dad. The two of them are always traveling together to foreign, exotic places forgetting all about me. They come back home once in a while unannounced and too busy with each other for me. I just hope I get to see my mom's face again and actually get to have a conversation with her. If only she would come back as well even if it is with Bob.
Only one person knows where my dad actually is and that's Cameron. I haven't talked to him in quite some time. We broke up two years ago when his family moved to Santa Barbara. He was the closest friend I had. He helped me through everything that had happened with my dad and everyone else. To make things cliché, he was my first love. It broke my heart when he told me that he had to leave. We stayed in contact for a while but then things happened and we just drifted away. I miss him especially when bad things happen and I just want everything to just end and be over. He always knows the right thing to say and how to make me feel better. He was just a really easy person to talk to.
David is a really nice person but I guess like people say, you never really forget your first love. David had offered me more than I can ever ask of him. I might not be the same towards him and he doesn't deserve that. He deserves so much better than I can ever do.
I returned back to reality but didn't hear anything on the phone. I guess life thinking took up too much time and I wasn’t responding to him. I’ll just call him back later and explain what had happened. Suddenly something else interrupted my thoughts again. ‘Knock, knock’.
I slowly walked to the door wondering who would be visiting me since everyone else is on vacation. There is a no soliciting sign on my front door as well. I looked through the peephole and didn't see anyone. Must have been another ding dong ditch prank, typical people these days.
I opened the door to see if I can catch the pranksters and saw a guy hurriedly walking down the driveway. He didn't seem like a person to be going around and pranking people. Very poised posture, wearing dress shirt and khakis.
"Hey! Hey!"
Then he turned around and there was his face... It was him.
Monday
Principle
Principles are a part of every person's life. People's loves revolve around the principles that they set for themselves. Children often learn the principles from their parents, peers, and surroundings. There is one principle that I will always live by which was passed down to me from my mom. That principle is to always enjoy what you do and to do what you enjoy.
People should never have to do something that makes them upset and unhappy. My mom is a great example for me and that principle. She always followed her heart and did what she wanted and believed in instead of letting others affect her choices. She has always enjoyed working and interacting with other people and it shows in all of her career choices.
I used to go back to China every summer to teach English at the kindergarten my mom had opened before I was born. I really enjoyed working with the kids but there was always something missing which lacked my full attention and interest. This past summer I was accepted in the Youth Volunteer Corps at Brookfield Zoo. I decided to try it for a summer and I ended up loving it. I was able to still interacting with other people and teach guests new information they might not have known but I was also able to enjoy being near animals and the outdoors. My mom has happy that I enjoyed what I did and encouraged me to keep doing it. This would be the one principle that I would pass on to others because there is no point in doing something that you do not truly enjoy.
People should never have to do something that makes them upset and unhappy. My mom is a great example for me and that principle. She always followed her heart and did what she wanted and believed in instead of letting others affect her choices. She has always enjoyed working and interacting with other people and it shows in all of her career choices.
I used to go back to China every summer to teach English at the kindergarten my mom had opened before I was born. I really enjoyed working with the kids but there was always something missing which lacked my full attention and interest. This past summer I was accepted in the Youth Volunteer Corps at Brookfield Zoo. I decided to try it for a summer and I ended up loving it. I was able to still interacting with other people and teach guests new information they might not have known but I was also able to enjoy being near animals and the outdoors. My mom has happy that I enjoyed what I did and encouraged me to keep doing it. This would be the one principle that I would pass on to others because there is no point in doing something that you do not truly enjoy.
Wednesday
Thankful for ______________
This Thanksgiving I would to thank everyone who's in my 5th period English class. All of you give such thoughtful opinions during our numerous discussions in that class (even Mr. McCarthy who gives us all those journal prompts and question that let us learn so much about each other. I would like to thank Kyla, Kayla, Calista, Keduse, Spencer, Jennifer, and Jonathon for being great group work partners. I probably would have been lost and confused half the time if it wasn't for them. Jonathon and Jennifer are great group partners and even though we answer the questions so slowly, they still give great answers. I would also like to thank them for only judging me for my writing and not for my craziness..... They give great advice and critique on my writings.
I would like to thank Elli and Spencer for telling me what the questions were whenever I lose my sheet. I would like to thank Amanda, Claire, and Maggie for often helping me refresh my memory on what we had read the previous night. I would like to thank Amanda and Gissel for their food contributions to my stomach. I would like to give a big thank you to Mr. McCarthy for being a great teacher and understanding us. So at last I would like to thank everyone again and I hope all of you have a great Thanksgiving holiday and Black Friday shopping if you're going.
PS in case you're going shopping, turkey makes you sleepy.
I would like to thank Elli and Spencer for telling me what the questions were whenever I lose my sheet. I would like to thank Amanda, Claire, and Maggie for often helping me refresh my memory on what we had read the previous night. I would like to thank Amanda and Gissel for their food contributions to my stomach. I would like to give a big thank you to Mr. McCarthy for being a great teacher and understanding us. So at last I would like to thank everyone again and I hope all of you have a great Thanksgiving holiday and Black Friday shopping if you're going.
PS in case you're going shopping, turkey makes you sleepy.
Tuesday
I Celebrate Myself
To celebrate yourself, is to be happy about who you are, but is it who you actually are or who you're pretending to be? We've probably all heard of the kids who change themselves in order to be more popular or just "fit in with the crowd". Transcendentalists believe that religion and government has ruined and spoiled all of societ and that we can all rise about who we are now. Religion and government has many times set the guidelines for what is accepted and what isn't. I feel like religion should be like the law, even though that isn't great either. In the case of law, a murder case where self-defense was in play is way more understandable then just a homicide for money. For many religions, sins are sins no matter what. Society has taught us all who we can be and can't be. One example of religion and government is the issue of same sex marriage. Religions has it as a sin and the government says it shouldn't be done. We are sort of becoming transcendentalists ourself because we found out that we can overcome this and many other taboos that have been set for us, about 20% of US states has already legalized same sex marriages.
What do I celebrate myself for?! I'll give you the answer that my mom and many others have said for me. I'm happy about the fact that I'm very acceptant of other people and I can't quickly judge people. I celebrate the fact that I'm able to do so many things and that I've managed to overcome many obstacles. I just celebrate the fact that I can be helping others as well as myself.
What do I celebrate myself for?! I'll give you the answer that my mom and many others have said for me. I'm happy about the fact that I'm very acceptant of other people and I can't quickly judge people. I celebrate the fact that I'm able to do so many things and that I've managed to overcome many obstacles. I just celebrate the fact that I can be helping others as well as myself.
Wednesday
Poe
Edgar Allan Poe is a very famous and praised American writer. Poe's writings are often very gothic and dark romanticism. Most of his works are very dark and gloomy. His writings also often revolve around the concept of death, whether it's the actual physical thing, mental aspect, premature death, mourning/sadness, and the afterlife (or sometimes spirits coming back like Madeline in "The Fall of the House of Usher").
In his poem "The Raven", the narrator is mourning the loss of a Lenore. He starts to hear sounds and starts to be really anxious and anticipates something is to happen. He starts to talk to the raven that comes into his house, because everyone talks to the birds that fly into their rooms instead of shooing them out. That one raven manages to get him so worked up and he starts to get less sane with each 'Nevermore'. The poem also takes place in the middle of the night. Poe had set up a very dark, gloomy, and depressing feeling with the setting, the mourning, and the loss of sanity.
In "The Fall of the House of Usher" so many things are put together. There were so many sensory elements, some of them being hyperesthesia, hypochondria, and anxiety. The house was old and cracking. They included the romanticism themes such as going mad and basically exploring the dark side. In the end, Poe gives us another questionable ending with what happened with Roderick, was it him going mad or was it the house in the end? (The house would have given the final blow but did he die from the insanity?). In 'The Raven' you don't exactly know what happened to the narrator. Poe is a very complex writer, he adds in so many elements but he still makes his readers think and analyze and voice their opinions a lot. He gives you endings, but there's always a twist with ending, so basically it's you make up what you think happened... I myself believe that Poe's writings take a very high reading comprehension ability to properly get a minimal understanding of the piece of work that Poe has provided us with.
In his poem "The Raven", the narrator is mourning the loss of a Lenore. He starts to hear sounds and starts to be really anxious and anticipates something is to happen. He starts to talk to the raven that comes into his house, because everyone talks to the birds that fly into their rooms instead of shooing them out. That one raven manages to get him so worked up and he starts to get less sane with each 'Nevermore'. The poem also takes place in the middle of the night. Poe had set up a very dark, gloomy, and depressing feeling with the setting, the mourning, and the loss of sanity.
In "The Fall of the House of Usher" so many things are put together. There were so many sensory elements, some of them being hyperesthesia, hypochondria, and anxiety. The house was old and cracking. They included the romanticism themes such as going mad and basically exploring the dark side. In the end, Poe gives us another questionable ending with what happened with Roderick, was it him going mad or was it the house in the end? (The house would have given the final blow but did he die from the insanity?). In 'The Raven' you don't exactly know what happened to the narrator. Poe is a very complex writer, he adds in so many elements but he still makes his readers think and analyze and voice their opinions a lot. He gives you endings, but there's always a twist with ending, so basically it's you make up what you think happened... I myself believe that Poe's writings take a very high reading comprehension ability to properly get a minimal understanding of the piece of work that Poe has provided us with.
Friday
What Makes an American?
I think being an American is all about the spirit. We never know what we are. Most people know who they are but probably a couple hundred generations we were all the same race. There have been many times where people flee from one place to another, where do they technically belong? For babies who were smuggled into a country at birth, they might think they're American the entire time since they grew up here their entire life, but do they belong to that other country where they remember nothing about or do they belong here? If you had changed your citizenship from another country, are you now American or are you still from your origin roots? There are many people who have US citizenship but still say they're from so and so. What about the people who ran away from their countries to escape to the US?
The US was created and found to welcome people of all backgrounds and help people escape prejudice. Being an American is what you feel you are. If you feel that you'd rather be known as an American than something else and you feel that you are worthy enough for a title. To be an American you should also be accepting of others because that is why it was created, so people can have a place to be accepted. You need to love the country and to appreciate the fact that you're here. If you don't even know anything about your roots, then is there even a point to be that? It's like this question, is it something that makes you up more or less important then something that you make up?
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