Thursday, March 17, 2016

Field Trips



          When I was in the third grade we took a field trip to the Shed Aquarium. I woke up early that day putting on the clothes I had picked out the night before, my morale was higher then ever and got on the bus to go to school. when I got to school they told us all the rules, packed our lunches onto the bus, took attendance, and then we were on our way. This was the first field trip my mom had ever been to with me and I was super excited. We got on the bus and I sat next to her towards the front and we started our trip. Halfway there the bus stopped and someone went to the front of the bus to get the body fluids kit. apparently someone had thrown up. Who is it I asked someone, "Madison" my friend Maddy replied. The teacher with us claimed it was motion sickness, because it took awhile to get downtown from the suburbs especially on a bus so we kept going. When we got to the Shed Aquarium there were hundreds of people all crowded around waiting to get tickets. I saw people swimming with stingrays and others apprehending fish to clean out the tank and many other strange but intriguing things. We slowly started walking around the museum looking at all the sea creatures, it took us three hours but we finally got to go to lunch. My stomach hurt and I had a headache and I though it was because I hadn't eaten. So I at my chips and sandwich hoping I would feel better so that I could watch the dolphin show at the very end. But I didn't feel any better. After lunch I felt sick and my head started pounding. I felt like I had a fever because I was really cold, I tried to suck it up so I could finish the trip but I knew if I walked any longer I might throw up. My mom was coincidentally talking to the girl Madison's (my best friend's ) mom who had also volunteered on the field trip. "I think am sick." I told my mom. " How do you feel she asked?" I then explained to her the headache and nausea. My mom replied telling me she can't take me home because she had to chaperon. "You know," Madison's mom said " My husbands coming to pick up Madison, he could pick up Elina too." Grateful my mom said sure. I then went to sit next to Madison on the bench. "This isn't so bad" i told her." At least we get to miss the essays at the end of the day. " "Yeah" she said "I guess". Her dad finally came to pick us up and he drove us home. We were kind of sad that we had missed the dolphin show but glad about the essays. Field trips are important because we get to learn about different subjects and have fun at the same time.

Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Diary


April 3rd, 2006

            Dear Diary,
                  Today I met my little sister for the first time. Her name is Deena. I was at my grandmothers house and my dad was at the hospital with my mom but he quickly came back to get me and my brother to meet our new sibling. When I first found out I was kind of upset. I would have to share a room and I thought it wasn't fair because my mom should have thought about that before she just up an moved all my stuff. Second my little brother who was born only two years before is adorable and fun but sometimes he is SUPER annoying he cries almost every day if he doesn't get what he wants so basically when I found out I was like "really another one?" Anyway when my dad called my grandma I just smiled and then went back to playing with my brother. I mean I am excited and all but nothing really feels different so I was kind of like whatever. My dad came and picked us up an hour later and we headed for the hospital.She was born at  Lutheran General which is across the way from a Portillo's so of course we stopped there first. My dad was in a good mood that day so he told us to order whatever so me and my brother went ahead and got Giant chocolate cake milkshakes. They were amazing. That is literally the number one thing I remember about today was the milkshakes, the rest is kind of a blur. Anyway the rest of the day me and my brother just sat in a hospital chair watching people pass my sister around like they were playing hot potato because no one person held her too long finally me and my brother got to hold her and even though my brother wasn't care full I made sure I was after all I am the oldest. Today was super fun and I can't wait for all the fun things that will happen and all the experiences I will get to have with my little sister.


Saturday, March 5, 2016

Erika's Blog



     This week we were supposed to write a blog based on this quotation,

We must live, and when this is all over, we must work to make the world a better place.  And if we die, we will die knowing that it was not our fault, that we did our best, and we can go to our deaths in dignity… I want you both to live…And to remember...You must choose love.  Always choose love.”  

(from Daniel’s Story by Carol Matas, page 70) and I kept thinking about a time when this applied to me or someone else. But then I realized that I see examples of this quote all the time, and always in books. In most books there is a similar theme especially in distopia novels, where as they're are usually two sides bad and good, heroes and villains, great and evil. And I realized that most of the protagonists have one thing in common, they would do anything for the ones they love. (SPOILER ALERT) Think about it in Divergent, Tris Prior loses her life for the greater good of the people she spent most of her life trying to protect. In Harry Potter, we saw evidence of this sacrifice in the first chapter when Lily and James died protecting their son Harry so he would live. In the Hunger Games, Katniss offered her self in return for her younger sister Prim who was to be sent to her definite death when she was picked to participate in the Hunger Games. In The Book Thief Hans teaches Liesel how to read and takes care of her and even trades sixteen cigarettes because he knows that when Liesel gets the books that he has just traded them for she will be ecstatic, and that is an example of some kind of sacrifice doing things you hate knowing they will make the person you love most happy. The reason I love all of these books was because they all made me feel sad or happy or made me laugh out loud and those are always the best kinds of books, the ones that make you feel a million different kind of emotions all at the same time. So I guess Erika in Daniel's story was right "Always choose love." And the more I think about it that's the whole reason we all love these books because in this day and age most people root for the underdog because I think they see a little bit of themselves in them and the fact that these ordinary people did amazing things all for love gives us hope that if we make those kinds of decisions in real life we will become these extraordinary people. Even though most of us already are.


Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Sarah's Key


Sarah's Key is an AMAZING book that I have currently read that was recommended to me by Mrs. Joyner my English and Literature teacher. Sarah's Key is about a little Jewish girl living in Paris during World War 2 in 1941, and the struggles she faces during this time period. Every other chapter it switches though to a reporter in 2002 who came from Boston, Massachusetts to Paris, France and is now a Journalist. This reporter was assigned to do a report on the Vel' d'Hiv roundup of Jews and the deeper she looks in on this event that few know about the more secrets she finds. Its wonderfully sad but it's one of my favorite World War 2 books. I highly recommend other books also if you end up reading this book and love it such as The Boy In The striped Pajamas, Daniel's story, and The Book Thief.