Til We Meet Again

I can finally sit down and ponder over the many things this semester has taught me. I can say I have learned things like learning how to study better, creating a movie on my laptop, even write better, but that just breaks the surface of what I have learned. The most important thing I was shown, was to open my eyes again, and actually see the beauty that my life's stories show and every last one of us has memories so vivid we can place a class of strangers in to the moments with descriptive details. Our stories matter and maybe one day we can motivate the world.

Word Count: 108

Setting Sail to America

The alarm rings, it's 5am, still dark out and the house is silent. I get up, get dressed look around my room, pick up my suitcase and passport and head downstairs. My stomach is in knots, I am having second thoughts, maybe I was too ambitious, and I should just go back to bed. The house looked the same as any normal day, no obvious signs that I was about to leave the country and my family behind. My mum and dad walk downstairs in silence, my dad ties his shoes while my mother is still in her robe. The tears begin to flow. The next few moments are an emotional blur of goodbyes and I love yous. Now I really don't want to leave, I've made a stupid mistake. Before I know it I'm at the airport terminal, hundreds of people bustling by me trying to get to their flights, cars blaring horns for a parking spot. I hug my dad, walk in the terminal and I'm on my own. People run around me, yelling on their cell phones, no one even notices my tired, tearstained face. I check in and begin to wait and contemplate heading back home, my parents will understand. 9 hours and several alcoholic beverages later, I am face to face with a US Immigration Officer. 

"Purpose of visit?"

"School"

"Where?"

"UMBC"

Many stamping sounds followed by a grunt.

"Proceed"

I walk through the doors and finally a smile emerges, I'm here, and I'm about to begin the biggest adventure of my life. Bring it on America.

Point: Don't look back, only forward.

Word Count: 267

The Little Things in Life

Around 3pm, Monday through Friday, the tranquility suddenly bursts in to children's laughter and chatter. No matter the time of year, rain or shine, the Chapel Square playground is always vibrant and energetic late in to the evening. It's a place where children from every age come to play on the slides or chat at the benches, even the adult have a communal beer and cigarette while looking on from a distance. This playground brings the community together, from summer water fights to fall festivals to the neighbourhood Santa Clause handing out presents. Without this area the children would seek other methods of entertainment, some maybe not so harmless. There is always an adult to watch the children, and it makes for a safe, special and bonding environment for young and old. The seasons are ever changing but the laughter, at every 3pm, remains constant.

Map:

Word Count: 145

Tajriba - Swahili for my belief

I believe in a life of Experiences. Everyone on this earth should have at least one defining moment in their life that they can look back on as though they accomplished, lived and created greatness.

As a meek 15 year old who had already dealt with a transcontinental move, decided it was my turn to have an experience that was my own, not my families. That May I got on a plane to Arusha, Tanzania, with a backpack and a journal. I arrived in pitch dark and was approached by an elderly smiling man, Kimon, my guide.  8 experience seekers and myself got in to two Land Rovers and drove off in silence in to the night down what was a supposed road in to the Savannah. As morning broke, 4am, we stopped in an area of elevation, rocks, brush and deafening sounds of the wilderness. I set up my home for the next four months and without sleep set off to meet my new family, the Hutu tribe. I spent four months learning the ways of a hunter-gatherer tribe and was shown the majesty of the plains of Africa through a lens no standard hotel bound tourist would ever see. Standing atop of the Ngorogoro Crater looking down on the animals hearing the sounds so clearly with a smell of crisp rain in the air, I have never been so emotionally moved by the pure beauty of this earth. I built schools, I delivered HIV positive babies but most importantly I enriched my own life with new knowledge of this once foreign culture.

While I have now been back in civilization for 8 years, there is still, to this day, not a day that goes by where I cannot apply something I learnt from the Hutu or from Africa. It is this experience that pushes me to continue enriching my life through these experiences. I believe everyone should have the same drive, to find an experience to not only emotionally drive themselves, but to enrich their life from then on.

 Word Count: 341

Narrated Time: 2 minutes and 48 seconds

Where Dreams Truly Do Come True

The green arrow flashes on the turnstile, your heart rate rapidly increases, and you're in. Immediately the smells of cookies and hot dogs, the sounds of chatter, laughter and well-known tunes, and an overwhelming feeling of joy that brings an unstoppable smile possesses you. The impulse to rush to the favourite ride is overwhelming. Walt Disney World will always be a place of magic for any age. Without Disney, Childhood dreams are lost and for those over 10 years old, it's a reminder of happier days, a location to let inhibitions loose and to just embrace, enjoy, love and indulge.

Word Count:100

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_Kingdom#Lands_of_Magic_Kingdom
http://www.dreamcometruevacations.com/
http://disney-where-dreams-come-true.tumblr.com/

Bloch: From Cheerleading to Ballroom Dance

As a dancer, you're feet are your life, and your shoes are what can make or break that lifeline. From baby sized pink ballet slippers to size 8 dance sneakers, there has only been one brand I trust my feet in while dancing. An extra $20 for a pair of shoes is worth it when they last just like my dance career has. 20 years ago today I started my first ever ballet class, now on my 23rd birthday I can look back and still have faith in my trusted Bloch and all the memories they have created for me.

Word count: 100

What Will You Regret in 30 Years?

Ever since I was a little girl I have loved to dance and to standout on my own. At the age of 18 I made two of the biggest choices in my life both financially and emotionally. I got tattoos. I have an English rose for my heritage and the tiger, I've admired since childhood. Sadly they never made a tattoo cover up good enough to cover the art. My style led to the abandonment of NFL Cheerleading. I wish I could still be on the Raven's squad, but without them, I would no longer feel like myself.

Word Count: 98