Me, Myself, And I
![Picture](/uploads/4/7/9/5/4795856/1059156.png?1352420798)
Christmas card photo, 2011
Who am I? Who am I not? Somebody please tell me, because I have no idea! I know that I’m a thirteen year old female that goes to Francis Parker. But what else? I know that I like to put everything into lists -- school, music, movies and sports. But those things feel like little details in this big ongoing story that I call, my life. Like I said before, I like to put things in lists, and groups, in my head. Other than the ones listed, I can think of three main things that fit into the group of who I am and who I will become. Friends and Family are a big part of my life, from socializing everyday at school to the Sunday night dinners we have with my grandparents; also I dedicate myself to charity work, through MADCAPS, from serving food to the homeless, to working at a school for low income families; and lastly, I enjoy my travels around the different cultures of the world, from staycations to across the globe to Hong Kong. These things describe who I am and who I will become in the future!
Friends and Family: These people love me for me, from my strange friends who always talk me into the craziest things and my family, who also talk me into crazy things! For example, jumping off the top of my boat, going wakeboarding with seals in the water or even riding on elephants in Thailand are all things my friends and family have talked me into doing. No matter how crazy or weird they are, my friends and family will always be my rock and help me when the going gets tough. They teach me how to act around people. They teach me what to say and what not to say. I still need a little more work on that, though! They provide me with hours of amusement, which is far better than watching T.V. Best of all, they will love me unconditionally, no matter how much I mess up. Because, in the end, we are all one big happy family.
Through MADCAPS (a local charity league for Mothers and Daughters) I have learned that not everyone is as fortunate as my friends and I are. In 6th and 7th grade I had the joy of serving homeless people food with my mom. This year was a little more fun because I got assigned to watch and play with 2-3 year-olds at a school for low-income families. I could not believe I was getting community service hours for playing with little kids. MADCAPS, did not only teach me how important and fun community service could be, but it also taught me how to make new friends. Being put into a group of 26 other girls you have never met before when you have no social skills whatsoever, can be a challenge. Lucky for me, some of those girls were in the same situation and became my friends right away. But I had to learn how to make new friends, and to not only socialize with people from my school. I will only be spending five more years with MADCAPS, but I have a feeling my relationship with these girls will go beyond that. Who knows, I might be serving homeless people again, with these girls, and our own daughters.
I have always had a love for traveling, even if it was either just one big, blue bridge away, or a 15 and a half hour plane ride! Traveling has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I seriously think that I have traveled outside the country more than I have in it (not counting trips to visit family, of course). When I was just 9 I took my first 11 hour plane ride overseas. We went to London and Paris, I became “obsessed” with the castles, torture chambers, and the rich history of both countries. A couple years later we went back to London, but only as a quick layover on our way to Italy. There I also became quite interested in the history of Venice and Florence, and of course the gladiators of Rome. Just last Christmas break my family and I took a well deserved trip to Thailand and Hong Kong; where we were treated to many different types of celebrations for Christmas and New Years. During this past summer, my family, our family friends the Sinnotts, Kylie Bleakly and I all relaxed in the sun during a trip to Hope Town, Bahamas. Each place I go I try to immerse myself in it’s culture, whether it’s visiting millions upon millions of museums or getting out and learning about the people. Traveling has taught me to honor other cultures along with my own. I love traveling and I know that’s one thing about me that will never change.
Even though I am only 13, I have had many life experiences from my small circle of friends and family to learning about the different cultures of the world. Each chapter in the story of my life will help prepare myself for the next. Each chapter will help shape who I will be at the end of the story because it will help me learn from my mistakes and help me prepare myself better for my future. and at the end, I hope to be truly me. Not what others want me to be. Not a fake or a stereotype. Just plain me!
Friends and Family: These people love me for me, from my strange friends who always talk me into the craziest things and my family, who also talk me into crazy things! For example, jumping off the top of my boat, going wakeboarding with seals in the water or even riding on elephants in Thailand are all things my friends and family have talked me into doing. No matter how crazy or weird they are, my friends and family will always be my rock and help me when the going gets tough. They teach me how to act around people. They teach me what to say and what not to say. I still need a little more work on that, though! They provide me with hours of amusement, which is far better than watching T.V. Best of all, they will love me unconditionally, no matter how much I mess up. Because, in the end, we are all one big happy family.
Through MADCAPS (a local charity league for Mothers and Daughters) I have learned that not everyone is as fortunate as my friends and I are. In 6th and 7th grade I had the joy of serving homeless people food with my mom. This year was a little more fun because I got assigned to watch and play with 2-3 year-olds at a school for low-income families. I could not believe I was getting community service hours for playing with little kids. MADCAPS, did not only teach me how important and fun community service could be, but it also taught me how to make new friends. Being put into a group of 26 other girls you have never met before when you have no social skills whatsoever, can be a challenge. Lucky for me, some of those girls were in the same situation and became my friends right away. But I had to learn how to make new friends, and to not only socialize with people from my school. I will only be spending five more years with MADCAPS, but I have a feeling my relationship with these girls will go beyond that. Who knows, I might be serving homeless people again, with these girls, and our own daughters.
I have always had a love for traveling, even if it was either just one big, blue bridge away, or a 15 and a half hour plane ride! Traveling has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I seriously think that I have traveled outside the country more than I have in it (not counting trips to visit family, of course). When I was just 9 I took my first 11 hour plane ride overseas. We went to London and Paris, I became “obsessed” with the castles, torture chambers, and the rich history of both countries. A couple years later we went back to London, but only as a quick layover on our way to Italy. There I also became quite interested in the history of Venice and Florence, and of course the gladiators of Rome. Just last Christmas break my family and I took a well deserved trip to Thailand and Hong Kong; where we were treated to many different types of celebrations for Christmas and New Years. During this past summer, my family, our family friends the Sinnotts, Kylie Bleakly and I all relaxed in the sun during a trip to Hope Town, Bahamas. Each place I go I try to immerse myself in it’s culture, whether it’s visiting millions upon millions of museums or getting out and learning about the people. Traveling has taught me to honor other cultures along with my own. I love traveling and I know that’s one thing about me that will never change.
Even though I am only 13, I have had many life experiences from my small circle of friends and family to learning about the different cultures of the world. Each chapter in the story of my life will help prepare myself for the next. Each chapter will help shape who I will be at the end of the story because it will help me learn from my mistakes and help me prepare myself better for my future. and at the end, I hope to be truly me. Not what others want me to be. Not a fake or a stereotype. Just plain me!