2017, Hopefully a Great Year

2017 is coming, and its coming fast. 2016 was the most chaos filled year of my life. I can honestly say this full confidence that I am telling the truth. This past year has been alot about change, a new school, new city, and new friends. A lot of the changes Ive experienced this year has also been negative. Maybe not as negative as Im making it sound, but that's what I want to change about myself this year. Not change as in I think something is wrong with me, but I want to change this for the better. I want to make myself think more positively about what is going on around me. Such as the  adjustment to the new school, new city, and new people would have been a bit easier if i had thought more positively about how better off i would have been inn the future, thinking about how happy I am now.
Overall, I think that being more positive about what is going on in your surroundings is something that everyone should do. The littlest things that can indicate a bad day for you can be pushed out of your mind until its something that you dont even think about it. If you aren't thinking about it then it doesn't ruin your day. 2016, to me, was a year that contained so much negativity. 2017 is one that I want to fill positive memories and good times, that'll be easy with the new start, provided with me by my mom.

Discrimination of Single Mothers

" I remember once we were kicked out because they (The landlords) thought that since my mom, they found out that she wasn't living with a man and she has four children, it wouldn't work. They kicked us out. He thought she wouldnt be able to provide everything, between rent and the kids." This is a story from a young girl who was chosen for an interview because she grew up in a home with a single mother. Some stories she has shared can be hard to understand for people who haven't had to live under these circumstances. Unfortunately this is a common concern for single mothers, discrimination. The discrimination of single mothers compared to women who are married with children, or who don't have children at all is unsettling. This topic is very hidden in the eyes of the press, but not to the eyes of a child born into circumstances like these.

Single mothers are often called irresponsible, unstable, and unreliable. Single mothers are called "irresponsible because of having children before marriage", "unstable because how could they possibly support themselves and their children", and "unreliable because who knows when they'll pay their rent on time, if they pay on time". These are all biased statements made about these women that aren't, necessarily true.  "It took a woman landlord to help me because the men were the ones who who thought of things like that. The other woman landlord, in the apartment we were close to getting, was trying to help me, but the person who was stopping her was her husband. All of the men at all of the other apartment said 'no'." These the words of a single single mother who was asked to share her experiences. She had a very similar experience as the young girl from the first interview.

"I went for an interview for a job and when they found out I was a single mom, they asked if I had support system. If I didn't, they wouldn't want to hire someone with kids, without husband or support system because you might call off if your kids get sick you had to get them from school and you didn't have a babysitter, so you had to call off. The jobs don't want to get involved if things like that happen, so they just don't hire you." These women are denied jobs because of these circumstances, then are turned down when it comes to houses or apartments because it is inferred that they don't have enough money. Also, they are called burdens when these mom need to rely on family and/friends. It all goes back to the prejudice. These women wouldn't have to depend on others if they made enough money to get an apartment. Single mothers would be able to make enough money if the prejudice didn't prevent businesses and companies to giving these women jobs.
   
Instead of judging single mothers and pushing them onto the streets people should offer to help to them. People constantly want good press, to be seen as good people doing good deeds. The first thing that comes to their heads is children, help the children. Yet helping the mothers in order to help the children I'd unheard of. One- third of single moms are insecure in terms of food, that means starving children. If you want to help the children, then start by helping the moms get a head start. Help a woman get that good job, the money from that job will help get an apartment, a safe haven just for a mom and her children, help a mom look like a hero in the eyes of her child.

Tears of Joy On Christmas

     The best gift I've ever given someone is jar that counts the money that you put in it, inside the jar was 50 dollars. It isn't much, I know that it isn't the best gift in the world, but it felt good when my mom recieved it, she cried because, to her, it showed that I really tried to help her, and that I cared enough to try to give her something as important as money. At the time I was was young, but I was old enough to understand what money problems were. I knew that money was something my mom didn't have a reliable source of at the time, so I kept I jar in my room for a couple months to collect spare change in. I kept it hidden in my room, so my mom would never see it. I don't recall exactly where I got it, but I'm glad I did because the concept of it counting coins is what made this fun. Every time my grandfather gave me the left over change from going to the store, I would put it in the jar. I would search the house meticulously for dimes and such under the couch and on the floor.  By the time Christmas came I had a little more than 50 dollars. When I gave it to her she cried, I didn't understand why at the time and I thought I had made her angry, but I was glad to learn that the tears coming from her eyes were tears of happiness.

Driving fast doesn't get you anywhere faster, except the hospital."

   This quote, "Driving fast doesn't get you anywhere faster, except for the hospital.", comes from my dad. I have a really distant relationship with my father, so anything I can have,when I grow up to remember him by, I keep. He told me this when we were talking about how I would be driving soon. Driving will be a big part of my life, so this is something that I can always remember and it is something that's very important when it comes to driving. It's important because driving is something that's can be dangerous and hold lives. My dad may not have given me everything a dad is supposed to give their daughter, but he did give me these words that I will always remeber. These words could be apart of the good side of childhood, the part when I was scared of growing up but I knew it was happening.

The Future of Us

I read the book The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Hackler. To me, this was a great book. I'm a little younger than the characters of this book so I couldn't relate to every single thing the characters go through, but some I know are coming soon. The main characters are Emma and Josh, they are neighbors and have been best friends for a long time. Something happened the summer before this book takes place that has separated them and they drift apart. One day Josh gets a free AOL CD-Rom in the mail, he takes it to Emma because he isn't allowed to have a computer but he knew that Emma just got one for her birthday. Soon after Emma receives the CD-Rom, the two discover that they can log into their facebook accounts fifteen years into the future. What they find in the future isn't what they expected. Will they use it to their benifit and try to change the future, or will they just accept it and keep with the flow of life?

Gratitude at its Fullest

Thanksgiving is a time where little kids walk around with a list of things that they are thankful for. Also having mom or dad being the top things on that last, I've been there, but this year I'm old enough to actually say what I'm thankful for. I'm very thankful for my mom, and I can say that this year with reasonings that I couldn't give before. When I was younger she was always was at the top of my list, but that was because she was my everything, my whole world, I'm older now have have been exposed to the outside world a little bit, but she's still at the top of that list. She takes me to church to try to strengthen my faith, because she cares about me. She always tries to lead me in the right direction, set me on the right path of life. She's been there for me throughout all of these tough times this year, moving and going to a new school, and also as she calls it, "Being a teenager". She's cared for me and watches out for me, she doesn't " Put up with me", like other woman might do with their kids. I love her for all that she's done for me. I know she'll always be there for me, I just hope that she knows that I'll always do the same.

Six flags: My Best Day Ever

     When I went to six flags it was the best day ever. It wasnt the best day of my life, such as my siblings being born or something big like that, but it was a great day of childhood. The kind that you'll always remember and could be a conversation starter. I was eleven when I went to Six flags for the first time I can remember. I had gone once before when I was younger, but I don't remember. My mom said that I got lost on that trip so I guess that its good that I don't remember.It was my eleventh birthday when my mom de died that I was old enough to go. It was Me, my mom, our neighbor, and our neighbor's nephew. Our neighbor Raul had been my moms firmd since childhood and his nephew Elijah, who was my age, but a little older so we got along. Mom and Raul are chickens so they didn't get on many rides, but me and Elijah went on so many, without taking breaks. It was a good time because the rides were fun and the lines were long, but I had good company while waiting. After all of that we ended the day with a funnel cake. I shared one with my mom and Raul and Elijah shared. Even after all the tiring walking, we stood up to watch a scary movie.

Women Claiming to Be Parents to Get Easy Money

     Isn't school a place where you can depend on your children being safe at all times? A place where security is ensured and where people, who can be a harm to your children, be kept out. Mrs. Pointer, a seventh grade Social Studies teacher at John F. Eberhart elementary school, ran to the office to report that's her diabetic sugar testing machine and her purse had been stolen from her classroom, while she dismissed her class from school. When she opened the door to the office she was surprised to see that another teacher was also in the office stating that her personal belongings were missing. The other teacher was Mrs. Hudson-Oden, a seventh grade math teacher. They both were missing different things, but they had the same question in mind. Who's the thief? Could it be a student, how about a fellow teacher?
     Well after a week of investigation it was confirmed that it was neither a teacher or student who committed the crimes, it was two adult women who came into the school claiming that they were there to pickup their children. After the two were out of the sight of the security, they went up the back steps all the way to they second highest floor. They raided the first three classroom seen when coming from the steps. In the first classroom a purse with a phone, a wallet, and a checkbook was stolen. Not only did they steal from that room, they completely trashed it. Papers everywhere and everything out of its place. In the second room everything was also chaotic, in the end it was confirmed that a purse and sugar testing machine for diabetics was taken. In the third room there was only mess because it was beginning to be raided when a teacher was heard coming from the stairs. Then the two went down the main stair case, on the opposite side of the hallway. They left exited using the door right next to the steps, leaving the building, without anyone knowing.
     What would have happened if a student had returned to a class room or happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time? A student said, after the incident,"It's quite scary to think about it now. I was going to go back to the classroom because I left an assignment, I asked to go back then I just thought to leave it until the next day." This was a student in Mrs. Hudson-Odens class, the first class to be raided. Luckily for that student she didn't go back, there was no reports on if the women had weapons. So a school is a place of safety, but you can never be too careful.

My life as a young Padawan

     Childhood, the simple times. Back when homework was coloring a pages and when i thought I'd never learn to read. I would run around everyday with my cousins who lived down stairs, I have one named Anakin who they call my twin because we are then same age and look alike. I know what you're thinking and yes his name is really Anakin, it says so on his birth certificate. That brings me to my next topic, Starwars. Everyone in my family is obsessed with starwars, therefore it was a big part of my childhood, as were, watching the movies, having pretend light saber fights, and quoting it on the daily. I'm no longer a starwars freak, but it was a big deal in my family. My cousin Julia and I did a lot of making tortillas with my grandma. Finally a normal name, first August and Anakin and now Julia. Anyways, we were inseparable as children. We played games together, colored together and even bugged Anakin together. In my grandmothers house, where we all lived together, we had a wall that contained a little window that looked like one you would find in a restaurant. The three of us would play restuarant and take turns serving each other food made from play-dough.  That's only a little part of my childhood, it got more complicated as i got older, but I like to remember the happier times.

Arizona, land of dry heat

 Me the best trip I ever took is when I went to Mesa, Arizona, I went this past summer. The reason I went was because I haven't been there in nine years, I used to live out there when I was younger. My family lives out there and they wanted to spend my 13th birthday with me. When I went the average temperature was 110°, but I like the dry heat better than the humidity I would get here in Chicago. Out there I went to visit a ghost town with my family. There they had built a zipline, that was the main reason they were attracted to the area, but I was interested in the other things they had. The ghost town was built right off of Superstition Mountain, many Native American tribes thought of the mountain as sacred. That fact drew me to be interested to the mountain. I also went to Castles an' Coaters, it's this Six Flags of Arizona. They only had one big roller coaster there and the other rides were smaller. It was fun to go to family and enjoy their company while doing something fun, even if it was just walking around for a while between rides. The trip was great overall because I was surrounded by family and old friends the entire time. It helped that I had access to a pool 24/7, but I'll just call that the icing on the cake.

The moral of the Beastkeeper

     The book I read for my summer reading project was Beastkeeper by Cat Hellisen. The book is about a girl named Sarah, all her life she lived with her mom and dad together. She had a sense that something was wrong with her family and she just accepted it. One night her mother leaves Sarah  and her father, the only reason she gives is that she "can't sit around and wait and watch him(Sarah's father) turn". Later Sarah finds out that her father's family has curse on them that turns them into beasts when they fall in love with someone who doesn't love them back.  Her father takes her to live with her grandparents, who she had never heard of prior to these events. There, Sarah meets her grandmother, Igna and grandfather, Edward. Edward is in the form of a beast and is kept caged in a shed by his wife. Also Sarah begins to fall in love with a boy named Alan. She needs to find away to break the curse before something horrific becomes of her.
     The message of the story to me don't think that beauty is all you have to offer people. Igna and Edward's relationship was based on good looks. It didn't end well for the two. Freya cursed them because she knew that it wouldn't last, because the only reason they were together was looks. Another example of this is, that shows beauty isn't the foundation of a relationship, is when Sarah was a beast Alan didn't leave her.  He didn't see her differently because her outside with different than before. He even cared for her as a human would be cared for even though than wasn't what she was depicted as. Even towards the end Sarah didn't leave Alan because he was blind and he would be able to appreciate her beauty. She didn't leave him because the scars on his face disfigured him. They both stayed together because they liked what was inside of eachother, their feelings and personalities.  Also the cover spoke to me, the cover shows a rose inside a cage. This has no relevance to the story itself. I think this is a reference to Sarah's grandfather, Edward. She saw him as a person, someone who had a soul and has feelings.  Sarah's grandmother, Igna, saw him as a beast. She saw him as what he was displayed us. But Sarah knew that he was a person inside so that's how she thought of him. I think that his soul, what's inside of him is the rose that's inside of the cage. Also the cage that holds the rose is the cage that Igna held Edward in because she couldn't what was inside.

"Where will you be in a decade?", I'll tell you...

My personal goals are to have an impact on the women and children of the world who are victims of domestic violence and emotional abuse. I say women and children not to be biased, but I say this because it is mostly what I can relate to. I am a child definitely didn't have a perfect childhood that you see in the movies. My dad left my mom with three year old, a two year old, and a newborn. He left to be with another woman who was pregnant and due in a few weeks. If you can infer what I'm saying, my dad wasn't the most loyal. I want to  help families who don't have someone to lean on and were mistreated by the ones who were supposed to be there for them. I want to open a shelter for these people and for people who have depression because of their past. I know what it's like to have a struggling mother, do you have a family that you think is broken, and I know what it's like to be unhappy. These are the reasons why I want to go to college to get a degree in sociology, this will enhance my chances of opening the shelter. I want to use my life to help people who are under these circumstances. I'm not saying I will have all of this accomplished in 10 years, but this is definitely the road I want to be on.