Challenge 3: A Day in My Life

38. If you could go back and change one day in your life, what would you change and why? (Santa Clara University)

I am eleven years old. I wake up to the ringing of my alarm clock and I look out the window to see the sun slowly creeping into the sky. It is an exciting day for me because it is the first time I am going out with my friends, without my parents. I race for the bathroom as I see my little sister dragging herself out of bed. I take a short shower, change into a pair of shorts and a top, and head down to the kitchen. My helper hands me a warm glass of milk and I drain it down in an instant; excitement gets the best of me.

My mother, eyes filled with amusement, enters the kitchen, chuckling to herself. A little embarrassed, I tell her how delighted I am to watch a movie with my friends. Of course, she then goes on to remind me to take her cell phone and be on my best behavior while I am out. I nod politely, completely unaware of the event that was shortly going to follow.

It is after breakfast, half an hour before my dai will drop me off to my friend’s house. I stand in front of the mirror, the excitement of a fifth grader gleaming on my face, making sure my hair looks okay. Then, I fantasize about the things we will do: watch a movie and eat at a restaurant, things that feel adult-like. Then it strikes me: what about money? My friend told me that her mom would give her enough for the three of us, but I still feel like I need to pay for my part. I had already asked my mother, but she denied it and said that we would not need more than what was provided. What I did next is something I am not proud of, even today.

I sneak into my parents’ bedroom. There is a small drawer next to the bed where my mom keeps all her change. I carefully open the drawer, stick my hand inside, grab a handful of notes, shut the drawer, and dash out of the room, praying that nobody saw me. Then, it is time to leave. As I wave goodbye to my mother, I feel the guilt creep up inside me, pinching at my stomach. I feel terrible, and sick.

Of course, when I came back, she had discovered that some of the money was missing and knew it was me. She asked me straightforwardly if I had taken the money, but with shame, I said no. I avoided her eyes. She ignored my answer, sighed, and called my sister. She sat both of us down and told us that we should never lie to her, but always be truthful. She said that she trusted us and that she didn’t want that to change.

That was the first time I ever lied to my mother. Now, as a teenager, I still carry that guilt with me; when I think about what I did that summer, I feel ashamed. I feel pity for the eleven-year-old me who could not own up to her wrongdoing. And this is why I want to go back to that day and look my mother into her eyes and admit to my mistake, even though she already knew. I would tell her that I was utterly sorry, and that I would never make this mistake again. However, that incident made me want to be a better person. It made me want to be a daughter whom my mother could trust. So maybe, it is better left alone because I really did learn an everlasting lesson.

Challenge 2: Character of a Literary Work

80. Describe how the character of a literary work you have read recently has made a lasting impression on you. (College of Notre Dame of Maryland)

I felt like I was too old to read the book for the first time, but I understood that if I didn’t read it now, with the perspective of an adolescent, it would not mean the same to me ten years from now. So then, I grabbed the book from my father’s collection of fiction from his college days, and made myself comfortable on my bed. I had the heart to finish it in one go because I had heard that it was a really engaging novel. Alice in Wonderland: the novel about which my friend used to talk endlessly. So I started reading, walking through Alice’s adventures in Wonderland, discovering the characters she met, and enjoying every bit of the classic fiction. After I finished the book, I was satisfied. However, a certain quote stood out from the whole story and really made me think. My friend had talked about it earlier, but I never really gave much thought to it. It was something that the Cheshire cat told Alice when she asked him which way to go: “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to” (Lewis Carroll). When Alice tells him she does not “much care where,” he says, “Then it doesn't matter which way you go” (Lewis Carroll). The cat’s explanation really opened my eyes. It struck me that whatever lies ahead of me is not absolute or for me to figure out. From where I am, I can see a sea of endless opportunities and experiences, new friends to be made, new places to be visited, and new memories to be created. There is no way I can know what is coming for me, but when it does, I will be on my toes, ready for it to come punch me in the face and let me discover the beauty of living.

Challenge 1: Experiences as a teenager

43. Explain how your experiences as a teenager significantly differ from those of your friends. Include comparisons. (University of Puget Sound)

At the age of twelve, I was admitted to Woodstock School. I had never been in a boarding school before, and the years ahead of me felt like giant boulders I had to overcome. However, as I started adjusting to the sea of foreign faces, I made friends. They were everything I had at school because home was far away and I only got to see my family during the holidays. I shared everything with my friends and wanted to keep them as close to me as possible. However, I soon discovered that our choices were not always similar. Many of the things they prioritized did not mean anything to me. In grade seven, one of my closet friends got a boyfriend, and well, things started to change. Instead of the late nights we spent talking about just anything, she was busy on the phone with her boyfriend, giggling away. I did not understand why it was so important to have a love relationship with a boy when we were so young! Then came high school, which is still another roller coaster. My friends started doing things that I had always opposed, like smoking cigarettes and drinking. When I discussed the severity of their actions with my closer friends, even they shrugged, placed a hand on my shoulder, and told me that now there was nothing wrong with doing these things. Now I understand that these are choices I have to make, keeping in mind the future that lies ahead of me like a blank, white page, ready to be written on. Seventy years from now, I do not want to be the granny who tells her grandchildren about the time she got drunk in a bar, vomited out the window, and woke up in an abandoned trash can. However, I do want to be the granny who teaches her grandchildren to live life in a way that they will not regret.

Article 1

Boy murdered 'for being a Gypsy' by BBC

Published: 17th November, 2003

Accessed: 18th October, 2011

Summary: A 14-year-old boy, by the name of Johnny Delaney, was found with severe head injuries, in Ellesmere Port in May 2003. He died shortly after reaching the hospital. Two 16-year-old boys on trial were believed to have assaulted him because “he was ‘only’ a Gypsy,” and they admitted that by assaulting him, Johnny “got what he deserved because he was a Gypsy.” Witnesses claim to have seen the two boys kick and stamp Delaney on the head. Delaney belonged to a travelling community based in Ellesmere Port, who had been victimized by the teen group that the two 16-year-olds belonged to. The two boys admitted kicking Johnny, but they did not believe that they had caused his death. Some officials believed that the root of this incident was racial prejudice.

Response:

This incident reflects the consequences of being different from the community one lives in. It shows that society decides if an individual fits or does not fit into society; if it thinks that somebody does not fit in, society will make sure that person is gotten rid of, regardless of the method. In this article, the boy is bullied and killed for being someone that the two elder boys did not think should be accepted into their community. This article connects to the novel One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey. In the novel, McMurphy is a significant character because he stands up against Miss Ratched’s words and regulations and is different than all the other patients. He tries to revolutionize the existing traditions and thrives to bring change to the ward. However, because of his personality, because he is so different from everyone else, McMurphy ends up being lobotomized, and in the end, murdered. This is how society gets rid of people they believe should not be accepted.

Vocabulary

Word 1: prosecute

a. "Prosecuting, Christopher Vospa QC said he would argue a confrontation began when one of the defendants' group shouted racist abuse at a group of travellers on a playing field."

b. prosecute: to institute legal proceedings against a person. From Latin, and late Middle English, perform, discharge, execute, conduct. First Known Use: c.1500

c. Many of the people involved in the bullying incident were prosecuted by the Disciplinary Action Committee.

Word 2: defendant

a. "Prosecuting, Christopher Vospa QC said he would argue a confrontation began when one of the defendants' group shouted racist abuse at a group of travellers on a playing field."

b. defendatns: a person or institution against whom a charge is brought up in court. Anglo-French (Middle French, Old French defendant), accused, plaintiff. First Known Use: c.1400; Middle English defendaunt.

c. The defendants claimed that they were not responsible for the victim's death.

Word 3: altercation

a. "The jury was told that after a 'minor altercation,' Johnny and his friends ran off."

b. altercation: a heated, noisy argument or dispute. From Latin, quarrel, disagreement, clash; squabble, tiff. First Known Use: 1350-1400.

c. The altercation between the two friends soon lead to a bruised nose and a broken wrist. (dictionary.reference.com)