So,everyone knows that I started high school but if you haven't heard you must be living under a rock. Anyway the only reason I haven't posted, especially about high school is because I was waiting to post more about it and I was busy doing a LOT of homework. So to start, all my classes are fun (especially art) and I am enrolled in Honors English and Spanish 4 AP. I know, being in a class full of seniors and juniors is really scary but I'll survive. I also joined the school's speech and debate team, I have already competed in my first student congress competition. Unfortunately I didn't win a trophy but I did have a lot of fun, my next competition will be this coming Saturday, wish me luck! Back to more after school activities, last night I went to my first school dance, the stoplight dance. The reason why this dance is called the stoplight dance is because you have to wear certain colors for different reasons, so if your in a relationship you had to wear red, and if it's complicated you have to wear yellow and green means your a single lady. Of course I had to wear green because I am a single lady and I am proud of it. The dance was a lot of fun and I got to hang out with some new friends that I met.
Today I started my community service with the Best Day Foundation. The Best Day Foundation is an organization that lets kids with special disabilities hang out the beach for the whole entire day. Last year I was a participant but know I am a volunteer. I had to partner up with another volunteer and together we hung out with a boy named Will who has autism. He was really excited to go in the water and we spent the whole day with him it was really fun.
Now to introduce some new friends, first of I would like to say that I still keep in touch with my old friends but one of them is mad at me for not posting in a long time. Her name is Cristina and she is going to be happy to see that I posted something new. Anyway I am happy to say that I have made a new friend her name is Ana and she sits next to me in English Honors. Ana is also on the speech and debate team with me and we both encourage each other to do our best in competitions. During lunch I have a group of friends I hang out with, one of the girls is in my algebra class(eww...math!)her name is Taylor. She is very nice and she lets me borrow her books when I need something to read. She is in to anime, which is Japanese stories, movies, or shows. She got me into this one anime series and now I am in the anime club aswell! well that's it for now, I promise I will post more often and I hope you are all still reading this.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Monday, August 16, 2010
Goalball Tournament
Sorry for not posting for awhile, I have been really busy lately with finishing my homework, going to summer camps and getting ready for high school! Speaking of summer camps, this weekend I attended Camp Bloomfield for a goalball tournament. Camp Bloomfield is a summer camp founded by the Junior Blind of America. Camp Bloomfield is especially designed for kids who are visually impaired and blind. I have been coming to this camp for the past seven years. This year I have attended two sessions and last Thursday my mom received a call from the camp asking if I would like to attend another session for a goalball tournament!
It was a last minute call, they wanted me to go to camp the next day but I already had plans for Friday night. I went on a ghost hunt with my grandma! So I had to get up early to go to camp, and let me tell you it was not fun getting up early on a Saturday but it was worth it. Anyway, goalball is a sport for the visually impaired and blind. You need at least three people for this game. The court is shaped like a rectangle so one person is on the left and another person is on the right side of the court and one person is in the middle. Each player needs to wear elbow guards, knee pads, hip pads and blindfolds. The ball contains bells that make a lot of noise so you can hear the ball when it is in motion. The object of the game is to roll the ball into the other teams goal line. When the opposing team is trying to roll the ball into your goal you have to try to block with your whole body so the ball doesn't get in past the goal line. When I got there we had to start the tournament right away so I didn't even have time to practice but all the other teams had at least two hours of practice the day before. I didn't even know the people on my team and I also didn't know all the official rules, this was my first goalball tournament. My team's name was the Queen Bees. We lost the first game because we weren't used to each other and by the end of the day we were ranked last place. There were eight teams, four of them were girls and the other four were all boys teams. The boys and the girls team competed separately so our team only played against girls. The next day was the elimination games, we finally won our first game and the team we beat was eliminated. Our team was scheduled to play in the semifinals, the next team that wins would go on to being in the championship game. Before the game we started to practice because we really wanted to win and go to the championships. Even the number one ranked team came in and worked with us to improve our throwing and blocking. The score was 14 to 16, we lost but not by much. We did much better as a team and came from last place to third place in just two days. Everyone was proud of us, no one thought we would get that far but we proved them wrong. So as you can tell I had a great time and I hope I can participate in the next goalball tournament. Who knows maybe I will be on the next goalball national team and travel around the country!
It was a last minute call, they wanted me to go to camp the next day but I already had plans for Friday night. I went on a ghost hunt with my grandma! So I had to get up early to go to camp, and let me tell you it was not fun getting up early on a Saturday but it was worth it. Anyway, goalball is a sport for the visually impaired and blind. You need at least three people for this game. The court is shaped like a rectangle so one person is on the left and another person is on the right side of the court and one person is in the middle. Each player needs to wear elbow guards, knee pads, hip pads and blindfolds. The ball contains bells that make a lot of noise so you can hear the ball when it is in motion. The object of the game is to roll the ball into the other teams goal line. When the opposing team is trying to roll the ball into your goal you have to try to block with your whole body so the ball doesn't get in past the goal line. When I got there we had to start the tournament right away so I didn't even have time to practice but all the other teams had at least two hours of practice the day before. I didn't even know the people on my team and I also didn't know all the official rules, this was my first goalball tournament. My team's name was the Queen Bees. We lost the first game because we weren't used to each other and by the end of the day we were ranked last place. There were eight teams, four of them were girls and the other four were all boys teams. The boys and the girls team competed separately so our team only played against girls. The next day was the elimination games, we finally won our first game and the team we beat was eliminated. Our team was scheduled to play in the semifinals, the next team that wins would go on to being in the championship game. Before the game we started to practice because we really wanted to win and go to the championships. Even the number one ranked team came in and worked with us to improve our throwing and blocking. The score was 14 to 16, we lost but not by much. We did much better as a team and came from last place to third place in just two days. Everyone was proud of us, no one thought we would get that far but we proved them wrong. So as you can tell I had a great time and I hope I can participate in the next goalball tournament. Who knows maybe I will be on the next goalball national team and travel around the country!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
D.C Adventures Part 2
OK, so I should explain more about why I went to Washington D.C. The reason I went to D.C is because there was a conference for people with albinism there. For those of you who do not know what albinism is, I will make a brief description of it. Albinism is when someone is born with no pigment in the hair, skin and eyes. As a result of no pigment in the eyes and skin, people with albinism burn easier in the sun and are usually visionly impaired. Well anyway back on the subject, so there is this organization that always organizes these conferences every two years. This organization is called NOAH. NOAH stands for the National Organization of Albinism and Hypopigmentation. This organization's main goal in life is to provide information to parents with kids who have albinism.
So anyway here is the other half of my trip that I have yet to post. So were back to Thursday afternoon. We just got back from the Smithsonian Museum of American History and I was just going out to take a dip in the pool when we noticed that we had to register for the NOAH conference. So we grabbed our folder and name tags and then we looked over the program for that night. Later that night we met up with Lexe and her dad for the opening ceremony. I met two other kids last night. One girl was at the last convention in Las Vegas. Her name is Tia and she is thirteen years old. I also a met a boy (don't tell my dad)Who I also met at Las Vegas. His name is Alex, he is fifteen and he lives in Woodland Hills, California.
On Friday we had to separate into teams. I was on the black team (a.k.a the penguins) I was kind of nervous because I thought that I wouldn't know anyone. Luckily Alex was on my team and I also made some other friends on my team. Anyway all of the teams got to learn how to use the metro and then we went on the National Mall (Unfortunately not a shopping mall like I thought it would be)It was actually just patches of grass leading to the Capitol. We walked to the Capitol and took group photos along the way. Then we had to walk all the way to Union Station for lunch. I wasn't that hungry so I just ordered a smoothie. Then we got to explore Union Station and go to different shops. I met some other boys and we made a group to look around Union Station. I made another friend when we had to walk to Union Station, his name is Andrew and he is from Tenesee.
After we mapped out a root on the metro to get back to our hotel we walked in to our special teen hang out, then we were given an assignment. Our assignment was to make a poster that showed what we did that day. We had to add photos, Luckily Andrew took a lot of them. After we worked on our poster and we mapped out where we wanted to go tomorrow we all went to different seminars. I went to a book signing where an author had written a children's book about a little girl with albinism and who has a dream that teaches young children it is not nice to be bullied and it also teaches kids to stand up to bullying. I got to talk to this author and she gave me really great advice. She told me to just go for it. After that we went on a night tour around Washington D.C (Sadly it's still humid outside even at night)
We went to see the outside of the White House, then we went to the World War Two Memorial and then the Lincoln Memorial. That night we went to sleep really early. The next day our group took the metro to Fords Theatre where Lincoln was shot. Then we went to a couple other places that were unimportant and finally we went to lunch. After lunch we took the metro back to the hotel and we put the finishing touches on our poster. Then I went to a cosmetics seminar and I learned about make up and fashion. After that I went to a dinner but we didn't stay long because I wasn't feeling well.
On Sunday morning we started packing and then we went down for the closing ceremony and banquet. I sat next to a girl named Heather and her grandma. Heather is from Tehatchapi, California, she is sixteen and we are still keeping touch with email. For the last part of the conference NOAH tells us where the next convention will be in two years. So I am happy to announce that the 2012 NOAH conference will be held at...St. Louis, Missouri!!!
So anyway here is the other half of my trip that I have yet to post. So were back to Thursday afternoon. We just got back from the Smithsonian Museum of American History and I was just going out to take a dip in the pool when we noticed that we had to register for the NOAH conference. So we grabbed our folder and name tags and then we looked over the program for that night. Later that night we met up with Lexe and her dad for the opening ceremony. I met two other kids last night. One girl was at the last convention in Las Vegas. Her name is Tia and she is thirteen years old. I also a met a boy (don't tell my dad)Who I also met at Las Vegas. His name is Alex, he is fifteen and he lives in Woodland Hills, California.
On Friday we had to separate into teams. I was on the black team (a.k.a the penguins) I was kind of nervous because I thought that I wouldn't know anyone. Luckily Alex was on my team and I also made some other friends on my team. Anyway all of the teams got to learn how to use the metro and then we went on the National Mall (Unfortunately not a shopping mall like I thought it would be)It was actually just patches of grass leading to the Capitol. We walked to the Capitol and took group photos along the way. Then we had to walk all the way to Union Station for lunch. I wasn't that hungry so I just ordered a smoothie. Then we got to explore Union Station and go to different shops. I met some other boys and we made a group to look around Union Station. I made another friend when we had to walk to Union Station, his name is Andrew and he is from Tenesee.
After we mapped out a root on the metro to get back to our hotel we walked in to our special teen hang out, then we were given an assignment. Our assignment was to make a poster that showed what we did that day. We had to add photos, Luckily Andrew took a lot of them. After we worked on our poster and we mapped out where we wanted to go tomorrow we all went to different seminars. I went to a book signing where an author had written a children's book about a little girl with albinism and who has a dream that teaches young children it is not nice to be bullied and it also teaches kids to stand up to bullying. I got to talk to this author and she gave me really great advice. She told me to just go for it. After that we went on a night tour around Washington D.C (Sadly it's still humid outside even at night)
We went to see the outside of the White House, then we went to the World War Two Memorial and then the Lincoln Memorial. That night we went to sleep really early. The next day our group took the metro to Fords Theatre where Lincoln was shot. Then we went to a couple other places that were unimportant and finally we went to lunch. After lunch we took the metro back to the hotel and we put the finishing touches on our poster. Then I went to a cosmetics seminar and I learned about make up and fashion. After that I went to a dinner but we didn't stay long because I wasn't feeling well.
On Sunday morning we started packing and then we went down for the closing ceremony and banquet. I sat next to a girl named Heather and her grandma. Heather is from Tehatchapi, California, she is sixteen and we are still keeping touch with email. For the last part of the conference NOAH tells us where the next convention will be in two years. So I am happy to announce that the 2012 NOAH conference will be held at...St. Louis, Missouri!!!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
D.C Adventures
Hey everyone, sorry for not posting more often but recently my mom and I had to prepare for the biggest trip of this summer, Washington D.C! Again I am sorry for for not posting sooner, I didn't bring my computer with me and the business center is charging way to much to use the computers. But fortunately since I am a teenager and since I am a member of a teen hang out. So I am also entitled free Internet services. So lets start from the beginning on Tuesday morning. My mom and I had to wake up and catch a roadrunner at three in the morning. Then we went through security and we all know how long that takes. Then we went to Starbucks and we ate some cinnamon rolls. After that we took a plane from Los Angeles to Chicago, but we almost missed our next light to Washington D.C. Fortunately me After that my mom made a run for it and we made it with five minutes to spare. After that it's not very exciting but I am going to make this long story short. So we checked in at our hotel and we got something to eat because we only had those cinnamon rolls early that morning.
The next day we sleep in after a long day of traveling and we planned our day the night before. On wednsday we took the metro and we went to the Arlington Cemetery. In there we saw John Kennedy's grave and the tomb of the unknown soldier. We also saw the changing of the guards. Then we took another bus and we went to the smithsonian museum of natural history and we saw a Imax 3D film about the ocean. Then we met with another girl with albinism, her name is Lexe.
Today it was much warmer, so we only got to go to two places. First we took the metro to the smithsonian museum castle and then we went to the smithsonian museum of amurican history. After that we went back to the hotel and I went to the pool. Thats it for now if yuo find any typos in this post its because I am not used to to this computer and I don't have the screem enlarge. More to come check back soon!
The next day we sleep in after a long day of traveling and we planned our day the night before. On wednsday we took the metro and we went to the Arlington Cemetery. In there we saw John Kennedy's grave and the tomb of the unknown soldier. We also saw the changing of the guards. Then we took another bus and we went to the smithsonian museum of natural history and we saw a Imax 3D film about the ocean. Then we met with another girl with albinism, her name is Lexe.
Today it was much warmer, so we only got to go to two places. First we took the metro to the smithsonian museum castle and then we went to the smithsonian museum of amurican history. After that we went back to the hotel and I went to the pool. Thats it for now if yuo find any typos in this post its because I am not used to to this computer and I don't have the screem enlarge. More to come check back soon!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Graduation
Ok, so summer is here and I am enjoying it so far, I hope you are too! So, here is the deal, this summer I have many activities so I am going to be posting a lot this summer. But to start off I am happy to announce that I have graduated from eighth grade and I am going on to high school next year. My graduation ceremony was great! I wore a beautiful dress and it was my first time wearing high heels! To prepare for my graduation ceremony I had to practic walking in them around the house. I got my nails done he day before and I had to get a hair cut. The only problem was that my mom was worried that I was going to trip on the stage since it was my first time wearing high heels. But it turns out everything went fine and afterwards I went to my eighth grade dance where I hung out with some of my friends. Well that's all I have to report today but there will be many posts to come so stay tuned!
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