Growing Up In Detroit, Michigan

The biggest memories that come to me are going to church in my hometown. Every Sunday was a special schedule. I got to wear my best clothes of the week, which was usually a dress, long socks, and a bow for my hair. Once my whole family was ready we would walk to church. On our way, my mom would often stop and talk to neighbors. Sometimes I would have to remind her that we were going to church or tell her that we were going to be late. Mass was an hour or so. After mass, my mom and dad would give me money to buy an ice cream or junk food. When I finished my ice cream, we would walk home with neighbors who lived on the same street. Walking home everybody would talk about how beautiful the ceremony was and how well the priest explained the Gospel. I loved the sense I was given by my neighbors. Comforting and belonging is what I felt when I was around them. McClay and McAllister refer to this as “anchor our memories in something more substantial than our thoughts and emotions,” which is my hometown connecting me back to my neighbors at my

grew up in Chicago, Illinois, a beautiful city surrounded by violence and controversy by the media. I found things more simple when I was kid growing up here, there wasn't much to worry about but as I got older things became more complex here. The sounds of the " L "' or as you know it as, The Train, and the roaring sounds of cars passing by my house made me feel alive while growing up and as a matter of fact still does. You could wake up in the morning and see the vibrant blue skies being pierced by the skyscrapers and see other kids playing ball or riding their bikes. When it was summer time I would play ins sprinklers or go downtown and play in the fountains with my family. Of course, like most big cities I had to watch my back while growing up because you never knew what somebody was up to. It's weird really growing up here because you never know what's going to happen next , wether it's a good thing or a bad thing. All I can really say about growing up in Chicago is that if I had the chance to redo it, I'd do if a million times.

Growing up I lived in the small town of Duncan, Oklahoma; although, not nearly as small as the town I currently reside in. Throughout my adolescence, I attended Mark Twain Elementary School and as I was ending the third grade, my parents decided that we should move to Fox, Oklahoma to be closer to my grandparents. Moving would bring big changes my way such as a smaller school, living in the middle of nowhere, and new ways of entertainment. Living in the country has its pros and cons, but I can tell you the only thing I could think of the night we moved out there was the cons. Eventually, I had grown accustomed to the silence, lack of traffic, and having nothing to do. Looking back I feel that if we had not moved to the country then I would

As we arrive to Chicago, I began to see tall skyscrapers, which I was very afraid of, I was always afraid of them falling. It was a totally different world, and atmosphere for me. I remember getting my first bite of pizza, and simply just puking it right back out because my body was not used to it, at that time I had no idea that pizza in a couple of years would become one of my favorite foods. After living in Chicago for about a year my family decided to move to Miami, Florida, just because the Chicago weather for us was too cold and windy. In Florida I went to my first year of school in the U.S, not being able to speak english was a major problem. This problem caused me to be held back in 1st grade. After about a year we moved again,because the weather in Florida was too hot. This time we moved to Ohio, a place I have called home for about 10

Mark Caine once stated, "the first step toward success is taken when you refuse to be a captive of the environment in which you first find yourself." Growing up in the Bronx, New York, this quote greatly applies to how the environment in which I grew up in shaped my aspirations. Living in the Bronx can prove to be difficult and it requires strenuous effort to find exceptional opportunities. Resources that are provided towards education are limited, meaning that most supplementary aspects that we need to obtain a "full' education is not granted to us.

When I went to Gatlinburg, Tennessee I was with my parents, grandparents, my brother, and my cousin Savannah. I got to go to all the little shops, Dig through rocks, and I remember honking through this tunnel we drove in. I guess it was tradition. I remember going to a mini amusement park where we rode go carts. I also remember going to the Titanic museum. I remember touching the ice wall and seeing all the sunken objects. I also remember seeing the grand staircase. I remember it feeling super heavy and emotional

It began with a small town and a small house. Until about 12 years of age I lived an average kids childhood in Alfred, Maine. Everyone was kind, I had birthday parties, friends were always over, I loved sports, especially basketball. Most of all, I was comfortable. At the time, I never realized what, or how lucky I was.

Life was amazing and wonderful for a time being. My family was whole and put together. We had just moved into a house on Circle Road in Worland, Wyoming. I remember the house quite well before my parents had done any work to it. There were bird cages, pecked out doors, other animal cages, stains of all sorts, and holes in cracks in the walls and ceilings. It was quite the piece of work to say the least! Renovations were tedious and awful, but all the hard work would pay off in the end. Building the house up to my family’s expectations took awhile, but it was worth every second of it. Time flew by during my childhood in that house. I remember one day taking a trip over to the fish hatchery in the canyon. Other days we would spend at my grandpa’s house visiting him. We would attend as a family social events and parties. Life was pretty amazing. To say the least things were going quite well in the Boltz household. Furthermore, there were three things that changed me and my life when my dad died.

Not even a little bit. I mean, growing up in Texas, you just don’t ever expect to.

There are a lot of fond memories of growing up in Texas because I have spent most of my life here. Texas is a diverse state with many different cultures and languages. The opportunities are as vast as the many different areas of rural and suburban living. There are many different sights to see, places to go, and roads to travel in this big state. Texas holds everything that I love from my family to my friends. My Texas memories include various beautiful scenery, wonderful smells, the sound of music, the blazing heat, and the feeling of being home.

I was born in St.Catherines hospital a couple blocks away from my brown bricked house on alder street. My home was fairly simple, more on the cramped size. It was an apartment. In the streets litter everywhere, the neighbors cared less on how they presented themselves. They cared only about drinking, partying and having the time of their life. The odor of marijuana floated around the whole city. The crime rate in East Chicago is one of the highest in the nation. Drive-bys, drug dealing, and robbery was a daily activity. Yet, that never

As a child I was Boston born but Georgia raised. My mom says I moved to Georgia when I was 2 but since I was 2 I don’t remember. I stayed in Georgia for 8 years and when I was ten my family moved back to Boston because my mother got tired of Georgia. I had never lived in Boston after I was born so when I got here I didn't know anyone besides family or any of the places. My first year here in Boston I lived in-for lack of a better weird-the hood. I was from Georgia the parts where the worse thing that ever happened to me was a school lockdown because they thought fireworks were gunshots. When I came to Boston it was a totally different scenery. I was scared to go everywhere and/or do anything. I lived in Mattapan kinda near Blue Hill Ave. to give you some imagery. The corner store I lived near was more than “a corner” away. But as well it wasn't a mile away either. I was scared mostly because the street I had to walk down to get to the corner store was full of houses blocking the light and wasn't ever that busy.

Growing up in small-town Pflugerville, I never imagined what life would be like outside of a "country" area - until I moved to Killeen, Texas. Killeen is a town full of hot-headed, military, city-slickers that clog up the highway like ants. Often, I think of times when I was younger - looking up at the clear, blue, open skies; the smell of fresh-cut grass always awakened my senses. Now, I look up and I see wires, buildings, cars, and smog. They always say "There is no place like home," and in this case, there are no two places that differ more than my hometown and the town I live in now. The speed of life, the buildings, and most of all, the crime rates are all very new to me. The world is like bowl of fruit, sometimes the taste of each point on a map can differ as greatly as apples and oranges.

I grew up in an environment where everyone knows everyone and it wasn't a really a bad climate but a little town I will cherish and love and will be forever be my hometown Rockport Tx

When I was a child I had many happy memories. I was born and raised in Lowell, Michigan. A small, rural town with very little diversity. I attended schools in the Lowell Area School District from kindergarten through 12th grade. As I sit and reflect on my elementary school years, I have many happy memories. I had positive relationships with many of my teachers; especially in my K-4 years. Mrs. Pomper always made me feel welcomed and always greet me with a smile. Mrs. Sterly taught me to read and Mrs. Ham always had confidence in me. These are three of my teachers in my early years I will never forget. My grades were good and I was motivated to try my best in everything I did in school; even if it was playing soccer and volleyball which were definitely not in my skills set. My view of school was positive, I loved going. I had friends, great teachers,