My Experience In My Life

“Tough times don’t last, tough people do” - Julian Edelman. Throughout life I have overcome obstacles that seemed almost impossible to conquer. Crying, fighting, searching for a way out of my life that has haunted me for eighteen years. I thought I would never live to see this age, but here I am today, standing tall and proud amongst others everyday. The lessons I have learned and experiences I have gone through have built my character, gave meaning to my visits back home, and have helped me find ways to keep myself busy with free time.

As I boarded the charter bus to my second year of Unidiversity (an annual summer youth trip in Tennessee), I could not begin to imagine the person I would become as a result of this trip. As a teenager going into my last year of middle school, I was determined to have the time of my life. I wanted to have fun, make a better connection with friends, play games, laugh, and really enjoy the time with my leaders and friends. At this point in my life, I was hiding a dark secret that only two other people in my life knew about; I was bisexual. As an almost eighth grader, I was comfortable with my sexuality, but I didn’t know how to explain it to others, and although I knew my friends would accept me for who I was, something was holding me back. I would walk around hiding behind I mask that I thought was permanent, a mask that told everyone that I was one thing, when I was really another. Little did I know that I was about to rip off the mask, and show my true self for the first time in my life.

Growing up I had a good life. I lived with my brother, sister, and both of my parents together as a good family. My parents really taught me how to be respectful and responsible. I was lucky to have them as good influences in my life. I am not one to disrespect anyone unless they have done me wrong. I grew up caring about school and always wanting to perform well and anything that I do. There were many challenges and events that helped me become the person I am today. One of which is when my family and I had the opportunity to visit our home country, Zimbabwe.

It has been an eventful four years here at Christopher Dock. I went through a lot and I am proud of who I am becoming. I am not the shy, quiet and awkward kid that I was coming here but instead, I grew into a kind, confident and selfless individual ready to take on the world. Thanks to the adversity that I went through, I was rewarded with what I desire the most in this life: God, Friends and Family. The adversity that I had go through was letting go of my past, restoring my lost faith to God and stop being dependent onto my brother Tyler. Without doing those three things, I would not be where I am today. Now I would like to reflect on my growth throughout all of these four years.

My story begins on the 8th of November an "epic" day. I was born about two weeks early with my twin brother. we weighted about 8 ounces and we could fit in the palm of my dad's hand but not all was good we suffered from asthma and we were also diagnosed with being color blind. we had to be put in machines to help me breathe. That’s all I remember for my first 2 years of being alive. Then disaster struck as we had to go into the foster care system because our parents were drug and alcoholic addicts. Me and my 4 brothers we spilt up into two different homes me and isaac were with one family after about 2 months going home to home. Meanwhile our 3 other brothers were with a different foster family.

This was it. Everything I had ever done had led up to this weekend, to this moment. All the hard work, all the supporting roles, all the learning from people older than me. I was finally ready to have my chance to be in the light. I remember pacing back and forth with smell of fresh paint in my nose, the stage having been painted the day before. My hands were shaking. I kept checking my arms to make sure I had not sweat through my costume. I kept running the opening monologue in my head, hoping and praying I did not forget anything. Then the time came. The lights had gone out and I could still hear the murmur of people talking as I stepped out on stage.

Since I could walk as a toddler, I quickly learned the thrill of going new places. By the age of five, I learned how to ride my bike and the distances I could go exponentially increased. My older sister Rachel pushed my little pink bike, then, let go as I pedaled as hard as I could so I would not fall over. In middle school, I discovered the Bay Area train system, and utlized it to see my sister Rebecca. When she attended UC Berkeley, I took Caltrain to the Millbrae station, hopped on BART, then rode it across the bay. She ended up settling in the City for work. To visit, I only had to take Caltrain up to its last stop, then walk the two miles to her apartment. I would say she is the closest to me out of my whole family. Growing up as one of nine children, I was automatically born to be independant. I have five sisters, and three brothers. This had its ups and downs, but looking back, the circumstances truly shaped the person I am today.

During the years I was in college I did not attend organized religion unless I was home or visiting my grandparents. I did continue to talk to God and pray however. I was exposed to people of many different cultures and religions and was fascinated by their differences. This was a part of life that I did not have many opinions of my own and I think I just went along with which ever friend I was with at the time or whatever was popular. I attended Florida State University, which even then was big, and there was no shortage of cultural events, lectures and camaraderie among the students. The experience I had at this school was an awesome eye opener and did help me to begin to begin to consider what I wanted to be as a unique individual and the direction I desired my life to proceed from here. I met my husband and after I graduated we were married.

Life. Have you ever mistaken a test a life or death situation? I have in 6th grade. I thought I’d do horrific in a science test, but who knew it would make me feel successful. It was the year 2015. Little 8 year old me would be amazed. After watching the movie 2012, I was wondering why hasn’t the world ended since 2012 went by. Now that it’s 2015, I wish that was true. It was 1st period science class. The sun had not yet raised up and high in the wonderful black and cloudy sky. All around me I could hear classmates bickering and yelling. I mean, that’s what kids do. I see people hanging out with their friends; I also see boyfriend and girlfriend hugging. The bell had rung like it was a siren for a war call, super loud. All the kids jolted to their seats; the teacher strolled in.

My entire life has been full of three of me. My brother, my sister, and myself. I say three of me because my siblings and I are the same age. We were all born on the third of June in nineteen ninety-nine. It has always been this way – the three of us. We are the musketeers, always by each other’s side. We have been through ups and downs and everything in between. For the past eighteen years, all I have known was my siblings and the comfort that they bring. Not only are they the other two-thirds to my life, but they are my best friends. Jaelyn and Dakota (my sister and brother, respectively) are my guidance, security, and sanity.

As I walked to my cold seat at my desk, I stared at the teacher who was lecturing us, I was in a trance of wandering thoughts.Had this reverse in my life's polarity really benefited me? I noted it to be a mixed blessing. Why had God put me in this funny position anyway? I sometimes felt so alone in what I was going through. My classmates just can't understand what's been going through my life.To them my change in character meant very little or practically nothing. I have already felt completely isolated once in my life.

Every moment of accomplishment is success and there is one event in my life that stands out above the rest. I stood waiting in the psychiatric ward of the hospital, awaiting my father’s embrace. I was eager, but not ready to see him after months of waiting and wondering. Nevertheless, my palms were sweaty, arms crossed, unwelcoming to the unknown. This was the first hospital that allowed me to visit my father as a 12 year old because of safety regulations. My heart sunk as I walked into this unfamiliar place. I immediately noticed the eerie aura of the place. The walls were lifeless with no sign of photographs or memories--just a blank canvas of gray. It saddened me that this is where he was staying everyday without an escape. I saw people struggling with serious mental illness: bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and clinical depression. It was a shock to see my father amongst patients who were clearly mentally ill. Despite my unrest with this new reality, I have found an undeniable interest in medicine and health after seeing my dad be prescribed many combinations of medicine trying to find the one that would counteract his mental illness.

As an artist would create a new piece, multiple events have shaped me into the person I am today. My life is a mixture of inspirational highs and heavy lows. However, despite my misfortunes and amidst my revelations, one moment of immense personal growth stands above them all - and in fact, it wasn’t a moment, it was a process. My grandmother had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s when I was eight, and since I was in middle school, lived with my family and I. She passed away last March, and through her memory loss she reminded me to cherish life and work hard; in dying, she reminded me to live.

Pflugerville, growing up in this town has been a unique experience not many others can say they had for themselves. Although I never tend to focus on the past, I still have seen this town grow to the extremity it is now today, in being one of the fastest growing areas in all of the United States. Many things you now see today like the new high school or the hospital which is being developed were not here when my I had first moved here. Reflecting back to my childhood, I find it to be inspiring- the experiences and knowledge I have gained throughout my life. Even if i had the chance to change things, I wouldn’t, I would do everything the exact same. My decisions may have not been the greatest at times, but they shaped me into what I am today. While there were many factors to lead me to how I am now, not all were as important as others. Growing up with a brother for example has been something in which words alone will not show how much I appreciate him. Also, growing up in the country has isolated me from a lot of things I sometimes wish I could take back, however the past is gone and the future in now. Many factors have shaped me into the person that I am today and I am grateful for each and everyone of them.

It was the summer before my eighth-grade year. I was thirteen years old and so excited for the upcoming school year. I earned a position on both the mixed and girls select choirs. I loved my school, I had a great group of friends, and life was good; or so I thought. On a muggy 100 degree July afternoon, my dad took my little sister and me on an “outing”. We walked to the nearby Zip- Trip gas station for finger freezing milkshakes. Once we purchased our chilly beverages, we proceeded to walk to Brentwood Park. We sat at a wooden picnic table held together by rusty nails and worn down by time. Etchings of hearts with initials inside covered the table like wrapping paper. The three of us chatted about our vacation to Portland and asked “get-to-know-you” questions. After about half an hour, there was a lull in the conversation and all that could be heard was the slurping of the last drops of cookies ‘n cream milkshakes. That’s when dad said he had some news. He announced that he received a job offer as the dentist on an army base, which was fantastic because he had been wanting to find a new position. Then the bomb dropped. The job was on Kwajalein in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and I had no clue where that was. We had 2 months to pack up, say our goodbyes, and leave. September 19th, 2013, we embarked on our new adventure. We flew from Washington to Colorado to Hawaii and on the 21st we arrived at Kwajalein. As soon as we stepped off the plane, we were bombarded by