My Family Experience

After being dropped off from dance late at night, I was expecting to walk into a silent house where everyone was asleep. Instead, I walked into my living room to find the rest of my family sitting on the couch with the television off, which was strange for my family. It was clear they were waiting for me to get home, so I sat down too. My mom and dad exchanged a look and a sigh then turned back towards my brother and me. They babbled absently for a few minutes, then, my mom quickly spit out the words, as if ripping off a Band-Aid, "We are moving back to Arizona." There was a brief moment of stunned silence before I burst into tears. I could not imagine why my parents would decide to separate me from my best friends six months before we were supposed to

August 15, 2013 was the date that I entered high school. I had high hopes for the upcoming high school years to be my best years ever since I was in sixth grade. I expected that I can make more friends, join more club activities, and can choose classes that I really like. Although I was very enthusiastic and eager to start the all new school years, I also had a lot of worries and confusion about it also. The night before I start my freshmen year, the thoughts of failing classes, and be able to graduate high school kept

My mother became depressed, my father became disabled, and my brother was skipping school. I continued going to school from eight until four, which was a big relief in my life because it made me forget the hard times. My grades slowly began to decline, as well as my motivation. I gave up many opportunities such as attending New York’s number one specialized high school. I recognized my mistakes and was able to identify my failure. School was not the only place where I lacked interest in because I also slowly started to push my friends away. As a young teenager, I did not think I would ever make it to college. I became frustrated at my parents because my life was ruined and it was all their fault.

During those semesters, I relapsed in my battle with depression. I was originally diagnosed at the age of nine but learned to manage the disease with the proper tools of guidance of professionals. The transition from college to the next step presented me with many new challenges that reignited my triggers. After having the disease in remission for so long, I had forgot how to handle my struggles on a day to day basis, so my academics took a hit. The process of learning to cope, build myself back up, and continue moving forward has been tough but has made more confident in who I am as a person, a student, and as a future

However, my junior year also held some troubles for me. In October, my cousin had a stroke and passed away. Visiting her in the hospital and attending her funeral brought back unresolved issues I had from my brother’s death in 2010. I didn't know how to cope, so I fell into a deep depression. I had no energy; it was like my brain wouldn’t let me do anything I used to enjoy. I stopped playing the piano after having played for ten years. I loved to run, but I stopped completely. I didn’t have the energy for either.

My parents decided to let me finish the rest of the school year which gave me only a semester to say goodbye. The rest of the school year flashed by faster than I expected. All the stress and pressure from schoolwork ended, and summer vacation started. I had 77 days to plan and worry about what was to come.

A few months ago, I was just beginning the second semester of my junior year and I felt like I was living the life. I had a reliable car, a loving family, and a great group of friends who had my back. However, in late January of that year, my little brother suffered a medical emergency that tested me and my strength as well as that of

It was the last day of our summer vacation in Dallas, Texas. After a week of scorching heat and sunburns, we were ready to head home. It was early in the morning and the sun was beginning to stretch its arms getting ready for the day. Our suitcases were packed and we began to get ready for the long trip back home to Michigan. We loaded the car filling every empty space in the trunk with luggage. As we finished, we got into the car and drove to the lobby of the hotel to return the keys from our rooms. All of us waited in the car besides my step father who went to check us out of the hotel. The rest of us stayed in the car waiting and eating the continental breakfast from the hotel. Once my family and I were all situated in the car as my dad began speaking. “I want to take you all somewhere before we leave,” he announced, looking into the rear-view mirror back at us. My brother and I weren’t acknowledging what he said and we continued the movie we were watching in the car assuming that he was taking us to visit another relative or a restaurant.

We’ve just finished eating an amazing birthday dinner filled with the smell of a baking cake. With all of the closer older members of our family, that live in Elkin, North Carolina. I have to say I don’t really know many of them by name, but I’m familiar with what they look. I know it’s sad to say it like that but we don’t see them that often. I only remember them by the whitened haired wrinkled skin, lose fitting tanned colored church clothing, each taller and short. This site just isn’t normal to me. Still for today; we all came to Naomi’s home to celebrate one of the great uncles birthdays, he turned 78 today.

My summer '13 was spent with my mom, and my family that lives in Kentucky. It's time for school... Yay!!! New school. The car is packed, loaded and set with my stuff and we were on our way. It's time to drop Chetu off at her new boarding school. We got there unpacked, decorated...the usual stuff. Time to meet the principal, teachers, and other staff member, other students blah blah blah. News flash! The head of school demands that you have to repeat the tenth grade since you're two years ahead than the usual. I was 15 and I was supposed to be a junior. My face  I was so blue, mad, ready to slap someone. After some talking with my mom about whether or not I wanted to stay, my decision was okay, I'll stay and repeat grade 10. My mom, cousin and her husband left. I'm there to

It’s been almost one year since one of my proudest and at the same time the most dejected moment of my life; graduating from Joel Barlow High School. For the most part, I was ecstatic to be graduating from high school and looking forward to attending college in New York City. I was excited to have my first taste of being independent and the thrill of moving from a town where nothing interesting ever happens to a city where I could spend my time doing whatever I wanted At the same time, I knew that my graduation would be the last time that I would be able to see my closest friends together for a while. I used graduation as a chance to say my final goodbyes to everyone I knew before I moved away for the summer. Even though I told people I was

After talking to him, I felt as if I had been repurposed, like I have a reason to live again. His story about his wife and how he was kicked out made me grateful for my own family, and it awakened in me a hunger to get back to them. I have to get back to them, to my wife, my girls, I thought, as I pulled out my empty wallet to gaze at their pictures. At that moment I knew what I was going to do, although I denied it for a time, I knew what I had to do. I needed to cross the

I always heard growing up, “ Great things can emerge from small beginnings”. My mom made sure that my 4 sisters and I know that. Being a child of two ministers, my family has experience working with small businesses and ministries, for our church was small. Unfortunately, things did not work for our church, so we had shut down. My family then attended Family Christian Center (FCC) in Munster, Indiana. FCC is a mega church with fancy lighting, a ginormous stage, and large screens. The pastor of the church had great illustrated messages.

Devastated, I ran to my room gushing my eyes out. All these emotions going through my head of how my life would be without my parents in the same room or even house. From what I remember it all started about mid-June, the weeks before that were crucial. My parents would always argue over how to deal with a situation between me and my brother, Skyler. They hardly spoke to one another, but when they did they would just start bickering. I remember, one night after dinner they both went into ''their'' room with the door locked yelling at one another. Skyler and I didn’t know what to do, so we went downstairs and tried to figure out what was going to happen. With a scared tone I asked if mom and dad were going to get a divorce?" He answered back '' No, they love each other, they wouldn’t do that to us." That following night, was a school night everything was quiet except for my crying. I couldn’t sleep; all I was thinking about how it's going to affect my family.

When I was eight years old my parents separated, and they got officially divorced when I was twelve. After my parents separated, my mother took on being a single-parent. My father gave up all his rights to my sister and I. Prior to my parents separating, my family was considered upper-middle class. My dad worked as a computer engineer, and my mom was a stay at home mother. After my parents split, my sister and I went from having everything to nothing in a day. My mom had to move back in with her parents until she could find a full-time job and a place for us to live. Because I have seen my mother struggle as a single-mother, I matured a lot faster than most children my age. Even though we struggled with money growing up, my mother always made it a point to go on vacation yearly with my sister and I; I have been to over 30 states because my mom loves to road trip. Additionally, it has always been a family tradition of ours to go to the state fair every year. Because of my family experience growing up, I am very independent. I also learned to appreciate the little things in life. My mom always taught my sister and I that time spent with family is far more valuable than materialistic things. My mother and I are very close to this day, and I will forever be grateful for everything she has done for my sister and me.