Personal Narrative

It was near the end of my 8th grade school year, about 2 month away from graduation, when something I never expected to happen actually happened. This event really changed my life forever and shaped me into who I am as a person today. I had just arrived at my house after school when my parents received a call that my grandma was ill and that we should come down to check on her. As we rushed down to my grandparents house, my family was deeply concerned about what may have happened because my grandma had never really had many health issues before this. As we arrived at their house and walked through the door, we were greeted with the sight of my grandma sitting in a chair with a blanket around her while she was sleeping. My family’s first reaction

The sparks fly in the air, there are marshmallows in your hair, and you’re with your favorite people in the world. This is called the best place on earth, for me at least. I enjoy camping so very much, you meet new people, experience different things, make new memories, and have a blast. You also see new sights, smell some things, and always wake up to the birds singing and not the bustling streets of the city. Camping is my go to activity.

It is true in life that everything happens for a reason. It is also true to say that sometimes it is all about being in the right place, at the right time. There was never a more prominent example of this than a traumatic summers evening, only a few years ago.

Tuesday, March 6th, 2018 at approximately 4:30 p.m., I Detective L. Donegain was contacted by Sergeant P. Orellano in-reference to a possible overdose at 415 Tradewinds Drive apartment B, Fayetteville, North Carolina 28304. I was advised Patrol Officers were on scene and standing by.

Baghdad, Iraq is where I was born and raised; I lived there for about 6 years during the most pivotal years of the war. My dad left when I was about 7 months. He went to Lebanon to live for a few years before settling in the United States. My mom took care of me and my siblings. War was going on in Iraq; people walked with a dying heart. Iraq was split into Shiite, Sunni, and Christianity. Sunni and Shiite do not have any issues with one another, but there are people who do not like the Shiites and caused civil strife between the two divisions of Islam. My family is Shiite and we do not believe in a separation between anyone because we are one, they are

As I jotted down the answer to my geometry homework, I felt the vibrations of the floor trembling beneath my feet from the deafening screams of my parents. I continued my work, as I go uninterrupted by the daily routine argument. One day, I didn’t hear the screaming anymore, which was one of the biggest abnormalities in this household. I slunk halfway down the stairs and stretched my neck over the banister to catch a glimpse of what had happened without getting caught. The next thing I knew my older brother was standing by my side, his curiosity piqued. My mom broke the silence by peering her head around the corner of the living room, her eyes locked onto mine. As my brother and my cover were blown, we walked gingerly to the couch and sat down. I watched my mom’s stone cold face quiver out the words, “We...are....divorcing”. My face froze as if I was in a cartoon show. I tried to

I had finally had enough of Anna, so i told my mom and dad what had been going on, mom said “well im proud of you and jessica for being the bigger person about all of this mess, so i will talk to your principal tomorrow morning”. I was having a normal day no jessica problems in matter in fact i have not seen her all day until… They called me down to the office as if i was in trouble, but really is was my dad picking me up for the day, because my mom had died. I was too worried about Anna, that i didn't even realize that my

7th grade was the year I woke up. My mom called me into her bedroom late one afternoon and was still sitting on her bed, wearing her pajamas. The bright and cheerful sunshine that lit up the room gave a false ambiance of the tension that clouded the air. I already knew what she was going to say, but I did not want to believe it as the truth. I had noticed that my mom and dad's relationship with one another was growing apart just by the way they acted around each other. The conversations between them became shorter and their affection for one another began to fade. My dad spent his nights falling asleep watching TV on the couch, while my mom slowly disappeared back into her bedroom, alone. This had been happening for a while now, so I do not know why I was even surprised when my mom said to me that, “Your dad and I are getting a divorce”. I should have seen it coming. The clues were all in front of me, but I was too afraid to put them together. I was scared because, for the first time in my life, the image of my "perfect" family was crumbling before me. I knew inside that my family was falling apart, but I was desperately holding onto the fibers that I thought were keeping us together. It is hard to believe that one encounter can change the course of one's life forever. In this instance, I was awoken from the dream that I had been living in for so long.

I creeped up to my parents bedroom door and pressed my ear against it. Taken back, I felt apprehensive, I didn’t know what to do or what to expect next. I ran to my big brothers room, leaping into his arms. My brother, Josh, began asking me what was wrong. Shaking and feeling distraught I began to explain what I had heard. I realized that the new barbie coming out was no long as important as how my life was about to change; my parents were going their separate ways. I was just six years old when my mother told me the words that no parents ever wants to say to their children. I witnessed my parents relationship devolve into constant tension. Each argument between them was agonizing, and a constant deafening silence filled my mind as my parents

When I was in first grade, there was a long delay for my father to pick me up from school. I was in the principal’s office, very annoyed that I was missing an activity with gummy bears and being able to consume them later. I was confused, why was I called into the office? Was I in trouble? Did I forget something? My mind was racing with a thousand thoughts per second, while I waited impatiently twiddling my thumbs on the black leather chair. When I heard the faint footsteps approach the front office door, I saw my father with a solemn look and went straight to the principal’s lair. His usual demeanor was missing and I sensed trouble amuck when he didn’t beam at me with his happy smile. My eyes were glued to the door, hoping that

I just stared out the window and kept to myself. Then I realized i rather know what I was gonna come home to so i asked my mom if she knew and she said “I don't know if he's home or not i'm just as lost as you.” and the thought that me and my mom might be disappointed just hurt. I didn't have time to react when we had pulled up into the driveway of red dirt. Before I could even speak my heart dropped.

I interviewed my dad Greg Kivlahan, Greg had a very fun but hard life. His dad owned a company called Kivlahan & Sons Construction, Greg worked there when he was fifteen. He was born on December 20, 1966 in Dubuque, Iowa. Greg, grew up in Dubuque and has lived in Dubuque all his life. Greg was born, at Finley hospital.

I was sitting in my room, trying to do my homework that I couldn’t quite devote my attention to. There was a noise nagging at me. It was in the distance, but I heard it like a clap in my ear. The noise brought me grief and fear, my parents’ fighting. Sometimes the yelling would be so loud and continuous that my head would ache, and I wondered what I could do to make them stop. Shortly after my parents’ fight, my mom came into my room. She told me that she and my dad were getting a divorce. As my mom left the room, my siblings came in, just as frightened as I was. “What’s a divorce?” I asked them. My twin sister explained to me, “It means that we’re gonna have two Christmases.” My older sister piped in, saying “I think it means that Mommy and Daddy are not gonna be together anymore…” I just wanted our family to stay together, I didn’t want two Christmases.

My mom would be back from work, at 8. Along with my little sister. When was she going to tell me? I couldn’t not say anything to her about it. I was so mad at her. I wanted to blame her for the divorce. It seemed like she initiated every argument these days. I thought if she would just keep her mouth closed they wouldn’t be so hostile towards each other. My dad loves my mom, I could never imagine him filing for divorce against her. I had butterflies in my stomach when I heard the garage opening. My mom casually walked into my room and said “hi sweetie”, I must have sounded upset because her next words were “What’s wrong?”. She was an expert on my emotions, anytime I was mad or sad she could tell. I felt my bottom lip quiver so I couldn’t reply. After I walked out of my room, I went to her dresser and plopped the yellow envelope in my mom's lap. “Why?” I said, my mom looked defeated, “There are some things that you are going to understand one day Naya” her reply enraged me. I couldn’t hold back the tears. She got off the bed and embraced me. My little sister threw a book from my desk at my mom and screamed “Stop making sister cry mommy”. I couldn’t help but laugh at

“When are you going to start dressing like a girl, J?” I laughed “When the Pelicans trade Anthony Davis.” “Come on Jada you will never get a boyfriend dressing like that.” I rolled my eyes, Emma could be so annoying at times, when will she realize basketball is my passion, my life. Emma was almost always wearing a dress Emma was short and she had long, flowing blond hair and brown eyes, she also had skin as white as the moon. I on the other hand had long black dreads, and blue eyes. My Mom was white and my Dad is black making me bi-racial. I was also extremely tall. My Dad was the one who introduced me to basketball, he works as a trainer at the New Orleans Pelicans practice facility. Though I’m not sure if my father works still, I rarely