Personal Essay: The Open House

Hello everyone! Welcome to our first meeting for the production of “A Solid Home”. I am very excited about what we can create together and I want us to be able to get started right away. For this production, our guiding concept is going to be “Death can be livelier than life.”

The home front during World War I covers the domestic, economic, social and political histories of countries involved in that conflict. It covers the mobilization of armed forces and war supplies, but does not include the military history. For the nonmilitary interactions among the major players see Diplomatic history of World War I.

One cold sunny weekend in February of 2014 in Madison, MS the Saint Stanislaus boys just arrived to the hotel where they would stay for the night before the big game. All was good the night before we ate and later went to sleep. We all woke up around eight in the morning and had breakfast. We left for the fields around twelve because the game was at two in the evening.

There is no doubt that there are many different morals found in cross country runners, but the two morals that I learned about and developed during my time in cross country is work ethic and leadership. There was no end to the lessons I learned and the progress I made in four years of cross country. Those are the lessons that stick with me and will continue to shape me as I go through life.

“If you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.” No one could have said it better than J.R.R. Tolkien. Often, I get “swept off” to a place called my bedroom where I read too many books too many times. I read stories of adventure in hopes that one day a wizard in a gray hat will show up at my home and tell me I am needed for the company burglar. Or maybe I find a droid. Maybe this droid contains an important message that must be delivered to someone so I have to take him to that someone. I do realize life is not an action-packed adventure like those books portray. However, life is an adventure in itself, just not one filled with mythical creatures and people. When I read, I lose track of time

Race has always been and will be a major issue in American. “The House We Live In” talks about the history of race in terms of culture, economic and political. One of the main points the film presented was the Naturalization Act of 1790. According to the film, citizenship were given to those who were only defined as free white. For example in the Takao Ozawa case, he was classified as non-white. A Japanese immigrant graduated from University of Berkeley and established a family in America. The Supreme Court used science to define Ozawa and this has led to determination that Ozawa was not Caucasian and Caucasians are defined as white. Therefore Ozawa was rejected citizenship by court’s decisions. In this type of case attention was drawn to what Americans courts defines as white and it has constructed division between whiteness and other race. In conclusion, color should not define or be a reason your eligibility for a citizenship.

Just as the sun started to shine right through my window into my navy blue room on a Saturday morning, it crossed my mind that it was game day, but not only did I have a football game today it was the state finals. My team and I have been working hard from early July until late November, preparing for this one two hour game. We have been lifting weights in the 100 degree weather, running three miles to the beach and back and working our butts off just so we could drive down to Peoria as a team for the state championship. On this Saturday morning I set my alarm for 7:00, I am gonna eat a good healthy breakfast and mentally prepare myself for the big game ahead of me. At 7:00 my eyes drifted open from a deep sleep I jerked out of bed with a great

I have learned a great many things from playing soccer. It has changed my entire outlook on and attitude toward life. Before my freshman year at Cool high school, I was shy, had low self-esteem and turned away from seemingly impossible challenges. Soccer has altered all of these qualities. On the first day of freshman practice, the team warmed up with a game of soccer. The players were split up and the game began. However, during the game, I noticed that I didn't' t run as hard as I could, nor did I try to evade my defender and get open. The fact of the matter is that I really did not want to receive the ball. I didn't' t want to be the one at fault if the play didn't' t succeed. I did not want the responsibility of helping the team

7 Might be my second favorite number now… I realize I might come on strong with my emotions for you, but I really cant help how I feel.. obviously. Everest is good, but if you’ve seen vertical limit or any other movie about climbing its usually the same plot. I want to say I’ve seen a couple of documentaries on Netflix about this same group. aka I have. You know I am a hussy for documentaries and TED talks simply make my day, I am going to start listening to them on via podcast (I read in an article it was good running material) I might listen to them in my downtime. I need some bass to run so I feel like I can take on the whole soccer, volleyball and baseball teams I pass running in my circle that is when my cape is the longest.

     My definition of home is not a word I can say or a thought I can think, but a feeling. This feeling is like a calm that settles over me like a blanket, just a quiet assurance telling me I belong in that place. It took me forever to understand where exactly that place was, and the answer was always right in front of me. This feeling would come and go, and I would never recognize it because I knew that only my address and the house that I parked my car at and went in to eat and sleep for 18 years was my home. I never realized that the place I lived wasn’t my home, and I really didn’t want to either.

As the first five weeks of Writing 39B have passed, I believe that I have made some improvements in my writing as a result of the feedback from the professor, the multiple writing assignments, and reading the Anteater’s Guide to Writing and Rhetoric. Although I can still improve in all facets of my writing, the progress I have made so far was very much needed.

I am very excited to begin my journey as a college student. I live only a short distance away from Ann Arbor in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Similarly to you, I have moved around a bit. There’s a running joke in my family that I can only live in M states because I have lived in Maryland, Massachusetts, and Michigan. Living in various places has strengthened my desire to eventually move out of Michigan, even possibly abroad. I hope to study political science and attain a law degree.

Whenever I think about where my favorite place is I always think about my Aunt Beth and Uncle Kirk’s house. I have spent countless summers over there when I was younger through my early teens. Their house has and always will have a special part in my heart. I always feel safe and away from all my worries spending time there. Spending time over there relieves all of the daily life stresses I have. Just thinking about heading over puts me in the best of moods. I can not remember a time where I was not happy being over at their place. Their place is and has always been filled of laughter and love. Their house is located at Lake Perry, and their house happens to sit right off of the lake. My Aunt and Uncle’s house is my favorite place because I love boating on the lake, adventuring with her dogs, and riding ATVs with the family.

No one can’t meet a family like mine’s. My family is well diversified. Every family member plays an important role in all my family’s lives. In my family, there are four people: my father, my mother, my little brother and me. My father is one who brings money home and is also responsible for organizing and planning family trips. My mother is the one who is in charge for making meals and makes sure everyone eats at the appropriate times. My little brother is the pet of the family. He actually doesn’t have any responsibilities, for he’s the pet. I am the rock of support in my family. I always go beyond my parents’ expectations. I also support my younger cousins and little brother, by being a role model that they can look up to. Another

You use check lists for lots of things in life – for groceries, for homework, for chores, and in the case of my family it was for life. It was my parents’ way of keeping me safe. “Go down the list” or “Follow the plan” were common phrases in my home growing up. Post 9/11, it was the way to keep our family safe. The racism, the persecution, and the vehement looks were something that continue to plague my memories, but what truly resonates the most was the uneasy feeling I had growing up in the US. Knowing that I was not wanted nor was I welcomed in this country made me especially fearful and despondent growing up. In order to combat this, my parents explained the check list. If you stayed on track, and continued to check things off nothing could ever hurt or harm you. I am unsure if it was for my benefit or for theirs as well, but it kept us safe and gave us peace of mind.