Personal Narrative: A Day Back In 1984

Even through the 1950s, Kansas City and Chicago were very well connected major Midwestern cities. As an upper middle class college-aged man from Kansas looking to make it in the late 50s and achieve his own American Dream, Chicago was a natural place for me to move for college. In 1957, I was a college junior at Loyola University Chicago, a Jesuit university on the north side of Chicago. Surrounded every day by minorities and immigrant groups in Rogers Park, as well as living in a larger dense urban environment, it should come as no surprise that Loyola students were more social-justice oriented than many students in other parts of the United States (Loyola Chicago).

A summer of 1974.My friend Randy and I were playing hide and seek in the woods,then I heard a strange noise it sounded like a saw chopping something.Later that night we left to the cabin so I told Randy about the noise I heard he told me ‘’Let’s go explore the noise you heard.’’Ok’’I said.When we were walking we saw a light in the distance.

I have been in the Marine Corps for roughly three and a half years and throughout that time I have done many things. Most of the things that I have done were with Combat Logistics Battalion 26. For three years, I worked with that unit through work ups and a deployment and I have seen and done many unique things. However, nothing I did with CLB 26 felt fulfilling, but that all changed when I changed units to CLB 8.

Walking away from everything you once knew and starting over is never a picnic. Leaving Iraq, and moving to America has impacted my life more than anything. I was only 4 years old at that time, and the only English I spoke was “excuse me, water please.” My family and I did not know it then, but our lives were going to change; we would become “Americanized”. Learning English was one of the massive changes that occurred, the way I dressed (culture), and even the way I had power to go to school and educate myself.

Throughout the conversation, Susan did not inform me that the home was still in First Look and not open to investors at this time. Susan did not highlight any features of the home, nor did she talk about the neighborhood or the surrounding area. When asked, Susan paused to reference the property file and stated, "In looking at the pictures it appears that it needs interior paint, carpet, appliances, and a few windows, which the previous seller must have taken." She stated, "I don't know why they have to remove things from the homes." I asked, "Do you have offers?" She paused to check the property file and answered, "No offers." I asked, "Is the property behind the home farmland?" She paused to reference the property file and replied, "It appears

It was my first time going geese hunting with a shotgun. I was really nervous to going because my uncle and my grandpa are really good at it. They go every weekend and more than half of the time they get their lemont. Also I was very excited to go just growing up going and always watching them going hunting with guns and i always watched. I was getting tired of it. I thought it was time for me to have a gun and on more messing around as much

“Five more minutes,” I respond, while rubbing my eyes, then rolling onto the “cool side” of the bed.

I would say distraction was one of the challenges I had to overcome to get where I am today. My friends, relationships, staying up late, watching television or doing something else rather than doing my work, would always back track me even if I thought “I’ll be okay” and just catch back up; it’s not that easy. I use to focus so much on other people in my life, I’d forget about myself and what’s best for me. When I was in the middle school, I would get so distracted by my cell phone, my mom would have a restriction on it so that I couldn’t send or receive text within school hours. Nevertheless, I didn’t understand, but now I see where it could hurt my grades.

There isn’t much I do in the Summer. I go biking, swimming, and sleeping, for the most part during Summer time. All of this changed the Summer of 2009. I was sitting in the backseat by myself. My two brothers were in the next seats, then my parents. The heat this Summer was brutal. The heat was like being a gladiator in the Roman Colosseum that has no chance of winning. The only thing, besides the heat, that made this horrible was that I was going to a waterpark. This would be a gift for many kids, but it wasn’t for me. I had a terrible fear of waterparks. I’m not sure why it was just something I always had.

At times, I can be very composed. Other times I can be the fool that I am. When I entered the airport from the plane ride from London, I started freaking out! I was in Africa, but still surrounded by White people and I could not understand their English! Luckily, Elders Reese and Spillane met us at the airport and calmed me down. They told me that the language that those people spoke was Afrikaans. Initially it sounded to me like English that I did not understand, but as I heard it more I became used to it. The thing that I wanted to do most was use the French I know to speak to someone about the gospel and I got the chance! I saw this Black guy who spoke French, who helped load our kombi or van with luggage. I testified

Have you tried and failed to get together with a girl or guy? Well this roller-coaster of a story will surely get you to empathize or sympathize with me, or maybe if it is that big of a failure to you, both.

Tomorrow, I will sit in somber silence as my neighbors set fire to their money in the form of loud noise and spectacular light shows. Very few know WHY they do it; it's just a day to party. I was born (so I am told) in 1965. I became aware of the concept of "freedom" sometime in the seventies. While in school I learned I lived in the “land of the free” and got my drivers license, my fishing license, hunting license, and was given all my shots, certainly against my will at the time. The eighties and nineties, I quit school (Thank you, Mr. Harrison for being a man of honor and telling the class that you did not believe what you were required to teach!)and went in a pursuit of the almighty dollar, starting a family, maintaining a home, sitting

I enlisted into the United States Navy and shipped off to boot camp on January 1, 1996. The Navy gave me an opportunity to escape a small town, stand on my own, and grow as a person. My first duty assignment was in Millington, Tennessee working as an administrative assistant to the Officer in Charge of Personnel Support Detachment, Memphis. I could never say the roads I took in life were easy, but looking back over the years every stop along the way had a purpose and I have been truly been blessed.

Throughout the semester I have noticed my writing grow significantly. Some of my work was a bit sketchy but that could be fixed by proofreading. I did not like writing all of my papers but I did enjoy the reading involved for the book reviews.

I was in the third grade, no worries or fears and little concept of how the world worked. I remember my biggest concern being what was on the menu in the cafeteria or what game we were going to play at recess. I had a wonderful family that I did almost everything with. I lived with my Mom, Dad, and my brother, who was 11 at the time. We were all very close and enjoyed each other's company .