Why I Was The Only Person Who Was Ready

It was a day like any other when the waves began. On Roanoke Island, the colonists had little connection with the outside world. Nevertheless, they built a large and cheerful civilization on the island. In the center of their largest town, a girl was running with a tiny dog, which had a collar with the name “Scruffles” engraved onto it. A man was selling bread nearby. A mom was caring for two babies, and three little boys were throwing rocks at the side of a building. Scruffles suddenly stopped running and perked up his ears. The little girl looked at him, confused. The boys stopped throwing rocks and looked at each-other’s heads.

The Carolina Day Key Middle School had an overnight in September 2015 at a place called Camp Timberlake for Boys so everyone would get to know each other better. On our last day we went on a canoeing trip in the French Broad River and some of our canoes flipped over! One of them was Lacy, Aubrey and Mr. Flamini’s canoe. Lacy and Aubrey were in the canoe, and then Mr. Flamini tried to get in….. and the whole thing flipped. They haven’t even started! Then, about ¾ the way into the ride, Nick, Mac, and Michael's canoe flipped over as well, and they were in one of the most calm parts of the river. The guide had to canoe all the way back up, against the current, and help them get it back right side up. I was in front of mostly everyone except for

Karly Segrave was a fifteen year old girl when Hurricane Katrina Hit. Her mother worked at St. Tammany Parish Hospital, so when it was time to evacuate she stuffed everything she could into a backpack and went on her way. Most of the employees at the hospital brought their familys with them, so space was limited. Karly slept under her mothers cubical for three weeks. “At first it was fun,” she watched movies, played games, and had tons of people to talk to. Then days turned into weeks and the hospital begun to run low on food. She began to realize that it wasn’t all fun and games.

Back in 1988, Lori Mecham, a freshman, enthusiastically prepared for the first day of school. Not only was she going to be able to show off her new slick denim jacket and acid washed jeans, but she would finally be reunited with Becky and Emily. Within a few steps of Pleasant Grove Junior High, Lori was drowned in a wave of students ranging between 7th to 9th grades. Glancing over the crowd searching diligently for her friends, a sudden crash of nausea overcame her head as she spotted Becky and Emily. Floating through the crowd, both wore off the shoulder sweaters and skin tight stirrup pants. Heads turned and eyes flickered back and forth as her friends strutted by. Their unfamiliar revealing clothing seemed to be catching everyone’s

Enclosed between five walls and a packet of chips between us, my senior class are sat sitting on their luggage, mouths quite literally falling to their chins and a stare that could make the Queen shudder in fright. I seemed to only be the vocal student out of the pack. "You have got to be kidding me," I toss my hands over my head for emphasis and point to the dungeon that we had been trapped in. The white washed walls that gave no sign of life suddenly make me what to scream. "This trip was supposed to be fun, explore our creative minds or whatever." A flash of anger flutters over my eyes.

I sighed as I laid down my bulky big bag that I had packed the night before. Who knew that Florida could be so HOT. I decided to go for a swim right then and there, was that my mom yelling at me. It was,“Charity Berkheimer, if you do not come down here in five minutes we are leaving without you,”no! They can not leave without me. Where are we going anyway, it did not matter then. I just grabbed my blue one piece and dashed out the door.

“It is a shame that her father left her...this happened because her mother failed her job as a wife...she is so young...what was her father thinking?”, my relatives whispered as they sipped their tea. My cousin’s face turned pale like the white blanket of snow falling outside the lodge at the camp in Lake Tahoe. Her expression held so many emotions as if it was a canvas of a painting to be gazed upon. I could see that she felt frustrated and tired of these rude remarks, and all I did was just stand there and caressed the back side of her hands, so I could comfort her. Suddenly, it felt like the air had thickened so much that even a hammer could not slash it into tiny bits. My cousin had not yet known why her father left the house yesterday.

On a sunday of August, the 28th of 2005 a hurricane was coming toward Armani and her family, and friends. Armani Curtis, the protagonist was upset because not all of her friends could come to her birthday party, where she would be turning ten years old. Double Digits!! She was really proud of this. On the morning of Armani’s birthday, after her birthday breakfast her grandma asked if she could talk to Armani’s parents in private. Armani heard through the walls of her house and she heard her grandma say, “Maybe we should cancel the party,,,” Armani, not liking this idea at all, jumps up and runs into the kitchen, and whined, “Please don’t cancel my party!” She was so upset that her grandma who she loved and trusted a lot would suggests such

The month of June came in a rush. Before I knew it the season of senior activities had begun; prom arrived, our senior picnic at the park happened, and graduation practice was held. Yet none of these events could compete with graduation day. The night before June 14th, the excitement of the approaching event continuously nibbled at precious hours of sleep, and for once I couldn’t wait for my alarm to go off. When it finally did, I jumped up out of bed, all ready to start the day. After the time spent to get dressed in the appropriate attire had passed, those who I live with—my mother, brother, and younger sister—had all been ready. My excitement increased then, but I don’t think it surpassed my mother’s own excitement. Practically shoving me into the car to get me on the way to graduation, my mother and I wore a grin the whole way to the Siegel Center, despite my little sister asking a million questions in the backseat, and despite the traffic that had grown with the other graduates trailing behind. With even

Edward T. Hall has described two separate cultures involving time: monochronic and polychronic culture. People living in a monochronic culture view time as limited and very valuable. The term “time is money” is often used to express a monochronic culture where people are more bound to the clock. Often, monochronic cultures are embraced in urban environments, such as New York City or Chicago. On the other hand, people in a polychronic culture view time as an unlimited resource so they are more focused on working on tasks “at your own pace”. The primary concern would be the relationship because time is not a scarce resource but it is a source that is always there. Usually, rural environments adapt to polychronic cultures but popular places such as Hawaii or Sao Paulo also are expressed as a polychronic

In between the tree-covered hills of Sand Run Metro Park lies a quiet street where I spent summers at my grandmother’s house. Each day, my grandmother planned an adventure; while most adventures ended in a delicious black raspberry ice cream cone from our favorite creamery, one distinctly ended with a scar. On another sweltering day, anticipating the adventure ahead, I buckled into my grandma’s car wearing my favorite watermelon sundress. When we pulled up to the state fairgrounds, I immediately proclaimed where I wanted to go first, the horse barn. Moments after entering the barn, a spooked mare kicked me in the forehead; my next memory consists of my grandma applying pressure to my head and comforting me while I cried about getting blood

That prior night I had agreed to watch my two younger siblings Tatiyana and Zimajay and my younger cousin Quintario while our parent attended a military ball with other family members. While Zimajay and I were lying in my mother’s soft, queen size bed, I had this horrible feeling, as if something bad was going to happen and I could not fall asleep. It was nearly ten thirty and I had to find away to get rest. So

I gathered the children down underneath the deck. There were only a few passengers, and it looked like the boat must have been taking a rich family somewhere. I whispered, “Oh no, let’s get out of here. There must be a place where their slaves are. We’ll go there.”

“That UFO is enormous and hanging on top of the mall?”my cousin screamed in confusion as we were arriving at the Fashion Show Mall.”I’m tired of walking”my older brother and cousin said right after they both yawned.”That’s what you both get for staying awake until 3:00 in the morning playing video games”screamed my aunt as we walked in.We were all tired after walking around Las Vegas all day;I was already annoyed with my brother and cousin since they did nothing but whine all day.I was forced to come along as punishment after staying inside for a week playing video games.

It was an ordinary day of the year, just like any other day; however, what made it exceptional was the unpredictable, in every aspect, event that took place and the harsh ramifications that followed. Precisely, Ramadan was coming to an end, which not only promised the celebration of Eid, but also, many social gatherings between extended families. Perhaps two days before Ramadan concluded, our comprehensive family on the mom’s side was invited to my paternal grandmother’s house for iftar, the opening of the fast. This determined tons of festivity, yet mischief, expecting thirty one children, ranged from age one to sixteen, caged in a double story house. Along with that came a