I began college with the misconception that it was all about academic. I guess when you go to a school not known for their academics that notion should go down the drain. Their pledge for excellence winked its eye at me as soon as I walked through that wide open, Iron Gate. At that point all I could do was smile. What a joke, the grounds were covered by gaudy baseball caps and blonde bimbos walking around with their paisley skirts. What had I gotten myself into?
I walked through sorority row on the way to my dorm. Signs were everywhere for rush. I stumbled upon this interesting house which I could not imagine belonging to the white collar, prepsters skipping around. It was brick, with chipped paint and missing shudders. They had signs for everything but rush. “Come play chess on Saturdays at 8 P.M.”, “Math tutoring after hours Wednesday”, “Frederick for President!” I was stopped in my tracks. Left, mouth open, starring at this awesomely odd house.
I wandered in to see what was inside. There were big white archways and oak doors down a long corridor. A brown haired girl emerged from behind one of those doors. She was wearing a cotton pink sweater with a green v-neck shirt and white Capri’s. Her smile was incredibly wide, her teeth as white as snow. “Welcome to the sorority we have been expecting you,” she exclaimed excitedly. I was surprised to hear that, but I just kept walking through. The girl took me downstairs from the main level. The cement rooms created a chilly atmosphere, this while situation threw me a little.
Six hands touched me on my shoulders. They lead me into a really dark room with bright red lights. The next thing I knew, extremely dark glasses were wrapped across my eye creating an opaque screen. I heard a switch flip and I my whole body went numb.
I could only see out of my eyes and hear through my ears. My feet would not move nor would the rest of my body. A brunette stood on top of a bucket and started yelling commands. “Walk over to the heads of the sororities!”, “Get down on one knee and bow to them!” “This is where you belong and you will never leave us until we say that we are done with you. You will strive to complete every task and no disappoint us in anyway!” By her use of you, I realized there were other people in the room. We did as we were told but I found that I could not do anything outside of the instructions. Was I brain washed?
I was hung up on one thing that she said. “This is where you belong.” That information was so confusing because how did she know I belonged here? How did she know who I was? We all were forced to walk under a metal bar. After I walked under it, they turned on all the lights. I didn’t remember why I was there. All I remembered was what the head of the sorority had told me. “This is where you belong!” I did not know what to do. I guess that this really was where I belonged.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
WA 7 Draft 2
The sun came bursting through my window in unison with the birds chirping, the ingredients for a lovely day. May was upon us, sweeping us off of our feet. I woke with a start and skipped over to get dressed. I had teen group at 10 o’clock and could not be late. My mom thought that it would be important for me to join because we were new to town. Didn’t she think I could make my own friends without being forced into awkward situations? I left the house after a quick bite to eat and jogged down to my church.
“Gather around people, sit down, stop talking,” said the supervisor, Ms. Bean, “Today we will be going on a scavenger hunt around town.” Lovely, what a wonderful way to spend my day. We split up into teams organized by colors. I happened to be on the green team with absolutely no one I was familiar with. Cameras were dispersed among team leaders for documentation and report time was 1 PM sharp. We sprinted out of the heavy brown doors and bolted for our first task.
We successfully completed our first four tasks. They were all fairly easy to accomplish. After we has completed the fourth assignment, the instructions told our team to follow the hamilton pathway down to the creek running under my neighborhood. I had never been down here before and quite frankly was excited. Their were signs lining the path to watch for sharp objects and loose tree limbs, apparently this area is not well kept.
When we reached the creek, a big cement bridge guided us to the other side, a more scavenger hunt friendly side. We walked down the steps from the bridge to a cement slab bordering the creek. The important part of our assignment was to get a picture of the bridge and the graffiti littering it. How intriguing this art was. Besides the words “fatty” and “fat” covering up what was behind it, I wondered how people learned to do such creatively stimulating pieces. Does graffiti actually require skill? Oh no! Another team sprang up behind us and were on the move. We took the picture and quick-stepped up the stairs. Only two more tasks ahead.
We were all done, so we started back to church. The counselors were going around to look at our pictures, which were excitedly waiting in our cameras. We came to the picture depicting task 5, the bridge. Much to the embarrassment of our counselor, we actually ended up capturing his father taking a picture of the graffiti. He thought it was hilarious and could not stop talking about how much of a coincidence it was. The head counselor sprang up to the mic, barreling with enthusiasm. She was announcing who the winner was. “And the winner is...the green team!” she screamed. We all jumped up and down while our team leader went up and got the trophy. How exciting, teen group is not too bad after all.
“Gather around people, sit down, stop talking,” said the supervisor, Ms. Bean, “Today we will be going on a scavenger hunt around town.” Lovely, what a wonderful way to spend my day. We split up into teams organized by colors. I happened to be on the green team with absolutely no one I was familiar with. Cameras were dispersed among team leaders for documentation and report time was 1 PM sharp. We sprinted out of the heavy brown doors and bolted for our first task.
We successfully completed our first four tasks. They were all fairly easy to accomplish. After we has completed the fourth assignment, the instructions told our team to follow the hamilton pathway down to the creek running under my neighborhood. I had never been down here before and quite frankly was excited. Their were signs lining the path to watch for sharp objects and loose tree limbs, apparently this area is not well kept.
When we reached the creek, a big cement bridge guided us to the other side, a more scavenger hunt friendly side. We walked down the steps from the bridge to a cement slab bordering the creek. The important part of our assignment was to get a picture of the bridge and the graffiti littering it. How intriguing this art was. Besides the words “fatty” and “fat” covering up what was behind it, I wondered how people learned to do such creatively stimulating pieces. Does graffiti actually require skill? Oh no! Another team sprang up behind us and were on the move. We took the picture and quick-stepped up the stairs. Only two more tasks ahead.
We were all done, so we started back to church. The counselors were going around to look at our pictures, which were excitedly waiting in our cameras. We came to the picture depicting task 5, the bridge. Much to the embarrassment of our counselor, we actually ended up capturing his father taking a picture of the graffiti. He thought it was hilarious and could not stop talking about how much of a coincidence it was. The head counselor sprang up to the mic, barreling with enthusiasm. She was announcing who the winner was. “And the winner is...the green team!” she screamed. We all jumped up and down while our team leader went up and got the trophy. How exciting, teen group is not too bad after all.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
WA 7 Draft 1
The sun came bursting through my window in unison with the bird chirping, the ingredients for a lovely day. May was upon us, sweeping us off of our feet. I woke with a start and skipped over to get dressed. I has teen group at 10 o’clock and could not be late. My mom thought that it would be important for me to join because we were new to town. Didn’t she think I could make my own friends without being forced into awkward situations? I left the house after a quick bite to eat and jogged down to my church.
“Gather around people, sit down, stop talking,” said the supervisor, Ms. Bean, “Today we will be going on a scavenger hunt around town.” Lovely, what a wonderful way to spend my day. We split up into teams organized by colors. I happened to be on the green team with absolutely no one I was familiar with. Cameras were dispersed among team leaders for documentation and report time was 1 PM sharp. We sprinted out of the heavy brown doors and bolted for our first task.
We had successfully completed our first four tasks. They were all fairly easy to accomplish. After we has completed the fourth assignment, the instructions told our team to follow the hamilton pathway down to the creek running under my neighborhood. I had never been down here before and quite frankly was excited. Their were signs lining the path to watch for sharp objects and loose tree limbs, apparently this area is not well kept.
When we reached the creek, a big cement bridge guided us to the other side, a more scavenger hunt friendly side. We walked down the steps from the bridge to a cement slab bordering the creek. The important part of our assignment was to get a picture of the bridge and the graffiti littering it. How intriguing this art was. Besides the words “fatty” and “fat” covering up what was behind it, I wondered how people learned to do such creatively stimulating pieces. Does graffiti actually require skill? Oh no! Another team sprang up behind us and were on the move. We took the picture and quick-stepped up the stairs. Only two more tasks ahead.
We were all done, so we started back to church. The counselors were going around to look at our pictures occupying our cameras. We came to the picture depicting task 5, the bridge. Much to the embarrassment of our counselor, we actually ended up capturing his father taking a picture of the graffiti.
“Gather around people, sit down, stop talking,” said the supervisor, Ms. Bean, “Today we will be going on a scavenger hunt around town.” Lovely, what a wonderful way to spend my day. We split up into teams organized by colors. I happened to be on the green team with absolutely no one I was familiar with. Cameras were dispersed among team leaders for documentation and report time was 1 PM sharp. We sprinted out of the heavy brown doors and bolted for our first task.
We had successfully completed our first four tasks. They were all fairly easy to accomplish. After we has completed the fourth assignment, the instructions told our team to follow the hamilton pathway down to the creek running under my neighborhood. I had never been down here before and quite frankly was excited. Their were signs lining the path to watch for sharp objects and loose tree limbs, apparently this area is not well kept.
When we reached the creek, a big cement bridge guided us to the other side, a more scavenger hunt friendly side. We walked down the steps from the bridge to a cement slab bordering the creek. The important part of our assignment was to get a picture of the bridge and the graffiti littering it. How intriguing this art was. Besides the words “fatty” and “fat” covering up what was behind it, I wondered how people learned to do such creatively stimulating pieces. Does graffiti actually require skill? Oh no! Another team sprang up behind us and were on the move. We took the picture and quick-stepped up the stairs. Only two more tasks ahead.
We were all done, so we started back to church. The counselors were going around to look at our pictures occupying our cameras. We came to the picture depicting task 5, the bridge. Much to the embarrassment of our counselor, we actually ended up capturing his father taking a picture of the graffiti.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
WA-5 Draft 3
Part 1) I drove out to her country wedding, where she was marrying this "incredible" guy. Each bend of narrow two lane road made me increasingly Irritated. I finally arrived at 2012 Radum Road. The trees encroaching the driveway were decorated with yards and yards of white ribbon. My black Honda stomped over every rock. The monstrous house stared at me with a confused snarl. I bet it did not expect to see me here. I could imagine that the tent for the ceremony was set up in the back, at least that is what we discussed for our wedding. I parked close by, not expecting to stay for very long. The game plan was to swoop in stealthily and steal her away from him. I turned the corner and saw the massive tent, the white walkway, the pink and red floral archway, the two of them standing there awaiting what was to come. No one noticed that I walked in. "Wait," I yelled, catching everyone’s attention. "She is mine. She loves me!" Everyone was staring at me as gasps waved through the tables. "What are you doing here? I did not invite you!” She wailed. "I love you and I cannot let you marry this fool! He does not know you. I know you and I have known you for much longer than he has. I know that you love me and you always will, so come with me!" I managed to say. She slowly stammered towards me. I could not imagine what she was thinking but I needed her to go with me! Suddenly with one fell swoop of her hand she slapped me. Then with the same motion, she leaned in and kissed me! All I heard after that was, "I hoped that this would happen." She grabbed my hand and we ran to my car to drive off into the setting sun.
Part 2) How could I be getting married? The wedding was in six hours and I had a tremendous amount of things to do. Throughout the morning people were showing up asking to help or delivering things. A large truck pulled up with the tent in it. It went perfectly with the white, pink, and red theme. My favorite part about the set up was the white ribbon decorating the driveway.
An hour away I started getting ready. My white dress was incredible. I couldn't wait to debut it to all of my guests. My father came up to get me. We went downstairs to start the ceremony. I saw Brad, whom I was going to marry, from a window standing at the alter. We walked out and I stood at the foot of the white carpet. The piano started playing and, in time, we walked down the isle. As a little girl I had imagined this perfect traditional wedding and this was exactly what I expected.
When I reached the alter, I looked deeply into his eyes. I felt that he was the one. A rumble came from the drive way but we went on with the ceremony. Probably five minutes later, out of the corner of my eye I saw him. I hadn't invited him to the wedding. Why was he here? He must have caught me looking at him because in a bold voice he yelled, "Wait! She is mine! She loves me!" Everyone turned to look at him. Quickly I blurted out, "What are you doing here? I did not invite you!" He retaliated with, "I love you and I cannot let you marry this fool! He does not know you. I know you and I have known you for much longer than he has. I know that you love me and you always will, so come with me!" I did not know what to do. I knew that I stilled loved him. Everything that he said was true. Unconsciously I slapped him. But just as unconsciously, I lent in and whispered, "I hoped that this would happen." With out thinking I snatched his hand and we ran to his black Honda to drive off into the sunset hand in hand.
Part 2) How could I be getting married? The wedding was in six hours and I had a tremendous amount of things to do. Throughout the morning people were showing up asking to help or delivering things. A large truck pulled up with the tent in it. It went perfectly with the white, pink, and red theme. My favorite part about the set up was the white ribbon decorating the driveway.
An hour away I started getting ready. My white dress was incredible. I couldn't wait to debut it to all of my guests. My father came up to get me. We went downstairs to start the ceremony. I saw Brad, whom I was going to marry, from a window standing at the alter. We walked out and I stood at the foot of the white carpet. The piano started playing and, in time, we walked down the isle. As a little girl I had imagined this perfect traditional wedding and this was exactly what I expected.
When I reached the alter, I looked deeply into his eyes. I felt that he was the one. A rumble came from the drive way but we went on with the ceremony. Probably five minutes later, out of the corner of my eye I saw him. I hadn't invited him to the wedding. Why was he here? He must have caught me looking at him because in a bold voice he yelled, "Wait! She is mine! She loves me!" Everyone turned to look at him. Quickly I blurted out, "What are you doing here? I did not invite you!" He retaliated with, "I love you and I cannot let you marry this fool! He does not know you. I know you and I have known you for much longer than he has. I know that you love me and you always will, so come with me!" I did not know what to do. I knew that I stilled loved him. Everything that he said was true. Unconsciously I slapped him. But just as unconsciously, I lent in and whispered, "I hoped that this would happen." With out thinking I snatched his hand and we ran to his black Honda to drive off into the sunset hand in hand.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
WA-5 Draft 2
I woke up with really cold feet. How could I be getting married? I could not believe this. The wedding was in six hours and I had a tremendous amount of things to do. Throughout the morning people were showing up asking to help or delivering things. When the florist came with the pink and red roses, I knew that everything was going to be perfect. A large truck pulled up with the tent in it. I ordered a massive white tent to cover all of the guests and the alter. It went perfectly with the white, pink, and red theme. My favorite part about the set up was the white ribbon decorating the driveway.
An hour away I started getting ready. My white dress, covered in stitching, was incredible. I couldn't wait to debut it to all of my guests. My father came up to get me. He looked so handsome causing this wave of emotion to crash into me. We went downstairs to start the ceremony. I saw Brad, whom I was going to marry, from a window standing at the alter. My life was about to change. We walked out and I stood at the foot of the white carpet. The piano started playing and , in time, we walked down the isle. I was overwhelmed by the sight of the flower girls throwing red and pink petals in front of me. As a little girl I had imagined this perfect traditional wedding and this was exactly what I expected.
When I reached the alter, Brad grabbed my hands as the preacher said his words. I looked deeply into his eyes. I felt that he was the one. I was meant to be here. A rumble came from someone coming up the driveway. I thought it was just someone coming to pick up something. We went on with the ceremony. Probably five minutes later, out of the corner of my eye I saw him. Was I seeing this correctly? I hadn't invited him to the wedding. Why was he here? He must have caught me looking at him because in a bold voice he yelled, "Wait! She is mine! She loves me!" Everyone turned to look at him. I was having trouble processing all of this. Quickly I blurted out, "What are you doing here? I did not invite you! Get out!" "I love you and I cannot let you marry this fool! He does not know you. I know you and I have known you for much longer than he has. I know that you love me and you always will, so come with me!" He said with confidence. I did not know what to do. I knew that I stilled loved him. Everything that he said was true. We had broken up because his job relocated. Unconsciously I slapped him. Oh no. But just as unconsciously, I lent in and whispered, "I hoped that this would happen." With out thinking I snatched his hand and we ran to his black Honda to drive off into the sunset hand in hand.
An hour away I started getting ready. My white dress, covered in stitching, was incredible. I couldn't wait to debut it to all of my guests. My father came up to get me. He looked so handsome causing this wave of emotion to crash into me. We went downstairs to start the ceremony. I saw Brad, whom I was going to marry, from a window standing at the alter. My life was about to change. We walked out and I stood at the foot of the white carpet. The piano started playing and , in time, we walked down the isle. I was overwhelmed by the sight of the flower girls throwing red and pink petals in front of me. As a little girl I had imagined this perfect traditional wedding and this was exactly what I expected.
When I reached the alter, Brad grabbed my hands as the preacher said his words. I looked deeply into his eyes. I felt that he was the one. I was meant to be here. A rumble came from someone coming up the driveway. I thought it was just someone coming to pick up something. We went on with the ceremony. Probably five minutes later, out of the corner of my eye I saw him. Was I seeing this correctly? I hadn't invited him to the wedding. Why was he here? He must have caught me looking at him because in a bold voice he yelled, "Wait! She is mine! She loves me!" Everyone turned to look at him. I was having trouble processing all of this. Quickly I blurted out, "What are you doing here? I did not invite you! Get out!" "I love you and I cannot let you marry this fool! He does not know you. I know you and I have known you for much longer than he has. I know that you love me and you always will, so come with me!" He said with confidence. I did not know what to do. I knew that I stilled loved him. Everything that he said was true. We had broken up because his job relocated. Unconsciously I slapped him. Oh no. But just as unconsciously, I lent in and whispered, "I hoped that this would happen." With out thinking I snatched his hand and we ran to his black Honda to drive off into the sunset hand in hand.
Monday, February 16, 2009
WA-5 Draft 1
How could she do this to me? Our relationship had been so strong. I drove out to her country wedding, where she was marrying this "incredible" guy. She said that he was perfect for her; kind, sensitive, responsible, I guess everything that I am not. Each bend of narrow two lane road made me increasingly Irritated. I finally arrived at 2012 Radum Road. The trees encroaching the driveway were decorated with yards and yards of white ribbon. My black Honda stomped over every rock. The noise hitting my ear drum like the roll of a snare. I was sweating because I was not sure how she would react. I had loved her and so my actions were not thought through. The monstrous house stared at me with a confused snarl. I bet it did not expect to see me here. I could imagine that the tent for the ceremony was set up in the back, at least that is what we discussed for our wedding. I parked close by, not expecting to stay for very long. The game plan was to swoop in stealthily and steal her away from him. She was mine. She is mine. I turned the corner, letting my eyes fully adjust to the white scene. The massive tent, the white walkway, the pink and red floral archway, the two of them standing there awaiting what was to come. She must be saved, I must save her. No one noticed that I walked in, which probably was a good thing considering how most of the guests feel about me. "Wait," I yelled, catching everyones attention. "She is mine. She loves me!" Everyone was staring at me as gasps waved through the tables. "What are you doing here? I did not invite you! Get out!" She wailed. "I love you and I cannot let you marry this fool! He does not know you. I know you and I have known you for much longer than he has. I know that you love me and you always will, so come with me!" I managed to say. She slowly stammered towards me. A contemplative look upon her face. I could not imagine what she was thinking but I needed her to go with me! We were destined to be together. Suddenly with one fell swoop of her hand she slapped me. A throbbing pain flowing through me cheek. Then with the same motion, she leaned in a kissed me! In front of everyone including her family! All I heard after that was, "I hoped that this would happen." She said in the quietest of whispers. She grabbed my hand and we ran to my car to drive off into the setting sun.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
WA-4 Draft 2
Dear President Barrack Obama,
I would like to address a growing issue that concerns me greatly. The environment and the state of it currently is very important because it effects almost everything about our lives. It effects our economy, health, animals, the weather and many other life altering issues. We have incredible national parks, natural monuments and beautiful wildlife which need our help to maintain their splendor. Action must be taken quickly to preserve rightfully what is ours.
I have read your plans to create many green jobs, reduce greenhouse gas emission, and produce new forms of energy. I think that your proposed green job corps and youth programs could impact the environment greatly. It is impressive that you have put those programs to thought. More encouragement for the youth of America to get involved is truly what could make a difference. We are going to be living in the future and so we have more incentive to preserve our nation.
Reducing greenhouse emissions is probably the most important step we could take to improve our environment. The cap-and-trade program seems like a practical, helping hand for the marketplace to get involved and for the government to control how much pollution large corporations are emitting. I think that specifically addressing automobile companies and factories about their levels of pollution and coming up with a plan to reduce the emission but still maintaining their profit could make them more aware and motivated to cut back.
New forms of energy are imperative, as well, to a better environment and I think that a great step to that is finding new ways to power cars. Gas emits a terrible amount of pollution, wheather it be spilling onto the roads or releasing toxins into the air, and in my opinion, with a little creativity, should be relatively easy to fix. Producing more hybrid and electric cars are already large strides towards alternative vehicles. I understand that you are working towards putting 1 million electric cars on the road by 2015. I think that would be favorable for many people. Other forms of fuel such as vegetable oil from restaurants would be a great way to reuse resources and if that is not possible currently, it is something to consider for the future. Also using windmill energy and solar energy are alternatives that could be used in place of oil.
Your presidency is not only a monumental presidency because you are the first black president but because you have the chance to change our nation and impact the world in an incredible way. I understand that all of this cannot be done within a year but now is the time to start. The president has an outstanding effect on everyone around the world, animate and inanimate. Please take this opportunity to help our environment for the better and to leave a mark for years to come.
Sincerely,
Zoe Gallop
I would like to address a growing issue that concerns me greatly. The environment and the state of it currently is very important because it effects almost everything about our lives. It effects our economy, health, animals, the weather and many other life altering issues. We have incredible national parks, natural monuments and beautiful wildlife which need our help to maintain their splendor. Action must be taken quickly to preserve rightfully what is ours.
I have read your plans to create many green jobs, reduce greenhouse gas emission, and produce new forms of energy. I think that your proposed green job corps and youth programs could impact the environment greatly. It is impressive that you have put those programs to thought. More encouragement for the youth of America to get involved is truly what could make a difference. We are going to be living in the future and so we have more incentive to preserve our nation.
Reducing greenhouse emissions is probably the most important step we could take to improve our environment. The cap-and-trade program seems like a practical, helping hand for the marketplace to get involved and for the government to control how much pollution large corporations are emitting. I think that specifically addressing automobile companies and factories about their levels of pollution and coming up with a plan to reduce the emission but still maintaining their profit could make them more aware and motivated to cut back.
New forms of energy are imperative, as well, to a better environment and I think that a great step to that is finding new ways to power cars. Gas emits a terrible amount of pollution, wheather it be spilling onto the roads or releasing toxins into the air, and in my opinion, with a little creativity, should be relatively easy to fix. Producing more hybrid and electric cars are already large strides towards alternative vehicles. I understand that you are working towards putting 1 million electric cars on the road by 2015. I think that would be favorable for many people. Other forms of fuel such as vegetable oil from restaurants would be a great way to reuse resources and if that is not possible currently, it is something to consider for the future. Also using windmill energy and solar energy are alternatives that could be used in place of oil.
Your presidency is not only a monumental presidency because you are the first black president but because you have the chance to change our nation and impact the world in an incredible way. I understand that all of this cannot be done within a year but now is the time to start. The president has an outstanding effect on everyone around the world, animate and inanimate. Please take this opportunity to help our environment for the better and to leave a mark for years to come.
Sincerely,
Zoe Gallop
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