Overcoming Fear

One of my biggest fears was dark. I used to get goosebumps all over my arms when I turned off my room's light. At home, I used to run around the house to avoid dark places! I know it's embarrassing. At night I thought there was someone underneath my bed or in my closet staring at me. On several occasions, I woke up in the morning with my room lights on. I thought I turned it off but I didn't. When I was sleeping, one time, I heard water dripping from the tap or the shower from the bathroom. Then after a few minutes, I heard the water stop dripping. My whole body was relaxed the moment it stopped. But then, I heard something crash. It made a big unpleasant sound. The muscles in my body started to intensify. They were stiff and I almost heard my heart stop. I had sweat all over my forehead. I was afraid and scared to look in the direction of where the sound was coming from. I almost felt like peeing too. Then, after the crash, there was a moment of silence. My body started to relax again, but I was still unsure. I had to stay alert in case something happened again. After a few seconds, I heard something again. This time, I heard someone coming. I heard footsteps coming at my direction. I became stiff again. This time, I started to sweat more! Then I laid in a fetus position to protect myself. The sound of the footsteps started increasing. I wanted to sleep! Suddenly, I felt the light. It was my dad. He turned on the light to see what made that crashing sound. He found out that it was the shower curtain that made this sound. It fell. My dad looked at the curtain shaking his head. I was relieved. Then I felt my eyes close slowly.

Girl in Translation

Girl in Translation is a book written by Jean Kwok. The novel is about a girl named Kimberly Chang, who is a young immigrant from Hong Kong. She is an excellent student; she excels in math. However, as soon as she sets her feet in Brooklyn, her life becomes interesting. She begins to live two lives: (1) life as an excellent student and (2) life as a factory employee. During the day, she goes to school; at night, she helps her mom in the factory. Kimberly and her mom do not know how to speak English. She struggles to interact with other students in Brooklyn; however, she is a quick learner. She is constantly pressured because she feels that she is obligated to support the family. However, she overcomes this adversity by studying hard. She graduates from an exclusive boarding school and begins her college life in Yale. She also experiences unwanted pregnancy; however, she handles it pretty well. Her mom is always supportive of what she chooses to do. After she graduates from Yale, she becomes a doctor. She supports her mom and her family. I thought this story was interesting to read because I love reading stories about how people overcome their adversities. The author wants to express that many Chinese immigrants back in the late 1900s were pressured to succeed in America and support their family. Kimberly and her mom lived in extreme poverty. They had no heater, hot water, or money. They worked in a factory near China Town. They also received little money. However, Kimberly succeeds.   

Dream - Another World

I had this dream recently; I thought it would be interesting to share this with you guys. I remember this dream so vividly that it feels like as if I had actually experienced it. I don't remember everything but I'll write down the things I remember. I was separated from my mom and sister; I lived with my dad. One day, we were told from the government that anyone who finds any object that is related to Egypt, she or he would be killed immediately on the spot. People were going crazy after hearing this news; they were going out to the streets running wild. Some of them were protesting and many of them were in fear. Dad wanted me to go outside with him to see what was really going on. I think I wore a yellow t-shirt with blue jeans. When I went out, I saw all these people trying to run away from the polices. I was scared so I decided to hide with my dad. We went to a near public bathroom to avoid the frenzy. In the bathroom, I became bored so I decided to wash my hands. I pulled out a tissue to wipe my hands. All of a sudden, I realized something was weird. Next to the tissue box, I found a portrait of an Egyptian god. I touched it with curiosity. Then, about five or six polices materialized in front of my face. They surrounded me in no time. These polices were robots. They looked like humans but they weren't entirely human  beings. They grabbed me by the arms; I struggled to get out. Then, they did something to my body. There were lights flashing all around me; I was dead. I saw my dad being taken away from me and everything started to blur. I woke up as another being.

The picture at your left is the being I woke up as. My skin color was beige and slightly brown. I think I had green eyes and I was a male being. My eyeballs were slightly bulging out. The wrinkles around my eyes allowed me move my eyes freely. When I woke up as this being, I was wearing a military uniform and a long gun.  I was in the middle of a war. I think I was in a civil war. There was a friend next to me who was trying wake me up. He was also dressed as a soldier. He said we were being chased. Then I woke up by the sound of my mom's voice. I was in a magnificent place even though I was in war. There were weird looking trees around me but I couldn't see the sky because it was covered with fog and mist. My friend looked like me too.  This dream was amazing.