PORTFOLIO

http://aequillopo.wix.com/aqs2

Society

10 LAWS:

1. Everyone must go to school from ages 3-18. At age 16 must sign up for the job they want. (We pick the jobs for them, based on high school activities)
2. At Age 65. Go to the Care Home of Elders.
3. From ages 15-18 start looking for your mate (or live single) BY AGE 19 MUST KNOW. Married at 20. Same sex if you wish. No divorce if their are kids
4. Social Interaction is required. Everyone is Equal.
5. If sick or injured, go to hospital, IMMEDIATELY
6. All things in PUBLIC are recorded.  
7. Must obey officials (police)
8. Citizens don't have control over weapons or dangerous items, meals are provided for them. They do not make their own meals.
9. NO VIOLENCE. Crimes and etc will lead to death. Examples: Stealing, Murder, Attacking, Abuse, etc.
10. PEACE IS EVERYTHING. Freedom from or the cessation of war or violence.

5 ALLOWED:

1. Expressive individuality
2. No curfew
3. Hobbies
4. 1 Pet
5. Participation in Government

5 NOT ALLOWED:

1. No more than 3 kids
2. Taking more than 1 item at the store (per person)
3. Religion. Holidays - based off religion.
4. Drugs
5. Drinking Alcohol

How/Where They Will Live, Wear, Ranking (if any), etc.

When a child is born, it will live with the parents he/she came from. They will grow up and live there until they are 20. When they are 20, they make the decision to get married or stay single. If they get married, they will move into a two-story house with their significant other and live there until it is their time to go. If they choose to stay single, they will move into a one-story house until it is their time to go. Each person will be able to wear anything they want. All their clothes will be from a store near them. They will be able to express their

individuality by choosing which clothes they want to wear everyday. In our society, there is no ranking because we believe that everyone is equal. No matter how many kids they have, what their job is, or if they’re married or single, everyone is equal.

Summary:

Our society revolves around peace and being able to express oneself. Blue is the color of peace which is why our logo is blue with a peace sign. We have everyone get an education and a job. We let our citizens choose whether they want to have a family or not. Our two most important laws are no violence and peace is everything. We don’t have any religion or religion based holidays because it may cause conflict between the people. Our society doesn’t have a currency because everyone is allowed one of each item (clothes, toys. etc.). The amount of money that one has would cause classes/rankings to be made and that is not what we want because we believe everyone is equal.

The Merchant of Venice Final

Nowadays everyone is more on the pursuit of money rather than the pursuit of happiness. Most people think that money can solve all life's problems and make a person happier, but most find that the pursuit of money can lead to a bad pathway. In the Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare it is mainly about two merchants that don’t get along, but both are on the pursuit of money, because their merchants. They are constantly trading and making deals. One of the main merchants, Shylock, is most affected by this lesson and throughout the book we find out how his pursuit of money goes and how it affects him in the end. The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare shows that it is vital to have more than money to be happy because the pursuit of money doesn’t always lead up to what one wanted in the first place.

Towards the beginning of the book, Shylock and Antonio, make an agreement. Shylock with lend Antonio money and if he doesn’t pay it back then he can cut a pound of his flesh out. “Let the forfeit be agreed for a full pound of your fair flesh” (1.3.142-143). This is when we start to figure out Shylock's motives and the way he negotiates. Shylock goes as far as cutting someone else because of money. He tries to get as much money as possible with every deal. And then we find out that Antonio’s ships sank, with all his money on it. All this time he relied everything on his money and earnings but in the end it failed him and he was left with nothing. Same goes for everyone else. Sooner or later money will give out and we will be left with nothing. Money is a materialistic thing that can only get you so much of. Not only does he lose money but he also later on loses his daughter, due to his dirty actions for money she decides to run away. The readers are positive he didn’t lose his daughter due to his regretful thought later on. Money may be materialistic but can also can cause something that becomes sensual that interferes with relationships. The pursuit of money can not only dig a financial ditch for you but also push away loved ones.

As the story progresses we find Shylock in a court against Antonio. Shylock demands money or a pound of flesh, but in the end, tables turn.. “Therefore, prepare to cut off the flesh. Shed no blood.” (4.1.320). His pursuit of money led him so far to cut a man's body open. In the beginning he makes a harsh deal to ensure he gets money, but because he pursuited money, he lost in the end. This saying that not only does the pursuit of money lead to the wrong direction but in a bad direction. Not necessarily saying everybody these days would go as far as cutting someone from money and rid themselves of their humanity, but this situation could be put onto a more modernized scale but the outcome could still be injurious. If one does pursuit money, they might eventually get the money but it will always feel short of satisfactory.

Every pursuit of money Shylock had, has gone in the opposite direction he wanted. In the end he ends up with nothing. I think this is a lesson everyone can learn from because no matter how much times you pursuit money you will end up unsatisfied. Even if you do end up with the money in the end, the amount of sacrifice and hardship will not always make up for it. With all this evidence it shows that you need more than money in life, maybe a stronger connection with family, like Shylock, or pursuit something else. The thing to pursuit to live a happy life depends on the person, but money will not always be the answer. So the only way is to pursuit something else other than money to be happier. Human being may never know what that something else may be, but in the end we are all on the pursuit to live a happy, satisfying life.

The Merchant of Venice

Nowadays everyone is more on the pursuit of money rather than the pursuit of happiness. Most people think that money can solve all life's problems and make a person happier, but most find that the pursuit of money can lead to a bad pathway. In the Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare it is mainly about two merchants that don’t get along, but both are on the pursuit of money. One of the main merchants, Shylock, is most affected by this lesson and throughout the book we find out how his pursuit of money goes and how it affects him in the end. The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare shows that it is vital to have more than money to be happy because the pursuit of money doesn’t always lead up to what one wanted in the first place.

Towards the beginning of the book, Shylock and Antonio, make an agreement. Shylock with lend Antonio money and if he doesn’t pay it back then he can cut a pound of his flesh out. “Let the forfeit be agreed for a full pound of your fair flesh” (1.3.142-143). Shylock goes as far as cutting someone else because of money. This is when we start to figure out Shylock's motives and the way he negotiates. He tries to get as much money as possible. with every deal. And then we find out that Antonio’s ships sank, with all his money on it. This is when Shylock's pursuit of money goes down hill. All this time he relied everything on his money and earnings but in the end it failed him and he was left with nothing. Same goes for everyone else. Sooner or later money will give out and we will be left with nothing. Not only does he lose money but he also later on loses his daughter, due to his dirty actions for money she decides to run away. The pursuit of money can not only dig a financial ditch for you but also push away loved ones.

As the story progresses we find Shylock in a court against Antonio. Shylock demands money or a pound of flesh, but in the end, tables turn. When the court grants Shylock to cut a pound of flesh they say that he may only cut flesh and if a drop of blood spills then he could be faced with charges himself. “Therefore, prepare to cut off the flesh. Shed no blood.” (4.1.320).  His pursuit of money led him so far to cut a man's body open. In the beginning he makes a harsh deal to ensure he gets money, but because he pursuited money, he lost in the end. They also said if he forfeits the deal then he will have to change his religion and give half his money to Antonio, the guy Shylock originally wanted to take all his money from now has half of it.

Every pursuit of money Shylock had, has gone in the opposite direction he wanted. In the end he ends up with nothing. I think this is a lesson everyone can learn from because no matter how much times you pursuit money you will end up unsatisfied. Even if you do end up with the money in the end, the amount of sacrifice and hardship will not always make up for it. With all this evidence it shows that you need more than money in life, maybe a stronger connection with family, like Shylock, or pursuit something else. The pursuit of something else other than money is vital to live a happy life. But what does one have to pursuit to be happy? Is is family, work, success? Human being may never know, but in the end we are all on the pursuit to live a happy, satisfying life.

Act I Scene III Questions

1) Revisiting the Portia situation, why is the choosing of a man suitable for her out of her hands.

Portia is choosing a man suitable for her out of her hand because it is in her fathers will to marry higher. 

2) Who is Shylock? What is his importance in the story thus far?

Shylock is a Jew he plays the role of the person that loans Antonio money (3000 ducats for 3 months). 

3) What is the agreement Shylock and Antonio come to terms with?

If Antonio does not pay Shylock back then he can cut off a pound of his human flesh. 

4)Why is Shylock so hesistant of this agreement with Antonio? While answering this question you should also explain their history and relationship between each other.
Would you trust Antonio? Why or why not.

Shylock is hesitant of his agreement with Antonio because they are of different religion. Shylock is a Jew and Antonio is a Christian and back then Christians and Jews were not on good terms. Back then Antonio was bullying Shylock because he was a Jew. 

Reflection question: Many times people say friends don't make good business partners, or you should never live with your best friends. Why do you think this is so? Is it smart that Antonio and Shylock are doing business together?

I think it is because if anything with the business goes wrong then not only the business in in jeopardy but also the friendship. It is not smart for them to be doing business together because they are of different people, it is not smart to with with best friends and also people you have conflict with. 

The Merchant of Venice Quiz #1

1.     What is the setting of the story? What are the people like, the culture etc.?

The Merchant of Venice takes place in Venice, Italy around the 16th Century. The main male character is Antonio and the main female character is Portia, so far introduced in the story. In this story it seems as if everyone is very close to each other and they care a lot for each other - Antonio's group of guy friends there to cheer him up and Portia and her maid ladies there to help her tackle life decisions. 

2.     We meet Antonio in the first scene, who exactly is he and what is his worries that he faces early on?

Antonio is a merchant and in the beginning we come to find that he is sad, but does not know why. He first talks to his friends about it and they assume he is in love or worried, but Antonio does not know why he is sad. As of right now, it is hard to depict if Antonio is worried about anything. 

3.     We also meet Bassanio a friend of Antonio, what does he ask of Antonio? Explain. 

Bassanio is a very good friend of Antonio, and because Antonio has lots of money he asks him for some to win over a girl (Portia). He then goes to Belmont to meet her again. 

4.     Portia worries about finding a husband, so what does she decide to do that she thinks will be best solution to her problem? Explain.

In the story because Portia is so worried about finding a husband and the best way the father thinks she can do that is with the casket game, but because none of the men she saw was worthy for her, she asks her maid to put wine on the wrong casket and because no one will get the correct casket she will live to be a virgin her whole life. 

Research and Character Analysis

In the book "Of Mice and Men" it takes place during The Great Depression. During these times economy in America dropped, stock market dropped, and lots of people go unemployed. There we also lots of itinerant workers scrambling for jobs. In the book George and Lennie are the itinerant workers traveling from one job to another trying to make a living. And because during these times a lot of business owners were loosing employees and business. Most of them got stressed, causing them to become a little more strict because of low consumer spending, like Curley. 

TERRERRC
Lennie 

Lennie, gentle but rough. Lennie is a large man that is very strong physically, but not intelligently. In the book "Of Mice and Men" as Lennie talks about a dead mouse had he says,"'...I pinched their heads a little then they was dead." Lennie has no intention in killing a mouse he just likes to pet them. But if he squeezed it's head a little, he killed it. Sometimes Lennie may not know his own strength. Another part in the book, he gets into a fight with Curley, the bosses son. One of their friends says,"'Looks to me like ever' bone in his han' is bust.'" After just squeezing Curley's hand, he crushed every bone in his hand. Lennie is overall has a gentle personality but when is comes to strength, he dominates. 

Lennie is also not the sharpest knife in the drawer. George says this about Lennie,"'Oh! I ain't saying he's bright. He ain't.'" Right here it explains that Lennie isn't that smart. He is better at using his body more than his brain. In the book it explains how when Lennie was younger he was kicked in the head by a horse, but in reality, he is mentally challenged. In the beginning Lennie often forgets what George tells him, like when they went to get a job, George tells him to not say anything but he still does. But Georges intentions was to prevent Lennie from saying anything that will jeopardize them getting the job. In conclusion, Lennie is a mentally challenged guy that is very strong.  

The Great Depression

The Great Depression is when America's economy dropped and created an economic downturn which  started in 1929 and lasted all the way to 1939. There were steep declines in the industrial output because consumer spending and investment dropped. People started spending less and this lead to piles of unsold goods. Farmers didn't have enough money to harvest their crops which meant they had to leave their crops to rot leading to piles of unsold goods. Piles of unsold goods are bad for businesses and its workers because if nothing is being brought, no money will be made. Along with the drop of consumer spending, banks also lost a lot of their money. Investors demanded cash from the banks and led to many closed doors of banks because they lost a lot of money. In conclusion, The Great Depression led to rising numbers of homeless in the streets of America and many unemployed citizens.

After 1935, America started to get back on its feet. There were programs and institutions that helped people get there life back together after The Great Depression. During years 1935-1943 the WPA help 8.5 million people get permanent jobs. Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) built dams and hydroelectric projects to control flooding and provide electric power to the Tennessee Valley region of the South. During the spring of 1933, after showing signs of recovery, America's economy continued to improve throughout the next 3 years. Along with the job increase, The Great Depression helped America become even more employee friendly. In 1935 Congress passed a Social Security Act which insured safety. Also, after The Great Depression industrial production started to rise, creating a reduced unemployment rate that was even lower than what it was before The Great Depression. In conclusion, The Great Depression was not all a bad thing.

Of Mice And Men Vocabulary

Cesspool:
Definition: an underground container for the temporary storage of liquid waste and sewage
Sentence: You would not want to fall into a cesspool because it's full of liquid waste and sewage.
Quote: "We... we was diggin' a cesspool." (p.20)

Relish:
Definition: to enjoy or to savor greatly
Sentence: During the last performance of "Peter Pan", the cast relished every moment of the show because they would never perform it again.
Quote: "'The guys said on the account of the nigger's got a crooked back, Smitty can't use his feet.' He paused in relish of the memory." (p. 20)

Aaron and Rhysa

A Coney Island Life - Final

As we all know it, life is short. We as people feel the need to live out our life to the fullest, which is true, but we shouldn't waste it either. Life will go by really fast and if someone spends it on useless things, they won't be able to accomplish the things they wanted to. In the poem, Weil seems to be comparing his life to Coney Island which was a carnival in New York City. Along with the literal meanings of the carnival, Weil connects different aspects of the carnival to something deep inside. In "A Coney Island Life" by James L. Weil tells one to not waste their time on hopeless dreams before times up because once the time comes one shouldn't have regrets.


In this world no one should have regrets.  He comes off by first comparing his life to a roller coaster, "On rollercoaster ups and downs." If taken in the literal sense, he's is on a roller coaster that goes up and down, a normal thing a carnival would have. But looking deeper into it, the roller coaster resembles his life. He's saying life is like a roller coaster, there is going to be good times and not so good times. And throughout the rocky ride, we should hold on tight to what matters most, so they don't slip out of our grasps because if we don't we might regret the important things we let go of. Although life is a bumpy roller coaster, the point of it is to have a good time. He calls life a rollercoaster because it can be a fun but scary thing, so enjoy the ride but focus of what needs to be done. It's fun to let go of the handle bars, but sometimes it's better to hold on.


As the poem goes on, he then writes, "And seen my helium hopes break skyward without me," here he talks about how his hopes and dreams, comparing them to helium balloons. In the literal sense he let go of his balloons and they float towards the sky. But however in the figurative sense the balloons represent his dreams, how they were always up in the air and not for sure. That he can no longer can be accomplished because he has let go of them. That is because all this time he focused on the wrong things, and now he has regrets. He can no longer accomplish his goals because something is pulling him down, preventing him from grabbing onto his dreams again. That something he cannot prevent is slowly dragging him away. Walking around, holding those balloons close to his heart. Those balloons were something he could always look up to for encouragement, but now as they slip away they only become a burden.


Towards the end,  he states,"I take perhaps my last ride," and from there it seems as if he is slowly exiting this world because every roller coaster comes to a stop eventually. He then says,"How many more times round I have to catch that brass-ring-sun, before the game is up." As the poem comes to an end, the last statement truly points out that as the roller coaster goes round and round, he starts to realize that he doesn't have much time left, that death is slowly creeping on him. He may have had fun on this roller coaster, taking a care-free trip, but he now comes to realize that his his chances of achieving his unaccomplished dreams and slowly vanishing. His regrets starting to creep up on him.


Life is like a roller coaster, fun and scary but eventually needs to come to an end. It is something one only get to experience once. Don't waste it on dreams far out of reach. Life will be full of those ups and downs like roller coasters and hopes like helium balloons, so make sure your focused. A "Coney Island Life" by James L.Weil is trying to tell us to make smart decisions, but also have some fun, and in the end, try not to have regrets.

Metaphor Poem - Final

No one reads a diary

but the author

No diary is out in the open

rather hidden instead

No diary shares its secrets

only to those who are close 

Diaries hold lots of knowledge

lots of secrets 

lots of feeling

lots of answers  

lots of meaning 

You can practicially trust a diary with anything 

Although sometimes diaries will be read

 by someone other than the author

Diaries have hard covers

to protect them from frauds

those who are not close only get the surface

but valuables get to read every page

On each page there's a story

My stories

Stories of untold

regret and sorrow 

but also sympathy 

and compassion 

Stories of untold loves 

and the unknown

Stories of the lost 

and of the broken 

...my life stories

I am the diary

The keeper and holder of the unknown hidden in the diary

I'm also the author of the diary

The writer and controller 

The diary is the author, the author is the diary

and this diary belongs to: Aaron Quillopo

Unit 4 -5 Sentences

This Diary Belongs To: ... - by Aaron Quillopo

No one reads a diary

but the author

No diary is out in the open

rather hidden instead

No diary shares its secrets

only to those who are close 

Diaries hold lots of knowledge

lots of secrets 

lots of feeling

lots of answers  

lots of meaning 

You can practicially trust a diary with anything 

Although sometimes diaries will be read
 by someone other than the author
Diaries have hard covers
to protect them from frauds
those who are not close only get the surface
but valuables get to read every page

I am the diary
On the outside I make you want to read me
On the inside I know my secrets and feelings
I am also the author of the diary
The diary is the author, the author is the diary
This diary belongs to: Aaron Quillopo

A Coney Island Life - Rough Draft

As we all know it, life is short. We as people feel the need to life out our life to the fullest, which is true, but we shouldn't waste it either. "A Coney Island Life" by James L. Weil tells one to not waste their time on hopeless dreams before times up because once the time comes one shouldn't have regrets. 

In this world no one should have regrets. In the poem, James L. Weil seems to be comparing his life to Coney Island which was a carnival in New York City. He comes off by first comparing his life to a roller coaster,"On rollercoaster ups and downs" which is true. In life there is going to be good times and not so good times, but we should hold on tight to what matters most, so they don't slip out of our grasps because if we don't we might regret the things we could have done. 

As the poem goes on, he then writes,"And seen my helium hopes break skyward without me," here he talks about how his hopes and dreams, how they were always up in the air and not for for, and no longer can be accomplished. That is because all this time he focused on the wrong things, now he has regrets. It seems as if something is pulling down, preventing him from grabbing onto his dreams again, that something that he cannot prevent is slowly dragging him away.

Towards the end,  he states,"I take perhaps my last ride," and from there it seems as if he is slowly exiting this world. He then says,"How many more times round I have to catch that brass-ring-sun, before the game is up." As the poem comes to an end, the last statement truly points out that as the roller coaster goes round and round, he starts to realize that he doesn't have much time left, that death is slowly creeping on him. 

Life is something you only get to experience once. Don't waste it on dreams far out of your reach. Instead, make smart decisions, but also have some fun, and in the end, try not to have regrets. 

Semester 1 Portfolio

This 1 semester I learned a lot of new ways to express my ideas and personalities through writing. If you click on this website it will show you the standards we followed and the standards that we all base out writing off of. I felt that this quarter went very well. I opened up to new ways of putting my own touch into my writing and also showing my evidence in my writing.


http://aequillopo.wix.com/aaaaronq

KC3 Final Draft

As many people know Hawaii is apart of the United States because of signatures and overthrows that happened long ago. But physically, Hawaii is surrounded by ocean. Hawaii would need to import what is needed and export what it could offer, although it cost way more to import because of the remote location... in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Imported goods is what we buy from other states/countries and exporting is the things we sell to other states/countries. 90% of the goods in Hawaii is imported and only 15% of what is locally grown in hawaii is exported, this could be a potential problem for the state of Hawaii, although some say it is not a problem at all. With more being imported that means more money spent. Hawaii depends on the mainland for most of imported goods but also exports enough to sustain itself.

Importing too much for Hawaii could lead to bad economy. Hawaii imports just about everything they have. For example they spend $98 million to import goods from Canada alone. Most of it is spent on aircraft and fuel oil. Hawaii imports, cars, electronics, food, gas, etc. Say if something were to happen to all the places Hawaii imports from and they can no longer buy from there. Hawaii would have to pay for air fair, shipping, packaging, and for the worth of the thing they are importing. Hawaii would not be sustainable to live by itself. They would live off of some dairy, meats, and produce. With no one to buy from or no one to sell to, Hawaii would not be sustainable without its imports.

15% of Hawaii’s goods is locally grown and exported. In 2010 Hawaii only exported 48,000 cattle head. Which was a decrease ever since the year before. If Hawaii could only sell 48,000 cattle head then how could they export any of the other goods. Although Hawaii exports what most of what is made here. The two most valuable crops that are exported is sugar cane and pineapples. Along with these crops Hawaii offers many fruits and vegetable, which most of is exported. Hawaii does not really provide much for themselves. Although Hawaii only exports 15% of the crops, which results to many crops because the amount of farmers and land they use for produce.

Trade, the importing and exporting, of Hawaii is very important to the amount of money they give and make. In Hawaii there are about 200,000 jobs that help with trade. In the year 2013 Hawaii has exported $697 billion of goods, most that include produce. This $697 billion comes from the 151 other businesses outside the country that buy goods from Hawaii. In the past couple years the number of exports has increased for Hawaii. In the year 2013 there were a total 889 companies that contributed to exporting which is a 15% increase from 2003. Hawaii may have imported a lot but the amount of exports they have make up for it. Without these trades Hawaii wouldn’t have enough money and produce to sustain itself.

Hawaii imports 90% of the goods they have and 15% of what they make is exported. There has been decreases and increases of income in the terms of trade over the years, but most of the time they balance out. Importing for hawaii is more important than exporting. They may importing a lot but due to other things like Tourism, importing is not a huge issue with the amount of money Hawaii has. Hawaii relies on the mainland for most of imported goods and exports just enough to sustain itself. Hawaii may import a lot of its goods but they also export most of the goods they make themselves.

KC3 Essay Draft

As we all know Hawaii is apart of the United States because of signatures and overthrows that happened long ago. But physically, Hawaii is surrounded by ocean. Hawaii would need to import what is needed and export what it could offer, although it would cost way more to import because of the remote location; in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. 90% of the goods here is imported and only 15% of what is locally grown here is exported, this could be a potential problem for the state of Hawaii, although some say it is not a problem at all. With more being imported that means more money spent. Hawaii depends on the mainland for most of imported goods but also exports enough to sustain itself.

Importing too much for Hawaii could lead to bad economy. Hawaii imports just about everything we need. For example we spend $98 million to import goods from Canada alone. Most of it is spent on aircraft and fuel oil. Hawaii imports, cars, electronics, food, gas, etc. Say if something were to happen to all the places Hawaii imports from and we can no longer buy from there. Hawaii would not be sustainable to live by itself. We would live off of some dairy, meats, and produce. Hawaii would not be sustainable without its imports.

15% of Hawaii’s goods is locally grown and exported. In 2010 Hawaii only exported 48,000 cattle head. Which was a decrease since the year before. If Hawaii could only sell 48,000 cattle head then how could they export any of the other goods. Although Hawaii does export most do what is made here. The two most valuable crops that are exported is sugar cane and pineapples. Along with these crops Hawaii offers many fruits and vegetable, which most of is exported. Hawaii does not really provide much for themselves. Although Hawaii only exports 15% of the crops, they do make a lot of crops.

Trade, the importing and exporting, of Hawaii is very important to the amount of money we give and make. In Hawaii there are about 200,000 jobs that help with trade. In the year 2013 Hawaii has exported $697 billion of goods, most that include produce. This $697 billion comes from the 151 other countries that buy goods from Hawaii. In the past couple years the number of exports has increased for hawaii. In the year 2013 there were a total 889 companies that contributed to exporting which is a 15% increase from 2003. Without these trades Hawaii wouldn’t have enough money to sustain itself.

Hawaii imports 90% of the goods and grows and 15% that we make is exported. There has been decreases and increases of income in the terms of trade. Hawaii depends on the mainland for most of imported goods and exports enough to sustain itself. Hawaii may import a lot of its goods but they also export most of the goods we make.

My Special Place - Querencia Final

If I had to pick one place to be my special it would be my grandparents house, located in Jamestown, Virginia. All the way across the United States. It is a 4,693.18 mile trip from here to Virginia. A total of 3 flights. The first one is 8 hours, the second one is 3 hours, and the last one is 1 hour, and that's just going, imagine coming back. Kind of far, I know, but the 14 hour flight is very worth the wait.

Every year me and my family would go visit my dad's side in Virginia. We have more than 20 relatives up there and that's not even counting the ones down here in Hawaii. When visiting it had felt as if time just stopped and that I was in this other time zone with my family. One where I wouldn't have to worry about my problems or be stressed. One where I get to let all my negativity out the door. As I walking into the door I hear my grandma cooking in the kitchen, my cousins screaming and playing in the living room, and my Aunties and Uncles talking in the dinning room. I can smell the won tons and filipino food.

My favorite time of the year to go is in Winter, when my grandma brings out her Christmas decorations and decorates the living room. It's the time of year my grandma bombards the freshly bought Christmas tree with mini Santas and snowman's. When the soft snow just covers 2 inches of the ground. And when we all sing Christmas songs while making our gingerbread cookies.

There are countless memories that I have there. From when my cousin spilled his funnel cake on me, or my first time tasting Freal's in 2009, or when we surprised my grandparents, every time we go there seems to be something that makes me want to stay there forever. When it's time to leave it feels as if I'm leaving one part of me there, which makes me want to come back every year. And when I do go back, I'm reunited with my other half; my Querencia, where the rest of my family is.

Picture Frame Paragraph

I can feel the cold ocean around me. The blinding sun is about to rise above the horizon--just the time in which my family starts setting up the tables and tents for the family get-together. I head out to the shower to go help unpack; shivering with every step. The salty taste of the ocean water still lingers in my mouth, though, it is soon to be cured by the pupu’s my mother has already prepared. Spicy ahi, edamame, peanuts; they are the beginning of the delicacy to come.

It’s only been a short period of time before I dove back into the now warm water, thanks to the sun. Looking to the shore, I can see that my cousins have arrived; most of which seek to have a great time. The water sloshes around as we unload our water guns onto each other. The smell of barbeque is like a calling us to feast on lunch. Walking back to our picnic area, I am greeted not only by the typical reggae music, but with my aunties and uncles who I haven’t seen since our last get-together. We share stories built up from the time frame that we haven’t seen each each other--the people we’ve met, the achievements we’ve made, and much more. Snap! Another picture for us remember. We begin to depart, but it is always “A hui ho’u!”; until next time.

My Special Place - Querencia Final Draft

It's kind of hard to pick one specific place that is special to me, but if I had to pick one place it would be in Jamestown, Virginia. This is where my grandparents house is located, all the way across the United States. It is a 4,693.18 mile trip from here to Virginia. A total of 3 flights. The first one is 8 hours, the second one is 3 hours, and the last one is 1 hour, and that's just going, imagine coming back. Kind of far, I know, but the 14 hour flight is very worth the wait.

Every year me and my family would go visit my dad's side in Virginia. We have more than 20 relatives up there and that's even counting the ones down here in Hawaii. When visiting it had felt as if time just stopped and that I was in this other time zone with my family. One where I wouldn't have to worry about my problems or be stressed. One where I get to let all my negativity out the door.

The one place place I love being is at my grandparents house. It is a two story house with 4 rooms, 2 bathrooms, one kitchen, one garage and 2 living rooms, it is a very traditional house made a long time ago. I can't help but smile or ponder about the memories I have up there. Whether it be Winter or Summer there was always something to do or somewhere to go. My favorite time of the year to go is in Winter, when my grandma brings out her Christmas decorations and decorates the living room. We would also go to Busch Gardens (an amusement park) and ride roller coasters and walk through their "Winter Wonderland".

There are countless memories that I have there. From when my cousin spilled his funnel cake on me, or my first time tasting Freal's in 2009, or when we surprised my grandparents, every time we go there seems to be something that makes me want to stay there forever. When it's time to leave it feels as if I'm leaving one part of me there and when next year comes around and we go back, I feel whole again.