IWP #2

Concerns and Questions on Adulthood

            Every day since I was a young child, I wondered how it would be like if I were an adult. Living alone, not having help from your parents- all those responsibilities. I always wanted to live away from my mom and dad, and do anything I wanted to. But come to think about it, it will be extremely hard. I think of all these quesions:

-          Will I have enough money to eat good food every day?

-          Where will I live and how will I find a place?

-          Who will I talk to when I have problems?

-          How will I organize trips?

-          How will I manage my money?

-          How will I fix broken things in the house?

-          How will I pay bills?

-          How will I manage my time?

-          Will I think about marriage?

-          How hard will it be to find a job?

-          Who will stop me from doing the wrong decisions?

All these questions make me feel one thing- as much as I want to leave my family and live in my own house, I have so much to learn still. Being able to live alone and get a job is for people who have gone through all stages of education, and there is a reason for that. So I am grateful for still living with my parents. But I also have concerns about High School. How much homework will I get each night? What happens if my grades go down? Will I get in the right college and most of all what career will I pick!?! Hopefully my middle school 8^th grade teachers have taught me well enough for the transaction, and I will find myself to be very happy in High school! 

IWP #1

Middle School Timeline

            When I started middle school, I lived in Munich Germany. The change from elementary school to middle school wasn’t drastic, since both schools were in the same building. But a big positive change was how I started making many friends not just in my class, but in the whole grade. I started becoming very independent, and was allowed to go out with my friends, something I rarely did previously. For example I really enjoyed going to the Oktoberfest, or the National Beer Festival, a place where there were many roller-coasters and fun rides. On the other hand I enjoyed staying home, doing pleasant activities such as cooking, something I did at least once a week. Another highlight in my early middle school life was skiing. The Alps were an hour away so I would frequently go there to ski. It was a lot of fun. But unfortunately, my father lived in New York while we lived in Germany for eight months, so it was very difficult.

            As 6^th grade came to an end, a huge change I had to face was the move from Munich to New York. It was hard to say goodbye to everyone, but it was great to be back in New York. What really got me excited when I first came to 51 was the outdoor lunch. As a 12 year old, to be able to go and eat at restaurants and have that much freedom was great. I really enjoyed 51- I had many great teachers and had a lot of fun. Sadly, people cannot be happy forever. In mid fall I came to the dentist’s office, and she said the monstrous words that I hoped would never have to hear- “You need braces”. Fortunately after a month I got used to them! An accomplishment I appreciated in my 7^th grade was in the middle of the year when I got into the Honors Society. My parents were proud so that was a highlight.

            The beginning of 8^th grade was very stressful. Visiting and reading about High Schools, studying for the SHSAT, learning about AP classes… But 8^th grade just flew by and fortunately towards the middle/end of the year I got accepted into Midwood, which was a huge achievement. I was so glad to know that I was going to spend the next 4 years in the school I wanted to be.              8^th grade had many ups and downs. Most of the projects, units we learned were very fun, and there were many great teachers. There also were some tough times for example with my chorus teacher and my science teacher. But overall 8^th grade went so quick and I can’t believe we only have two weeks of school left as I write this essay. An exciting thing that happened outside of school, was me joining a track team. It played a large role in my 8^th grade helping me manage time, and at the same time keep me healthy. I plan on doing track of course at Midwood. Towards the end of the year my parents unfortunately separated, and that was hard, since they were together even before I was born.

All in all Middle School was a really big part of my life, which I will never forget!