The Family I Approve of Now

At the young age of eighteen, I wanted freedom from my family and my life, so I decided to move and explore the southern U.S. The further I got from my family the more depressed my life became and the more I realized I wanted to be home. I experienced life in a way that I never expected I would, and became close friends with people who I felt were my family back then. Being gone for only 6 months changed my life and drastically changed my maturity level.

            The day I left was the most thrilling incident I’ve had so far in my life. I remember being extremely sad to see my mother cry, but I knew she would be O.K in a week or two, so I hugged and kissed her and said, “I love you” and she left. The next day I boarded my plane to Texas and didn’t arrive till late that night. I stayed up for a good twenty-four hours just sitting and waiting with no phone, no food, no movement. It was the most scared and vulnerable I have ever been. A week passed and I finally had access to a phone, and immediately I called home. My mother’s voice answered and instantly tears flowed from my eyes uncontrollably, and I could barely speak through my sobbing which was making it a hard conversation.

            Weeks passed and the next thing I knew, I was gone from home for almost 4 months. I grew to be attached to my roommates and others in my squadron. We were all so close to each other because we had no interaction with our real families and so we became our own family. None of us had anything in common, in fact, we hated each other most of the time, but the only thing that kept us together was the one thing that was keeping us there.

            I couldn’t stand being there though because I realized my family was really important to me and I took them for granted, so all I wanted to do was to get back to them. I decided to leave and it took almost a month for everything to be processed and finalized, it was definitely the longest month I can ever remember. The time came for me to board another plane from Mississippi to California. I surprised my family with my homecoming and I can still remember my mom crying in disbelief that I was truly home. Ever since then I have been close with my parents and my brothers. I love them very much and will never take them for granted again.

Interview

We had to interview another student in class on Wednesday, February 16, 2011. My classmate was randomly chosen by our Professor. His name is Ricardo Rivera. My immediate impression of him was a casual, laid-back kind of guy; come to find out, my inkling was right. We sat in the back of the class and introduced ourselves. We talked and refreshed our memory about the assignment that was in front of us. I began first as the interviewer and learned quite a bit about the stranger sitting next to me.

            Even though Ricardo was born in Oxnard, he spends a lot of his time in another city. He works full-time in Westlake Village at a pet hotel called the Bark Leaf Hotel. He also attends school Wednesday and Thursday nights. His goal is to graduate with his AA from Oxnard College. During his time in school he hopes to see the parking improve because he now parks off campus and has to walk at night to his classes, which is not safe. Although, I know he can protect himself because one day he plans to become a Police Officer and has already been through some police training. Being a Scorpio, means he’s very independent and can accomplish anything he sets his mind to, so if he wants that AA diploma or the graduation ceremony from the Academy, he’ll get it.

            His personality is so relaxed that it may come off as disinterestedness, but in fact he just hates drama. He enjoys having a good time with his friends, playing soccer, and working hard for his money. He is enjoying college life because he loves the feeling of being in control of his classes and schedule.

            Overall, Ricardo is a calm and collective guy. I was really glad to have met him because we did have some history in common and share similar personality traits. I do believe he wasn’t going to be in our class anymore, which is a shame, but I understand the feeling of being overwhelmed. Like I have stated before, Ricardo is an independent, strong headed guy and can accomplish anything that he sets his mind to.

The Kiss

A Significant Event in My Life

            My older friends and my parents say that high school was a blast for them, but my experience was completely different. I absolutely hated high school because it was an awkward time growing out of my adolescence and becoming an adult. I also didn’t have many friends, especially girlfriends. I did have a best friend though and we were inseparable. Looking back on it, I feel that she was my first real relationship.

            Her name is Ramie and she is 22 years old, my age. She has a wonderful personality which is hard to believe because she had such a hard life growing up. Her mom was a drug addict and she never saw her biological father because he wanted nothing to do with her. Ramie was raised by another man, who is currently a meth addict and an abuser. When Ramie was a little girl, she was molested by him and her own mother knew about it, but ignored it. For years Ramie had to live under the same roof as that man until he finally moved out. Her mother finally stopped using drugs, but became an alcoholic. Despite everything, Ramie had a terrific attitude about life and was a responsible teenager. It was surprising how different she was from her own brothers and mother.

            I moved around so much, so I went to three different high schools and finally graduated at Rio Mesa High School in Oxnard. I met her in my junior year at Rio Mesa and we immediately clicked; we spent all of our free time together. We did party a lot, but it was always fun because we got along so well. There was one significant time when we were hanging out that changed our relationship and my life.

            We were in our senior year of high school and it was close to graduation. My older brother had an apartment in Camarillo and we would party there quite often because it was convenient. His apartment had no furniture in the living room except for some stools, dishes, and a dartboard. The typical bachelor pad. My brother had a messy roommate who would leave bottles of alcohol on the counter and dirty dishes piled in the sink.

            So this one particular night we were hanging out there, just talking about random topics and drinking a little bit of alcohol. It was always interesting being there because my brother would have his music blasting and his roommate always had his computer games’ volume up way too loud; the noise was certainly distracting. She was sitting on one of the wooden stools and I was standing, leaning against the cold tile counter. There was a silent minute in our conversation. I said “Have you ever thought what it would be like to kiss each other?” and she casually replied “Yeah.” My thoughts were going all over the place because I didn’t know what to do after that. I wanted to kiss her because I was curious and at that moment I knew she was curious too.

            Ramie is a very tall beautiful blonde girl, so when she was sitting in that stool she was effortlessly my height when I was standing. We set our drinks on the counter and were awkwardly positioning ourselves. From an outsider’s view it probably looked like we were so nervous and gawky. Our fingers met and her legs were touching mine; we stayed face to face not moving. Then I leaned in and met her lips with mine. The moment was tensed, but quickly became comfortable as our kiss gradually opened and our bodies relaxed. It felt strangely nice to have the back of her neck and hairline intertwined in my fingers. It was a moment of innocence, passion, and curiosity. I was slowly breaking away from the kiss, concealing one small kiss upon her soft lips. We looked at each other and didn’t say anything. Our hands weren’t in lock anymore. We reached for our drinks, and as we were sipping I said “Well, um,” trying not to stumble over my words and control my nervousness “I liked it.” She looks at me and smiles. “I liked it too; it was actually really comfortable.”

            That incident changed our relationship. We became closer because we were still best friends but we were now allowed to be curious with each other. The year passed and we slowly were going in opposite directions. She ended up moving to Arizona with her sister because she didn’t want to deal with her mom anymore. I had the chance to meet up with her a couple of times when she came back to visit, but that was the last time I saw her. It’s been four years and we have had no communication. Still, I know she’s a strong person and she will make her life into anything she wants. I have always wished the best for her.

            Our relationship definitely impacted my life for the better. It opened up my view on people and relationships. I can enjoy the feeling of being with a strong handsome man, but I love the feeling of being with a smooth skin, soft hair, sexy woman. I think it’s perfectly natural to have a desire for males and females because everyone is unique and beautiful in their own way and I don’t want gender to stop me from meeting someone.

Text Messaging

Imagine trying to fit a cell phone that resembles the shape of an iPad, but a little bit longer and much thicker like a DVD box set, and weighing over two pounds in your pocket or in your purse. Well fortunately we don’t have to struggle with that kind of a cell phone, but in 1973 people did. In April of that year, the first cell phone that closely resembles our cell phones today was invented by a man who worked for Motorola, Dr. Martin Cooper. It had no display screen and only supplied 35 minutes of time to talk! Very different from what we have to choose from today.

Presently there are 4.6 billion people who own cell phones, that’s more than two-thirds of the world’s population. Cell phones are so popular because they are useful and convenient. One of their wonderful uses is text messaging; it is quick and efficient. It’s usually used when the person can’t physically talk so they’ll message instead. I feel that texting is a great addition to cell phones because it can be used carelessly whenever or discreetly like during a meeting, in class, or at work. As our technology advances, I’m sure something more proficient will be invented and will be even more useful and convenient.