I believe by: Alyssa Chin

I believe in people being able to freely worship and follow any religion their heart leads them to. Everyone should be able to go to worship at a place whether it's a church of Catholics, Mormans, or if they’re synagogues and mosques. People shouldn’t be looked at differently or judged just because their religion might not be the same as yours or might have ways that you don’t agree with. No one should be put down or thought down upon because of what religion they believe in.
In the world, there are many religions people believe and live by. For example: I am a Christian who believes strongly in the ways and beliefs of the Christianity religion. Even if I believe and am committed to this religion, that doesn’t mean that I totally disregard anyone else of their religions. I wouldn’t ignore someone or look at them funny because they have a hijab on their head and believes in the Muslim religion. I remember a story my friend, who’s a Christian, and told me about how once at her church the term “gay” came up. The people were asking : “what would you do if you knew someone who were gay?” She said that many talked about how they would bring them to church and tell them it wasn’t right to do this, whereas her parents said that they would just accept this because, it would be disrespectful and hurtful to the person who is gay, since it’s what they believe. To this, the other church members were shocked and thought it was so wrong to just let that person go on “sinning.” This is one of the reasons why my friend and her family moved to another Christian church, where they were just like them. As you can see from this story, many people neglect and look down upon and think that they should change everyone that doesn’t believe the same beliefs as them. But this isn’t how it should be.
We should respect and treat people the same exact way we treat others no matter what religion they believe in. We shouldn’t judge them based on their religion, but on the important things like the personality and characteristics of the person. So why should people wonder why others don't have the same beliefs as them and try to change them to what they think is the correct religion? I mean I understand that people want everyone to join their religion and believe the same things as them, but they have to understand that you can’t attack someone/judge/think less of them just because that person(s) doesn’t think the same way. What has our world come to, where people give evil stares and talk behind people’s backs, just because they’re gay or bisexual or even a lesbian. Even if someone may not believe that this is right because they really feel that marriage and a relationship should between a man and a woman, they should nonetheless respect them and treat them the same as they would treat someone who was straight, because its what the person thinks is right and what they believe in.
I believe people should be able to trust in any religion they please, without getting judged, looked down upon or treated unfairly. This is America, where we have the freedom to believe and worship in any religion we want, which is one reason why we should treat everyone the same whether they’re Christian or Muslim. We should give respect to all people of every religion and have an open mind of their beliefs and thoughts. So next time you see someone getting looked down upon or judged in some way concerning their religion, stand up for them and remind the people treating them that way, to respect and treat everyone fairly no matter what religion they believe in.

Nothing like family by: Alyssa Chin

Gramps and Grand drive from Paia town
They pass by the waving green sugarcane
At Uncle’s house, the pies are golden brown
The fragrance wafts through the blue windowpane
Uncle Hew takes out the napkins and plates
As Uncle Maurice smiles and walks in
Lifting the heavy boxes and big crates
Working together feeling joy within
As Gramps and Grand arrive, the doorbell chimes
They are greeted with kisses and big hugs
Ready to create memorable times
Cries of joy so loud we’d all need ear plugs
Family is what we’ll always be
Always growing and growing like a tree

I remember staying at my Uncle’s house in Maui for Christmas or New Year’s every year, until he moved to Texas. It would be my Mom, two Uncles, Aunty and my grandparents all together in one house filled with the smells of turkey and baked apple pie. We open what seems like never ending presents and eat until we can’t eat anymore. Of course it’s sad when we all have to end our time together, but the happiness and joyous times we spent together overwhelms all of the negative thoughts. Family is like a tree, because we not only keep growing in the number of generations, but also we all grow individually to become better people.
Every holiday my mom and dad would switch so sometimes my Mom would have me for Christmas and other times she would have me for New Year. My Dad wouldn’t really do anything special for the holidays, so I would always look forward to my mom taking me to visit her family in Maui. My grandparents lives still to this day, in the same house in Paia, Maui . “They pass by the waving green sugarcane” explains that Paia is actually a sugarcane plantation town, where to this day they’re still growing lots of sugarcane. “As Uncle Maurice smiles and walks in” is a line that expresses my Uncle Maurice and how he is most of the time just a tad bit late and knows it, so always smiles when he is. Nonetheless, both of my uncles, Uncle Hew and Uncle Maurice, (my mom’s two younger brothers) have always been so thoughtful and caring. They always help out whether it’s something small like doing something together to make things easier and more efficient. My Mom, Aunty Rose and I are people who are also like my uncles because we help with everything. It could be washing dishes or wiping down the counters.
“They are greeted with kisses and big hugs” is something that all families do when family arrive, especially our family. It’s probably because we only see each other every six or more months, since my Mom and I live on Oahu and they all, at the time, lived on Maui. The first thing we do when we saw each other, wouldn’t be to say “Oh honey how are you?” but instead just go straight to giving lots of bear hugs and tons of kisses. We are a close family that tries to spend as much time with each other as possible. “Family is what we’ll always be” “Always growing and growing like a tree.” When I think of family, I think of a tree. This is because first of all, we all get married and have children, which makes our family even bigger. Not only do our families get larger in the number of members, but also individually people grow as a person and our families help us in doing that. For example: When I was younger, my Mom always made sure she taught me of what I should and shouldn’t do in her household. I remember one time I talked back to her when I was younger, and she taught me of how I should respect my elders, especially my family and not talk back because number one it wasn’t respectful and also since I want to treat people the way I want to be treated. Now that I’m older and a teenager, I try my hardest not to talk back because of what she taught me.
Family is one of the most important aspects in life because they are the ones that pick you up when you fall and cheer you on when you succeed. My family has taught me so many life values and have left me with unforgettable continuous memories that will last me a lifetime. I know sometimes we take our family for granted because we always know they’ll be there, but one day, they just might not be. So live life to the fullest with your family and make wonderful memories that you can share with future generations.

Ups and Downs

What is your viewpoint of life? Do you enjoy the ups and downs life comes with? Doesn’t it seem on some days that life is super easy and on other days almost unbearable? Can you imagine being a 15 year old girl and getting hit by a taxi while on your way to go shopping with your best friend for a prom dress? This brings me to the book I’m reading called Elsewhere. The theme in this book is that life is full of both ups and downs, which helps shape how the main character (Liz), has to start over again, how she adapts to her new surroundings and experiences and doing things she may not want to do.
Liz is a 15 year old girl that goes to a place called Elsewhere, after she get’s hit by a taxi in Massachusetts and dies from the accident. Elsewhere is a place where people that die go to and slowly get younger and younger until they’re a baby again and go back down to earth. The people not only get younger in age, but appearance. So it’s totally normal for Liz to feel uneasy as she get’s off the boat that took her to Elsewhere and is greeted with an unfamiliar face. “’ Welcome, Elizabeth! I’ve been waiting such a long time to meet you.’ The woman pulls Liz into a tight embrace that Liz attempts to wiggle out of. ‘ How like Olivia.’” “’How do you know my mother?’ Liz demands.” “’I’m her mother, your Grandma Betty, but you never met me. I died before you were born.’”… “’ But how is that possible? How can you be my grandmother when you look the same age as my mother?’ Liz asks.”… “’ Here, no one gets older, everyone gets younger. But don’t worry, they’ll explain all of that at your acclimation appointment.’” (pgs.46-47) Liz feels lost and homesick right when she first arrives in Elsewhere, because first of all she is still confused about where she is, number two she misses her life back on earth and lastly being welcomed by a total stranger, who claims is her grandmother doesn’t help the situation at all. She just wants to go back to her old life, where she could be with her family that includes her parents, younger brother Alvy, her dog Lucy and her best friend Zooey. “At first, Liz feels bad about listening in on her loved ones, but the feeling doesn’t last long. She rationalizes that she is really doing this for them. Liz imagines herself as a beautiful, benevolent, generous angle looking down on everyone from… from wherever she is. Leaving the lighthouse that night, Liz realizes that it will take many more eternims to follow the goings on of all her friends and family… If she isn’t going to get totally behind, she calculates that she will probably need at least twenty-four eternims a day, or two hours, which amounts to five minutes for every one hour of real life.” (pgs.92-93) Liz misses her loved ones so much, that the observation deck is somewhere where she can keep up with all that is happening with her family back on earth. Being in Elsewhere, she has the ability to start a brand new life with new surroundings and a new place to call home. She might only be there for 15 years and then off back to the earth where she will have new parents, new city, new school and etc, but being in Elsewhere gives her an opportunity to have a different life then she did on earth. The theme of life having ups and downs is shown in this paragraph because it gives a situation, which is when Liz first get’s to Elsewhere and also explains with the quotes and observations about how Liz was brought to Elsewhere not willingly and not knowing what to expect of herself there. It is an example of how in life when you will have times when you have to start fresh/ start a brand new life, which could be either an up or a down depending on your situation. In Liz’s case it would be a down at first because she is confused with everything that’s going on but later on she will realize that coming to Elsewhere is actually an up for her.
When she first gets to Elsewhere, she immediately knows she wants to go back home and be with her family and friends. You can sense it in her voice and how she acts toward her Grandmother Betty. For example: Liz explodes, “’I’LL NEVER GO TO COLLEGE OR GET MARRIED OR GET BIG BOOBS OR LIVE ON MY OWN OR FALL IN LOVE OR GET MY DRIVER’S LICENSE OR ANYTHING? I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS!’” (pg.51) This is when Grandma Betty tells her that she’ll be in Elsewhere for almost sixteen years and in the process, she will be aging back until she’s a baby and goes back down to earth to start a new life as a baby. Liz is of course totally against being in Elsewhere for this reason because she had worked so hard to become fifteen and was looking forward to all the things that came with growing up. Like being able to get her driver license soon. Also, even if she could get married and do all the things she was looking forward to later on, she was probably mad that she had to go through another fifteen or so years just to accomplish/do those things. Being here in Elsewhere she has to adapt to her new surroundings and to new things she has never experienced before. An example is having to adapt to the surroundings of people that are getting younger every year instead of getting older every year like people did back on earth. This paragraph supports the theme of life having ups and downs because in life you have to adapt to new surroundings and new experiences. Having to adapt to new surroundings and new experiences could be either ups or downs in your life because many times it’s very difficult to be in a situation where you aren’t familiar with it. Liz has to adapt to being in a place where she doesn’t know anyone and doesn’t know anything about the new place she’s in.
Before she even had this conference, she was in bed at her grandma’s house feeling not up to par to the day that lay ahead of her. “ Rise and shine, Elizabeth!” Grandma Betty interrupts Liz’s dream at seven the next morning. Liz buries her head under the blankets. “Go away,” she mutters, too low for Grandma Betty to hear. Grandma Betty opens the curtains. “ It’s going to be a beautiful day,” she says. Liz yawns, her head still under the covers. “I’m dead. What in the world do I have to get up for?” (pg.58) So she had to set aside her true feelings and go with the rules and what her grandmother told her to do, so she could get started on her new life. Another example of her having to do something she didn’t want to do is having to get off the boat that took her and all the other dead people to Elsewhere. She thought that the boat would of course have to return to earth so she would just stay on the boat because she was that against going someplace else other than home. “’ I want to make the return trip,’ Liz says.” “’These boats only go one way.’”… “’ Let’s suspend disbelief for a moment, and say you managed to take this boat back to Earth. What do you think would happen?’” “’ I suppose I’d go back to my old life, right’” “The Captain shakes his head. ‘ No. You wouldn’t have a body to go back to. You’d be a ghost.’” “’ Well, maybe that wouldn’t be so bad.’” “Trust me… You end up crazy, and everyone you love ends up crazy, too. Take a piece of advice: get off the boat.’” (pgs. 44-45) This paragraph has the theme of life having its ups and downs because in your life you might have to do things you may not always want to do, but have to do. In this case, Liz didn’t want to get off the boat because she missed her family, friends and just her old life back on earth, that she didn't want to let it go. But she had to because the captain of the boat made her realize that she would be hurting herself and her family more if she tried to go back to earth.
Life is difficult enough without all its ups and downs. Sometimes you may have to start things over again like maybe having to rebuild your life back up again because of a major event that happened, which impacted your life to go downhill. Sometimes you may have to adapt to new surroundings/new things that you probably aren’t used to but that’s how you grow as a person. Sometimes you may also have to do things that you might not want to do. Maybe you want to go to the movies with your friends but you didn’t finish your chores so you have to stay at home instead. Without all these ups and downs, life would not be the same. It would be dull and not full of unexpected events. So enjoy life, and don't look at negative things as a step down, but instead look at it as a stepping stone of growing as a person. If you don’t, you’ll end up being someone who only lives in the past and not the present.

My Grandma, My Inspiration

“ Grandma tell me about your life please,” I said when we were both settled in bed that cold blustering evening.
“ Ayu,(oh my gosh) I always tell you about my life. Tell me about yours,” my grandma replied.
“ No your life is so much more interesting. Can you tell me about your childhood please?” I asked.
“Okay, okay, go to sleep. I’ll tell you about my life. When I was a little girl my father was a famous doctor in Seoul. He owned the land that was below the house we lived in, but also he had a rice patty field that was filled with over 100 workers. My step-mom was mean to me. She would always make me do all the housework but I still very much loved her. I have 11 siblings, including Samchung, (older uncle) Aunty Young-soon, and Kuimo (older sister) who are my real siblings, not the half siblings I got from my step-mom.
“Really? You had 11 siblings grandma?” I asked.
“Oh! You’re not sleeping yet? Okay mom’s going to be mad if we don’t go to sleep soon, so go to sleep and I’ll tell you about my life okay?”
“Okay grandma,” I said with a smile. She cleared her throat, which either meant she was going to say something important or she just had something stuck in it, either one I still thought she was going to say something big. It turned out, it was bigger than big, it was huge.
“ When I was 16 maybe 17 years old, my stepmother told me to go and find my real mom because Seoul, my hometown was no longer safe, since the Korean communists/soldiers from North Korea were coming. It wasn’t safe because they were messing around with teenage girls and women. “ (messing=raping)
“Where was Kuimo and Aunty Young-soon, because they’re older than you right?” I asked.
“ They were already married and had moved out, so I was now the oldest in the house. So I left and was just wandering around Seoul surviving on whatever I could find. I hid in the high grass for the longest times because I didn’t want any of the soldiers to see me. Also, I put you know black dirt, on my face so the soldiers would think I’m ugly if they were to see me and wouldn’t try to rape me. I was very scared Alyssa, I was. Anyway, I went two weeks without seeing my family and then when I went to the market, I saw Kuimo. We were happy to see each other, you know, because we were sisters and we found comfort with each other.”
“Wow grandma, then what happened?”
“Aygu Mosada Chumne Mosada. (you drive me crazy) Alyssa you should be sleeping, mom is going to be upset.”
“Please grandma I will fall asleep soon, but go on please. Then what happened?” You could tell that she was pausing to decide whether or not she should go on or just stop, which would force me to actually go to bed. But in the end she did go on, thank goodness, because one I could learn more about my grandma and also because it was a very touching story.
“ All right, but go to sleep okay? So after we met again we went to Taegu, by train since Seoul wasn’t safe. We got jobs in you know, the military base’s mess hall, where we were the cooks there. Later we went back to Seoul and saw our siblings again, except for one. One of my brothers died because he was in the army and was fighting with the communists, until they killed him.”
“He died? Grandma! Oh my goodness me timbers! Then what? Oh you met grandpa huh? Haha. “ I said with a chuckle.
“ Alyssa, you’re supposed to be sleeping. You’re going to have hard time getting up tomorrow morning for school. You have to make sure you concentrate and listen to the teacher. Do not listen to anyone else and…”
“Grandma never mind. Then what grandma? Tell me more please grandma just a little while longer.”
“ Ayu, okay but go sleep Alyssa. So I met grandpa and we married after three months. He was in the army so we traveled all over the world including where your mom and Hew were born, in Turkey. After them I had Junior in North Carolina and then later on your mom got married and had you, Alyssa, my only granddaughter. I have a very good life Alyssa. I get to see you, mom, Junior, Hew, your grandfather and from time to time, my siblings. It’s so hard you know, because some live in Korea, Kuimo lives here in Honolulu, Aunty Young-soon lives in Seattle and so everyone lives in different places. Okay go sleep now Alyssa, so you can wake up.” Silence. “Alyssa are you sleeping? I guess you are, good night darling. Sweet dreams,” she said before she turned over.
“Good night grandma,” I whispered so softly a mouse couldn’t even hear it. I didn’t want her to hear me sniffling or see my tears rolling down my face as I tried to go to sleep on the other side of her.
Why did I decide to write about this experience as my most inspirational moment? It’s because I not only was able to learn more about my family and what their childhood was like, but I was also learning about history. Sure I could look up some books and sites on the Korean War, but it wouldn’t be the same as the experience coming alive right out of my grandma’s mouth. My grandma being able to actually speak about and describe this experience with me was truly amazing to me. I mean she told me about how she was alone and put dirt on her face so she would have less of a chance getting raped, and about how she was so scared of the men, after all she was only 16. For my grandma going through that experience and able to give me all the details including feelings and thoughts about it, is something that I will never forget because it has taught me more about being grateful about the country that we live in, the U.S. Sometimes we take advantage of living here, because everything is at our finger tips. We have all this high tech technology and we haven’t had to be separated from our families because of a war. Of course there’s the war going on in Iraq, but we all have someone we can lean on. But my grandma had no one because she went by herself, having to survive on anything she could find. By having all these luxurious things, we are not able to feel or experience what it’s like to not have any of it. I don’t know what I would do if I was my grandma and had to be apart from my family, all alone and being scared of being found by soldiers. This was my inspiration moment, a story about my grandma and her adventures in the Korean War. If you had an inspiration moment, what would it be?