Chinese Pen Pal Farewell

Dear Chinese pen pals,

I haven't heard back from you in awhile, and I'm not sure why that is. I'm sure you're doing fine, though, and keeping up with your studies. I've been keeping pretty busy with prom, which is a big dance event that only seniors attend at our school, and doing finals within my classes before graduation, which is this Friday. It seems like it's been four long years and four short ones at the same time, but it's been four years nonetheless, and I'm anxious about my first few years as an adult fledgling in the world. Since graduation is this Friday, I'm afraid to say that I'll be moving on from this class and onto another. It's been one of my favorite classes, and one that I'm glad that I have as one of the final ones in my senior year. I'm not sure what I'll be doing this summer, but probably just working and preparing for college. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll have time to keep up correspondence with you anymore. It's a great displeasure to say this, but I don't think you've had much time either, so the feelings may be mutual. It was nice to make your acquaintance, but I think it's time we went our separate ways. I wish you a happy summer and more success with your studies!

Sincerely,

Emily Crocker

Robotic Thoughts

DAY 346 ON (STUPID) MARS

I don't know how I'm able to keep track of the days anymore. They're all blurring together. And Mar's days are longer than Earth's, so I'm lucky to have an internal clock built in so I can keep track. I'm so lonely. My mission is to take photos of the landscape on the planet Mars, the angry little red planet next to Earth. And by "next to," I mean 54.6 million kilometers. I am 54.6 million kilometers from any human, though the humans can see what I see through my camera. I wish those geniuses had been smart enough to send me with a companion, another little robot to talk with, to even argue with. Just some contact to keep me sane and not be driven to madness by endless red and orange dust and rocks. I'd even welcome a little Martian dude or something. But there's no life on this planet. Not that I've noticed, but I can't really venture off, being a robot and all.
Day in and day out are filled with photos of stupid rocks and pebbles, maybe the occasional large stone. This planet is so plain and boring, with nothing to offer. No creatures of any sort except for me.
You know what? I've got this camera. Perhaps I'll use it for something else. But how? Maybe I can take a picture of something else, but what? Oh, I know! I should take a photo of myself. The boys back home will love that. Who else can say they took a selfie on Mars?

This is...

This is an elderly couple
Their skin wrinkled from years of laughter and sunlight
Their health failing with each passing day

This is an elderly friendship
Their papery hands holding the other's
The woman hoping for her companion's recovery, though knowing not to expect that much

This is an elderly tragedy
Their lives torn apart by illness and disease
The man knowing the hand he holds is his last hope in this cruel world

This is an elderly rhythm
The woman's clothes starting to smell from days of wear
The man's arm scarred from other IV needles
This is an elderly love

Flea Market Photo

Jewels, lace, silk - these are just a few of the things I encountered in my everyday life. I slept in silk and awoke to dress in the luxurious things my family could afford. Being an only child meant I got all the more of it, and having a father who felt guilty for being gone for so long and would shower me with gifts to remind me of his love for me played a part in that as well. My father was Glenn Rockefeller II, a wealthy man who did something in stocks and architecture, though I'm not sure what exactly he did. And as a I grew older and more strange men came to visit Father, I started to get an inkling that he had gotten some of his money in other ways than the stock market. I'm sure Mother got the idea as well, but she didn't speak. She was raised with strict guidelines on how to behave and live like a lady, and carried them out in her everyday life. Of course, she tried to raise me the same way, but gave up after I brought a snake to school and left it in snotty Mary Anne's desk to get her back for speaking nastily to me. It was just a common garter snake, but I suppose being thrown in the air would cause the one being thrown to want to bite the one throwing. Throughout my rowdy childhood, I always assumed I'd marry into money, as my mother had, and would never have to worry about doing what our help did.
The echos of the riches of my childhood bounce around in my head as I dig through frozen solid ground to start planting the seeds for this year's attempt at growing a garden. I no longer awake to dress in lace and silk, but calico and cheap material that I had to learn to sew together myself. I no longer ride the ponies on my father's farm and leave them to the help to take care of; I take care of them myself in between chores, like laundry and sweeping the constantly dirty floors. And I have to do this all around taking care of my two-year-old son, Glenn McBride III. I'd been a foolish girl to get pregnant before I'd gotten married, and I was a shame to even my loving father. I was cut off and reduced to this life of poverty. Reaching for more seeds, I pray to a god I no longer believe in to rescue me from this life.

A Picture Says 1,000 Words

Someone who makes me smile and laugh

I can always count on him and his unique facial expressions to make me feel better. 

#givethemthebluesteel

Someone who has taught me something or helped me somehow

My dad, despite many conflicts, has taught me many things and rules to life.

#followinmyfootsteps

Someone you'd like to be more like

My friends mean a lot to me, and I want to be more like them in the future.

#rarephotoofdarthvaderwithouthishelmet

Something quintessentially American

I mean, what's more American than a huge flag hanging in the student commons?

#patriotic

Something square

The picture may a rectangle, but the paintings are squares, so it counts.
Possibly as six squares, actually. 

#prettysurethisstuffiscopyrighted

Something round

I think Juniper makes a pretty good candidate for something round.

#nottoscale

An interesting angle

Paper cranes have a lot of angles to them, and I think this looks cool.
I'm not sure which language class these are for, but I'm going to say Japanese.

#anglesorangels?

Something handwritten

This isn't the total number of seniors at Kickapoo

#signmysignature

Something from nature

A little bit of spring pink is starting to peek through green tendrils in the science wing.

#shadesofpinkandgreen

Something that looks like a face, but isn't really

"You're going to stick what, where?"
I don't think I'll ever be able to not see these as surprised faces.

#theelementofsurprise

Something a little kid might notice or find interesting

What kid wouldn't want to play with the telescopes in the science wing and try to see if they can see any stars, even in the daytime?

#ispy

Something that makes you feel nostalgic

Marching band was one of the best experiences of my life.
This was the last show I participated in, and I'm standing in the s, in the bottom curve. 

#bandlyfe

Something that irritates you or other people

I hate being late, or not being early enough to have some time to socialize.
I also hate having to wake up early for school, and I don't doubt others do as well.

#rightontime

Something that is beautiful

This is a photo of the quartz that is in the glass cabinet in the science wing.
It's beautiful to me, and that's what matters. 

#crystalclear

Something that will always remind you of being at KHS

I don't think I'll ever forget this unique T-Rex head located by the staircase in the science wing.
Nor do I think I'll forget the time they found a condom filled with water in its mouth.

#smileforthecamera

"Dan in Real Life" Responses

2. What are 3 tips you would give parents of teenagers?
Here's three pieces of advice I would give to parents of teenagers:
1) We will get stressed, and sometimes we need days to relax or catch up or just need mental health days. Give your teenagers a couple days a month, if they need it, to just take a break from school. Good attendance isn't everything.
2) Strict parents make for sneaky teenagers. I realize that there's a certain extent that you want to be involved, or are worried about your kid, but that's really no reason to invade their privacy. Although, privacy is a privilege, and can be taken away if needed, most kids have earned it.
3) My boyfriend and I like to use a phrase called "baby-birding it." It's pretty much that, even though it's a new situation, you sometimes just have to throw yourself out of the nest and spread your wings, and take flight. You can't hold your child's hand throughout their entire lives. Sometimes you just have to let go and let them handle some things on their own.

9. What makes someone a "hottie" to you?
For me, a hottie would be someone who is not only physically attractive, but mentally as well. They have to be able to keep my attention, since I can be very scatterbrained, and be able to keep up with me. They have to be understanding and have an open mind. There's more to life than just physical, though appearance plays large parts in today's society.

11. Where was your best hiding spot as a kid playing Hide and Seek?
I've always been small, so I was a really small kid. Keeping that in mind, I could hide in cabinets, so those were popular, but I also hid under some blankets in a basket, and sometimes the behind the shower curtain.

12. Dan and Marie aren't supposed to fall in love. Is illicit love more appealing to us?
I think to an extent, yes, illicit love is more appealing to some, but not to all. There's a phrase that goes along the lines of, "The heart wants what it cannot have." The desire and jealousy of wanting something you cannot have makes for stronger feelings. But for some, knowing that you already have something is enough and that's all you could ever wish for.

18. What are some good pick up lines you've heard?
Oh, boy. Being the girlfriend of a boy who loves puns, I've heard quite a few. But I love it.
"Are you from Tennessee? Because you're the only ten I see."
"Do you know what this shirt is made of? Boyfriend material."
"Are you a parking ticket? Because you've got fine written all over you."

20. Do you think asking questions makes you a good conversationalist?
Yes, I do, because not only do you find out more information to discuss, but it also makes you seem interested in the conversation, and you don't learn anything if you don't ask.

21. Does your family do large gatherings with interesting sleeping arrangements and lots of activities like Dan's?
Nope. I don't think I've ever had my family together all in one place. We have a pretty small family, since I only have one aunt with kids, and both of my grandfathers are deceased. I'd like to do things with family, but I guess it's just not meant to be.

29. Where would you like to have a vacation or getaway home like the one Dan's family has? What would the place be like?
I would love to have something like that, and I'd like to be by a lake, maybe in Colorado. It'd be big and kind of old; a house with personality. It'd have enough space to be around family without it being too overbearing and hanging over each other's shoulders. There'd be lots to do, and woods to explore nearby, and kayaking on the lake, and a little thing in the middle to jump off of.

30. Are you a good bowler?
I am a horrid bowler, but I still like to do it.

Culture Swap

Dear Chinese pen pals,

Your instructor sent us a list of the videos you will be watching in class, and our own class took the liberty of watching these as well. Personally, I didn't watch any of the What Would You Do? episodes until now; I didn't even know it was a show. I will comment on both of What Would You Do? and the Wife Swap episodes, and say that they show some very extreme sides of America, and keep in mind there are the in between, who aren't as extreme in their beliefs and what they have in their home. Although the Wife Swap does do a good job of showing some aspects of America, it doesn't show those who are the middle class, which is how I live. I don't live in a home with a bone yard in the back and have to hunt for my food every day, but nor do I live in a large, extravagant house with a shrine set up for my own accomplishments. Personally, both of these people are very defensive of their lifestyles and how they raise their children. There are households in America where the woman "wears the pants in the relationship," meaning she's pretty much the boss and takes control of situations where society thinks men should take control, but I think that's ridiculous and an uncultured aspect society has for relationships. Personally, I believe women can be just as much outgoing and headstrong and take control of a situation as men can. Some of the things accurately portrayed in these episodes is that some people do turn a blind eye to those in distress, especially if they're what some inaccurately consider to be "out of the norm." But there are those who are truly kind and generous and will spare a minute to help a woman dressed in a hijab to change her tire. I like to think that I personally would try to help, even if I don't know how to change a tire myself. There are many who are opposed to gays, mainly those who are close-minded and unwilling to accept change. But one of the best pieces of advice I've ever received is that the only constant in our lives is change, which also contains irony. So if someone tries to speak out against gays and others who aren't heterosexual, I think there are many Americans who will take a stand and defend their fellow citizens. I think there are many situations in American life in which we just want everyone to mind their own business and go about their lives, but there's also an aspect where they want you to take a stand for your beliefs and make sure other people know to keep their opinions to themselves. It's a very complicated society, but it's the only one I know. I'm proud of how our society can come together in times of need, but being an introverted, or private and reserved, person, I think Americans should save their opinions on more things and keep our noses out of other countries' business.
How do you perceive some of America's customs and how we live as a society? Do any of these shows help with your perception, or do they make us seem more extreme?

Sincerely,
Ryn