School is ending....

It is now May 13th, that means that right now there is only five days until Tucson High closes it's doors for two and a half months of summer vacation. For most kids summer is a time of endless possibilities. I myself am so excited to be leaving my freshman year with some clue as to what high school is all about. For me, the transition from freshman to sophomore is more monumental than the transition to high school in general. Becoming a sophomore for me is like the final page in my educational baby book. Think about it, up to now I have experienced all my firsts. Playgroup, preschool, kindergarten, sixth grade, and now freshman year. I am so happy to close the book on my more significant educational accomplishments and begin a new book for the rest of my life. I know that I will probably cherish my baby book more than the one that outlines my entire life, mainly because the content of that book shaped who I am, and who I will become. I will never forget all the things I have done up until this point, and I will always remember everything that comes afterward. So as yearbooks are being distributed, and signatures and inside jokes are exchanged within them, I realize that I have so much more to look forward to in high school and I am more excited to share them with everyone I can. I guess I can now change the name of my blog from "hmmm...high school" to "man....high school is amazing!!" haha ;)

Say What?!?...Oh Wait I Can't Hear You :)

It is a well known fact that when you take sign language as your foreign language, there comes a time where you are to be deaf for a day.I mean you are not to take it literally and really be deaf, but you are not to talk, and you have to wear earplugs that make hearing a somewhat difficult task. So basically I can't talk on the phone, no iPods, and if people try to talk to me "technically" I can't hear them. Tomorrow, is that dreaded day. I have nothing against deaf people; in fact my cousin is deaf. In taking this class I can truly say that I have a better understanding of deaf people. So when I say dreaded, I really just mean that the fact that I cannot talk will probably drive me insane. Not to mention that the earplugs amplify my own voice times a thousand and it sounds like I am yelling at myself (maybe that's why she doesn't want us to talk...hmmm..). Honestly I am excited about my being deaf for a day, I mean if deaf people can do it all their lives I am pretty sure I can handle 24 hours of "deafness." I am not going to lie, tomorrow will be a challenge for a born hearing person, but I live to experience all I can, and this I know will be one more thing I can cross of my checklist of things to do.

Wait! We're Actually Supposed to LEARN from this Book?

In a nine month span, I have probably read more books than I have read in my entire life. All this is due to the Pi House. These are the titles I can remember: If You Come Softly, E=MC^2, Cosmos (AHHHH... never again), Seven Habits for Highly Effective Teens, The World Without Us, The Grapes of Wrath, Inherit The Wind, Fieldnotes From A Catastrophe, Countless pieces by Edgar Allan Poe, Whale Rider, and more recently we are reading The House of the Spirits. Needless to say, when I signed up for honors courses I wasn't expecting so much reading. I am not the best reader, I must admit. Not that I have a hard time reading, or that I completely hate it, I just have a harder time comprehending things; especially when I never really wanted to read the text in the first place. The more recent book, The House of the Spirits is more unnecessary than pretty much every other book we have been forced to read. I, being a girl, cannot stomach all of the "made for mature audiences" parts in the book. I imagine that it might not be so upsetting for the male members of the Pi House. The way that women are referred to in this book is not something I am used to. I grew up in a time when women have all the rights, if not more, than men have. In this book, set in the last century, women are just seen as a waste of space. It seems like every other page depicts the people of the town beating their wives, silencing them, or flat out mmm... how do I put this nicely... getting their way with them (you all should know what that means). Honestly, it is largely disturbing to me. The worst part is, my teacher justifies his literary pick by saying "we should learn something from it." Unless the message is for us women to fear men, I think I should have taken a rain check from this book.

M&M's: Freshman Enemy #1 :)

Everyone, or at least I, know the feeling of getting an exceptional report card. It seems like for as long as I can remember I have never truly failed at anything. Even from the days of playgroup, I would finish my popsicle stick houses while everyone else was busy eating the paste. haha... ah playgroup :) I really don't want to sound mean, but it's true. That was, up until last week. In my business technology class we have been working on an M&M Excel assignment. We would partner up with classmates and count the different color M&Ms and take the averages, medians, whatever. I thought I did a decent job, I mean I am no Bill Gates or anything but I didn't expect to fail; which I did. I got an F on the written assignment, and for the first time in my life I could relate to my classmates who were eating their paste when we were four. Now, I look at my progress report, and I see a very large C mixed in with my six other A's.--It's not a pretty sight. My parents, unlike the stereotypical ones, are not angry. In fact my dad just makes fun of my C. Eventually I realized that having a C wasn't the worst thing ever; that is after I cried about it for a few minutes. hah. But really, what's done is done, I just wish I could have done it better in the first place. :)

Ethics Are Not For Sale

In my business technology class we are currently watching a series of videos that are supposed to teach us proper ethics in the workplace. The videos, however, have their fair share of bad 80's theme music, and their unneccesary share of bad acting. The whole show sends a message to us that when we enter the real world, we always need to have our ethics in mind. No matter what circumstances we are placed under, and no matter what career path we take in life, ethics are always involved. The show "Not For Sale" was obviously directed toward the high school crowd of the 80's and early 90's, Needless to say, we are in the year 2009 and even more so, the videos are a little outdated. Admist all the not-so Oscar worthy acting, and the amazing theme song (haha) the show really does have a timeless message; that the contents of our conscience should never be subjected to any sort of influence by an outside party. When I think about it now, the videos give me a good laugh, but I know deep down that my ethics are not "for sale." I am me, and my morals are my own. Let's just hope that in the three years to come, my ethics are not put to the test too many times. My generation is not for sale, and I imagine that one day the rest of the world will come to terms with that..... "We are not for sale!!!".....pahahahaha yeahhhh...right ;)

Channeling My Inner Undergraduate

Right now the only thing that I can say I have in common with a college freshman is the fact that both of us are brand new to a higher level of education. And I may just be ignorant, but that is the only similarity I can find; as of now. My graduating class (the class of 2012 WHOOO!!) is being used as the human guinea pigs for an experimental project put on by the University of Arizona called Gear Up! (it gets it's own exclaimation point and everything! haha) So far they have been following us since the sixth grade, giving us amazing opportunities like sending us to carreer based camps (I attended both a culinary camp, as well as a medical camp through UMC), organizing college knowledge nights for our parents, and they have even given us the chance to get involved in our community. Today the Gear Up! program sent me to this program called "Undergraduate for a Day," I have to say that it was a nice experience and I am grateful that they chose me to go. I also need to say, that it wasn't as beneficial as I would have hoped for. This program (Gear Up!) is a great opportunity for the whole class of 2012, and this one not-so-amazing trip does not discourage me from what may come in the future.

Extra Curricular Activities... ;)

I have been told by my mom ever since they sent me off to playgroup when I was four, that I need to overcome my shyness and get involved in this world. I must say I never took that seriously until this year. My school has an approximate population of 3,000 students. And as this year comes to a close it has never been more apparent to me that the world, in general, is big. You will never make a honest name for yourself unless you get involved. Applying that to the smaller scale of a high school atmosphere is definitely less intimidating, but nonetheless eye opening. This year has not been my year for extra curriculars. My intentions were to try out for volleyball, needless to say I missed first day of school try outs. I wanted to try out for the tennis team, I have never played tennis in my life so that was a bit of an unreasonable goal. I am, however, involved in the college club at school. We try to help get our student body "excited" about college, and we have committed countless hours of community work. Our group has made and delivered sack lunches to the homeless people in our community, we have dedicated to making biweekly trips to the University of Arizona for the Ben's Bells Project, and we have planned to volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House. To say the least, we are busy. We always meet every Thursday in our school's library, today was no exception. But our organizer ran late; leaving ten high school students alone in a library. So we did what any person would do.... we left. :) Me and my friend decided to take a walk around campus, where we met up with other friends and twenty minutes later I found myself laughing way too much, and eighty four cents poorer. Today I learned that an extra curricular activity doesn't necessarily need to be school sponsored, or organized. As long as I am having fun with friends and doing what I want to do (keeping it legal of course) that counts more than devoting countless hours to a club I will soon forget when my four year journey in high school is over.