Chattanooga Field Trip

   Last Friday, our ELL classes had a field trip to Chattanooga. We left school at about seven o’clock to begin our wonderful and long journey. Besides going to this awesome trip, we also got to skip school on Friday. I was really happy about it since my school week was already over on Thursday.

   Our adventure started with the grand aquarium of Chattanooga. We spend about two hours looking at different kinds of water denizens. This aquarium had many interesting sections that featured not only fish, but also reptiles, birds, and insects. The first animals that we got to see were penguins. We were really excited about them. They were also really cute. On the top floor of the aquarium, there was a place called “Butterfly garden.” As soon as I walked in there, I could already see dozens of butterflies of different shape and color. After we were done with the aquarium, we went out to eat lunch. Our group went to the place called Genghis Grill. The food was really tasty, and I enjoyed eating it because I was really hungry.

   After filling our stomachs, we got to one of the most interesting parts of our trip. We went on a river voyage. Our captain was really funny and knew a lot of history about Chattanooga. He also let us ride his boat while he was telling us the story of Chattanooga. Our small “river trip” was over in about an hour. Lastly, we went to the ice cream shop where I bought a giant cone with three enormous scoops of ice cream.

  I was really sad about returning back to school, and I wish our trip could be a little longer, but everything has to have an end. There is always time for fun, and there is always time for working and studying. I really enjoyed our ELL trip, and I wish we could do that again.

My Weekend 

   Every time I wake up on Mondays, I always think about the passed weekends. I hate Mondays! I hate them because they set an end to my weekends. They end the two most beneficent and salutary days that give me some rest. I can sleep as much as I want to, I can do whatever I want to do, and I have a lot of free time to do whatever I want to do.
   So, my last weekend started out last Friday at 2:00 p.m. I had a soccer game which was probably the worst soccer game I have ever had. We got destroyed by the other team, but we scored one goal, and I got an assist. We came back at about 9:00 p.m. As soon as we got back, I ran to my dorm and started watching TV. On the next day of my weekend I didn't do much. I did some homework during the first half of the day and then went to the FAC to practice piano, which completely satisfied my mental needs. As you all probably know, classical music has a super power of bringing every human being to internal peace and composure :). At 5:45, I went to the Thomson Lane and ate at the Samurais. It was really tasty, but my stomach decided to redundantly command me to eat more. So, I went to the Panda Express,which produces chemicals instead of meat, and ordered some more food. When I got back, I finished my Panda Express food while watching TV and went to sleep. After eating a lot, I had a deleterious feeling of throwing up, as all the humans do when they eat a lot of food. Fortuitously, I managed to calm my stomach, and I didn't have any further problems. On the last day of my weekend, I went shopping in Walmart, as I usually do on Sundays. After I came back, I did some of my homework and played computer games. After I got bored, I started walking around the dorm bugging people. After being banned from several rooms, I went to the dinner. After the longest twenty five minutes in my life, I went back to my dorm. Later, after the end of the study hours, I cooked a pizza which I bought in Walmart. After satisfying my stomach, I went to sleep to, later on, face the most horrible enemy in my life. You want to guess who that is? 

Magical Bunny 

    All of you have probably heard the story about the Easter Bunnies at one point of your lives, and when you heard it, you probably didn't believe in the existence of Easter Bunnies. Well, you were wrong! During the last Easter, I encountered something magical and unbelievable. I saw an Easter Bunny. I didn't believe in their existence before that day. So, let me tell you the whole story.

   On April the 5th of 2015, I was just sitting on my couch and watching my favorite TV show. Suddenly, I heard a knock on my door. I was really surprised because I wasn't expecting anyone. So, I opened the door and looked around, but I couldn't see anyone. After a few seconds of looking around, I heard a really weird sound, so, I looked down and saw a bunny. This bunny was really unusual. He was wearing a pink coat and brown boots. He looked at me and said, "Hello there. Can I come in?" I was really freaked out because I had never seen a talking bunny. I let him in my house, and he started looking around. After that, he told me that he was an Easter Bunny, and that he had a magical power. He told me that I could wish for almost anything, and he would make my wish real. Lastly, he told me that I could wish for only one thing, and that I had only one chance. I didn't know what to say because I was still confused. So, I sat on my couch and started thinking. I couldn't come up with a good wish because I didn't need anything. Finally, I came up with something. I told him that I wanted my parents to have an eternal life and never get sick. He told me that it wasn't in his power to do that, and he left. 

   Never wish for something that isn't physically possible, and be happy with what you have. Nobody will do anything for you because it isn't their job to lead your life. People die because this is the evolutionary process that was encode millions of years ago, and it can't be changed for there is no such a power that can handle that. 

 Spring Break of 2015

 The spring break of 2015 is going to start in about ten days. The first words that might come to your mind are awesome, exciting, long, beneficent, and pleasant. Well, it's not really true for me because I am going on a camping trip. Yeah!!! Sounds really exciting, but it actually isn't. I like camping trips, but I wouldn't want to spend my spring break torturing myself. I love hiking and I like to wonder around in wilderness, but I hate sleeping in tents. It is very annoying. I just can't sleep in them. It takes me hours to convince myself to go to sleep. 

   During the following spring break, we are going to camp in a dessert. Now, you might think that it is going to be really hot there. I wish! It is actually going to go bellow freezing on some days. So, I don't think I am going to enjoy that.

   Initially, I had some other plans for this spring break. I wanted to go back to Russia, but that didn't work out because I wouldn't have enough time to change my student visa. I don't have anything against camping, and, as a matter of a fact, I like camping, and I like to survive. I just don't want to go camping during a break. I just want to get some rest after working hard in school. I hope this camping trip will at least give me a break from electronic devices.

Non-Conformity 

Do we tend to accept the opinions of others instead of developing our own independent ideas?

      Most people tend to behave like others because they don't want to be outside of a group. This kind of people are conformists. There are still some other people, called non-conformists, who don't like to follow the herd. Those people want to be different from the others. Even though most people tend to be conformists, there are still some people who are different from the others.

    Most non-conformists develop great ideas that contribute to our society. For example, Martin Luther King Jr. who acted against racism. He was certainly a non-conformist. He developed his own ideal thinking, and he was able to express it in his speeches. Another good example are hipsters. They don't care about anyone else. They want to be different. They want to do somethings that others don't do. 

   It is true that sometimes you should follow the crowd but not always. Non-conformists have a different way of moral thinking. They tend to be more spontaneous. For example, in the book "Stargirl", the main character, Stargilr, doesn't want to be like others. Her character is surprising and random. 

   It is very hard to be different form the others and have your own and independent ideas. People tend to accept opinions of others because they are afraid to be mocked. Fear of being by yourself  and not having friends prevents many people form being different. That is why we try to stay in the group.

PSAT

In fall of 2014, I had a PSAT test, and I received my score a few weeks ago. I was very disappointed when I saw it. PSAT is divided into 3 parts which are critical reading, math, and writing. I did pretty good on math, but I completely failed on my critical reading part. This is the result of not knowing vocabulary words. Critical reading is all about vocab, and if you don't know a lot of it, you will fail. I didn't know most of the words, and I just tried to guess. The worst part about PSAT and SAT is that colleges like students with high scores. I got really sad when I got to know that to get in VSA which is a Vanderbilt summer program, you have to have an average of 63 for your PSAT. I have a score which is below 63, but I've still submitted my application form before January the 12th. I really want to get in VSA because Vanderbilt is where I want to study in the future. I've heard that Vanderbilt is a great medical college. So, that is why I have started preparing for my SAT. I bought a bunch of books for studying, and my goal is to get ready for my SAT and get a very high score. It is actually not just English that I want to get ready for, but it is also Biology AP and Anatomy. I am hoping that I will be able to get a high score on my SAT, so my dreams can come true.

New Year's Resolutions

Many people begin the New Year with a list of resolutions. Write about three of your New Year's Resolutions and explain what steps you need to take to make them come true.

    I think that 2014 was an awesome year, but 2015 will be even better. I have lots of resolutions for this year. In November, I applied to the Governor's School. It is a summer program in universities that allows you to prepare for college life. It also helps you to decide what you want to do in the future. Therefore, getting there is very important to me, and I will be very happy if they accept me. There is nothing I can do right now because I have already submitted the essays and my resume. My second resolution is to get my driving permit. I really want to learn how to drive, and the first step is to get a permit. Lots of my friends already have it, and I kind of feel jealous. I don't think that it's going to be that hard to get it. I just have to learn a lot of new rules. Lastly, I really want to learn a new language. I started learning German at the begging of the school year. I really like German. It is a very interesting language. I wasn't able to learn it before because I was very lazy. So, that's pretty much it. I am really hoping that I will be able to get into the Governor's School, get my permit, and keep up with learning a new language.