Balance is Key

When I was very young, my family moved to the United States.  We left Puerto Rico, having to learn a new language and continue life away from everything that was familiar to us.

In elementary school, I lived in a diverse, military neighborhood, but attended a predominantly white school.  My experience can in no way compare to that of the Little Rock Nine, but I was not welcomed with open arms either.  For the most part, I was treated like an outcast with a classic case of discrimination.

By the time middle school came around, I was living in Maryland and had plenty of family issues.  Negative emotions were only intensified with arguments, financial problems, and the news of my uncle’s unexpected suicide.  To make matters worst, within six months of my uncle’s death my parents filed for divorce.

Sure, I cried and was completely miserable when these events of my past were my present, but these experiences have shaped me.  I cannot change the past so why wonder what life would be like if I could?  I have to work with what I was given.

Yes, I miss my family, but if I would have stayed in Puerto Rico my options would be very limited.  I absolutely hated feeling like I didn’t belong, but because of it I learned that not everybody is going to be polite.  Of course, I wish that seeing my uncle was possible, but I realized that time spent with the people you love should always be appreciated.  I learned that the hard way, but I learned.  As for my parents, nobody wants a separated home, but it beats living in a war zone.

Of all the negative in my past I have been able to find a positive.  When you are experiencing negativity, it is extremely difficult to be optimistic, but trust that there is always some balance.  I don’t wake up wishing for a bad day, but I know that those bad days are an inescapable part of life.  To experience true happiness you must experience true negativity and grow from that tragedy.

(word count: 350)

E-Generation is My Generation

CutiePie posted on your wall: “I txted u! =P”

This is my generation, engulfed in everything electronic.  Ipods, YouTube, online shopping, video games, you name it.  Our lives are centered on the electronic luxuries that our parents, oddly enough, were able to survive without. 

My generation complains when they have no service or when someone is ignoring their Facebook message.  They complain when they cannot find Kanye’s CD online.  Why not talk to your friends in person?  Why not actually walk into a music store?  But if we changed our ways, I guess we wouldn’t be the E-Generation!

My Well-Being

What makes a place matter?  It can be several things.  For me, it is nostalgia and faith. “El Pozo de La Virgen (The Well of the Virgin)” is among the holiest sanctuaries in Puerto Rico.  In the early 1950s, this once normal well was where three children claimed that they saw the Virgin Mary, almost instantly attracting believers from all around the world.  The momentous event was viewed as a sign of her presence and confirmation of religious thought.

Everything about this landmark is much more than familiar to me.  It is a part of who I am.  My family has been faithful to this site since its birth and, as devout believers in God, Jesus, and the Virgin, we continue to worship there in honor of our faith.  When I lived in Sabana Grande, the chapel was my place for prayer and my personal mental escape.  The tranquility of this place is so calming that it is hard for anybody not to feel connected to it, which is why I go back every time I visit the island.

The hundreds of thousands of people who travel to see this place in person can agree with me when I say that this place has much more significance than providing fresh water.  It maintains faith, arouses hope, and keeps memories alive.  This place has remained practically unchanged from when the chapel was built near the well, making tradition and familiarity that much more attainable.

(word count: 243 words)

A place isn't just a place anymore

What makes a place matter?  It can be several things.  For me, it is nostalgia and faith.  “El Pozo de La Virgen (The Well of the Virgin)” is among the holiest sanctuaries in Puerto Rico.  It was once another well in Sabana Grande, but in the early 1950s it was where three children claimed that they saw the Virgin Mary, almost instantly attracting believers from all around the world.  The momentous event was viewed as a sign of her presence and confirmation of religious thought.

Everything about this landmark is much more than familiar to me.  It is a part of who I am.  My family has been faithful to this site since its birth and, as devout believers in God, Jesus, and the Virgin, we continue to worship there in honor of our faith.  When I lived in Sabana Grande, the chapel was my place for prayer and my personal mental escape.  The tranquility of this place is so calming that it is hard for anybody not to feel connected to it, which is why I go back every time I visit the island.

The hundreds of thousands of people who travel to see this place in person can agree with me when I say that this place has much more significance than providing fresh water.  It maintains faith, arouses hope, and keeps memories alive.  This place has remained practically unchanged from when the chapel was built near the well, making tradition and familiarity that much more attainable.

(word count: 249 words)