1st Semester Portfolio

Link to Portfolio Website: Here

Reflection Questions:

1. What piece of writing did you like best in my portfolio and why? 
2. What did you like about my portfolio and sharing and what would you like to see me improve on?
3. Which of the writing traits (ideas, organization, voice, word choice) do you feel was most successful for me?
4. Which of the traits of writing would you like me to improve on in the coming semester?

KC3 Final Draft: Homelessness

Hawaii is known for many things. From the beaches to the hikes and it's sunsets. But not a lot of people know about the issue of homelessness on the island chain. Hawaii has one of the worst statistics of homelessness in the nation. There are 6,335 homeless people in Hawaii. This has become more of a problem over the past few years, since Hawaii's homeless percent rate has grown to 23 percent in 2014 to 2015. People from the mainland, who are about to be bankrupted fly over to Hawaii, after saving up all their money. This allows the percentage rates to grow higher. Having these numbers climb, effects Hawaii in many ways. It makes the island to have a less "paradise" feel to it. Many of the tourist are surprised that there are so many homeless on the streets. Which makes them feel like Hawaii isn't that "paradise" that they thought it would be. Hawaii has a lot of homeless visitors and the state is doing everything they can to find a solution.

Housing First is a program that Senator Brian Schatz proposed back in the beginning of October. Which allows the homeless to be able to be put into housing first. The program will then provide services to them. "Schatz acknowledged that high rents and a lack of sufficient housing are major challenges..." (paragraph 12). As stated in the quote above, Hawaii does have one of the worst rents and since it's an island there isn't a lot of homes they can chose from. This program is three times cheaper than to provide services and then putting them into high paying apartments. It allows homeless people to actually be able to pay off debts or get a job. Basically to seek a better life. "The Legislature set aside $1.5 million... to house 75 people, the City's 2 million program is seeking to house 115 households..." (paragraph 4). Since the program is about housing the homeless first. Then this is a great way to start. Just to collect all the money the state can get to start building as many new housing units they can. It may not be the best housing but as long as it can support families or individuals on every day to day living then it's better than nothing. Building these housing units will be able to jump start Senator Brian Schatz's plan to housing the homeless. This will reduce Hawaii's statistics, it might not be large at first, but at least it's getting that percentage of 23 percent to go back down. In conclusion, Housing First is a good way to solve Hawaii's homelessness.

Homeless organizations are also helping with Hawaii's homelessness. These organizations need to have the proper training and help services to help the homeless. IHS (Institute of Human Services) has all of these components to help the homeless. As stated in this quote,"We do this by offering emergency food and shelter, housing placements programs, and other supportive services and tailoring programs to special needs" (paragraph 1). This is great, because it gives the homeless essentials to help them. They need these essentials so they will be able to get on their feet and try to manage their money and turn their lives back around. Though this is the more expensive route, it's still a great way to help them. Like stated before, it's a better than nothing. We need to really help the homeless because if we don't all we'll see is people in debt or people without houses. "Case managers who serve as 'life coaches' assist clients accessing mainstream programs" (paragraph 7). These case managers or "life coaches" will be able to get the homeless back on their feet. They also will help with helping their clients managing their money properly. This also, again, will be able to give the homeless the services that they really need. The "life coaches" will be able to provide their clients to programs such as Food Stamps and other programs. In the end, The Institute for Human Services are doing everything they can to end homelessness.

The overall government of Hawaii is doing everything they can to stop homelessness. The government has been setting aside money to help the homeless, every time they can and help services to the homeless through organizations. However sometimes it's not enough. "In Kakaako, which is flush with development, 4,500 new housing units are being built" (paragraph 7). Around 4,700 people in Oahu are homeless. Which makes a great deal that the government is building 4,500 new housing units. This will help Senator's Brian Schatz's plan too. Which is great because this will help start decreasing the amount of homeless people in the state. That means if everyone cooperates there will only be 200 people left in Oahu without homes. Maybe in the future there won't be any homeless people in Hawaii and maybe that future is soon. "This is something different evidence shifting the focus to prioritizing putting homeless into housing" (paragraph 10)." As said early, prioritizing and putting homeless into housing is a big thing. It cost three times cheaper and it's a lot easier than looking for more solutions. Hawaii has figured out a solid plan to solve homelessness. This will help a lot of the homeless to get back on their feet and start over again. Everyone deserves a second chance.

The problem of homelessness is increasing fast in Hawaii. So it's important that Hawaii is doing everything they can do to solve it. The government, organizations and the Senator Brian Schatz are doing everything in their power to solve the problem. They are fixing up more homes and are providing services to the homeless or making up plans to help the homeless. Hawaii is trying to get the homeless back on their feet and a chance to restart. They will help with teaching them how to manage money properly and how they can survive in society. If they can't fix the problem, then maybe one day we'll all be living on the streets.

KC3 Essay Draft: Homelessnes

Hawaii is known for many things. From the beaches to the hikes. But not a lot of people know about the issue of homelessness on the island chain. Hawaii has the worst statistics of homelessness out of all the fifty states. 6,335 people are homeless in Hawaii. The state keeps getting more and more homeless because a lot of people are saving up all of their money and then flies over to Hawaii. so when they get here they don't have enough money to support them or their families. So they become homeless. This effects Hawaii in many ways, but the main one is that a lot of the homeless are disrupting the "paradise" perspective of Hawaii. So many tourists are surprised that there are just homeless people everywhere. Which makes them feel like Hawaii isn't that great. Hawaii has a lot of homeless visitors and the state is doing everything they can to find a solution.

Housing First is a program program that Senator Brian Schatz has proposed. The program literally houses homeless first then the homeless can get services. "Hawaii has one of the worst rates of homelessness in the nation, but U.S. Senator Brian Schatz believes the answer is staring policymakers in the face... Put homeless people into housing" (paragraph 1). Brian Schatz believes this way because he found out that it cost three times cheaper to out the homeless into housing first. They will be able to put much more people into homes and in a lot cheaper way. It's way better to use this system because it actually gives the homeless a home. Then when they get services then they will be able to get food and jobs faster, and will be able to go to a nice comfortable home. It's better than sleeping outside. "The Legislature set aside $1.5 million... to house 75 people, the City's 2 million program is seeking to house 115 households..." (paragraph 4). This obviously is going to give 190 individuals or families homes. Which is better than nothing. This is a good plan because of how many people are homeless and at least starting to give more and more people homes is great. This also will help homeless children.families to have a proper home. It will give the children a proper childhood. So they won't have to grow up on the streets. It will also encourage them to be able to get full opportunities to discover what they can and what they can't do. In conclusion, Housing First is a good way to solve Hawaii's homelessness.

Homeless organizations are also helping with Hawaii's homelessness, especially IHS (Institute for Human Services). They help with finding shelter, food, and other services to help with homelessness in Hawaii. "We do this by offering emergency food and shelter, housing placements programs, and other supportive services and tailoring programs to special needs" (paragraph 1). This is great, because it gives the homeless essentials to help them. They need these essentials so they will be able to get on their feet and try to manage their money and turn their lives back around. Though this is the more expensive route, it's still a great way to help them. Like stated before, it's a better than nothing. We need to really help the homeless because if we don't all we'll see is people in debt or people without houses. "Case managers who serve as 'life coaches' assist clients accessing mainstream programs" (paragraph 7). These case managers or "life coaches" will be able to get the homeless back on their feet. They also will help with helping their clients managing their money properly. This also, again, will be able to give the homeless the services that they really need. The "life coaches" will be able to provide their clients to programs such as Food Stamps and other programs. In the end, The Institute for Human Services are doing everything they can to end homelessness.

The overall government of Hawaii is doing everything they can to stop homelessness. The government has been setting aside money to help the homeless, every time they can. Or they have been making plans to build housing or to stop homelessness. "In Kakaako, which is flush with development, 4,500 new housing units are being built" (paragraph 7). This is great for putting the homeless in housing. So they are able to be stable when they get into society again. It's also great for the 4,700 people in Oahu who are homeless. This means 200 people would be left to find homes for in Oahu. Which is great because it would be a step closer to fixing the homeless program nation wide. "This is something different evidence shifting the focus to prioritizing putting homeless into housing" (paragraph 10). This goes along with Senator Brian Schatz's plan to put the homeless into homes. Which is great because it cost three times less to put these homeless people into houses. This also helps with getting homeless into permanent housing. Which is great because they need housing so they don't have to sleep on the streets anymore. In the end, the government is doing everything they can to take care of the homeless problem in Hawaii.

The problem of homelessness is increasing fast in Hawaii. So it's great that Hawaii is doing everything they can to find a solution. The government, organizations and the senator is doing everything in their power to solve the problem. They are fixing up more homes and are providing services to the homeless. They are also trying to provide the homeless a head start when they reunite with society. They are hopeful that they will be able to fix homelessness. If they aren't homelessness might be a problem to everyone one day.

My Querencia Graphic Card

Querencia Final

4,730 miles which is about 10 hours and 5 minutes away by plane to Pennsylvania. In Pennsylvania, there is a little town called Thompson. This little town is desolate from any other town and is surrounded nothing but woods. This town may not seem like much, but it's where my grandparent's live and where my Querencia is. Everything about my grandparent's house is very special to me. This where I come to relax and have fun with my sibling and my family. But it's also where I can be myself. 

My grandparents live in the middle of nowhere and their house is in the middle of a large forest. In the winter and one time in July, we would go up there and hang with our grandparents or our cousins. Their house always smelled like cookies and firewood, especially down in their workshop. This is where we made a sled out of wood and nails. My siblings and I had no idea how to make a sled so we ended up making it too small and the most part unusable. It disappointed me the most since we spent so long making the sled we couldn't even use it. In that house, it was always a good way for me to unwind and hang out with my family. I know I can be myself when I hang out with my family. They know me the best than anybody else in the world. I'm grateful for that because they understand me when I get angry at my siblings or get excited over the little things in life. My cousins and I would make up our own games and play them constantly. In the house there is this little bar room where my cousins and I would play a game called 'Golden Nugget Cafe' where we would pretend to be costumers or the "bar tender". We would all fight about who was going to be the bar tender. Though it was kind of hard to start playing the game, we still had fun. This is part of the reason why my grandparent's main house is my Querencia. Eventhough it might be ruff at times, I can always find myself relaxing and having a fun time. Though sometimes we have to use our imagination and think outside the box at the house. It is one of the main reasons why I like going to my grandparent's. I get to use my creativity to make up more ways to entertain myself and my siblings.

Even the woods outside of my grandparent's house is my Querencia.  The woods around their house is nothing but tiny twigs that if you put enough pressure on it, you'd be able to break the tree. One time me and my siblings went down the hill right outside my grandparent's house, there isn't really path down, so me and my siblings made our own path downwards and jumped over (more like climbed over) a small rock wall. We discovered a large and charred tree that was split down the middle by lightning. That's what my father had said anyways. The tree was decomposing but it was always fun to climb on top of the fallen log and walk along it. The huge tree would always be wet sometimes I would slip. Thankfully I never actually fallen off the tree. The trees around the fallen tree was rather skinny compared just to a branch of the fallen tree. Anyways, at the fallen end, there is a small tree fort underneath it. My father and I made it when there was snow on the ground. It drained our energy, but it was enjoyable. The tree fort was made and me and my siblings played under the tree for hours on end. Though it always awful climbing up the hill, especially in the snow and sometimes we found ourselves crawling up. This where I came to hang out with my siblings not caring how dark it was getting or how cold it would get. The fort was a nice place where I could go by myself or with my siblings. It's where I could have fun without anyone making me do what they want. The way I want to see and how I want to do things. It makes me very uncomfortable to be around new people or sometimes people in general. So it was nice to get away from the people who tell me, sometimes, something that I'm not. Like that I'm a smart kid. I wish I could count myself as a clever person, but I don't believe that. I believe that I have mostly common sense and actually follow the teacher's instruction and learn from my past mistakes. Some people just don't see that just yet. Anyways, I will always remember the terrifying crack of the trees, thinking that they might fall over. But at the same time a comforting creak or crack of the wood that reminds me of my grandparent's house.

Another place where I remember that makes me relax is the pond or what my cousins and I say, Bear Pond (it was named Bear Pond because my uncle saw a few bears over there before). Nothing but green slimy algae skimmed the top of the pond. My eldest cousin took me out there once and she accidentally stepped into the pond and her whole leg was covered in algae. Bear Pond was a pond where I could go by myself, because me and only two of my other cousins knew where it was. It was where I could be by myself if I wasn't feeling up to talking to anybody. It would be nice until I was feeling up to being social again. It soothes me just to be in a desolate place and in my opinion, it's fun to relax and not be bother anyone, just watching the things around you. Seeing the things you wouldn't have noticed any other way. Eventhough I wanted to, I couldn't stay long in that area or else my parents and my siblings would start to worry. 

The last place that my grandparents owned was a large field and sometimes in the morning, we could see wild turkeys running around. There was also a barn on the edge of the field, where horses used to be. I wasn't around when there were horses in the barn. In the winter, the field is cover with snow and ice and the field is slightly tilted. During this time, we would gather our sleds and sled down the tiny hill. If we were lucky we would sled down a patch of ice that would make us go faster and had much more of a thrilling effect. I loved being in the field no matter what time or what season it was. It was a big place where I could run around for hours and still not get bored. I like having a good time and I only have a good time if I'm comfortable and being myself. 

My grandparent's house was a place where I could relax, be myself and be alone when I needed to be. Sometimes I wish I could back to the familiar place so I can unwind next to a fire pit in the woods and eat s'mores. Or drink some Hot Cocoa when we would come back inside, in the winter or late autumn, when our nose were red and sore. Or maybe hang out with my cousins who lived very close or in New Jersey which was a good half hour to an hour drive to get there. I don't know if I'll ever be able to go to the house again and unwind. But I would like to again. It's been four years since I've been at my Querenica. But I can still remember every second and every inch of it. The nicknamed The Lion King rock where me and y siblings should jump off. Or in July my whole family would make a fire and roast marshmallows. Where the trees around us made a ominous place around us. It's where most of my fondest childhood memories were made. I will remember the wood smell of the house and how warm and cozy it felt. I will also remember the creaking sounds of the trees as the settled with the cold. Or how I felt and how it relaxed me, eventhrough hard times. My grandparent's house is always going to be my Querencia, no matter how old I get or how far I'm from it. 

Hot Chocolate

When the winds of Hawaii come in from the north, a cup of hot chocolate warms your heart during the winter season. Clustering the ingredients together in a culinary harmony, we start with the milk. Pouring a deluge of the pasteurized liquid into the cup, it starts to brim, like a whirlpool. The soft, brown chocolate powder cascading down into a mound of cocoa, before starting to sink to the bottom of the glass. A silvery spoon to swirl the contents, the cocoa rises with a delicate scent. We then put it in the microwave for a lengthy amount of time. As the time reaches zero, the mixture expands greater heights of it's culinary aroma.

We pull out the now burning glass and hastily place it onto the counter. Almost like it was on fire. A few more minutes of waiting for the seconds to past, then eventually as a few minutes past. It's cooled down enough to drink and enjoy the taste of the sweet, light brown liquid. The small shiver that soon falls after the first drink, making us realize how cold  it seemed like before. The fragrance of the bittersweet liquid hitting our senses like a small wave. Especially the taste of the hot chocolate always makes it even better. The cocoa leaves our taste buds tingling and with a sugary tang. Making us wanting more, so we drink the warm liquid again. Which we are greeted with the same senses. The delicious taste always leaving the same sweet aroma. That's until we finish our cup. Which still leaves a small warmth and a small fragrance. This reminds us the magical expirence we just had with our hot chocolate and how we should go make more.

Done by: Clarissa and Chaysen

Querencia Draft

4,730 miles which is about 10 hours and 5 minutes away by plane to Pennsylvania. In Pennsylvania, there is a little town called Thompson. This little town is desolate from any other town and is surrounded nothing but woods. This town may not seem like much, but it's where my grandparent's live and where my Querencia is. Everything about my grandparent's house is very special to me. This where I come to relax and have fun with my sibling and my family. But it's also where I can be myself. 

My grandparents live in the middle of nowhere and their house is in the middle of a large forest. In the winter and one time in July, we would go up there and hang with our grandparents or our cousins. Their house always smelled like cookies and firewood, especially down in their workshop. Where we made a sled out of wood and nails. My siblings and I had no idea how to make a sled so we ended up making it too small. In that house, it was always a good way for me to unwind and hang out with my family. Or play games with my cousins. In the house there is this little bar room where my cousins and I would play a game called 'Golden Nugget Cafe' where we would pretend to be costumers or the "bar tender". We would all fight about who was going to be the bar tender. Our parents would laugh at us but I knew they weren't judging me, because they knew that we all were having fun.

Even the woods outside of my grandparent's house is my Querencia.  The woods around their house is nothing but tiny twigs that if you put enough pressure on it, you'd be able to break the tree. One time I went down the hill, there isn't really path down, so me and my siblings made our own path downwards and jumped a small rock wall. We discovered a large and charred tree that was split down the middle by lightning. That's what my father had said anyways. The tree was decomposing but it was always fun to climb on top of the fallen log and walk around it. The huge tree would always be wet sometimes I would slip. Thankfully I never fell off the tree. The trees around the fallen tree was rather skinny next compared just to a branch of the fallen tree. Anyways, at the fallen end, there is a small tree fort underneath it. My father and I made it when there was snow on the ground. It drained our energy, but it was enjoyable. The tree fort was made and me and my siblings played under the tree for hours on end. Though it always awful climbing up the hill, especially in the snow and sometimes we found ourselves crawling up. This where I came to hang out with my siblings not caring how dark it was getting or how cold it would get. The fort was a nice place where I could go by myself or with my siblings. It's where I could have fun without anyone making me do what they want. I will always remember the terrifying crack of the trees, thinking that they might fall over. But at the same time a comforting creak or crack of the wood that reminds me of my grandparent's house.

Another place where I remember that makes me relax is the pond or what my cousins and I say, Bear Pond (it was named Bear Pond because my uncle saw a few bears over there before). Nothing but green slimy algae skimmed the top of the pond. My eldest cousin took me out there once and she accidentally stepped into the pond and her whole leg was covered in algae. Bear Pond was a pond where I could go by myself, because me and only two of my other cousins knew where it was. It was where I could be by myself if I wasn't feeling up to talking to anybody. It would be nice until I was feeling up to being social again. Though I couldn't stay long in that area or else my parents and my siblings would start to worry. 

The last place that my grandparents owned was a large field and sometimes in the morning, we could see wild turkeys running around. There was also a barn on the edge of the field, where horses used to be. I wasn't around when there were horses in the barn. In the winter, the field is cover with snow and ice and the field is slightly tilted. During this time, we would gather our sleds and sled down the tiny hill. If we were lucky we would sled down a patch of ice that would make us go faster and had much more of a thrilling effect. I loved being in the field no matter what time or what season it was. It was a big place where I could run around for hours and still not get bored. I like having a good time and I only have a good time if I'm comfortable and being myself. 

My grandparent's house was a place where I could relax, be myself and be alone when I needed to be. Sometimes I wish I could back to the familiar place so I can unwind next to a fire pit in the woods and eat s'mores. Or drink some Hot Cocoa when we would come back inside, in the winter or late autumn, when our nose were red and sore. Or maybe hang out with my cousins who lived very close or in New Jersey which was a good half hour to an hour drive to get there. I don't know if I'll ever be able to go to the house again and unwind. But I would like to again. It's where most of my fondest childhood memories were made. I will remember the wood smell of the house and how warm and cozy it felt. I will also remember the creaking sounds of the trees as the settled with the cold. My grandparent's house is always going to be my Querencia, no matter how old I get or how far I'm from it. 

Grandparent's House/Forest

Woods surround my grandparent's house that I always long to be in again. Where the house always smells like cookies were being made or firewood being burnt. But what I really wanted to be in was the tree fort. Where the fort would be protected by the cold harsh snow, though it would still be freezing on the inside. Even if it was negative degrees outside it would be a fun place to walk along a large fallen tree that was struck by lightning and is now decaying. It would always have the wood smell that I have learned to love. There is nothing besides skinny little trees that you could easily snap in two, like a twig, surrounding the area. In the winter, the trees would make a crackling sound as they set into the cold weather. It is a terrifying sound, but also at the same time comforting. In another place in the woods, there is a pond. It's all covered in algae and is unswimable. When you accidentally stepped into it and pulled your foot out, the green slimy algae would stay and take forever to get off. In another section more near the house. There is a feild. In the winter, nothing but the snow and ice on the great fiel. Off in the distance of the feild there is a barn, where horses used to live. The feild isn't flat but kind of steep on on side. So it's fun to take a small sled and go down in the snowy white snow. Or in the summer, set off fireworks that will boom and sound louder than any other fireworks you've heard. Or at night, where you can see nothing but stars and you can finally relax because there would be a fire going. Where you can eat s'mores and let the chocolate drop onto your fingers. Or when the snow has started falling on the ground, you could enjoy the feeling of being in the house. Where a fire would be going to keep warm or hot chocolate you can drink. Maybe even a few tiny bars of dark chocolate to eat with. Why I want to go to my grandparent's house? It's the feeling of someone watching over you or the warmth I feel, when I go there. Even if it's in the great state of Pennsylvania, I want to go.

Graphic Card: "I love you"

Chunky CNN Paragraph

Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system and one of Jupiter's moons might support life. The moon is called Europa. It's one of the fourth largest moons of Jupiter and it might be home to life forms or even support life. As stated in the CNN article by Amanda Barnett, "Interest in the icy world heated up in 2012 when the Hubble Space Telescope observed water vapor above the south polar region of Europa" (Barett, paragraph 3). This is pretty awesome! In a context that makes it easier to understand. This quote means that Jupiter's once icy moon is now sprouting out water. To be more in detail, ocean water. Now the moon might be able to support life  because we know that the ice is melting and actually have water, that can sustains life forms and maybe even our own. If Europa is also melting and the ice become a ocean, we might be able to understand, more in detail, how life forms came to be and how long it takes to evolve in a environment. Scientist could also send other organisms to see if they could evolve or adapt to their new environment. NASA hopes to build a new probe that will hopefully determine if Europa has the ingredients of life. The mission so far has $30 million in the 2016 budget. If the mission does get approved the probe will be sent out in the 2020's (Summary of paragraphs 7, 9 and 10). If the probe is sent out we will be able to see if we could actually put life on the planet or at least support some form of life. It's a great plan because if anything happens to Earth somehow, we could actually move to this moon and it would be able to sustain us and we would be able to benefit from the moon. Though it would take forever to get to the moon. It would take several years and that's why the Juno project was so expensive, around $30 billion. But it's a good because this new project will help us into a new step of life and exploration. It could help us understand life more and if Europa could actually sustain any type of life. In conclusion, Europa will take us a step further into our exploration and help us advance our technology. Europe might actually help us find other life organisms in the solar system or our whole galaxy.

(Article - http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/19/us/nasa-europa-mission/index.html )

Final Draft of Writing from the Heart

'I love you' is a generic phrase that everybody can say, no matter what language they speak. But to me the phrase means more than the generic 'I love you'. My family doesn't really have a culture or a heritage that we follow. Though my last name does deprive from a Hungarian origin. I'm not a quarter or half of any other ethnicity, making me mostly all American, along with the rest of my family. We don't have any nicknames we have for each other, because we believe that we don't need to be nicknamed. But 'I love you' is the only phrase we say to each other. This is why the most generic saying ever is very special to me. 

Only a few people know that my father is in the military. Some people may take that as that I basically get whatever I want, but that's not the case what so ever! I didn't even get to see my dad on my birthday! A couple years ago, my father was in Guam for a whole year (at the time I was living in Pennsylvania). The only two times I saw him was in the beginning of June. He had come back on a short break and then had to leave, again, the day before my birthday. I felt bummed out that he couldn't stay the extra day for me and my sister's birthday. I didn't really have fun on the day after, because I realized that he was gone again. Then again during Christmas Eve. My family and I Skyped my father. We had to open our presents early because of our time zone differences, but hey I'm not complaining about opening my presents early! I remember right before he logged off the Skype, he said 'I love you' to everyone in the house. I felt happy after he said that, because we haven't seen each other for almost six months. It was my family and I's little saying that meant a goodbye and a very deeper meaning all rolled up. Kind of like sushi. 

Unlike most people, I don't see my grandparents a lot. Or my aunts and uncles, or my cousins. The only family member I saw was about six months ago when my grandpa came out to watch me and my siblings during my parents anniversary. Other than that my other family members never visit. All of this makes me feel slightly empty and a bit alone. I never really know what is happening with my grandparents or my cousin's life. So when ever my other relatives come and visit, we never really say I love you a lot, because we don't really feel like it's appropriate to greet someone with a term. But when ever we leave, we also make sure we all say 'I love you'. If we don't we immediately text or call the person and tell a proper goodbye.

My whole entire family doesn't say 'I love you' for a lot of reasons, mostly because we barely ever hear or see each other. I would like it to be said more, but what can I do about it? But when we do say, 'I love you' it's meaningful. When my family and I say it, it means that 'I will always love you no matter what' or it could mean, 'I miss you and I can't wait to come back.' When ever my parents say 'I love you' to me I feel better when I'm feeling depressed. Or when it's said randomly by my mom, I always feel somewhat conflicted, because I never know why she says it randomly. But I does make me feel better in a way that I can't really explain in words. Even though I don't see my dad or my other family members, besides my mom and siblings, I still will love them and I know they will love me. We all know that'll be there for anyone in my family, not matter what. Rather it be through a phone call or in person. 

'I love you' is a very universal term, but to my family, the Levai's, it mean more than a silly 'I love you' here and there. Our phrase makes us feel much more happier, when we are feeling down and even though we don't say it much, we all have our own little meaning behind it. It makes us feel included into our family and no matter what happens. We will be there for anyone in our family, no matter what. I had asked my sister what she thought Levai means and she said, "Awesome." To some point, I believe her. My family, the Levai's, are awesome. 

First Draft of Writing From the Heart

I love you is a generic phrase that everybody can say, no matter what language they speak. But to me the phrase means more than the generic 'I love you'. My family doesn't really have a culture or a heritage that we follow. Though my last name does deprive of a Hungarian origin. I'm not a quarter or half of any enthicity, making me almost all American, along with the rest of my family. We don't have any nicknames we have for each other. But 'I love you' is the only phrase we say to each other. This is why the most generic saying ever is very special to me. 

My father is in the military. Some people may take that as that I basically get whatever what I want. But that's not the case what so ever! I don't get to see my dad on my birthday, I don't get to see any other family members during Christmas or Thanksgiving. As of August 24, I won't be seeing my dad for a whole year, because he has orders to go to Bahrain. A couple years ago, again I didn't get to see my father for a year. The only two times I saw him was in the beginning of June. He had to leave the day before my birthday and then again during Christmas Eve. We had to open our presents early because of our time zone difference. But hey I'm not complaining about opening my presents early. My mom even said that when we were younger our dad was gone for a few months and when he came back, me and my sister didn't know who he was. Unlike most people, I don't see my grandparents a lot. Or my aunts and uncles, or my cousins. The only family member I saw was six months ago when my grandpa came out to watch me and my siblings during my parents anniversary. Other than that my other family members never visit. 

My family doesn't say 'I love you' a lot, because of this. I would like it to be said more, but what can I do about it? But when we do say, 'I love you' it's meaningful. When my family and I say it, it means that 'I will always love you no matter what' or it could mean, 'I miss you and I can't wait to come back.' When ever my parents say 'I love you' to me I feel better when I'm feeling down. Even though I don't see my dad or my other family members, besides my mom and siblings, I still will love them and I know they will love me. We all know that'll be there for anyone in my family, not matter what. Rather it be through a phone call or in person. 

'I love you' is a very universal term, but to my family, the Levai's, it mean more than a silly 'I love you' here and there. Our phrase makes us feel happy and even though we don't say it much, we all have our own little meaning behind it. It makes us feel included into our family and no matter what happens. We will be there for anyone in our family, no matter what. I had asked my sister what she thought Levai meant, and she said, "Awesome." To some point, I believe her. My family, the Levai's, are awesome. 

My First Blog Post

Hello, I'm Clarissa A. Levai (luh-vay). This is my blog, Writing the Wrong and "Write". I chose the background to be a simple design because, I believe if you have a simple background it will complement the acutal important part of the blog. The cursor is a unicorn because I'm a wacky person and I love making things weird. Also a unicorn is my favorite "mythical" creature. The colors I chose complement my background and can be clearly seen on my background. I chose thie title, Writing the Wrong and "Write", because I feel that I write things horribly and undescrptive. So this title will let me believe in myself that I can actually write correctly. 

The world I come from is weird. By this I mean I have a very weird family. I grew up by just being myself and not caring what other people thought of me. I enjoyed playing soccer and not caring if I was great or a terrible mess. That's because I was having fun. I grew up competitive also. My father is in the military and grew up playing soccer, until he blew out his knees about five times. He was extremely competitive at the sport. My mother grew up competievly also. Though she didn't play any sports, she was academically ahead of everyone, wanting to get into a good college. I also got the humor trait from my parents. I love making people laugh and smile. It makes their day and my day just to see someone laugh and smile. It gives me a little push to do more and accomplish more things. 

In my world, I learn from my mistakes. I enjoy making videos and reading in my spare time. I didn't know that I wanted to make videos until last year. I was in the Moanalua Middle School media class and loved every second of the class. When my class and I competed in the Olelo Youth Xchange, only two of my twelve people in my class, actually made it to the finals. I was one of them. My partner and I enjoyed the free food we were given, but sadly I wasn't given the reward of first place. Which was a very devastating lost for me and my partner. However, I did take it in and noticed many things about my video, that I could have done better. I didn't care that I lost, I cared that I had fun editing and filming the video. It was worth it, at least I actually tried my hardest. Because of this, my hobbies are not limited. I love trying new things and love doing anything, besides sitting in a car for a long time. I travel around the United States a lot, because if my dad. I get to explore and expirence new things. I've been to most of the United States, besides Alaska. I like being adventurous and living in the moment.