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"