Junior Year- Classes

I need help.

I don’t know exactly how many people got a letter from the college board, but I got one and assumed the worst. Thankfully, it was just the college board saying that I should take AP Lang. I was flattered but then got intimidated by the fact that everyone is calling that class suicide if you plan on taking other APs with it. All my college friends are still in classes or out of state and I have no older siblings to talk about it. Plus, there’s always the gamble that im trying to take 3-4 APs. US, seminar, and psychology. I certainly don’t want to drop out of one, but i don’t want to underestimate my abilities since homework is fairly easy and fast for me depending on what the task asks for. Hopefully i will be able to talk to my counsellor soon so that she can knock some sense into me.

 

Testing Season; Thoughts in May

May means a lot of things. Pollen, flowers, heat, last weeks of school. But one huge thing it means is that the dreaded final exams are coming. For a lack of better words, this period of time is hell on Earth due to the amount of work leading up to the exams, the stress while completing them, and the overwhelming feeling of relief when nothing has to be done for that class anymore. Every single class has some cumulative test at the end of the year, which to me is stupid because why can’t it just be done before hand? Regardless, the fear of the tests and the excitement of it all ending is amazing to say the least. In just 2 more school years, we will be sent off to college or to the workforce, becoming our own independent people. For some it will be hard, yet for others it will be easy. Sometimes I enjoy being at school, it’s comforting when your start thinking that in just a year or two, you will legally be an adult.

But at the same time, you’re a kid right now. You have no debts to your name, you don’t have to pay bills, work, drive, nothing. We all complain about being treated like a child, but we’re scared to grow up. One day we’ll look back to our exam days and our stress and say, “man, we had it easy.” Or, you’ll say that was the most stressful thing in your life and that you hated every second of it! Maybe school was the one time in your life that you had no worries, or maybe you will have so many worries its suffocating. Only time will tell how you view your childhood and school days.

Until then though, exams suck and are stressful for no reason.

School is becoming a pain

I have nothing to write about today. I’m so mentally drained and tired that I feel i’m in a lonely simulation, just some one quietly going through the daily motions and wishing for the same thing every week, the end of it. Obviously, this is super depression, but school just isn’t as interesting anymore. It’s annoying! I miss elementary school, we’d have field day with popsicles and fun, even middle school was exciting since everyone was rowdy. Now studying and stress have engulfed us. So what is our saving grace?

Spring Break.

I am so excited for spring break. Relaxation, cleaning, reading, painting, sight seeing, all in one week. Maybe i’m insane, but i actually like cleaning. It can be a pain, but the end result is so satisfying and cleansing. I’ve always loved reading about new subjects, I can even watch a documentary if I really want to multitask. Drawing and painting has always been a passion, so now that it’s a little nicer outside, I can go out and paint the trees and the flowers. This weekend, i’m going to New York and will be able to stop by Times Square to look around.

Not only that, but i’m gonna try and work ahead. I have to order my supplies for a science project I have due in June, I have to take my drivers permit test, work on JLabs (such a pain but it’s worth it), and plan my sweet 16 (it’s supposed to be a quince, but life happened y’know?). My hopes are up for this spring break. It will be filled with things to do, but I think it will really lift my spirits and break me out of the slow, dull, school life.

Winning Nationals and the Journey Back Home

Oh my god.

Can I get a yee yee for the boys?

13 years since the dance team was created, 9 years since they’ve started going to NDA, 5 days since winning Grand National Champion. When I tell you i’m still on cloud 9,000, I mean it. I haven’t been able to comprehend what has happened, every night I stare at the jacket and wonder if it’s real. Luckily, it is. People have asked me if i’m tired after it all. The answer is yes! I’m dying! An hour before writing this I was sleeping in spanish. So, I think that I should do a mini re-cap of these past couple days.

First off, dancing was painful at times. We all had to practice outside in 85 degree weather, underneath the blazing sun, while wearing black t shirts. A lot of us felt like dying, considering that we were used to 20-40 degree cold weather and we were not used to the heat yet. Luckily, the coaches always tried finding shadier areas to practice, maximizing our energy and making sure we didn’t get sunburn. It didn’t really work, my cheeks and nose were soon blushed with pink, but at least I wasn’t as burnt as some other people, their neck red and burning. We even practiced until 12 am the night before finals. At the end it was worth it since we ended up becoming friends with Davis County High School from Kentucky, really upped our endurance, and looked a lot cleaner and more in formation.

Now i’m not complaining. If we didn’t practice as much as we did, we would have been beaten from the other teams. And let me tell you, winning it felt surreal. The coaches were so happy, crying out of pure joy. Half of us didn’t know what to do and just cried. After we took our official picture, we ran behind the venue to get our jackets. We were sweating so much but we all just threw it on, shocked about it all. We then went to the balcony overlooking the lake before you enter the universal park. There, we did our famous chant and went to take picture with the trophy and banner.

The next two days were us just bouncing around the park, loving life. We were dead tired, but enjoyed our relaxing days. At 2 in the afternoon on Tuesday, we boarded our plane and got home. I didn’t expect anyone to be there, just the parents, but I was mistaken. As i walk through the door, i hear screeching. The Seneca Dance Team was there, same with Dr. Brewer! I looked like booty since i woke up maybe 30 minutes before that picture and video, but i was so happy i could have cared less. When I got home, I had my family waiting for me with open arms, balloons, flowers, and chick-fil-a.

The next day I didn’t want to go to school, but the coaches said they wanted to take pictures. Tiredly I went, still gassed and dazed from the busy weekend. We took pictures and they surprised us with Dunkin’ Donuts, candy from Seneca, and a standing ovation from the teachers! I was so shocked and honestly a little weirded out. I love the support and wonderful words said to me, but i’ve never been one to like attention. The whole day I was getting told “Congratulations!”. They played our routine on the morning announcements and I wanted to scream. Out of fear? Happiness? Who knows!

Of course this was kinda short lived. The rush and excitement is still there, but it is very died down. I’m stuck at school again, I have a Bio test tomorrow, I have to teach myself a chapter of geometry, and i am extremely tired. But at the same time, I wouldn’t have it any other way. We made Dominion Dance Team history, Dominion history, and most importantly, let our coaches get the jacket and trophy they deserve. It goes to show, the work is worth it, no excuses.

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DHSDT: What the yearbook won’t tell you

For 3 years now, I have devoted many hours to the Dominion Dance Team and it’s sister team in Seneca. Specifically, for the two years on the Dominion team, I have been asked many questions regarding practicing, schedules, and what we even do there. So i thought, might as well answer some questions.

How much do you guys practice?

We practice 5 out of 7 days of the week for around 2 hours each practice. Sometimes it extends by 1-2 hours depending on how much we want to get done and how close our competition is. Usually, we have morning practices at 6:35-8:30 am Tuesdays and Fridays, afternoon on Wednesday and Thursday from 4:30-6:30, and Saturday practice from 10am-12pm. So on average, we spend 10 hours a normal week, 15 when we extend a bit. Again, this is rough calculations. This does not include what officers have to do, sometimes spending their whole weekend to help out the coaches for hours on end.

What about homework? School? Family? Friends?

We have a 30 minute study hall before afternoon practices and if you’re smart with dividing up work and spacing it out, your work will be easy. Of course we get stressed sometimes due to extended practices or homework, but we can always talk to a coach to meet a teacher or work a little longer on something. A big misconception is that we don’t have time for anything. We actually have a lot of time to finish things or hang out with people. Think of this, we’re only giving 2 hours out of a 24 hour day to do what we enjoy. When it’s thought like that, it’s really not that bad.

Don’t you get tired?

Well, duh. We’re not superhuman. We get worn out at times, mentally or physically. But, everyone on the team has a deep love and appreciation for the craft, so we push through it. Obviously if we are sick we don’t show up or take it easy. Plus, if we really need to take a mental day, our heads won’t get cut off.

Who’s the best?

Surprise, we all are! Everyone on the team has their own unique flair when it comes to dancing. There are no ‘bests’ or ‘worst’. It would be unfair for us to compare ourselves to each other since some people are trained in different styles. We all also come from different levels of dance experience. Let’s say someone is trained in gymnastics and studio hip hop for 3 years, while the person next to them was a ballerina for 8 years, and then the person next to them has never danced for team or studio, just at home in their room for fun. All our different styles merge to create a single piece that comes out looking amazing.

Dance is truly something else, the positivity and close-knit friendships we’ve made had allowed us to better ourselves even outside of dance. It has made me become friends with people I wouldn’t even imagine myself talking to. Not only that, but it has helped me become a more positive and thoughtful person. Trying out for the team is definitely something I will never regret.

 

Bullet Journalling, Is it Worth the Craze?

If anyone knows me in real life, they know that i’m extremely obsessed with all things stationery and organization. I have no clue when it started, but I have it. One things i’ve noticed is that there’s a lot of other crazy nuts like me and some that have even gone as far as to create a bullet journal!

Bullet journaling is a way to plan out your week, month, or year in advanced. It’s a personalized planner where you can decide what to add or not. You can add a calorie, book, weight, money, or movie tracker, or you don’t have to add any of that. That’s one of the reasons it’s an attractive idea for anyone who is creative and needs a better hold on their life.

But  one of the big flaws with this journal is how much time it takes to set up the new month, all it’s weeks, and a theme if you really want to. I started my january spread on December 30th and I still haven’t completed it. Not only that but if you’re not good at remembering to do a new spread, you’ll soon yourself in June with a book that only goes up to March.

So in my opinion, bullet journaling is a great way to organize and plan out your school and home life if you know your boundaries. If you know you don’t have time to create a bunch of patterns and turn your journal to a scrapbook, make it simple. If you have the extra time and want to make your bullet journal look like Michaels threw up on it, go ahead. A bullet journal can be made to you liking and can have whatever you want. If your life is hectic or just want to be prepared, buy a fancy pen and a 5 dollar journal and start planning.

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My Dream Job and Why

So this week instead of doing the usual, i’m going to speak about something more personal, my dream job! Ever since i was little, my family and I loved the idea of my future career as a doctor. My whole life my family, especially my grandparents, have pushed me to become a doctor or a lawyer. Considering that their in their native country, Guatemala, there’s not as many opportunities as a student as there are here, I understood why they pushed this on me. But through my life, i’ve gone through phases. From doctor, lawyer, dancer, artist, hairdresser, and video game designer, i’ve found a job i’m really interested to! Surprisingly or not, i want to become a Physical Therapist in Pediatrics.

In April-May of 2018, I hyperextended my leg during a pep rally performance which caused mini rips in my tendons. I went to the clinic where my aunt worked and got it checked out. They said that I would be out of dance and had to go to physical therapy. At first I was super bummed. Physical therapy seemed weird to me since i’ve never had to go. But once I got there, something clicked. I liked the atmosphere there, the way they  helped me, and how they would help others with more serious injuries get their mobility back. Around the same time, I found an Instagram mom named Christina who had a child with Cerebral Palsy. Her daughter, Finley, has been making the journey to gain as much mobility as possible. In the videos you could see the physical therapist helping her out. I decided to give her a follow.

From that day, i’ve been suggested dozens of accounts on my feed of children trying to regain or achieve mobility like Finley. I also watched documentaries on top of documentaries of children with special conditions achieving all these feats. I absolutely loved how accomplished they looked after going down a flight of stairs or even just walking on a straight line. Not only that, but hearing the parents talk about how proud they are and how they want the best for them warmed my heart.

Physical therapy seems like the best fit for me. It’s everything I could ask for. I would be able to help people on the daily, my pay would be good, I would be giving life changing help to kids, and it’s just a specialised version of something i’ve always wanted to be. How my dream career would go is that I work as a PT in pediatrics for a while, then work as a PT for military veterans. Even though it will take a lot of work, i’m willing to put in my all so I can do my dream job and help people.