All Hallows Eve

Happy Halloween! On this particular day, I thought it would be appropriate to remind everyone how this holiday came to be. Many people associate ghouls, ghosts, and evil spirits with Halloween. However, putting on fun costumes and eating lots of candy were not the intentions of creating this day.  Halloween, or All Hallows Eve, was created to end the Celtic year and welcome in a new one.  The end of the year for the Celtics was the end of summer and the beginning of a harsh winter that would kill their livestock. The Celtics believed that on the night before the New Year, the dividing wall between the living and dead was broken and spirits were released into the living world.

Trick or treating and dressing up also have their own history. To scare off the roaming evil sprits, people would dress up in ridiculous costumes. They thought that making lots of noise and looking “scary” would protect them from possession. Others would ward off the spirits by leaving out food and drinks. They also believed that faeries dressed as beggars and went to houses begging for food. People who gave them food were rewarded, while those who did not help the faeries were punished.

Now that you know the true meaning of Halloween, have fun scaring off those evil spirits and make sure to help those faeries in need!

What earthquake?

The first thing that came to mind when I read about the Cesium levels off the coast of Fukushima was not that I can't eat fish, but instead I thought about when the last time I heard someone talk about the earthquake that struck Japan about eighteen months ago. I honestly cannot remember. When the earthquake first stuck, that was the only thing everyone talked about. People were donating money and spreading the word. Now however, I don't even hear even a hint about the topic. 

Hiroko Tabuchi, in his article, explains that fishand cannot be sold because they are contaminated by radioactive Cesium released by the Fukushima power plant . Scientists are now concluding that radioactive substances are settling at the bottom of the sea and will keep contaminating the seabed for years to come. It saddens me that people in Japan are still suffering from the earthquake and people have lost their passion to continue to help those in need. Last summer, my friend went to Japan and visited a location where the earthquake struck. People there had not eaten meat in weeks and were ecstatic when my friend and his team barbecued for them. Even though the earthquake may seem like a distant memory, it still affects the Japanese as they continue to recover from this devastating tragedy.


Hiroko Tabuci's article

The After Effects

I was born with epidermolysis bullosa. More simply put, layers of skin on my legs were not fully developed when I was born. Eventually my legs healed, but not without leaving some trace. I have scars that run from my toes to my knees. When I was in elementary school, I was very self-conscious about my legs. I never liked to wear shorts because I was afraid of what people would think. When we went to assemblies and had to sit on the ground, I would always sit criss-cross-applesauce to try to hide the scars. It usually worked, but sometimes classmates would ask me what happened and I would tell them, unwillingly.

I do not know when, but eventually I stopped caring about my scars. Today, I go on for days not realizing that the scars are there. They are just a part of who I am. Occasionally people ask me about my legs. Before, I would not want to tell them because I was embarrassed, but now I do not want to tell them because I get tired of repeating the story. Sometimes people tell me that my legs are really dry and I just agree with them, not wanting to tell the story for the hundredth time. However, when I do tell people my story, I feel extremely blessed. Some children never grow out of the condition and have to live with it their entire life. Others never survive pass infancy. My legs are a constant reminder to me that God has blessed me with this life and without Him, I cannot do anything. Since my scars look like burns, my friends and family tell me that I should tell people that I saved my little sister from a burning building. I have yet to try it. 

In Between

There are stereotypes about being the middle child. Sometimes the middle child is said to have "middle child syndrome". I however, do not see the problem of living in between. People believe that the middle child is neglected, and constantly vie for their parents' attention. However, being in the middle has its advantages. For one, my older brother acts as the guinea pig as my parents try to guide him in the right direction. By the time I reach that point in my life, my parents know what and what not to do. When my brother was beginning to drive, my mom reacted to every red break light, sharp turn, or sudden move. She unexpectedly shriek and brace herself by slamming her hands against the car door. I found this quite funny, and even teased her about it, but I was worried she would act the same when I started to drive. The day finally came when I got my permit and had to drive with my mom. I was expecting her to squeal at every turn I made, but surprisingly she was much calmer. Even though she still had her moments, I never had to experience the stress of being the first teenage driver in the family. 

Being the middle child also makes me the older sister too. Just like any oldest sibling, I get to be more independent. My sister, being the youngest, has to deal with my parents constantly checking up on her and making sure she is doing what is supposed to do. My parents trust that I am more responsible and allow me to have more privileges, such as being able to go places with my friends. 

"How come the middle child appears so different?"people may ask. Some hypothesize it's because they are overlooked. This is my response: It's because we are different! Everyone constantly tells me that my older brother and my younger sister look, act, and even laugh exactly the same. Then they look at me and say, "You aren't anything like them." I laugh because I get this reaction every time someone realizes that we are related. I somewhat like the fact that I do not look or act like them. I get to make a name for myself before people discover my relation to my siblings. I take pleasure in being different from them.