Writing portfolio (pdf)

D A R L A

Prologue

Good day mate, my name is Darla and I am from the tiny atoll of Kapingamarangi. I am the first of my siblings to be born in my island and all I can say right now is that I am proud to be the first. My childhood days is what made me who I am today. Without all the experiences I had growing up, I wouldn’t be who I am now.

Now, thank you for taking the time to open this portfolio. What you will read in these pages will bring you good fortune, Just kidding, but for real though it will bring you a better understand of who I am, what opinions I have on certain things, and lastly the fun and adventurous experiences I went through growing up back home.

What’s in a Name?

The name “Darla” was taken after my great great grandfather “Darley” who was the last chief of my island before we changed our form of government from Monarchy to Republic. I was named after him because I was born exactly where he was born and raised. And I am the first out of all my siblings to be born on the island of Kapingamarangi Atoll. My mother was first to be named after him and when she had me on the island, she decided to name me after him but in a girl version.

Growing up, I never knew the reason for my name until I came to Guam. A lot of my relatives would always call be either Princess or Queen Darla. I thought they were just playing around but then one day my dad told me that I was actually supposed to be named “Darlany” but the mid wife that helped my mother deliver me suggested that I be named after the chief for I was the first born in my family to be born exactly where he was born.

To me the Unity between my name and me is that, I actually do look like a person who matches the name “Darla”. I cannot imagine myself named a different name. Through the years of storytelling about my great grandfather I’ve grown to have pride in where I come from and especially to be named after the last chief of my island. And yes, if I were given to opportunity to change my name I wouldn’t even bother changing it. With my name, I feel a sense of authority in my family’s lands if there will ever be problems with who owns them because with my name no one can ever deny that I do have rights in those lands. With my people very demanding on lands, I know with my name I will not have a problem claiming what’s rightfully mine.

Being named after my Great Grand, I after knowing the reason for my name I live with so much pride and honor. I am princess ‘Darla From Kapinga'.

PersonalAlphabet

Amusing-pleasantlyentertaining.I'mamusingbecauseItendtomakepeople aroundmelaughalot.

Bravest-exhibitingcourage.Igooutonalotofhikesandadventures andwhentheresawaterfallIhavethisexcitementinme toalwaysjumpoffwiththerestoftheboys.

Confident-havingstrongbelieforfullassurance.Confidentbecause Itendtonotcareaboutwhatothershavetosaywhatsoever.

Direct-Straightforward;Frank.Ialwaystellthingshowtheyare.

Enthusiastic-fulloforcharacterizedbyenthusiasm.Ilivemylifeto thefullestandenjoyeverymoment.

Friendly-showingfriendship.I'mveryoutgoingandIliketomeetpeople.

Guarded-protective.I'mveryprotectiveandonmyguardwhenitcomestomy youngersiblings.

Helpful-givingorrenderingaidorassistance.WhenIseepeoplewhoneedshelpI'll helptheminanywaythatIcan.

Impatient-notacceptingdelay.Ilikethingsatmyownpace.

Joyous-Happy.IgetexcitedwhenI'mgoingtoLittleCeasartoeat.

Kind-ofgoodorbenevolentnature.Itendtodoalotofthingsoutofmy heart.

Local-belongingorrelatingtoaparticularareaorneighborhood,typically exclusivelyso.Inmyhousewetendtohealthelocalwaybeforewegoto thedoctor.

Modest-havingorshowingregardforthedecenciesof behavior,isspeechanddress.Ilikewearingmodestdresseswhenigoto churchandeverywhereelse.

Nonjudgmental-avoidingjudgementbasedonone'spersonalandespeciallymoral standards.Throughtheyears,Ilearnedtostopjudgingpeople becauseihavetoperfecttojudgeotherswhichiamnot.

Openhanded-Givenorgivingfreely.Iliketogive,especiallytolittlechildren becauseitmakesmehappyevenifidon'tpersonallyknowthem.

Peaceful-notdisturbedby.IdoeverythingbetterinsilenceespeciallywhenI'm doingmyhomework'sorreadingabookorchores.

Qualitative-involvingdistinctionsbasedonqualities.WitheverythingIbuy,i don'tlookalwayslookatthepricejustaslongasiknowthequality willmakemylifeeasiercheapornot.

Rebellious-discontentedastowardauthority.Whenmyparentstellmenotto eatthesashimi,Iendupeatingit.

Seagirt-Surroundedorenclosedbythesea.Ilivedallofmylifesurroundedmy theseaandIwouldneverwantanythingmorethantobenearthesea.

Talented-endowedwithtalentortalents.IwouldsaythatIamblessedwiththe giftofsingingandplayingvolleyball,basketball,runningandlastlyfree diving.

Unpretentious-notattemptingtoimpressotherswithanappearanceofgreater importance,talent,orculturethanisactuallypossessed.Iwill alwaysstaytruetowhoIam,whereicomefromandwhatisreal.

Vocal-giventoexpressingyourselffreelyorinsistently.Ineverholdback anythingnomatterthesituation.Ihaveamindsetofsayingwhatsonmy mindallthetime.

Wakeful-easilydisturbedwhensleeping.Iamalightsleeperanditsucksbutat thesametime,Icanwakeuponmyownwithanalarm.

Xenial-relatingtohospitalitybetweenhostandguest.Whenwehavevisitorsat myhouse,itisaKapingesegirl'sdutytowelcometheminandmakethem foodanddrink.

Young-inearlystageoflife.I'dliketoconsidermyselfyoungbeforeIbecomean adultayearfromnow.

Zealous-markedbyactiveinterestandenthusiasm.WhenIgowatchmyfriends play,ialwaysmakesuretocheertheloudesttohypeherupandwinthe game.

Likes&Dislikes

Likes Dislikes

Free Diving King Car

swimming Doritos

Hiking The smell of Cigarettes

Taking pictures Chaud loud mouths

My pet cat Pizza that are not from Little Ceasars

Orange chicken hot links on sushi

Black tea

Rap Music

Country Music I dont like people using my clothes

turtles and Pandas snakes

Puletasi's guys with no respect for females

Oreos when my parents say we going somewhere then they change their minds

Fritos with Kool aid

Lack of attention people

Apple Products People who look down on dark skinned people

The Legend of Johnny Lingo knowing my parents are sad

Sensory Experience

Driving through the parking lot of Kmart and seeing the Big Red K. And getting out of your car seeing cigarettes scattered every where. With a lot of asian faced looking tourist, the first thing that comes to my mind is “wow i hope your kids aren’t in your hot car waiting for you while you shop.” Anyways as i walk past all that are heading to their cars or walking towards Kmart’s entrance, i cant help but feel an super excitement of smelling Little caesar’s Pizza that cost ONLY

$10 and if you have family working there, your in lucky because you get discount. Well, thats only if you connections.

Metaphorical Definition

1. Dancingisatreeonawindyday

2. Laughteristhemusictothesoul

3. Hopeisthesightofthesunbehindadarkcloud

4. Beautyisaninnocentsmileofachild

5. RedeyesarethesadnessofalostchildinKmart

6. Sighingiswhenabreezeonahotday

7. Mybrotherisapigatthedinnertable

8. EducationisthekeytoOpendoors

9. Joyisacompletedassignment

10. Cloudsarethecottonballsofthesky

AQualityPersonality

Patience wears all bright and calm clothes. She loves listening to classical music especially when she’s doing homework. As a child, she was always told that she has a good heart and is very understanding in all situations.And when times gets hard for her, she is always in prayers. She always tries to be of God’s character because she is in awe of the lord. She has a pure heart and loves making a lot of friends. She is also the type of person who always looks at the bright side of everything. When in doubt, she asks the lord for courage, strength and guidance to get through her situations. Lastly, she enjoys going on hikes and eating mac & cheese.

Colour Your world

Blue is something that surrounded me since the day i was born. Raised in a place where the sea was visible to the eye all the time is something that i will be grateful for till I die. For the sea is something that i learned a whole lot from. It is where i found my passion of free diving and sailing on my great grandfather’s sail going to the longest island called Hale. With the blue sky, there is no better place to consider paradise but my Kapingamarangi.

Green is the most beautiful colour on taro leaves and everywomen of the pacific should know for they work in the taro patch. Once females reach the age of walking and understanding things, they enter the new life of learning how to do things the cultural way, grow in mentality, and learn how to do basic chores and duties of their household for one day they will need to become independent and will need to use those skills to live a less complicated life.

Black is my favourite colour for when i go to sleep because i hate when the light is on when I'm trying to sleep. And in my family, I am known to be the dark skinned girl and I have so much pride in my colour because it is very beautiful and special to me because I have my father’s colour. The colour black to me symbolises boldness, power, elegance, formality and mystery. I say the colour symbolises black because to me its a strong and thick colour. And as for power, the colour is used as a dress code for alot of professional people.

Room sweet room

The calm brown colour of my door makes you feel welcomed into some place refreshing to the soul. It is a place of silence with the light only on when theres homework to be done. This room is a very special room located outside of the house also known as a place called the storage room.

Being moved into the storage room for my grandparents to stay in the master bedroom does not make me feel any less grateful for all that I have.

With my room being the only brown door in the house gives me a feel of independence because it sort of tells a little about my personality. And when you open the door the first things you’ll notice is the two beds, one is mine and the other is my younger sister’s. As you examine the room a bit more, you’ll notice theres a sting on the wall with pictures attached to a paper clip each with different colours. These pictures on the string are of the people who are most closest to me, important and are dearest to my heart. And below those pictures is a piece of art work that I’ve done in my art class during my junior year. This specific art work is a hibiscus flower specifically made by cutting pieces of think cardboards and clued on to another cardboard to. This art piece is very special to me because it is the best art piece I've ever made and it is the only one I made that is very nice and elegant. Right next to the pictures and my art work is a shelf I built myself during the summer for my clothes. This shelf is something that I’ve been wanting to make for a long time and because I lacked the wood for it, it took me a while to actually have this shelf drilled into the wall. Right at the bottom of the shelfs is where my study table is along side with a lot of books I read and a small lamp for when I stay up late after 12 o’clock. My study table was given to me by my grandfather.

Personal Metaphors

1. Apple

2. Hammer

3. Folder

4. Sheet protector

5. Dime

6. Vest

7. Michael phelps

8. Money

9. Barnabas Heinrich

10. Little caesar

11. Running shoes

12. The Cross

13. Mathematics

14. Plane

15. Cheetah

16. Table legs

17. Sunflower

18. Camera

19. Hut

20. Wall

Extended Metaphors

1. Barnabas Heinrich is basically who I take after. He is my father and he is someone I look up to. Growing up, I was always told that I take after my father because we have some much in common. We think the same way, I speak my mind just like he does and I am humorous just like he is. We think the same way in most things. Despite the fact that we are the same colour, out of all my 8 siblings I look more like his female cousins. And I also have his strength, I grew up very athletic just like he is and we share the same passion for swimming, playing volleyball and basketball. Lastly, I get my stubborn attitude from him.

2. Sheet Protector because I am over protective when it comes to the people that are close to me. I worry about them and I always remember to keep the in my prayers for their safety. I’m always there for them.

3. Hammer is something that I was taught how to use as child. When my dad was fixing things, I would grab a hammer and wait for him to tell me what to nail and where. And it gave this passion of fixing things on my own. Im glad that i was taught at a young age to learn how to fix things because it assured me that I can do both female duties and men duties.

4. Plane, as a child growing up in my island we’d have these Christmas drops from the military program that do these charity work for the islands that are in need. As kids, we always looked forward to seeing these planes and helicopters that flew above our small island dropping these huge bags of good. As for me, my favourite thing about it was seeing the helicopters and planes that flew down to drop them and me and the rest of the kids in the island would stand on the shore shouting and yelling at these crafts. That is how I now have a dream of being a pilot one day in the United States Air Force.

5. Hut, in a Hut is where I was born and it is something very special to me because in that hut is also where the last chief of my island was born also. Out of all my siblings I am the first out of all of them to be born in my Mother’s native island and I am very proud and thankful that I was delivered there.

Symbolic Recipe

2 1/2 cups of attitude

1 Table spoon of Stubbornness (not too much)

1 big enthusiasm

3 cups of determination

3 table spoons of polynesian

5 table spoons of micronesia

3 1/2 spoons of athleticism

1 cup of ocean water

1/2 table spoon of Alto

Steps

1. Put a pot the stove

2. Boil the 2 1/2 cups of attitude for 2 minute at medium high heat

3. add the 3 cups of Determination

4. sprinkle the 3 table spoons of polynesian

5. wait for 1 minute to boil

6. add the 5 table spoons of micronesia

7. while stirring for 2 minutes until it looks brown

8. when brown, Add the 3 1/2 spoons of athleticism and let it soak in for 30 seconds

*Warning, don’t let it soak for more than 30 seconds*

9. after 30 seconds is over, add 1 cup of ocean water

Let it cool down for 5 minutes

10. When 5 minutes is over, finally add the 1/2 table spoon of alto and put it in the freezer for 3 hours

The ultimate all-purpose excuse

When the bell rang indicating that lunch break was over, as I was gathering my belonging to head to class when this huge dinosaur came running towards me. Without even knowing it i was lifted off the ground and into the dinosaurs mouth. Realizing what just happened, I started screaming for help. But the aids just stared in awe at the sight of the dinosaur.

I prayed to god for a hero to come and save me. And my prayer was answered, how? Well well, the all famous Dwayne Johnson came swinging on a branch cheering “Cheeeehoooooo”. Right then and there, I knew i was not going to die young. But as he swung closer to the dinosaur, the dinosaur tried bruce lee kicking him but failed and The rock caught the dinosaurs leg with his sling and dragged him to a giant cage that Mr. Mark made for stray dogs that came on the campus grounds. And so as the dinosaur and I headed for the ground with me hanging on his mouth, when we finally hit the ground I went flying over A wing and landed in the sunflower garden. As I got up dusting off the dirt, President Trump came and shook my hand saying that I will now become America’s 46th President for I was chosen by the Dinosaur. Accepting my position, we shook hands and turned to the crowd of people with flashing lights from their expensive cameras that i’ve always wanted. Finally realizing that I was late for my class, I headed up to my bench to grab my things. To my surprise I see The Rock getting my belongings for me. And as i approach him, I thank him for rescuing me. And with that, he offered me the opportunity to be his main character for his up coming movie with Kevin Hart and Usain Bolt. Taking his offer, i turned to go to my class.

When I got in my 3rd period, all eyes were on me and Mrs. Griffrin was irritated that i came in at such time.

Telling Tales

A mother with kids lived on the island of Touhou in Kapingamarangi who had one leg. One day, the mother found out that her husband was cheating on her with another lady from Welua. She knew theres nothing to be done but to protect her kids by teaching them everything they need to know about surviving for one day she will be gone and no one will be as loving as herself to her own kids. Making sure her oldest daughter was sharp when it comes to responsibility, the mother told her oldest that she will soon die and that she will need to take her place of being a mother to her younger siblings to love them and be there for them no matter what.

The day before the mother was to rest, she told her oldest daughter to get her leg bone and keep it in a safe place for it is the only piece of her that she will be leaving behind. After that she said “ Don’t ever be afraid for I Will always be here for you and your siblings so whenever you wanna be closer to me, just come to the ocean.” The next day, their mother passed away and they sank her into the ocean while their dad was drunk and making fun of his kids and their dead mother . Not long after his wife past away, he remarried to the lady he cheated on his wife with. Sad thing is that she treated her husband’s kids so terribly and the husband never did anything about it. He just drank all day and night and never bothered to check his kids. One day, the oldest daughter decided that she will take her siblings to another island far from her dad and her new mom. On the day she planned to leave, her new mom was giving her a hard time. She was saying all sorts of mean things about her mother and about how her dad never loved them especially because her mother was disabled. Fed up with her constant bullying she turned to her new mom and told her straight up that she does not have to worry about her and her siblings anymore because they won’t be around for her to bully anymore before the sun comes up the next day. And just as she said, when the sun was setting that day she gathered her siblings and her mother’s leg bone and headed west of the island on the shore. As they reached the end of the island, she looked out into the ocean calling for her mother. Her younger siblings thought she was going crazy, but she trusted her mothers words and still called out for her.

When the sun disappeared into the horizon, with the moon and the stars bright in the sky they gathered in a hug for warmth. And one by one, they started crying for their mother. Each one of them wished that their mother was still alive to love them and protect them. And as soon ad they settled down their crying, they spotted a glowing sea animal coming towards them. The youngest child amongst them jumped up in joy saying “Thats mom, she's coming to take us to a better home where we will be loved.” As they observed the animal swimming towards them, they walked towards the water to see what it really was. When the animal reached the children, they saw that it was a sting ray so they surrounded it with curious minds. And for some reason they all felt that what their youngest sister said might be true. So the oldest sister asked the sting ray if it was their mother and in response the sting ray replied “Yes my beloved children, its me your mother.” The children were in so much shock because it really was their mother for she turned into a sting ray when they sank her into the ocean.

The sting ray took her kids on her back to an island filled with harvested fruits all year long and they lived happily ever after.

Unfinished Sentences

1. I usually worry about my parents coming home to unfinished chores

2. I feel angry when my siblings do not do their chores

3. I’m moody when I’m on my period

4. I’m happiest when my parents are happy

5. I feel confident when I know what I am doing

6. I feel frustrated when I’m not organized

7. I feel depressed when I'm behind on my school work and my chores

8. I am comfortable when I know I'm track with all the things I need to get done

9. I feel nervous when I have to speak in front of people especially when I sing in front of a lot of people

10. I feel sentimental when my mom gets very stressed out and is tired from work

Personal Symbol

Pictures of my Brother

My parents has 7 kids together and a few years back their 3rd child together passed away. Since he’s been gone all his pictures are very precious to me and my parents. In these photographs hold so many precious memories that we’ll forever cherish. My brother had a special place in everyone’s hearts. And the day of his funeral, the public schools and the private school we attended came to show their support and love for my family and those photographs of them at his funeral and burial show so much of how a small island state show their support and love for each other during a family’s hardship. And to me, it means so much because they showed the real meaning of what it means to be a pacific islander.

Bestfriend’s Jacket

In middle school I had a best friend and her name was Kalani Rose Manibusan. We were the closest of friends and she was a very supportive one too. She always came to watch my games when she could. And towards the ending of the school year, she had to move to Texas. The day she withdrew from the school she told me when and where she was going and though it was sad news to me, we still promised to always talk and keep in touch with each other no matter what. They day she was leaving she stopped by the school’s gym one last time during my practice to give me her favorite jacket. And till today, I still have that jacket with me to remind me of all the good times we shared together when she was still here on guam. I keep that jacket for that one day when we see each other again and when that day comes, ill give it back to her to show her that our friendship is still there and is very important to me.

Born in a Hut in Kapinga, September September 1999

Map of life

Met dad’s mom for the first time

Started sailing from Atoll to atoll

Went after a red balloon when the tide was pulling and

Rode the Micro Glory ship to Pohnpei

Attended 2nd Grade at Ohmine

Third Oldest brother Passed away

Attended head start in SDA school

First view of guam

Flew on a plane for the first time

Took my dads truck and got pulled over (cool cop tho) Currently working here

BESTFRIEND WAS FINALLY A HIGH SCHOOLER

Played volleyball with my best friend

Lived with my grandparents in Pohnrakiet

Had the best year of my High cool life

Had the best tuesday of my life

Did my first Taualuga dance

Mysterious Place

Long ago when cannibalism was practiced throughout the pacific, a group of people sailed to the Island of Kapingamarangi and steal people from Werua and Touhou at night to eat them. The thing is, before the would eat then they would sing these chants and dance. And the people of Were and Touhou would hear these chants through the wind blowing at night but never really knew where it was coming from. The chief at the time put a spell on well and touhou so that the people staying there wouldn’t hear it at night. So that leaves all the other atolls of the island to hear those chants. On rainy nights when the wind is blowing hard, you can hear the chants at its loudest when your not on Well or Touhou.

As a child, these tales or stories we’re told to me by my grandmother but i never really believed them because i never heard them myself. It was until we had to sail to Longotolu, on a rainy night to sleep over. As we were offloading our belongings from the sail in the pouring rain we all heard the chant so loud in the rain like they were on the shore with us chanting. It was my first scary moment in my life and my grandfather who was the chief at that time told us all to leave everything and come into the big hut. In that hut was where he said some words in kapingese which i never heard of before. My mom told me and my siblings that only the chiefs were able to speak that language because they position gives them the protection to speak in that certain language. After that night, I knew to never travel to Longotolu in a rainy night because the sounds we heard had everyone up and on their guard throughout the whole night because some believe that their spirit are still alive and looking for the next person to feast on while they sing their chants.

Synetics

1. Which is wiser? Pen or Pencil?

- Pen, because it is not erasable it must think before it write

2. Which is easier to forgive? a Street or sidewalk

- side walk because not much accidents happen there.

3. Which is smarter? Clock or Calendar?

- Calendar because it knows more than a clock

4. Which is easier to teach? Question or answer?

- Answer because it can me memorized and used over and over.

5. Which is more fearful? New or Old?

- New because it is unknown

6. This has less charm? Signature or autograph?

- Signature because it has no sentimental value

7. Which is more suspenseful? Rain or snow?

- Rain because you can see it from a distance

8. Which is sadder? Seek or find?

- Seek because it means you lost something

9. Which has more pride? Entrance or exit?

- Entrance because it is where people first impressions come from.

10.Which is happier? Music or Art?

- Music because you can do a lot with it; dance, sing, etc.

A Day in life

As a new day starts, she knew better than to let the sun rise before she does. It was something she grew up with based on her culture, which was something she admired very much.

On school days, she gets up around 4:00 to get ready for school. Most days her roommate (younger sister) would wake up right before the bus reaches our area. So she mostly rode the bus without her. But on other days, her roommate would turn off her alarm and would let her sleep in till the sun rises giving her no time at all to get ready to catch the bus making her miss her bus.

So some mornings her and her roommate would argue something that would start off with her asking her roommate, “Did you turn my alarm off?” and her roommate would answer her with “Yeah, it was making noise and it bothered me..” and she would tell her to not touch her MacBook ever again and her roommate would respond with “Did put dumb alarms if your not gonna wake up to it.” So that was basically what most of her mornings consisted of.

When she would reach the school grounds, in her mind she would be like “Heres another day with teachers who have no teaching degree.” To her that thought was funny because she has a couple of teachers who gave so much unnecessary for her class to do. None the less, she always looked forward to after schools because she would go into a place of where she had silence throughout her working shift and it made her happy that the office she worked in was a pretty quiet place, a place where she could concentrate on thinking. Her favorite time of the day is when she reaches home from work and gets ready for bed. But before she would close her eyes to rest for the night, she would talk to the lord in prayer to thank him for his love and mercy throughout her day and would ask him for forgiveness and for blessings to come her way and lastly for the lords will to be done in her life.

These words belong to me

1. Mellifluous - A sound that is sweet and smooth, pleasing to hear.

- This word is very unique and it is the perfect word to describe beyonce.

2.Ineffable - too great to be expressed in word

- I would honestly use this word when i pray before i sleep.

3. Hiraeth - A homesickness for a home you cant return to, or that never was.

- this certainly belongs to me because i wish to go back and stay in the house i grew up in but sadly people already moved into it.

4. Nefarious - Wicked, villainous, despicable

- I would so use this word to describe my younger sister

5. Supine - Lying face upwards

- This word belongs to me because I’m always laying supine in a hammock at the beach

6. Defenestration - The act of throwing someone out of a window.

- This word belongs to me because i feel like defenestrating these Micronesian girls who have no respect for their surroundings and be acting like they weren’t taught manners at home.

7. Effervescence - Bubbles in a liquid

- This word belongs to me because when i was younger, my siblings and i would go free diving and we’d always challenge who can go the deepest while making the most bubbles.

8. Anhedonia - The loss of interest and enjoyment in all activities that you once liked; the feeling of not caring anymore.

- This word belongs to me because I am exactly what the definition with basketball and volleyball.

9. Belle Ame - A beautiful soul

- A word i would describe my best friend Jiann

10. Alpas - To become free, to break loose

- This word belongs to me because it reminds me of my favorite band the “Queens” and their song ‘I want to break free”

In Other Words

1. There’s something about a woman with a loud mind that sits in silence, smiling knowing she crush you with the truth. - R.G Moon

2. Dreams and dedication are a powerful combination - William Longgood

3. Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn. - Benjamin Franklin

4. Its hard to beat a person who never gives up. - Baby Ruth

5. Worry about your character not your reputation. Your character is who you are, and your reputation is who people think you are. - Coach Wooden

6. Never does a man portray his character more vividly then when proclaiming the character of another. - Winston Churchill

7. There is nothing on this earth more to be prized that true friendship. - Thomas Aquinas

8. Family is not an important thing. Its everything. - Micheal J. Fox

9. Love cures people, both the ones who give it and the ones who receive it. - Dr. Karl Menninger

10. I will walk by faith even when I can not see. - 2 Corinthians 5:7

FLASHBACK

(Flashback) On my first day of attending George Washington high, I was only a sophomore who came from Simon Sanchez. And on my first day, the counselors did not have my schedule. So I had to wait in the library for two days for the counselors to call me to get my scheduled fixed.

On the day they called for me, we went through all my core classes first and they talked to me about my service learning and then went on to my electives. They gave me a lot of options and when they mention ‘LMP’ I did not know anything about it so I chose gym instead.

And now, I regret so much that I chose gym instead of going for LMP because if I took LMP that year, I would’ve gotten the opportunity to do an internship at a hotel. Which would’ve gave me 2 free credits for school and 9 free credits for gcc if I completed the 180 hours as an intern. And not only that, I would have had something on my resume to boost me up when i apply for jobs in the future. And since I did not, now i struggle with a lot of things. Especially with having a part time job right now and having to deal with school work and Im soon about to start my intern at PIC. And its very stressful because for English 12, I have to do a lot.

Remembrance of things present

November 20, I had a job interview at GMM with Mrs. Julie Norton. Funny thing is that, it was my first time ever having a job interview and I did not know what to feel about. The weekend before that day, In my mind I kept expecting myself to be nervous as hell. But to my surprise, I wasn’t which I found so funny but it was a good thing. During my interview, I was offered the job already which I was happy for and she told me that I can start tomorrow. But she asked a few questions and the one question that I’ll forever remember is when she asked “Why I applied for the position?” answering her i said “ I applied for the job because, in my house money is not always guaranteed to pay for bills on the regular so I had to step on the plate and act like an adult in order to help my family. And another reason is because I wanted to be able to pay for my senior expenses on my own without having to bother my parent’s pockets.” And with that Mrs. Norton had a huge smile on her face and said to me “In this building, you are one of us. And the love that roams within these walls will comfort you, always. Welcome to GMM.”

And now its 2018 now, and I got a call on Thursday the 4th of January about an interview for my internship at PIC. I have been waiting for this call since summer 2017 and its actually happening. Anyways, they called and told me that my interview was scheduled for Friday (the following day). The thing is, I have to dress professionally so I had to do so much last minute shopping at Macy’s. And It was the first time in my life to ever buy 1 pants that cost $44, a belt that cost $29.99 and a white button up shirt that was $50. Man my heart cried swiping credit card. Other than that, the interview went well and surprisingly I was not nervous at all which I again found funny.

As time goes by and by

Before I turn 35 years old, I want to be able to have my own house with my own car. And with a Master’s degree of something in college (because Im still thinking of what I want to major). But before 35 years old, for sure I want to swim with a turtle again but this time I want to follow it for at least 20 minutes or more. Another thing I want to do before 35 is make my parents proud by gradating from college. I want to do these things because I know my parents sacrificed a lot to get me to where Im at today.

I want to be able to say good-bye to eating meat and drinking soda. And I want to say good-bye to these because I want to live longer and have a sharp mind. And I’ll be able to say hello to tofu and broccoli which I really dislike right now.

I want to be able to go back home and clean my grandfather’s land and built my own house there and no one from my mother’s side will ever be able to tell me what to do or talk bad about what Im doing on that island. But before that Im going to make sure no pigs run freely on that land.

Lastly, I want to be able to get over my sorrow of my brother’s death and go back home and visit his grave with roses and a lot of pictures. And just be able to stand there without a tear in my eyes.

My own list of lists

1. People who have influenced me

- Barnabas Heinrich

- Kasinda Ludwig

2. Places that make happy

- Kapingamarangi

- Little Ceasars

- Beach

3. Places i would like to go

- NORFOLK ISLANDS - Chuuk

- Australia

- Africa

- South Korea - Italy

4. Things in people which I like

- Honesty

- They are openminded

- They aren’t fake

-Their generousity

5. Things in people which i dislike

- Two faced

- Use of swear words

- talkative people

- Bad personal hygiene - They don’t own up to their mistakes - When they interrupt

6. Things that worry me

- When Im behind on my work -not doing my homework

- When I know my parents didn’t - Not paying my tithe for church eat while doing errands in town

- When I lose something

7. Things I would like to know

- Everything about aviation

- How to weave

- When I know Im gonna be late for something

- How to sail using the stars

- How to do the work in a taro patch

- How to make a puletasi - How to be a plumber

8. Things that have moved me

- My parent’s struggle getting

- The effects of not knowing your culture us here to Guam and your language

- Rising seas in the pacific ocean -

9. Ideas that intrigue me

- How the body works

- Flying planes

10. My personal favorites

- Country music and Blues - Little caesars pizza

- Mama Mia - singing old church songs

- Turtles - swimming

Cheer yourself up

• Have a pyhama party and drink Pedia sure all night while watching Jumanji

• Feed the ducks in the pond with sushi

• Dress up at midnight and run around the neighborhood with a flashlight

• Go Christmas caroling early in the morning

• Go hiking in heels and wear a tutu

• Build myself a swing and blow bubbles while listening to queen’s song “I want to break free” on loud speakers.

• Have a street dance in old lady clothes

• EAT ALL THE FOOD IN THE FRIDGE AND CLEAN THE WHOLE HOUSE

• Record myself singing on live facebook and dance

• Make a carpet out of my sisters clothes

• Have a bonfire and burn all my school related belongings

Metamorphosis

1. I used to like green but no I like blue better

2. I used to like having a lot of friends but now Im mature and I’ve realized that I do not really like people that much now

3. I used to like having long hair but now I’d rather have it short because I have thick hair and it is heavy.

4. I used to like eating a lot of pork meat but now I don’t

5. I used to have a lot of friends on facebook but then I realized that a lot of what they post we’re none sense so I unfriended 90% of my friend list

6. I used to like going places but now I’d rather stay home and clean or cook.

7. I used to like playing sports but now I don’t have much free time like I used to

8. I used to like listening to a lot of hip hop music but now I’d rather listen to old songs.

9. I used to be a tomboy but now Im normal

10. I used to like singing but now I’d rather read a book

11. I used to not like black tea but now it is the only drink I drink everyday

12. I used to like going around with friends but now I’d rather keep to myself

13. I used to try to look nice to impress but now I really do not care about what people think of me

14. I used to be excited for high school until I realized that most high schoolers are not even mature enough to even be in high school.

Picture this

Moana’Ahines

“Kapingamarangi mo Nukuoro”

Expressions Studio

- This picture day was planned when I was 8th grade and it took so much time and money to make this picture look amazing. And in the picture are people who are very close to my heart. Without the support and love from these girls and their family, my senior portrait wouldn’t look as beautiful.

Movie : Creed

Guam Premiers Outlet Movie Theater

- After coming from swimming at the Piti channel and having no dry change of clothes. My Dad decides to stop by the movie theater because he was "in the mood”. It was the coldest I’ve ever been in a movie theater.

Hike @ San Carlos, Nimitz

Rainy Saturday after Noon

Happy Family SDA Youth

- This was the most exciting and beautiful hike ever. We were literally sliding throughout the whole hike which made it faster for us to get down to the falls. But peep my Muscles tho :)

Look who I look up to

Pius Mau Piailug is one of a few Master navigator of the Pacific Sea. He is from the outer island of Yap “Satawal” who voyages using no instruments but wind, clouds, star and currents of the sea. As a kid he was picked by his grandfather to learn the old ways. He was taken by his grandfather out to sea to feel the tide pools at different parts of the island and sense the subtle changes in the water’s movement. At a very young age his grandfather took him out sailing and when he’d get sea sick his grandfather would tie his hands ad drag him behind the canoe to get rid of that. In those days, it was not considered abuse. It was to get hime ready for the task of serving his people as a navigator. And in 1980, he voyaged to Tahiti on the Hokule’a.

Pius Mau Piailug is someone whom I look up to because he knows the very old ways of surviving. He was taught at a young age to learn and take care of his responsibility for his people. And navigating is something that I admired and love so much because I love the sea and sailing was a huge part of my life growing up because it was the only way to travel. To predict the weather and know the right time for everything that deals with the ocean is something I wished was taught to me as a young age but sadly most of the olden ways are long gone and past my great grandparents knowledge. And for Mr. Pius May Piailug to have obtained that knowledge and pass it down is something about him that I look up to very much because in this time and age, everything is basically spoon feed to us. The sad thing about it is that there is no need of learning the old ways because everything is provided for us.

Remembering the child

When I was pushed out of my mother’s womb I fell flat on the surface of the sitting area my mother was giving birth to me on. Supposedly, my aunt was suppose to catch me when my mother pushed me out but I came flying out and there was no light to see so my aunt missed me. And when the daylight started to make its way upon my small little island, they saw that my hair was the light color of red and that they I took after my father “skin color” wise. Growing up, I was favored by a lot of people because they predicted that I’d be exactly like my father with the same attitude and character. Sure enough their prediction is correct besides the fact that I got my singing voice from my mother. But as a kid growing up I had my father’s sides hair type. And by the time I was able to walk, my favorite part about riding in the my great grandfather’s sail was sitting on the small side of the sail that extended outward to the right if you are facing the south.

When I started to learn how to swim, everyday they’d find me in the water swimming.

- My Aunt (the one who didn’t catch me)

From my oldest brother’s memory he said that I was a very athletic child growing up. I was always with the boys playing rough and racing them but mostly always beating them. And at one time when we went to the island of Longotoro, the chief at the time was my Grandfather Timori and we were at the island because the men went out Okubengu and when the men finally came back from the sea my grandfather was getting ready to pass out the cigarettes to the men who went out to fish. And while he was passing out the cigarettes to the men, I went up to my grandfather and asked him if I could have one. And that memory was engraved to all the people who were there that night.

- Oldest Brother Folling

One medium suit case

The first things I would pack first would be some of my family pictures and ones of me and my friends. Im taking those with me because I wanna be able to carry them with me where ever I go in life because they are the very people who were the closest to me growing up. The other thing I would take with me is this little handy craft turtle that my mother made while we were back in Pohnpei because turtles are my favorite animal and also because my mother made so when I go out in the world I would wanna show it off. The other thing I’d take with me is the medium size hook that has my father’s last name engraved on it with all the tribal designs on it because I carry that last name but mostly because I am proud to have his last name and it is my proof of having a little German blood running through my veins. The other thing that Im gonna take with me is my speakers because I wanna be able to jam out reggae music when I go out to the beach and chill and reminisce on the good memories of when my cousins and I would have a sleepover at my place and pull all nighters listening to these reggae songs and dance. The other thing I would take is my first turtle necklace that was given to me by someone very special to my heart because I wanna use it as a promise to always return back to that special person who gave it to me. And lastly, I would take my MacBook because I am an Apple user and also because it was my father’s gift to me on my 18th birthday. He made sure to get me one because of how good I been doing academically. But also its something that Im always using most of the time. My father gave it to me for educational purposes only and the only reason I would leave home and prolly never come back till I have some college degree so of course my MacBook would be something that I really need to help me when I go to college off island. And lastly, I’d use it to communicate with all the people I left at home.

The perfect present

The perfect gift would be patience. I need patience. It is something that I have struggled with since I was a kid. Growing up, I always got in trouble with my impatient-ness. I would always hurry people up when they’re taking too long or when we’re at a party and I wanna go home already I’d keep telling my parents to hurry when they still wanna stay and talk for a bit more. And when we’d get in the car my parents would say, “You just watch when we get home ahhh. Who do you think you are hurry people up? Are you the driver? Are you the parent?” And I would just sit in the back very quiet and ready to sleep. By the time we got home, I’d be too sleep to for them to even get spanked or get lectured so they’ll wait till the morning and if they remember they’ll lecture me but if they forget then Its a good day for me.

But I really need a lot of patience because when I do get impatient, my attitude tends to come out and sometimes I don’t control the things that come out of my mouth. Having patience would help me in a lot of ways and teach me to be calm in times when of when I do get impatient.

Memorable Event

On this day my family had a day out at the beach swimming at Piti channel. We went out diving with just a mask in the channel and I found this beautiful small star fish that had one of its legs missing. It was so beautiful and exciting to me because of how pretty it looked. So i brought it up and showed my younger siblings and to them it was super exciting because they’ve only seen a star fish on television and books.

During the summer before my sophomore year, my dad decided to take us out to Marble cave look out and go spear fishing. When we go down down to start fishing my father had told us to enjoy our selfs but most importantly respect the ocean. We were in the water for a while and the waves were crashing against the rocks and as I was swimming up to surface a huge wave was coming my way so I dove under it and as I was swimming through the big wave I saw huge turtle. It looked so beautiful that I followed it for a while. Seeing that turtle made me feel so complete for that day and I loved that memory so much till today.

One Saturday after noon my church youth had a hike to San Carlos in Nimitz hill. And the hike trails get cut off because we have to travel down to the river by rope. When I got down from the ropes I was with my friend lenny and we decided to walk through the water. While walking into the muddy water streams, I looked to my right and saw an eel making me scared I slipped and almost fell on it. After laughing about it, we decided to take a picture with it.

How to ….. steal your sisters clothes

So first what you gonna have to do is remember the times she does certain things or go places. Remember how long she takes when she does things. And from there, look around for where she usually hides her nice things.

After that, plan the perfect day to go steal a few of her things. So before the big day, make sure you have a good dinner and make sure you shower before you sleep and brush your teeth too just in case you get caught and be called a stealer. At least you brush your teeth you know. Be a clean stealer.

Now its the big day, make sure you eat something good and comb your hair. After that you wait till she leaves the house and you start your awesome mission to her room. Make sure your acting cool while your at it before someone sees your suspiciousness. Once you get into her room make sure your careful and always be on the look out. Now look for anything good you like. But just make sure you leave everything looking sorta like the way you found it when you first got in. Once you got what you want, make sure that you left everything the way it was when you go in. Now I forgot to tell you that you should not take obvious things. I mean I know taking a few things are pretty obvious but aye Im pretty positive that she’ll finally notice after a long while.

Always say never

1. I never ever want to go back to 6th grade year playing volleyball in the morning.

2. I never ever wanna lose another sibling again.

3. I never ever ever wanna go back to Himelani’s apartment in Harmon.

4. I never ever wanna sneak out again.

5. I never wanna procrastinate again.

6. I never wanna go back to the hospital.

7. I never ever wanna be close to two face people.

8. I never wanna piss my dad off.

One morning when I was in 6th grade, I decided to go play volleyball with some of my volleyball teammates I tore my pants trying to save the ball. The tear was so big it was just too embarrassing. When it tore I right down and had my friend get my jacket.

After a couple of months of moving here to guam in middle of 2007, we got news from back home that my brother was in the hospital. After being in the hospital for 2 days he was pronounced dead on the third day. Sad thing was we didn’t have enough money to have all of us here to go back and attend his funeral and his burial.

Two years ago my church had this caroling that was held at the Himelani’s apartment in Harmon. After all the singings and the small activities for the children there we heard a loud sound of a car glass being broken. Come to find out it was my friends glass car that was cracked from this individual that was staying there. And when we went to ask him what we did wrong to him that caused him to do that, he just walked away.

On New years morning my cousin came to pick me up to go stroll. When I got back home around 7 in the morning, my parents were waiting for me with a big stick.

During my senior year, I procrastinated with Mrs. Griffin’s work which resulted in me staying home all spring break finishing up my AutoBio.

At the beginning of 2017, I was admitted to the hospital because I had appendicitis. I lost about 15 pounds while I was there and it was the worst time of my life because I was not allowed to eat anything.

I had a lot of friends and now they are my Ex-friends because I don’t like two-faced people.

I talked back to my dad this one time and it got super ugly and I never ever did it again.

Are you Hungry?

My favorite meal is fried fish with taro. This is served at my house in the cook house. At my house, us girls cook all the food. This dish includes taro with coconut milk and it is just the best thing ever. My favorite part of eating this meal is when I take a bite off the taro the delicious coconut milk on it. Now this is a home-cooked meal that everyone should try because you can’t find this anywhere in those fancy restaurants because it is too professional of a dish that even the best chefs in the world can’t master this special dish from the Pacific islands.

Where I’m From

I’m from the chickens who sang their morning songs

I’m from the culture that taught me the value of survival skills

I’m from the woven mats, the songs of my ancestors, the canoes and sails that took me to where my great chiefs walked.

I’m from the great blue Pacific moana, the half torn piece of paper in class

I’m from the selfless love from my parents, from the struggle everyday

I’m from the play in the rain kind of days, the stick that are called “I do this because I love you “

I’m from the strict culture that prohibited me from doing a lot of western things, from the family that will tease me about my most embarrassing moments

I’m from Precious lord take my hand with 5 friends that sing astoundingly

I’m from Jiann Krystal Ludwig who will be my future maid of honor

Lastly, I’m from the cross that had my savior nailed to for our sins to be forgiven

Desk of 52

52 things to do at home

1. Sleep

2. Shower

3. Watch T.V

4. Cook food

6. pick up trash

8. Have sleepovers

9. Cook fish

11.Plant something

12.Sing a song

13.Bake cookies

14.Homework

15.Call your friends

16.gossip with your siblings

17.bush cut

18.trim the tree

19.climb the tree

20.water the plants

21.mop your house

29.take a video of your self singing

30.Do your homework

31.Make yourself lemonade

32.Refresh your middle school knowledge

33.Paint your different keys with nail polish

34.Re-arrange all your books

35.Do some workouts

36.Listen to the radio

37.Do a crossword puzzle

38.Send your long distance friends a surprise post card

39.Make yourself a smoothie

40.Go for a walk

41.Order something online

42.Call an old friend

43.Facetime with your bestfriend

44.Update your resume

45.Take a bubble bath

46.Meditate

47.Research places to volunteer

48.write a poem

49.plan a party

25.clean the plants

26.Rake the leaves around your house

27.Make a youtube chanel

28.wash the dishes

50.take a power nap

51.Wash your windows

52.Get lost on pinterest

1.

2.

The Examined Life

1. Eating Kool aid

2. When Im lazy, my room gets messy

3. Lack being open minded sometimes

4. Super stubborn

5. Being loud at the wrong time

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

16.

17.

19.

6. Laughing at the wrong time

7. Slapping people when I laugh

8. Dressing up

9. Keeping my temper

10. Listening (at times)

11. Patient

12. Im quiet most of the time

13.

Annual Report

BEFORE AND NOW

I guess my before is when I was kind of immature. I was all about having fun and everything. I never really had any goals and if I did have any it would’ve probably been something that my parents would consider none sense. Starting off with my freshmen year, I was all about my group of friends and everything (who wasn’t?). At the time I was still going to Simon Sanchez high and all I looked forward to the first thing I woke up was going to school and seeing my friends and playing basketball in the gym. I procrastinated a lot in my other classes except english. For some reason that was how it was but I guess thats how most of everyone was. But I never really had any goals or anything positive to really look forward to academically. The only positive thing that I always did after school was work out. I did a lot of running when I was still residing in Yigo. And then one day towards the ending of the school year, I was told by my parents that we were moving back to Mangilao to our old house. To me I hated the idea of leaving all of my friends and the life that I was already used to. But I didn’t have a say in the decisions my parents make. So we moved back here and It sucked so bad. I never liked the school I was going to attend but there was nothing I could do about it. The only thing I looked forward to was seeing my favorite cousin in school and that was it.

Now its my senior year and I’ve learned a lot through my maturity stages I’ve learned that nothing I wanted to happen was going to happen until I put in my One hundred percent. And I also learned that my relationship with the lord needed to be strong especially in my teen life because I needed a lot of guidance spiritually. I never knew the power of prayer till I had due dates to big projects or 20 page essays. My junior and Senior year taught me a lot of how Im suppose to be in order for me to get to where I wanna be. Its been a tough ride through the years especially with a lot of financial problems here and there and it opened my eyes to the more important things in my life rather than hanging out with friends and wasting a lot of my precious time.

A year from now, I hope for my life to be a little more smoother than now. I hope I’ll be in a college doing what the lord planned for me to do.

Truthfully, I am better from how I was in the previous years. I learned a lot especially when it comes to getting something done. One important word of advice to a lot of people is that talking about something to be done is easier than it being done because a lot of people do not realize that it takes more than just ideas and thoughts for things to get done. And that nothing will get done until you do something about it. This year I was able to do something that me and a couple of my cousins have talked about since middle school and that specific thing is having all of us come together to be in my senior portrait. It was a lot of work especially because we all planned to wear a polynesian attire and in order for that to be done it deals with a lot of money and we also needed someone to make the dresses. And by the grace of god, I was able to get a job for it to be done and thankfully my senior portrait plan went as accordingly.

Exphrasis

Sacrificial Love

My parents surely defines what sacrificial love is. Married at a very young age, they fought through all the hardships to get to where we are today.With 9 kids, the road for sure was not going to be smooth especially living the way we did at first.

Thinking about us kids first, my dad was always out working while my mom stayed home with us. And at one point, my dad joined the crew ship who went out fishing for months. It was a lot of money so my dad still made the sacrifice of leaving us to give us what he thought we deserved. And then after 4 years of working on the ship, my dad came to live on Guam to make enough money to bring all nine of us kids to Guam for a better education.

All their sacrifices and hard work to me is enough for me to want to succeed in school to

Visually Speaking Sacrifices

Lesson I learned after it was too late

Back home when I was a kid, there were certain tides that kept us from going out to swim. And as a kid I never really understood why. I loved the ocean so much that everyday I was swimming. I learned to swim at a very young age and I fell deeply in-love with the ocean. Everything about it makes me so happy so every time I was denied access to go swim it would make me mad. I knew kids weren’t allowed to go swim because the swimming area was quiet and empty.

On the day the ship was arriving at my island, I saw that the swimming spot was empty and quiet. I thought everyone was too busy making food for the people who are getting off the ship. So I decided to ask my mom if it was ok for me to go swim. And she said, “ No kita. If you go out there and the tide is pulling then you’ll drown by yourself.” and as a kid I didn’t believe it So I kept saying “I won’t mom I won’t.” now kept in mind that I kept saying that for a while. Well you probably already guessed right because I did get whooped for talking too much. Its not my fault tho, I love the ocean.

So later on during the day I was playing with a balloon. And it was sort of my first time playing with one and it was color red. I got bored and decided to go swim and take my balloon with me. When I got into the water, I was probably in there for about 3 minutes when I accidentally hit my balloon towards the deep blue part of the water. Straight away, I went after it and without knowing it I was getting pulled away from the island fast. I started creaming for help because I thought a shark was gonna come and eat me.

Luckily, I think after a good 15 minutes I saw in the distant a canoe with people on it. So I started yelling for them to get their attention. When I finally got their attention, they started paddling fast towards me. By the time they got me, I jumped into the canoe so fast they laughed at me. Good thing they were my older cousins who went out to feed the pigs on my grandpa’s island. When we reached the island, my older cousins walked me to my house and told my parents about what happened which resulted in me getting whooped twice in one day.

The Door

When I walk out that door, I want…

When I walk out that door, I want to be teleported back to my island where there are no cars, no traffic, no electricity, no wifi. Nothing but the beautiful life of ‘Being enough with the little things’. I want to be able to never have to think about all the crazy work that my teachers give out. I want to go canoeing, swimming, work in the taro patch and lay in the hammock and watch the sunset go down. While Im there I wanna learn how to weave a mat and everything else that I need to learn in order for me to be considered as a ‘Woman of Kapinga’.

When I walk out that door, I don’t want…

When I walk out that door, I don’t want to think about coming back to this school again. Unless I have documents to get from the offices or something. Other than that I don’t ever want to come back here again and I don’t ever want to waste my time thinking about anything that deals with this school. I just wanna go far from here and make better memories than the memories that were made here.

Advice to the Young

Dear Child,

Do not do drugs. Do not even do Tobacco. Its a waste of time and a lot of money too. Now the reason I’m telling you this is because there is not one good thing that comes out of doing those. You’ll get addicted to them and most importantly, you are going to spent the rest of your life paying for hospital bills because you have some sort of mouth cancer or a lung cancer or some new cancer that I don’t even know about. Now unless you do wanna go through all of that then by all means. It don’t sound bad right? Well, tell me about it when you finally end up just like that.

Now one day, your going to feel attracted to somebody. Now keep in mind that there is nothing wrong with that. Just make sure that your not gay because its not right. One thing you need to know is that, you can’t expect everything to go your way. And you if your a girl and your man does not respect you girl LET THAT MAN GO. And if you a guy and your girl ain’t acting right please don’t waste your time and just LET THAT GIRL GO! But other than that You do You honestly just don’t let anyone walk all over you and never allow anyone to think that they can walk all over you.

Now lets talk about school. Before you think that its a place for fun and all just step back for one minute and think of all the good things you want in your future life. Now if that ain’t a good enough reason for you to get your mind straight then I don’t know what will because school is exactly what you need to get through your future life because you do need every skill you can learn to survive the adulthood life. Don’t for once think that what you do now will not affect how your future will turn out because it will. So don’t mess up, and let all the sacrifices your parents made for you be a good enough reason to make them proud in every way possible. And for after high school, its ok not to know what you wanna do for life. Just keep in mind that whatever you do plan to do, just don’t give up because success only belongs to those who truly want it. Always stay true to yourself and never let anyone make you doubt your ability to live the life you want. Just like Bob Marley said, “Live the life you love and Love the life you live.

Who am I?

Stubborn

As a kid growing up, I would always say that my father is a very stubborn man. But I was told by a lot of people that I take after him because I do get stubborn most of the time. When I argue with my siblings, I won’t stop till I get my way of something. Or sometimes, I get one side minded because I don’t like to see the other sides of things because Im stubborn enough to get my way. Its either my way or the high way you know what I mean? Sometimes its a good thing that Im stubborn but sometimes the way that Im hurt people because Im very blunt and when I say things that people don’t agree with my words hurt them and sometimes I do care and other times I don’t care about how they feel about the things I say so that is one bad thing about me that I do need to work on.

Athletic

I’ve always been the one to play sports. Growing up I love playing volleyball, Basketball and I like running. I get my athletic genes from my parents. Its crazy and funny how I get my competitiveness from my parents because if you ever played after my parent’s their going to make you scared. But I sometimes don’t like to show that side of me because its not fun. Other than that, I used to play Power position in volleyball growing up because I had a strong hit when spiking. I won most of my volleyball games when I used to play. My serves were always on point and my Jump Spikes. But for basketball, I was mostly good because I could get the ball down the court fast and I used to play it everyday.

Hardworking

When Im giving a job, I always make sure to get it done. And if it doesn’t get done, it leaves me feeling very uncomfortable because I was raised to always get the job at hand done. Its hard for me to start something and not finish it. So I always have to make sure I never waste time and stay on track.

Singer

My mother is known as a good singer. I was raised in church where a lot of singing was done. Harmonizing is something that was not taught to me or my siblings. When my sisters and I started singing, we’d always practice and the harmony kind of came naturally for all of us. My oldest sister sang the melody while my younger sister sang ciprano and I sang alto. My family is known for singing because my sisters and I always put up a good show for those listening

Rewarding Experience

1. Sailed for the first time

- It is something fun and fascinating because its something a lot of places in the world do not do today.

2. Learned to swim

- Because it was so cool and the water is so much fun to be in and you it is a skill that you cannot forget.

3. Went Oko bu (shell collecting)

- Because income back home depended on tourism, every morning all the little kids of the island went out to the reef to look for shells. And it was fun seeing all the different shapes and color of the shells that I found.

4. Saw tiny turtles swimming into the ocean

- Because I’ve never seen anything cute and majestic in my life.

5. Rode the Mirco-Glory Ship

-My very first time I did not get sick only because Im very cool like that. Just kidding but its because I’ve been sailing for all the years I’ve been at my island.

6. Saw the waterfall in Pohnpei

- It was my very first time seeing a waterfall and it was marvelous sight to see.

7. Rode the plane for the first time

- Because I never rode one before and also because I got to see the world from a different point of view.

8. Went hiking on Guam

- Because I never see any beauty of the island till I started hiking.

9. Played volleyball and basketball for a team

- Because I finally got to make my dad proud playing his favorite sports and making a lot of new friends.

10. Sing in front of people without getting nervous

- Because I got to sing without having to look at my dad and the song actually sounded alright.

Valuable Lesson

1. Time always heals. No matter how deep in the dark you are, time will always heal.

2. Taking risks is not a bad thing. Sometimes taking risks allows you to see what other abilities you have that you never knew you had.

3. Whatever it is that you think you can’t handle is simple because your mind is only set on the negative side. Do the opposite of that and you’ll be able to handle anything.

4. If things are meant to be then it will be. And sometimes it takes a while for it to be

5. Settling for little will never really leave you satisfied knowing you had every chance to do so much better. So never settle for average and put it 100% effort into everything and anything you do.

6. Life is short so never use tomorrow as an excuse for the things you can do today.

7. In life, learn to say and do something that is loving, helpful and purposeful.

8. Being too dependent on others will never allow you to fully know your own power to do what you need.

9. God loves even when you forget to love back.

10. Some things you can’t learn from books, people and pastors, you have to experience for yourself to know and understand.

Future - fantasies and fact

Romantic

Ten years from now, I see myself in the United States Air Force as an F-22 raptor pilot. I would probably be stationed in Florida because it is one of the states that hold training for the F-22 raptor with 3 kids, 1 dog, 2 kittens and be married to my high school sweetheart. Its been 9 years since I’ve been in the Air Force and nothing is better than being stationed in a state that has beaches. And probably the best part of my is access to the commissary for a lot of cheap stuffs.

Realistic

If I continued just as I am now, I would probably be working either as a secretary for my church’s mission or at one of the hotels in the Front Desk department. I would still be in school trying to get a masters in something and probably still be living with my parents while my siblings have their own houses.

My two paragraphs so far are what determines my future. And In order for me to achieve my “romantic” dream I would have to make a lot of sacrifices to make it happen. And in order for me to do that is to stop procrastinating and thinking negative about everything. I have to always be in prayer in everything that I do and have a lot of faith in the lord.

And then in order for me to be in the Air Force, for me ill have to start my flight school whether ill be in Pacific Union College or Walla Walla University and focus on it till I get my pilots license. And that deals with the sacrifice of leaving my family and friends here on Guam and going to the states by myself and be all alone. But I know the sacrifices will be worth it all.

Epilogue

So far from reading this Autobiography journal, I can tell that this person has so much pride in where she’s from. She enjoys being in nature and her favorite thing to do outdoor is hiking with friends. Her child days seems to be the best days of her life because it mostly deals with the ocean life. Her favorite part of her child hood days is sailing on her great grandfather’s sail to Hale and Taringa. One interesting thing she mentioned is when the children of her islands would walk out to the reef to collect sea shells for handicrafts. Being the first among her siblings to be born in her island, and being named after her great grandfather she’s feels to herself that she has responsibilities towards her island and people.

To further more describe this person, all I can tell about her is that she loves sea turtles and swimming. And her favorite beverage is Black tea and she loves listening to country music on her spare time. She choses to use apple product over anything else.

Darla From Kapinga takes a lot after her father especially when it comes to being stubborn besides being athletic like him. She shares the same passion for swimming and playing volleyball and basketball. And whenever her father is doing some carpentry work, she always finds herself next to him helping him.

Lastly, Darla wants to be a pilot one day. And she does not like it when her siblings do not do their chores at home.