Ashley's English Blog

 One thing I will never fully understand is time. Like how was time invented? How was it discovered? I have so many questions that I will never get answers to. Everyone has different theories on time, but all I know is I wish I had more of it.  Today in class we began our group projects. Its weird not being with my normal group, but it is fun to branch out and work with new people. 

 There are a lot of things in life that I wish I had more of, but the top two things that come to mind are time and money. For time, I always wish I could be doing more, but there are only 24 hours in a day. If I had more time I would be able to balance my life better, and get more sleep. For money, I am about to go into some major student loans for college, so I would love to have more money to alleviate that and to avoid student debt. Today in class we learned about the growing population of India. This was very fascinating to me because growing up we always learned how China had the biggest population, so it is cool to feel as if I am witnessing change, even in 10 years. 

 One time I experienced unexpected kindness was right now during this class when Carter Milton let me and Lucy give out all of his personal information in order to get a free cookie at Crumble Cookies tomorrow. This started out as a joke, but then we take things very seriously and next thing we know we have signed him up for rewards. This was very kind of him because he knows we were tired, hungry, and had long days, so he was very generous to provide the tools in order to correct all of these to awake, full, and having a great day. Get very excited for tomorrow when I will upload a picture of us with our cookie.  Today in class we learned about colorism in India. It was extremely fascinating to me because in western culture, often people use tanner in order to darken up their skin. I wish people would just be happy in their own skin, and not feel the need to change it, especially in harmful and dangerous ways.  

 One feeling that took me surprise was at the end of my first ever show. I was in Winnie The Pooh in 6th grade and I had my closing night. Going into it I thought I would be excited like I am at the end of most shows, but instead I cried. I didn’t expect to do this, but I ugly cried. Not like a nice simple tear, but an ugly balling cry. Still to this day, whenever I finish a show I do this, so if anyone wants to see me cry, come to closing night of Matilda. Today in class we learned about how in Indian culture people defecate on the ground and how it is a large health concern. I was not aware that this was an issue, so now I feel more educated, and more grateful for the clean water we have. 

 I have felt lost many times in my life, but one that I want to specifically highlight was my struggles last year. I was given a new ADHD medication, but instead of helping as it was supposed to, it led to an anxiety spiral. I lost who I was and just felt like a shell of myself. Thankfully, after switching back my meds, and getting a therapist, I was able to take better care of me, and I found myself again.  Today in class we had a reading for comprehension assignment about Indian culture. I learned about the differences in American and Indian culture, and one aspect that specifically stood out to me was the caste system. I am very thankful that I have the freedoms that I do living where I live. 

 I never want to leave my vacations, but the one that comes to top of mind is my most recent trip to New York City. To me, NYC is comforting. I know that may sound ironic, because it is known as the city that never sleeps, but I find such relaxation in that. I feel so simple and relaxed when I am in New York. One specific example of this was on my last day when we visited Central Park. I found a tree, put my air pods in, and read underneath it. It sounds so simple, but it is a memory I think so fondly of. I was fighting a cold, so sitting and relaxing was very helpful and important.  Today in class we had an introduction to Indian culture, specifically the head wobbles and the fact that they eat with their hands. I always enjoy learning about other cultures, but this is not something I will try in my day-to-day life. 

 Today in class we had a newsela and then worked on our posters. To be very honest, today has been very hard for me. As a women and a member of the lgbtq community I am scared and I truly do not know what to do next. I am just going at one step at a time. 

 Today in class we read and analyzed the poem "Let America be America Again" by Langston Hughes. We viewed it in the lens of tomorrow's election. I am very scared about the results, because I am personally very scared about the future of our country. I am very grateful that I was able to vote in the election. 

 Absent