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Wednesday, January 27, 2016

"The First Big Move" by Noelle M


      May 12, 2007, the 19 hour flight finally ended as the plane landed at JFK International
Airport, New York. Three little girls alongside their parents curiously headed through the jetway
(tube that connects the plane to the airport) to the immigration services, ready to get their
passports examined and confirmed. Outside, they were greeted by a short and jumpy seventy
something years old lady who turned out to be the little girls' grandma(their dad's mom). After
they exchanged their greetings and hugs, they loaded the car and headed off to Bricktown, New
Jersey, where their new lives finally began.
      From outside the house, the little girls heard laughing and screams coming from inside.
When they opened the door they were greeted with a big joyful "WELCOME!" and a bark from
the black and brown miniature pinscher sitting on the couch. The three little girls and their
parents smiled and felt touched that more family came to help celebrate their first day in the
United States.
      The first few days in Jersey was a breeze for the three little girls. Their older cousins took
them out to the park to play baseball, the boardwalk to catch the cool breeze and eat cotton
candy, and even to Six Flags where the youngest of the three sisters rode a roller coaster for the
first time and almost got sick. To the girls, being in America felt like being in paradise. They felt
very well taken care of by their relatives, having new playmates and even sometimes spoiled by
their older cousins. The girls were exposed to a new culture and were given advice on how to
quickly adjust to their new environments. However, after all the fun time they had, reality finally
began to hit. The girls were given bad news that their dad was going back to the Philippines for a
year to finish up work. This hit them hard because after their dad left, the real attitudes of their
cousins and aunt finally showed. This especially affected the youngest of the three girls.
The girls were taught basic skills like washing the dishes, vacuuming, and doing the
laundry. However, they were sometimes their efforts to help out were taken advantage of by their
aunt and cousins. The oldest cousin would order them around, asking them to wash the dishes
even if it's not their turn and to clean around the house while he (the cousin) would go out with
his friends. At the same time, the spoiled little cousin who was only a year younger than the
youngest of the little girl got away with every chore and responsibility he had just because he
"was too young to do anything". Yet, he would still complain about how it wasn't fair that the
three little girls didn't do anything in the house. However, it was very obvious that he was jealous
that they didn't have to go to school yet. As time passed the three little girls were placed under
strict rules. bossed around, and scolded. Life became harder for them and their mom as the time
passed, creating tension between the two families that lived in the same house.
     On top of the tension that built up, one incident with the youngest cousin turned their
lives around. The night the oldest of the three girls and their mom went school shopping, the
other two girls, youngest cousin, and the aunt were left at home. The youngest cousin and
youngest girl were playing house and all of a sudden there was an outburst of tears from the
youngest cousin. What caused his tears? He was pushed by the youngest girl's sister. This wasn't
just for fun however. The cousin started a fight by hitting the little girl on the back and her sister
just came to defend her. But of course his loud scream didn't go unnoticed. His mom came in the
room and started screaming at the girls. It was also a perfect timing because the girls' mom came
back with their oldest sister and heard the commotion from outside. She ran into the room and
calmly asked what was going on only to be answered back with a rude scream from the aunt. It
took awhile for all the arguing to subside, but when it finally did the girls' mom decided to bring
her kids to live with her sister in California. Of course, their dad agreed to this, but it was a hard
decision for him to agree on, considering it meant leaving his mom. After a month or so, the
three girls and their mom left for California hoping to have a better life there.
If you didn't already know, the youngest girl is me. From all the situations I've been
through, the big move to the States was the most difficult for me. However, the months that I
spent with my cousins in Jersey helped me realized how tough life was going to be. It taught me
how to take on responsibilities as simple as cleaning up after myself, which I never did because I
had the luxury of having a nanny back in the Philippines. It also taught me how to be a stronger
individual, being able to tolerate inconsiderable actions being thrown at me. Although things
didn't turn out so great with my family in the east coast, without them I wouldn't be here typing
this blog entry.

14 comments:

  1. Noelle, thank you so much for sharing something very personal. Personally, I think your story can relate to a lot of people or at least to those who have experienced moving to a new place before. I know I can definitely relate to the moving aspect in the story. I really liked how you tied in your personal story to a life experience that you had learned about the real world. It also showed your growth as a individual! Overall, great piece Noelle!

    -Brenda Do P.3

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  2. Noelle, this reflection held a lot of insight and was very easily relatable, not in the sense that others have undergone such a big transition as you have, moving from one country to another, but that many have experienced a situation both exciting and terrifying, in which they have had to adjust their lifestyle or learn new and unfamiliar things in order to fit in. This varies on a large spectrum, ranging from the transition from junior high to high school, to moving from one country to another. In my understanding, the Philippines and the U.S. have extremely different cultures, both including varying pros and cons, but what you have undergone in your move from one to another, has caused a lot of growth for the better. I’m utterly blessed to have such a lovely, strong lady friend today. Overall, I love this piece and I admire you immensely.

    Danelle Angeline Baronia
    Period 2

    ReplyDelete
  3. I really loved your story it was really good and some things were relatable and talking about plane. I also liked how you put a lot of specifics in.
    Katlyn Hall
    Per.1

    ReplyDelete
  4. The hallmark of any great piece is one that leaves a reader smiling -- that ending made me smile. This tale has a very important feature that makes it so interesting to me: it has a circular flow. You begin with innocence and end full circle with a succinct statement that defines how you've grown and by adding details that provided conflict to the youngest girl and other components of any great story, you managed to create a piece that says a lot about you, which I'm assuming is the point. I think the impact of the overall story could have been further extended by maybe adding the differences in culture so other readers could also synthesize other nuances in character, as well as giving the main protagonist a defining characteristic that we could call her, an epithet, if you will, to provide clarification in some points. Other than that, well done.

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  5. You know, after 4 years of knowing you, you would have thought that I already knew about this story. In addition to this work being well-written, it was also really personal, and it allowed the readers to catch a glimpse of your past in order to understand why you're such an independent person today. This post does a wonderful job at showcasing your ability to establish an emotional connection with the readers, which is important as it allows us to sympathize with your experiences.
    GOOD JOB BESTFRIEND :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. I really enjoyed your piece. It was a very well written story tied along with a personal message about yourself and a life lesson for your readers. You did a very good job at building an emotional connection towards your readers by getting personal; I know I can relate to the moving aspect of your story. Thanks for sharing your experiences with us!:)

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  7. Personally, I would find it very hard to write about myself, especially during a time where things were rough and not exactly the best for myself. That being said, your piece shows that not only did you write about a time where you struggled, but how this experience has helped showcase your own growth through these struggles. I see it important to sometimes revisit the occasions when one has struggled, allowing ourselves to see our own character development. I really enjoyed this personal story, great job!

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  8. This was a very well written blog entry Noelle! I could almost feel the emotion come out of the story as I read it and I can't say that I wasn't moved. The way you put yourself into the story helped us learn more about you, allowing us to enjoy it more than we might have. Overall, I enjoyed reading this piece yo, keep up the good work!

    ReplyDelete
  9. This was a very well written blog entry Noelle! I could almost feel the emotion come out of the story as I read it and I can't say that I wasn't moved. The way you put yourself into the story helped us learn more about you, allowing us to enjoy it more than we might have. Overall, I enjoyed reading this piece yo, keep up the good work!
    -Antonio Barron P:3

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  10. Wow. This was an extremely personal piece. i loved it. it was well written and well put together.
    Great job
    Adrian Modesty
    PD 4

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  11. Without a doubt we appreciate that you have shared this with us. It's difficult to tell personal stories, especially if they contain bits that are painful to remember. Nevertheless, you organised your writing logically and chronologically so that he reader would have no trouble following the new experiences of these "three little girls". Overall, brilliantly developed and synthesised, with a touch of heartfelt sincerity. Excellent work Noelle!

    Eloy Guzman
    Per. 2

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  12. Noelle,
    thank you for sharing this personal story with us. I think that a lot of people could relate to this story because of tension between two sides of the family. Change is hard to undergo especially if you’re moving from a different country to another. I like your use of imagery in this reflection, since I felt like I was there in the heat of the moment.
    Kimberly Chua
    Period 2

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  13. Anya, this blog post is pretty great. It is super personal and not superficial at all which makes the reader so much more connected to you. This reminds me of the blog post I had put up about bullying and for that reason being, I can empathize with you to a great extent. You successfully intrigued me as a reader and made the imagery so fierce that I could see almost all of it happening. Stay strong and I congratulate you on having taken on such a big, bold transition.

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  14. When you think you know someone, there's always a missing piece that provides itself to be the most crucial point. The circular flow of this personal experience truly makes this work unique, in that it ties together that of the past, present day, and the future to come. The imagery and in depth writing allows others to compare and relate to the experience you have personally gone through. Just remember this, "the past is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift, that is why they call it the present."

    ReplyDelete

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