Leyva: Homesick

          I remember going home everyday after school and wishing that the day I left for college would arrive sooner. I wanted to live my life without my parents telling what to do and leave the busy city of Los Angeles. I was tired of having to ask for my parents' permission for everything. But mostly importantly, I no longer wanted to live in Los Angeles. I was tired of  living in a city where it is always crowded,  where you do not know your neighbors, and where there is always so much noise. I thought leaving was what I really wanted to do but once the day actually came, I realized it was completely different then what I imagined. I was so busy thinking of the things I hated that I did not realize the people and places I was going to miss. 

         Now that I have left for college and am in a completely different city, I have discovered how much I love my family and the city I was born in. When I first arrived to New Orleans, I immediately noticed that there was hardly any traffic, there was practically no one on the streets, and it was really quiet. Life in New Orleans was the opposite of life in Los Angeles. I was excited that I was in college in New Orleans but as the days passed by I started missing little things from back home like walking to the store and fighting with my sisters. I miss living in Los Angeles but I miss being with my family so much more. I was so happy about not having my family bugging me all the time that I did not think about how much I was going to miss them. Before I was counting the days until I left for college, now I am counting the days until I go back home and see my family. 

Kenner: No Pork for Me

When I was a kid, I loved pork. I would almost cheer for joy whenever my mom would make me bacon for breakfast and I would happily devour any ham sandwiches for lunch. I saw pork as something everyone ate. I never felt guilty or uneasy inside when I saw pork on my plate. When I was thirteen, I saw a documentary that showed how pigs were slaughtered. They were killed; hooked to an assembly line to be maliciously chopped up and sent out to stores for consumption. The killing of the pigs effected me more than any other animal in the documentary. I felt sorry for the pigs so much that when I looked back at all the times I have eaten pork, I felt sick. It was then I decided to never eat pork again.

Whenever I go grocery shopping now, I am always careful about what meat I buy. I always check the ingredients carefully to make sure there is not even an ounce of pork. I do not care if I was starving, I would still never eat pork. My family and friends have also been affected by my choice to give up pork. Thy cannot just cook or buy any kind of meat now. For example, my grandmother now only buys turkey and roast beef since I have moved in with her. If my friends and I go out to eat, we all make sure it is something we all like and can eat. I have not eaten pork for over five years now. I do not regret my decision because I feel better about what I consume now.

Falu's: The Bored Princess

The Underworld is hidden in the depths of Earth. It is the kingdom of the dead, ruled over by Hades. Hades, a greedy god who is greatly concerned by the increase of his subjects, possesses a weakness, his daughter Letha.

His love for his only child is greater than the love he has for Persephone, his wife. Because of this great love, Persephone became jealous leaving Hades, the Underworld, and denying the existence of the child as her own.

After betrayal, Letha, now 17 years old, has grown into a fine future heiress and ruler of the Underworld. Life in the Underworld is not particularly unpleasant to Letha. It is rather like a miserable dream, full of shadows, without sunlight or hope; a joyless place, where the dead slowly fade into nothingness. Letha is used to this kind of life.

When The Erinnyes visited the Underworld, they said that Letha could stare for hours at the River of Lamentation. She was able to see the tiniest and most miserable souls in the depths of the river. The Erinyes said that if the gods had a staring contest in all the realms, she could win.

     One day Letha, with her dull face, woke up and wondered how interesting it would be to stare at living things. She decided to take a trip to Earth. She managed to escape her overly protecting father. She also deceived Cerberus to let her out of the gates of the Underworld. She rode the ferry across the Acheron, the fare was free to the King’s daughter.

     Once on Earth, she walked for many hours in the forests and fields. She stared at the sky, the sun, the trees, and the ground.  She noticed a living thing, a shepherd boy. She had a strange feeling in her chest, but that did not stop her from staring at the shepherd boy. She stared and stared, “Beautiful creatures, humans are!” she exclaimed. Finally, Letha gave her big green eyes a rest. She turned around and returned to the Underworld, to tell her father about the wonderful adventure she had on Earth.

Hixon- Church

As a child growing, going to church every Sunday was mandatory for my family according to my mom. My sisters and I would hate waking up early, getting dressed in our Sunday's best, and sitting for hours. We would always dose off during the service and my mom would nudge us giving that "your in trouble" glare. It was not until I got into high school that my mom did not make church mandatory, it was our choice whether we decided to go or not. So of course I loved sleeping in which resulted in me rarely going to church. However, I realized that every time I miss church for a long period of time, the next time I went I felt as if the sermon being preached was directed specifically toward me. This would baffle me. Now I go to church on a consistent basis, but every now and then I miss a Sunday or two and know the message next Sunday will speak to me specifically. Through this I've learned that Jesus has a weird was of communicating with me.