Happy 2010

Every other year I celebrate New Years Eve with my dad and his wife Lisa. To ring in the New Year this year we decided to go to the Red Wings hockey game. The night started off when my dad, Lisa, my sister Sam and I went to dinner at La Pita in Dearborn. After we ate dinner the four of us drove to Detroit for the game. Around seven we arrived at Joe Louis ready to watch the last hockey game of the year during disco night. The game went by fast as we danced to the 70’s music. Luckily for us the Red Wings beat the Colorado Avalanche 4-2.
When the game ended my dad picked up my friend Emma and we headed to his house. Soon after we got there my sisters boyfriend Chris came over. For the next few hours the six of us watched a variety of artists sing to the crowd of people in Times Square. As we all put on our New Years hats and tiaras, we grabbed the noisemakers and Lisa poured the champagne and sparkling juice. As the time slowly counted down to midnight we yelled with the TV, “Happy New Year”. All of us ran outside and made as much noise as possible for the next four minutes. We made toasts saying goodbye to 2009 and welcome 2010. All of us suddenly got tired soon after midnight. Emma and I went to my room around one to watch more performances. We drifted to sleep and thought of what the New Year might bring.

Fourth Thursday in November

During the holiday season my family has many traditions. Every year since I was little, I remember my family coming in from Iowa to celebrate Thanksgiving. On the forth Wednesday in November my cousin Brittany spends the night at my house. We go to bed early because we wake up at five o’ clock the next day. It is a tradition for my dad to take my cousin, my sister Sam and I to the Thanksgiving Day Parade. When we arrive in Detroit, we go to the VFW hall and have the pancake breakfast. We stand in the same place every year in the bitter cold and watch the floats and balloons creep down Woodward. Right before Santa comes down the street, we start to walk down to Ford Field. The four of us watch the Detroit Lions game together every year because that’s the only time we spend with him on Thanksgiving.
After the game, my dad drives Brittany to my grandparents house and takes Sam and I to our house. We usually take a short nap and then start to get ready for dinner. Every year, dinner is at my house because it is the biggest. My mom makes the turkey and my grandma makes the traditional yams, cheesy potatoes and bread. After we eat dinner my family sits around my living room and talks. In my family, during Thanksgiving we usually only have about ten people over. Thanksgiving for my family is very simple. It’s a fun day to spend time with each other and give thanks for what we have.

The Power of One

The movie The Power of One was a very touching movie for me to see. It was hard for me to see all the people that P.K. loved die. It hurt me the most to see his love, Maria die in the fighting for education for the less fortunate. It was also hard for me to see Geel Piet die. I didn’t like seeing him being beat to death by Botha. Sergeant Botha was killed in the end by P.K. and I was happy to see him get his revenge. Botha killed most of the people P.K. such as Maria, the chicken, and Geel Piet. After all that happened to P.K. he still lived his life, made new friends, and helped people get an education around the laws. I was inspired by the way he lived his life with all the obstacles he had to go through.
I learned what life was like in South Africa while watching this movie. I saw the way the natives lived with the apartheid laws in the country. From the movie, I saw first hand how bad life was like for the people. The movie reminded me of the movie Rabbit-Proof Fence, Molly fought for her freedom and helped her sister do the same. She fought for rights as P.K. did for the people in his country. This movie made me see what one person could do to change and help other people. I was inspired by the actions P.K. did for others and it made me see the world in a different way.