Ch. 1 Personal Narrative

Walking away from everything you once knew and starting over is never a picnic. Leaving Iraq, and moving to America has impacted my life more than anything. I was only 4 years old at that time, and the only English I spoke was “excuse me, water please.” My family and I did not know it then, but our lives were going to change; we would become “Americanized”. Learning English was one of the massive changes that occurred, the way I dressed (culture), and even the way I had power to go to school and educate myself.

I have lived in only one location my entire life: Edwardsville, Illinois. A peripheral suburb of St. Louis, it stands as the rare oasis of people in a desert of corn, pinned in its own personal bubble. Due to this blend of time and isolation, I developed a natural familiarity with my hometown. But, throughout my childhood, I longed to break free from the confines of the bubble and venture outward. However, this changed last summer, as I walked through Richards Brickyard, our family heirloom, that my great-grandfather, Benjamin Richards, founded over 120 years ago. I felt these childlike sentiments slip away. The bubble that had surrounded me for so long began to vanish, and the picture that it had been obscuring was slowly revealed.

*disclaimer: bare with me... the next 5 chapters are crap because i wrote them over a year ago...chapter 19 will be the start of some great shit*

That was a lot of money, and I didnt want to let Tony down so I got in the car and started to drive. As I drove the road was empty. I had confidence I was not going o get caught. It was a slightly wormer day out witch might have been because the sun was out. I had the windows down and was blaring music just trying to enjoy life when a cop pulls out behind me.

I was in 11th grade, and I was taking Latin, which many considered to be a rigorous. I enjoyed Latin because my teacher made it extremely fun, so I was always excited to be in class. We were taking an exam, and my friend was attempting to communicate with someone and I thought she had called my name. As a result, I looked up and nodded my head. After the test, my teacher asked us both to step out and accused us of cheating. He explained that he did not want to embarrass us in class that’s why he asked us to step out after the test. I was immediately offended. I have never cheated on an exam, and after knowing him for over a year and a half I was extremely upset that he would even think that I was capable of cheating.

Throughout the conversation, Susan did not inform me that the home was still in First Look and not open to investors at this time. Susan did not highlight any features of the home, nor did she talk about the neighborhood or the surrounding area. When asked, Susan paused to reference the property file and stated, "In looking at the pictures it appears that it needs interior paint, carpet, appliances, and a few windows, which the previous seller must have taken." She stated, "I don't know why they have to remove things from the homes." I asked, "Do you have offers?" She paused to check the property file and answered, "No offers." I asked, "Is the property behind the home farmland?" She paused to reference the property file and replied, "It appears

7This is the first year of my existence I'm 30.5 inches tall and weigh roughly 30 pounds. Considering this a time where my cognitivity is at a bare minimum i have no memory of this time just stories told by those around me. You know how most kids don't talk until they are about Two years of age well i was a very quick learner i was spitting out babble and even full sentences before i could walk but that didn't take very long either. Although i seem extravagant i'm truly just a normal kid. I'm from savannah Georgia. I did typical things like cry, poop, pee, etc. I went to disney and all the other places little kids go.

was closing out my work here in Wiesbaden during the last week of the course. I forgot about the class LIB 5150, and fail to close it out with the teacher in time. Until I received the bill for the class stated above I realize it was too late.

On Saturday, August 01, 2015, approximately 239 hours, I was dispatch to Conyers Police Department, 1147 Scott St. Upon my arrival, I met with the complainant Jeanette Higgins. Higgins advised me that her wrist wallet had been taken from the counter top as she purchased her items at Ross, 2203 Ga Highway 20.

August 15th was so memorable for me because it was the day I gave my daughter up for adoption. It was one long and hard process for me to go through, but I knew it was for the best. I needed someone who could give my child the stability and maturity that I knew I couldn't provide at the time. It took me a few weeks, but out of the 5 couples I interviewed, I finally decided to go with a couple named Glen and Lisa to be the proud parents of my baby girl. They had been trying to concieve for the last 8 and a half years, but none of the available treatments seemed to work for them. I chose Glen and Lisa because they had this upbeat energy about them. They were always smiling and being positive, even when the worse situations occured. They were also very well respected throughout their community, and didn't hesitate to help out at shelters, donate anything and everything they could get their hands on, and even volunteer at the community center after school to help kids with their studies. They are inspirational people if

It's a Friday afternoon, I plan to go to Great Wolf Lodge in an hour with my church. I see one of my friends so he says to his mom “ Hey, that's my friend” I said “Crap” So I go inside to sign in to go and see my friends just sitting in a corner on a big sofa. We are listening to music and just talking then a green bus comes.

I believe there is a value in being able to turn an everyday event into a spectacle that’s worth reading into. With that being said, Chills rattled through my bones as the automatic doors opened before me; I’m underdressed. Upon first glance I notice the glint of the interior lighting reflecting off the marble-white tiles. I take note of the scent; Freshness. I think of the convenience of having these natural grown resources surrounding me. Before now, I would never have the luxury of purchasing an out-of-season delicacy at a location so near my residence. Frozen, I was astonished by the sheer amount of ripe, mossy green avocados that sat in a pine wood container before me. I muster the courage the to extend my unworthy

Growing up with a mother who worked first shift, a father who worked third shift, and a brother nine months older than me, I had literally no one to teach me how to read. I would sit in the middle of the living room floor and hold a book upside down and pretend to read. I had no idea what was actually on the page but from the picture I was pretty spot on. I would read anything with pictures on it. My first reading encounter did not start off in an academic setting.

I was only thirteen when I first began to ask “who am i?” My parents would tell me stories of where I’m from, and how Sudan is like. My little brain couldn’t grasp the idea of having family, people that look like me, in the other side of the world. Going there was a dream for me, I had this vision in my head, this adventure I thought waiting for me, and so, I began to nag! “Can we go this summer daddy?” became one of my favorite things to say. I asked and asked, until I got what I wanted.

When I was younger, my uncles to joke about the fact that I was americanized; that I didn’t know how life really was back in the motherland. I would just laugh and tell them to leave me alone. Then, I saw what they meant when we went to Africa in 2009.