The Most Challenging Thing - Original Writing

How I join the Army National Guard, was kind of crazy My friend name Rico campbell had told me he was about to join the Army National Guard and they were offering a $20,000 sign on bonus. I stated “do you know what we can do with all that money”. We Both went to a recruiter Name SFC (Sergeant First Class ) Tim Thomas he said “ what do you want out of life” both of us promptly replied “ I don't know”. I join The National guard that day but my Friend Rico nevered joined. After I join and Sign all the necessary paperwork SFC Thomas said “You are going to Iqra in may !”. At that time my heart dropped out of my body.

The forest had gone.... and the Witch looked much younger. Audette opened her eyes and had found herself upon a brow of white lilies. The shape of the shrouded old woman seemed changed. Having turned around, and opened her mantle to the tearing gusts, Meliza revealed to the young lady two streams of shinging blackness and smooth white flesh. Audette stopped in her tracks.

It was Friday, December 19th, 2003, in Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina. Just six short days before my 19th birthday. A recruit screams, "Lights! Lights! Lights!". The overhang lights flashes to life, I look outside and see that was still dark outside. All 80 of my fellow recruits jumped up and began the preparation for our big moment. Racks were stripped of sheets and blankets, folded, and then set on top of the footlockers. As we did the last bits of field day, I imagined that we were somewhere between well oiled machines and ants. Time seemed to slow down to a crawl. As we got dressed in our pickle suits I was shaking. To this day I don 't if I was from the sheer excitement or from nervous. The process of getting dressed was beyond tedious and deliberate. Socks, corframs, white shirt, long sleeve khaki shirt, shirt-stays attached from the bottom of the shirt to the top of the socks, tie, standing on top of a foot locker to step into our trousers, getting the help of your rackmate to help put on your blouse, and lastly putting on your cover.

Prior to September 11, 2001, I had no idea about what I wanted to do with my life. After the tragic events of September 11 and talking with several people at each branch's recruiters' stations- I decided that I would join the United States Navy. On November 14, upon arriving at Naval Station Great Lakes, I did not know what to expect. Over the next 8 weeks I was taught not only things to help me survive the Navy but life lessons to help me get through life in general. When I arrived at boot camp, I was given a complete health and dental physicals to ensure I was healthy enough to endure the stringent activities that I was going to go through. Along with my physicals, I was given shots to ensure that I would stay healthy. After shots, I was given

Even though the drill sergeant told us to keep our heads down, I couldn’t help but peek my head up just to see what is out the window. All I saw was the beautiful blue sky with no clouds in site, and the sun just smiling down on us. The bus stopped at the destination, and I felt my heart stopped as if it was the last time I ever get to see the world. Out of nowhere the same drill sergeant with the mega phone was outside of my bus and started yelling at us with all his might. We could sense fear and terror in the atmosphere as the drill sergeant started pull us out of the bus one by one. The closer I got to the drill sergeant the clearer I got to see every vein and artery throbbing out of his neck and for every word he said you can see them pumping a heartbeat. Once I was able to get my focus from all the scatterings another drill sergeant was yelling at me to run up this hill that look as if it was Mount Rushmore but covered in grass and surrounded by privates but in a far distance look like ants. So I ran to the top acting like it was the end of my life and that I running away from the bulls like how the Spaniards do when they have their annual running with the bulls. Running to the top of the hill was harder than excepted. After finally reaching the top I stopped to catch my breath for my lungs felt as if they’re balloons and someone squeezed all the air out of

“Everybody get off my bus!” the drill sergeant screamed. I woke up terrified for my life. I picked up me stuff and ran towards the front of the bus. I broke left following the rest of the crowd. When I make it to the end my hearts racing, I could feel my heart beat in places I never felt before. There were packs of uniform blobs confused not knowing where to go. I decided to get into a formation not

Seven years earlier, I migrated to Hawaii when I was twenty-three. I had flown away from my mother and my life in the Philippines. Like young adults and being rebellious, I wanted to live on my own away from my mother 's roof. I left the city life I grew up with in the Philippines in hope of a better life in another country.

It was dark when I arrived at the village. People were going about their nightly chores before they retired for the night. They quickly escorted me to the wigwam of a woman who was in labour.

I graduated high school May 9th, 1997 and just 2 short days later I was arriving on the fabled yellow footsteps of Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego. I was cocky when I arrived, ready to conquer this next step of my life. In school I was a member of the Air Force JROTC in which I was at the top of the food chain. I was the senior cadet in charge of all the rest of the cadets. I rolled into boot camp thinking I was going to find instant gratification and achieve the same success. Shortly after my platoon (Foxtrot 2101) was picked up by our platoon drill instructors each of us was individually interviewed. I made the mistake of telling my senior drill instructor Sgt. Montgomery that I was a better leader than I was a follower. I

‘Unbroken’. I called it unbroken and I thought it suited me well. Many people seem to act as if I am broken. A sideways glance there, a mummer here. Sometimes they tell me I am weird. I don’t like them but everyone else seems to so I just ignore it. They still tell me I’m broken though. Maybe I am? Ahhhhh, I have it. All I need is a bang with a hammer. Then I will be ‘unbroken’. I can’t wait till that day!

I have been writing since I have been in Middle School. I have realized that by college it was easier for me to write down my thoughts in order for me to remember what I have said or done. Writing out my thoughts gives me a sense of recollection, knowledge, and pacification that gets me through my day. I pictured writing to be as simple as jotting down a few sentences, but as I got farther in school I realized that there is more to it than just writing sentences. English has been my most difficult subject I have ever endured, but I have somehow been managing to make excellent grades and achieving all requirements. First in the essay, I will discuss my experiences in the English life that I’ve taken so far up until college. The second part will list my struggles in creating a thesis, a work cited, and properly citing my sources used in the papers.

At first Sofia looked at me in shock, but her expression began to change into one of interest. She brought her hand up to her white scarf, then began to play with the ends in a thoughtful manner. Her lips contorted into a mischievous grin and she let go of my hands.

This was a vivid feeling, an atmosphere that I had never before experienced. Dense lights were somehow beautifully articulated with the rich sound of harmony filling the room. Others around me identified this too, and in response some raised their hands, some sang at the top of their lungs, and the rest simply enjoyed it. My senses were overloaded at this moment, but it was not what my heart was admiring. My 14 years of life had never recognized such a presence as this. Freedom is one word to describe it. Realization is another. Internally, I had always told myself that I would never associate myself with religion and its monotony, but I could not deny that this was beyond religion. This was beyond my preconception of any deity that had the slightest chance of actually being reality. My only response was to fall on my knees in worship of this God whom I can now discern was the Holy Spirit. This moment, a worship service on the night of February 18th of 2012 at a winter retreat, has and will continue to mark my existence on this planet. On this night, I gave my life to Jesus Christ.

BY THE TIME CLIVE finally settled down and stopped his cat screaming, I was thoroughly exhausted and wide awake. I had to get up in one more hour anyway, and I realized I’d already gotten whatever sleep I was going to get. I might as well get up and make some breakfast.

October 20, 2007. A date that will be engraved into my head forever. I grew up in what I believe to be a perfect town, Lakeville, MN. It was close to the cities but far enough to grow farm fields. I grew up with two older brothers, Andrew and Derek. We lived in a safe neighborhood where everyone knew each other and if our mom wanted us home all she would have to do is scream our name out the front door and we would come running. Andrew was always the one who had to watch over and babysit me on nights that our mom was out of town. We have always had that inseparable brother, sister bond. Andrew is 11 years older than me so when it was time for him to move out and get a place of his own, I was so sad. He ended up moving only about two miles away, making it easy to still hang out with him all the time. I always looked forward to spending the night at his apartment because I was able to stay up past my bedtime. This night started off like any other Saturday night we ordered food, carved pumpkins, and watched a movie. It was going on eleven o’clock and we both were getting tired so we decide to head upstairs to our own beds. I was sound asleep when I woke up from a bunch of noise and people yelling. I was confused and didn’t know what was going on. My door to my room swung open and the next thing I knew I was painfully getting drugged down the stair by a man I’ve never met before. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the look of my brother’s face, I could tell he was scared. With a gun