Grown-ups (sigh)

     I must say, grown-ups can be very strange people. It kind of scares me that I may be one of them some day, but I suppose that's life. Here are some weird/funny/awkward moments.

1. A man that I knew since I was four-years-old asked me, "Do you have a boyfriend?"
2. MULTIPLE grown-ups asked me "Do you have a lot of friends?" (How am I supposed to respond to that? If I say "yes" I sound stuck-up and if I say "no" then I sound like a child with a sad life :))
3. One grown-up asked me, "What do you want to be?" I told him I don't know, but I like music and art. He then said, "Well, music and art won't get you a lot of money." He bragged about his own children and then told me I should not pursue this career unless I was talented.
4. My aunt and uncle asked me who I thought was the cutest guy in our class, and then my uncle says I'm being shy when I say that in my opinion, I couldn't care less.
5. Another grown-up told me I looked like a teenager who has reached puberty (???).

     I believe all of these moments happened recently. I must admit, I was slightly mortified when these things happened, but now I look back and I laugh my head off :) Ha ha, good times. I hope I don't embarrass teenagers with awkward questions when I grow up :)

A Lazy Summer Day

     Life's good, with a few complications, but life is good. My summer is pretty laid back, and I love having next to nothing to do. It's also nice to be in America and have a change of scenery. It's hard to believe that eighth grade has finished and that I'm going to start high school in a couple of months. Right now all I can think about is summer.
     When I think about my summer so far, the first thing I think about is food. I've eaten all kinds of yummy Korean food, ate Oreos, bacon, Egg McMuffins, Crispy Cremes, Vietnamese noodles, and more. I think I've gained a thousand pounds this summer! I'm somewhere in between food heavan and reality :)
     After food, I think about the people. I know, it's kind of sad that I think about people after food, but I guess America does that to you. Still, the people here are a big part of my summer. I'm excited about meeting my old friends like Andrew and Juhee, and I'm also excited about meeting people I see regularly like Ms. Bagnell :P I guess I can say that I am also afraid of the change that I will see in people. There's this one girl I knew since I was a little girl, and now I can barely recognize her both inside and out. I did get to meet some of my old acquaintances already; my aunt's family came to visit, and they brought their newest member!
     I have random memories in this past week. I remember riding on Luftansa on our way here to Virginia, and I was so glad to have no one sit next to me. Then, in the middle of the ride, a very hairy man just randomly sits next to me. I was honestly very scared, but he didn't do anything. It was just weird because he was sitting next to his wife. The most annoying part was that when I put my arm on the armrest I could feel the man's arm hair so my arms were glued to my sides the whole ride :P
     My sisters are a big part of a lot of my memories (since they are with me 24/7). I remember my mom asking me "Does that boy like you?" and I had to reassure my mom that he was a year younger than me AND the fact that I had just met him. Then I realized that my sister Christy had told my mom :P

So yeah.. good times, annoying times, and blessings. Have a good summer :)
  

Lists, Lists, and More Lists

Things I need to buy in America:

1. Candy for Soli and Yeji (they have been bugging me this whole month)
2. A new pencil case (thanks a lot Dennis)
3. Stronger glasses (I can barely read the board)
4. Books :)    

The End of the Year

     The end of the year is always a mixed time. It's a time of sadness, a time of good byes, and a time of weariness. It's also a time of fun, a time of excitement, and a time of relaxation.
     I'm going to have a hard time saying good bye to everyone I know. International schools are always like that; you have to say good bye every year. I'm going to miss having David, Ozde, and Ediz in our class. Helin and Gyeong Bae may not come back either. Good byes are hard no matter how many times they happen.
     However, it's also the most exciting part of the year. Everyone's excited about summer and their summer plans. We also have our fun end-of-the-year parties and have competitive waterfights (if Mr. Land permits it). I think my favorite part about the end of the year, though, is yearbook signing. It's so fun writing and reading comments.
     It's amazing to see my life changing. Time passes so fast.

Kalista

     I wanted to write about Kalista in this post because 1) she is my only faithful blog reader and 2) we have a long history.
     It all starts off with Miss Sierra Landureth. Miss Landureth rode my bus three years ago, and I constantly hear the name "Kalista". I sit there thinking "Who in the world is Kalista???" Well, sometime during the middle of the year I meet this mysterious Kalista at Space Camp. We become fast friends and soon Sierra, Helin, Kalista, and I are spilling secrets and laughing over hilarious moments.
     I didn't see much of Kalista anymore, but then I enter secondary. I go to lunch and behold! I see a face that I actually know in secondary. We revive our short but colorful past, and Kalista and I become even closer buddies in the space of one year. I also become friends with Kalista's buddies, and the seventh and eighth grade girls become very close.
     It's weird because Kalista and I have got to know each other in such a short amount of time, but we're still really close. It's also amazing to see how many inside jokes we have or just how many memories we have together.
     Examples:
1) Fake mustaches and unibrows
2) Chatting on Facebook with 3 different people and confusing them
3) Kalista and I staying up the whole night at Nashiha's house and Dianne saying "I'm going to sleep; your conversation's getting boring"
4) "My boyfriend's name starts with an N and ends with Obody"
5) Green side and Red Side
6) Talking to two random Turkish girls for 30 minutes straight
7) Kalista and Sofie pulling me on either side
8) Talking about Olive Grove for two hours straight
               .............and more..................
     Yes, Kalista and I have come a long way. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about Kalista :)

Summer Concert and Bible Study Sleepover

     I have to say that June 4 was one busy day for me. It started off as a normal day in school, but after school was over things became quite crazy.
     I came home and frantically started practicing my violin. Two hours later I go to school and practice for band and set up my instruments. When the concert started, I was praying for all my friends and praying for myself as well. We were all pretty nervous.
     Now, Mason, being the dancer he is, heard a nice swing dance song and asked someone to dance with him. Everyone refused, so finally he just grabs Nashiha and starts dancing. Soon, all the other guys are grabbing girls and dance to the band songs in front of everyone. It was hilarious!
     What I also thought was funny was that everyone was cheering for me after my solo. I was so nervous I was basically having a nervous breakdown. I also went up to everyone I knew and asked them to pray for me. I have such good friends; they cheered so loudly I had to tell them to shut up :)
     Right after the concert, our girls' Bible study had an awesome sleepover. We talked, ate a ton of food, and watched beach soccer. We also watched A Happy Millioinaire, which is a great movie. Ms. LaMertha managed to stay up and watch the whole movie with us even though she was sick. After the movie, Ms. Bagnell, Dianne, Sofie, and I talked until four o'clock in the morning. It was funny because our topic started off with guys to and ended with prayer. No, I will not explain how that happened, but it was a great conversation. Everything was wonderful. Now I just have to wait for what will happen on Monday during lunch.... (that is another story).

Excitement and Fears

I'm excited about:
1. Our waterfight (that Mr. Land WILL let us have... hopefully)
2. Finishing this school year
3. The Luau
4. Graduation (and crying my head off)
5. Meeting my old friends again next year (like Harim and Sevda)
6. Going to America
7. The bible study sleepover tomorrow

I'm scared about:
1. My violin solo
2. Meeting my old friends in America
3. My violin solo
4. Finishing this school year
5. How much time I have left before I leave Oasis
6. My violin solo
7. And have I mentioned my violin solo? :)

Burdens of the World

      So, one day in seventh grade, our class decided to have a party at Luke's house. We had a blast and everything, and we watched this movie by the name of "Get Smart" (I'm sure you guys all know the movie). There's this one part where the main character does something really stupid and gets a needle poked into random body parts. I was a sissy and covered my eyes in this part. Everyone teased me :) but that's who I am.
      When I was younger, I wanted to be a doctor, but as I grew older I realized I really couldn't. When I see someone in pain or hear out someone else's pain, I feel like I can feel their pain myself. The problem is that "feeling the pain" also goes for emotional pain. I hear about my friend's hurt over a friendship or past experience, and I feel so burdened. I feel like I am in their place.
      Lately, this has been a major factor in dampening my spirits. I feel like I have to carry everyone's burden on my back, and there's no one else who can help me. I'm such a perfectionist that I want other people's lives to go splendidly as well. In the end, I realize how powerless I am. I have to put these burdens on God.