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Kindergarten
My earliest memory of loving a book is in kindergarten. My teacher Mrs. Green announced to the class that it was reading time. I can vaguely remember some sort of nature book with a green cover. By the end of school, even though reading time was long over, I enjoyed the book so much that I went back to the book corner and took it home. -
Spelling Tests
I thoroughly enjoyed the spelling tests in elementary. I remember reading the words over and over and practicing how to spell them even when I didn't have to. At one point, I was able to read the words over around three times and manage to (most times) get a perfect score on the test each Friday. As a kid, I looked forward to these because at the time, it challenged me to learn new words that I didn't know before. -
Writing a book
I remember spending hours and hours writing a book that I titled "The Hidden Files". I was so proud of it I let everyone in my class read it and I even managed to make a second book to the series. I also remember my older sister sitting beside me, helping me edit the chapters once I mustered up the courage to show her what I had written -
Summer reading
During the summer, I was assigned reading for English. I remember my older sister pulling out a bunch of books, giving them for me to read. There were over five books that she gave me, she inspired me so much that I read at least a couple chapters of each book. I remember the cover of Time Cat vividly -
Night Reading
During the height of the pandemic, I struggled to sleep at night. My bed was right next to a window so when my little sister fell asleep, I would open it to feel the breeze and watch the cars pass by. I imagined all sorts of scenarios by this window. However it soon became nights of reading, I read a book each night, staying up until I couldn't keep my eyes open. I remember A Walk to Remember. I read it over and over each night because I loved it so much. I ended up watching the movie! -
Trying to learn a new language
The pandemic was still going and I really had nothing to do. So I decided that I wanted to attempt to learn a new language, I found Korean interesting so I ordered a book off amazon. I remembering playing "Study with Me" videos and studying for three hours straight while eating Strawberry Hi-Chews every day However, to this today I only remember how to write bread (빵) and (똥) poop. as funny as it is! -
Poetry
This same year, I became obsessed with poetry books. My favorite poet was Rupi Kaur, who is widely known in the poetry world. Her books resonated with me at a time where I felt isolated because of the ongoing pandemic. I collected many of her books over the span of this year. Kaur inspired me to write my own poetry about experiences in my life, I fell in love with writing and reading again. -
Speaking three languages with my little brother
My little brother, who was four at the time, started to communicate with my family and I. However, my mother spoke Spanish, my stepdad spoke Portuguese, and my siblings and I spoke English in the house, so in return, my little brother understood all three. I recall trying my best looking up and saying words in all three languages. My dedication to this allowed for my brother and I to communicate. Now I'm able to understand bits and pieces of Portuguese but heaps more of Spanish! -
Summer Reading for AP Lang
I chose to read, "The Perks of Being a Wallflower", for AP Lang Summer Reading. Doing this sparked my love for reading again. From taking that book in kindergarten, to writing one myself as a kid, finding a favorite during the night, and delving into four different languages, reading definitely changed my life! Earlier this year, I was able to get a bunch of books from the school library, I plan to finish them before the new year.