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Went to Dubai with Family
At 4 years old, I went to Dubai with my mom, dad, and older brother. It's one of the first things I remember. It impacted how I view traveling now and one of the reasons I want to travel when I get older. I rode a camel with my dad, went to 'Ossiano' (A restaurant/aquarium), and got henna markings on my hands. -
Little Brother is Born
My little brother, Rahman, was born after. I remember staying out my auntie's house because children my age weren't allowed to be at a birth. I don't remember exactly what hospital because I wasn't there. It impacted my life because my little brother is one of the main people in my life and the main one I interact with everyday. He is a pain, but for the most part I love him and love having him in my life. -
Moving into House
My family moved into my current house because it belonged to my late grandma. The house I live in has been there for about 100 years. My mom and her family grew up in it, that's why I think it's so significant to our family and my mom especially. It's special to me because everyone on our block is still living there, and those people were the childhood friends of my mom. Everyone knows each other and that creates a familial bond. -
Getting Interested in Art
I started to get into art around this year. I have always shown interest in drawing and coloring but I became so immersed in trying to 'perfect my craft' around this time. My older brother had shown me a lot of Dragon Ball Z, and I tended to copy a lot of what I saw. I started to doodle in class, and watch a lot of animated shows which gave me motivation to get better. I now consider art to be one of the biggest interests I have, and might even want to incorporate it into my adult life. -
Going Downtown w/ Grandpa
My grandpa had made it a tradition to go downtown with me every time we saw each other. He's lived here since the 30-40s and knows the city like the back of his hand. He's worked in those streets since 15, and wanted to show me and walk me around. We had a restaurant we always went to, and since he saw me getting into art and was an artist himself, he took me to the Art Institute. It's one of the core memories I have of him. -
Going to Las Vegas
Going to Las Vegas has always been a trip for my family. We have a lot of relatives down there, and since my Grandpa moved down there after my Grandma passed, we went more. We went on hiking trails, saw factories, and hung out with good family. I always liked to go indoor swimming there for some reason, it felt more comfortable and fun to do there. We still might plan a trip there next year. -
Getting to know Current Best-Friends
Once the pandemic happened, I got to know my best friends in full. I already knew them, but at that point they were only school friends. When the pandemic happened, I got so much more closer to them and confided in them (and vice-versa) with our struggles. Even over call, we built a strong bond with each other that I never had with anyone else in my school even if we were all friends. I hope to bring their friendship with me when we're adults. -
Starting Junior Year
Junior year has always been the most important part of high school. I've stressed over it since 7th grade, but now I'm here and for me it's not that bad. I've always been good in my classes and liked the teachers. I think I will keep improving in classes and school and keep learning and growing into someone I like to be. I'm mostly worried about college right now, but for the most part I'm proud of what I've achieved till now!