Posted in Travel

My trip to Myrtle Beach

My family and I went to the Myrtle Beach during the July 4th weekend. It was a long 7-8 hours drive. By the time we reached it was 2:40 am and we all were tired. The next day was the best! The view from our hotel was awesome, we saw the pool, the beach and so much more. After I finished my breakfast, I went down to the pool. The pool was huge and I was in it for about 4-5 hours that day. After that we went to the beach. The sand was so warm and felt nice between my toes. After that I freshened up and we went on a helicopter ride! It was so fun yet a little scary. after that my In the evening, we had our dinner on the beach and got to see the fireworks.🎆 The next morning after breakfast I went to the grocery store with my uncle. We had lunch at the Flying Fish. Their food was so yummy. In the afternoon, we went to the ocean. I got a lot of salt water in my eyes but the visit was fun. We had pizza for dinner and went to Broadwalk to see the fireworks for 4th of July. The next day we went to Broadwalk again and I got to ride all the rides! After that we went sailing and zip lining for an hour.

The next day we had to leave so we ended our trip with a meal at the Flying Fish. After that it was bye bye Myrtle beach.

Background photo created by mrsiraphol – www.freepik.com

Posted in Uncategorized

Saying Goodbye to Nanu

My Nanu (grandpa) passed away on March 15, 2021. After he left I was feeling sad, mad, and tired. In this blog post I will be telling you what you might feel after you lose a loved one. When I lost my grandpa my guidance counselor said I will be going through five stages of grief. So here’s what I have learnt.

  1. The first stage of grief is denial. You will not except that your loved one is gone immediately. You will not remember anything, but the day they passed away. You may not be able to sleep either. You will feel like what you heard is untrue. I felt very lonely. When you are in the denial stage you will have many mixed feelings. I cried a lot and it okay to cry when you lose someone close to you. I also could not sleep for a couple of days and you will not want to sleep, you will want to talk to your loved one. I wanted to talk to my Nanu so badly. I didn’t want to eat either. I would only eat little pieces, but slowly I would start eating.
  2. The second stage is anger. In this stage, you might feel like someone else is putting you in a lot of pressure, but nobody is. You will be in this stage for a long time but slowly you will move to the third stage. One thing that helped me with anger is smelling some lavender oil. Lavender soothes the body and mind. I also like to write my feelings in a diary or a journal. You could draw, do yoga, or whatever calms you down.
  3. The third stage of grief is bargaining. You will be expecting a lot of “WHAT IFS”. A way I solved my “what ifs” is I would go to my room and just talk to myself. When you are in this stage you are going to start understanding that your loved one is gone. You will want to argue with people ,but the best thing you can do do is stay calm and hydrated. Water can keep you cool and calm.
  4. The fourth stage is depression. In this stage you will feel lonely and sad. You don’t have to worry because this is not depression the mental illness. You should not go through this stage alone. Make sure you have a supporting friend or family member by you through this stage. I had my Mom with me through the whole way. You will be very anti-social in this stage.
  5. The last stage is acceptance. You will be emotionally stable. You will start to move on. Of course you won’t be happy and jumpy. You will start to let go. In this stage you will still be upset and may even cry even though you are starting to accept. I don’t exactly know what you will experience because I have not reached that stage yet.

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Posted in Uncategorized

Thanksgiving Poem

Thanksgiving is a special time of  the year, we sit together with those we hold dear.

 A feast of turkey, ham, and cranberries for tummies so full and hearts grateful.

Sitting by the fire in our thanksgiving attire, always be happy for what you get  – whether a pet or a net.

Even if we meet in person or online, we will always have a great time. 

One person, or two, three or four, we will always be free to open the door.

Posted in Travel

Virtual Travel Diaries

(c)http://freepik.com

In this post, we will be talking about three great places I want to visit. Buckle up, we are going on a virtual vacation. The 3 states I will be virtually visiting are Hawaii, Missouri and Arkansas. Well, if you are wondering what a virtual vacation is, it is a holiday you take electronically. Also, in case you are wondering why we are going on a virtual vacation it’s because of the Coronavirus that we can’t leave our houses. I am choosing these 3 states because they have interesting places to go explore and take a tour to see everything they have there that we might not.

I want to go to Hawaii because I heard they are known for their stunning beaches. I also want to see Hawaiian people do the traditional Hula dance. I’ve also heard Hawaii has beautiful waterfalls so I want to visit those. I also want to taste the tropical fruit especially the pineapple. They also have lots of fun activities like snorkeling and mountain climbing. But I don’t think climbing Mauna Kea is very safe because that is the tallest mountain in Hawaii. I want to experience their  traditional Hawaiian party or feast called Luau that is usually accompanied by entertainment. Also they do something called Lei. It is where you exchange garlands.

I want to visit Missouri so I can see all the caverns. I want to see a live bison. I also want to visit the Gateway Arch. I want to visit the Gateway Arch National Park because I want to learn its history. I also want to see Kansas City. I want to visit 2 very beautiful caverns, m Caverns and Fantastic Caverns. I want to visit Fantastic Caverns because it is known as America’s Drive-Thru Cavern and I find that pretty amazing and cool. I want to visit Meramec Caverns because it lights up at night and honestly I find it breathtaking. 

I want to visit Arkansas because in the Hot Springs National Park, you can hop into a soothing spring-fed thermal bath. I want to see the Red Tailed Hawks because they can not move their heads so they have to fly over to see something. I heard you can find diamonds here so I want to find some. I want to see an Apple Blossom which is the state flower. I also want to see the Mississippi River so I can take some pictures to show my class. 

Let’s learn what might these states have in common or what are some differences.  These states all have very interesting places to go to. They all have football teams: Missouri Tigers, Arkansas Razorbacks and Hawaii Rainbow Warriors. They all have gemstones for their state. They all have traditional dances as well as traditional foods. One of the differences is Hawaii is an island and it is in the North Pacific Ocean whereas Missouri and Arkansas border each other and are in the central part of the United States. 

Basically I want to visit 3 awesome places so I can learn all about different states in our country. I am hoping to explore and take an amazing virtual vacation and explore these wonderful states. How about you join me on this new virtual reality and go on a virtual vacation by telling me what places you would like to explore?

Posted in Learnings, Memories

All about Connecticut

The Connecticut State Song:

Yankee Doodle went to town,

Riding on a pony,

Stuck a feather in his hat,

And called it macaroni.

Yankee Doodle keep it up,

Yankee Doodle dandy,

Mind the music and the step,

And with the folks be handy.

View from Riverfront in East Hartford CT by Jennifer Martinez
Photo: Via: Stockvault.net

Connecticut as described in Sheppardsoftware.com is one of the “states rich in early American history. The region was first settled in the 1630s and is called the ‘Constitution State’ because the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut served as a model for the Constitution.” Written in 1639, these were the first laws that gave people the right to elect government officials and is sometimes considered to be the first written constitution.

Reading this makes me happy because I grew up in Connecticut and I would like to share my experience of living there with everyone. I was born in Hartford, Connecticut in 2010. I was very happy there but then we had to move all the way to Virginia. It made me very sad, so I keep reading about the place to find out more about my life in Connecticut.

I was there for more than half my childhood and attended St. James School. It was pretty hard when we had to move. The hardest part was leaving my house in South Windsor because my house has held all my memories. I would have sleepovers at my best friend’s house during Christmas. We would make Christmas cookies and decorate the tree. We also would watch Christmas movies like The Grinch and some more.

My most fond memory is my stay at my best friend Kavya’s house. I have known her since I was 18 months old. We would prank everyone and play detectives. We would even hide her sister Nidhi’s stuff and question her and pretend we found it. All of us watched a lot of movies like the Monster High ones and would always beg my mom if we could stay a little longer.

We moved because my dad found a good job in Virginia. I felt so sad and angry that I even locked myself in my room. My parents looked happy about the move and this upset me more. I started to cry because I was going to miss everything. Even though I have started to like it here in Virginia I really still miss Connecticut because it will always be my hometown.

Connecticut’s pros and cons

  • One thing I like the most about Connecticut are my friends. I had lots of supportive friends. They would always tell me to do something if I really liked it.
  • I could play with all my friends.
  • One thing I didn’t like in Connecticut was its freezing winters when I felt I would turn into an icicle.

Virginia’s pros and cons

  • In Virginia, I found my tutor Ms Rabia. She helps me learn and understand maths and other subjects.
  • We have a playground right in the back of our house. A lot of kids come to play so it is easier to make friends.
  • What I don’t like is I can’t see my BFFs. (Yes, but one can always make new friends here.)
  • It’s freezing cold here as well!

There are many things and places I have enjoyed in Connecticut and learning to enjoy my life in Virginia.  

Posted in Learnings

Distant learning vs Classroom

As we all know, we are learning from home in order to stop the spread of the Coronavirus. There are pros and cons for both distant learning and classroom learning and each and every child prefers either one of them.  Distant learning is basically learning from home while being in school. It is very hard and complicated to learn from home. Distant learning is sort of getting used to a new school in which you don’t know what will happen. In distant learning you have to do a lot of work which requires self discipline. In my opinion, distant learning is difficult. Classroom learning is a lot more easier and manageable. We get to see all our peers and friends and are able to understand the teacher(s) better.  Even though teachers are trying to make distant learning creative and fun, I would still prefer classroom learning.

Now we will be talking about the pros and the cons of distant learning. Let’s begin with the pros first and see where this leads us. One thing that has been beneficial is we have learned to manage our time. Time management is important because we learn to finish tasks at the given time. We also learn to have self-control. We learn self control by not complaining and saying, “I am bored, what should I do with my time?” We also learn to be organized. Being organized will help us prepare for the future. It also helps with our typing skills. This skill is necessary because we will be able to type faster in the future for our work.

Now we will be talking about the cons. Cons are usually things that aren’t good for a certain thing or topic. Where distant learning is not as bad but it still has its cons. Kids tend to lose their focus with distant learning which can cause them to get a bad grade. Getting distracted on the Internet is another issue that comes to mind when doing distant learning. Also with distant learning, kids will lose their ability of handwriting and vocabulary skills and will start relying on the computer for everything. As you see, distant learning is both beneficial and poor for the kids, teachers and parents. 

Now we will be talking about the pros and the cons of classroom learning. Let’s begin by discussing our pros first. While in a classroom, children tend to listen better to their teachers. This helps us by staying focused more than distant learning. In the classroom children learn and absorb information better. This is beneficial towards children’s focus and towards their quality of work. You have better peer interaction in the classroom. Peer interaction is good because you can discuss schoolwork with your classmates. Where there are pros, there are always cons. Children can be easily distracted by their peers. Distraction is not good because it leads to bad influence and that can cause trouble in school and at home. Being in a classroom means that children have to get up really early. This is not very fun because you will not be able to get desired amount of sleep. Classroom learning may be the best way to learn for some people but it also has its downsides.

The year 2020 not only has taught adults how to manage life virtually but to kids as well. Classroom learning helps us become well educated. Classroom learning has also taught us to make the quality of our work better. In the classroom we learn to pay attention more and stay on topic,  instead of wandering around and chatting with our friends online as we do in distant learning. Distant learning has taught children to manage their time well and to stay on task. It has been a great experience learning through distance learning as well as in classroom learning. Our generation of kids have learned a lot in 2020 due to COVD-19. Whether in a classroom or distant learning, we have learned to be more disciplined, how to manage our time and most importantly, how to work independently.

Kids photo created by freepik – www.freepik.com

Posted in Books

Book Review : Path to the Stars by Sylvia Acevedo

Path to the Stars by Sylvia Acevedo

I picked up Path to the Stars because it seemed motivating. I have started a book club called Arianna’s Corner and this is the first book I’m reviewing.

It is about a girl named Sylvia who had a really though childhood. She has a brother (Mario) and a sister (Laura). Laura gets an illness called meningitis and is in the hospital for a long time with their mami (mom) to care for her. Laura loses her eyesight. After she comes home mami starts to look for a new house because in their old neigborhood lots of people would get sick easily. Mami wanted her family safe, so Sylvia’s family moved from New Mexico to the USA.

In the US, Sylvia joins girl scouts by meeting another girl named Sylvia Black.

In girl scouts, she learnt how to orginize and prepare herself. She also learns how to make arts and crafts, sell cookies, and manage money.

Sylvia had a lot of enthusiasm so she started to learn how to fix cars and play the timbales. She also got on the basketball team.

When Sylvia was about to go to college, she took a exam to be an engineer and got 4-5 scholarships to be an engineer.

What I liked about the book: How Sylvia would never let anything stop her in life. Also, since basketball was one of her hobbies I liked that she made it to the finals.

What I didn’t like: I didn’t like how her papa smacked her with the belt because hitting someone is not right. Also, how she could not make it into the band finals when she was doing so well.

What I learned from the book: You should have a goal in life and never let anything stop you. You should be prepared to face any kind of situation in life. You should also be organized and learn new things.

Posted in Memories

Memories with my grandparents

My Nana and Nanu arrived on September 17, 2019. They arrived when I was going to school. I was very happy to see them.

I will share some of my favorite memories with them.

My favoritest memory is when my Nanu would always walk me to school. Nanu is known as my walking buddy. My Nana always cooked delicious food for me. They always received me from school.

In winter break we all went to Orlando, FL. It was a 16-hour drive from our house. We reached around 3 pm. On the 1st day we all went to NASA. NASA is known as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

At NASA, we learnt about the Apollo Mission, Rover. I wondered about life in space and the struggles they went through. I dreamt of being an astronaut when I grow up so I could experience what other astronaut’s went through. We also took a bus tour. There was a heavy downpour and we were drenched. The first day was quite adventurous.

The next day Nanu & Nana took rest. Guess 1st day’s adventure was a lot for them.

On the third day, we all went to the UNIVERSAL STUDIOS. We took tons of photos and explored. Nana and Nanu didn’t go on any roller coasters, they were just watching.

The next day me and my parents went to volcano bay and I saw my cousins.

The fifth day we went to DISNEYLAND. We saw all the princesses and princes, ate lunch, and went on a boat ride. Then we had a snack and it started raining, so we all got ponchos. Also, my parents and me we went on several roller coasters.

On the 6th day we went to the Tampa beach.

On the 7th day we drove back home.

On my birthday, we had a pooja. A few days later I had a birthday party where we all painted unicorns. I invited all the girls from my class and my cousins. We all got to paint our own unique unicorns and ate a yummy black forest cake in the shape of a unicorn.

Nana and Nanu came to my school for my poetry cafe to see all the poems I have been writing. They also attended my string concert to see me play my viola.

They spent Diwali with us and we lit fireworks. We also had a Diwali party. For the party my Nana cooked pani puri, mutton curry for my mom’s friends and some of mine and my dad’s friends. We even got a photographer to take family photos. We also decorated the Christmas tree together and it was so much fun. I also celebrated New Year’s eve with them. For the new year, my Nana made yummy food and invited my best friend’s family.

But sadly all your family members have to come and go as they don’t live here. So you should enjoy your time with them. Please share some memories with your grandparents.

Posted in Books

BOOK REVIEW: Smile by Raina Telgemeier

Smile by Raina Telgemeier

BOOK REVIEW: Smile by Raina Telgemeier

I picked up Smile because it seemed interesting. Mom and me have our own book clubs. We both read books and then discuss. It’s a lot of fun. Mommy suggested I should start blogging because I love to read and write. I write on paper and I am working on my handwriting also. I also like the iPad. Mommy said if I love iPad and writing why not combine both.

Now let me tell you about the book. Smile is about a girl who gets her teeth knocked out and the story tells us how she got her teeth fixed, her mean friends, and how she makes new friends.

I like Raina Telgemeier because she writes in detail and all her characters have expressions. Raina’s characters always show how we feel. I am reading all the books by Raina and the next one is Sisters.

My favorite moment from the book: When Raina gets done with her braces and gets new friends.

What I didn’t like: I didn’t like that Raina’s friends were mean to her. We should try to be nicer.

What I learnt from the book: Smile teaches that you should always encourage others and you should never be mean to a friend and always lend a hand.