Dear Reader

Here I am, a mature woman with a history of heartache. My life has been filled with peaks and valleys. There was never a time that I was on a straight and narrow path. No, never. I’m not your typical wife, mother daughter, sister or friend; for example, is it typical to have your ex-spouse living with you and your current spouse? I do. My ex-spouse was a millionaire, and sadly he got addicted to crack by the leeches that clung to him and fed him drugs, while they bled him dry of his bank account. We lost everything, even our marriage. Is that typical? Though at times being typical ( a homemaker and mother who chauffeurs her children to different sports practices, volunteers at her child’s school, and holds a part-time job.) would have brought some calm and semblance to who I am and my life. I’m a dreamer, though not the same as a daydreamer. When I dream, I usually need to find a way to realize the dream. Writing is one of my outlets, and by putting my thoughts to paper, it helps bring peace and calm to my busy mind. I also found through my studies in English 98 that I’m leaning more towards the formalities of writing correctly, that I decided to change majors from Eng. Literature to The Written Arts. I would like to get a four year degree, write a novel, or two, and do some editing where I can help to bring out the best in a writer. I’ve realized my most important dream is to challenge myself and dare to do the impossible (by most people’s standard) by living in the wilderness alongside my husband, while writing a novel, and surviving without any comforts of home. When our nest is empty than we hope to pursue that part of my dream.

Growing up I hardly ever paid attention to my teachers, and the assignments they were delegating to the class. Way back then, it was such hum-drum learning about punctuations! I have absolutely zero writing experience, yet some say, “I can rub a word or two together.” So I entered English 98 and found out soon enough what a structurally sound essay entertained. For instance like composing a clear and coherent essay is not only demanding and time consuming, you also need an introduction that leads into the body of your story which than concludes with a nice summarization. Needless to mention, those pesky punctuations and I do not, I repeat, do not get along. So I plan to master that big stitch (thorn) in my side, and to wrap my hands around that four year degree. English 98 is helping me tremendously with clarity, coherency, summarization, and good word choices to become a better and efficient writer, by laying the ground work for future composition classes. It will take me a few more quarters of different compositions classes to see that thought put together on paper nicely, and let me tell you…I’ll be awaiting the day, the hour and the minute when it all comes together. Writing introductions to my essays are very enjoyable for me, and I look forward to my improvement and growth in all aspects of writing as I step into English 101.

Two well-written, thought provoking books were introduced into my life in the Spring of 2010. Through my English 98 class, we were instructed to read, analyze, and write about paragraphs or phrases that made you think about the all around bigger picture. Through the reading of these books, Three Cups of Tea, and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, I can take from the books, the passion and drive to accomplish what is important to me. If your readers can get inspired by your words then I think you’ve done a pretty cool thing! For example, Mortenson from Three Cups of Tea, had to overcome vast setbacks of getting very little funding for the first school he built, but eventually the funding came in through a major donation. He never gave up and he got that first school built in Korphe Pakistan. Then there’s Junior from The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, he didn’t let fear, or the unknown detour him from his dreams to get a good education off of the reservation. They both had the drive and passion to achieve their goals.

Have you ever had the pleasure to give of yourself selflessly? Through my choice of Service Learning (where you help your community and hopefully learn from your experience) with Everett Community Meals, it’s a great fulfilling experience, one which I will continue to help with long after my time requirements are done. There is tons of diversity in the world, but it starts with just one person to close the diversity gap and to bring you, me, him, her, and them together. Just reach out and help someone. For example, people put this social stigma on diverse groups of people, particularly the very poor and the extremely wealthy. In this particular instance people tend to shy away from homeless people, thinking of them as being dirty, not as good, diseased ridden, just a bunch of derogatory remarks. And because a lot of people think that way there’s a gap between people of different social classes.

My journey has just begun, and I’ll be moving onward to English 101. Please stay awhile, and read some pieces and excerpts of my choosing from my 10 weeks in English 98. For your personal liking you may choose to read my major writing assignment, that I feel is inductive of my ability to take my work through the writing process. Or you may want to explore my piece that showcases my understanding to write effectively, or maybe my paper that brings out my reasoning to think critically, might be your cup of tea. Finally, a choice from my collective writing over the quarter that best represents my work in English 98. Grab a cup of coffee, sit back, and good reading!