Personal Narrative-Pace University

I was pulled in two directions when I was young. At age five, I joined a Chinese Martial Arts-Kungfu- class that stressed crisp and masculine moves. I also became interested in Huangmei Opera, a classical Southern Chinese opera much like Giacomo Puccini operas but emphasizes on female characters’ femininity with a touch of country music, at twelve.

I don’t recall having a hard time learning how to read. It was one of those things that just came easily to me for some reason. For the most part I enjoyed reading as well. The only time I didn’t enjoy reading was when I didn’t understand a certain word or a certain phrase. One of the strongest memories I have from learning to read was when I was unable to pronounce the word “the”.

There are several things that happen in one’s life that shapes them into what they have become. These things can also change how someone may view the world around them. Experiences can be drastic changes such as moving to a new country or smaller, more common circumstances such as, growing up in a military family. Even if someone thinks that they haven’t had anything alter their life, they probably just haven’t took the time to reflect and realize that they have. My senior year of high school, I had the opportunity to take a five-day trip to New York City, New York. I had never been to New York or to any big city for that matter. I knew that I would see and experience a lot of new things in just five short days.

I hug her knowing that this will be our last. Tears are streaming uncontrollably down my cheeks, staining her shirt. I'm not ready to say goodbye. I don't understand why this is happening. Out all of the 7.28 billion people in the world, why did it have to be her?

I’ve always wondered why people with a little or a lot of power tend to treat you unjustly. I’ve experienced many times when people with power treated me poorly. There were times in school with teachers, in school with principles and even out in public places. When I experienced these moments they made me feel like there were something wrong with me or I was different. Also, it made me feel like I was different from others… but not in a good way. I hate when people give me this certain vibe that I don’t belong.

On Sunday, January 3, 2016 at approximately 1900 hours, I received a telephone call from Sgt. John Sanzone, who told me there was a drive by shooting that had just occurred. Sgt. Sanzone assigned me as the CSI lead on this case.

The airport was a sea of people going everywhere. I looked around, wondering whether I would really like it here, in my native land. After spending most of my life overseas, in Europe and the Middle East, I had my doubts about Japan. Going from country to country all my life, I should have been used to moving around, yet this was different. Instead of just moving from one country to another, I was going back to my home country.I thought that I would feel at least some kind of belonging after landing in Japan, but I felt none. I wasn’t even born here – I was born in Greece. Everything about Japan so far was making me dizzy. The sudden increase of Asian-looking people, hearing Japanese spoken everywhere – it was all very disorienting. Suddenly,

Lani: I was helping for someone’s project for COMM 245; I was in the video lab, in the studio. I was on campus and decided to contact everyone I knew who comes to the school. I remember I sent out a snap saying guys I think there is a shooting, be careful and then I started sending out individual texts to people making sure they were okay, like hey are you good? Stay out of an area. I didn’t know how many people were getting shot. I just knew it’s not good and that we have to be careful. At first, the campus was like we are unsure, just be careful, and then it took some time till I finally got an email that said stay on campus and were held there for about two hours, I just kept recording.

I step out of my Dad’s blue shiny Honda van as he says “good luck on your first day”. I force up a weak smile as I close the door and it made a whoosh noise as it closes. I look at the entrance for a good five minutes. I take a deep breath and slowly as a turtle, a zombie and snails. I thought to myself, a zombie and a snails. I thought to myself “why is this school huge.”

I was raised with Christian values in mind, and attended a Methodist school. I was raised in the Christian faith yet I find myself, as with some of my friends who were raised in the same conditions, we seem to be growing farther away from our upbringing as we age. I find myself simply not understanding as time goes by, a complete polar opposite from the song ‘Farther Along’. One of my hopes in attending PBA is to try and find answers and a reason to try and reconnect myself. I believe PBA, from what I’ve read, has a very friendly understanding environment. One where you sit down and go into depths about faith, instead of blindly following it because it was your parent’s

Clouds began to roll into the small town of Springvale around mid-morning, and the rain followed shortly after. It was easy going at first, but quickly became torrential. The brightness of the morning was consumed by the ravenous appetite of the clouds, turning day to night. This kind of weather was not uncommon for the coastal town during the summer months. Many of the citizens of Springvale relished the constant rain. “We haven’t had a drought in twenty six years,” many of the older citizens would proudly proclaim.

It was a cold November morning in the valley of Cowan, when I fired my first shot. It was a smooth and clean feeling after I pulled the trigger. I than saw the deer hunker as the slug hit its side, and it began to run away from us. Dad, knowing I had made a good shot, still decided to jump out of the blind window to end the animals suffering. Unfortunately, when his foot caught, it was all over from then. Once, I was inside the blind and the next I was in the cold crisp air. I then saw Dad on the ground cursing himself for jumping through the window.

The first half of this semester was swift and I can’t believe how fast it passed by. College is a whole new world for me that I had never imagined with a lot of new experiences that I hope will shift me into a better and smarter person. There are more things I can do in college that I would have never dared to do in high school and I am happy for these new freedoms. I am able to eat in class, leave class without asking and they don’t care if I pay attention or not. My high school teachers would always tell me to wait for the bell, sometimes would not let me leave and if I did not pay attention they would yell. However, I still feel trapped due to the immense academic stress. Academic stress is the worst as it defeats the “freedom”

Rather than other universities around the world, I wish to apply for Keio University in Japan because PEARL provides a welcoming atmosphere for foreign students. As an international student, attending Keio University is a good opportunity to meet other international students and learn more about Asia. Having been to numerous international schools, I value the experience of meeting different people. I believe it’s a chance to learn about different cultures and develop into a well-rounded person as well. I hope I can use PEARL’s closely-knit environment as my advantage to encounter different international students and develop into a better

What are some ways we can influence Japanese education and how can they influence us?