Pura Vida

What is the meaning of life; most people spend their whole lives trying to find the answer only to arrive to the end, and realized that you are just supposed to live. Simone Elkeles said, “If there's one thing I learned, it's that nobody is here forever. You have to live for the moment, each and every day . . . the here, the now.” From that I understand that you have a short life, you have to always keep moving forward, and enjoying what you are doing because at any moment it can all end.

            When I was six years old I moved to the U.S. without knowing a spit of English, honestly I wasn’t too worried because worried because I was just a kid not really grasping the concept of how I wasn’t going to be able to communicate with these people, but I got lucky on the first day of school I met a kid who spoke English and Spanish. Back then I didn’t realize how nice this kid was being helping the foreigner, and thanks to him I made it to the second grade able to understand what was going on around me. Unfortunately Brian moved, he came back in fifth grade, but we weren’t friends. That taught me something about life the past does not define anything for the future things can change not always for the best, so you just have to let it happen.

            In the third grade I met my best friend Sam Tuschman we didn’t really have much in common he was good at sports, better at math, and had more friends. It was an unusual way to meet someone, we were sitting in class the teacher asked us to take out a sheet of paper because we were doing does introduction activities since it was a new year, Sam did not have paper, I gave him one then he was placed next to me, and we have been best friends since. I learned that anything can happen over a simple jester. I learned many things from Sam one of the most important things I ever learned was from him when we were only in the fifth grade. We had gotten into an argument, I stormed out of his house pissed off not wanting to fix the problem, that weekend I just stayed home, but then on Monday when I went to the bus stop Sam just came up to me like nothing had happened. I didn’t understand what was happening, so I asked why he wasn’t made and he told “ What’s the point of holding a grudge over something that happened already,” from that point on I have never found the point in holding a grudge for more than an hour. I gathered the knowledge to understand that what happens in the past stay there, and it is your decision about what you want to do next.

            When I arrived to middle school things were very different I had new problems, but also there were benefits. My writing teacher from sixth grade, Mr. Lewis, taught me that just being yourself well get you far there is no need to pretend you are something you’re not. He was always very kind to me, which was the weird part because he was the strictest teacher in the grade; he once humiliated the biggest kid in the class for not doing the assignment. Looking back at the work I did in the class I am embarrassed it is all illogical writing, but Mr. Lewis did not care about that he was just pleased that I was doing the work and showing improvement. I learned that if you show potential in something you will get recognition, and it will give you motivation to better your ability.

            The hardest part about middle school was probably the girls it was a whole new level. I didn’t understand the rules to this game very well yet, but I got my share of experience. For the first time ever a girl had asked me to date her, but the only problem was she wasn’t my type. I didn’t know how to turn this girl down, it was extremely complicated because if I messed up it could spread that I was a jerk, so I knew I had to be careful with what I said. I learned that it’s best you just confront those situations and not try to prolong them because it causes mixed feeling in the other person. Nothing bad happened, but I ended up being the guy who wanted to wait till eight to have my first girlfriend.

            My final year in America I learned what people want to see and how I could control them with that. I was in the mall when I saw auditions to be famous, and of course I was interested that year I was making YouTube videos with Sam. My mom signed me and my sister up. The day arrived where we went to show what we were capable of. While I was in the waiting room I saw my social studies teacher, I asked what he was doing here he was with his kid, but I never would have thought that because of him being there I learned something very valuable about people. I and my sister were interviewed by the person managing the auditions, so I knew what say the guy loved me for just saying I wanted to have fun. Then came the advertisement they told me I had to pretend I was in a commercial, they gave me the lines I had to memorize, and then the scene came on I was supposed to advertise Pepsi cola. My teacher’s favorite soda was Pepsi he always had one in class, every time he opened it and took the first sip he would smile, while I was saying my lines I remembered this, so at the end I looked at the camera said “It’s great,” and gave a little smile. They love it I got the call back, unfortunately Sylvia didn’t, but then I learned something else a manager is very expensive. The most important thing I learned is that giving a little smile and looking happy give people comfort. This comfort creates relationships because you become an easy person to trust, and that’s how you can control someone.

            My last year of middle school was supposed to be amazing I was finally the big kind in the school, but I should have remembered to expect the unexpected. My parents got divorced, and that shaped me into wanting to be a faithful person. That wasn’t the only thing that happened I also got to move to Colombia. I went to a school that was up too twelfth grade, so I didn’t get to be the big kid like I was hoping. It was going to be one year, but from that I learned parents lie. Nothing I could do about not being able to move back, I then had two options enjoy it, or live miserably until it ends. Unfortunately I took the path of being miserable, but I now understand if I would have just accepted what happened to me I could have had a better time. I’m not saying I haven’t enjoy the time I’ve spent here, just that it could have been better, now I know when life gives you lemons just say thank you, and do whatever you want with them because they are your lemons.

            World History eleventh grade was not what I was expecting because of everything people had said about the class, but also because I had gotten in to trouble right before the year ended, and I learned that news spreads fast around the school. I was passing by Ms. Sierra’s class, and since I was going to have class with her I thought I’d be polite. She knew my name, I thought that was a good thing, but then she said just because she knew my name did not mean it was for a good reason. I was not very enthused about having class with her because I thought she would be hard on me, nevertheless when we finally had class it was the amazing because we got along so nicely. From that I learned it’s never late to change the impression someone has of you as long as you show your true colors.

            In world history class we learned about Hitler and how he caused the holocaust. Something I learned from those lessons was that people will do crazy things if they believe it is right. Also I learned that if you have more followers you get away with more just by twisting words around because what Hitler did was bad, yet the U.S. later cause major damage in Vietnam with no consciences. I discovered that the government was corrupt, and molded by those who want the most power. People try to control the outcome of the world by saying that something is right or better than the other, but I learned no one can change the world, but change what happens around their world. I don’t plan on making changes to the world I plan on making changes on people lives.

            Over the years of my education I have learned many things that molded me into the person I am today. I know that you have to appreciate what you have, to never look back on what you did wrong but to look forward on what is going to go right, also that making one person’s day is better than trying to take control and make the whole world better. No one can fix the scars we have made on the world all we can do is help them heal.

Citation:

Elkeles, Simone. "Quotes ." (231 Quotes). N.p., n.d. Web. 04 May 2014. http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/corruption.