Great News!

I'm not going to skirt around my main point in this post. I'm going to give it to you straight up. Yesterday I received word that I won a scholarship! It's for 10,000 dollars!! 

$2,500 a year. I'm absolutely ecstatic about it. This will help my family out a lot because we all know how expensive college has gotten. I'm truly blessed and lucky to have received so much money and I'm grateful for every penny. This just proves the point that all parents try to teach their kids... working hard in school can pay off. Literally! Well, here's to hoping that I make the most of this amazing gift and do that much better in my college career. 

Photos II

Some more of my photos:

(Taken in Surry, Maine)

(Taken in Bangor, Maine)

(Taken in Fort Knox, Maine)

(Taken in Maine)

(Taken in San Antonio, Texas)

My Economics Mini-Disaster

On Monday I walked into my 1st period economics class a little blue. I was sad to see the weekend gone. My brain was not ready for intensive economic learning. When I got to my desk, I asked my friend, Yoomi, who sits behind me, when our chapter 20 quiz was going to be. Tuesday or Wednesday maybe? She gave me that look one gives when you say something really stupid. She pointed to the board and went back to writing in her notebook. I turned to read, 

"CHAPTER 20 QUIZ TODAY." 

WHAT!? "Are you serious!!!" I demanded. I immediately pulled out my planner. Sure enough, I had written down under last Friday, "Study for eco test on Monday." I hadn't read the chapter! I knew nothing of what chapter 20 might even begin to talk about. I sunk down in my desk completely lost. Most kids would just shrug off the impending failure as no big deal, but I am not most kids. I could feel the tears trying to force their way out of my eyes. I pulled out the book I had been reading and forced myself to concentrate on something else briefly so that I wouldn't have a complete mental breakdown.

After I got myself under control, I turned to Yoomi who had her notes and a book in front of her. "Yoomi, please," I begged, "You gotta help me!" She kindly offered me her notes since she was reading out of the book. Class had started and I could hear the teacher lecturing in the front of the room. I paid him no attention. I was totally absorbed with trying to cram every ounce of information contained in those notes into my head. I read the vocabulary over and over and over. I looked at the equations. I asked Yoomi questions. I could feel my desperate attempt to master the chapter in fifteen minutes failing. I tried to multitask and listen to the teacher and read at the same time. It was starting to become clearer, but I still felt like I was sinking in an overload of information.

Before I knew it the quiz was being passed out. I was writing my name on it. I was reading the first question. I was...I was understanding the first question and knew the correct answer! By the end of the quiz I thought I may have just pulled out a passing grade. I was elated but drained. "I will never forget about a quiz again!" I swore to myself.

Ironically, I ended up getting a 95 on the quiz while my friend Yoomi did not do quite as well. Regardless of the good grade, I do not plan on trying the "cram 15 minutes before the quiz" study method again.

Photos

Here are a few more photos I've taken:

(Taken in Acadia National Park, Maine)

(Taken in Salem, Massachusetts)

(Taken in Salem, Massachusetts)

(Taken in San Antonio, Texas)

(Taken in San Juan, Puerto Rico)