Swimming

          My brothers and sister all do Taekwondo. My mom had asked me if I wanted to do it too, but I said no. She even said that she would do it with me, but I have never really liked Taekwondo or Karate. So we started looking for something I could do and enjoy.

            We tried out soccer, but I didn’t want to do it because there were only 14-year-old boys on the team and I felt weird being the only girl. Then my mom suggested swimming. At first I didn’t really like the idea, but as I thought about it I decided to give it a try.

            In about the middle of the first class I signaled to my mom that I didn’t like it. She said that I had to finish. At the end of the class we played a game and I had a great time! It took a few practices to make friends and learn all the strokes, but since then I have enjoyed swimming a lot.

            I have been to four meets. The second one my parents didn’t go and I went on a bus with all my friends. I was a little scared to go alone, but it was fun. I think the good thing about swimming is that you can do it your whole life. Even when I am old I will still keep swimming.

            The first photo is of me swimming freestyle. The second photo is of my two friends, Itzel and Evelin, and me. There is a funny story that goes with this photo. We were getting ready for our race and my mom came up to take our picture. She said, “OK niñas, buscan aquí!” Well, buscan is the word for “to look for”, but miran is the word for “look”. My mom was really saying, “Ok girls, search over here!” My friends still laugh about it and when my mom comes to pick me up they whisper to me, “buscan aquí!”

My Friend and Example: 13-Year-Old Elise

          A few weeks ago I spent the weekend with my friend Elise. She and her family had come down to Mexico on a Saturday. They stayed the night and went to church with us on Sunday. After church we took them to see the Baby Home since it had been a while since they had seen it. Then they took me back across the border to stay with them for a few days.
          On Monday we went to the pool and got our nails done. On Tuesday we went to the Science Museum and the Natural History Museum in Balboa Park. I had a really great time doing all these special things, but my favorite part was just being with my friend Elise.
          Elise is one of the most unique friends I have. Elise is not the kind of person who sees the worst in someone and points it out. Instead, she sees the positive in everything and the best in everyone. Even though she is almost a whole year older than me, she has never made me feel unimportant or lower. Whether we are playing together or chatting long-distance on the computer, she always makes me feel special.
          Elise is probably the most kind and compassionate person I know. Though I have a tendency to only play what I want and sometimes exclude those who I don’t want to play with, Elise never does. She always makes sure that my little sister, Lily, is included in whatever we are playing. She is careful that nobody’s feelings get hurt and tries to play something that everybody wants to play.
          In our family we talk about two kinds of people: those who walk into a room and say, “here I am” and those who walk into a room and say, “there you are.” Elise is a “there you are” person. She is pretty and smart and really good at so many things, but she never brings attention to herself. She is always interested in how and what I am doing.
          I think that Elise is a great example of what all 13 year olds should be like. If any of you know Elise, then you know exactly what I am talking about. I try so hard to be like her when I come home from being at her house, but a lot of times my patience wears off in the first hour that I see my family. When I turn 13, I pray that God will give me the same patience and kindness that Elise has.

Elise and Me Swimming

Getting Our Nails Done

Balboa Park