Last Day of Sophomore and Home School Presents: The Demonstration of the Professional Tennis Serve

Since this is my last day of school, I thought of putting up one last post about it. :'-( On the bright side, this may or may not my be my last blog post period. Anyway, I have a video and several funny takes underneath it titled Bloopers. Enjoy!

Performance

BLOOPERS! :-D

Practice Round

Take 1

Take 2

Take 3

Take 4

Almost There!

Back to Work! = :-( Last Day of Internship! = :-)

Hey, Blogger readers! I was just catching up on my blog and just posted my last three drafts, which are like up to three weeks old! Anyway, here is the most recent event of the week: Internship.

Yesterday morning was rather boring, for the most part, because this time, I was in the library, instead of observing an English tutor. In the library, I was allowed to organize books in order, which I am good at, or read some of the books if I wanted to. I did not look at any of the books, because I had my own book with me, but eventually, I got bored of it. I was there from 10 a.m. to 11:15, until I decided to look for Ms. Alex, who was in the middle of a meeting. I went to the lady at the front of the library, and told her I was going to leave. She was then under the impression that I was looking for my mom, and was about to call her, but I explained that she did not have to. She went out looking for her anyway, though, because Mom arrived while I waited in the hallway.

I did 2 hours this week, 3 hours, and then a half hour the first day. So that is 5:30 hours.

The United Nations Interview

About a week ago, in history, we learned about the League of Nations and the United Nations We all wrote down different question based on what we wanted to know. For example, I wanted to know what the UN actually does when handling a conflict, so my questions were about actions; Rima wrote questions like "What is your name?" "Where do you live?" Some examples of my questions were "Are there any Dos and Don'ts in the UN?" "Is there a UN uniform?" and "Are some situations hard to solve?" Our interviewee said that there are some difficult situations where there is no clear cut to the solution. One example was a recent one between Ukraine and Russia. The interviewee also taught us that some workers of the United Nations wear their cultural clothing from the nation they represent. She also taught us about the Melennium Declaration and the Court of Justice. She even said that there are different companies that are connected to the UN, such as UNICEF and the WHO. One of my other questions was "Are the UN reactive or proactive?" and she said that the UN is proactive.

Define Education

For the Wizard 101 website, I thing it makes you socially educated; as in you learn about making friends and teamwork. It also teaches you how to handle money, as in being careful about deciding what you would like to buy by looking at how much money you have and looking at the price of the item you would like to buy. Another thing it teaches about is finding your way around. You can even learn how to use a map or a compass. And finally, it also teaches you about caring for your pets. You can take your pet to a special place where you can train it and reward it with snacks.

For the IXL website, I think it makes you mathematically educated, as in it helps you improve your math skills.You can select any grade level and select any lesson, such as fractions, Roman numerals, and integers.

For the Free Rice website, I think it helps you improve your vocabulary skills and also helps you understand how to use them. Unfortunately, it does not explain what the words mean, but for each word you get right, a certain amount of rice is donated to a UN food program country.

My Autism Reflection

Today, we interviewed a teacher from Austria, Anita. She has been to many places around the world, and one of her students has a condition called Asperger Syndrome (AS), which is similar to Autism, but a rather mild version. I too am an Aspie, and I have never met anyone else with AS, at least nobody around my age. I have one friend who is an autistic Aspie, and I consider Temple Grandin my personal hero, but, again, I have never met anyone my age with AS or Autism.

This 13-year-old Aspie boy and I seem to have a lot in common in most ways but we are different in other ways. We both have occasional freak-outs, and we both understand our condition.We are different because I think he sounds more aggressive than me. Anita said that she would sometimes call the police, which put him higher on the Autistic Spectrum, and I am rather low.

I was really amazed to learn about another kid with autism, because I could totally relate to the problems that he and I both occasionally struggle with.

Our First Yoga Class

Today, we had our first yoga class. I have done yoga before, so it was not as new to me as it was to everyone else. I started doing yoga when I was little, like maybe first grade. My physical therapist gave me a deck of cards with different yoga poses on them, most of which were animal poses, such as the downward-facing dog, the cat, and the cobra. Other poses I learned were like the tree, or the hero/warrior. Anyway, the class lasted for 45 minutes. We did our first round of sun-salutations after listening to a long 5-minute lecture about yoga and its benefits. We then finished the class with an imagery exercise, and then I felt purely relaxed, and I think everybody else did too.

Internship Day 2

This morning was rather boring for the most part. Aside from waiting for Ms. Alex to know that I arrived, it all started when I was waiting for a tutor session to observe. Then Ms. Alex asked me to join a couple of the PTs in a game for teaching English (so I was told). It was more of a Get-to-Know-You board game. On each space it said something like "Your pet" or "What country you are interested in". The PTs, who are girls, started the game by saying "If you had to be anything but a human, what would you be; and why?" It was tricky for me to answer that question, so I tried to think hard. "Spring, I guess," I said. "Why?" asked the girls. "Because it's nice and warm, but not to hot or too cold." I was allowed to be something like a season, by the way. Then they asked me "What kind of person would you be?" In other words, who do I want to be someday? "Actress or singer." That was when they got excited and my morning was suddenly interesting. "Sing to us!" they begged. Of course, I get nervous when I have an audience to sing to, and I was already really shy to these girls. I then sang three songs to them, and they still could not get enough out of me. Then, to my great relief, Ms. Alex returned with my bag and said "Your mom is here waiting for you." I had already seen Mom pass down the hall after singing my last song, so I knew she was there. Apparently, she and the girls were not the only audience I had. "Was that you singing? I thought I heard singing." said Ms. Alex. When I got to school, Ms. Rachel, as I expected, asked me how my internship went. I told them how boring it was with no PTs and tutees to observe, and she said: "That's how it sometimes is."

Internship Day 1

Today was my second day at the SQU Tutorial Center. The plan was for me to observe peer tutors, or PTs. I got there at about 9:15 a.m. and learned that the PT sessions begin every half hour. My first observation was already in session. I had reviewed the observation form beforehand. Ms. Alex brought me into one of the tutorial rooms and asked Mr. Tony (directer of SQU Writing Center) if I could observe his tutoring. I spent the next 15 minutes observing the session with Mr. Tony and completed my observation sheet. I learned that Mr. Tony could explain well enough for the students to understand their assignments without having to switch languages between English and Arabic. Before the next session began, (30 minutes) I finished filling in my observation sheet. The second observation session, was with a female PT named Galia. She was friendly, and did some of her explaining in Arabic. I learned to be friendly and polite to relax the students. My plan is to return on Sunday morning at 8:15. I learned that I had to be on time, or even a little bit early.

Internship Orientation

Yesterday, I arrived at the Tutorial Center for an internship at SQU. It is located in the Tutorial Center. I spent an hour there talking to the directer, Ms. Alex, and took a tour around the tutorial center. I even met some of her peer tutors, who are very nice and friendly, as is Ms. Alex. She gave me a weekly schedule and a checklist for each tutorial session I observe. I learned that SQU is supporting student learning and learning English. My plan is to come back tomorrow and observe two peer tutors.

Reality. My Ella Willcox poem: An inspiration from Solitude

Reality

Talk about reality, and the world will listen,

Talk about fiction and you talk alone;

My sad old parents must borrow my experiences,

But have experience enough of their own.

Live in the real world and the people answer,

Live in your own, it is lost in the air;

The true facts bound from a truthful sound,

But shrink from little care.

Speak of your day, and men will gather,

Speak not, and they are gone;

They want full measure of your day’s pleasure,

But they do not need it long.

Join life and your friends are many,

Just read and you lose them all;

No one will delay to hear of your day,

But alone you may answer fiction’s call.

Speak truth, and your house is crowded,

Lie, and the world goes by.

Be true and give, and it helps you live,

But no topics can help you die;

For there are rooms in the halls of pleasure

For the truthful social train,

But on and on we will be gone

Aboard the life-long cars of pain.

Online Around the World in 80 Days Game

I am still reading Around the World in 80 Days and today, I played a game based on the story. Here is the link: http://www.freeworldgroup.com/games6/gameindex/aroundtheworldin80days.htm

It reminded me a lot of another game called Candy Crush, and now I am really addicted to it. It is so much fun!

Palin and Around the World in 80 Days

I am currently reading Around the World in 80 Days. I honestly found about half of the story rather boring for about the first week or so. But by the second week things were finally getting interesting. 

I then looked at a website about somebody else who also traveled around the world named Palin. It is quite interesting. Here is the link: http://palinstravels.co.uk/static-7 

The routes he took were similar to the book, except, in the book, the characters did not take as many stops as Palin did. My favorite part of Palin's trip is this interesting picture of him smoking a hookah in Saudi Arabia.

I think this website would get someone interested in the book Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne, because it sounds very similar to the book.

Tour of Oman Collage

All of these pictures represent the last day of the Tour of Oman. I was interested in the team names on the cars and the hats that we each got. As you can already see, some of the cars even say TOUR OF OMAN on them.

My Time in Thailand and Down Under: New Experiences

Over this week, I have been thinking of the new things I have experienced here in Thailand, and considered putting them on my blog.

Let me start with the elephant ride and wash. I have washed an elephant once before somewhere else, but that was the first time I have ever ridden an elephant. I have ridden a camel once and I  have done horse riding once or twice, but not on an elephant. I still enjoyed the wash though, only, instead of sucking up some of the water and splashing it on top of me and Mom like my first time, this time would dip its head into the water, bringing us down with it and still getting us soaked. Sometimes, the elephant would keep its head under for up to ten seconds. Observe.

Another not-so-new experience was kayaking. We took two sea kayaks out at around sunset, and paddled around the coast. At one point, we found ourselves in front of our hotel room. It was awesome! Check out this other video below. Apologies for the loud wind in the background.

Another new experience was a Thai massage. There is a lot more bending and stretching that kneading like a Swedish massage. I also had my first taste of Ovaltine, which I enjoyed...like Milo in Australia that Uncle Bret made for me during my time "down-under".

Koh Chang (koh=island and change=elephant in Thai) is the name of the island we decided to spend on during our ten-day vacation to Thailand. It was a 6 hour bus ride from the Bangkok Airport. I'ts so beautiful! So many things to do - snorkeling, hiking, kayaking, elephant riding and just hanging out! Let me show you some pictures.

My Time in Thailand and Down Under: The Ned Kelly Tour

My teacher has given me and my class a two-week vacation from school (that's right, TWO WEEKS!) and I thought: Maybe I should report my vacation on my blog. So, that's what I did, obviously.

To start, we arrived in Australia for my aunt's wedding, which you can see photos from on Face Book (FB). A day or two after we arrived, while waiting for more family guests to arrive, Mom, Dad, my aunt and uncle-to-be, who I have previously introduced two posts ago, and I went to a Ned Kelly tour that we booked for at Melbourne Gaol (Jail) where Ned Kelly "spent his last days". I was SO freaked out right from the beginning, because there was a lady who was supposed to be the Sargent of the jail, and she seemed be the kind that took her job seriously and would never joke about it at all. Her #1 rule: "It's either 'Yes, Sargent' or 'No, Sargent'."

WANTED

Name: Naomi

Convicted of: Smuggling an illegal weapon within a public building

Reward: $3000

Dead or Alive

She put all of the boys on the left and girls on the right of the corridor and gave each of us a Criminal Record with a name and a conviction, or what crime we each committed that brought us all to Melbourne Gaol in the first place. My name was Naomi Something-or-Other, (LOL! I  don't remember what my last name was.) and I was one of the people convicted of smuggling an illegal weapon in a public building. Mom was one of the drug smugglers, Dad was convicted of driving while under the influence of alcohol. No wonder he decided to play Friendly/Good Criminal,so I decided to play Scared/Frightened Criminal as if I was wrongly accused and knew I was not the one who belonged there. In truth, it was to make up an excuse for my mental freak outs and to look dramatic like I was miming out, as I was acting it quietly, so that Sargent would not notice. I even did silent screaming in one of the cells, which has padded walls, as it was designed for the crazy, drunk, drugged, and mentally ill.

All in all, it was quite an irrational tour, and I enjoyed it.

The Soviet Union: Estonian Interview

My teacher asked me to think of up to five questions, and then ask them to one of the visitors we had that came from Estonia and lived in the time of the Soviet Union, when Joseph Stalin was in power. Previously, my teacher assigned me to read a book called Breaking Stalin's Nose. (I know, crazy title, right? But believe me, that really was the title.) Anyway, here are the five questions I came up with and I paraphrased all the answers.

1. Do you know anyone who was imprisoned druing the Soviet Era?

Answer: Yes, my mother's uncle was imprisoned.

2. In your school, did the naughty students have to sit in the back?

Answer: No, actually, they sat in the front so the teacher could see them.

3. Were you taught that Stalin was a hero or a villain?

Answer: Well, everyone called him a hero, but they knew he was a bad man; but my father, he was from Ukrane, and he considered him a hero.

4. At school, did you ever learn anything about Capitalism?

Answer: No, but my mother did learn about it.

5. What language did you speak?

Anwer: Well, in Estonian schools, we learned a little bit of Estonian but whether you were Estonian or Russian, and you wanted a job, you had to leard Russian.

Okay, thanks for your time.

The Ned Kelly Interview

At school, after my class and I learned about Ned Kelly, my teacher assigned me to talk to someone I know from Australia and ask two questions about Ned Kelly: Have you heard of him? If so, do you think he was a hero or a villain? I have e-mailed my family friend and asked him about Ned Kelly, and got the quite a shocking answer:
Yes I have LOL.

My Grandmothers family used to hide Edward & Dan Kelly  as well as the others from the gang.

A lot of people know the  story of Ned.

A lot didn't know that he nearly drowned as a young boy. Also that a lot of his trouble came about avenging an attack on his mother & sister. Both arrested & jailed.

They became wanted after the shoot out at Stringy Bark Creek, (you should be able to google that one)

Myself I believe that he was a trouble finder, a bad tempered Irish boy. didn't know when to walk away from a fight.

He once got into a fight in I think it was Beechworth or Mansfield,  the other man & Ned had a boxing match (for want of a better description)

30 rounds of fighting. That is what gave Ned his reputation as a fighter.

I have also gotten a chance to ask Daniel, who I have already introduced in my previous post, about Ned Kelly and got a different answer, which was almost a no. He has heard of the name, but remembers as much as I do about him. Almost nothing, except for the shootout with the police and his brother gets killed and Ned was the only survivor.
I event got a third answer from his mother, who said: "Ned Kelly was a hero." Interesting.