 ESSAYS FROM ABE READING/WRITING CLASS
One of my favorite memories from my childhood was the first time I learned to roller skate. It was in my native country of China. I was ten years old. At that time, my school decided to use a big gym place open to the public for roller skating on the weekend. This was close to my house, so my mother let me try it with my neighbor's sister. She was very good at skating. I was so excited when I got there. I saw many people there already. They talked and laughed. Some people were holding hands and skating together. Some skaters turned around everywhere. It was so easy for them. Some people fell down, then they got up again. It was so noisy in there, but everyone looked so happy. I hoped I could join in skating free with them. I quickly walked to get my shoes off. After I put my skates on, I couldn't wait for my friend to be ready. I moved my right foot, and as soon as I moved, I fell. She came to help me stand up. She told me how to skate and a few tips to be safe. Then she turned across from me. She was holding my hand and she pushed me smooth. At first, I moved my feet little by little. It felt like there was heavy stuff on my feet. I couldn't move my feet. She taught me for about one hour and thirty minutes. She let me go to the side and use the side bench to try to skate by myself. I did what she told me. "Don't stand straight, it's easy to fall." I had to slant my back a little and move my feet from side to front, and not push too hard. I had to let my feet control the roller skates. One very important thing was don't rush yourself and be brave to move your feet. I tried and I fell, but I didn't want to give up. I stood up, I took a deep breath, smelled some fresh air, and I started again. I fell so many times that day, but I still love to remember it because roller skating is my favorite exercise. -- Mei Ying Gao
One of my favorite memories from my childhood was when my father gave me a beautiful doll. I was six years old at the time when this happened. It was my birthday. I was in school, and when I got home, my father had just got back from a trip. He would always go on trips, and always bring us back gifts. But that day it was different, not because it was my birthday, but because the doll he gave me was very special. I still remember the doll. It was the most beautiful doll I have ever seen. The same day my uncle gave me a beautiful umbrella for my birthday. My friends and I went out for a walk with my doll and my umbrella. I never forgot that day because it was the most special day of my life. -- Marlene Coelho
One of my favorite memories from my childhood was in my grandma's house. Every year my family and I went to my grandma's house on Christmas Day. My cousins were there, and we played in the backyard all day. I was excited about this because they came from another city for Christmas Eve. It was a special occasion for me because all of the family was together. I remember one time when I was seven years old. We were playing outside the house, and we were waiting for Santa Claus to bring our presents. (Every year, my uncle used to be Santa Claus.) When we heard a strange sound like bells ringing, then my cousin gave a shout, "Look! Santa Claus's sleigh in the sky! I saw the sleigh and its light, too!" We ran inside the house and we told this to our parents, but they didn't believe. My cousins and I were certain that we saw Santa Claus. This happened a long time ago, but I will never forget that Christmas Eve. Today I know it only existed in our minds! -- Rosemayre Toso (Brazil, December 24, 1973)
One of my favorite memories from my childhood was traveling from my home to my aunt's house. It happened when I was six years old. My mother wanted to try a better life in another state in Brazil. My uncle came to my city to bring my mother, my brother and I to my aunt's house. We traveled from northeast to southeast in Brazil. The traveling took three days by bus. It was very fun. I saw a lot of different places. The things I remember the best are the stops we made to have breakfast. It was very early in the morning, from five to six o'clock AM. I can still taste and smell the coffee with milk and sweet bread. It was very delicious. The thing I don't like to think about is the goodbye I had to say to my grandmother, uncles, aunts and cousins. I would miss them a lot. But the other part of the story was good. I met with my other aunt and four cousins, and I had a lot of fun living with them. -- Jadilma De Sousa
I have several things that I remember when I was little. Today I'm going to talk about the sad one. I remember my mother used to make me hold my little brother when she was busy. I had to stay sitting until she relieved me because I wasn't allowed to walk around with the baby, so I had to sit until my mother was done with everything. The baby was whining, and then all of a sudden he stopped breathing. At this time I didn't realize if he died or not. I called my mom. She took her time because she didn't know why I called her. Finally, she came and asked me, "What happened?" I said, "I don't know!" I dropped the baby because I was so scared. When my mother tried to wake him up, he was already dead. His name was Bernadin. It was very sad. Since that time, I have always been scared to hold anybody's baby. -- Mona Delva
I do have a lot of good things to remember about my childhood, but one of my favorite memories was when I was twelve years old. My parents allowed me to travel to my grandparents' farm without them. It was in another city about eight hours away by bus. We used to go there once a year on vacation, but, at this time, I don't remember why my parents were not able to go, so they let me go alone. My grandfather came to visit us, maybe because he knew my parents were not going. When he was ready to go back, my mother told me that she and my father decided to let me go back with grandpa. It was the best thing I ever heard from my mother. We used to wait all year for this, and this time it was even better than all the other times. I was so excited because it was the first time I was traveling without my parents, and I was kind of feeling important, like an adult. The place I was going was where my grandpa lived, and I had uncles, aunts and cousins there, too. They had animals and all sorts of things that people have on normal farms, and I loved it. It was awesome! My favorite aunt (Maria) cooked all the time. It was like she lived in the kitchen. When we got up in the morning, she was there with all my favorite things for breakfast. She used to make her own bread, cookies, cakes and jelly. I can perfectly remember the smell and taste of it still today. It was a great time. -- Laura Damaceno |
