Washington D.C.

Author's Note: My project on Washington D.C. was not a success, but it wasn't a complete loss. I did get some experience out of it. I'm writing this piece as a narrative for my Washington D.C. project. In this piece, I am working on voice more than anything else.  Please leave me some feedback.

JrNYLC at Lincoln Memorial

Since the spring of 2010 I've been dreaming of getting another chance to go to Washington D.C.  In sixth grade, I received my first.  It was a day similar to any other -- I got up, went to school, came home, got the mail, and so on.  In the mail that day there was a formal-looking envelope addressed To the Parents of Mai Vo, so I waited for my parents to open it with me.  Inside there were different letters and information for my parents and I about the Junior National Young Leaders Conference (JrNYLC).  The letter stated that my teacher nominated me to represent Wisconsin in a week-long leadership conference in Washington D.C.  In addition, I would have visited all the tourist attractions, heard various speakers, met tons of people, and experience a leadership trip of a lifetime.

White House

Unfortunately I wasn't able to go.  It was a mix between time, scheduling, and money -- and being on my own -- that interfered with the trip.  I still have the letter as a keepsake and I enjoy reading it to think of the phenomenal opportunity.  Though I didn’t go, I still got something out of that opportunity.  I got inspiration -- inspiration to relive the leadership trip.  I wanted to study all of the places that I would have visited such as the Lincoln Memorial and the White House.  As I shared my plan with Mr. Johnson he asked me, "Have you thought of planning a trip to Washington D.C. this year?"  I hadn't considered that at all, when I meant "relive" I didn't think I would actually get to go.  In fact I was thinking about a little project to discover more in Washington D.C., but I loved the idea of traveling there.  That turned out to be my second chance.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Right away I began researching and looking into hotels, dates and times, and transportation fare to visit all of the attractions.  I spent lots of time on my computer a lot and rereading my JrNYLC letters and schedule to plan a similar experience.  I wanted to visit all of the places that I would have visited back in 2010. Mr. Johnson assisted me to choose some additional places to go and places to cut from my list.  I ended with a list of thirteen destinations: the American History Museum, Arlington Cemetery, Capitol Hill, Ford Theater, Holocaust Museum, Korean War Veterans Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Martin Luther King Memorial, Maryland Science Center, Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, Spy Museum, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and the White House.  I couldn't wait to leave for Washington D.C. because this time would be better than the first.

Map

A couple weeks after I started my project it began to tumble down.  I worked hard and put nearly all my time in this project for a little while, but my parents booked our spring vacation during the same time that I was scheduling to go to Washington D.C.  Sure I was upset, but I somewhat saw an interference coming.  I had gotten too excited so go to Washington D.C. that I forgot about everything that could get in the way with arranging a large class trip.

Washington D.C.

In the end, I can't go to Washington D.C. -- again -- but I learned a more about the places that I want to visit and how complicated it is to schedule a comprehensive class trip.  Someday I hope can go to Washington D.C. and have the experience that I’ve been waiting for.  Until then I'll keep on dreaming and trying to make my wish come true.

Darkness

Author's Note: We just started the second book of Life of Pi and he is now in the middle of the ocean just watching days go by.  I thought about that and to me it made a good idea for a poem.  This poem is in the tragedy mode.  I wrote this in an open format and in the point of perspective of Pi.  Please leave some feedback.

I sit here cold and lonely
in darkness.
With nothing before me but
death and blood --
a horrifying stench of blood.
I look away.

I sit here...
and wonder what might be
lurking beneath me.
Waves silent and still,
I'm waiting for them to start to churn
and see what will come out --
and take me.

So wait and wait...
In hope that I'll be found.
Staring out into nothing.
Not even a star in the sky --
Only clouds and darkness.

The Porch

Author's Note: This is another poem that I am working on with Mr. Johnson.  We chose to imitate The Pasture by Robert Frost.  We changed the mode to comedy but we stuck with the same structure.  Please leave me some feedback.

The Pasture by Robert Frost

I'm going out to clean the pasture spring;
I'll only stop to rake the leaves away
(And wait to watch the water clear, I may):
I shan't be gone long.—You come too.

I'm going out to fetch the little calf;
That's standing by the mother. It's so young,
It totters when she licks it with her tongue.
I shan't be gone long.—You come too.

The Porch by Mai Vo

I'm going out to sit on the swing;
I will peacefully sway from here to there
(And looking at the world for which I care):
I watch the sun rise. -- You come too.

I'm going out to take a nice stroll;
I will feel the wind and sun on my face,
Such a wonderful feeling to embrace.
I watch the sun rise. -- You come too.

Snow

Author's Note: I have been waiting forever for snow.  Today the snow finally stayed on the ground and kept on falling down.  I'm so excited and I felt like doing a open poem on it. I was working on word choice in the poem.  Please leave me feedback!

Peacefully
Falling, swaying, flying
Blissfully flowing in the breeze,
Sitting neatly on branches or rooftops,
Creating fluffy, white blankets on the ground,
Light and gentle, flowing down.

I Can Accomplish Anything I Try

Author's Note: Mr. Johnson and I are beginning to work on a different way of poetry together.  For our first one, we are doing a parallel poem to When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer by Walt Whitman.  I made a couple of attempts to write this poem.  I also learned that I tend to rush when working and my following try will always be better than my first.  

When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer by Walt Whitman

When I heard the learn’d astronomer,
When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me,
When I was shown the charts and diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them,
When I, sitting, heard the astronomer where he lectured with much applause in the
lecture-room,
How soon unaccountable I became tired and sick,
Till rising and gliding out I wander’d off by myself,
In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time,
Look’d up in perfect silence at the stars.

I Can Accomplish Anything I Try by Mai Vo

Before I bothered to try,
Before the lessons, and accidents just waiting to happen,
Before I tolerated the snow, the cold, and the fears of going down,
Before I listened to everyone where they spoke about the thrill and the adventures on the
rugged slopes,
How soon, unbelievable, I felt victory and excitement,
Again, rising and beginning at the summit,
Then looking down and imagining what I can accomplish,
Letting go, and gliding to the base.

Looking at the Stars

Author's Note: I was looking up at the stars the other day.  The skies were perfectly clear and I felt like I could see the universe.  It was also so beautiful to see the twinkling stars.  I like writing about nature and things that stand out or are memorable to me so I decided to do a poem about stars.  I wrote a stream of consciousness about this and then I transformed it into an open form poem.  Please leave me feedback. 
 

Looking up to the bright, sparkling lights

that float right above. 

Filling the dark, night sky

like a billion diamonds.

Not a cloud,

clear - with only twinkling stars.

Remembering when I was little

and my mom showed me the

Big Dipper

Orion's Belt

Now that's all I see

One bright star

More radiant than any other

Puts a twinkle in my eye

Maybe it's no star

Maybe it's

Mars, Jupiter, or

a whole new world

I keep gazing into

the miles and miles

of open skies

Looking at the stars.

The Sounds of Music

Author's Note: I did a word association and something that constantly came up was music-related topics.  I decided to write simply about the sound of music.  I am a percussionist so each stanza will represent a different instrument in the percussion family.  I worked on incorporating onomatopoeias and a steady pattern through the entire piece.   I also chose related the sounds of the instruments to parts of nature.   Please leave me feedback. 

Peaceful

Like the whoosh of ocean waves

Crashing on the shores

Sending soothing sounds to my ear

Terrifying

Like the rustle of winds

Tearing through the land

Sending piercing sounds to my ear

Relaxing

Like the pitter-patter of raindrops

Falling on the windowpane 

Sending soothing sounds to my ear

Powerful

Like the boom of thunder

Clapping in the sky

Sending piercing sounds to my ear

Ashes

Author's Note: I just finished Catching Fire Suzanne Collins and I'm beginning the final Hunger Games book, Mockingjay.  This piece is titled "Ashes" because Katniss, the main character, was just taken out of the games and told that District Twelve, her home, has been destroyed by bombs and flames.

I walk

On

what used to be life on earth

Into

the dark cloud of dust and smoke

Upon

the rocky rubble and destroyed belongings

Through

the abandoned city where only silence stays

Now I weep and mourn over

All lives taken

All houses destroyed

All happiness captured

Everything I once had

Gone

Now and forever

all that's left -

Ashes

Cross Country 2011

Author's Note: Cross country ended a couple weeks ago and it was a very special experience for me.  I just felt like writing about my experience running at those meets.  In this piece I am taking my perspective from the second meet at Grant Park right at Lake Michigan.  It was my favorite race of them all.  I'm writing this piece as if I wrote while I ran the race, that is all except for my last paragraph which was a reflection on my experience.  Please leave me some feedback.  Thanks!

Thirty seconds!  We all get down into start position.  We are all shivering of the cold weather and nervousness running through us.  I feel like everyone can hear my heart vigorously beat.  I'm so nervous.  Ten!  Nine!  Eight!  Seven!  Six!  Five!  Silence.  BOOM!  We all charge forward, giving ninety to one hundred percent if we can.  I'm stuck in the middle of everyone, but I'm fine there.  I can't waste my energy at the beginning... I still have over 1.8 miles to go. 

We all run in a giant pack and turn into the woods.  I can already feel myself begin to pant.  Slowly I get on the inside and start to pass some people.  I keep on looking down at the ground and try to keep complete concentration.  The path has hills, turns, rocks, sticks, and hundreds of feet pounding down on it. Everyone is gradually breaking apart.  I can see some of my own teammates really close to the front whereas I'm still near the middle.  I keep on thinking that I'm going to do worse than the last race by the amount of runners in front of me.  Trying the best I could, I push myself to go a little bit faster and pass somebody.  Every hill there is, I will take very long strides.  I must look like a weirdo, I feel so odd running with such a large stride, but I pass a whole group of runners by doing that.  I'll take every chance I get to try to get ahead.

As I run, I'm almost distracted by the scenery of our running course.  We run through this beautiful wooded area where there are bridges, pebble paths, arch-like trees, hills, and a refreshing breeze. Then we switch off to grass, a road, grass, and then back into the woods in a short amount of time.  I don't know why but the feeling of running on rugged grounds really interests me and I enjoy it.  I find the paths so adventurous and scenic. 

I can hear people heavily breathing behind me and that really irritates me so I try to run faster and get away.  Then there's also some people who start walking and I really want to tell them that they can do it and keep on going, but I just keep on running ahead.  Gradually we get higher and higher above, but I barely notice it until we are running right on the cliff of Lake Michigan.  The race has only a little distance left to go. 

I am starting to hear people cheer again, it means I'm closer to the finish.  I sprint down the hill, remembering to take long strides.  As I get back on the grass where we started, I give everything I have left and sprint all the way into the finishing chute.  It's my last chance to pass anyone.  Coaches are screaming to the other runners, "Sprint, go!  She's right behind you!"  The runner in front of me turns around, and that slows her down.  I pass her and I'm done!  I'm panting and completely out of breath, but when they give me my place card I feel so much better - thirty seventh place!  I improved eleven places from my the meet before, and I'm so proud of myself.  I only wish that my parents could have seen me run so I go to call them to talk about the race.

I never thought that I could run long distance.  Before the summer of 2011, I would have never bothered to try running two miles, let alone 1.5 miles, I simply thought I couldn't do it.   Though I'm not amazing, I'm glad I did the best that I could and tried to do something that pushes me to work harder.  Cross country was a very valuable experience for me that I hope to keep with me forever.

(I don't have a ribbon from the Grant Park Invite.)

Tomorrow Begins a New Day

Author's Note: In book club we are partially focusing on poetry.  We started simple and read Robert Frost's Nothing Gold Can Stay.  Then we went over the mode, theme, and symbolism and any questions about the poem.  We were challenged to write a poem parallel to Robert Frost's but with different mode, theme, and symbolism.  I thought that this was somewhat difficult but with some help I managed to write one. 

Nothing Gold Can Stay by Robert Frost

Nature's first green is cold
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her first leaf's a flower,
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

Tomorrow Begins a New Day by Mai Vo

Death’s last breath is slow
Something so soon to go
Snow will peacefully fall
With no other sound at all
Then darkness struck by light
Reveals a starry night
Death - cold, still and grey --
Tomorrow begins a new day

The Whole Picture

Author's Note:  I love looking at pictures on National Geographic and I found this one.  It's beautiful and I love way and time that this pictures was taken.  The reflection of the mountain on the lake is amazing and the colors in the sky at sunrise are so radiant.  In this poem I'm working on a better description for the picture. 

Matterhorn

The sun just begins to rise above

the horizon

Sending beams of pink, blue, and purple

in the sky

The majestic mountain stands tall

on the lake

Snow-capped, broad, powerful

like the kings land

The lake shimmers like diamonds

as it sits still

Looking out I see a mirror, reflecting

the sunrise, mountain,

and the sum of its parts

Perspective

Author's Note: I found the picture below on National Geographic.  When I saw this picture I thought it was a black bird with a yellow beak and legs and it was flying above a sidewalk with rose petals.  I showed it to Ashton and she thought it looked like a biker, I didn't see that.  The picture is called Cyclist, Dublin.  It really made me think about the perspective of things and how everyone will see something different.  

 Perspective

Clouds, I may see

A bunny

You may see

A tree

Point of view

Gives different meaning

To a story,

 a picture,

a scene

It makes the everybody, everything

Unique

A scribble to me

Can be art to you

Shadows

Either a bird or a plane

Perspective
Makes everything special in
a different way
And shows the world in
a million views

Mount Rainier

Author's Note: I felt like doing a short poem so I decided to do a haiku.  A haiku is a poem usually about nature and the lines are five, seven, and five syllables.  I like to go on National Geographic and look at the nature pictures for ideas. 

Mount Rainier Seattle, WA

Great, snow-capped mountains

Blossomed flowers, swaying grass

A picturesque scene 

Go Away Rain

Author's Note: This week there were supposed be a total of three track and cross country meets.  Myself, along with many others, compete in one or both of them.  Monday and Tuesday meets were canceled and it's starting to get really frustrating with all of this rain because sometimes we don't get to reschedule meets.  This writing piece wasn't very formal, I just felt like doing a journal-like entry about this event.

BOOM, WHOOSH, SPLASH!  The rain knocks against the windows, clouds darken the sky, winds violently blow, and thunder intensely claps. We see these stormy days coming ahead of us, yet we pray for at least clouds and cold weather instead of pouring rain and canceled events.  Constantly we stare out the window just to check the weather: rain, thunder, clouds, wind, or occasionally sunshine.  Constantly we look forward to the meet coming up every night.  Constantly we hope that we can finally compete, but without much luck.

Waiting and waiting, day after day for the night that we can finally compete.  Just hoping that there won't be an announcement canceling what could be.  I have worked so hard to progress my time, speed, and strength.  Every time we have a meet is when I get to see my independent improvement from the meet before and our team's improvement overall.

There's a track meet today and I'm excited to compete.  I hope that we won't get rained out.  All we can do is pray and wait for a bright day.

Autumn

Author's Note:  I did a word association and one of my words was leaves so I decided to do a poem on autumn.  I have a feeling that my level has gone down for writing over the summer since I didn't write very much.  Please leave me feedback on my poem.  

Slowly, lush green to blazing orange
Leaves will turn and fall
Slowly, warm to cool
Winds will gust and swirl
Slowly, desert dry to swamp wet
Dew will sparkle on  grass
A beautiful scenery

Time for blankets and smores
Around the glowing, warmth
Of a campfire
Under the starry skies

Bright colors
Stormy gusts
Refreshing mists
Autumn

Soon
More clouds than sun
More blustery winds than lake breezes
More chilly nights than warm days
Still just as many smiles
And good times
As there always has been 

Slowly changing to something new
Yet still something as great as before
New autumn leaves, skies, and days
But the same of what has always been good

Never Give Up

Author's Note: We are working on our district writing assessments and this year we have a very open guideline so we don't have a story to read or many rules to follow.  I recently read about Bethany Hamilton, a surfer, and her shark attack which was followed by a truly amazing story.  One month after she had been attacked and lost her arm she went back into the water.  This was inspirational.  She got severely hurt and that changed her life, but that never stopped her from going on.  Her story gives great meaning to never giving up. 

Never give up; no matter what happens just keep going.  Occasionally people give up too early when they could have tried again and accomplished something they thought of as impossible.  For example, when you first learned to ride a bike, you tried and tried, and then sometimes you fell, but you didn't stop trying.  Then soon enough you rode your bike as if you have been all your life.  Now think about everything that you have accomplished in life so far, and think about how many times you had to try and try again until you got it right.  No matter what happened you never gave up and that's why you can do what you couldn't before.

Life is tough, but it's worth living for even with some obstacles in your way.  If you want to achieve something, you will strive to get it accomplished.  Sure, you may make a mistake, but you don't stop; learn from your mistakes and try again.  Like everyone says, "Practice makes perfect." and it's true.  The ones who practiced never gave up on what they believed they could do.  Have you ever thought that it was just you who made mistakes, just you who constantly felt discouraged, or just you who thought you could never do it?  Don't worry everybody has those thoughts so you will never be alone.

Last year I learned to downhill ski and it was very difficult at first.  Sometimes I had a few of those negative thoughts running through my head.  I remember my very first day, I looked up at a hill, a bunny hill, and at that moment I affirmed, "I will never be able to ski down that."  I took lessons that day; nearly two hours of walking up and sliding down a slope that must have been four feet tall.  My first impression of skiing: tiring, agonizing, and there's no way.  Then finally I got to the "massive and terrifying" bunny hill.  The towrope brought me right to the top and it took me a while, but I finally got the fortitude to ski down.  It must have been only ten seconds and I reached the bottom.  I didn't fall!  I became filled with excitement and then the next few times I went on ski trips I attempted some of the most extensive and rugged hills that the ski parks had.  Of course I constantly made mistakes on my technique or wiped-out all together, but I had such an incredible time I kept on going.

It wasn't until one of the last times I went skiing that winter when I was completely frightened, but not of the hill.  I skied down the terrain hill which meant various bumps, turns, jumps, and rails came up along the hill.  Every time I went on the hill before I would purposely go past the jumps and rails, but then one time there was a jump hidden from my sight.  I became airborne for a few seconds, but that gave me enough time to realize I just went off a jump.  Tragically it didn't give me enough time to think to land.  I fell and my head hit the ground a tenth of a second before the rest of my body.  My helmet came off with the impact of the ground.  I lied there on the frigid snow in the middle of a terrain hill.  Pain quickly traveled through parts of my body, but I couldn't just stay there so I got up and swiftly finished.  My head and neck hurt intensely that night; I could barely move and control my neck.  For about five days my neck hurt and was so weak that when I lied down or got up I needed help holding my head so it wouldn't fall back.  To make it worse, I was limited to a very insignificant range of movement.  During that period of time, I was most terrified of possibly needing a neck brace and not being able to ski for the rest of the season.

Luckily I didn't get hurt quite severely and by a week's time I was good as new.   About another week later I was back to skiing, but that time I became much more cautious for what I was doing.  I'm glad I never gave up from the beginning.  Skiing is one of many things that I repeatedly tried over and over, and I'm still learning.  Now skiing is an important part of my life.  I love it and look forward to every time on the slopes. Next time you think you can’t switch that around and say, “I can do it.  I can go on.”  Never give up and you will find something great within what you have accomplished.

Peace

Author's Note:  For my second district writing assessment, I chose to do mine on an emotion.  I felt like doing peace because it's something I think that people can easily relate to and I feel that it gives me the opportunity to be more creative and descriptive in this piece. 

The sun begins to rise above the horizon; I sit there upon a hill and stare out into the most beautiful scenery ever.  Bright beams of fire break through the night sky.  The flowing trees, bright flowers, and lengthy grass all move like ocean waves; one peaceful motion.  A little pond shines as the sun reflects and ripples with little gusts of wind.  I can hear birds begin to sing their songs.  As I sit there I feel the cool, wet dew that sparkles like diamonds on the grass.  As the sun slowly gets higher, it puts a warm blanket around my body and makes me smile.  There's a relaxing, tranquil breeze brushing up against my skin.  I just let my hair flow behind me and breathe in the fresh, crisp air. 

I lie down on the grass and gaze up at the sky.  I try to picture what the wispy, white clouds look like, possibly a bunny, a shoe, a rocket; I just let my imagination go wild.  Then I draw my attention towards the streaks of orange, yellow, blue, and pink; the sky is a giant canvas.  As I lie there, the birds gracefully fly above me and the trees sway creating a soothing sound.

I'm truly relaxed and at peace with the world right now.  I can simply think and not be disturbed so I just let my thoughts float like little bubbles through my head with no stress and no worries.  Everything about this place is so serene.  I wish I could stay forever it's my special world.  The meadow is so peaceful, so beautiful, and so full of meaning that I don't want to go back home.  I hope everybody has their own place just to be relaxed and at peace, I have fortunately found mine.  I slowly stand up, soaking in everything here.  The sun now gleams high above, the grass and flowers still sway, and the breeze and fresh air make me never want to leave, but I must go.  Looking down at my feet I begin walk away, I stop and take my last glimpse, and then make my way back down the hill. 

My idea and place of peace is unique.  In the meadow I easily got to relax, think, and be independent for a little while.  We each need our own sole place and thought to be in our zone of peace.  The world wouldn't revolve if it was constantly stressed; occasionally we need some time to ourselves to do something out of the ordinary.  We need peace, it's essential.

FUN, FUN, FUN Summer!

Author's Note: I decided to make a quick summary-like video of my summer. It includes video, pictures, and description of what I did over the vacation. Enjoy!

Welcome!

Welcome to my eigth grade blog.  I'm starting a whole new year of writing on a whole new blog.  Don't worry all of my past blogs and websites will be linked on the side so I encourage you to check those out!