Category: Personal Writing

I have been listening to music for a long time, and lately I’ve been reflecting on how music affects me and how much it matters to me. I’ve met people who just casually don’t listen to music very often and it’s just crazy to me because I couldn’t imagine a life without music. Whether it was when I used to listen to random songs of different genres with no real theme or now when I’ve been listening to mainly rap or hip hop music. Music is a way to express yourself, and I feel like music has such a power on your emotions and how you feel and it can change your emotions very quickly. Like i could be having a very good day and be in a good mood and then suddenly a sad song comes on and the whole good day and good mood suddenly disappears. Vice versa as well, you could be having. bad day and not be in a good mood, and suddenly and upbeat classic song that you haven’t heard in a couple years comes on, and your mood completely improves. Like I use music even more than I think I do, when I’m cleaning the kitchen, doing homework, walking my dog, or just everywhere during the school day in general. Then when I talk to some people and they just casually say “yea I don’t listen to music much”, it’s just crazy to me because it is such a big part of my life.

How does your family celebrate Christmas?

During Christmas time my family of 4 changes between families every year. So for example, this year i’ll spend christmas with my mother’s side of the family and new year’s with my dad’s side of the family. But how does my family and I celebrate Christmas? Well this year for example, around 4pm I go to my mother’s side of the family aunt’s house (sister of my grandpa) and everyone is there. I have lots of cousins because my grandpa has 6 siblings and all of them have children so imagine how full that house gets. The hanging spots are the garage that is full of delicious food and the living room/ bar. Being inside that house is so incredibly nostalgic because every Christmas the house has that same cozy Christmas smell. Something that also gives me that nostalgic feel is the fact that my grandpa( who’s birthday is December 24) always arrives late so that when he enters everybody gets excited and wishes him a happy birthday. Later around 7pm, my family including my mom’s sister, my 2 cousins and my grandpa leave to my house to celebrate Christmas with my grandma. When we arrive at my house, we unpack  dinner and serve potato chips in a bowl for everyone to enjoy. While some of us help with dinner, my dad is always talking with my grandpa. After we have dinner, with Christmas music in the background of course, we all head down to the living room and play some games (which somehow I always end up winning). And at last we all open presents and spend the rest of the night talking all together. And that is how I spend my favorite holiday with my mom’s side of the family. 

My Trip to Alberta

About three weeks ago, I went to Alberta, and it was one of the best trips of my life. I stayed there for about four days, and it was super fun because I got to see my family. I hadn’t seen my cousins in a very long time, so it was really exciting.

On the first day, I arrived in Edmonton. We went to a couple of my family’s houses, and later, all of my cousins and I went out to eat. We ended up having pizza, which was really good. After we ate, we played video games for a bit. Later that evening, the whole family went for a drive to see downtown Edmonton. It was a cool experience. As soon as we got home, we went to bed because we had a big day planned for tomorrow.

The next day, we went to Banff, which is in Calgary. Banff is one of the most beautiful places in Canada. When I arrived, we went straight to the lake. The water was so beautiful—it had a green and bluish color that looked amazing. We stayed the night in Banff in a big house.

The next day was even more fun! We went to a place with another lake, a grassy field, and a playground. They also had spots where you could play sports like soccer and volleyball. We played for a long time and then made dinner on the barbecue. There were about 50 to 60 people there, and most of the kids were around my age. We all had a great time together.

That night, we went to my cousin’s house. We talked, played some board games, and planned what we were going to do for the next few days. For the rest of the trip, we mostly repeated the fun stuff we had already done—hanging out, playing games, exploring, and eating good food.

That’s how I would describe one of the funniest and most fun trips I’ve ever had in my entire life.

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I believe that being healthy is more important than being wealthy. Many people think wealth can solve many problems, but even being the richest person in the world cannot guarantee good health. Money can pay for the best hospitals, doctors, and medicine, but it doesn’t always cure illnesses. Health is also connected to time, and time is something that no one can buy. Even if a wealthy person has only a few months left to live, their money cannot give them more time. Just by being healthy you can do more things in life. Without health, sometimes even the simplest activities like eating, and walking can be difficult. In that case being wealthy doesn’t really help. Wealth can provide better things, but it cannot give life. That is why often people say, “Health is wealth,” Health can lead to more success in life than wealth. Between a healthy person who is happy and a wealthy person who is depressed, I would always choose to be healthy. To conclude, while wealth can be useful in life, it is nothing without health. Health is something that gives you your basic daily life. That is why being healthy is more important than being wealthy.

Moving to another country sounded exciting, but at the same time it felt scary. Before coming to Canada I wondered if I could manage everything on my own. Would I find good friends? Would I understand the teachers? Would I feel comfortable in a new place far away from home? All those questions stayed in my mind the first weeks.

Now, after some time here, things look very different. I discovered that I can actually take care of myself better than I thought. I learned how to do laundry without destroying my clothes, and I can prepare easy meals when I don’t feel like eating outside. Sometimes I still eat too many cereals or fast food, but at least I try to balance with fruit and some vegetables.

The best part is the people I have met. I did not expect to connect so fast, but little by little I made friends, and now we usually go for walks, study together, or just talk in English. This helps me improve my language every day. At first it was difficult, but now I can follow the lessons almost without problems.

Of course, I still miss my family. My sister Daniela is in Vancouver, my brother is in Mérida, and I am here in Victoria. But even if we are far apart, we stay in contact and plan to meet in winter here in Canada. I feel proud of myself for adapting and enjoying this new adventure.

What is the best thing you’ve done this year? Why?

During this year I don’t know what was the best thing, however there are two things that I liked the most. The first one was my ski trip during this winter, because I was supposed to go in the 2024 winter with some really close friends of my family, however my grandpa developed a disease on his cancer and that made him go to ICU and he was given 72 hours of life, fortunately he lived until June. After that we managed to change the date of the trip and marked it to this winter and this time we went with some friends of mine and it was really fun because besides my friend there I could meet some friends of his childhood that were pretty nice and it was my first time skiing and I loved it. The other one was deciding to do the exchange year, because when my mom was 15 she did it and said that she loved, so I decided that I wanted to do, and until now the experience is being really nice, I got to met new people and principally train my english and surprising my spanish as well. For me the only problem of the exchange year is being away from home and from my parents but besides this its really nice

On December 27th 2024, I was driving with a friend on the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) heading to Malibu, it was a beautiful sunny day, and the ocean was vibrantly blue. Almost two weeks later, the Palisades fire ignited and lasted 24 days, spreading across the Santa Monica Mountains, the Pacific Palisades, and areas of Malibu.

When I returned to Los Angeles in March 2025, the PCH was still closed to all traffic, only allowing residents access. We had to take a detour, and it was my first glimpse of the fire’s impact.

Finally, in July 2025, I drove up the Pacific Coast Highway again. It didn’t feel like the same stretch of land it had always been, instead of the beautiful coastal hills, everything around me looked burnt. We saw many burnt cars, and only the frames of houses remained. My dad even pointed out a burnt Porsche 911, which was surreal to see. While many homes had been destroyed, some survived the flames. Some people were already rebuilding, clearing debris, and restoring their communities. My heart goes out to all the residents who have lost so much, but are still building back up.

For me my siblings Marc,Paula and Jan are the most important thing in the world there are many reasons but of them is since the moment I was Born I was with them playing, laughing and all type things so they new literal all about me. We have also have so many experiences . But we also had many fighting´s but we resolved all of them because we really appriciate us and I couldn´t live happy knowing that anything is wrong with us.

I miss theme because Paula and Marc are in Germany living and study so they don´t live with me, my parent´s and my brother Jan .At the beginning it was really hard to get used of it but I had no other chance. I still had my brother Jan but it wasn´t the same because it filled like something was wrong or something was missing but me and Jan knew that this feeling was because Marc and Paula weren´t with us.

But this summer me and my siblings had a vacation to Vienna just us four it was incredible beacause we hadn´t seen us in 1 year. And it felt like the old good times we had together.

A month ago I imagined this to be hard. A month ago I imagined that I would sit in my room all day missing my friends. A month ago I imagined calling my parents all the time telling them to buy me an airline ticket. A month ago I imagined myself wearing the same clothes all the time because I only barely know how to wash. A month ago I imagined me only eating much too unhealthy things all the time. A month ago I imagined that I won’t be able to follow the teachers because my English would be too bad.

A month ago I could never have guessed that it would feel like I never want to go home again. A month ago I could never have guessed that I would go out with my new friends every afternoon even if it’s just for a walk. A month ago I could never have guessed that there was laundry day which is the best invention ever. A month ago I was actually right with thinking that the main things I eat would be Fruit Loops, but I sometimes also eat some veggies and things like that. A month ago I was wrong with assuming that I can’t follow the teachers (without Mr. Hernandez). A month ago I could never have guessed that I would consider this as one of the best decisions I have ever made, only after three weeks.

If I could go anywhere in the world with one person, I think I would go to Germany with my best friend. we both speak a fair bit of German, and I’ve been learning it for four years now. I would love to visit places like Berlin or cologne. Germany also has so many different types of food I’d love to try and learn about, including Franzbrötchen, which is a small, sweet Viennoiserie baked with butter and cinnamon, similar to a cinnamon roll.  I would also look at the castles of Germany, as German architecture is absolutely incredible seen with your own eyes. One architectural wonder, known as the cologne cathedral is quite the sight, a contrast to what most peoples idea of what a cathedral should look like, cologne cathedral uses darker colors, making it appear towering and gloomy. A cool fact about this cathedral is that it took 632 years to build! My best friend and I are also really interested in the Streizelmarkt in Dresden, which is a festive Christmas celebration that usually takes place from late November to December, giving visitors a chance to learn about German Christmas traditions, foods, and customs. Lastly, I think I would take my best friend on a train ride through places like the Rhine valley in Frankfurt, somewhere she really loves.

Golden leaves twisted in the wind like falling ash as I stepped onto the old trail behind the farm. The air was cold—sharp enough to bite, but quiet. Too quiet. No birdsong, no rustling animals. Just the sound of my boots crunching through the dead things underfoot. The trees loomed tall and brittle, their limbs like twisted fingers reaching for the sky. Most people don’t come out here after October. They say the forest feels… wrong. They’re not wrong. I like it best in the fall. Everything dying, everything shedding its skin. The ground soft enough to dig if you know where to look. Or where to leave things behind. I paused at the stream, where the water barely moved. Stagnant. Cold. I pulled the little wooden fox from my pocket and turned it slowly in my hand. Grandpa carved it the fall before he died. I used to think it was a gift. Now I know it was a warning. There’s a spot just off the trail—past the split tree, down the slope. That’s where I buried it: the box, the letters, the photos. Everything from before. Not a body. Just memories. Ugly ones. Some things are better left in the dark.
Especially when they still have teeth.

For me the people I spend time around leave huge impact on the type of person i can become, Ive had alot of close friends and people who come and go and people who stick around for a little but one person has made a big impact on my life for the last few months would be my best friend Elizabeth. She has made a huge impact on my life since meeting her. Id known Elizabeth a little prior to meeting her face to face through friends but id never think we’d end up getting this close. We offically met on a bus with my other friends Myleigh and Savana who had all known and gone to school with each other, we walked around millstream and westshore talking about everything and from there me and Elizabeth clicked. All through spring and summer break i was with no one else but her, she made everything more fun to do even if it was the most annoying things to do like chasing down a bus that came 7 minuets to early or having to go to plans she made with people i did not want to see, but though summer her family became a second family to me and a second home where i could genuinly rely on them for anything i needed along side my family of course. Elizabeth is one of the mostt important people in my life and is one of the only people who has ever known EXACTLY how ive felt in so many situations and i will be forever greatful for her and her family and everything they have done for me.

Who do you admire most in history … and why?

The historian person I admire the most is Wu zetian. She is the only female emperor officially ascended the throne on Chinese history. She has extraordinary wisdom, courage and perseverance. In the era that man are more important, usually rarely female can get this high status. But Wu zetian can break though the obstacle, became the emperor that control the whole country. She is good at utilize people, promote the revolution, improve economic and the expand of culture, she let the Tang dynasty became the most heyday. For example, she changing the Imperial Examination System and Emphasizing Talent. She expanded and reformed the imperial examination system, enabling more people from poverty backgrounds to enter the officialdom through examinations. This is considered a major contribution to breaking the monopoly of the aristocratic families. More impressively, although she is at the pinnacle of power,but she still remain perseverance. In pursuit of power, she shows the wisdom and decisiveness, she knows how to use strategy to maintain her status. The story of Wu zetian teach us, no matter gender, background, if you have firm will and wisdom, you can create your own legend. Her courage encourage people do not retreat when facing problem. She was not only a great emperor, but also a symbol in people’s heart of the courage to break through the box and pursue self-worth. Wu Zetian’s spirit makes people believe that as long as we work hard, any dream can be realized.

My first couple of weeks of school have been great. I was so mad about coming back to school because summer was so great this year; however, so far, school has been great. I have made so many new friends and new memories already. It is crazy how many culters I have met and learned about. There have been people from Brazil, Mexico, Japan and China. Something I am looking forward to is are class camp trip, which is coming up in two days. I am so excited for it; every time it is so much fun and one of the best, most fun trips of the year. So you could say things are going pretty well. At first, I was nervous about new classes and teachers, but I’m starting to settle in. Most of my teachers are nice, and the workload is manageable so far. Some classes are more challenging than others, especially math, but I’m trying to stay on top of things. I’m also getting used to waking up early again. Overall, I think this year has the potential to be a good one if I stay focused and organized.

I’m going to describe my favourite things from certain categories but I’m not going to tell you what it is, and you actually have to guess. You also don’t have to guess, but you can if you want. It’s whatever.

Movie: Girl loves boyfriend. Girl plans to marry boyfriend. Girl goes to island. Girl has no dad, btw. Girl has too many dads? Girl and family friends sing a lot.

Movie: Girl with big ears hates lawbreakers. Girl befriends an orange lawbreaker, who has way too much game.

Television show: Criminal man wears suits and hats, has beautiful blue eyes, and really likes going to art galleries. He totally won’t steal anything. He also totally isn’t a criminal informant for this dude named Peter.

Book: Girl had television, and fishsticks and ketchup. Wait, nuh uh. There is no television, fishsticks, or ketchup.

Book: Boy hates boy. Boys ruin cake. Boys kiss.

Song: A woman’s husband dies. Everyone blames her for his heart failure. So she dognaps her neighbours dog to try out her hair-dye on.

Television show: Lots of characters that wear matching pyjamas. All of them die except for the traumatized ginger.

That feels like enough to me. So.

This summer, I spent 2 weeks travelling around Europe (mostly France) with my family. We spent a few days in London, but we had previously visited before, so we just shopped and walked around. We then took a train to Paris, which has been my dream since I was little. Paris was beautiful, the architecture was beautiful, and the food was delicious. We spent only 3 days there, then took a train to a beautiful town on the water called “Villefranche-sur-Mer”. It was really calm there and not that busy, which was nice.

We then took a day trip to a small commune called “Èze,” which was beautiful; it had very old architecture and a beautiful garden called “Jardin Exotique,” which translates to “Exotic Garden”. They also had many different boutiques that sold jewelry, clothes, souvenirs, etc. The next few days were spent in Villefranche (Èze is only a 20-minute drive from Villefranche). We also crossed the Italian border and drove into a town in Italy called Sanremo. It was beautiful there, but a storm started to form, so we had to leave.

We spent our last day in Villefranche at a beach club, which was really nice and had amazing food. Our next stop was Nice, where we spent 2 nights. While in Nice, my mom booked us a boat trip; the captain took us near Cannes and Saint Tropez, which was really cool. The water was so blue and clear. After that, we went to Monaco, which was even cooler. I’ve been wanting to go for so long, so it was really exciting to see everything in person, especially the Formula One track.  Everything in Monaco was perfect. It was definitely my favourite part of the whole trip.

 

I was taking a road trip with my family to this lighthouse. We got out of the car and started heading down the trail to get to the lighthouse. The trail was very steep and the curves were sharp. But once we were down, I saw the lighthouse on a big rock. Railings were going around it. In front, you could see the ocean, which was clear until a certain point where there was dense fog acting as a wall around us. My parents were standing closer to the ocean on the pathway below me. They said it was supposedly a great time to see whales. The waves were big and crashing against the rocks. But when I looked at the rocks that the waves were hitting, I saw that when the tide receded, there were a ton of huge fish being carried by the waves and thrown against the rocks, too. Suddenly, I heard the blow of a whale and looked towards the fog and saw its back. Generally, after seeing the whales back, they retreat into the water. However, this whale kept on rising out of the water. Suddenly, I noticed strange ripples in the water below me. I realized a huge whale was emerging right below my feet. I was leaning so far over the platform that I was sure I was going to fall off. The whale had fully emerged from the water, and I was picked up by a metal monster. The monster was as big as a mountain and was made of shiny metal like garbage cans and old bicycles. It was surrounded by more metal objects floating in the tide. Then it threw me and I was soaring in the air past the whale and had to wiggle in the air so I would land on the platform instead of the ocean.

So, before I start, I want to warn you that there will probably be many grammar mistakes. So, today is Saturday. I have absolutely no clue what day it is, and I’d rather not find out. All I know is I’m trying to cram all my homework into today and tomorrow because of the camping trip. I have a soccer game today, we’re playing a home game. I needed to switch teams earlier this year cause my original team didn’t have enough players to make a full team, but around 2 weeks ago, we did tryouts, and I made it into silver. That’s pretty cool. I had mango for breakfast, which was really yummy 😋 . I’m texting my friend and writing this at the same time… How many words is this supposed to be? I’m writting everything that comes to my head. Has anyone sent pigs to the moon yet? I was playing a game last night, and the guy I was playing with seemed really chill. He was funny. I wanna make some flowers tight now, a guy gave me flowers 💐, ummmmmm, how many words is this supposed to be?

im now going to tell you about mochi, mochi was my moms cat he was a snowshoe Siamese and Very fluffy we got him form calgary and he flew here in a plane, he was very tiny but he turned out to be a little chunky kitty, he was around a year old when he went missing and his airtag last pinned at a garbage dump, so we think either someone stole ehim and left hie airtag at a dump or an eagle got him, killed him, and left his body at the dump…. um, this is making me cry….. thats good enough for personal writting goodbye

My gymnastics path has been one of the hardest but also most rewarding experiences of my life. I started gymnastics when I was 5, and at first it was just something fun to do after school. As I got older, the practices got harder and the expectations grew. There were so many times when I wanted to quit because it felt like too much pressure.

One of the biggest challenges I faced was learning how to deal with fear. Learning that skills weren’t just about strength, they were about trusting myself. I also learned that gymnastics wasn’t just physical but mental work. Gymnastics taught me that failing doesn’t mean I’m not good enough, it means I’m learning.

Competing was another part of my experience. At first I was terrified of judges and crowds, but eventually I realized it wasn’t about being perfect, it was about showing how much work I had put in. Even when I didn’t place as high as I hoped, I still walked away very proud, and happy I got a metal.

Gymnastics has shaped me as a person in ways I didn’t expect. It’s taught me discipline, patience, and how to push through when things get tough. Looking back, I see that gymnastics isn’t just about flips and routines, it’s about growing into a stronger, braver version of myself.

Nik:

Ohhhhhh, Lyla? Did you do the French? You did? Damn it. I need answers. Mmm. I’m tired. And depressed.What if it will be pancakes for once? I want pancakes… K I don’t know what to do. Ohhhh god. Oh yeah… Hm. Mhm. I’m not gonna bring my bag, or my computer. Do I have to? … S**t… What do we have? PE, Art, oh I have a chill day. I’m happy. WHat? Where’s that from? I’m in the back. I left them at home, which I will probably do this trip. That’s not Miss Barton. Mhm.

Suzy:

Wait Lyla did it right? Laila signed up right? You know what uhhhh Miss Redden? Miss Redden? Miss Redden? What’s the name of the campsite? Oh nooooo. We should go to the Sooke Potholes campground! Oh, ok I found it. Oh. *Sigh* I forgot you had voldemort on your laptop. What an unfortunate sight. Oh my god… Yeah, its a 4 person tent. Who’s __________? Ohhhhh __________… I might know her. Mk…Huh… Apparently we depart brookes at one. BCFP. *Gasps* It says wednesday September 17th Lunch slash Ice cream. Hey Lyla…. Hey Lylaaaaaaa…. Nik, where are your glasses? Who’s the random lady on the side? *sighs* Yes.