Hard to Say Goodbye

One of the things I hate the most in life, is having to say goodbye. Having to say goodbye when you go away for holidays, saying goodbye to family after you visit them, having to say goodbye to the ones you love most. Thats something I have never had to do before. Never moved, always been in Singapore and UWC. As most of you know, I have been going to UWC since I was 4 years old, K1. I'm now 13, and in G7. I've had to say goodbye to people when they leave and I've watched people come and go from the school. But I have never been the one that has actually left everything they have ever know. UWC is the only school I have ever been to and I've lived in Singapore since I was 1 year of age. My home is here. And now being told that I am moving homes to a place where there is no uniforms, 4 seasons, only 2 or 3 classes in a grade and where everything is in Japanese, is a feeling I can't even put into words. 

Getting the news that I am moving to Japan, was one of the hardest things I have ever had to hear. Sure it in a way is exiting news, but i'm being told to leave everything I've ever know to go to a new place, a new school, and a new life. It's just something I have never had to do before. I don't want to have to leave my friends behind or my life. I love it here and it will take a long time to get used to the change. To be honest, it has been hard for me. I cried a couple of time because I just didn't know what else to do. I was upset and scared. But now I think it's just because i'm scared of adventuring in a new environment. I am scared of going to somewhere completely new and somewhere where I know nothing about. I know I will like Yokohama International School, but I will always love UWCSEA more. It is my home and the place I grew up, and where my education and knowledge has grown and developed. I love it here and I'm not ready to go yet. I always envisioned that I would stay at UWC until I was in G12, but that, however, is not the case at all. 

I love my life here and I'm happy. But now I have to try and find that same happiness again in a new school. I guess this post so far seems like a negative boo hoo type of post, but i'm speaking from my heart. But to be honest, I am slightly exited for it. It is a new place, new country, new people. I know I will enjoy it there no matter how much I miss life at UWC. I have decided that saying, acting, and just having a lightly better view of it helps in a way. The post is a step towards feeling better and getting over the fact that I am not staying here at UWC forever. There is soo much more I still want to say but I can't. Not yet anyways. 

Since this blog is registered with my school account, after I go I will no longer have access to it. So I will almost defiantly make a new blog and continue posting on that one.

I love my friends at UWC and I'm gonna miss you guys like crazy! I'm going to treasure all the moments and says I have left with you guys! There is only 4 months left before the end of the school year! 

Sammie <3

Darker Sides Beauty

(I took this at Dairy Farm on my phone)

The sound of the jungle

creates its own music.

The whispers of the trees

define each note.

The melody of the jungle

speaks to me.

The humming of the tropical birds

complement the steady hiss

of the diamond headed snake.

The harmony comes from a much deeper part.

The roar of the lion completes

the single flap of a butterfly’s wings.

The motion is so silent,

I can hear a single drop of water

falling from a leaf’s edge.

By Sam Coutts

I wrote this poem whilst I was at dairy farm at the G.I.N. conference. We were told to take the 15 minutes to sit in the jungle, and just write, draw, and create whatever we wanted. Some choose  to lay down and listen to the sounds of the jungle, some drew what they could see. I choose to write a poem. This poem just came to me. I sat and listened to the sounds around me, and stared at the scenery around me. Inspiration can be anywhere, even in the least obvious places. After writing it at dairy farm, I took it back and made it better.

Poetries Perspective

Famous 

The river is famous to the fish.

The Poet: Naomi Shihab Nye

The loud voice is famous to silence,
which  knew it would inherit the earth
 before anybody said so.

The cat sleeping on the fence is famous to the birds
 watching him from the birdhouse.

The tear is famous, briefly, to the cheek.

The idea you carry close to your bosom
is famous to your bosom.

The boot is famous to the earth
 more famous than the dress shoe,
 which is famous only to floors.

The bent photograph is famous to the one who carries it
 and not at all famous to the  one who is pictured.  

I want to be famous to shuffling men
who smile while crossing streets,
sticky children in grocery lines,
famous as the one who smiled back.

I want to be famous in the way a pulley is famous,
or a buttonhole, not because it did anything spectacular,
but because it never forgot what it could do. 

Naomi Shihab Nye

                -From The Language of Life: a Festival of Poets, by Bill Moyers-

I really like this poem because it shows a lot of meaning. To me, it shows that everything has a purpose to it and that we all have a purpose. Also, it is a bit funny in the fact that it makes sense but no sense in parts. I really like her language in this poem and the way she chose to write it. This poem is so obvious but it has mystery. This poem only states the truth to me.


Granny Granny Please Comb My Hair


Granny Granny Please Comb My Hair

you always take your time

The Poet: Grace Nichols

you always take such care

You put me on a cushion between your knees

you rub a little coconut oli

parting gentle as a breeze

Mummy Mummy

she's always in a hurry-hurry

rush

she pulls my hair 

she sometimes tugs

But Granny

you have all the time

in the world

and when you're finished

you always turn your head and say

'Now who's a nice girl?'

Grace  Nichols

I really like this poem because it is really sweet and simple. The author has taken something small, a little girl who wants her granny to comb her hair, and turned it into something sweet. I know I love getting my hair brushed. To me, it shows a sweet love between the girl and her grandma. It brings a smile to my face. I think that this poem has one of those "Awww!" moments to it. I love that about it. But after reading it it makes me think. Has her grandma left? does she miss her? or does she just want her grandma to comb her hair? Comment and tell me what you think about this poem, and if you have an idea on a background story to it.

Sam <3

Image Links:
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/naomi-shihab-nye
http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/grace-nichols-praise-song-for-my-mother-poem-only/12249.html

In the Spotlight

This is a vignette that I write in class and I wanted to share it on my blog. 

I feel like everyone has a chance, a chance to break free and go for our dreams. Everyone should be able to express their individuality without anyone or anything standing in there way. No one should ever feel like they are worthless and that their dreams could never become a reality. We have the choice to choose what we do with our life. What we do should be because we want to do it, not because we were pressured into it. Life's a gamble, you just have to take the chance when you have it. The world is your stage to take.  I’m waiting for my chance to break free and go for my dream. A chance to prove to the world what I could do and how I can change the world. I have been acting for nearly 5 years now. I love taking the stage and making it my own, I love performing. When I was in G6 at centre stage I was playing one of the main roles in the musical ‘HONK!’. I played drake. Yes a guy, but playing a character of the opposite gender is really good practice and is a lot of fun to do. For the role I was required to sing a solo, an entire song. I remember the feeling. I was nervous I would go off pitch, or that it didn’t sound right. But I really wanted to sing. Just sing my heart out and give it my all. The feeling. Amazing, ecstatic, and proud that I took the shot. I stay committed because it’s what I love doing. I  stay committed because I know that one day I will have my chance to show people what I can do, and what I could do. All it takes is one chance to prove to the world what you can do. The world is your stage to take. Don’t let an opportunity pass you by.

Sammie <3

Learning from my Perspective

Writing is more than just laying down your ideas. It's about who you are as a person and your perspective on things. We are all our own person and have our own point of views. 

In class so far I have learnt about vignettes, showing vs. telling. I found this very interesting because vignettes are more than just a writing, they tell a story. They are short and to the point. In class we were able to read through three examples of vignettes from a book called 'The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros'. It is a collection of vignettes telling a story about a spanish girl, living in America. Each chapter is short, maybe a page or two. But nevertheless, they all tell the story. At the same time, they give a clear understanding of what the girl is feeling and how she 'sees' the world around her. Vignettes are 'showing' instead of 'telling'. Telling piece of writing would be like 'I love my dog. He is very fluffy.' This is what a showing piece of writing would look like; 'The soft, curly locks of fur from my dog. As he runs across the field, they bounce up and down. The touch of them is softer than a trumpular tree. His tongue hangs out of his mouth as to say 'I never want to stop running'. Can you see the difference?

To me, learning how to change telling lines into showing lines has been very important, enjoyable, and useful to me because it is one of the ways I can improve my writing, and turn it into something more. I found it useful because as I get older, more will be expected, and learning simple but extremely effective writing techniques like this, help get higher grade. Also, I have found vignettes very interesting. They are such short pieces of writing, yet they give so much. I can't wait to study them more and learn how to write a good vignette. 

I don't really wish we did anything differently, but I think that maybe we could do some more of ghost reading  because it helps with confidence in reading out loud with people around, and it helps with taking turns without being told. Also, I maybe do some more study on vignettes as they are a very important topic and need to be as clearly understood as possible. 

Sammie <3