Hidden Me...

There is one thing I have always wanted to do, but never had the nerve to do before: act. I have always wanted to perform/act in a play, T.V show, or movie, just for the fun of it. It seems like it would be so fun just to take on the role of a character, create a character,
or bring a character to life.

Adventure Day 3

After my stop in Nashville, I was going to head directly to my destination (Myrtle Beach). However, as I was driving down the highway, I saw a sign that indicated the way to Alabama, so I decided to stop by and check out a few attractions.

In Birmingham, I visited the
Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, which is a large interpretive museum that depicts the struggles of the American Civil rights movement. There were two displays that really caught my attention: the school segregation display and the            

Rosa Parks display. These displays looked so real. They made me feel like I was actually there at that time. You could also tell that there were strong messages from the past coming from those displays.
While at the museum, I actually bumped into someone very special: Martin Luther King Jr.'s youngest daughter,
Bernice King. We talked a little bit, and I told her about my situation (i.e. my journey). She then insisted that we go out for lunch. As we ate (at Applebee's), Bernice told me about what she remembered about her father (she was only five years old when her father was killed), about the civil rights movement, and what she is currently doing today (she is a minister). Before leaving, Bernice encouraged me to visit her father's home in Montgomery, Alabama, so I headed 95 miles south to Montgomery. In Montgomery, I saw Martin Luther King Jr.'s house. It was interesting how right when you walk in, you could feel the tension that MLK was under during the civil rights movement. I'm glad that they have opened it for the public, that way everyone can enjoy this piece of history.
After that, I drove 160 miles northeast to Atlanta. Georgia. In Atlanta, I decided to visit the Georgia Aquarium. It was breathtaking! The sharks were the most impressive, as well as all the little fish around them. Seeing all that water made me eager to make it to my destination. After that nice visit in the aquarium, I headed to my FINAL destination: Myrtle Beach.

Special Someone...

If I could take anyone along for my adventure, I would take my sister. My sister and I are very close and we get along very well together. We would have so much fun together, especially on long road trips. I would take my sister the entire journey, not just a couple of days. That way I would have someone to talk to and someone to enjoy the journey with.

 Of course, my sister and I are very like-minded (we both LOVE beaches). Besides the beach, I would like to take my sister to different restaurants on the journey, just to try new and interesting foods.

Adventure Day 2

 
After my visit in Mt. Vernon, Illinois, I headed 230 miles south to Nashville, Tennessee. As I drove, I continued to listen to the radio and took notice of all the things around me. About 160 miles in, my eyes caught a beautiful scene: the Kentucky Lake (near the border between Kentucky and Tennessee). So I stopped and had a picnic by the Kentucky Lake. The view was breathtaking! As I enjoyed my meal (from Chick-fil A), I embraced the natural beauty of the lake. When I dipped my feet in the cool lake water, chills ran down my spine.
I decided to take advantage of the beautiful and serene lake, so I rented out a canoe, and I headed down the lake. As I canoed, I was surrounded by beautiful, dark, green trees, and the sounds of the birds happily singing. Throughout all of this, I was able to relax and remove all the stress and worry from my mind and body. I also began to think: why can’t people just notice and enjoy the simple beauty of nature? After this unexpected stop by the Kentucky Lake, I will be heading to Nashville, Tennessee very soon, then I will make it to my final destination: Myrtle Beach.

Adventure Day 1

Today, I am ready to go on my adventure! My goal is to head 923 miles south to Myrtle Beach in South Carolina. I have decided that I will go by car, because if I went by plane, I would miss all of wonderful stops and places that I could see.

                Before I left, I filled up my backpack with all my necessities. I took multiple canned food items, a can opener, some chips, soda, large plastic bottle for water (I will fill this up multiple times throughout my trip), money, and a digital camera.

                For my first stop, I drove an hour and forty minutes (106 miles) to Mt. Vernon, Illinois. While I drove, I listened to the radio and I was very observant of my surroundings (mainly highways and fields of grass). When I got to Mt. Vernon, I visited the CedarHurst Center for the Arts. It was filled with various art pieces from all over the world. My favorite painting was by William James Glackens called “Summer Day” and of course it featured the thing that inspired my journey: the beach. I stayed there for about two hours, ate lunch, then I continued my journey onward to Tennessee, where I will make a few more stops before I get to my final destination to Myrtle Beach.

A Beautiful Classroom Walk

On April 24, 2015, my class and I went a beautiful walk through our school’s “outdoor classroom”. This “outdoor classroom” is like a small forest/woods. Just like Thoreau said, “When we walk, we naturally got to the fields and woods”. When I first stepped outside, a cool breeze rushed through my hair. I could feel the warm rays of the sun. We walked over to the outdoor classroom, which is basically a small trail that leads to a creek.  As I approached the trail, I saw some small, dark-green, leafy plants sticking out of the ground, and there was a mint smell in the air. I tore off one of the leaves and smelled: it was peppermint leaves.

                

I continued to walk down the trial, trying to clear my head from all

the stress. I remembered what Thoreau wrote in his essay: “Walking”. Thoreau said, “You must walk like a camel, which is said to be the only beast which ruminates when walking.” So I “ruminated” about the simple beauty of nature and how it is easily overlooked.

Later down the trail, I spotted many types of plants. I saw small white/light purple flowers, and a bright, beautiful, yellow dandelion standing out between the wood on the ground. I also saw a peculiar green

 plant with seven leaves branching off on each side. One thing that
really stuck out to me was all of the trash around the trees and plants in the trail. All of this trash made me question: what were the people thinking as they threw the trash on the ground? Overall, I really enjoyed this walk and it was a good way to clear my mind. I wish we could do more walks like this more often.

                

My Bucket List