Rush Creek Trail

I didn’t always live in California. I used to live in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. What I remember about that place most was the forest trail known as the Rush Creek Trail. The forest trees are tall with green leaves, and there are many squirrels, deer, and bears. It was my favorite place to go during COVID-19 when there was a quarantine, some of my cousins and I would sneak out of the house without any of our parents knowing. We would bring out our skateboards, safety knives, and bicycles. 

One day when I was biking on the forest trail with my sister, there was a bridge we had to cross over to the other side of the forest trail. When I was on the bridge I wanted to challenge myself without using my hands to steer the bike. The moment I let go I was okay and when my sister yelled out my name I looked back and lost my balance, blacking out. 

Next thing I knew, I woke up in the hospital and my mom was crying next to me. For a couple of minutes, the doctor told my mom to leave, and they operated on me. My left arm was all scratched up, and my kneecaps were purple and blue. In a couple of months, I had a little scar near my left elbow and a bald spot on my head. Every time I look back at my scars I remember that accident but I also remember the times when I hung out with my family and friends, making tents, having deep conversations, learning new skateboard tricks, and biking to the Mississippi River.

Rush Creek Trail

                       Audrey 

Audrey and I first became friends when we were seated together in our fourth-grade class. We destroyed our desks drawing everything except doing what we were supposed to be doing which was learning. We rated fictional characters we know on a scale of one to ten and played tagged, and other fun games. We were both chaotic together, but Audrey was one of the smartest girls in our fourth-grade class. We were inseparable, even when we had to go home after school. We would call each other on the phone and talk for hours. Laughing about something funny that we did at school or sharing deep thoughts and questions about life. Audrey was and probably is to this day, the person who understands me the most. We have billions of inside jokes, signature looks we exchanged with each other, and special names we only call each other. She was the person who had me interested in reading books. We both joined the same soccer team and she would teach me ways to improve. I thought she the perfect and I wanted to learn from her. 

At the end of fifth grade, I made the mistake just as usual sitting together in class. I was in a bad mood, and I didn’t talk much to Audrey. I couldn’t remember the whole story of what happened, but I vividly remember bottling my emotions up and lashing out at her, gripping her arms so hard it made her bleed. The whole period we didn’t talk at all. For the next couple of weeks and almost to the end of elementary school, I apologized to her for my stupid action. We’ve lost contact with each other since she changed her phone number and moved to a different middle school. I wish I hadn’t done that to Audrey and if I could turn back in time I would have done anything to make it up to her. 

                      Moving On                

It just didn’t work out. Didn’t feel right. Bringing that uh-oh feeling in the back of my head. Overthinking each memory thinking maybe there was a potential, perhaps if I had done something differently or even tried a little harder it would have worked out. Possibly they would have come back or it was just that wasn’t meant to be. 

The first month, I felt atrocious. Maybe I can’t seem to get them off my mind. Every distraction reminds me of them even more. Peaceful nights may just be a thing of the past. At times I cried for hours and hours thinking about the future I thought we could have together. I had no appetite, the food that used to make me feel happy just tasted bland. Everything I did that used to be exciting felt so dull. I felt as if all my energy was sucked out of my body. Miserable and hopeless, I wonder how long it will take to start feeling like myself again.

Healing from a breakup took me months. I’m working to patch myself back together after everything. I wonder “ How long will this pain last?” Day after day I pick parts of myself up. I cried a lot in the beginning. Almost every day, the beginning was hard but here I am now. Independent and a lot happier than I was. And so I moved on. Filled with valuable lessons I’ve learned from it. 

                   Moving Houses

 After the end of my 7th grade in middle school. My parents thought it was a great idea to move to California. They initially started looking at houses at a good school near Fountain Valley, this was in April 2020. From then we flew back and forth from Minnesota to California to see open homes. My parents got to know some real estate agents very well and became friends with them. Some followed up and helped us find homes around the area and others didn’t. 

My parents also wanted to move house because they didn’t like the winter in Minnesota, despite my sister wanting to stay and live there for a few more years, after weeks of going to many open homes. We found an amazing neighborhood and a park near the street. Inside the big neighborhood were all Asians. My parents went out of the budget to buy the house we are living in right now. 

Funny story about finding this house, it nearly didn’t happen. If my parents didn’t have any friend connections through other friends. That day we spent the whole day looking for open houses and we were about to head back when one of my parent’s friends called my dad to check out this house that his friend was selling for a good price. 

                 Fortunately and unfortunately,

Fortunately, I ate a pizza. Unfortunately, someone stole my apple pie. Fortunately, I brought two apple pies. Unfortunately, my friend was sitting next to me so she snatched half of my apple and I only had half of the apple pie left to eat. Fortunately, we are near a restaurant. Unfortunately, we had to walk there because none of us can drive. Fortunately, it was 10 minutes away. Unfortunately, it was raining very hard today and none of us had an umbrella. Fortunately, a lady came by and gave me 1 billion dollars.

 Unfortunately, the money was actually fake. Fortunately, we built a tent out of the fake money and stayed in it for a week. Unfortunately, the tent was set on fire because a lighting struck our tent. Fortunately, we were aliens so we flew in the air and to the galaxy. Unfortunately, outside of the earth is very cold and we forgot to bring a jacket with us. Fortunately, we saw an abandoned spaceship. Unfortunately, the inside of the spaceship none of us knew how to drive. Fortunately, superman saw us and he brought us to his house. Unfortunately, his house was very boring. Fortunately, We got super man autographs and he has a cool gym. Unfortunately, the weights he uses are way too heavy for us to light anything or even to use. Fortunately, we could live in his house forever.