Hello all,
Next week, we will be starting Gene Luen Yang's graphic novel, American Born Chinese. The main plot-line concerns Jin, a young Chinese American boy, who moves to a new town and tries to fit in with those around him. In order to do this, he undergoes a series of changes, leading him on a journey of self-discovery and self-acceptance.
For this week's blog, you are being asked to reflect on a time in your life when you were a newcomer. Describe, in detail, a time in your life when you've been put into a new situation. How did you deal with it? What, if anything, did you do to fit in? Provide context.
Responses should be at least 300-400 words and are due by 3 p.m. Friday, 2/21/14.
A time that I felt like a newcomer was when I was in 7th grade and tested up to JV field hockey. Kassi and I decided to test up to JV in 2010. We made the decision together, because we didn’t want to be completely alone with no friends throughout a whole sports season. Three other 8th graders took the test that year and we all passed. We all kind of knew each other, but were completely new to an older version of field hockey and sports. For the first couple of days, and maybe even weeks, the five of us stayed together and didn’t really branch out to the other older players. The days when we split into JV and Varsity is when we started to get to know the people older than us.
ReplyDeleteI chose to fit in by showing my skills and playing to the best of my ability. I tried to prove that I was good enough to play with kids older than me. Whenever we had to partner-up, Kassi and I automatically were partners. This kept happening until Mrs. Conklin decided to make us play with different people. I spent time with another teammate and we helped each other and did drills together. Mrs. Conklin making us separate from people we already knew and taking us out of our comfort zone helped us improve and helped our team become stronger.
My techniques for fitting in only sort of helped me accomplish making new friends on the team. I needed someone else to step in and take the initiative of forcing us all together, which Mrs. Conklin, Chrissy and Jen all gladly did as our coaches. In the end, we had a pretty successful season together and all have played Varsity together as well. All of us that tested up and were on the team are friends, get along well and play sports together.
A time i felt like a newcomer is when i started my first day of school, i felt kinda awkward because i didnt really know anybody but how i dealt with is by talking to the other kids that were there and made new friends which helped me not feel like not so much as a newcomer.
ReplyDeleteIn October I was a newcomer when I started taking English 10. I missed about a month of the class and in that month the rest of the students had finished reading a book and had started book reports. I was a little overwhelmed when a packet of fifty vocab words was handed to me and I was told to finish it in a week. Not only that but I had Lord of the Flies too. I finished the book in a night. I had a lot of work to do, but I knew that taking this class was what I wanted. It was my choice and I was going to work hard. In the end the hard work would pay off.
ReplyDeleteI didn't exactly try to fit in but I did try to get as much help as I could. I went to Mr.T's during advisory and had my sister proofread just about everything I wrote. My sister was sometime helpful. Other times she was extremely annoying. On one occasion she gave me one of her old vocab packets to copy from. It was a nice gesture but her writing was absolutely terrible. She would also recommend books I should read. Her and I have the same taste in books so I'm glad that she did that.
I may have been a little paranoid at that time because I wanted to proof to myself and my teachers and my friends that I should be in that class.
I can now say that English is my favorite class. I love to read and write. I have learned more in this class than I ever have in any English class. Joining English 10 was the smartest thing I have ever done. I have learned so much and discovered some really great films in the process.
One time I felt like a newcomer was when I started working at Scott’s Lake House. It was my first serious job and I was told to waitress. I wasn’t really given that much instruction or told how to do anything, so the first day it was really awkward. I also felt uncomfortable because all of the other girls working there were a few years older then me. I tried to follow what they were doing, but it was difficult to fit in. It upset me a lot no one would really help me, so I talked to the manager and she put me in charge of kids club instead. That was a lot easier for me because I have more experience with kids. That’s what I did for the rest of the summer there.
ReplyDeleteI think it would be fun to waitress though, so I’m going to deal with the problem by going back to work this summer and asking the manager for more help. I really like working there and it would be even better if I could be doing what I wanted too. I think I would also be able to fit in better if I knew what I was doing and also it will be my second year, so I will have a little more experience then I did when I first started out. I hoping by the end of next summer I’ll fit in with everyone else.
I didn’t like being a newcomer, but I know it’s going to happen again in life so you just have to get used to it.
A time that I was a newcomer was when i went to volleyball camp. I didn't know anybody there. For the first day, I didn't really talk to anyone but the coaches. I just felt awkward being there without any of my friends. Everyone else seemed to have formed their own groups of friends already and i was just by myself. It was weird and I felt pretty lonely. The coaches tried to talk to me because they saw me by myself.
ReplyDeleteThe second day was a lot better, though. Right when I got there i saw this other girl by herself and we just started hanging out and became friends. We picked up a few more friends throughout the day. we got split up into teams for the tournament the next day, and I had some friends on my team as well. I was closer with my other friends, though. One of them asked me what grade I was going into and I told her tenth. She seemed kinda shocked, so I asked her what grade she was going into. She said she was going into sixth grade! She seemed a lot older than that though. Two of my friends were going into sixth grade. I had another that was closer to my age, though. After that I had a lot of fun at that camp.
I dealt with not having friends there by going out and talking to people. It was kind of hard to do for me at first because I’m so awkward, but it worked out in the end. In order to try to fit in, I tried to do my best while playing volleyball. I learned a lot at that camp and it was very helpful. I think making friends and overcoming my awkwardness really helped me.
ReplyDeleteI remember when I was six years old, I was a new comer to the sport of wrestling. It all began when my family was having a small get together. My mom asked me if I wanted to go down and watch one of the practices to see if I was interested. I was very nervous and I didn’t want to go. She bribed me with a Thomas Train and said if I just went to watch, she would get me a new one. I loved those trains, so I gladly accepted her bribe. The next time she went shopping, I went with her, so I could pick out my new train. I was so excited!
Later that week, I went to watch one of the practices. Back in those days, the practices were held behind the movie theater. I walked down the dark alley, which was always icy, with my mom and entered the wrestling room. When I walked into the room, the practice had already started. I did not know what to expect. I just sat and watched the practice being run. I watched all the big kids wrestle on the mats, but I had no idea what they were doing. I thought it was pretty cool and decided I would go to some of the practices.
When I went to my first wrestling practice, once again I was very nervous. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen. When I started the practice, I tried to do what the other kids were doing. It was very difficult and the coaches helped me out. After a couple practices, I got the hang of it and started to fit right in with the other kids. It became no big deal to go to those practices and I really enjoyed it. I am glad that my parents encouraged me to try something new (even though it may have taken some bribery).
~Dean
One of the times that I felt like a newcomer was just a week or two ago. This happened at sectionals for wrestling at the Binghamton University Events Center. It was there where I didn't necessarily feel like I belonged.
ReplyDeleteSectionals is a two day tournament. The first day, I won my first two matches. That means that I get to wrestle the second day in the semi finals. The kid I had in finals has beat me the last two times we have wrestled. I did beat him the first time we wrestled though.
The second day, we showed up and did the normal routine of weighing in and then eating. We usually just hangout in the stands and wait for the wrestling to start. When it came time for my semi final match, it seemed to take forever for my match to actually come up. I was in the waiting area for what felt like hours. My match finally comes up and I finally won in overtime. It was super exciting. I was very excited to be in section finals.
When the time came to get warmed up for the finals match, I felt out of place because everyone back there was getting all pumped and ready and Stephen and Dean and I, kinda just stood there. Dean was more used to it than us because he's been there before, but Stephen and I have never been in section finals before. There were some pretty big names in the sport of wrestling back there warming up and I kind of felt like I didn't belong with those types of wrestlers. It was time to line up so the announcer could announce the finalists and almost everyone was listening to music and getting focused but I was still kind of joking around and taking in the moment. Part of this reason was because there was no point for me to get warmed up because my match was one of the last matches of the night. It took a little over an hour for my match to come. I also had a state runner-up and three time section champion in finals. No one picked me to win the match and I didn't expect them to. I knew I had nothing to lose.
I felt like a newcomer on my first day of cross country practice. I didn't have much or any knowledge of running and I was afraid of my blood glucose levels going too low.
ReplyDeleteThe day started off like any other with me taking my blood, eating breakfast, etc.. Around 2:00pm I went to the school for my first day of practice. I was both excited and afraid. Practice started with a warm-up and stretches, none of which I was familiar with. After stretching, we set off on our run, we went through the woods by the school and went along the dike. Since it was my first time and I didn't know what I was doing, I carried a backpack with me in case anything happened. The extra weight slowed me down tremendously and I was very discouraged when I was the last runner to return. After our run, we cooled down and stretched.
On the second day I tried running without my backpack and improved greatly. I ran far less clumsily and with far greater speed. I moved up to the top three on the team on that day. My teammates and coaches were amazed by the sudden improvement and encouraged me to try harder. I kept trying my hardest and advanced from JV to Varsity in about one month's time.
The captain of our team didn't like when I outperformed him and tried to discourage me at times from trying my hardest. He told me to slow down during certain races and made fun of my stride. My coaches decide to put me in separate races from the captain and told me it would help me to run better. They were right because my time improved by nearly a minute and I placed several spots ahead of my captain when sectionals occurred.
This being my first year in Deposit I didn't know anybody on the first day. I recognized a few names that I had heard my dad talk about before but that's all. I've never been great at meeting people so i was pretty nervous.
ReplyDeleteDuring the first block of the day a started talking to the people around me and when we had the meeting in the cafeteria i sat near them. When we had to find a lab partner i had to go to with the only senior in the class but she was hardly ever in class and when she was in class she didn't know anything about what we were doing. When lunch came a group people invited me to sit with them so i went over and ate with them. Towards the end of lunch they told me to come with them to meet some of their other friends. I met a lot of people in band. We have a bit more free time to talk to one another and that got me better acquainted especially with the other trumpet players but also the other musicians.
The people i have met here have been very friendly so it wasn't that hard to actually meet them. I have had to step out of my comfort zone a little bit but in the end it is has been worth it. For the most part I haven't had to do much to actually fit in. All I had to do was find a common interest with my classmates. These things included music, games, books, and movies. This is probably one of the most important things when it comes to meeting new people. If you have some common ground with someone you will be able to talk about something and that is how you get new friends.
There was a time in life when I felt like a newcomer. It was kind of scary at first but after awhile I had gotten used to it. I felt like a newcomer when I joined: soccer with my best friend. We played in a different town and had to meet new people.
ReplyDeleteIt was pretty nerve racking For me. The first time I had no idea what I was doing and I didnt really know anybody. It was good having my best friend there with me. I got to meet a lot of great people that day. After a while I started to fit in pretty good and I got really good at soccer. Today I can say that its my favorite sport and im glad I got the chance to play.
Meeting new people is always hard because you never know if they are going to like you of if you're going to fit in good. I learned to be myself and I had fun with it so thats what counted.
Everyone on Earth is a newcomer to something at some point in their life. Being a newcomer can be scary. It can make you feel nervous and awkward. This is likely to happen to most people multiple times throughout their lifetime. One example of when I was a newcomer was on my first day of pre-school.
ReplyDeleteI was four years old. I didn't know anyone there. When we first got there, we all sat down and introduced ourselves. This made my experience a little easier. Throughout the day, I became much more comfortable around the other kids. When it came time for lunch, I had to choose where to sit. I sat with Ronnie, Dean, Colby, and Zach. I would say that was a wise decision because they are some of my closest friends today. After lunch, we all went to the playroom. This is where we could all do what normal four year olds do: play with toys, run around like maniacs, and be extremely loud. This first thing that I did was admire the jungle gym. It was massive. There was a slide, monkey bars, and tunnels that you could crawl in and out of. I got to play on it for what seemed to be a lifetime. The next thing that I did was go and play with all of the toys. Ronnie and I liked to play with the John Deere tractors. We would always crash into each other and run people over. That was one of the most fun days of my life.
Being a newcomer is almost unavoidable. Being friendly and outgoing will definitely help these situations become less awkward and easier to get through. Most of the kids that I went to pre-school with still go to school with me at Deposit High School.
Being a newcomer is an experience that nearly everyone at one point or another has felt. The feelings that dwell in each person differ, and each individual has a different way of expressing said feelings. These feelings usually consist of nervousness, excitement, fear, and worry.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the instances are rare, there are times when I have indeed felt like a newcomer to a different place or experience. One such situation was when Coach Diemer pulled me up to the Varsity basketball team. I, along with three other sophomores, was moved up mostly due to a lack of players on his team. Since I only played one year on JV and had very little confidence in my playing ability, I felt very inferior to the rest of my teammates and other teams’ players. Although I had a lot of fun, and we played great as a team, I didn’t feel as though I belonged.
To deal with it, I tried my hardest while practicing and playing. I also took in as much constructive criticism as I could, then applied it to my gaming and skills (or lack thereof). Even when I felt as though I didn’t deserve to be playing with my teammates, I did my best to try and just fit in and enjoy the game. I would mostly just listen and take in information that would be beneficial later on, especially during the next season. Coach, along with our two seniors, Gary and Matt, had a lot of helpful tips and pointers for me that will help in the upcoming season and overall gameplay.
So although nearly everyone, including myself, has or had felt like an outsider or newcomer at some point in their life, these emotions and feelings are what ignite the actions that strengthen bonds between friends or even create new ones.
Moving around a lot damaged my social skills to an extent of completely isolating myself and refusing to talk to anyone. Moving away from Deposit to Long Island was one of the best decisions, I feel, my parents had ever made. Moving there made me feel like a newcomer like I’ve never felt before.
ReplyDeleteI moved away before fifth grade and had to spend nearly an entire summer with no friends. During this time I played basketball at the local Youth Center next door to my house. Of course I wasn’t the greatest, or dare I say even relatively good, at the time, but a few kids who went there on a normal day bases introduced themselves to me. I didn’t know how to introduce myself to them, so I ran back home in silence. Looking back at it, it’s really kind of embarrassing. Regardless as the days went on and the kids continued to introduce themselves to me I slowly opened up to them, and they became some of the best friends I’ve ever had. To improve my social skills with my new friends I told jokes and tried to be that funny guy that everybody liked.
Surprisingly it worked very well, and I made even more friends. Regrettably I had to move back to Deposit, but as I told jokes and made friends with kids who weren’t friends with me before my time here became more enjoyable. I even learned that there were a few students who were here since I lived here years before that I had never known of.
I’ll never forget the guys who persistently put up with me when I lived in Long Island and made me the funny guy I am today. It was because of them that I have so many friends now and no longer feel like a newcomer. One friend even comes up and visits every now and again to hang out.
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ReplyDeleteI remember when I was eight years old and I had signed up to go to an overnight camp for five nights. The camp is called 4-H camp Shankitunk and I was very scared when I checked into my cabin with about ten other girls and my friend Megan. Although I had her I was still afraid because it was my first time ever being away from my parents for that long. It was very comforting having Megan there, but it was still scary.
ReplyDeleteEvery day I was there I was busy. The hardest times were at night because I wasn’t in my own bed and it just wasn’t home. I never cried because I didn’t really miss my parents it was just a long time to be away from them. You can go to this camp until you are sixteen years old and you can begin when you are eight. I felt like a newcomer because all the older kids had been to the camp before and I was just starting out. Everyone was nice at the camp and it my two counselors were really nice so I didn’t have to worry about mean people. The food was also spectacular so it was just like my regular home cooked meals.
Going to the camp was probably one of the best things I’ve ever did because it is a great camp. I still got the camp every summer, but now a lot of my friends go and I have made friends from going. Being a little kid with just one friend by you in a huge camp is a little intimidating, but it was okay because the camp was so much fun. If I didn’t go I wouldn’t have some of the friends I have today and I wouldn’t have the great memories that I have right now.
Olivia Strauss
I remember when I moved to Spencer, NY. I went to school there for a few months. It was really nice there. The first day I walked through the door everyone stared at my as I walked to the main office. I knew one person and I was lucky enough for him to find me in the main office as soon as I got there. He walked me around the school and showed me where all of my classes were. The first class of the day I had was English. I walked in and there was a group of girls that started yelling telling me to sit next to them. It was really weird but, I sat next to them because it was the only seat there was in the whole room. They started asking me a million questions. Where are you from? what’s your name? How old are you? Just so many questions. Not realizing it then but, that was the moment that I met my best friend. She was sweet as could be. Walked me to class. Every single class, along with my other friend Casey. I was lucky enough to have every class with her too. Lunch was what was really weird. I got my lunch and I had no idea where to sit. Spencer-Van Etten is a huge school, way bigger than Deposit. At Least 300 people just in the lunch room and they had three different lunches. Of course my new friend, Cheyenne, had lunch the same time as me. I got to sit with her and all of her friends. that school is weird though. Like at least 10 guys asked me out in the first week. They knew nothing about me. It was nice going somewhere new. I really started to like it there, then I ended up on having to leave. That really sucked.
ReplyDeleteA time that I was in a new situation and a newcomer was when I moved here last year. I didn't know anyone and I really didn't talk to that many people. I was a very say girl because this was all new to me. When it came to school I didn't really want to talk to anyone because I was scared on what people would have thought of me so I was just really quite and didn't talk to anyone. The two people I did talk to and were really nice were Jada and Katelyn. The way I had to deal with it was that I stared to talk to some people and make new friends but not all of it was easy it was still a bit hard because I didn't like it here so it took some time to get used to it like still now I’m not still used to living here because, there is a part of me that wants to move back to my old home. The things I did to do to fit in were being really nice to everyone and talk to everyone but not to be so clingy. This wasn’t easy because not everyone knew how I act because they didn’t know me so what I had to do was not act like myself because I didn't want them to think I was weird. But fitting in was the most hardest thing I had to do because I never had to do that before in till I moved here so I was a bit scared to it was all new to me. But after a whole year I was able to do it I made friends and some people like me and I’m not as shy as I used to be like I was last year.
ReplyDeleteIn eighth grade I was a new comer. That was the year I moved to Pennsylvania and had to go to a new school. My mom warned me before we moved that I was not going to be attending Deposit school anymore if we moved. We lived like one hundred yards from the New York border, so I just missed being able to go to Deposit school. At the time I was okay with it because I was excited for my parents because they were buying a house and because it was out of town and we can do a lot of things outside. We moved into the new house sometime in the beginning of March.
ReplyDeleteWe did not go to school for a like a week because my brother and I had to get enrolled first. I did not mind it so much until we actually started going to school. The school there was way different then Deposit. I felt kind of out of place because they all wore work boots and jeans all the time, but they were all still really cool kids. I started not liking living so far out of deposit so much because I missed all of my friends a lot and I never really hung out with anyone that much anymore. What also really sucked was that I couldn’t do my favorite sports, football and wrestling, unless I went all the way to Honesdale. But then I wouldn’t get home until really late. I had parties every once in a while and all of my friends from both Preston and Deposit would come. It was a huge change going from hanging out with my friends and seeing them every day, to only seeing them a couple times a week, if that.
The school was a huge difference. When I went to deposit I could wake up at 7:30 and walk to school and still make it on time. But what sucked about living right on the border of Pennsylvania and New York was that I lived so far from the school. The bus picked me up at 7:10 and I still wouldn’t get to school until about 8:15. Finally June came around and it was time for summer. I was so relieved to finally not have to go to that school anymore. We eventually moved back to Deposit around August so that I could go back to school with my friends be able to play football and wrestle.
Although moving to Pennsylvania sucked as much as it did, it was still a really good experience. I made a lot of new friends and Preston was really strict so it made me realize that Deposit school really is not that bad and we actually have it a lot easier than a lot of the students here think.
I felt like a newcomer when I first came to this school in 6th grade. Yes I knew everyone in my grade from like peewee football and baseball and such. I don’t like to be put in an environment that I’m not comfortable in. So that day came when I checked out the school and kevin latimer took me through some of his classes. I didn’t enjoy an of them I thought I was going to die when class ended and we had to walk to my other classes. The best part was lunch time I got a ton of food and had a great time with everyone. We played football outside for like 10 minutes, even though it was 10 minutes I had a great time with everyone.
ReplyDeleteI really hope that I never get put into a situation like that ever again because I think I could just lose it. Well now I’ve been going hear for 4 years and I love it I’m on the boy’s varsity football, basketball, and track team. I start on the football and basketball team my first year of football was a tough year. I literally thought I was going to get killed, those kids were some crazy boys I didn’t think I would make it out of that season alive. I almost didn’t play this season but I’m really happy that I did we had a good football team for once. Which deposit hasn’t had in a very long time, but toward the end of the season everything started to go downhill from there. We lost half the team due to stupid stuff they did, then are quarterback was the next one to go and he broke his shoulder. This was some times in my life when I felt like a newcomer.
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ReplyDeleteI have been a newcomer many a time in my day. The most awkward newcomer feeling I experienced was when I was ran away and joined the circus. Believe it or not, circus workers are not the friendliest crowd. Many of them have drug problems, and they are not very intelligent. I was in charge of cleaning up after the animals. I worked day in and day out to try to give these animals a good life, but every night the ring master would come into the stalls and take out all his drunken aggression on the animals. I was upset with the treatment of the animals I put so much hard work into, but I already felt left out as is, so I did not want to speak out against anyone. Luckily my father ran away with me to avoid my mothers, yes mothers, but soon after we arrived at the circus my father passed away from an unknown disease. Now I was filled with anger, between the sleezy carnies beating my animals, treating me poorly, and now transmitting some strange fatal disease to my father by means unknown, I was ornery. I saved up my money for years working around the clock. I eventually had $13.50 saved up and I had a plan. I went to the discount weapon surplus store and bought myself a mean letter opener and had 50 cents left to buy me a soda pop and fuel up for the nights work. Since I sold my shoes to the drug lord for 27 cents and a cactus root, my feet have grown quite calloused and manly. I took out my letter opener and sharpened it on my hardened foot. I went into the Ringmasters tent, stole his booze, and went on a rampage murdering everyone who showed any sign of opposition. I became master of the circus and made sure every new run away carnie had a warm friendly welcome at my gate.
ReplyDeleteI felt like a newcomer when I went to music camp at Sky Lake in Windsor the summer after eighth grade. Everyone in my cabin had gone to camp on the West Shore together when they were younger. This was their first time on the East Shore. I had never been to Sky Lake to camp. I didn’t know anyone but the counselors made an effort to make me feel welcome. I stuck with some people from my cabin and kept to myself when I was around different people. I felt like I might have fit in by the time the week was over.
ReplyDeleteIt was weird because the campers weren’t separated by age like they are most of the time in school. You were on the East Shore in the better cabins if you were going into high school in September but sixth to eighth graders were on the West Shore. Only one other person I knew went to camp with me that summer but she was on West Shore. I only saw her during the joint-shore activity, at the dance the night before the final day, and on the last night when the East and West Shores performed for the parents. I was the only one from Deposit there.
I spent some time with the other kids in my cabin. I didn’t feel so alone during the band rehearsals because one of the guys in the cabin—we were separated into different sides of the cabin, boys on the right looking at the front of the cabin, girls on the left; officially we were called “family groups”—was also in band and he played bari sax like me. I had decided to take the bari sax with me to camp that summer.
I had fun with the kids in my group for the joint-shore activity. We were having our own little Summer Olympics. I was in the swimming and each person in my group helped me figure out what I had to do.
Choir was also fun. The leader of the sectionals didn’t pay attention to any one person, but it was like I had Mrs. Turner for a conductor again. She said that the altos were the best section of the choir. The actual conductor, Loa, had us work on pronunciation, and it felt good when she said we did good, even though I didn’t think I could get through the afternoon activities without falling asleep.
All in all, it was fun. I didn’t feel so alone the next time I went because I actually KNEW some people.
ReplyDeleteThere have been several times in my lifetime that I have felt like a newcomer. One instance I have was when I decided to attend a trip to a horse show with some of my family members. This was a terrible time. There were many people I did not know and everyone had a horse to tend to.
Later that day the events began and I had not a clue what to do. I stood there looking dumbfounded until someone had directed me to the arena typed place where the events had began. I then proceeded to sit down and started to watch all the types of events. I still did not have the slightest clue of what the objectives of these events were.
After the first event I turned to my uncle and had asked him what the purpose of the event was. My uncle explained it to me and I still did not understand what the purpose was after he used all of his horse terms.
The next day of the event was even more confusing to me as the more complex events were held that day. This is insanely confusing as hardly anyone has a clue of what is going on. This was the absolute worst experience of my life. I then began to walk around the arena because I was clearly not going to understand what is happening.
The ride down was also awkward and made me feel like a newcomer. This was a very quiet ride for me while everyone else continued to talk. I did not enjoy this trip very much at all. The ride down to Philadelphia was very long and agonizing and I would not do it again. This was one time I felt like a newcomer. It was not enjoyable.
One time a felt like a newcomer was when all the men on Earth were terminated besides me. It was very difficult adapting to the way of the women. I remember thinking that they have very strict rules and acted much different than I had thought they would.
ReplyDeleteThe first time I realized all men had been terminated besides me was when I went to the bar on Sunday afternoon to watch the Cowboys verses Giants game. I walked in expecting it to be full of screaming sweating men, and was shocked to see the only person there was the waitress. I asked her where everyone was and she replied “good question”. After that I walked out and drove my car to my best buddy’s house I knocked on his door and he wasn’t there. I was really confused and didn’t know what to do.
I ended up driving down to the park to go for a jog. When I was running I couldn’t help but hear all the women talking about their missing husbands and boyfriends. This really caught me off guard, and then I realized I had to be dreaming. I pinched myself and I felt the pain which meant I wasn’t sleeping. This was reality all the men had been terminated, or disappeared out of nowhere. It was so weird I felt so out of place I was the only man left on Earth.
When the women realized this the quickly formed many new committees and even created a new government. The government was called a Sheocracy. It was very difficult learning to live in the women’s society. They didn’t drive anymore because they didn’t want to pollute the environment. They also had a gathering at noon, where everyone in each town has to get together and do each other’s makeup and get all fancy for the evening dinning. It was all awkward getting used to wearing dresses and heels. In the end it all worked out because I repopulated the world with plenty of little boys and girls.
I have not been a newcomer a lot in my life, so it can be a very difficult time for me to fit in. When I moved to Mars to join the alien civilization that was there, it was very hard to fit in and become one of the aliens.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first arrived on Mars, the aliens were very skeptical about me. I had a suit on that was similar enough to an alien that they didn’t know the difference. They didn’t want to accept someone who wasn’t one of their kind. They put me through two tests to see if I really was an alien. I had to pass a written test about their civilization to see if I actually knew everything about them. I had to pass a physical exam to make sure I had extraordinary strength and cardiovascular endurance. I had to pass both of them to be allowed in their civilization and I did.
Even though I was allowed in, I still wasn’t accepted. All the other aliens avoided me. If I sat near them at a restaurant, they would move away. When I walked down a street, they would make sure they were as far away from me as possible. When I tried to communicate with the aliens they simply walked away. I didn’t know what to do. I was very upset and lonely on the alien planet.
One day, a kind alien came up to me and started a conversation with me. I was shocked at first because it was the first time an alien had tried to communicate with me. He was very nice to me and we eventually became friends. He also introduced me to some of his friends whom I also became friends with.
Eventually I became very popular in the alien community. I acted myself and eventually the aliens started to warm up to me.
The time i felt like a newcomer was when I left Deposit and moved to Oxford NY. When I moved there I was kinda freaked out going to school going to a school with a bunch of people that i did not know. Trying to blend in was okay and trying to not be shy was the hardest thing ever. Going to a new school is a hard thing to do and it is very different.
ReplyDeleteAs you go on into a new school things get better you actually start talking to people and getting new friends. There are going to be people that are going to be strange to you but you learn to be who you are. When you go to a new school you would pretty much do anything to fit in with a bunch of people that you really do not know yet. Trying to make friends is really not that hard but the hardest thing you have to do is having enough courage to walk into the school everyday and remember that it is a new day.
After you have been at the new school for a while you get used to things and you start to become closer to people and become close friends with those people that you would be scared to meet. Going to a new school is not an easy thing to do but it is something you have to do and have to continue on with.
I was once a newcomer in 4th grade, I moved to Pennsylvania and started school where I didn’t know anybody. I didn’t talk to anybody either, I saw everyone talking about me but that was just because I was new. I had a few people come up to me and want to be friends. They were very nice and they showed me around. By the end of fourth grade I made a lot of very nice kind friends, In the Beginning of 5th grade I wasn’t as shy as I was in fourth grade because I knew most of the people in my grade. I had a few really good friends that i talked to everyday. By 6th grade I wasn’t shy and I didn’t really want to change schools again. I stayed there for three years and by my third year of going to school there I made a lot of friends. After living in Pennsylvania I moved to Deposit when I was in 7th grade starting school here wasn’t that bad I knew a few people and a lot of people already knew my name n they knew I was coming. My first day of school I had a bunch of people help me by showing me around. The longer I was here I noticed how much drama was in this school that I didn’t want to be involved in. I thought that it was a small school compared to all the other schools I went to. At first I was really shy but now I’m not as shy as I used to be. I’m still quit but not as much, now I know a lot of people here and I been here for four years. I know that I’m going to become a newcomer again because I’ll be switching schools again.
ReplyDeleteThe time I felt like a newcomer was when I moved to Deposit, NY. I moved to Deposit the year I turned 12, it was very hard for me. At that age I already had close best friends that I wanted to spend my high school years with. I did not want to leave my home town and the only school I had been to I was not ready for change.
ReplyDeleteThe first day I started at Deposit School was not as bad as I seemed it would be. I did not want to start school afraid that people would treat me different and not accept me. I was very nervous and shy at first the staff and students made me feel welcome. After a few weeks I was already used to the school and almost everyone in it.
Starting a new school always seems to be horrible. The first few days might be very hard but things do get better, sooner or later you will begin to fit in. After a while people will get used to you, and you will get used to them. Just focus on school work and eventually you wont have to worry about switching schools because you will graduate.
One time I felt like a newcomer. I felt like a newcomer when I tried out for a basketball team in Norwich when I was in 6th grade. I didn’t know anybody because Norwich isn’t exactly a neighboring city. I ended up making the team because I’m awesome but I felt alone at times because everyone was new to me and they all kind of knew each other so I tended to keep to myself throughout the beginning of the season. It took about a tournament and a number of practices until I started to feel comfortable while I was with the team.
ReplyDeleteTo try to fit in I tried to show how my strengths in practices and in games as a way to gain respect. Apparently that worked because after a few practices I was befriended by a player much more than the others. He helped me with drills that we ran and we would always be partners. He was the leader of team so when he reached out to me it made the others start to reach out as well. So I guess one of my techniques I used to try to fit in was I tried to show my skills which made one of the leaders on the team accept me and as his own. Just as a kangaroo will house a meerkat in need in its pouch. So that player, the kangaroo, with his pouch, housed me the meerkat, when i was in need.
The technique i used kind of helped me meet new people and feel comfortable. This technique however was only a small part. If it were not for that other player I may would have went the entire season feeling like an outsider or not exactly part of the team. After I started to feel comfortable with them and they felt comfortable with me we all became great friends and developed a chemistry which helps a lot on a basketball court.
~Jaden Winans
Everybody feels like an outsider or new comer at some point in their life. These times may be very hard, but you have to keep looking forward. I have had many times of these time during my life.
ReplyDeleteThe main experience i had with this was when I started working at the school pool this past summer. It was my first legitimate job I have ever had. I have worked with my dad for a long time refinishing furniture. There was nothing awkward about this because he is my dad, and it just seemed like any other time I was with him. But when I started working at the pool it was with people I wasn't as close to. But I was lucky because I had my coach, Jordan. He also worked there. He made it much easier to bond with the other workers. Another benefit I had is that I had Ryan and Chloe to work with, it was also their first year too. They made me feel like I really wasn't a newcomer. I became closer with them and it made the whole summer a lot easier. There were also other older lifeguards that have been working there for a few years now. They were all very nice and took me under their wing. I became their newborn infant that just popped out of the womb, and they were the doctor holding my newly born body. With this job there was, I had to be serious and firm. Many people that know me personally know that I am laid back and like to have a fun time. This was completely different for me. This was a new feeling, which contributes to being a newcomer. But this way of being, made me a better person. It helped me be more successful.
Many people think that being a newcomer is a bad thing. I feel like it makes you stronger,and it all around makes you a better person.
The time I felt like a new comer was when I first started dancing at Windwood Hill Dance Academy. The only person I knew was the teacher. She was very nice and did some activities for us to get to know each other.
ReplyDeleteThe first activity is what people normally do on the first day. We went around in a circle saying our name and saying what school we got to. In the class there three schools that people went to, Montrose, Susquehanna, and only one for Deposit. I have the farthest to travel to dance, 40 minutes depending on who is driving and what route we take.
The second activity was to get in a group in the corner. The people who went to Montrose School got in one corner and the kids from Susquehanna got into two other corners, and i stood alone in the corner by myself. She told a few other kids to come stand with me. The next instruction was to do some sort of jazz move to the center and then strike a pose. Some how we were supposed to end up kind of connected together. It was fun.
While waiting in the corner the guy in my group came up and talked to me. His name is Dustyn, and he is really nice. We talked about dance and what classes we had and talked about the advanced classes at dance. A few more people came up to me in tap class and talked with me. In jazz class there were some people from tap and they stood next to me. The ones who weren’t in tap class were really annoying and I didn’t really want to talk to them. This one girl came up to me and was being mean, but she said that’s how she makes friends. I don’t really like her or talk to her.
Now in tap and jazz class I’m almost friends with everyone. I mainly snapchat Dustyn. I’m sometimes nice to the girl who tried making friends with me by being mean. My grandma and aunt were really good friends with my teacher, and she and I have sort of made a friendship.
There has been many times that I have felt like a newcomer. I think the first time that I really felt like an outsider or newcomer was when I went to French Woods Performing Arts Camp. My first time I went there was in 2012. I was originally suppose to go with Veronica, but she was not able to go with me so I felt extremely nervous.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first got to camp I was put into bunk G13A, and I got to meet some of the girls in my bunk, but they seemed really stuck up. I stayed in my bed for the first day until dinner. I was extremely homesick for the first week I was there.
After the first week or so I started to talk to the girls in my bunk and realized they weren't stuck up at all. They were actually a lot of fun to be around. I celebrated my birthday while I was there and I was scared no one would even remember my birthday, but they did. They even made an announcement at dinner for me. They are some of my best friends now. I even ended up going back last summer, and I made even more friends. I had the time of my life.
I made a lot of new friends at camp. My friends and I still keep in contact on Facebook. Even though my first year at camp was really rocky, it was the most fun I had in a long time. My friend Cassie, GG, Kayla, and Makeda are my closest friends. In my second year it was Makeda's first so I tried my best to help her out because I remembered how it felt my first year at camp. Now Makeda and I are best friends, we text and Facebook all the time. My friend Kayla is the reason I didn't leave camp my first year. She is one of my best friends, she is always here for me. Even though she lived in Hancock I never knew her until camp, and now we are really close friends.
Sometimes being a newcomer isn't bad. You just have to get out of your comfort zone and make new friends. You may end up liking it, and having the time of your life like me.
~Shawna Mills
There are many times in my life where I have felt like an outsider. Times like these can be awkward and difficult to get through. One example of this is when I was in kindergarten for the first day. Sometimes when you don’t feel comfortable you try to fit in and that is what happened in kindergarten.
ReplyDeleteI had to ride the bus in that morning because my dad thought it would be a good idea for me to get used to the bus ride and the bus ride was awkward because I didn't know anyone on the bus. Then when I got to school, I didn't really know where my class was so I was wondering around and looking for a teacher to talk to and ask where my class room was and I had to get one of the teacher's to help me to my class. My mom got upset when I couldn’t find my class because she was going to take me to school that day but I ended up finding my class.
When I got in Mrs. Baxter's class I was really scared. I didn't have any friends because I was shy. But then I realized that there was another person that was shier than me and that was Shawna. She couldn't even raise her hand to go pee. So I became friends with her and helped talk to the teachers and I made my first friend. Then Shawna introduced me to Michelle and I started making friends.
Sometimes things can get scary when you don't know where you are. Sometimes you have to do things to fit in and what I did was talk to someone and I made a friend. Things can always get better if you have a friend to help you through it. Especially when it comes to kindergarten.
The first time I felt like a new comer is when I entered high school because there were other people from other districts entering so I stuck with the people I knew in my old school and staying with in my old class mates I missed out on hanging with people at parties and I only when if someone I knew went to the party it probably was because moving up mad me fell insure so I didn’t make much finds I associated with them at times but didn’t fell complete safe it was a tad bit tariffing I was involved in sports but never communicated to other people just there to play sport and win so it made me feel like an outsider with ever thing and it wasn’t the best felling in the world that was the only time in my life I felt like an out side
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