Friendship in College
I have always been in the same school, Stoneham schools so I never thought that I had to make new friends or worry about it, since even though I moved from elementary to middle to high school the class moved with me. However, college was different – I didn’t know anyone at MIT before I got admitted, so I hoped that I could fit in and make new friends. Since it has always been hard to make new friends, I had a few zoom calls in the summer to meet new students. Although it helped at the start of the year, I wasn’t able to keep in touch with any of the people I met in the summer soon after classes had started.
However, I met some amazing people in my dorm, including my floormates. At first, it didn’t feel like I would be able to develop a close relationship with them but over time we got to know each other better. I also met some other people they know and got very close to some of them.
My friends are very supportive and caring. They help me whenever I need help while hanging out with them. Apart from joking with each other, we are able to share personal thoughts and feelings with each other. I tell them about my issues and experiences in college and listen to theirs.
I mostly meet them in the dining hall. Talking to them during dinner gives me a nice break from studying. We also do other activities on the weekends like seeing each other perform in plays and dance shows. During those events, my friends walk with me, and help me go to our seats in the theater. During the last few days of the year, I stayed there after until my exams were done primarily to be with my friends. It was so fun to be at college without work. During the year, I never had time to go outside of campus. However, I biked outside of campus a lot with my friends over the last few days. It was a new experience, which felt slightly uncomfortable at times like all new experiences. However, my friends helped me a lot and I had so much fun!
I will try to keep in touch with my friends in the summer because I know that good relationships are important for me, especially since I am living alone. If I did not have such wonderful friends in college, I would feel very lonely and my year would have been boring. When I heard that my friends were changing rooms next year, I wanted to switch rooms too even though my current room was very big and next to the only handicap bathroom in the dorm. I think that I will be able to figure out how to live alone in my new room as long as I have my friends to support me and give me company.
My Sweet Sixteen
My birthday is right at the beginning of December, which is perfect because it gears me up for the holiday season although sometimes I wish that it was near the summer when it is warmer. Nevertheless, birthdays have always been a day of fun, surprises, and celebration for me.
This birthday was no different in terms of fun and surprises, however, a 16th birthday just has its own special feeling – the feeling of sweet 16. The feeling that puts one in a dreamy, starry night thinking about the excitement of the years ahead!
My birthday was on Sunday, but it all started two days early. A Friday evening with a hibachi dinner with a few of my friends in Tulips – one of my favorite restaurants close to my home. We had a great experience seeing all of the food being cooked right in front of us. Then came the cake with a special flower-shaped candle that played music while opening up. I loved it! I also received many gifts which were like an icing on top of a cake – a lovely teal sweatshirt and a nice phone handbag! When I came home, my parents had made 2 posters with a collage of family pictures and lined them with pieces of tape that had several bright colors and patterns.
The next morning was a surprise by my parents but as we were driving I kept thinking about what it was. Seeing the long drive and the big suitcase, I was guessing Great Wolf Lodge, a place I wanted to visit for a long time because I had heard of the amazing waterpark filled with many slides, and of course, my parents knew that I wanted to go there. To my 50% surprise and 50% hope, we reached there! ‘YAY!’ I and my brother shouted. Upon entering, I saw that the place was filled with Christmas decorations which exceeded my imagination. Now, I was happy that my birthday is in December! We immediately changed and went into the waterpark. I was so excited to see all of the fun activities. First, we got ourselves warmed up in the wave pool. Having cool water being splashed on my face seemed so fun to me. I stood in surprise when the big bucket of water suddenly fell on me. Then we went to slides without tubes which I eagerly waited for. Once we got up, I laid on my back and stared at the water coming from above as I quickly slid down the slide. Then we went to the long slides with tubes which had always been my favorite because of the extreme thrill that they provided. I screamed all the way through the twist and turns! The closed slides were the best because once I entered, I had no way to find out where I would go next. To end the day, we took a couple of laps around the “lazy” river in which I let my brother take me through all of the areas in which water was flowing from above.
We spent the next morning at the waterpark again, but we explored some other activities for the rest of the day like cookie decorating, mini golf, and bingo. We also brought a huge jar of jelly beans with different flavors which I had never tried before. However, my favorite activity was MagiQuest which is a live action role playing game in which I needed to use clues to find several items in order to get a special ingredient to help the main character. In my case, I needed to deliver a secret potion to the princess so that she could get better. It was very fun to be like a detective and search all around the entire area. Some of the clues near the end were very challenging because the objects were placed in unexpected locations, so the game never got boring. Also, it was an unique experience to be actively involved in the story rather than just being an outsider who is hearing it. After finishing the game, we were finally given the title of “Master Magi” which was a great ending to the fun-filled weekend!
I loved my 16th birthday celebration with my friends! 
My Adventures on Obstacle Courses
Obstacle courses are a great way to challenge myself in fighting against CP and what others usually think about people with CP. I have done a few obstacle courses so far with my family. Although they are quite harder for me than many people, I still have a lot of fun in doing them. Also, I may not be able to do the harder ones, which even my brother could do in one or two years. However, I only compete with myself in these things and I am able to do much more than when I was 6.
My interest in obstacle courses began with Monkey Trunks, which I did about five times. I don’t remember the exact age I was when I started them, but I was probably somewhere in between 5 and 9 years old. Anyhow, in case you have never heard of Monkey Trunks before, it is a branch across US. The closest one is at New Hampshire. It has obstacles ranging from very easy to very hard. I used to struggle with the easiest ones which was designed for a five year old. From what I remember the obstacles which I could do included ropes and little wooden pieces on a long block of wood. I needed a lot of help and suggestions about which way I could go through the obstacles. My favorite part were the ziplines. Monkey Trunks gave me a good foundation on obstacle courses and helped me conquer larger and more difficult obstacle in my pre-teen and teenage years.
In seventh grade, my dad began doing some obstacle races with his friends and family. One time he did one with me and my cousins, which was designed for ages 12 and up. Although I was 12 years old, he said that it was too difficult for me to do. However, I came with my brother and mom to watch him. The places had a mini ½ a kilometer race for kids aged 6-11 and also for kids with disabilities. Me and my younger brother did it after my father finished his race. They had several volunteers to help us. There were several hurdles and ladders to climb up and down. I did use some help from the volunteers, but I was able to finish the race. My volunteers were very proud of me, since most of the other kids had other disabilities (cognitive etc) and were able to do much more than me physically. When I finished the race, I got a medal and T-shirt. Yay!
In October of seventh grade, I did a 5K obstacle race with me parents, which was called Grit ‘N Wit. It was my first 5K race and I was really excited.
Slideshow of the photos from my Grit ‘N Wit race:
Sand Sculpting Festival
Sand sculpting festival
My family and I went to the annual sand sculpting festival at Revere Beach. It showcased different sand sculptures from all over the world. Immediately after I entered the festival, I heard spectacular and preppy music. I also saw mini shops selling multi-cuisine food and extremely tempting desserts such as fried dough. There was a wonderful band dressed in Caribbean t-shirts. In addition, there was a line of trucks with enormous screen which displayed advertisements of what they are selling. The use of technology is increasing so quickly: I have never thought that I would see screens on trucks before. Speaking about cultural diversity, it seemed like people from the whole world had come here to see their country’s sculpture.
