My First Time in a Hospital
Mary

I was five years old when I first went to a hospital. I had tonsillitis so I had to have them taken out. I was pretty scared and tired. We left our house at about 6:00 a.m. When we got there a go-cart came to our parking spot and took us into the hospital.

Inside the waiting room I was playing a little game [I forgot what it was called] and I cut my finger. I was screaming so loudly one of the nurses came and took me to pick out a Band-Aid. Then it was time for the operation.

In the operating room they had a balloon that you breath in and it would make you go to sleep. The doctor said take three deep breaths, so I did. After I fell asleep they put a thing in my mouth to make it stay up. When the operation was finished the doctors said I had been sleeping for the past three hours. Then my parents came in and I was moved to a room were I could watch movies and play games. Then I complained of a sore throat, so the nurse brought me and my sister popsicles.

When we left a man who worked at the hospital wheeled me out to my parents’ car.

When we got home I was very sick, and I had to stay home from school for ten days. My kindergarten class made me get well cards and my teacher sent me a book. My grandma sent me a big box full of stuff including the new movie that was out Pocahontas.

When I went back to school everybody was glad to see me, and I was glad to see them. I’m glad I never have to do that again.

Moving to Michigan
Jerry

When we were in Mexico I always wanted to come to Michigan. We didn’t have enough money so we came to Michigan. It was really cool so my dad tried to find work. So we saw a sign that said Orchard. We went there and we asked a man that if we could get work and he said ‘’yes’’. So my dad asked him if we could get a house. The man said that we could get the one on the top of a small hill. So we had to live there.

The days passed by and we had to go to a school. My dad tried to look for one and he found one that said onekama. So he had to choose that one. The first day that I went there it was really scary because I didn’t know how to speak in English. I got really scared because it heard like if they were talking like in French. Then I didn’t want to stay there because it was really scary. Th e next day it wasn’t that scary because I was learning how to speak in English.

When I got out of first grade I knew how to speak in English. I was getting some new friends. They were really nice to me. Every thing was going so perfect. It was really fun playing with my friends. We liked to play tag. Now I can live a nice place. ‘MICHIGAN IS MY FAVORITE PLACE’.

My first Major Play
Clyve

The first major play I was in was at the Ramsdell Theatre. At the first auditions there were only a few kids there. But the next night, there were a ton of people!

Then the next day, after school, my mom had some news, "I got a call from Nancy, (Nancy is one of our directors) she said she has our parts!" First she told my brother his part, then me….

It turns out- I didn’t believe this at first- that I got the main roll for the boys! I was so excited! I couldn’t wait till the first rehearsal.

At the first day we split into two groups, one group each night. The next day was the first real practice. It was kind of fun, but all we did was read from our scripts. The next day it was my brother’s group’s turn.

When the play The Nutcracker was over we could use the stage, it was a lot better. Within a few weeks we had our first performance… and it was great!

My first hamster
Carmen

Last year I got a real live hamster. It started when my mom went to get groceries. My mom came home around noon. She brought a white box in to my room. At first I was afraid because it moved and made a weird noise.

I opened the box and found a little creature inside. It looked scared. My mom told me it was a boy hamster and the only one that color. I looked at him and said I would call him Patches because he looked like someone sowed him up.

That night he gnawed for a very long time. I thought he was trying to get out. The next morning I asked my mom why he was trying to get out. My mom said he wasn’t trying to get out he is shorting his teeth. I also asked why he played at night and slept in the daytime. My mom said he was nocturnal. I asked what nocturnal meant. She said that it meant to sleep all day and play and work all night.

Patches was a light gray and white. After a month his fur turned a brown then some cream color, but his fur stayed soft like down.

I like my hamster. I still have him. He has changed color, but that does not matter.

The First Fish Tank
Zach

We had our first fish tank a couple of years ago, from a place in Manistee. I was so excited, so happy. We set it up in the living room. We bought fake plants and some fish I think the fish were 2 neon tetras, a polcosimes, a beta, which is an aggressive fish, and some guppies. The tank was a 10-gallon tank; it was big enough for the fish to swim around in.

All fish tanks get dirty, and ours did. So we had to clean it, we put all the fish in a bowl, and my betta was hungry and swam over to the tetra and plucked the tetras eye rite out of its socket. My brother was mad, real mad. After a week or so he got over it.

Then we got cats in the house. That was a mistake. The cats were so cute so cuddly so nice, you wouldn’t think they would never hurt a thing. But they did. One day we came home from school and we took off our bags and our coats. We went to look at the fish and all the fish were dead, fried. The cats were so innocent, but they thought the temperature knob was a toy and fried the fish. The tank smelled terrible, it almost made me throw up. So the cats had to go out to live in the barn. Now only one cat is alive.

Now John and I have a fish tank in each of our room, we both have our own fish. So now no fish will eat each other’s eyes and no cats will fry the fish.

The Chair Lift
Andy

The first time I went on a chair lift I was at Crystal Mountain. I had been going down the bunny hill and I kind of got bored of it. So I said, "Mom can I go on a different hill?"

She said, "Are you sure you want to?"

And I said yes.

Then we stared to go to a chair lift that had a green hill on it. We got in line. I was scared half to death as we got on, but the bar held me down and I knew I was safe. It was a long scary ride up, but it was also fun. We got to the top and I was scared again because I didn’t know how to get off. Somehow we got off, but I think I fell down. I can’t remember.

We started down a green level hill, a really easy one. It wasn’t easy yet for me because I hardly had any practice and I fell down a lot, but my Mom kept on helping me up. I saw some jumps, and I didn’t dare to go near them. Then I looked ahead and I saw a jump strait in front of me! I hit it and fell down of coarse. We finally got to the end and I though it was thrilling, but scary to.

When I got home I thought it was very fun. I told my dad about it and he thought it was cool. I liked it so munch I go every year with the school. I go with all my friends. I hope to pass the black level this year.

My sheep Bob
Julie

I once had a sheep. His name was Bob. I got him from my Uncle Charley. His wool was as black as the blackest coal. When he would go baaaa it would echo through the air.

I had to train him by my self but my mom helped me a little so I could learn how. It was not E-z to do. I had to learn how to put on the harness. It can be hard if you don’t know what you are doing.

I had to keep him away from my sisters sheep cause they seemed to like each other and when the fair would come we could not be together. When I got to the fair I was a little nervous. But I had fun my mom said I did a very good job and I agreed with her. I do not remember what place I got I don’t think I even got a ribbon cause it was my first time.

After the fair I gave bob back to my Uncle Charley. I missed him. So my mom would let me go see him until he died. Either of old ages or he was butchered. However I was a little girl so I do not remember but as long as I have memories that is all that matters and I have pictures so that makes it even better.