Essential Me

           The essentail me. What is the essential me? Who am I? My birth certifate states that I am Ashley Lyn Stewart however, who is Ashley Lyn Stewart? If this is me...then I can accomplish me to be whatever I desire to be. Therefore, I would start out by saying I am a curious person. Curious in many ways including the curiousity of what I someday will be. But for now, I am a simple person living an adventurous, fun life accomplishing things I set out to be. A well rounded person who has stepped foot on an abundance of different journeys never saying no to another great opportunity to see somthing different or compelling, is who I am. I dont say no to clambering up the next slope to be apprised of what lays beyond. Whether it was scuba diving with great sea turtles well prospering to aquire my deep water diving ticket or building houses and orphanges in third world countries, adventure is always my five star choice. I dont say no to helping someone with whatever they may need. I don't say no to taking a risk that may lead to a plenitude of opportunity and laughter. However, I do say no to tomatoes and raw fish.
  
         So what comes next? Who will know? No one will know except for that person who holds that name on that june 23rd ,1995, baby girl, birth certificate. That person is me. I will keep all my doors open at all time and welcome others to inspire me and guide me. However, I will make decisions based on the happiness it will bring upon me and my life. I will say no to boring repetative paper work for an extended amount of time. I will say no to throwing plastic in the garbage and not recycling and composting when I can. I will say no to drugs. However, I will never ever say now to an ice cream cone or a piece of cheesecake.

        The essential me is what I pursue to set out to be.

The Long Way Gone

       When I think of an average thirtheen year old boy, images of video games, magazines, sport gossip, and skateboards scatter my mind. Considering the fact that they are kings of their hometown middleschool with no worries on mind except the next cute girl to date for a week or the unecessary squables of who should be team captian, it is evident these boys dont have much responsibities to take care of. However, the simple lifestyle does not take place in every part of the world. The epiphany of reality sets in as the pages are turned unraveling the story of Ishmael Beah, a thirteen year old boy living in Sierra Leone.

       First of all, spending my spare time with my friends finding any rap out their that isnt even in my language doesnt seem like the usuall for us teenagers in Canada. Perhaps though its not to bad for the the kids in Sierra Leone who have nothing compared to what we have here.  To even listen to music, not caring about if its the the newest top forty or the next rappers that will be on top, sets a glow on their faces for it is the coolest thing ever to them. Their is no such things as brand names that make you so called "popular", or the whole idea of dreading going to school most likely doesnt happen in a place where going ot school is the greatest gift a kid could have in a place where this boy lives. All in all, life over in Sierra Leone is drastically different then over here except Ishmael Beah is simply just a young teenage boy living his life day to day.