"Africa" By David Diop

Person I Love:
I love my niece Isabella Elizabeth Murillo-Hook. :) She means everything to me. My niece brings me happiness everytime she comes around me. Even though she can be really cranky because her teeth coming in.(Hahaha :D) I think she is the cuttiest baby ever!!! Isabella is so silly and she is adavnced in a lot of things for her age (She's 8 months).

"First Confession" by Frank O'Conner (Ireland)

                                                       

The story was about how this boy didn't want to do his first confession because his sister always told him bad things about it. He thought if he told the priest everything that bad things would happen. He tried killing his sister and grandma with a knife because he thought they were mean and he would always speak his mind of what he thought. His grandma would always tell him bad things of the church and he didn't like that. The first time he went to confession he went with his sister. She was telling him that he had to tell him every single thing that he did wrong in his life. When he got to the church he went into the booth. When he went inside he saw the pillow part where you put your elbows when you pray. But he thought it was for his knees, so he started climbing to put his knees on it. The priest was mad because he wasn’t making any scenes. It was too long so the boy fell out of the booth and lands on his back. Everybody that was sitting outside was shocked. So the priest made everybody go first and have him last so that he could talk to him more. The boy told him everything that he did including how he wanted to kill his sister and grandma. The priest was surprised but at the same time he understood him. Finally he just told him to pray two Hail Mary’s.

                                           
The church I go to is called St.Adalberto. It’s super big and it has a few statues of saints and Mary, also has paintings of saints. Then the Stations of the Cross go around the church.  The activities that my church does are like joining a group, but it depends, there are groups for men, women, or teenagers. And they go on retreats and celebrate special days of the Catholic Church. During the services we pray, sing, take the bread and wine and go home.  My church’s beliefs are believing in the resurrection of Jesus and praising God.

                                            

"The Handsomest Drowned Man in the Wrold" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Colombia)

I thought that the story was kind of funny because everybody in the village was over exaggerating about this man that floated onto their village, I mean okay I would be shocked too but not be all over him, dressing him, making him clothes, or even falling in love with him. The men at first felt jelous because they woman were only paying attention to him but when they got to see him too, they understood why they were all over him. At the end they got the most important people from there village to throw him back into the water. But they said if he wanted he could come back if he wanted to. They named the big drowned man Esteban because he looked like an Esteba to them.

A lot of people say that they don't want their family to be sad when they die. But for real for real I want everybody to cry for me and be super sad becasue I want to know that I am missed and they a lot of people loved me. I have never been to a funeral so I wouldn't know if its similar. This story reveals that Latina Americas' attitude tword death is more meaningful then others becasue they make it seem like they were still alive and treat them with like more respect.

"The Youngest Doll' by Rosario Ferre (Puerto Rico)

The Youngest Doll story was not so scary but it was weird because why would a aunt make dolls for her nieces every single year...and make them look like they do in real life. That's is pretty weird and not noraml. But i think it started all from when the bug  thing bit her leg. it was curable but the doctor just wannted to get money off of her. So she could of been a normal aunt and be wit her nieces, but it didn't happen because of the doctor. The youngest niece was fianlly going to get married to the doctor's son. So the woman made her a doll for when she got married, she even put the nieces real teeth.of when she was a little girl to make her look even more realistic. The doctor didn't let his wife do anything but sit outside and look pretty so that everyone could see what a beautiful wife he had. At the end he seen her in bed and sleeping but he noticed that she wasn't breathing, so he turned her over and checked her heart but all he could hear was water and then pronds were coming out.

The last timei was scared form a movie was when i was watching Paranormaol Activity I for real couldnt sleep for like a week becaue I would keep thinking that a deaon was going to pull me out of bed, or a deamon was going to go in me or one of my family members. I thinik the movie was so scary because they make it look so real and they make it seem like it actually happened. But at the end I knew they were lying becasue they had like 3 different endings. A lot of things that movies have in commen is that they make a huge pause of silence and then all of a sudden something scary pops up and scares me!

"The book of Sand" By Jorge Luis Borges (Argentina)

   The story was in Argentina and their were mostly in a house. Their was this old man trying to sell Bibles to another man at his house. But the guy already had Bibles so he said no. Then the old man was showing him the book of sand. He started explaining to him that there was no begining to the story, and no end. The guy was confused and didnt want to beleive him. But then he started lookinf for the begining and end and there was nothing...just more pages kept coming up. Then he bout the book. he didn't want anybody to know about tyhis book because he knew that thery would try and steal it from him. So then at the end he didn't want it because it was making him go crazy because he just wannted to keep reading it and wannted to get to the end. but he never did. So he took it to the library where he worked and put it in a shelf so that nobody could see it.

Now a days people are absessed with the internet. Becasue since people can find many many things on there. They just want to keep on going and looking through everything.

"No Dogs Bark" By Juan Rulfo (Mexico)

        

    The region the world it's from is Mexico. Where they were, was a climbing a mountain because they were trying to get to another town. So that Ignasio would get treated for his sickness. Ignasio's father was carrying him on his shoulders because he couldn't walk. Even though Igansio was not being a good kid to him in the past. but his father promised his wife that he was going to take care of him if he needed it.

    I think I'm going to be a good patrent becauase I don't think I'm going to be like MY parents. They are super strict and I think I'm going to be more understanding if they want to go out with their friends or do stuff on the weekends. If my teenage child is a brat then I'm not going to let them do what they want. They have to know that I'm their mother and they have to respect and listen to me. When my child misbehaves I'm going to take things away from them. Or just not let them do what they want and they're going to be locked in their room untill they learnt o act like a good young person. I think I would be a little similar to Ignacio's Father because since their my kids then abviosly I'm going to love them and care for them even when they make bad choices or are mean to me.

-Maritza M.