iDANCE

Every other year my dance studio Miss Harriet’s has our dance recital! This year it is called iDANCE. I am so excited this year more than any other year for sure. I have improved so much as a dancer. I have grown mentally and physically strong. Being a dancer means you have to have a certain kind of passion and determination, I learned all of this from my teacher Miss Katy. This year for my recital I am in lyrical, tap, jazz, and ballet. However it’s going to be a heck of a week because, our rehearsals are the week of finals. Having my luck, I have to go to every rehearsal. But I don’t mind, it is going to be so much fun. Lyndsay Vincent and I are both in jazz together and we have so much fun, but we drive our teacher crazy sometimes. I am just so pumped for this recital because I have grown so much as a dancer, it’s insane. Being on stage is what I love and dream to do. I have been dancing since I was two and half and I haven’t stopped yet. I have such a passion for it that is almost bad. I always want to dance, and I never want to stop. Having our annual recital makes me so happy inside because I get to perform what I love to do and make people happy with my gift. When I walk out on stage I have a rush of energy that is so amazing that I can’t even describe it. However I do have the occasional doubt. For instance I was going to give up dance this year. I felt like I was getting no where and I just wanted to give up. But my teacher made me realize that if I want to succeed in dance, I have to be positive and just stay focused and never get up on the dream. I have go through so much and dance has been my escape to be my self and really just let all my worries and emotions go. All of the girls that go there are my second family, we love all each other to death. Sadly I only have two more recitals. So I want to strive for a lyrical or tap solo. And I think that I can if I really put my mind, heart, and soul into it. In the end, I cannot wait for this upcoming recital to show my family, friends, and my friends family how much I have grown and show them the passion I have for my dance.

Big Fish!

I never knew that going to Canada was going to be such a big deal, I guess I was wrong. I remember coming to the Canadian border and this man came running at our car, I looked really closely, and the man was Mr. Fox, and along with Mr. Fox were other border control officers. They yanked our doors open and pulled my dad out first, then my mom, grandma, and then us kids. We had no idea what was going on, they threw us all in the stink, full, customs building. They took my dad and questioned him with my mom.

“Mom what’s going on?” I asked.

“SHHH!” she scolded me.

About an hour later a bright red ringing light went off, and so did the border police.

MOVE! MOVE! MOVE!” they yelled.

They came in with about seven people all in hand cuffs, and some were laughing.

"Am I in trouble?” said the oldest women asked.

I kind of laughed to my self because she knew she was in so much trouble

“Mr. and Mrs. Lopez, please come forward to the front desk”

Off went my mom and dad, while we were still sitting in the tiny room, and we weren’t allowed to talk.

“Now we are looking for a Jerry Lopez, he has been selling drugs; do you do any of this?”

I heard their conversation and it all made sense now; my dad’s name just had to be Jerry Lopez.

“No sir, I do not sell drugs”

After many hours of just sitting there we were finally let go. We finally got to go to out cousins house. We had about two more hours left of driving to get to her house.

“What took you guys so long?!” exclaimed Keri-Jane

“HAHAHA!” my mom laughed

“Oh what a day” said my dad.

Since this crazy day, we have not been to Canada.

Invisble War in the Congo.

Alexandria Lopez
February 11, 2010
English 5

The United Nations has to be more involved with the invisible war in Congo.


For many years now, innocent women have been getting raped by bands of soldiers, child soldiers, and militias. The United Nations can only send ten ambulances, because they can only fit ten women in them. This means the hospital can only help 3,600 women a year, which is not enough. The United Nations has to start helping more because they would be able to get more help for these women and little girls. I feel there is so much more to be done, and the United Nations is not doing anything.

The violence is so bad in the Congo is so terrible. The women who are getting raped by the vicious men, they are forcing the sons to rape their mothers, if the sons refused, then they would get shot. In some cases the drug crazed soldiers would pull triggers at the women, and use violence. Now, if the United Nations would help some more, and get mental help for the raped women, or get them to a safe place, less and less of this would be happening. United Nations could be able to get more ambulances to the girls, and women so they can get mental and physical help with the war in congo.