their voice need to be heard
a journal that changed my perspective..
the day my aunt visited me ...
It all started when aunty Bauea visited me. During her visit she mentioned something like, who knows you might be able to write your story, I mean this is America anything is possible. When I heard those words, write your story, I thought she was crazy - she must not know me because I hated writing, especially in English. I always had this thing in my mind telling me that I am not good at English.
I always second-guessed myself in that foreign language, and maybe it wasn’t the best thing to constantly do because it actualized thoughts into action. It gave me a reason not to learn it in school. I always found reasons to not attempt to excel in English in school. Whether it be missing class, not paying attention to the teacher, not completing my homework, or unconsciously justly standing up against the legacy of colonialism in my islands.
I always hated English. I always had the same thoughts; I will never be able to master the language. Even though it sounded like a crazy idea at first, she did plant a seed in my mind. After she left I started to think about it – like, what if I wrote a story. I started to find and read books to see how exactly to write a story on your own.
I chose nonfiction books because I knew that was the kind of book I wanted to produce. The more I read, the more inspired I became. I remember how reading another person’s story, even though I didn’t know them, made me believe I could do it too. I read stories of hardship, turmoil, joy, and peace. Their willingness to share their story and how they overcame adversity showed me hope for my situation and countless other situations around the world. Their stories touched me and showed me that there's hope, you know. Even though I'm going through this bad situation, I will be able to find good out of it if I maintain hope.
I always second-guessed myself in that foreign language, and maybe it wasn’t the best thing to constantly do because it actualized thoughts into action. It gave me a reason not to learn it in school. I always found reasons to not attempt to excel in English in school. Whether it be missing class, not paying attention to the teacher, not completing my homework, or unconsciously justly standing up against the legacy of colonialism in my islands.
I always hated English. I always had the same thoughts; I will never be able to master the language. Even though it sounded like a crazy idea at first, she did plant a seed in my mind. After she left I started to think about it – like, what if I wrote a story. I started to find and read books to see how exactly to write a story on your own.
I chose nonfiction books because I knew that was the kind of book I wanted to produce. The more I read, the more inspired I became. I remember how reading another person’s story, even though I didn’t know them, made me believe I could do it too. I read stories of hardship, turmoil, joy, and peace. Their willingness to share their story and how they overcame adversity showed me hope for my situation and countless other situations around the world. Their stories touched me and showed me that there's hope, you know. Even though I'm going through this bad situation, I will be able to find good out of it if I maintain hope.