My name is Misrak Teka. I am going to be a sophomore at South High school in Minneapolis MN this coming year. I traveled to a place called Hunt Hill in Sarona north of Wisconsin. I was at Hunt Hill with a program called RCMS. It stands for Regional Center for Math and Science. The fourth week of our schooling we go out and explore nature. RCMS wants its student to be friendly with nature in the future. Hunt Hill is surrounded by nature. Hunt Hill protects the species of animals and plants that are endangered. That is not the only benefit from Hunt Hill. It also helps people find out more about themselves.
My experience at Hunt Hill brought back many memories I try to avoid. I am from Ethiopia and I came to the U.S four years ago. It was excruciating pain to think about back home. The memories gave me a really hard time at Hunt Hill. I miss home a lot but I won’t admit my feelings. When I got off the bus and smelled the air I automatically remembered back home. From then on I felt like I was really home with American friends. I was the hostess and my friends were my guests, welcomed at my house. Hunt Hill showed me the leaving memories inside me. It meant a lot to me because I miss home and my friends. Hunt Hill was an experience I will never ever forget.
Well, some of the good things about traveling are the excitements and thrill when you see the unexpected. The next morning we went down to the Little Twin Lake. I never stepped a foot into a lake, let alone tip a canoe and swim back to shore and I was scared of drowning because I cannot swim. In Ethiopia, kids are forbidden to go near rivers or lakes. On the deck my friends reassured me that I was not going to drown. I was wearing a life jacket and there were two professional lifeguards standing near. I saw encouraging looks on my friend’s faces. They taught me to trust the people around me. I finally tipped the canoe and felt relieved inside. Hunt Hill was far beyond my personal comfort zone. I told myself a couple years back that I would never go swimming; the reason was because I know a child who drowned in pond water. At Hunt Hill I learned to come out of my shell and try new things.
I believe change takes some time but, in my case I saw myself quickly becoming faithful and patient. I usually get frustrated and irritated when I can’t do something. Right now, all it takes for me to change is encouraging people who care and love me. I know I have what it takes to win my fight in life. I learned to change for me, not for others. Hunt Hill changed the way I approach people. I changed the way I think about people. “Don’t judge a book by its cover”, means to look inside people because they have something joyous. Change is challenging and it changed me into a more outgoing person. I can now talk and laugh with other people easily.
Hunt Hill forced me to do things I would never do in my life. I did stewardship for the first time in my life. I learned about my friends and hunt hilt helped me open up to others. I now know how let go and trust people around me. Thank you for considering me for your scholarship.
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