Author Archives: Isa M

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About Isa M

I’m in a Spanish Dual Immersion Program (TWIS). I am currently a freshman and 14 years old.

Pros and Cons of Being In An Immersion Program

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I know that being bilingual seems like something super easy to achieve and that it’s all sunshine and rainbows. But it’s not. It’s hard. Here are some of the pros and cons of being in a dual immersion program.

Pros:

  • You can speak in two languages, how cool is that?!? I mean, you can talk to all kinds of people and it’s VERY helpful being able to talk about sensitive topics without almost everyone knowing.  It doesn’t matter what language you talk in at your bilingual school, but it helps in public places.
  • You get experience from all different kinds of culture. Having this bicultural benefit helps students, like me, open our eyes to the world around us. The people in TWIS (Two-Way Spanish Immersion) with me are some of the most honest and open people I know.
  • There are communication pros. Like I said before, you can talk to all kinds of people, thus making YOU a well-rounded person. Given the fact that we are living in Southern California, there’s a very culturally diverse population. Being able to speak a common language, Spanish in my case, makes living here easier as I can communicate with almost everyone.
  • Imagine this: You are the boss at a Starbucks in San Juan Capistrano and there are two people applying for the same job. They both have the same educational background and you just can’t choose who to pick, they both have great resumes! And, what’s this, oh my, that person speaks an additional language? They will be so much more included to pick the bilingual applicant.

Cons:

  • Your grammar will never be right. No matter how good you might think you are in either language, your grammar will always be slightly off.
  • In middle and high school, you have no elective choice. The school automatically places you in your immersion class and in order to have an extra elective (that you actually want), you have to take a zero period.
  • At the start, you will be behind in English in elementary school. My school never even taught us English until third grade, so our grammar/vocabulary skills were behind.
  • You have to start early. Because dual immersion requires being able to fluently write/speak in both languages, you can not randomly accept new people into your program. To join, you HAVE to have come from an immersion school or a family that speaks the language at home.

Overall, I enjoy being in an immersion program and recommend it. It’s been a great experience and I have learned so much that it’s crazy. Definitely consider putting your kid in dual immersion or just hanging out with people from these programs, we are really cool.

Relaxing Hobbies to Help You Unwind During Finals

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Finals suck. The massive projects worth ⅓ of your grade, the crazy long essays that have to be a test, everyone wearing pajamas and giving up. Yup, finals: everyone’s favorite time. 

But, finals don’t have to suck this year. Here are some relaxing hobbies to help you calm down and enjoy life during this hard time.

  • Coloring! Get out your sketchbook and draw, or print some cute coloring pages online and color them in. This is a perfect hobby because NOTHING has to be perfect, you can make it as messy or as perfect as you want. Coloring is shown to help improve your focus and boost your creativity, so definitely consider coloring this May.

  • Baking! Who doesn’t love a delicious warm chocolate chip cookie, or an amazing decorated slice of cake? Take some time to bake sweet treats for yourself, your friends, and your families. Not only is this a great hobby because you can tune out to some music and just follow a recipe (which takes almost no brain power), but you also get to eat your incredible creations afterwards.

  • Gardening! Personally, I can’t really garden, but this is a proven hobby to help people destress. By going outside and connecting with nature, you’re letting your brain drift away. This helps your cognitive function, which then helps you with testing.

  • Literally anything you want. Any hobby of yours can help you keep your mind off of testing. Whether you’re playing video games or biking, just doing something you enjoy will help you feel better.

    Take care of yourself this testing season. Try your best to get around 8 hours of sleep. I know it’s hard with sports and clubs, but by doing this you will feel less exhausted and your brain WILL WORK BETTER. Don’t stay up all night studying, because you will eventually fall asleep and not retain anything. So, ENJOY YOURSELF and STOP STRESSING.

El mural “The Whale Walk”

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Image from https://www.dohenystatebeach.org/doheny-whale-walk/

Si has visitado Doheny Beach, debes saber del mural “The Whale Walk” que ha adornado el piso por décadas. Completo con ballenas gigantescos y magesticos, el Whale Walk es famoso tras California y es un símbolo de orgullo.

El “Whale Walk” fue creado en 1999. Pero, el año pasado, pintaron las ballenas otra vez. Con la ayuda de Jim Sherpa, alumnos de San Clemente High School, y alumnos de Cal State Long Beach, las ballenas fueron restauradas a su gloria. Creo que el mensaje que está mural tan bonito está tratando de expresar es que las ballenas, y el océano, son demasiados importantes. Las ballenas representan poder y sabiduría, así que el mural expresa el poder del océano. Además, creo que el mural está tratando de enseñar la importancia de cuidar nuestros océanos porque las ballenas están en peligro y debemos tratar de salvarlos. 

Aunque las ballenas son animales llenas de paz, más de un millón de ballenas mueren cada año. Si queremos ver estas criaturas mágicas en el futuro, tenemos que hacer nuestra parte. Por favor, la próxima vez que vayas a la playa Dohena, recoleges su basura para asegurar que nuestros océanos estén limpios y que sigan bellos por años!

Water Polo: The Best Sport

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I freaking love this sport. Being in the water with your friends is great and all, but add that to mostly unfriendly competition: it’s amazing. Do be warned though, this sport is not for the faint of heart. You have to be prepared to get down and dirty, but if you enjoy being in the water and winning, this is the sport for you.

Originally created in Scotland, this sport began as a demonstration of strength and skill. With its fast paced game and enthusiastic crowd, this sport became a crowd pleaser at country fairs throughout Great Britain. Men’s water polo was even among the first introduced to the Olympics in the year 1900. But, who really wants to know the history of a sport: let’s get into the fun stuff.

There are two teams of 7 players on the field (in the pool) at any given time. This game has 4 quarters where they try to score on the other team’s cage. Think like soccer, two teams trying to score. Each team has 6 field players, a goalkeeper, and subs. The field players swim up and down the pool throughout the game, playing both offense (scoring) and defense (stopping the other team from scoring). Both teams also have a center, or a set, who is the main offensive player. They are up against the center defender, the main defensive player. As the game progresses, the field players switch positions and apply strategies to get the advantage. The team with the most goals in the end wins!

This is a terrific sport for teamwork. Because there are so few players in the game at a time, they must communicate. Furthermore, you can’t shoot the ball if you don’t have the ball, so your teammates have to pass the ball around to get the best opportunity. 

Joining this water polo was one of the best decisions of my life. I have made some of my closest friends through this sport and feel like I finally found people who get me. I really recommend this sport for people who don’t feel like they fit in and just want to have fun.

Also, if you have unresolved anger issues, join water polo. It’s a great, healthy way to let out your anger by kicking people in the stomach.

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

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To be completely honest, this book gave me nightmares when I was 10. I tried reading it, I really did, but the incredibly detailed explanations of the monsters freaked me out. I then proceeded to hide the book under my bookshelf, because if I put it under my bed: the book would come alive and eat me. So yeah, don’t read if you get spooked. However, now as a high schooler, this book is THE BEST. I still think that the monsters are a bit creepy, but this novel is absolutely spectacular.

To start, let me give you a short-ish summary.

16 year old Jacob Portman has always loved his grandfather’s stories about his childhood and his childhood orphanage. He talked about monsters and magical, or he would say peculiar, children. Later, when his grandfather mysteriously dies, Jacob swears he saw the monsters of those stories. However, everyone knows that monsters are not real so his parents put him in therapy. While the thought-to-be-crazy Jacob goes through his grandfather’s old belongings, he finds letters to Miss Peregrine, one of the main characters in those old stories. He convinces his father to take him to the address on the letter (an island off the coast of Wales), but he doesn’t find any trace of her. 

Somehow, he ends up finding his grandfather’s old friends, but they aren’t old like his grandfather was. He then learns that he traveled into a loop, which is one day on constant repeat forever. This loop is kept by Miss Peregrine, the headmistress of the orphanage (also the book title). There, Jacob learns that he is peculiar too! Except, his peculiarity is to see the monsters. Those horrid, children-killing, eyeball eating, soul sucking, purly wretched monsters. Only he can see the monsters, they are invisible to everyone else. All the while, Jacob sparks up a little romance with a girl named Emma, a fire wielder who also happened to be in love with his grandfather (that’s a whole nother level of ew, but that might just be me). Anyways, Jacobs life finally seems normal and right. Until the loop gets raided. The monsters, which are called Hollows, find the loop and steal Miss Peregrine. The children and Jacob then rescue her. In the end, they learn that other loops are being raided and go on an adventure to help cure Miss Peregrine, who was hurt by the wights. 

I really liked this book. I thought it was super cool how throughout the book the author included vintage black and white photos. The photos directly show what’s happening in the book. I read more about it, and it turns out that the author based some of his characters off of pictures, which I thought was interesting. The book was originally supposed to be a picture book, but Ransom Riggs changed his mind.

There is also a movie, directed by Tim Burton, that came out in the early 2010s. Although the movie definitely strays away from the book, I still like it. I would rate the book a 9/10, just because I’m still creeped out by it a bit. I definitely recommend that if you like Coraline or The Mysterious Benedict Society, you should read this book.

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs is available for checkout at the Mission Viejo Library. It can also be downloaded for free from Libby.

Review for Matched by Ally Condie

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It was good, not great, but good. It is a solid book that leads into a good series. I am going to talk a little bit about the book’s plot, high points, and characters.

Plot: Cassia, a smart teenage girl, finds out that her best friend is her Match (which is basically a mix of a soulmate and an arranged marriage). However, she sees that she is also matched with a boy named Ky. All the while, her grandfather gives her real poems, which are banned in the Society, where they live. She shows these poems to Ky and they fall in love when he teaches her how to create. Then, the Society takes Ky away and Cassia’s parents let her go find them.

Best Part: I liked when Cassia hung out with her grandfather. I think he was a really strong character and even after finishing this series, he was still my favorite character. I loved how he was mysterious and wise, basically Cassia’s version of Dumbledore or Yoda.

Character: In this book, we meet the three main characters: Cassia, Ky, and Xavier. Cassia is, like I said before, a teenage girl. She is determined, curious, and highly intelligent. Although she was raised in the Society and doesn’t understand certain things, she wants to learn and love. She ends up dating Ky. Ky is a calculating teenage boy who has seen way too much. He definitely did not fit in, but he tried to for the people he loved. He ends up loving Cassia and enjoys writing. Finally, we have Xavier, Cassia’s original match and childhood best friend. He is a dependent and caring guy who follows the rules and just wants to help.

Overall, it’s a good book. I like how it’s a dystopian novel, but it doesn’t really feel like Hunger Games or Maze Runner. It’s unique. I also like how the love triangle between Cassia, Ky, and Xavier doesn’t feel forced but instead seems, I guess honest is the best word. Both Ky and Xavier are amazing and well rounded characters who are good for Cassia. I’d recommend this to people who like dystopian novels such as the ones I previously mentioned.

Matched by Ally Condie is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Lessons in Chemistry TV Show VS Book by Bonnie Garmus

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Well for starters, this was a great show and an even better book. Although I broke the unspoken rule of watching the TV show first, I loved the show so much I knew I had to read the book too. Let’s just say, it did not disappoint.

In Lessons in Chemistry, the main character is an unsocial chemist named Elizabeth Zott. Sadly, she lives in the 1950s, meaning that she faces extreme sexism in every aspect of her career. Furthermore, Elizabeth is a very attractive woman, so she faces sexual assault and cruelty from the men and jealousy and catiness from the women. Personally, I wonder how her life would have been different if she was not as attractive. Back to the summary, Elizabeth does have a job at a science facility called Hastings in Common, California. There, she meets a man named Calvin Evans. They fall deeply in love and live together happily for about two years. They do not get married at Elizabeth’s request and do not have children, but the couple did have a very intelligent dog named Six-Thirty. 

Unfortunately, Calvin gets hit by a police car and dies. Then, to make matters worse, Elizabeth gets fired because she finds out she is pregnant with Calvin’s baby. In her prematernal rage, Elizabeth returns home and makes a lab inside her house to continue working. She also ergs (which is a rowing machine but on land) to keep healthy. When her daughter, Mad, is born, Elizabeth struggles to be a good mom. Her neighbor, Harriet, hears the screaming child and comes to help take care of her and offer support. Now with a 4 year old in kindergarten, Elizabeth has to find a source of income for her family. She gets a job working as a TV chef. On her show, Supper at Six, Elizabeth cooks while explaining the chemistry behind it. She is a huge hit and her show skyrockets. While her mother is on TV, Mad has a troublesome school project. She ends up talking to a minister for help, and later finds out he was a pen pal of her father. After that, (I’m almost done I swear), Elizabeth quits her job. She returns to Hastings and finds out that her sponsor who has funded her work was actually Calvin’s mother. However, the endings are different between the show and the book.

Ok, now that you have the summary for the idea, let’s get down to the differences between the show and the book.

Elizabeth’s Job at Hastings

Show: Elizabeth is a lab technician, showing sexism.

Book: Elizabeth is a chemist (although not respected).

Rowing

Show: It’s not really a key point or focus. It does appear, but not often.

Book: Calvin and Elizabeth row together often and even row with other men. Elizabeth continues to erg for a long time as it not only connects her with Calvin but makes her tired. 

Harriet Sloane

Show: Harriet is a young Black woman who lives with her loving children, as her husband is a soldier at war. She is also an activist.

Book: Harriet is an older white woman. She lives with her abusive husband and her kids are grown up. She is in a way a nanny for Mad and dedicates her time to the Zotts. 

Civil Rights

Show: Harriet is a huge activist. Elizabeth also lives in a predominantly Black neighborhood. Furthermore, Harriet and Elizabeth had important conversations and went to a protest together.

Book: Not talked about or mentioned at all.

The Ending

Show: Elizabeth becomes a chemistry teacher at a local college. 

Book: Elizabeth (is assumed) to return to Hastings as the Head of Chemistry. 

To sum up this entire article: read or watch Lessons in Chemistry, it’s great. I love it. I think it’s a deeper show, but it has so many light moments that it feels satisfying to watch/read. 10/10 Recommendation. 

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Hannah Swensen Series Review (Overall)

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I love this series. Written by Joanna Fluke, the Hannah Swensen Mystery series is a mystery series about (OMG YOU GUESSED IT) Hannah. Hannah is a young woman who owns a delightful little cafe called The Cookie Jar. Seriously, I would love to go there. The decor and overall environment that I get from the place is so cozy. Based on the name of the cafe, I am sure you can figure out what their specialty is… cookies! Throughout all of the books, the author includes some of her recipes, which is cool, however the cookies WILL turn out crunchy. Maybe you love crunchy cookies, maybe you don’t, but it’s a good warning that her recipes will come out crunchy. 

Our beloved baker and store owner, Hannah, is not a detective. She got involved in her first murder by accident and then she gradually started getting involved more and more because she is really good at solving murders. Hannah gets help from her little sister, Andrea. Andrea is married to one of the murder detectives, Bill, at their local police, so she gets some of their clues from him. Andrea is everything you expect a little sister to be: attractive, resourceful and somewhat annoying (to Hannah of course, I think Andrea is hilarious). Together, the two of them solve the murders.

There is also a side plot about Hannah’s love life. Much to her mothers dismay, Hannah is not married. Although she is dating two guys at once (so far, I am only on the fifth book in a series with over thirty books), both of them are surprisingly ok with it? On one hand, she has the reliable, stable, good guy Norman. He’s a dentist that her mother is continually trying to set her up with. On the other hand, she has Bill’s hot detective boss, Mike. At my current point in the series, the two of them (the love interests) are both making out with her and sharing romantic moments with her, but neither of them have told her that they want to be strictly monogamous. So, yeah, there’s that.

This series is good, but extremely predictable. For starters, all of the books are titled –Insert baked item Murder-. Don’t get me wrong, it’s cute, but very repetitive. The book contents are also very similar. To put it simply, every book starts with someone new coming to town, Hannah finding a body, Hannah solving the mystery with Andrea, Hannah figuring out who did it, the murder confronting her at least a minute after, someone saving her, and then the murderer getting caught.

I do love this series, albeit its predictability. It’s a really cute and comfy read that doesn’t make you TOO hungry. I love all of the characters and truly recommend this series to any foodies or mystery lovers who don’t want something too hardcore.

The Hannah Swenson Mystery series by Joanne Fluke is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Why You Should Always Name Things

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You should always name things. It’s just so much more fun that way! Why ask where your water bottle is, when you could ask why Harry is? Why complain about your cast when you could whine about Brad? Not only does naming things help you remember them, it also brings a little positivity to your life.

Naming things is an effective way to remember your items. It creates a sense of family. Not only that, it’s just so fun that you can’t possibly forget! It is however much easier to find where you put, let’s say headphones, if you can yell out “HAS ANYONE SEEN BEATRICE?!?!” Then all of your family members also know exactly what you are looking for.

Another reason to name things is to bring some positivity to your life. Let’s all be real, naming random things can bring a smile to your face. Whenever I hear someone call my friend’s water bottle Harry, it’s just so random and hilarious that I have to laugh, or at least smile. If you are having a bad day, something this simple can really brighten it up.

To conclude, you should always name things. Life is just better that way.

Mission Viejo Pride Event

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I recently went to the Mission Viejo Pride event and had a blast! From the delicious food trucks to the live music and crafts, this event was an amazing family friendly event.

For starters, the decorations and overall environment was so fun and lively! Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves greatly. All the time I was there, I saw people dancing to the music and the lines for the food trucks were always long (but moving extremely fast).

The various booths that I visited were so cool. There were tons of handouts such as cake samples, dozens of stickers, and animal treats. I got lots of informational pamphlets and even a bag to hold everything. Not only that, but you could make bracelets there too! I also made a super cool tile and got a flier for a drag queen story time which I think sounds awesome.  

This whole event was such a valuable experience. I loved seeing people feel comfortable and it just felt like somewhere where everyone belonged. It felt great seeing people I knew there and people that I didn’t know, but we had common ties, making the world seem like a bigger and better place. I hope there is another Pride event next year because I enjoyed myself greatly and really recommend going!