Sang K
Language Arts
Period 3
June 29, 1995

Seattle has really helped to shape my personality because I have had to change to fit into the crowd of my neighborhood. Being friendly and helpful is the number one thing that everybody in my neighborhood does. We help each other solve problems and invite one another to parties and exciting activities. There are times that I help take out the trash for my next door neighbor when they forget to do it because they have helped me before and I want to do them a favor too. With all these acts of kindness I have experienced, I have been convinced to do the same.

Being nice is not the only thing that helps shape my personality, but the trees, grass and other beautiful things that are around my neighborhood also help. The air is clean and filled with fresh oxygen. The trees help protect us from the irritating sun when we try to take a nap under the shade. It's so quiet you can hear the birds chirp instead of all the annoying car noises. The quietness helps to relax the mind and calm things down. These environments help make the people act calm like their surroundings. Everyone in my neighborhood seems to become more like the nature around them and everything seems to go slow and smooth. I know there is a lot of violence in Seattle, but I do not think I have experienced any. Since I am in such a peaceful environment, I have taught myself to act and be like it. Everything is calm and relaxed. The morning hour is quiet and everybody stays in their snug little houses.

People come outside and play a fun game of volleyball when the temperature is cool. We lay blankets on the green grass and sit there talking. We talk about what we have done over the past few weeks and tell each other jokes. It is very exciting because most of the time I laugh very hard.

There are a lot of uncommon people that I have to be with and like living with because this is the only place that I will spend my life. The fear of being with people that are different from me has vanished because I meet these strange people every day.

I do not think of them as strangers anymore because I have learned to like them as one of my own.

I've now changed to be like the people that are around me because I have had to adjust to be with other people who are different. I have adjusted to the kind of people who are peaceful, quiet, and live in a neighborhood that has a lot of trees and fresh air. I had to change because I could not act totally indifferent to others. If I did not adjust, I think I would have moved.