What is a Memoir?

Memoirs are similar to diaries. They are written passages that allows the writter to record his or her life experiences that he or she might want to remember in years to come. A memoir can come in great handy when an old person whose minds are stretched because they can read the memoir that they wrote to remember little details of what they went through in life. Also if a person is dying and he or she have no children to leave behind, they can write a memoir to leave their legacy behind and so that they can be remembered. This may sound a bit like an autobiography, yet an autobiography only records dates and important events in general. A memoir is more specific on the subject and is written in a more personal way.

The Weekend Festival

This weekend I went to the Greek festival located on eighty fifth street and second avenue. The festival was hosted by people who were a part of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church. The festival is held once a year during the begining of fall, and it is an event I never wanted to miss out on. The festival has Greek food, dancing, music, and thrill rides. All of those things were great, but what pleased me the most was that this festival brought together my old Greek friends. Since I went to college I barely had time to see them, but this festival was so popular in the community that it drew in all the Greeks that I knew.
I had alot of fun this year walking around the festival and hanging out with one group of friends after another. We went on rides, chatted about how school was, and took walks to Fort Hamilton high school. It was also a great opportunity to go over each other's houses and hangout there for a little while. Being together with them was fantastic and I hope some day I will see them again in the not to distant future.

Orientation at St. John's

Every high school and college requires a new student to be oriented so that they may get their ID cards and to help familiarize themselves with the school. Of the many orientantions that I have been to, St. Johns was the best. Unlike most high school orientations which last a few hours, St. John's orientation lasted three days. During those three days I was astonished by the amount of good people their were. All the orientation leaders had a smile on their faces and made us feel welcome. I was also impressed by the dormitories here because I always pictured them as a small room that is cramped, yet they are like mini houses with alot of room to stretch your legs out.
The food that they served us during breakfast, lunch and dinner were all delicious I couldn't stop eatting them. Apart from the lectures and the tours, we did alot of activities like the dinner cruise that sailed around Manhattan, giving us a great sight of the sky scrapers and of Liberty Island. There was also the carnaval which was very fun. Over all I met and befriended alot of great people and had a great time at this orientation. Who would have guessed that I would return home to find out that a tornado hit Brooklyn.

Viva Las Vegas

The place I went to this summer was the city of Las Vegas. It also known as Sin city due to the amount of gambling done there. When you see Las Vegas in pictures, and on the television screen you see a city with massive sky scrapers, and it appears as though it can rival New York. However the majority of Las Vegas is nothing more than a city with small houses no more than two stories high. The vast hotels and casinos are situated on a long road called the strip. The moment I got out of the airport the heat hit be like a blow dryer because the city is situated in the middle of the desert and the heat feels dry. Here in New York the heat feels humid.
When I was in Las Vegas my family and I avoided the casino's and instead went to see incredible shows like Hans Klok (a magic show featuring Pamela Anderson), Tony and Tina's wedding, and a circus involving swimming acrobatics. In addition to the shows, we took a helicopter ride over the Grand canyon which was incredible to behold. Security at the hotels was very strict concerning the age limits of gambling, they wouldn't even let me stand still in the casino, I had to keep moving to avoid trouble. Yet despite all that I saw alot of neat things like the lions, the white tigers, the shows, and the beautiful themes of the hotels. Overall I had a great time.

My Experience on 9/11

It has been 6 years since the attack of 9/11, and I can still remember the horrors of that catastrophe, the continuous broadcasting of the airplanes crashing into the World Trade center and the towers falling, and the first time I heard the news which was from my junior highschool principle on my second day of school. My thoughts turned immediately to my dad who worked in Manhattan as a sheriff.
We were dismissed from school early that day and my mom picked me and my brother up. I asked what about dad, and it filled me with relief when she said "Daddy is okay, daddy is fine". I remember those words as clear as crystal to this day. However my dad was with the authorities and it was his job to stay overtime on ground zero. Normally he would be home by 4:00 but his overtime sceduele kept him there until 9:00 for two months. When he came home that day he was completely covered in dust. That whole day I thought New York was going to soon become a battlefield full of invading terrorists. Later after my dad came home I heard that my old best friend's father was killed in the World Trade Center. I immediatly felt sorry for her, and I thought it good of my church to name the avenue after her father. 9/11 is one of those days in which I will never forget the details of what happened that day.