I come to my secure home of querencia, driving through many yellow speed bumps through an old and quiet neighborhood along a park, and there was a line of single family town houses, in which one of them was what I called my home. With an outer light-brown colored coat of paint with its glossy pane windows, and inner contents, contained an amount of space that was perfect for me to spend my time doing activities with my family and with myself.
Entering through its squeaking door, I take off my shoes, and place them onto the shoe rack displayed by the door. My feet were now against the cold and smooth tile flooring. I enter the family/living room that contained an overwhelming amount of toys, stuffed animals, and coloring books all over the carpeted floor, and struggle to find a way to the kitchen, where my mom and dad was cooking dinner. As my mom and dad cross each other, making their way to their different stations in the kitchen, I then help them out and set up the table in the dining room, as usual, bestowing four plates with utensils on the table. I go up the hardwood stairs after I was done, up to my shared room with my older sister. In there, I stay with her for a few moments until dinner was ready to eat. I see her gazing onto various photo albums with a short smile on her face when I glance towards her way.
“What are you doing?” I question. I was wondering why she was looking into all these photos so randomly.
“Looking at these pictures, and thinking back about our memories,” she answers back to me. I also look back at numerous memories and think about some of the things I have done over the past years. I giggle a little just like how my sister had a short smile on her face because of what I think about—the fun and weird things I have done. “I am looking over these pictures because we are moving soon to a new house, and I just want to review over the memories that we had from this house.”
“Yeah, that is probably a good idea.” I stated. Everything happened in this house. I learned everything from a baby to a toddler here—how to use the toilet properly, discipline, even responsibility for a young girl. I learned about myself and who I was while in this home. I did not want my memories to go away.
At that moment, I start thinking about memories that took place in my true home. I visualize the times of fun with my sister when we would both play with a bouncy ball, throwing and catching it to each other while one of us was on the top of the stairs, and the other was o the bottom of the stairs. I also imagine the times when my sister and I would color and draw together, play “tea party” with each other, jump on the beds together, and play many games together. In addition, remembering the times when my sister would teach and tell me different things that I did not know before ran through my head. Flashbacks like these could not go away, knowing that the house I was first growing up in was not going to be my house anymore—it will not be my home, it would just be my memory. Thoughts run through my toddler brain, and I realize that all I have spent my time doing things and learning things have made me feel a lot more secure about me. It has made me know the certain things I know today. It helped create the person who I am today.
Journal #10: Querencia Essay (Draft)
Driving through many bumps through an old neighborhood along the Ewa Beach park, there was a whole line of single family town houses, and one them was what I called "home" when I was just a little girl. With a light-brown colored coat with shiny windows, contained an enormous amount of space inside.
Aside from it's non-pleasing look with water leaks that ran overtime, and limited space in the backyard, and with difficult times my parents went through, I always called it my home in which I had always enjoyed when I was younger. I called it my "home" becuase I spent all of my time there being loved by the people I loved, learning different things from the obsticals I faced, playing with my best friend-- my sister, all when I was just a child and learning my ABC's and 123's.
Playing with my sister every step of the way was the best times that I thought I would never forget doing in my so called "home". While I was on the downstairs level by the stairs, my sister would be on the upper level by the stairs, and we would enjoy our times throwing a bouny ball at eachother and then catching it, jumping on the beds just for fun and waiting until our mom was there to stop us, play pranks on eachother until one of us makes a fool out of the other and laughs, and even playing hide-and-seek until we find eachother from our hiding spots. Having sleepovers with my sister and me, putting our beds together and share stories together was really entertaining as well. Life like that as a young girl was something that I was so comfortable being with and doing that I could always consider something like this home that was so specuak to me to enjoy and cherish.
From the times of having fun, and the times from being lectured by my parents, I have learned many things about life and about myself, I have sought different interests that came to me while in my old house which did make me the person who I am today.
Aside from it's non-pleasing look with water leaks that ran overtime, and limited space in the backyard, and with difficult times my parents went through, I always called it my home in which I had always enjoyed when I was younger. I called it my "home" becuase I spent all of my time there being loved by the people I loved, learning different things from the obsticals I faced, playing with my best friend-- my sister, all when I was just a child and learning my ABC's and 123's.
Playing with my sister every step of the way was the best times that I thought I would never forget doing in my so called "home". While I was on the downstairs level by the stairs, my sister would be on the upper level by the stairs, and we would enjoy our times throwing a bouny ball at eachother and then catching it, jumping on the beds just for fun and waiting until our mom was there to stop us, play pranks on eachother until one of us makes a fool out of the other and laughs, and even playing hide-and-seek until we find eachother from our hiding spots. Having sleepovers with my sister and me, putting our beds together and share stories together was really entertaining as well. Life like that as a young girl was something that I was so comfortable being with and doing that I could always consider something like this home that was so specuak to me to enjoy and cherish.
From the times of having fun, and the times from being lectured by my parents, I have learned many things about life and about myself, I have sought different interests that came to me while in my old house which did make me the person who I am today.
Journal #9: Novel Response: When My Name was Keoko
Why does your novel relate to cultural/ethnic roots and identity?The novel, When My Name Was Keoko, contains a lot about culture/ethnic roots and identity. Many of these characters are trying to find themselves in who they really are, especially the Korean victims like Sun-hee and
Tae-yul since they are living their lives in a Japanese lifestyle by force.
The many young Koreans, who were "Japanese" almost all their life wonder who they really are- wonder who they are as real Koreans at heart. Young Koreans like Sun-hee and Tae-yul figure out more and more about their heritage they were born with and find out who they really are as their lives progresses. They find that some of the interests they have and the things they do all have some connections to the Korean culuture. The Korean culture, as well as the Japanese culture is expressed in the novel very well. Most of the events that occure during the story from learning kanji, the changing of Korean names to Japanese names, drawing the Korean flag, and much more, all relate to a very unique culture-Korean culure and Japanese culure. From what the characters learn about Japanese culture by force, have this background of that came from different cultures, and even the Korean culture.
Journal #8: My Special Place Brainstorm
My old house
- A lot of memories were formed
- I grew up as a baby to a toddler and was raised there
- It was a place in which I always played around in
- Was a place that I called 'home'
Roots and Recipes Essay
Fried won ton wrappers combined with creamy and sweet white chocolate creates an enormous amount of flavor. They are a perfect snack that is filled with a perfect amount of crunch and sweetness in one bite.
I heard the sizzling sounds of something frying in the deep fryer. As I extended my head and peeked into the kitchen to see what was frying, I saw won ton wrappers that my dad was cooking in the deep fryer while my mom was on the other part of the kitchen folding won ton wrappers into a bow-like shaped chip.
It was at that time when I asked my parents, "What are you making?"
"We're making a snack-- fried won ton wrappers with white chocolate." My mom and dad replied with a smile.
I leaned over to see the cooked won ton wrappers that my dad placed on the side over paper towels on a plate. The won ton wrappers looked firm and golden brown. It also had little holes and air bubbles on it from frying it in the hot oil. When my dad and mom were not looking, I snapped a piece of the fried won ton wrappers. While still a little warm, I tasted the wrapper with a dreadful look on my face. Even though with an appetizing look, the won ton wrapper had no flavor or taste at all. It was just a plain chip with no personality or zing in its flavor.
With my displayed horrific look on my face, mom had added, "Don't eat it yet. There's no taste. We have to put chocolate on it first, and then you can eat it."
I smirked under my breath as I felt embarrassed of tasting something that was not to be eaten yet.
My dad was in the pantry, and I, took a peek on what more ingredients he was going to get. At that time, I had feasted my eyes on a bag of white chocolate chips my dad carried to the stove. As he opened the bag of chocolate, my mom prepared a double boiler that consisted of a heat-safe bowl on top of a pot of boiling water. There, my dad poured the white chocolate chips in the boiler. From that moment, I could smell chocolate heaven lingering into my nose. It was that same exact aroma of fudge brownies baking in the oven, but this time, it was two times better than that. The smell of that white chocolate slowly melting was so angelic that I wanted to get my fingers the bowl of chocolate and savor it from there.
My mom gathered the fried won ton wrappers with their golden brown color, and she slowly drizzled the melted white chocolate onto the cooled won ton wrappers. She drizzled the chocolate in a way that made me want to grab a fried won ton with chocolate and endure the taste of it already. However, as my mom said, I could not eat this snack until the chocolate was almost hardened. After minutes of waiting, I immediately tasted my first bite of this white chocolate snack. The sensational "mmmm" occurred when I took my first bite.
"You like it, yeah? Does it taste good? It is usually made with sugar, but it tastes better with chocolate, yeah," my dad questioned me.
As I crunched and munched onto the best white chocolate snack ever, I did not answer back to my dad with words, expressing my positive opinions on this snack. Even so, the look on my face that formed a smile said it all.
I heard the sizzling sounds of something frying in the deep fryer. As I extended my head and peeked into the kitchen to see what was frying, I saw won ton wrappers that my dad was cooking in the deep fryer while my mom was on the other part of the kitchen folding won ton wrappers into a bow-like shaped chip.
It was at that time when I asked my parents, "What are you making?"
"We're making a snack-- fried won ton wrappers with white chocolate." My mom and dad replied with a smile.
I leaned over to see the cooked won ton wrappers that my dad placed on the side over paper towels on a plate. The won ton wrappers looked firm and golden brown. It also had little holes and air bubbles on it from frying it in the hot oil. When my dad and mom were not looking, I snapped a piece of the fried won ton wrappers. While still a little warm, I tasted the wrapper with a dreadful look on my face. Even though with an appetizing look, the won ton wrapper had no flavor or taste at all. It was just a plain chip with no personality or zing in its flavor.
With my displayed horrific look on my face, mom had added, "Don't eat it yet. There's no taste. We have to put chocolate on it first, and then you can eat it."
I smirked under my breath as I felt embarrassed of tasting something that was not to be eaten yet.
My dad was in the pantry, and I, took a peek on what more ingredients he was going to get. At that time, I had feasted my eyes on a bag of white chocolate chips my dad carried to the stove. As he opened the bag of chocolate, my mom prepared a double boiler that consisted of a heat-safe bowl on top of a pot of boiling water. There, my dad poured the white chocolate chips in the boiler. From that moment, I could smell chocolate heaven lingering into my nose. It was that same exact aroma of fudge brownies baking in the oven, but this time, it was two times better than that. The smell of that white chocolate slowly melting was so angelic that I wanted to get my fingers the bowl of chocolate and savor it from there.
My mom gathered the fried won ton wrappers with their golden brown color, and she slowly drizzled the melted white chocolate onto the cooled won ton wrappers. She drizzled the chocolate in a way that made me want to grab a fried won ton with chocolate and endure the taste of it already. However, as my mom said, I could not eat this snack until the chocolate was almost hardened. After minutes of waiting, I immediately tasted my first bite of this white chocolate snack. The sensational "mmmm" occurred when I took my first bite.
"You like it, yeah? Does it taste good? It is usually made with sugar, but it tastes better with chocolate, yeah," my dad questioned me.
As I crunched and munched onto the best white chocolate snack ever, I did not answer back to my dad with words, expressing my positive opinions on this snack. Even so, the look on my face that formed a smile said it all.
Journal #6-Roots and Recipes Interview
What is this so called chocolate fried won tons?
Chocolate fried won tons is a sweet, yet crispy snack. It is traditionally made with sugar instead of chocolate. Although, in my family, we make it with white chocolate. It is a fried won ton wrapper that has white chocolate drizzles on it.
Can you describe the flavor of this snack?
It has a flavor of a chocolate-fried goodness.
Describe the whole process of making chocolate fried won tons.
First, we get the won tons and fold it or mold it in any way we want it to be like. When we have your won ton wrappers, we then have to fry them in oil until the won tons are golden brown and cooked. After we have cooked the won ton wrappers, we then melt white chocolate and later drizzle the melted chocolate on the fried won tons.
Why did you choose to make this dish with chocolate when it is usually made with plain sugar?
We chose to make this dish with chocolate and not plain sugar because we were trying out something new. When it is made with sugar, we didn't really like it that way. With sugar, it jsut tasted plain and boring. But when it is made with chocolate, it is much more tasty. Plus, we first made it with chocolate because we were trying to copy a recipe that our friend had.
What are the ingredients?
The only and main ingredients in this dish are won tons wrappers and white chocolate.
Why do you usually make this dessert during Christmas time?
The reason why we make it during Christmas time is because that is the time we all have vacation and have time to spend time together and make all kinds of food and spend time with eachother. Plus, it is a great Christmas snack that we all enjoy eating and giving to all people, family and friends, during this time because everybody enjoys this sweet snack which always puts a smile on everybody's face.
In this dish, can white chocolate be substituted with any other chocolate?
We have tried other kinds of chocolate in this snack, and they all have turned out to be a success still. It depends on the person on what chocolate he/she desires. Although, we enjoy it best when we make the fried won ton wrappers with white chocolate.
Chocolate fried won tons is a sweet, yet crispy snack. It is traditionally made with sugar instead of chocolate. Although, in my family, we make it with white chocolate. It is a fried won ton wrapper that has white chocolate drizzles on it.
Can you describe the flavor of this snack?
It has a flavor of a chocolate-fried goodness.
Describe the whole process of making chocolate fried won tons.
First, we get the won tons and fold it or mold it in any way we want it to be like. When we have your won ton wrappers, we then have to fry them in oil until the won tons are golden brown and cooked. After we have cooked the won ton wrappers, we then melt white chocolate and later drizzle the melted chocolate on the fried won tons.
Why did you choose to make this dish with chocolate when it is usually made with plain sugar?
We chose to make this dish with chocolate and not plain sugar because we were trying out something new. When it is made with sugar, we didn't really like it that way. With sugar, it jsut tasted plain and boring. But when it is made with chocolate, it is much more tasty. Plus, we first made it with chocolate because we were trying to copy a recipe that our friend had.
What are the ingredients?
The only and main ingredients in this dish are won tons wrappers and white chocolate.
Why do you usually make this dessert during Christmas time?
The reason why we make it during Christmas time is because that is the time we all have vacation and have time to spend time together and make all kinds of food and spend time with eachother. Plus, it is a great Christmas snack that we all enjoy eating and giving to all people, family and friends, during this time because everybody enjoys this sweet snack which always puts a smile on everybody's face.
In this dish, can white chocolate be substituted with any other chocolate?
We have tried other kinds of chocolate in this snack, and they all have turned out to be a success still. It depends on the person on what chocolate he/she desires. Although, we enjoy it best when we make the fried won ton wrappers with white chocolate.
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