Resilience Cafe

4/15/08
I Cannot Compare
Matt Castro

My Humanities teacher, her name is Ms. Staff
She is fun, exciting, and makes me laugh
She has cool projects
And it had their effects

Yet there was this assignment
That caught my attention
about making a connection
With one person of the past, and one of the present

Well I did that
As you can see
But then she said something
That didn't seem right to me

"Now that you're done connecting these two
Try and compare them both to you"
The two people I was connecting were Anne Frank and Janet Castro
They're both very resilient in their own way
But to connect them to me, I say nay!

My reasoning is simple
This is what I'll say
'I cannot compare to Anne Frank and Janet Castro
Because they went through so much dismay'

I cannot compare my simple, joyful life
To that of pain and suffering
I cannot compare my carefree, active life
To that of hatred and violence

I cannnot compare my worst enemy
To that of Hitler himself
Because my worst enemy
Is my older brother

I cannot compare my neighbors
To my grandmother's
Because her neighbors
Are dangerous, and decieving

To be locked in a small room hidden for years
I cannot
To be chased down by an older man
I cannot
To be shipped away to a concentration camp where millions of others before me have suffered from hard labor, seperation, starvation, disease,... death

I cannot compare


A Story of Resilience
Matt Castro

“I will never forget that moment when the 17-year-old Peter van Pels and I saw a group of selected men. Peter’s father was among them. They were marched away. Two hours later a cart with their clothes on it went by.” –Otto Frank, Anne Frank’s father. Anne Frank was born June 12, 1929, and began a life that was carefree and full of joy. A few years passed, and Hitler’s Nazi Party was growing in Germany, and Anti-Semitism , a belief brought up by Hitler blaming Jews for all of Germany’s problems, took its fateful toll. The life Anne and her family once had, was being swept away, as they began their move from, what was once home, to a place of secrecy. On arrival to Amsterdam, Anne received a diary for her 13th Birthday.

“The Annex is an ideal place to hide in. It may be damp and lopsided, but there's probably not a more comfortable hiding place in all of Amsterdam. No, in all of Holland.”-Anne Frank. Anne Frank was a girl of profundity and resilience, and was very serious about what was going on in Europe during the Holocaust. As she lay in her room, behind the movable bookcase, she transferred her thoughts into her diary. “The nicest part is being able to write down all my thoughts and feelings, otherwise I'd absolutely suffocate.” What is most fascinating about her life was the battle she fought with death itself. Hitler had complete supremacy over Germany, and he gave out an order to arrest all Jewish people, to send them to concentration camps, and give them hours of hard labor. Most Jews tried hiding, like Anne and her family, but were soon caught and shipped to camps. At the camps, the Nazi officers divided the people by whether or not they could work. Those that couldn’t were sent to gas chambers. Usually, young children, the old, sick, and handicapped were sent to one side, the other people who were able of labor to the other side. Anne, her family and another family that were co-workers of Otto Frank’s business were kept hidden for almost 2 years, until that fateful day.
“It was around ten-thirty. I was upstairs with the Van Pelses in Peter’s room and I was helping him with his schoolwork. I was showing him the mistake in the dictation when suddenly someone came running up the stairs. The stairs were squeaking, I stood up, because it was still early in the morning and everyone was supposed to be quiet - then the door opened and a man was standing right in front of us with a gun in his hand and it was pointed at us.”-Otto Frank. August 4, 1944, a car pulls up to the secret hiding place of the Frank’s, and an SS-officer jumps out along by three Dutch Policemen. The Nazi officer took out his machine gun; kicked open the door, and arrested the 8 people there. Four days later Anne and the other 7 people were deported to a concentration camp called “Westerbork”. They were all capable of labor, but were still separated by gender. October came, and Anne and her sister are deported to another camp. After surviving in a concentration camp for 8 months, Anne along with her sister, were overcome by typhus, a virus they received while living in their hostile environment. “First, Margot had fallen out of bed onto the stone floor. She couldn’t get up anymore. Anne died a day later.”-Anonymous. It was only two weeks before the British Army came to Anne’s camp and liberated it, that she died. Anne’s story will never be forgotten, because of her bravery towards the devil’s work. While Hitler colonized demons from his hell-hole, Anne stood strong, while the hatred spread across all of Europe, Anne stood strong; and while all hope seemed lost, Anne stood up tall with her stories that have been interpreted in her diary. These stories gave others the lost hope, the forgotten strength, and the invisible courage. She isn’t the only person to have endured so much pain, and with that pain made it into a story of resilience. Another woman, born 11 years after Anne’s birth, July 29th, 1940, had a similar story from a different situation. Her name was Janet Michalowski, and she was born on a farm, which seemed to be a peaceful place. Like Anne, she moved to a harsher place; New Jersey. Here is where she fought for her life, and freedom. Just like Anne.

“Don’t cry over spilled milk”-Janet Michalowski. Janet was always on her toes, running errands, going to school, or even running away from a strange man. The place she lived in was a tough and cruel place to be. It was ghetto New Jersey, a commercial city. The apartment that held Janet and her family was minuscule to the amount of people in it. It had 4 rooms, and only one bathroom, with no heat. Janet had 5 siblings, and one loving mother to look after them. Her father had left when she was 4 years old. Janet had many stories to tell of her childhood, but the one that is remembered the most was the chase down the darkest alley she had ever been in. She was 6 years old at the time, and her mother ordered her to go to the store to buy some more milk. On the way home, after she bought the beverage, a man slowly appeared behind her, and slowly, followed. Janet noticed, and turned into an alley-way so she could make a run for it. The man ran, too, but faster. He was getting closer, and closer, and closer, until… WHAM! Janet had dropped her carton of milk in fear, and cried as the white infested the black ground. The man had disappeared into thin air. She was petrified but luckily, she was fine. She came home; only bringing with her the tears from the incident. It was then that her mother told her, “Don’t cry over spilled milk”, which was more metaphorical than literal. It is now a phrase that Janet uses all of the time. Another frightening event in time was when she was 5 and she had just gotten out of school. She was skipping to the entrance of her apartment, when she noticed there was something blocking the way. It was a woman, homeless by the look of it, lying on one of the steps of the stairs. She was mumbling to herself, and also gave the appearance of being drunk. Janet couldn’t get past her, and she was too terrified to try to talk. Her words had evaporated when she first saw her. She walked outside, and called desperately for her mother. Soon enough, the window to her apartment swung open, and her mother’s face popped out. Janet told her everything, and she solved the problem in an instant. Janet went through difficult times in Jersey City, but had never regretted living there. Through the dark times she went through, came light, and through separation and divorce came unity. When Janet’s father left, the family kept together as much as they could. Even when Janet’s brother had a paper route and her sister worked at a hospital, and even she ran errands for women, they worked to keep the family together. Although Janet obtained the gift of being able to survive her child-life, she and Anne Frank have a strong connection between their legacies. Anne brought a wonderfully frightening story that moved many towards the world-wide fight for peace. Janet had also brought a story like Anne’s, but had only so many people to move. There is one person, though, that both women have swayed, and he is 14 years old, a descendant of Janet, and has his own story of resilience to tell.

“One cannot look back at all of the resilient people in Earth’s history, and not strive to become more like them.”-Matt Castro. I am more than thankful to have the life I am living now. I am safe, away from violence and hate, and have many friends along with family. I am also thankful for the people who paved the road that made me where I am right now, and that include Janet Castro (her surname was changed when she married Juan Castro), my grandmother, and Anne Frank, one of my inspirations. These two people have influenced me greatly. If there were any way to connect with both of them, it’d be in a really small way, because my life is so very different from theirs. I have never gone through the holocaust, I’ve never been in ghetto New Jersey, nor have I had to hide from Hitler’s army, or lived with 6 other people in a small, one bathroom, apartment. I have, though, risen up from something negative. It was last summer, and I was going to Holland to play in an international sports competition. The organization was called “People to People” and I was very excited about going. There were tons of others, some were playing different sports than I, but most of them were just like me; baseball players. They came from all over the US. Some were from Kentucky, some from Idaho, and others from New York. It was amazing, until the competition started. Everyone seemed to be bigger than I was, and older. Most of the players on my team were older, and all of them were bigger. I remember I was on a bus going to our hotel when I heard someone talking about me. “He is the shortest 13 year-old I’ve ever seen! Even my mother said ‘Damn he’s short’. Did you see him carrying his luggage? He could barely walk. What a little shrimp. How the hell is he supposed to play baseball?” The guy had no idea I was listening, but I bet he didn’t even care. I was broken on the inside. I knew what he was saying was the truth, because I was the last person to get on the bus because I was so slow. I felt small and weak, like a small fish in a big ocean. I tried to forget about it, but it just raced through my head. I left it all on the field, though. When I played, I forgot about everything. I just did what I was supposed to do, and it all turned out fine. In fact, by the end of the tournament, I had the 2nd best batting average on my team. It was .500, and an average pro’s batting average is .300. I was so proud of myself. That wasn’t all, though. Our team came in 4th out of all of the other European teams. After the tournament was over, all of the American coaches, and the European coaches formed all-star teams, hoping to play in one final game. I was among those all-stars. I had totally forgotten what that guy on the bus said, because now I know it didn’t matter anymore. Size never matters, all you need is strength, confidence, and determination, and you can make it. Just like me. Just like Janet. Just like Anne.

Lord of the Flies Trial Reflection

I did a superb job in court, and I am confident I was a big part in proving Jack innocent. I believe this because when I was researching my case, I found a whole bunch of evidence that would help prove Jack not guilty. One piece of evidence I found was, when Simon was murdered, the type of weather, and what Jack’s intentions were. Since it was raining and thundering, it was really hard to tell who it was coming out of the forest. Also, Jack thought it was the beast, so he was actually protecting his tribe, and that’s one of the pieces that helped me with the trial. Another piece of evidence that helped me win the case was about Piggy’s murder. Jack never told Roger to pull the lever, nor did Roger believe that he should’ve pulled the lever because he knew Jack wanted him to, or just because of Jack’s hatred of Piggy. Roger pulled the lever because of delirious abandonment, which was a quote in the book that means he was so full of excitement, he abandoned his position, and accidently forced his weight onto the lever. The reason these pieces of evidence are important because, with these pieces, you can’t prove Jack guilty, because these pieces prove that he wasn’t part of the death of Piggy, and he had no intention of killing Simon, but intention of killing the beast, and protecting his tribe. In conclusion, I believe that I deserve an A because of the very important pieces of evidence I found, and how I presented them. Additionally, I believe I was organized, and wearing proper attire for the event (and I had a suitcase!).

Publishing Project

Title: Box

Author: Matt Castro

Genre: Fantasy/Adventure

Pages: 3

Mentor Texts: Chronicles of Narnia: The series, The Chronicles of Narnia, was the basis for Box, and helped me create a whole storyline, and a setting. Also, ideas of a goat-like man gave me the idea of a Nestopian. In other words, Box is just another fantasy series like the Chronicles of Narnia.

Audience: The audience I wrote this book for were the kind of people who like fantasy style books, and enjoy reading about mythical creatures, and faraway lands. People who think "outside of the box" will enjoy this book.

Writing Process: I regret to say that this piece of writing is one of my least powerful, and that I haven't put a lot of thought or effort into its process. I have only gone through two drafts so far, and I've come to believe that I can't write much more, or even fix it. I'm just stuck in the middle of the river, and can't get out. My only option, would be to make a whole new story, but we're already deep into the project, so my luck has run out.

The Publishing Process: I haven't started on the publishing of Box, but I have a pretty good idea on how I will. I will start by creating a cover, and a few good pictures. I will then place the pictures in the right places of the story, and print the whole thing out. Next, I will laminate each page, including the cover. Lastly, I will attach a spinal back, and give some last touch-ups, and that's it.

Project 2: Featurecast from the Past

Project Purpose:
To understand the difference between Cause/Effect Relationships and Correlations. To understand how and why major events in history are connected and intertwined (think yarn activity!). To research a major event from U.S. history in order to understand why it is significant and how it relates to other major events. To understand features of a feature article and podcast and to be able to create a feature article or podcast about your major event in history.

Project Requirements:
To present the 5Ws of your major event to the class. To write/peer edit/revise a feature article or podcast. To have at least three drafts in your Writing Portfolio. To present a polished version of your feature article or podcast on Media Night, as well as posting it online to our Team Featurecast from the Past web page (made by James).

Specific Concepts Learned:

Concept 1: Josef Stalin
For me, I researched the Cold War, and more specifically, researched the Russian Leader Josef Stalin. Josef Stalin was the Communist Leader of Russia, who wanted to control Eastern Europe after WWII. This was because he believed his country was weak, and needed protection. Afraid Josef would spread communism all over Eastern Europe, the US, and Britain had disagreed with his plan. Unfortunately, Josef refused to listen and continued his plan. The two other countries still tried to convince him, and sent supplies to those countries in need. One day, Josef got fed up and decided to build the Berlin Wall, which separated west Berlin from East.

Concept 2: The Aftermath of the Cold War
The Cold war resulted in a non-nuclear war, and Krustchev, the new Russian leader, removed his bombs from Cuba, and the US, Britain, and Russia solved their problems in peace. Also, the Berlin Wall was torn down, and people were free to go from west to east Berlin. Lastly, the countries run by Russia were basically free from communism.

Challenges:
One of the I had during this project was finding a periodical that was about the Cold War. I looked mostly in magazines, and on the internet, but there was nothing. I asked Ms. Staff to help me find one, and even when we did, it didn't have much on it about the Cold War. I had already had a lot of information, though, so it didn't really matter.

Real World Significance:
Out of this project, I have learned a lot. First, I learned what the Cold War was about and how it was connected to other events in time. I think this could help me later on if I wanted to become a historian or teach a history class. Also, I learned how to use garage band for my interviewing. This could help later on because if I go to a High school where we use a lot of media (like all of the High Tech High schools) then I would know that. Lastly, learning about the past can help our choices for the future.

Project 1: My Querencia

In Sacramento, everything you do is worry-free, well at least for me. I go there every year to visit my grandparents, and when I do, I feel like a whole different person. The sweet smell of pine, the glistening lake, and the taste of roasted vegetables fresh from the garden could be the reasons why I love the place so much. I also feel as if all of the stress inside my body is just melting, slowly becoming into sheer happiness. The reason for this is simple… Sacramento is the place I like to call my Querencia.
Even though I only visit my grandparents in Sacramento once or maybe twice a year, I still think it’s home. This is because I never really have to work, maybe a few dishes but I don’t call that work, and I can never get bored. There are so many things to do: like go golfing, go down to the river, or just hanging around the house.
I LOVE golf, even though I don’t have much skill. It’s just so much fun swatting at a tiny ball, and hoping it goes into a tiny gopher hole. As I play, I hold the club firmly in my hands, and look at the course, noticing how to play it. There’s group of trees, and a small hill off to the right. I think I’ll just hit it and see where it goes from there. Whack!!! The ball flies through the air, whistling as it goes. OOPS!! Out of bounds. Oh well, maybe I get it next time. I drive the cart to my ball. I also love driving, but I’m not good at that either, or at least that’s what my grandpa says. “Slow down… Use the breaks… Watch where you’re going… UGHHHHHH!!!” After the golf course, I feel sweaty, and the heat is beating down on me so hard, I feel like I’m right next to the sun. It’s time to cool off.
Just being in the car knowing that we’re going to the river cools me off. The water is so refreshing, and cold, but not too cold. As soon as we would get there, I would just run, drop my towel, and keep running into the water until I’m deep enough to where I can’t touch the ground. Another thing great about the river are the blackberry bushes. The succulent blackberries just melt in your mouth, and the taste is so sweet, that it can’t be described. There is also this little island in the middle where we can just lie on.
Golfing, and going down to the river is a lot of fun, but what I like most about Sacramento would be my grandparents house. There are so many things to do!!!!! For starters, when I just want to relax, and play a few games, I go to the camper. The camper is a sort of “mini-home” that my brothers and I like to use as a place to hang out. We have a mini fridge in there and a TV set. I would call that the whole package. Also, I like running around in the backyard. It’s huge!!! First, there’s the deck; a small platform where we can put a mattress and sleep under the starry sky. Then we have the hammock, where I can hang as the sweet smell of pine lingers on my nose. Also, we have a wooden post where we like to use it as a target for our beebee guns. If we hit the cowbells on the top, it makes a little dingle noise. Lastly, there’s the dinner table. My grandpa has a garden, and when veggies, and fruits are ripe, he harvests them, and puts them into the dinner. Whether it’s roasted squash, fried zucchini, or eggplant, it’s always fresh, and very, very, tasty.
Dinner will always finish off the day nicely, and after that, a sleep under the stars sounds good, and maybe a pleasant dream… who knows?