50 Word Post

For the first ten years of my life, I had a place. I lived in Long Island New York. My backyard was the most magical place in the world. We had a blacktop where we rode bikes, and drove the Barbie Jeep around, and a swing-set with three swings, a fort and a slide. There was my fisher price play house, set on the grass among the pine trees. I loved it back there, it was my place.

At 10 we moved to Luxembourg, yes as in the country in Europe. We didn’t really have a yard anymore, and even though there was a small garden, it wasn’t my place. This was evidenced through the teasing of my accent which I endured each day in classes, along with the fact that I couldn’t speak a word of French. I felt like an outsider most of the time because there was no familiar place to go and hide in the worst of times.

I found my place once more when three years later we moved to Baltimore Maryland. It wasn’t an instantaneous connection. At first I felt lost because I was the “foreign girl” but as time went on, I realized this was my place. My school with rolling green hills and beautiful buildings, my theatre program, my soccer field, it was my school. When I was elected president 4 years later, it only solidified my feelings towards Maryland. This was the place for me.

Map of a place you've lived: Luxembourg

Luxembourg is a tiny country in Western Europe bordering France, Germany, and Belgium. This map is accurate however not particularly detailed. The makers have included the countries that border it, and the most well known towns and cities, as well as the rivers. Being as small as it is, Luxembourg is not very well known, especially not among people in the United States. So it is important to layout its position in Western Europe on the map as opposed to just showing the country itself. Based on the fact that the countries’ names are written in English, it can be assumed that Americans will read this map among other English speakers. This map was created to show the position and general placement of Luxembourg and its cities in Europe, not to convey the feel and culture of the country itself. As it does not show the lush countryside which sits directly next to the cobble stoned streets of the city.

The Three Graces, 272 Feet (c. 1865-66) by Carleton Watkins

Majestic and towering side by side. A wonder to behold. Three trees stand side by side creating a wall of rugged bark and wood. People respect and admire trees even more as they age, unfortunately they do not respect age among one another. The concepts reverse, an old tree lives on, enjoyed by generations to come. A younger tree becomes paper. Younger people, spared as they represent the future, while older people become second rate. Three fantastical, elderly, startling trees stand side by side and create a sense of nature, spirit, and place, a sensation worth preservation.