Here is the text for my autobiography. It is 398 words. =)
Globetrotter
Long ago I flew with my family to Fuerteventura, where I turned two. For my birthday, I got a pack of Smarties and I became obsessed with it that day. Therefore I carried it with me all the time. Suddenly the box – made of paper - broke and all the Smarties were on the dirty, sandy earth. Crying I began to eat the candy from the ground until my parents stopped me.
One year later we were at a farm in England. They had donkeys. Every time they screamed my sister ran away. I stayed.
At five I was in America. My family and I travelled through the National Parks around Utah. On day on a campsite I got angry at my sister, don´t ask me why. Without my parents knowing I just left and went alone through a huge field of crops. After a while, I came back.
Four years later we were in Italy with friends of ours, who have two boys. Our isolated holiday home was located on a mountain in the woods. All the parents were inside while we were playing Badminton in the backyard. Suddenly two big and dangerous looking dogs appeared and ran towards us. The boys began to scream, ran into the house and shut the door. My sister moved backwards very slowly, but I just stood there and did nothing. One dog disappeared in the woods again, the other one came to me, sat down in front of me and I stroked it.
When I was in Greece my family and I rented a jeep and drove through the desert. We got lost, but fortunately I picked the right direction that brought us back to our destination.
In Norway we took a trip with a boat to see whales. We were standing at the rail, it was ice-cold, very windy and the sky was grey. It drizzled. Suddenly I saw something in the water. “Mum, look at that!” I exclaimed. A huge grey animal came half out of the water, paused there and dived, moving its tail fin gracefully, into the dark water again. That was amazing.
Another time in Norway we made a tour on a glacier and again another time we climbed through a pitch-black and unsecured cave. I always went first.
About two months ago I left Germany again, without my parents. A big journey began.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Hi! So this is my final draft... I changed section 8 and 10 a little bit. Do you like it? Can you maybe also tell me if there is a huge grammar mistake?
The Picture
1
They are standing close to each other – laughing into the camera. My mum is wearing a dress with hundreds of little, colorful flowers; her brown hair is blowing in the wind, oh yes - I remember - it was very windy. And hot. When I close my eyes I can feel the heat of the sun on my face. My dad – on the right side of her – is wearing a blue and white polo shirt. He has short brown hair. I wonder if there will be any brown hair left on his head, when I come back. In the background is the coast of Africa. It must be a great place – someday I want to go there. The sun is shining and the sky is blue without any cloud; the water has a beautiful turquoise color. There are two white boats rocking on the water.
I am sitting in my room, looking at this photo, which I took from my parents a few months ago in Spain. Now I don´t have more than a picture from them. Now I know that I miss them.
2
The question I heard all the time from my parents:
“What job do you want to take when you are out of school?”
Looking with a serious expression on their faces at me, they said it is important to know what your aims in your life are and what really important is for you. I always wanted to travel a lot and see the whole world, but my love for animals was still there.
My sister said: “I know, you will become a veterinarian – I just know it.”
3
I looked at the picture a long time. My parents are in Bamberg, Germany:
- 4,500 miles
- 7,920,000 yards
- 23,760,000 feet
- 285,120,000 inches
away from me…
They always traveled much with me and I am glad about that. Spain was my last journey with them. It was awesome. Awesome.
4
When I was a young girl I often went with my parents to the Zoo to see the many different animals there. My favorites were the giraffes and the elephants. Because of their height and the way they move, they seemed so exotic to me. Still then I wanted to travel to Africa to see all the wild animals and I was just interested in other countries – the further the better. Like almost every girl that age – I wanted to become a vet, although I had no idea what you do in this job. I just imagined I could play with animals for my whole life.
5
Now I know better. To be a vet doesn´t mean “playing” with animals all the time. It means studying hard, it means doing things you never thought you would do and it also means hurting or killing animals. My parents told me that.
6
Christmas, when I was young. My wish list:
Dear Santa Claus,
I would like to have a cat, a dog and a horse.
7
For one year I had worked in an animal shelter every Saturday. Cleaning the rooms, feeding the cats and playing with them with little balls and toys – everything was my job. I really liked it and at that time I could imagine that becoming a veterinarian would be a good choice. I learned that you have to be really careful. Often I spend the hours with sitting in a room of a frightened cat, speaking quietly with it and waiting for it to relax. That usually took a long time, but I can´t describe the pleasure when the cat finally comes to me and let me stroke it.
8
Horses are wonderful. I did horseback riding in Germany for a long time. It is impossible to describe the enjoyment and the freedom in your heart when you gallop on a horse over the grassland. The sun is shining, flowers are all around and the scent of a nice summer day is in the air. Every decision you have to make, every problem you have to solve, just everything, seems suddenly insignificant. My sister gave me a great book about horses for my confirmation. I love it.
9
A few days this past spring I worked in a Zoo which was really interesting. I always just stood in front of the cages and watched the animals, but there I had the chance to go behind the scenes. I remember cleaning the cage of small monkeys. They are so nimble! There were about ten of them, dashing around, screaming with their high voices. The first difficulty of the day was to open the door of their huge cage. There was a safety lock that should bar the monkeys from opening it. The problem was that I couldn´t open it either. After a few minutes jiggling and anathematizing I accomplished it. I started cleaning the cage with a little grate, a blade and a bucket. While working with the grate, the blade was lying behind me, out of my sight. As I turned I realized, appalled, that the blade wasn´t there anymore! Somewhere from the top of a tree I heard mean sounds. Automatically I turned my face towards the sky and I saw a little monkey, sitting at the top of the tree, holding my blade in his small hands, smiling and screaming at me. While shouting “return my blade to me!”, I began to agitate the tree, so that the monkey had to jump to another one. After a short - but exhausting - chase through the cage, the monkey gave up and dropped the blade a few meters away from me.
After this experience I was sure - I don´t know why – that I will become a veterinarian.
My parents always supported me. They said: “Sure, you can become a veterinarian. Why not?” I liked that. They trusted me.
10
I have been to 126 countries so far. I love all of them.
Well, no – just kidding, but it would be fantastic.
Reality:
- Germany (well, normally live there and love it)
- Austria (was there maybe twice?)
- Switzerland (hiking)
- France (beautiful; went there with my family maybe six times; love Paris)
- Italy (not as pretty as France, but good food)
- Spain (unbelievable)
- Greece (unbelievable too)
- Norway (extreme; love the nature there; sharing a motor home with my family for four weeks)
- Sweden (not as great as Norway)
- Finland (did just a three hour ride through it with the car)
- Denmark (it was always raining)
- Netherlands (just at the harbor in Amsterdam)
- England (if the weather would be better… London is great)
- Ireland (love it)
- Czech Republic (can´t remember)
- USA (getting to know the American way of life – right now)
-16-
How many countries are left?
-176-
There are 192 countries in the world. Is there a person who has been to all of them? That would be great.
11
What job could be the best for you when you love traveling to other countries, when you love getting to know other cultures, when you love learning new languages and meeting new people?
Veterinarian? Probably not.
Ambassador. Maybe.
At the age of about 13 or 14 when I began to think about spending one year abroad I changed my mind about my career choice. Is it really what I want to stay on one place for my whole life? I wasn´t sure anymore.
12
Entry in my diary, a few days ago:
I miss my family.
You just recognize what really important is to you, when you lose it.
I never thought that I would really miss them – but I do. They are just the greatest people in the world. I always can´t wait to speak with them through the internet because I have to tell them so much. Everything I experience here is important to me and I want to let them know all about that. But I also want to hear how the things are going in Germany.
It was really nice of my host family (I can´t imagine that there is a better one) to give me the picture of my parents. It looks good - in a white frame on a dark brown bureau.
13
Then there was a time when I was sure that I want to become an ambassador. Veterinarian – that was just my second choice. If people asked me: “What do you want to become?”, I answered: “I want to become an ambassador”, already knowing that most of them didn´t even know what that is. “What is that?”
The shortest answer:
“The highest-ranking diplomatic representative appointed by one country or government to represent it in another.”
I knew what people would answer after that - it was always the same:
“Oh that is great! You could travel a lot!”
I watched documentaries on the television about ambassadors in Kenya, China and the whole world. Their life is just unbelievable. They live on the most beautiful places in the world, travel a lot and meet famous people.
14
I met John McCain. It was at an event from the Republicans at the house of my host uncle. There were about 150 really important people – and me. It was fun – you begin to feel important as well.
15
The rate of divorces from ambassadors is around 75%. Everything has disadvantages. Everything.
16
Next week I will talk to my family.
The question I will never ask:
“Mum, what do you really think about me being abroad for a whole year? Do you miss me?”
The answer I will never get:
“Of course, I do.”
17
When I decided to spend one year abroad I just thought about the benefits I will have:
- improving my English
- becoming more independent and self-confident
- getting to know another culture
- meeting new people
I didn´t really think about:
- not seeing my family and my friends for one year
It sounds like I don´t want to be here. That´s not true. It is the best decision I have ever made.
18
I have the chance to visit a vet in her practise. I am looking forward to it. Maybe becoming a vet isn´t the wrong choice?
19
My sister:
“You will become a veterinarian.” Maybe she knows me better than I do?
20
What job will I take?
When I turn my head, I see the picture of my parents standing on the coast of Spain, laughing, – and I know the answer.
The Picture
1
They are standing close to each other – laughing into the camera. My mum is wearing a dress with hundreds of little, colorful flowers; her brown hair is blowing in the wind, oh yes - I remember - it was very windy. And hot. When I close my eyes I can feel the heat of the sun on my face. My dad – on the right side of her – is wearing a blue and white polo shirt. He has short brown hair. I wonder if there will be any brown hair left on his head, when I come back. In the background is the coast of Africa. It must be a great place – someday I want to go there. The sun is shining and the sky is blue without any cloud; the water has a beautiful turquoise color. There are two white boats rocking on the water.
I am sitting in my room, looking at this photo, which I took from my parents a few months ago in Spain. Now I don´t have more than a picture from them. Now I know that I miss them.
2
The question I heard all the time from my parents:
“What job do you want to take when you are out of school?”
Looking with a serious expression on their faces at me, they said it is important to know what your aims in your life are and what really important is for you. I always wanted to travel a lot and see the whole world, but my love for animals was still there.
My sister said: “I know, you will become a veterinarian – I just know it.”
3
I looked at the picture a long time. My parents are in Bamberg, Germany:
- 4,500 miles
- 7,920,000 yards
- 23,760,000 feet
- 285,120,000 inches
away from me…
They always traveled much with me and I am glad about that. Spain was my last journey with them. It was awesome. Awesome.
4
When I was a young girl I often went with my parents to the Zoo to see the many different animals there. My favorites were the giraffes and the elephants. Because of their height and the way they move, they seemed so exotic to me. Still then I wanted to travel to Africa to see all the wild animals and I was just interested in other countries – the further the better. Like almost every girl that age – I wanted to become a vet, although I had no idea what you do in this job. I just imagined I could play with animals for my whole life.
5
Now I know better. To be a vet doesn´t mean “playing” with animals all the time. It means studying hard, it means doing things you never thought you would do and it also means hurting or killing animals. My parents told me that.
6
Christmas, when I was young. My wish list:
Dear Santa Claus,
I would like to have a cat, a dog and a horse.
7
For one year I had worked in an animal shelter every Saturday. Cleaning the rooms, feeding the cats and playing with them with little balls and toys – everything was my job. I really liked it and at that time I could imagine that becoming a veterinarian would be a good choice. I learned that you have to be really careful. Often I spend the hours with sitting in a room of a frightened cat, speaking quietly with it and waiting for it to relax. That usually took a long time, but I can´t describe the pleasure when the cat finally comes to me and let me stroke it.
8
Horses are wonderful. I did horseback riding in Germany for a long time. It is impossible to describe the enjoyment and the freedom in your heart when you gallop on a horse over the grassland. The sun is shining, flowers are all around and the scent of a nice summer day is in the air. Every decision you have to make, every problem you have to solve, just everything, seems suddenly insignificant. My sister gave me a great book about horses for my confirmation. I love it.
9
A few days this past spring I worked in a Zoo which was really interesting. I always just stood in front of the cages and watched the animals, but there I had the chance to go behind the scenes. I remember cleaning the cage of small monkeys. They are so nimble! There were about ten of them, dashing around, screaming with their high voices. The first difficulty of the day was to open the door of their huge cage. There was a safety lock that should bar the monkeys from opening it. The problem was that I couldn´t open it either. After a few minutes jiggling and anathematizing I accomplished it. I started cleaning the cage with a little grate, a blade and a bucket. While working with the grate, the blade was lying behind me, out of my sight. As I turned I realized, appalled, that the blade wasn´t there anymore! Somewhere from the top of a tree I heard mean sounds. Automatically I turned my face towards the sky and I saw a little monkey, sitting at the top of the tree, holding my blade in his small hands, smiling and screaming at me. While shouting “return my blade to me!”, I began to agitate the tree, so that the monkey had to jump to another one. After a short - but exhausting - chase through the cage, the monkey gave up and dropped the blade a few meters away from me.
After this experience I was sure - I don´t know why – that I will become a veterinarian.
My parents always supported me. They said: “Sure, you can become a veterinarian. Why not?” I liked that. They trusted me.
10
I have been to 126 countries so far. I love all of them.
Well, no – just kidding, but it would be fantastic.
Reality:
- Germany (well, normally live there and love it)
- Austria (was there maybe twice?)
- Switzerland (hiking)
- France (beautiful; went there with my family maybe six times; love Paris)
- Italy (not as pretty as France, but good food)
- Spain (unbelievable)
- Greece (unbelievable too)
- Norway (extreme; love the nature there; sharing a motor home with my family for four weeks)
- Sweden (not as great as Norway)
- Finland (did just a three hour ride through it with the car)
- Denmark (it was always raining)
- Netherlands (just at the harbor in Amsterdam)
- England (if the weather would be better… London is great)
- Ireland (love it)
- Czech Republic (can´t remember)
- USA (getting to know the American way of life – right now)
-16-
How many countries are left?
-176-
There are 192 countries in the world. Is there a person who has been to all of them? That would be great.
11
What job could be the best for you when you love traveling to other countries, when you love getting to know other cultures, when you love learning new languages and meeting new people?
Veterinarian? Probably not.
Ambassador. Maybe.
At the age of about 13 or 14 when I began to think about spending one year abroad I changed my mind about my career choice. Is it really what I want to stay on one place for my whole life? I wasn´t sure anymore.
12
Entry in my diary, a few days ago:
I miss my family.
You just recognize what really important is to you, when you lose it.
I never thought that I would really miss them – but I do. They are just the greatest people in the world. I always can´t wait to speak with them through the internet because I have to tell them so much. Everything I experience here is important to me and I want to let them know all about that. But I also want to hear how the things are going in Germany.
It was really nice of my host family (I can´t imagine that there is a better one) to give me the picture of my parents. It looks good - in a white frame on a dark brown bureau.
13
Then there was a time when I was sure that I want to become an ambassador. Veterinarian – that was just my second choice. If people asked me: “What do you want to become?”, I answered: “I want to become an ambassador”, already knowing that most of them didn´t even know what that is. “What is that?”
The shortest answer:
“The highest-ranking diplomatic representative appointed by one country or government to represent it in another.”
I knew what people would answer after that - it was always the same:
“Oh that is great! You could travel a lot!”
I watched documentaries on the television about ambassadors in Kenya, China and the whole world. Their life is just unbelievable. They live on the most beautiful places in the world, travel a lot and meet famous people.
14
I met John McCain. It was at an event from the Republicans at the house of my host uncle. There were about 150 really important people – and me. It was fun – you begin to feel important as well.
15
The rate of divorces from ambassadors is around 75%. Everything has disadvantages. Everything.
16
Next week I will talk to my family.
The question I will never ask:
“Mum, what do you really think about me being abroad for a whole year? Do you miss me?”
The answer I will never get:
“Of course, I do.”
17
When I decided to spend one year abroad I just thought about the benefits I will have:
- improving my English
- becoming more independent and self-confident
- getting to know another culture
- meeting new people
I didn´t really think about:
- not seeing my family and my friends for one year
It sounds like I don´t want to be here. That´s not true. It is the best decision I have ever made.
18
I have the chance to visit a vet in her practise. I am looking forward to it. Maybe becoming a vet isn´t the wrong choice?
19
My sister:
“You will become a veterinarian.” Maybe she knows me better than I do?
20
What job will I take?
When I turn my head, I see the picture of my parents standing on the coast of Spain, laughing, – and I know the answer.
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