Dr. H, I decided to use the creative approach, I hope you enjoy this.
Hopkins 1 Kristina K. Hopkins Dr. H ENG230 16 Dec 2007 Time to Grow Up Mercedes was raised in a house that was filled with love and laughter. When she was in high school, her friends would tease her that she was raised by the Cleavers. She just laughed it off, because she knew that they had their secrets. Her father wouldn’t buy her a gold or silver ring for a class ring. She had to settle for the cubic zirconia. This was due to the fact that she was the youngest of three, and her two older siblings, Bobby and Marni had each pawned off their nice white gold rings in order to pay for some unmentionable acts that were brought upon by young teenage lovers. They lived on ten acres of land with an in ground pool, motorcycles, snowmobiles and tons of trails behind their house that would lead her to her friends houses. All and all, she considered herself to be very blessed. After she graduated she was ready to join the United States Navy. She picked the Navy because they didn’t have to sleep in tents on their deployments. She figured that it would be a little bit more comfortable to fall asleep in a rack on the ship, than on the cold damp ground. Boot camp wasn’t really that hard for her. She had always been a neat, organized and detail oriented girl, so learning how to fold the hospital corners or figuring out how to fold her t-shirts just so wasn’t difficult for her. She actually ended up teaching a lot of the other girls how to get everything right. Boot camp wasn’t just about learning how to march and fold clothes. There was an academic section too. She was taught about the history of the Navy, and how to navigate Hopkins 2 herself around the ship. There were a lot of funny words to learn, like “scuttlebutt” (drinking fountain), or “deck” (floor). She had always been a bright girl, so although she found the words funny, she learned them very quickly. When boot camp ended, she went off for specialized training; she was going to be trained to make water, work on air conditioning and refrigeration equipment, as well as cryogenics. This was a very exciting time for her. In between boot camp and training school, she went home for a week. It was a wonderful vacation. Mercedes cherished the time she spent with her family and friends. Her mother made a rule that on the very first day of the vacation she had to spend it at the house, and then after that the rest of her days she was free to spend with her friends. She would always incorporate her friend time with her family time which was not a difficult task, after all her friends loved her family too. They thought they were cool and fun. She told everyone about the funny words, and showed them how to fold the clothes and do eight count body builders. She loved going home, and again she felt very blessed. Following the vacation, Mercedes reported to her first ship. As she was walking up the pier towards this big rusty gray mass, she couldn’t help feeling incredibly overwhelmed. There was definitely something to be said about the size of these vessels. It was one thing to see it in a picture from a book, and another to see it with her own eyes. She was very excited, and once aboard she quickly settled in to her new dwelling. She would be sharing a bedroom with 45 of her soon to be closest friends. Better than that, she would take turns using the institutionalized stainless steel shower stalls and three lovely toilets. Mercedes was assigned to be a distilling plant operator. Her first real Navy job—making water. There were two six-stage flash type Hopkins 3 distilling plants on her ship and they were down on the sixth deck. This is where Mercedes would spend two years of her life. When the plants weren’t operating and making water she would perform preventive maintenance on them. She would also be tasked with keeping the space neat and clean. This meant a lot of scraping paint, priming, and repainting the equipment. Her off time would consist of hanging out with her new friends, and making phone calls home to her loved ones. She would talk to her family at least a couple of times a week, and at the end of each conversation she felt very blessed. When she completed her tour of duty on that ship, she was sent to a school to get more specialized training on air conditioning and refrigeration equipment. This school was held at her current duty station so she didn’t have to relocate. Once she finished with AC&R school, she decided to go home for another vacation. When the plane landed she was so excited about being home that she thought her heart was going to leap right out of her chest. She spent the next ten days shopping and eating and hanging out with her friends and family. Of course the “first day at home rule” still applied, but Mercedes didn’t mind, she was with her family. What more is there? They would always have a big dinner and her dad would grill a huge turkey, she loved the smell of the spices he would put in it. This would be the smell that would come to her when she returned to her next duty station. When her vacation was over her family would take her to the airport and the tears would fly like the raging Mississippi River. Once she board the plane and found her seat she would look out the tiny window and look out at the place she had always referred to as home, and with that thought, she felt very blessed.
Hopkins 4 Mercedes completed her tour on her second ship, then her third ship, and then she was given a tour on land. She would be stationed at a shore based facility. She wouldn’t have to spend the next two years on a ship. She landed great orders to a shop working on air conditioning and refrigeration equipment. This meant that she would have more time to spend with her friends and family. She took advantage of the situation and it seemed like every other week she would be visited by friends and family. Mercedes gave them the five star treatment and she loved every minute of it. On holiday weekends, if she wasn’t getting company she would go and be someone else’s company. She was also moving up in the ranks; gaining more responsibility and she loved every minute of it. At the end of each day she would think of how great her life was, and she felt very blessed. Mercedes career led her overseas to Italy. When she first learned of the new assignment, she was excited, she thought of it like a paid vacation. She would envision herself sitting on the Spanish Steps one day, and standing in front of the Coliseum with a handsome Roman Gladiator the next. Even though she was delirious about her next adventure, she regretted the thought of telling her family and friends that she was going so far away. Her family was great and supported her career one hundred percent. They knew that with the internet they could stay in touch with emails, im’s, and web cams. After a couple of huge going away parties, Mercedes was off on her trek across the pond to Europe. While she was in the air looking down through the clouds she thought of her friends and family. She knew her mother would come and see her and she felt very blessed.
Hopkins 5 The job wasn’t a hard one; she would be working on the cryogenics plant, making liquid oxygen and liquid nitrogen. Mercedes quickly learned the plant and became the assistant supervisor. This was also a land based assignment, so her weekends were filled with traveling all over Italy—she did get her picture taken on the Spanish Steps, and with that handsome Gladiator. Although she kept very busy, her nights were filled with a sense of emptiness and loss. She missed her friends and family terribly. With the six hour time difference, it was very difficult to catch them on the phone. When she was off of work, they were just starting their workday, and when she was ready for bed, they would be finishing their workday. She had to rely on email. This wasn’t enough for her. She needed to hear her loved ones voices. So after some thought she decided that when her tour in Italy was finished, so was she. She would get out of the Navy and move home. It was the only place she felt she could truly be herself. Mercedes knew that her family would be ecstatic and that they would throw her a huge welcome home party. With the thought of calling home and giving them the news, she felt very blessed. Mercedes had it all figured out, she would move home and live in the house she grew up in. She would use her GI Bill and go to school. Work as a receptionist part time, and go to school at night. Her summers would be spent at her families summer home that was a couple of hours away towards the North. Life would be perfect. She turned in her resignation papers to the military and started planning her move home. The Navy would pay for the move so this would be a rather painless evolution. Mercedes was looking forward to being at home with her family and friends when she got the call. It was her mother, she was crying hysterically as it seems her husband of 42 years, Mercedes father, had had an affair. What Mercedes knew to be the matriarch and patriarch were now getting a divorce. Her mother was moving to Florida. Hopkins 6 For Mercedes, this meant that there was no longer a “home” to go home to. As her mother began telling her the stories about her father she became angrier and angrier. This wasn’t supposed to happen. They were supposed to be together forever. Who has an affair when they are 63 years old? Who does this after 42 years of marriage? What kind of man can he be? Mercedes decided that she would continue with her plans to get out of the Navy. She would stay in Virginia and go to school there. There wouldn’t be any time at the summer home with family now, but she did have her friends here. Everything that she believed in began to slip away. She started fighting with her siblings; no one knew how to handle this situation. Her brother started drinking and ended up in jail after getting a dui. Her sister started to side with her philandering father. It was official. The family that she knew and loved had fallen apart. She had never felt more lost. It was time for Mercedes to grow up and be on her own. She would no longer rely on the stability of the Navy or her Family. She would only rely upon herself, and she suddenly no longer felt very blessed.
1 comment:
Dr. H, I decided to use the creative approach, I hope you enjoy this.
Hopkins 1
Kristina K. Hopkins
Dr. H
ENG230
16 Dec 2007
Time to Grow Up
Mercedes was raised in a house that was filled with love and laughter. When she was in high school, her friends would tease her that she was raised by the Cleavers. She just laughed it off, because she knew that they had their secrets. Her father wouldn’t buy her a gold or silver ring for a class ring. She had to settle for the cubic zirconia. This was due to the fact that she was the youngest of three, and her two older siblings, Bobby and Marni had each pawned off their nice white gold rings in order to pay for some unmentionable acts that were brought upon by young teenage lovers. They lived on ten acres of land with an in ground pool, motorcycles, snowmobiles and tons of trails behind their house that would lead her to her friends houses. All and all, she considered herself to be very blessed.
After she graduated she was ready to join the United States Navy. She picked the Navy because they didn’t have to sleep in tents on their deployments. She figured that it would be a little bit more comfortable to fall asleep in a rack on the ship, than on the cold damp ground. Boot camp wasn’t really that hard for her. She had always been a neat, organized and detail oriented girl, so learning how to fold the hospital corners or figuring out how to fold her t-shirts just so wasn’t difficult for her. She actually ended up teaching a lot of the other girls how to get everything right. Boot camp wasn’t just about learning how to march and fold clothes. There was an academic section too. She was taught about the history of the Navy, and how to navigate
Hopkins 2
herself around the ship. There were a lot of funny words to learn, like “scuttlebutt” (drinking fountain), or “deck” (floor). She had always been a bright girl, so although she found the words funny, she learned them very quickly. When boot camp ended, she went off for specialized training; she was going to be trained to make water, work on air conditioning and refrigeration equipment, as well as cryogenics. This was a very exciting time for her.
In between boot camp and training school, she went home for a week. It was a wonderful vacation. Mercedes cherished the time she spent with her family and friends. Her mother made a rule that on the very first day of the vacation she had to spend it at the house, and then after that the rest of her days she was free to spend with her friends. She would always incorporate her friend time with her family time which was not a difficult task, after all her friends loved her family too. They thought they were cool and fun. She told everyone about the funny words, and showed them how to fold the clothes and do eight count body builders. She loved going home, and again she felt very blessed.
Following the vacation, Mercedes reported to her first ship. As she was walking up the pier towards this big rusty gray mass, she couldn’t help feeling incredibly overwhelmed. There was definitely something to be said about the size of these vessels. It was one thing to see it in a picture from a book, and another to see it with her own eyes. She was very excited, and once aboard she quickly settled in to her new dwelling. She would be sharing a bedroom with 45 of her soon to be closest friends. Better than that, she would take turns using the institutionalized stainless steel shower stalls and three lovely toilets. Mercedes was assigned to be a distilling plant operator. Her first real Navy job—making water. There were two six-stage flash type
Hopkins 3
distilling plants on her ship and they were down on the sixth deck. This is where Mercedes would spend two years of her life. When the plants weren’t operating and making water she would perform preventive maintenance on them. She would also be tasked with keeping the space neat and clean. This meant a lot of scraping paint, priming, and repainting the equipment. Her off time would consist of hanging out with her new friends, and making phone calls home to her loved ones. She would talk to her family at least a couple of times a week, and at the end of each conversation she felt very blessed.
When she completed her tour of duty on that ship, she was sent to a school to get more specialized training on air conditioning and refrigeration equipment. This school was held at her current duty station so she didn’t have to relocate. Once she finished with AC&R school, she decided to go home for another vacation. When the plane landed she was so excited about being home that she thought her heart was going to leap right out of her chest. She spent the next ten days shopping and eating and hanging out with her friends and family. Of course the “first day at home rule” still applied, but Mercedes didn’t mind, she was with her family. What more is there? They would always have a big dinner and her dad would grill a huge turkey, she loved the smell of the spices he would put in it. This would be the smell that would come to her when she returned to her next duty station. When her vacation was over her family would take her to the airport and the tears would fly like the raging Mississippi River. Once she board the plane and found her seat she would look out the tiny window and look out at the place she had always referred to as home, and with that thought, she felt very blessed.
Hopkins 4
Mercedes completed her tour on her second ship, then her third ship, and then she was given a tour on land. She would be stationed at a shore based facility. She wouldn’t have to spend the next two years on a ship. She landed great orders to a shop working on air conditioning and refrigeration equipment. This meant that she would have more time to spend with her friends and family. She took advantage of the situation and it seemed like every other week she would be visited by friends and family. Mercedes gave them the five star treatment and she loved every minute of it. On holiday weekends, if she wasn’t getting company she would go and be someone else’s company. She was also moving up in the ranks; gaining more responsibility and she loved every minute of it. At the end of each day she would think of how great her life was, and she felt very blessed.
Mercedes career led her overseas to Italy. When she first learned of the new assignment, she was excited, she thought of it like a paid vacation. She would envision herself sitting on the Spanish Steps one day, and standing in front of the Coliseum with a handsome Roman Gladiator the next. Even though she was delirious about her next adventure, she regretted the thought of telling her family and friends that she was going so far away. Her family was great and supported her career one hundred percent. They knew that with the internet they could stay in touch with emails, im’s, and web cams. After a couple of huge going away parties, Mercedes was off on her trek across the pond to Europe. While she was in the air looking down through the clouds she thought of her friends and family. She knew her mother would come and see her and she felt very blessed.
Hopkins 5
The job wasn’t a hard one; she would be working on the cryogenics plant, making liquid oxygen and liquid nitrogen. Mercedes quickly learned the plant and became the assistant supervisor. This was also a land based assignment, so her weekends were filled with traveling all over Italy—she did get her picture taken on the Spanish Steps, and with that handsome Gladiator. Although she kept very busy, her nights were filled with a sense of emptiness and loss. She missed her friends and family terribly. With the six hour time difference, it was very difficult to catch them on the phone. When she was off of work, they were just starting their workday, and when she was ready for bed, they would be finishing their workday. She had to rely on email. This wasn’t enough for her. She needed to hear her loved ones voices. So after some thought she decided that when her tour in Italy was finished, so was she. She would get out of the Navy and move home. It was the only place she felt she could truly be herself. Mercedes knew that her family would be ecstatic and that they would throw her a huge welcome home party. With the thought of calling home and giving them the news, she felt very blessed.
Mercedes had it all figured out, she would move home and live in the house she grew up in. She would use her GI Bill and go to school. Work as a receptionist part time, and go to school at night. Her summers would be spent at her families summer home that was a couple of hours away towards the North. Life would be perfect. She turned in her resignation papers to the military and started planning her move home. The Navy would pay for the move so this would be a rather painless evolution. Mercedes was looking forward to being at home with her family and friends when she got the call. It was her mother, she was crying hysterically as it seems her husband of 42 years, Mercedes father, had had an affair. What Mercedes knew to be the matriarch and patriarch were now getting a divorce. Her mother was moving to Florida.
Hopkins 6
For Mercedes, this meant that there was no longer a “home” to go home to. As her mother began telling her the stories about her father she became angrier and angrier. This wasn’t supposed to happen. They were supposed to be together forever. Who has an affair when they are 63 years old? Who does this after 42 years of marriage? What kind of man can he be?
Mercedes decided that she would continue with her plans to get out of the Navy. She would stay in Virginia and go to school there. There wouldn’t be any time at the summer home with family now, but she did have her friends here. Everything that she believed in began to slip away. She started fighting with her siblings; no one knew how to handle this situation. Her brother started drinking and ended up in jail after getting a dui. Her sister started to side with her philandering father. It was official. The family that she knew and loved had fallen apart. She had never felt more lost. It was time for Mercedes to grow up and be on her own. She would no longer rely on the stability of the Navy or her Family. She would only rely upon herself, and she suddenly no longer felt very blessed.
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