“We have a test already!?!?!?!” We had finished up the overview of geography, the earth’s surface, climate, industries, and societies, and we had started concentrating on the individual states and regions in the US. But the time had gone fast, and now we had to put our knowledge to work. I was a little rushed, so it seemed like a bigger deal then it actually was, but it gave me a few things to learn. The test consisted of fill-in-the-blank questions, essay answers, and multiple-choice, which went over the key points of the first unit. I struggled a bit, finishing with a grade that rather disappointed me, but it taught me to better prepare for a test next time and not rush. No more late night cramming!

But let’s go to more pleasant topic--everyone is finishing up their projects just in time for Thanksgiving. Our first project required each student to “plan” a trip to an international country and write a report on it. I decided to go to Rome because I am half-Italian and I wanted to research my country of origin. From my exploring, Rome seems like one of the most exotic countries in Europe! It has massive amounts of art and history and lovely countryside views. I am now very envious of anyone that has gone to Rome, because it looks like a great place to take a vacation, if you can spend a lot. The city’s hotels are fairly expensive, but you can find some at a good price. Other classmates’ projects were based on the countries of Germany, England, New Zealand, and Australia, just to name a few. I think everyone is having a lot of fun in class and on their homework.

That subject brings us to the chapters that we are studying. Each chapter focuses on a region, and lists interesting things about each state in that region. We finished with the northeastern and southern states, and started on the midwestern and western states. Did you know that Indiana produces the most iron and steel in the US? And Ohio rivals Virginia in giving us the most presidents? The Midwest also holds many big cities, like Chicago and Detroit, and Michigan’s Great Lakes is the largest body of freshwater in the world. The western states also have many natural wonders, including many mountains, caves, deserts, forests, waterfalls, coasts, and the volcanoes in Hawaii. Yes, Hawaii and Alaska are considered western states--that was something new to me and many of us in the classroom.

Since Thanksgiving is coming upon us, many of us in the class are preparing for vacation. My family usually goes down to Sarasota, about one hour south of Tampa, to visit relatives and escape from the cold. God has used preparing for the vacation to teach me a few things; I sometimes put academics as my number one priority and start freaking out if I miss something or fall behind. This isn’t bringing glory to God; it’s putting other things before him and trying to solve problems myself. Going on a vacation forces you to stop working and worrying for a while, and makes it a time to enjoy yourself. When I first heard about the trip, I thought, “Oh no, now I’ll fall behind and my grades will drop, I don’t want to go.” But then I remembered when I worry about useless things, it merely stresses me out and I don’t bring happiness to anybody. So I asked God to please help me stop worrying, and I am now looking forward to a vacation! School is important, but you have to stop working sometimes, or you’ll be a nervous wreck.

Anyhow, I hope you had a good Thanksgiving with friends and family and you enjoyed your break!