Diversity

Of course, as everyone knows, Texas is located on the U.S.-Mexico border. This means that there is a large population of Hispanics, and other people from that region. Also, being in the capital of Texas, Austin, it is known is the live music capital of the world, encouraging new music, and therefore increases the diverse races in the city that I live in. The University of Texas in located in Austin too, and so it having the largest student alumni population in the nation, many people come from across the globe to go to this amazing school. Everywhere you go in Austin, there is an astronomical amount of different cultural traditions. Being so diverse, Austin has shaped the culture and tradition of everyone, including those of us native to the U.S., and that change is for the better!

U.S. Sightseeing

My parents are big on traveling. Every summer or holiday, they manage to work in endless hours of being trapped in a moving car that they call taking a trip. It actually isn't that bad, but after a while, you realize that the book that you are still on the same page in the book that you were reading, and that none of it is making any sense. Of course there are benefits to traveling a lot. I have been to about 30+ states, and out of all of those, I will have to say that the northeast region of the U.S. is the most serene, yet desolate place. The trees are always in the perfect shades of green, yellow, red, and brown. The towns that you pass through seem hidden in the rolling hills of perfection. Everyone you meet there is extremely friendly, treat you as if you were a long-lost brother returning home from far away places. My second favorite place is definitely Colorado. It is home to the Rockies, which probably sounds as exciting as smelling your grandmother's feet, but they are extravagant. The endless trails and paths through heaven never failed to excite me, and the ever-so-good camping food (not!) just adds to the experience. You almost never seen anyone out there, except for the occasional camping store out in the woods run by a guy with one tooth and giant leather paws callused from many days of the outdoors. So I you ever decide to go on a road trip, make sure you stop by these places!

Terrorism

Well I think everyone knows that America was a victim of terrorism on November 11, 2001. The terrorist group Al-Quida hijacked 3 planes. One crashed into the Twin Towers, another hit the World Trade Center, and the third crashed in a rural field in Pennsylvania. It was a huge shock to the country. I was in the third grade when this happened, so I don't remember it much or understood it at the time. What I do remember was the deadly silence that traced our school and our country that quiet afternoon. Eyes were glued to TV sets all afternoon and evening, and there was no trace of humor in anything, no matter how hysterical, for the next several days. The motives are unclear to me, but I'm sure our trusty government spent hours every night thinking up ways to tell it to the public with sugar-coated solemness. (Yes, that was sarcasm.) Airport security was taken up several hundred notches. You might as well walk than fly because of the paranoia. Bags were checked multiple times, your ticket and handbags were probably X-rayed with secret devices. There was no way that you could be an object more deadly than a Game Boy on a plane. The security is still very tight, which is a good thing, because I think that the country feels a whole lot safer.

My High School

I go to Anderson High School in Austin Texas. It seems like a large school at first, but after a couple of weeks, it's easy to get around. My school has sports like swimming, wrestling, soccer, football, volleyball, golf, and a lot more. It also has several extracirricular activities such as marching band, ping pong club, Key Club (community service), and some others that haven't started up yet. Because of it's location in Austin, there are many diverse people at Anderson. People from all over the world come to Austin, so there are students from every place here.

Immigration

It's kind of a touchy subject, but important. Since I live in Austin, Texas (which is near the border of the U.S. and Mexico), we have plenty of illegal immigrants. They come here, I think. mostly for jobs, because they work harder than the average American, for less. What our government does about this, is what is constantly being debated. We try to deport any many as we can, and while this seems pretty harsh because they work hard, they aren't paying taxes because they aren't registered, so it affects our economy for the worse.

My summer

My family likes to travel a lot and I've been to about all of the States, so my summers are always pretty crammed. The first three weeks right after school got out I helped a summer programs for kids at my church, and then I went on a Youth Group retreat at Austin College in Sherman, Texas (north Texas). Then about two weeks later I went to a retreat to Leakey Texas on the Frio River (south Texas) and the day I got back I went on a youth group mission trip to Mexico. It was a lot of fun, and we accomplished a lot, by fixing up a church and helping at an orphange for a week. And at the end of that, we went to South Padre for a few days. When I got back, a couple of days later I went to a soccer camp in Longview (east texas, where everyone has a stereotypical Texas accent) for a week with some of my friends. It was really hot, but I got a lot better. After that, I had a week break an then marching band camp for 3 weeks in August, up until school started. So yeah, that' s pretty much how all of my summers go, one thing after another, but I wouldn't want to do anything else during a break.

More About Me

Ok so yes, I really am 13 because I skipped 2nd grade in elementry school. I like to read action books, so my favorite series are the Aex Rider series and the Eragaon series. My favorite professional club soccer team is New Castle, and my favorite international team is Argentina. My sister's name is Alyssa, and my brother's name is Andrew.

Will

Hi! My name is Will Glazener. I am from Austin Texas and I am 13 years old. I am in the ninth grade at Anderson High School. I have two siblings, a younger brother in 6th grade, and an older sister in 10th grade. My hobbies include playing guitar, (which I have been doing for nine years), playing soccer, (for 8 years), and playing football. I like to read, and my favorite subject in class is Math.