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The Church Where I Don't Practice Religion

      In my childhood summers I had lots of time to myself and would only go outside to play sports, so I didn't have many actually obligations to do. My mother's friend told her that if she wanted there was a week long summer bible camp at the local church that she was organizing that me and my siblings should go to. My mom loved the idea(probably because we were annoying her at home), and I honestly didn't want to go but didn't care.  Although I have parents who come from an Eastern Orthodox background, personally I am not religious so I didn't have any real expectations on Scripture Safari being good or bad.     It has now become the thing that I associate with the summer. Most people think of summer as beach, travelling, and pools but I think of another week of my favorite bible camp. I was in 5th grade the first year so I was at the age when kids become volunteers and I didn't have to got through the boring lessons that they gave in the classes. I was put i
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The Tillman Story

          The director does many things well that while the story is sad, is probably the best created documentary I have ever watched. One of my favorite aspects of the film is that there are clear decisions by the director in how it was made, I felt like I couldn't pinpoint a specific point where there was clear bias. Another point I like is the way Pat is shown as a  stereotypical American hero with the video of him accepting an award in high school being quiet, calm and giving praise to the people around him is him being the cool, savvy respected man in one sense. Mirrored by showing him on the football field knocking people's heads off and the original titling of the film being his catchphrase, "I'm Pat Fucking Tilman", showed him being the opposite: vain, profane, and a monster. While the term hero is thrown around a lot, the director undoubtedly show's the audience why of the small list of real American hero's, Pat Tillman is on that list. Lastly I

What You Can Really Learn From A Video Games

      A little over two years after I was born, Rome: Total War came out in 2004 and thus my holy book was born. For most of my childhood I lived in a bubble and I had no reason to change anything. Around a decade ago my uncle introduced me to RTW and I was instantly hooked into a new world that blew my mind very passing day. Looking at the map was very enjoyable, I would look and figure out many geographical facts that stick to me today: Gauls were tribes in what is now France, and Carthage is in Northern Africa right next to Sicily. It mainly showed me the difference in cultures from Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.     One things that became very clear quickly is the differences in technology and infrastructure. Not just learning about wonders of the world like the  Hanging Gardens of Babylon and the Pyramid of Giza, but also about simple innovations like roman aqueducts which amazed modern architects for many years that seemed so simple when I was young that I now realize where

Online Schooling

     It was an experience that I never expected was going to be one I would personally partake in my life. The event being having over a year of an educational year being entirely done online. Online schooling was a topic that was familiar with considering my Mom had finished her accounting degree at College of DuPage online. She would always tell me how hard it was to learn in that setting, and I would scoff at that thought. How could it be hard to learn with no time limits. No noise to hurt your brain, no peers to cause you strain.      The situation seems very easy at the start. When you are learning names and getting all the introductory steps out of the way goes past like a blip. It seems so easy when you are talking for a few seconds, and due to the lack of interaction would lead to focus not being on the class. It felt nice that a class meeting would end and a second later I could be playing on my Xbox, use my phone, or go out with friends. In a way it was less stressful because

You Never Realize The Good Times Until They're Gone.

 Ever since I can remember all I have heard older people around me talk about how they miss the time when they were younger. It confused me at the time because to me it didn't make any sense. What would compel you to want to go back to a stage where you didn't have the ability to do what you want, go where you want, and stay up as long as you want. It was a naïve thought that helps me realize how much my view of life has changed as I've grown up. It's a sobering thought that everyone has at their lowest moments which for many leads to more severe sadness. I am no stranger to this concept when I have my personal bad stretches although when I rejuvenate myself it helps me realize how privilege of a life I have lived. I always go back to my time in elementary school when I would sit for hours on Saturday watching cartoons, making friends in school, and playing soccer after with many friends that I still know to this day. A newer development that happened in my life was the