Home with the family

My eyes open to the rays of sunlight coming through the rip in my shade lighting up my entire room. I see 12:00 on my alarm clock. I can smell my brother making breakfast downstairs and I wonder what intricate meal he decided to conjure up this morning. My ears awaken to the sound of the TV and I know my sister is watching her favorite crappy reality TV show. I did many memorable things this summer but when I think of the summer of 2019, I remember the few weeks that my entire family was home. I love when my siblings come home from college. It makes me feel nostalgic, bringing back feelings from when I was younger when we all lived together, in that small apartment, fighting, playing, and sharing meals. Although being with my family is no dramatic summer adventure, it was still the most memorable few weeks of my summer. My whole family under the same roof is rare and makes my house feel like a home, which is something I take for granted.

— Ruthie Stein, Providence RI

Sky full of stars

With 2 pillows, a big blanket, a bag full of spicy chips, my best friend and I drove from providence to conimicut beach a few minutes pass midnight. Settling the blanket on the sand first, then the pillows, we laid down to notice a clear sky full of stars. We stayed there star gazing hearing the tides grow every minute. We talked for hours, going over different conspiracy theories and our fears on entering senior year. Such a simple moment, yet still the most memorable.

— Karina, Providence RI

The worst last day of school ever

July 26, 2019. The worst last day of school ever. Some time prior, I was informed that the family would be moving to Providence from New York City due to my father’s job. Nobody had any say in the matter, not even my dad. We finished the school year pairing down our possessions and packing our belongings. While most of the kids would be meeting up with friends and doing fun things over the summer, I would be settling into a new home, away from both friends and fun. Sure, I would be going to a summer program at Yale, but that was only two weeks. Yale came and went, and after that, I only was able to see one of my friends one time. The rest of the summer, I waited for school to start again. I tried to make up for my loneliness with games and friends from the internet, but to no avail. I tried getting a job. I’m still waiting on a response. My parents made me work on a college essay. None of these helped me not think about my loneliness. Now that school is in, I’m trying to make friends and fit in, but as a transfer student, it isn’t the easiest task. I wish we never had to move. My life is still in NYC.

— Alexander Stewart, Providence, RI

Camp counselor

Over the summer I worked as a day camp counselor, supervising a group that consisted mainly of little 5 and 6 year olds. The job was relatively easy, considering my only real responsibilities were making sure these children didn’t kill each other, but it came with the various challenges that 5 and 6 year olds bring, such as the spontaneous tantrums, bathroom troubles and random spurs of disobedience. While trying to bring a camper to the director who refused to move, he threw a fit in my arms, hitting, kicking and biting me. After he was sent home, he came back the next day with a letter he had written to me, apologizing for throwing a fit the previous day, and concluded his letter with “I love you.”

— Joey, Providence

The moment before my soliloquy

This summer I had the opportunity to play King Claudius in a production of Hamlet at the Gamm Theatre Summer Intensive. Throughout the entire experience one moment stands out the most, the black out before my soliloquy. Its a memory which feels like it’s coated in velvet, a period of time so short but full of such gravity.The light would fade out and a transitional song of choir humming would play. The theatre would be so quiet you could hear a pin drop, and in the back of my mind I would know the next five minutes of the show relied only on me. It’s a feeling which can turn people away from theatre and ignite stage fright in most, yet for me it brought a strange sense of comfort. As I walk on in the darkness and kneel center stage, the only thing on my mind is the crown on my head and the silence surrounding me. That one pause which was of no relevance to the audience, jumps out to me when I look back. Those minuscule moments are why I perform and why the stage serves as my second home. I savored that moment every performance and it never lost its spark, and as I look back on it I realize it never will.

— Catherine Raymond, Providence, Rhode Island

A special birthday

The one moment that stands out the most for me was the morning of July 26, my birthday.

The morning started off as usual, I woke up early, made my breakfast, took a shower and sat in bed waiting for the time to come to leave the house for whatever plans I have. Throughout this process I was receiving calls to wish me a good birthday. After a bit of sitting, I got ready to go have a picnic with a good friend. We picked a spot, and began out book club. I took breaks while reading and laid there and took in the scenery. While I looked up, I remember feeling the relaxing aura from us both laying there, the wind cooling the hot summer day and the sun shining through the leaves. The sky was partly cloudy, I would look through the leaves and just enjoy being there. Something about being around a person who you trust and care for and nature showing off its beauty made for a very memorable start to the best birthday I’ve had.

— Imanol Sanchez, Classical High School

Overcoming fear

I have always been afraid of the water but this year it was my year to get over that fear. It started with me asking to hangout at my best friend house where we would spend time in pool where I eventually started jumping without a life jacket. To heading to the theme park and having fun at the wave pool. I knew I got over my fear when after 3 years the first time I was able to kneeboard and had a fantastic time. I did not feel afraid anymore this summer I really felt that I move from I can’t do this to I will do this. And I did do it.

— Nate R, Toronto