During our Manchester trip, we got to go to Liverpool, where I got to visit the Beatles Museum. This was an amazing opportunity as I really enjoy the Beatles’ music. The museum was filled with information from their childhood to (some of) their deaths. It was also decorated beautifully, with certain rooms dedicated to a certain song or album and other rooms showing how they became such a popular band.
After that, we decided to go on a hop on-hop off style bus tour of famous Beatles locations. This included Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields, and the Beatles’ childhood homes. It was amazing to see how each of these places inspired the 4 so much that they went on to write award-winning songs about them.
Recently, I went to Manchester. I spent a week there and explored the city. While it was really cold, I enjoyed everywhere we went to! Some of my favorite places were the libraries. We visited Chetham’s Library in Manchester, which is the oldest public library in the world, and the Liverpool Central Library.
The Chetham’s Library first served as housing for the priests of Manchester’s Collegiate Church in 1421. Since then, it has become a library, housing many unique and rare books for over 350 years. We were lucky enough to get a tour of the library and therefore learned about the history. The library contains a few intact rooms that represent what life might have looked like for the priests and the warden that watched over them.
Later in the trip, we went to Liverpool, where we decided to visit the Liverpool Central Library. This library is relatively modern, with some beautiful older rooms. Outside the library, book titles are engraved (as shown in the first picture) and I loved the way that it looked. It was totally unique and I haven’t seen other libraries which had decorations like that before! The main room was beautiful and I especially enjoyed the second “floor” which curved around the whole room. There were also certain exhibits when we went, like an Audubon birds exhibit and a Chinese and British exhibit (last picture).
I really enjoyed visiting these libraries! Which library that you’ve visited is your favorite?
Here are 22 things I’m looking forward to in this new year!
The School For Good and Evil movie This is a movie that is going to be coming to Netflix based on the popular School for Good and Evil book series. I’m really excited to watch it!
Traveling more
Trying a new theme on my Instagram
Performing more Bharatanatyam
Learning more Mohiniattam items
Attending more book events
Improving my writing skills
Attending my school’s dance event
Expanding my Ninja Foodi cooking skills
Discovering new authors
(Hopefully) being a leader in 8th grade In our school, leaders lead lessons in homeroom 2 times a week. I’ve heard that leadership class and leadership camp (which you take to become a leader) is really fun.
Creating a project in my MUN class with my friends
There were many wonderful things in Chicago and I loved visiting all of them. 5 of them were really great places and I enjoyed them a lot. These are my top 5 places in Chicago.
The Science and Industry Museum This museum is filled with all the types of science- from physics to patterns (Fibonacci, Golden Ratio, etc.). There were so many cool experiments and it was a really fun place. Some of my favorite parts were the Physics section, the Mirror Maze, the Model Railroad, and the Science Storms section.
The American Writer’s Museum This Museum is filled with information about famous writers in America. The way that the information is presented was spectacular and I loved the way that we got interactive and fun exhibits while still learning. Some of my favorite parts were the typewriters, the games (fill in the blanks and write a story), and the Children’s Gallery.
Shedd Aquarium The aquarium is a fun place with so many animals. I usually love aquariums and this one wasn’t any different. It was amazing to see so many marine animals close up. Some of my favorites were the penguins, the otters, the Color Exhibit, and the beluga whales.
The Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute has many wonderful artworks. They’re all very varied and diverse and are really amazing to look at. At the time we went, we could see the Obama Portraits, which were amazing. Some of my favorites included the Greek Mythology section and the Indian Mythology section (every place represents the gods differently and it was interesting to see the different representations).
Tribune Tower I really liked Tribune Tower because of the outside. There are pieces of stone from all over the world- from Egypt to China. There are 149 rocks on the wall, which I found super cool. Each rock has a different texture and shape, so you can compare them. Some of the rocks are from famous landmarks while others are not.
Have you been to Chicago? If so, what’s your favorite place there?
I went to San Antonio recently and I enjoyed all of the marvelous and wonderful sights, so I decided to share my favorites with you. I hope you enjoy!
The Japanese/Chinese Tea Garden The Japanese Tea Gardens, were a crowded, but beautiful place. It was lush, green, and filled with nature. There were a few koi ponds, a waterfall, and beautiful bridges. We also saw koi and 2 ducklings. I really loved the scenery and the breath-taking views.
The Pearl (neighborhood) The Pearl is a neighborhood with many restaurants and other fun shops. It borders the San Antonio River and is a big open area. There are many picturesque views, with the buildings and the field areas. Two of my favorite places in the Pearl are Lick Ice-cream and Twig Bookstore.
The Mercado The Mercado is the largest Mexican market in the US, with 32 specialty stores/booths. It is full of vibrant colors, like the papel picado overhead, or the fun colors of the booths. There’s food, drinks, toys, and more. Sadly, we went at a time before the market has opened, so we didn’t get to see everything.
Have you been to San Antonio? If so, what are your favorite parts of the city?
This week, I attended the WITS poetry workshop, which Joshua Nguyen taught. We learned about haibuns (poems which have a paragraph in the beginning and a haiku at the end) and got a chance to write our own. I had so much fun with this and this is my haibun.
I wrote my haibun about a longing to be at the beach.
There is a longing inside of me to see a beautiful blue-green sea, slowly fading into dark blue. I wish to have my feet buried into the warm sand while a book captures my attention. I wish to be where trees line the background and I can sit peacefully with an ice-cream cone. I want to hear the shouts and joy of kids, but still live in my own world of tranquility. I want to relax in the shade of a tree while still staying warm, courtesy of the sun peeping through the branches. I wish to be as relaxed as I was there and never care for anything in the world.
I want to see the
wondrous ocean again
and relax, happy
What are you longing for during social distancing?
I recently visited Dubai and I enjoyed it a lot. Here are a few of my suggestions on what to do.
1. Go to the top of Burj Khalifa: The first thing we did when we got to Dubai was see the Burj Khalifa. The Burj Khalifa is 828 m tall which makes it the world’s tallest building. We went to the 148th floor and relaxed in the lounge there.
2. Sunset at The Pointe: The Pointe is on The Palm. It is on one of the fronds of the man-made island. There’s a small beach lined with beanbag chairs which are very comfortable. Overlooking the beach is the famous Atlantis hotel. There are many activities and games on the Pointe. There are also quite a few gift and coffee shops around.
3. Take a speed boat tour: A speed boat tour is perfect near sunset. As the boat crashes over the waves, you feel carefree. Ours was at the perfect time. When the red sun started to set behind Burj Al Arab, all the phones came out. With the sun hiding, the effect was spectacular! I definitely recommend a boat tour near sunset.
4. The Optical Illusion Museum: The museum, located in the Al Seef area, may seem small but it’s full of optical illusions. There are some games and pictures which might have you scratching your head. One of my favorite things to do were the optical illusion picture “booths”. One person would stand in a certain area based on the instructions and the other person would snap a pic on the labeled spots. This was one of my top favorite places.
5. The Dubai Miracle Gardens: The Gardens is full of vibrant and colorful creations. The amount of plants and flowers in a desert astonishes me. There are many sculptures like dancers, an airplane, horses, and more! This place truly is a miracle. It is my top pick in Dubai!
