Brianna: 6th

                                                                                                 Edward Cullen Picture Provided By Chop1n

Have you ever wished that werewolves existed; that vampires lived among us? Well Isabella Swan is pulled into the world were all these things exist and dangers are around every corner especially when you're a danger magnet when a thoughtful, sensible vampire named Edward Cullen, falls in love with her, soon followed by a highly confident werewolf named Jacob Black. This amazing, gut wrenching love story takes place in the small town of Forks, Washington. Bella and Edward at the very beginning of the book get married but all does not go well at their honeymoon where Bella becomes pregnant. Unfortunately the baby is like its parents, human and vampire, making for a deadly combo for the baby is much stronger than any regular one and is deadly when it kicks, breaking Bella's bones as it matures, even faster than normal. Bella being unreasonable Bella is totally against having the baby killed, and is backed up all the while by Edward's sister, Rosalie who has always wanted a child and his sweet mother, Esme who wants what Bella wants. All the while the baby continues to break Bella from the inside. When the baby is finally born, there is only one choice but to make Bella a vampire because she is beyond any other help, soon after Bella is ‘born' the Cullen's get word that the Voultri, a powerful group of vampires that abide to the law and reinforce it, are coming to destroy the baby because they think it a undead child that will threaten their secret. What will Bella and Edward do? Will they run and hide with their precious baby, leaving the rest of the family behind or turn and fight? What will happen to their baby? If you have a deadly curiosity about what will happen read this book, Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer. A thrill that will suck you dry.

Recently I read a blog about how Samoan kids have it hard when they grow up away from Samoa and live in the states. I decided that this was interesting; especially because it refers to me since I am half Samoan and half palagi or white person and decided to do a blog on it.

            I, personally, think that it is hard for kids that grow up away from their ethnicity group but also we have it easy, we don't have to face some hurdles our parents had to face when they were growing up. I am just learning to speak the Samoan language because I haven't been exposed to it in recent years and I really am just starting to become aware of the real Samoan culture. I have lived in the states for all of my life, never even been to Samoa, but I want to learn about Samoa and to be as good a Samoan I can be though I also want to be as good a palagi I can be too. That could mean walking a very fine line between the two cultures.

            On one hand in Samoa elders are the most highly regarded and usually eat first. In the states though it is, in most cases, first come first serve. Another difference in the two cultures is the way they bring up their children. In Samoa the kids usually are like servants, they do what they are told when they are told without complaints. Basically the Samoan way is much stricter. In the states though in most cases, kids are usually expected to do good in school and do some chores, not be like servants, much less harder on the children. More differences are that men hunt and cook the food and women are supposed to take care of the fale or house. They tell stories through dance like the Siva Afi or fire dance. In the states kids usually ride the bus or a car to make their way to school but in Samoa kids either have to walk for over two miles or more, ride a boat or swim to the mainland so they can go to school.  When they do get out of school they have chores, like the boys have to cook and the girls have to clean before they can do anything fun. The girls also are not allowed to date unless the parents approve and if one is found, the boy is beat up by anyone who is related to the family, much unlike the in states. If that is not enough of differences another thing is that when someone gets married the high chief of the family must come to the boys or girls family to ask permission to marry the daughter or son. All in all the two cultures are very different and have very different ideas of society, so how are we supposed to find the middle?

            I believe that the middle is to just to respect both cultures and to keep both cultures alive through your own living, this not only goes for people of Samoan background but for anyone feeling a little homesick, if you feel like your losing your culture or if you feel you are feeling confused between two cultures you embody. We should respect our cultures and try to live our lives to the best of our abilities like this fellow blogger from http://samoanwoman.wordpress.com says   

            "We should be proud of whoever we are.  Some of us may be both a palagi and a Samoan, or a Chinese and a Samoan, or a Tongan and a Samoan.  If that's you, celebrate you are.  Be proud of all that you are.  Many of us come wearing more than just the one hat.  We're not just one or the other.  We're many pieces that have come together to form the one.  All of that makes us who we are."

         This is true, we should be proud and should try our best to keep any culture we are alive but also be open to other cultures and incorporate that into our identity. We should try to be the best that we can be even if that best is a little part of everything.

                                              Image of Samoa provided by Classroom Clipart