Charlie’s Memoir

Trying new things is sometimes scary but, after you do that thing that you thought was scary you want to do it again 10,000 more times.  It’s like the end of a movie when you think that the main character is going to die and you stuff as much popcorn as you can in your mouth because you’re scared. Then you see that they don’t die and the villain actually dies and you realize that there was no reason to be scared. Trying new things can also be really exciting if you’re going or doing something that you want to do.  If you never try something new you’ll never know if you will like it. There are a lot of things that I love to eat like celery, pickles, alligator, steak and chicken. There are also things I like to do like play sports and watch reality T.V. shows.  If I never tried them, I would never know in the first place that I liked them.  

 

The first time I tried flag football I was really nervous that there would so many big and tall kids in the league and I would be the tiniest kid on the team. So I asked my dad, “Do you think I will play well?”  And he responded, “Just go out there and have fun!” At first I thought it would be very rough like tackle football and I would be the worst player on the team.  I was also nervous because it was my first time ever playing football in a league. It was actually a lot of fun and I was one of the best players on my team.  Another reason it was fun is because it was more like two-hand touch than tackle football.  The only difference was that you had pull your opponent’s flag which is a nylon strip that is attached to a belt around their waist to stop them from scoring.  After I played flag football for the first time I discovered that just because you think something is scary or hard it doesn’t mean that it couldn’t be fun. Also like to watch professional football.

 

The first football game I went to was in Miami.  I had wanted to go to a football game for a while and a lot of friends had been to a game.  I saw the Miami Dolphins play the Indianapolis Colts.  I went with my friend Zack, his dad, his uncle, and his cousins. I had a  sleepover with him the night before the game.  When we woke up we had a quick breakfast and then went to the Stadium.  We had a picnic with Subway  sandwiches and Lay’s chips.  Zack, his dad and I played catch in the parking lot before the game started.  Finally we entered the stadium and found our seats. I saw the field and the humongous field goal posts, which looked two massive statues coming out of the ground. I could hear the fans and Zach screaming “Let’s go Dolphins, let’s go Dolphins!” at the top of their lungs.  At first both teams didn’t score much but, by halftime the score was Dolphins 14 and Colts 18.   At halftime we went to the snack bar to get ice cream.  When we got back to our seats, the 3rd quarter had already started!  In the end the Dolphins lost but Jarvis Landry the Dolphins best wide receiver had a sick one-handed catch!  The game was super fun!  I hope I can go to another football game in the future. I was glad to have the opportunity to try out this new thing.

 

This story relates to trying new things because I was excited to go to my first NFL game. I’ve been to lots of of basketball games, baseball games, and 3 hockey games but never to a football game. I thought it would be similar to a basketball game because it is a fast paced sport and so is basketball but I didn’t realize that there were a lot more stoppages of play. I also thought it would be a higher scoring game in the end. It’s a lot different to go to a football game than to just watch it on T.V. I really loved the football game. I learned that just because you think something is similar to something else it’s not always true. I learned a different lesson when I tried alligator for the first time.

 

The first time I tried alligator, I was in Miami visiting my grandparents. My mom, sister, grandmother and I went to the Everglades to go on an alligator adventure on an airboat. Before I went on the airboat ride I felt very excited because I had never seen an alligator anywhere besides a zoo or been on an airboat ride before. In my opinion I think alligators are way more dangerous when they not in cages. We had to wear ear protectors because the boat was extremely loud! The water shined like a smooth paved road. Our tour guide told us a lot of cool facts about alligators like what they like to eat and what’s the difference between an alligator and a crocodile.  We saw four alligators and a lot of cool birds like hawks, ravens and egrets.  The grassy marsh around the boat was spiky like razor blades. After the airboat ride, we had a lunch at a restaurant that was part of the alligator boat ride. We had alligator as an appetizer and it was amazing! It tasted like spicy chicken that was deep fried. “The alligator was fantastic!” I told my grandfather when got back to their house. “What did it taste like?” he asked me. I said it tasted like spicy chicken. The next time I went to Miami, I was suppose to go to the Everglades again because we thought it was very enjoyable and the alligator tasted great, but I got sick. I hope I can go again when I’m in Miami so I can try alligator again.

 

At first I thought alligator would taste gross and slimy but it actually tasted like chicken. I was nervous that I would throw up after eating the alligator. It’s like being dared to eat a food you think you will not like but realizing that you are up for the challenge. I also thought it would be hard and scaly like a real alligator but I was wrong. In addition, I thought it might make me sick similar to expecting a sad ending in a movie but getting a good ending. I was surprised during the boat ride to see other wildlife and creatures and learn things about the Everglades. I didn’t realize that the boat went on top of the water instead of through it because the water is very shallow. I didn’t realize that my experience in the Everglades would be so interesting and also a lot of fun and I was happy I gave alligator a shot.

 

Overall I think trying new things can be an positive and interesting experience.  When I try new things now I take in account all of the life lessons it has taught me.  You should always give something a chance before you decide you don’t like it.  Another thing to think about when you are trying new things is that sometimes an experience is not how you expected it to be.  Finally, If you never try something you’ll never know if you’ll like it.  What I’ve learned from these experiences is that it is very important to try new things throughout the course of your life.