Face+Fear=Courage!

Prompt:

During your journey through ‘life’ something will happen in which you learn something new or surprising about yourself. In the book Call it Courage Mafatu heads out on a journey to prove to his friends and father that he is not a coward. This journey will change his life.

For some of us courage is facing our fears, reaching the top of the climbing wall, mastering a skill or just helping others in need.

In your next blog entry tell about a time when you found out something new or surprising about yourself you had not known before. Tell what happened and how it changed you. Make sure to describe the experience in detail and use sensory images so the reader can picture it.

Courage to me, means overcoming a fear. I've shown courage a few times, but I think this particular time that I'll focus on, brings it out the most.

I was a little seven year old girl. I'd lived practically my whole life in Singapore, or at least the beginning of it. I'd gotten used to the environment, and gotten attached to many things. Like my apartment. I absolutely loved going swimming in the pool on sweltering hot days; I learned how to swim there. I'd always go down to play for a great amount of time in the playground, attempting to do "gymnastics". I was also attached to my school and friends. But, when I was younger, I would always cry before entering the classroom. Clinging onto my mom, while screaming of course. I'd had many events happen at that school. Such as, experiencing internal bleeding and getting in extreme trouble. Those are bad events, but memorable. Anyway, everything was great for me, until I found out we were moving.

It turns my dad got promoted, I was happy for him, but we had to move. To Amsterdam, Netherlands. On the night they told me, I instantly started bawling. I was extremely sad that I to leave everything! It seems like this story has nothing to do with showing courage, but it will now.

After the feeling of sadness ran out of me, the feeling anxiousness, nervousness, and reluctance filled me. I was afraid. Mainly of a new school. I was afraid that no one would like me, and I'd have no friends. I was scared that people would bully and make fun of me. I dreaded the coming of the first day of school. Then, it happened.

I slowly inched my way to my classroom, tightly squeezing my mom's hand. The inside of the school was warm and cozy, keeping out the cold frost of Winter, which I was not used to. The facilities of my new school were better than the ones at my old school. But I still missed it. I stepped into the doorway, and felt everyone's eyes on me...

To be honest, the first day of school didn't turn out as bad as I'd thought. The entire period time I'd lived there, I had made friends, and gotten used to everything. The whole point of this story is, I was brave enough to push through with school and actually tried to make friends and adjust; and I'd shone courage by doing so. I'd learned that I'm quite good at being social, and making friends. I'm really glad I overcame my fear. Since I move quite a lot, it helps to have reassurance from the thought that everything will turn out okay. This experience changed me by helping me realize that moving to a new place isn't as scary as it seems. If you just try, and be yourself, you'll be settled in no time. Don't you think?

Here's a little visual of what courage could be- from the master of courage himself, Courage The Cowardly Dog!

I got this awesome video from

http://www.youtube.com/watch

v=Hw8YsX73Byc&feature=PlayList&p=0C55BA77018C310E&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=23

The video you just saw is the theme song of Courage The Cowardly Dog. I've decided to use Courage The Cowardly Dog as a symbol of courage. Courage, the dog, is in relation to showing courage because he overcomes his fear of monsters and the supernatural to save and protect his family; he shows an great amount of courage by doing so. Hope it helped your understanding, and you enjoyed!