Ryan Farias Blog

“I see trees of green…(What a Wonderful World, Louis Armstrong)”, not many red roses, but a few dog walkers, a cranberry bog here and there, and the occasional deer, here in the wonderful world of Rochester, Massachusetts. I’m not a Rochester native, as a grew up in the seaside town of Mattapoisett, but after moving here my freshman year, Rochester is my true home. Rochester, a rural town, gives a natural feel to life. When I step outside, I feel the fresh country air, walk through our moss-infused green grass, and take the time to appreciate the space around me. Stately, old pines and oak trees dot my yard and line my street.  As I walk thoughtfully down Clapp Road and Nathaniel’s Way, I listen to the chirping of various robins, cardinals and bluebirds, neighbors’ vehicles slowly passing by, and hear tunes from a radio every once in a while. I easily connect with family here, as I have and aunt, uncle, and grandmother who live just ten houses down from where my house sits on its quiet corner.

When I take my daily run down in cranberry bogs across from my house, I prepare myself for a natural adventure. I may have to hop over hardened bear droppings, spot deer tracks, or run through a swarming, black cloud of tiny midge bugs. Each time I run there I remember accidentally scaring away a huge great heron, hearing it flap it’s massive feathered wings about five feet away from me and then feeling the rush of air it made.  The scarlet bogs are an attractive walking path for my two very friendly dogs, both Bichon-Shih-Tzu mixes: Honey, white, and Teddy, black and white. We enjoy taking them out for “bog walks”, as they happily strut along the paths around the large rectangular patches of berries, with their little tongues hanging out when we go back home. Because they are small, we have to be wary of the broad-winged hawks hovering about, their white, brown and black feathers stiffly spread out, like the wings on a plane, as they patrol the area. The hawks become more prevalent as spring marches into summer. The warm spring and hot summer days in Rochester are perfect times for family cookouts; the tantalizing sound of burgers, hot dogs, or chicken sizzling on the gas grill, as we stand on our deck, overlooking our little piece of country life.

          I don’t usually like to brag about myself.  I will say, however, that I feel I am a good reader and writer. I take pride in doing the best that I possibly can when I am writing, meaning that I don’t want to leave out any important information, I make sure that my spelling and grammar is satisfactory, and I take my time with it (at some points, too much time). Nowadays, I mostly write for English, or any other class that might require some extensive writing. Although, in the past, I have written just for the sake of it. For example, at the end of sixth grade, I wrote a five chapter book about myself and a paraprofessional that I became friends with. I was addicted to Calvin and Hobbes at the time, so I used some elements of that in my story. I have enjoyed reading novels, too. For example, for summer reading in my Sophomore year, I read Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger’s, by John Elder Robison. This is his autobiography about how he went through his life with Asperger’s Syndrome (hence the title). I relate to this, because I have Asperger’s myself. Later that year, I read Gutless, by Carl Deuker, a sports novel. The story is about a high schooler, Brock Ripley,  making the transition from soccer to playing football for Crown Hill High. This book was perfect for me, because I love the sport of football. With both of these novels, there is one common factor: I love to read it, but the work afterward takes the fun out of it for me. I’ve been dealing with this weakness for years. It doesn’t change the fact I still get the work done, though, and achieve a good grade.  When I write now, I always use a screen. I find it easier, because I am able to get ideas down faster, changes are simple to make, and there is no risk of ripping a hole in my work, which has happened to me on multiple occasions. When I am reading, I’m in between. If I am reading a small excerpt, I’ll usually pick a screen. When I am reading a full novel, however, I’ll usually take a book in front of me over all else. I believe that I have great skills in reading and writing. With that being said, I am confident that I will do well in this course, whatever it brings forward.