I was nine years old, but old enough to remember every second. I remember it like it was yesterday. The camera. The crash. The medics. The waiting. It was the spring break of 2012 and the family road trip began. My grandma, younger uncle, mom, sisters, brother, and I all went down to Panama to visit my uncle. My youngest sister Umaiza, just barely a year old, was still in a stroller and diapers. My brother Mohammed, not much older, was just under three. And my other sister, Muneeza, was 7. We got into our greenish-silver Honda Odyssey and drove to my uncle's house in Panama. I still remember sleeping on the inflatable mattress in the living room with my sister with the fan on high, because of the sweltering heat. On our first day there, we went to beach, and my seashell collection grew. I remember getting in the car and complaining about the sand in my pants, but we had to stop at Kroger. Driving back to the house we saw a little theme park and made our uncles promise to take us tomorrow. Tomorrow came and so did the theme park. The first ride, go-karting. We had to take turns going because someone had to watch the stroller and my brother. So my uncle and I get on the induvial go-karts, and I get to "drive" for the first time. Next my mom goes with Muneeza and my grandma goes alone. I stand with my uncle, next to the stroller and Mohammed. My uncle has the camera, taking pictures of the passing cars on the track. And then, CRASH! I look over and I see a kart has crashed against the edge of the track. I can't see the person's face, but I notice my uncle running over there, only looking back to tell me to stay put. I see a worried look on my mom's face as she drives past. She parks her kart next to the one that crashed and dashes out to go stand next to my grandma. I am not really sure when I realized that it was my grandma that had crashed into the side of the track, but when I did, I was paralyzed, not only my body but my mind as well. So many thoughts were going through my mind but at the same time I couldn't think of anything. The medics went over and took her to the hospital. The kids had to go home, which I thought wasn't fair. And then we waited, and waited, and waited some more. Finally my mom gets a phone call and all I see on her face is pure shock. She tells us that our grandma had broken her spine. The very structure that held her upright, had failed her. We were told that at her age it would take some kind of miracle to get her back on her feet. So we prayed, and prayed, and prayed some more. I prayed for my grandma to be returned to me. I missed her enthusiasm and energy, her love and care, her soothing voice and radiant smile. I missed all of her. And that's when I realized how much I loved her. So we sat in my uncle's house, day after day. The week was wrapping up and it was about time that we had to go home. The hardest part of it all was having to leave my grandma in that hospital, not knowing when she could come back. About a week later she comes back home. Her recovery took a long time but every day she was getting stronger and stronger. Slowly she was able to walk again. It was truly a miracle, but the main part of it all that never ceases to amaze me is that she fell but she stood up even stronger. She has taught me in life to always stand up tall, taller than before you fell. Because of her I learned that if life makes you "fall down seven times, you stand up eight".
Grandma's are so much more than just a grandma.
They are there for you through it all.
They are there to be your best friend, to be the shoulder to cry on and to be there for you through it all. They go through so much to make sure that you have all that you want. But what happens when they forget who you are? When they aren't sure what day it is and where they are?
What happens when your grandma gets Alzheimer's?
You learn the true strength that she has.
You remember that she has always indeed been the strongest women that you know.
1. She never gives up
2. She helped to raise you
3. She was part of the generation that went through so much
4. She doesn't care what she says and will let you know how it is
5. She will always be there to help you
6. She puts everyone else's needs before her own
7. She loves everyone around her
8. She will always have your back
9. She can cook, even when its only hot dogs
10. No matter what time throws at her, she thrives
11. She ALWAYS has a smile on her face
12. She always knows how to have fun
13. She ALWAYS looks her best
14. She taught us the true meaning of strength
15. Even with losing her memories, she still shows you her love
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Learn more Start CreatingAs a Lana Del Rey fan, I love her mainstream songs like "Blue Jeans", "Born To Die" and "Summertime Sadness", but I prefer her less popular songs because I feel they have more substance.
1. "Bel Air"
"Bel Air" is the epitome of beauty and grace. The soft piano background and the angelic vocals by Lana gives me chills. Surprisingly, this song has only 54k views on Lana's channel and 37 comments*. For reference, her song "Born To Die" has 412 million views 113,000 comments.
2. "Hope Is A Dangerous Thing For A Woman Like Me To Have - But I Have It"
If you are not familiar with Lana Del Rey songs, not all her songs have sixteen word titles. This single was released only 5 months ago, and unfortunately it has not gotten much attention from anyone other than Lana fans. Regardless, it is one of my favorite songs by Lana.
3. "Honeymoon"
The violin music in the intro is enough to pull on your heartstrings. "Honeymoon" is a slow tune with simple yet powerful vocals. Something about the song makes me feel a sense of nostalgia. This song can be found on Lana's album also called "Honeymoon".
4. "Blackest Day"
This song contains vocals enriched with raw emotions. The lyrics reflect Lana's distressing experience with heartbreak. Lana sings "Ever since my baby went away, it's been the blackest day. "Blackest Day" can be found in Lana's 4th studio album "Honeymoon".
5. "This Is What Makes Us Girls"
This is one of Lana's most upbeat songs, but it has a dark backstory. The song reflects a recollection of events during Lana's troubled teenage past right before she got sent to boarding school for her disobedient behavior.
She sings "They were the only friends I ever had. When I got into trouble, and when stuff got bad I got sent away, I was waving on the train platform. Crying 'cause I know I'm never coming back."
6. "Without You"
Lana sings about how all her fame, money and power are meaningless without her love. There is an eerie similarity between "Without You" and "Wildest Dreams" by Taylor Swift. There is speculation that Taylor Swift gets inspiration from Lana Del Rey.
7. "Cherry"
In this song, Lana explains what true love means to her based on passed experiences. Her haunting vocals along with the intriguing lyrics have her listeners pondering the meaning of the song.This song can be found on her newest album "Lust For Life".
8. "Lucky Ones"
"Lucky Ones" is a song you fall in love with the first time you hear it. Lana's vocals are smooth and filled with genuine emotion. With only 24k views on YouTube, this song does not get the recognition it deserves. "Lucky Ones" appears on Lana's "Born To Die (Bonus Track Version)" album.
9. "Pretty When You Cry"
"Pretty When You Cry" is a pleasant song with a catchy melody and a good instrumental. It's featured on Lana Del Rey's darkest album "Ultraviolence." It's surprising Lana recorded in one take and freestyled the song along with her guitarist Blake Stranathan
10. "Radio"
Lana Del Rey wrote this song to throw shade at the people who came back into her life once her songs started playing on the radio. She describes the reentrance of people into her life once her fame started, and says it made her life "sweet like cinammon". "Radio" is one of her few upbeat songs. It can be found in the album Born To Die - The Paradise Edition.
11. "Million Dollar Man"
Even though the studio version of this song is good, her live performance of "Million Dollar Man" will leave you speechless. According to "The Sun", this is Lana's favorite song to perform live. "Million Dollar Man" can be found in her earlier album "Born to Die-Paradise Edition". It's surprising this song has only 300k views on her channel.
*Statistics are taken from the day this article was written.
A Response To Common Core: If Only School Academics Could Change
by Maham Godill