Students in Section 1 and Section 2 of the Writing for Young Learners class wrote these stories as part of their Personal Narrative unit. Thank you for your good work and for bringing smiles to the readers.
SECTION 1 (6:30-7:30PM)
My Scariest Dream
Đức Anh
Everyone must be scared at least one time in their life, even the bravest person. I am scared of dogs, ghosts, and monsters. And my father, the bravest person in my family, is scared of my mother. He said my mother looks like a HA DONG LION. When my dad drinks wine or plays tennis, mommy always shouts at him. I’ll tell you about my scariest time in my life.
It was 4 years ago, when I slept in my bed and had a scary dream. I dreamt that I went to a monster cave. They told me that I need to kill my younger brother to have the strongest weapon in the world. I killed my brother with my katana. I cut him in half. I had to take his brain to the monster. After I killed my brother, I felt hurt because I lost my brother. I cried and regretted it. Finally, I took his brain to the monster and they gave me the weapon but I didn’t use it. I put it in a warehouse.
Suddenly I woke up. Everyone has said that you cannot remember your dreams, but I remembered that dream. When I remember that dream today, I still feel scared.
My Fear of Tasking Tests
Chí Minh
Everyone will have at least one time when they felt scared in their life, even if they are the bravest. Everyone has their own fears. Some can find humor, but others are really fearful. Some just like to joke, but it may scare others. I am scared of many things, but the biggest fear of mine is having a test. I can do it well, but I don’t know why I still feel scared about it.
One day we had a 15-minute test. Before the test, I felt really sure about everything I had read and remembered. While doing the test, I felt quite confident. However, many problems happened in my testing time. My headteacher always looked at me during a test. I looked up, she still looked at me; I ducked, she looked at me; I even shook my head and she still looked at me. I didn’t know why she watched me so much during the test. It made me feel more stressed.
Just one day after I took the exam, I checked the answers with my friends, and I thought I did it all wrong. It got much worse the next day my teacher reviewed the way to solve that type of exercise. I tried to remember what I did on my test, but I couldn’t. I solved it again and again until my teacher told me my score. It wasn’t very bad, but I was still depressed about it.
My score wasn’t high; however, I was still in the top 5 in my class. Now I’m not as sad, but I think I need to study more and overcome my fear and anxiety in taking tests.
FREEDY From the Ghost House
Phương Chi
I am scared all the time, and even my family and my cousin get scared too. My little sister is scared of ghosts and monsters. I don't know what my mother and my father are scared of, but I'm scared of a ghost house.
In 2014, I went to a ghost house with my old friend in Thailand. When we came to the dresser ghost room, there was a MONSTER and a GHOST. I was too scared so I ran quickly to exit the room. My Thai friend said it was not really scary, but I didn't want to go back to that house. That night, I slept with my Thai friend, and I had a nightmare that my friend was really a FREEDY, a bear that is yellow and has a knife with them. The FREEDY has a KNIFE, and he tries to kill me. Then I woke up at 12:00 at night, I was relieved that it's was just a dream.
The Scariest Ghost House
Vân Vũ Ngọc
Everyone must have a time when they are scared, even the mightiest person. Even my dad, who I think is the mightiest, is also scared of small insects. He is scared of them because they look disgusting. I, myself, am scared of darkness and GHOSTS (even though everyone says ghosts aren't real). I'll tell you about my scariest adventure to a ghost house in the south of Vietnam.
Last year, in summertime, my family took a trip around Vietnam and stopped to visit an amusement park in Ho Chi Minh City. We played at many amazing places. At last, we were about to leave when my brother and I saw the most incredible of them all, Harry Potter's magical house. We pleaded and pleaded to our parents until they agreed to let us go in. We jumped high up in the air with a scream of excitement.
My brother, my dad, and I went inside. The house looked like a forbidden palace in a myth. At first, it wasn't scary at all, but when we went further, there was a giant, scary spider. We let out a loud scream, and I grabbed my dad's hand. Everything became mysterious and unknown to us. Then, a ghost appeared and scared all of us. Another punched with my brother, and a ghost with long black hair jumped out at me, and I nearly fainted. It was really a shock.
Finally, we came out of the palace and let out a sigh of relief. It was the scariest thing in my life since I was born. Until now I still remember every detail inside that shocking house. It still makes me scared when someone mentions that place.
Fighting my Night Monsters
Bảo Quang
The first time I slept alone was a long fight against all kinds of “monsters.” It was a Wednesday night, and I was about to go to sleep. My parents said, “You should sleep alone now. You have grown up!” I listened and went to my study room and laid down on a futon there. I didn’t want to sleep alone at that time because I was scared. The ghosts, witches, and scary gargoyles might come to eat me.
At 10 p.m., my mom came in and said, “Good night, sweetie. Have sweet dreams!” I said, “Good night, mom” but I felt a bad feeling. Mom switched off the light. I took a deep breath. I closed my eyes, waiting for myself to sleep. I began to count sheep, but it didn't work. I tried and tried and tried, but it still didn't work. So I decided to have a cup of water. When I went back to bed, I was frightened by the darkness. The witches, ghosts, Frankenstein’s that I imagined said, “BOO! WE ARE GOING TO EAT YOU!”
My sweat dripped down my back, and I went outside. Around 11 p.m. I went back to sleep. I worried that if I wouldn’t sleep, then I would have to go to school sleepy. A few moments later, I went outside and looked at the clock again. It was midnight! I freaked out. I went back and thought if I didn’t sleep, I might fall asleep at school. “I might even get sick,” I thought. I then realized that ghosts, witches, and ghouls were not real and there was nothing to worry about. I soon got sleepy and began to travel into my sweet dreams. In the morning, I woke up, feeling fresh and rested. After that night, I’m no longer afraid to sleep alone. I have overcome my fear of imaginary night monsters.
An Amazing Trip in Beautiful Nha Trang
Hiếu Nguyễn
Last year, my family and some of my parents’ friends had a trip to Nha Trang beach. It was a long time on the plane and I felt so tired. We got there after 3 hours, everyone was so surprised because Nha Trang beach was more beautiful than we imagined.
First, we went to the hotel and got our rooms. It was 11AM so we had lunch and had a small rest. In the evening, we swam in the sea. The view was beautiful, waves crashed into the sand, coconut trees were all around the beach. My sister and I picked up a lot of seashells, and we built a big sand castle and took a lot of photos. We had a big dinner in a restaurant with many seafood dishes, and they were all delicious. At 9 PM we walked on the beach, and the winds blew lightly. We all enjoyed a night party with some of my parents’ friends.
The next day, we went to some islands. We did many fun activities, such as feeding fish and turtles, swimming around the beach, and discovering an island. At 3 PM, my family got to the aquarium where we saw a lot of underwater animals like sharks, seahorses, rays, and puffer fish. We also learned about the history of fish, where they came from, and how they adapted to different types of environments.
On the third day, we got to the Vinpearl Island, and we played a lot of games. We rode a roller coaster and played with parachutes above the seas. At noon, we had a final lunch, and we were all happy. After that, we went to the hotel and packed up our things. Later that the evening, we bought some lovely souvenirs. After a while, some taxi took us to the airport and we went home by plane.
I loved staying in Nha Trang! Next summer, I want to go there again!
An Inspiring Anime Character
Jasper
When I was about 5 or 6 years old in Melbourne, my big cousin introduced me and my brother to an anime character from the Dragon Ball series named Goku. He greatly inspired me because he was strong, smart, determined to do anything and was always happy and helpful to everyone. At first when my cousin showed me the first episode, I was so interested because Goku had special plasma powers that he could use to defeat villains such as Freiza, his first enemy. He had a monkey tail, and that showed us that he was a saiyan.
I have watched the dragon ball series until now. This is because I was so amazed by Goku's personality. He was the greatest hero who ever lived in the series. I was so interested until, one day, the whole series ended. I felt really sad that day. Suddenly, some people decided to make other series and they made me even more inspired because Goku was even better than before. He always tried his best in everything.
Goku has changed my life ever since I watched the first episode with my cousin. He has made me be a strong, smart, determined, positive and the best person I could ever be. He is the best inspiration to me and will always be forever.
My Mid-autumn Festival
Thảo Chu
Last year, I had a fun Mid-autumn Festival at my primary school. I was very excited and nervous. I asked my mom for a new starlight. My mom agreed and bought me a new one. It was so beautiful. I chose my clothes and things to bring to school. I went to sleep and had a good dream. The next day, I was very happy and dressed up, put on my backpack, and went to school. On the way, I started to sing and by the end of the song, I was at school. I went to the class and took out my starlight.
When the Middle Autumn Festival began, we sang a song together, then talked to each other, ran and played many games at the school yard and watched performing arts. There were many performances, such as singing, guitar, and dance. It was very fun. When we came back to our class, we had some candy and fruit. Our class looked very nice because the festival lasted about 4 days, and we have decorated it.
After finishing our snacks, we did another activity, dancing. We danced and had fun, and then we had a five-fruit tray contest. Another team won, but we were not sad. It is the happiest day for me.
After this event, I now know more and understand more about the Mid-autumn Festival. I went home and told my mom about them. Now I’m in 6th grade and my school has started this year’s Mid-autumn Festival. It is more fun than last year. I hope next year will be even more fun.
SECTION 2 (7:40-8:40PM)
A Special Sunday
Duy Anh Tran
Last Sunday was such a fun day for me. On Sunday morning, I went to the countryside to have breakfast with our grandparents. When breakfast was over, we played hide and seek with them. Because I am very good at finding, I could find them easily. We stayed with our grandparents for lunch and when afternoon came, we said goodbye to them and went home. After we reached home, we went to the cinema and watched the film, "The Lion King." Then we went to the restaurant and had some delicious food for dinner. When we finished eating, we went home. That is how my favorite family memory happened.
My Fear of Cockroaches
Gia Kiên Trần
Many years ago, I was really scared of cockroaches because they are ugly and dirty. When you see them, they often run away. At that time, there was a cockroach that lived in my living room that is decorated with many pieces of furniture. It appeared a lot in the room as this is a nice place for the cockroaches to hide. I thought it lived behind the chair or even the sofa. At that time, I was afraid because I thought it would call a friend for help when it saw me. I will tell you about the first time I was really scared of cockroaches.
It was a beautiful day with fantastic weather, and my dad was washing his car and preparing for a trip to my grandmother's house. Only a minute later, I saw some cockroaches crawl on the floor. I was surprised and really scared because one of them could fly. They were so ugly that I don’t want to describe how they acted next because each move made me run a bit faster away from them. But as I grow up my fear about cockroaches is better. I know they can’t hurt m. I know it is only a bug.
A Trip to Phong Nha
Hoàng Quân Lê
Have you ever jumped from a cliff into water? Well, I have. Last summer, I had an amazing trip to Phong Nha cave with my family for 2 days. Phong Nha is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Quang Binh Province. We arrived at the hotel and we ate breakfast at a restaurant not far away from the hotel. Then, we got into the bus and arrived at Phong Nha cave at 8:30. They prepared beautiful kayaks for us. The weather was nice, the sun was shining. We kayaked into the cave. This is the first time I kayaked, I felt worried because I did not know how to manage such a light boat on water.
Furthermore, at the cave mouth, there were many big boats with plenty of tourists going near us, and I was nervous that these huge boats might hit my tiny boat. When we went a bit further, the cave became much larger. It was so huge that it could shelter a big building. Stalactites were brightened by a flashlight. As we rowed much further, the cave became smaller and darker, like a tunnel, and we turned the headlight on. We were rowing in silence; we only heard the paddles touching the water.
After kayaking for 2 km, we arrived at a rough area where historic Champa people had sheltered to avoid war with Dai Viet. After taking some photos, we kept going to a flat land to eat lunch. While eating, I saw a little weak sprout. I strongly believed that it could not grow up into a big tree. I felt sorry for the tree. After lunch, we walked to a cliff. At first, I was not brave enough to jump down from the cliff. I shivered with fear. My heart beat fast. But when the tour guide had jumped, I tried to jump and I liked it. It was overwhelming. I jumped several times.
Late in the afternoon, we came back to the hotel. I felt very tired but happy. That night, I had a deep sleep to recover energy. I hope I can have more trips like that.
After I overcame the fear of jumping down from the cliff, I felt more confident. I found that the further we go, the more we learn, the more we gain experience, the more we are confident, and the more we want to discover.
Getting Lost in Singapore
Huong Anh Nguyen Nhac
Travelling to another place is a very interesting experience because you can
discover many new things. Last year I had an unforgettable memory with my
family in Singapore. It was such a wonderful trip that I will never forget.
However, I also had a scary experience when I got lost in a foreign country. I think this incident has taught me a lesson on how to be calm and confident
in that situation.
I remember the first day I arrived at Changi Airport in Singapore. I was so excited because this was the first time I had ever travelled abroad. Singapore was small but clean and green. Everything was new to me. Singapore is different from Vietnam too. Everyone speaks English and Chinese and I had to use English to speak with them. I thought it was a good chance for me to practice and improve my English speaking skills.
In Singapore, this was the first time I have travelled by MRT. It was very fast and interesting. We went to many beautiful and famous places such as Garden by the Bay and the Aquarium by MRT. I learned to know how to find routes on the map. That kind of thing I have never done before.
We also tried different delicious food, for example king crabs and frog soup, but the place I love the most was Universal, which was big and had a lot of games. It was very crowded in Universal on that day. We spent a whole day in Universal to play. My brother and I played many games and took part in many activities. I was so interested in the games. I wanted to play every game, so I ran and I did not wait for my parents. When I turned back, I could not see my family. I ran back to find them but I couldn’t see them. I got lost. At that moment, I felt so scared that thought I was going to cry. I didn’t know what to do.
Getting lost in Vietnam is not as scary as in Singapore because Vietnam is my home country. Everyone in Vietnam spoke Vietnamese so I can ask them for help. But in Singapore, it was difficult to find someone who is Vietnamese or speak Vietnamese. I tried to be calm, looked around and I saw a strange woman. She reached to me and asked, “What happened to you girl? Who are you with?
“I went there with my parents. Do you know where the security guard is?” I said to her.
“Oh the security guard is over there. What do you want?” she said.
“I got lost now. I cannot find my parents,” I said.
“Oh I know where your parents are. Come with me,” she smiled and said.
I was happy and was going to go with her as she said she knew where my parents were. Suddenly, I remembered that I heard a lot of stories about children that were kidnapped. This strange woman, she didn’t know me and my parents, so she could not know where my parents were. I started to feel more scared. I wanted to cry, but I remembered that my mum said that I had to be calm and confident in every situation. So I tried to keep calm and said to the woman, “Oh sorry lady, I saw my parents. They were over there. They were buying ice cream for me.” I pointed at a couple. After hearing me say that, the woman turned around and left. Then I felt more comfortable. I looked around, kept calm and saw a security guard. I ran to him to ask him help me find my parents. He listened to me and then spoke into a microphone so that everyone could hear.
After five minutes, I saw my parents come. At that moment, I started crying. Mom and Dad said they were worried about me. After that I told my mum about the experience that I had, Mom said to me, “I am so proud of you.” We said thank you to the security guard and left. After that day, we took a flight to Vietnam. Wow, to me the trip to Singapore was an exciting but also scary experience. This taught me that if I am calm and confident in any situation, I can solve my problem.
My Scariest Person
Nguyễn Đức Minh
In my life, the scariest person is my dad. I am scared of my dad because he always pranks me. One time on Halloween Day, when I was sleeping in my room, my dad decided to prank me because he knew that Halloween was the day that I hate the most.
First, at 1am, he bought a mask to put on his face. At that time, he looked so weird. So, he quietly walked into my room, took my basketball and threw it on the floor. BANG! A loud noise went into my ears. Then, I woke up and saw a face with blood and bones. At that time, I didn't know that was not the real blood. He acted like a movie star so I thought the monster was going to eat me. Finally, he took off the mask and told me that it was a prank.
Then two days ago, he celebrated my birthday by annoying me all day long and at the end of the day, he bought me some toys and a laptop so that I can study. First, he screamed at me and threw my phone away. I was really upset! Then he didn’t allow me to eat with other people in my family. After we took a nap, he came to my room and took me to a big field and I saw all of my friends were there. Everyone began to sing “Happy Birthday.” Then, we ate some cake and I really had a good sleep that night.