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Eli Week 1: The n-Faced Creatures We Are

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I’ve recently become aware of the different ways I act around different people. When I went to a summer camp in North Carolina, I met and talked to many new people as I normally would. Then I flew to visit my grandparents with my mom, and it felt like my brain completely recalibrated itself. I was finally able to be “myself” again, becoming more energetic, unfiltered, and probably changing in many more ways I don’t even realize, without worrying about how others perceived me. Obviously, people act differently in different circumstances. A funeral and a wedding, for instance, or talking with a teacher versus a friend, each demand their own appropriate behaviors. Online articles such as this included similar explanations to my own, too. So, I attributed the differences in my behavior at the summer camp and at home to varying familiarity levels. However, I noticed differences in my language and communication even between people I’m similarly close to. It made me wonder, are these varianc...
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Ellery Week 1 - Hella Californian

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“it’s hella hot,” I texted my friend. They responded, “yeah idk why. i thought it would be hella cold.” Hella. What a funny word. It reminds me of freshman year, when a teacher told me that using the word ‘hella’ was an instant, telltale sign that someone was from NorCal. To me, the word was just another word, and I didn’t feel any different from someone who never says ‘hella.’  This brought about the question, “Who do people think I am?” Not when I’m using professional diction to try and impress my AP Lang teacher, not when I’m speaking a mix of Chinese and English, Chinglish, to my parents, not when I’m trying to sound like a confident leader in a team huddle, but when I really spoke , without any filters. One could definitely tell I’m a teenager, especially when I talk with my friends, or giggle at the occasional 67 joke. However, this made me realize, the “filters” I thought I used also speak volumes about myself. Outside of being a teenager in California, I am a student with ...
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