Introspective Reflections

Pax looked at the letter they'd received from Professor Jensen that was lying on their bed. They'd considered doing the journalling errand, but it didn't seem up their alley. However, they were flying back out to Yin Yan Ju, the ancestral Zhang residence. It had been a tradition for them to return most summers, and there was always something going on. It would present a great opportunity to write about. So, they grabbed a notebook and added it to the growing mountain of luggage, bearing in mind to give it back to Professor Jensen after the school year began.

Day One: July 18th 2022:
Today...what happened today? Well, a lot happened today. Even though my dad is a wizard, we always fly over to China, for my mum, since she's a muggle. Besides, I honestly love flying, whether it's on a broom or in a plane. It's the thrill of it, I think. I'm really lucky that my dad understands, so he lets us fly over. Well, this year it was me, my siblings and my mum who flew over, since my dad wanted to go earlier. He loves the family. The flight was really late today, so I'm writing this on the plane currently, since I can't sleep. I'd usually talk to my dad if I couldn't sleep. It's when we've had our best conversations. When he's not around, it does always make me appreciate when he is more.

Day Two: July 19th 2022:
We landed in Beijing this morning, and honestly, I'm grateful that we made it. The plane ran into turbulence, and for a moment nobody on board was sure if we'd make it alright. I hate to admit it, since I'm usually never so scared, but I really did get worried. That's put me off flying for a while. Unfortunately, I still have the flight back. Which is great. So great. We've been travelling for ages, over 12 hours, in a car my dad sent to pick us up. Beijing is really out of the way from Yin Yan Ju, but it's where most flights from Britain land, so we had little choice.

Day Three: July 20th 2022:
I realised I forgot to explain what Yin Yan Ju is, so I'm going to do that today. Yin Yan Ju is the Zhang's ancestral home, where most of the older generation Zhangs grew up. Currently living there are at least two generations, and the two- no three now- generations below always visit at least once a year, though at various times.
We arrived yesterday, but since we'd been travelling so much I didn't add more to yesterday's entry. The house currently is hosting about 70 people, and I'm glad that it can. It's such a large space, it's pretty much a hotel at this point. The family in total is... around 280, though since the oldest generation are dying and the youngest are.... repopulating, the number fluctuates up and down pretty often. We only ever have the full family for funerals, and the largest festivals, but it's still an impressive number, I've been told. And the house can hold all of them.
It's such an amazing space, I'm in awe every summer when I go back. As it's so large, I am always finding new places to explore when we go back. Like, today, I found out that there's an easier way to get to the kitchen than having to go through all the tunnels like the house elves. In the centre of the main courtyard is a large wooden platform that I always assumed had just been there, but it's actually a trapdoor! Can you believe it? I know I'm so lucky to be able to return to a house like this every summer, and I owe it to my dad's pureblood heritage. Hopefully next year I'll be able to bring some of my friends.

Day Four: July 21st 2022:
My cousins arrived today! Well, the last of them. Most of them had already arrived. In total, I have... too many cousins to count. My great-grandma had seven children, one of which was my grand-dad of course. Between my grand-dad and his siblings, they had fourteen kids. So, you can see why I've lost track of how many cousins I've got. I think I'm on 23 right now. My younger brother Jason is the youngest of the whole bunch, and the oldest bunch have their own kids by now. Yeah. Big family. Though it's so large, I love and cherish the largeness of my family. I couldn't imagine being in a smaller family, despite the chaos of mine currently. When it comes down to it, we always rally together and support each other, even those that are like our twentieth cousins thrice removed. And that's what I love about my family.

Day Five: July 22nd 2022:
Today was a cooking day. That may sound really boring to some, but with the Zhang family, it's anything but. We always split off into small groups and do a catch-up whilst preparing different parts of a large family meal that we share at the end of the day as the sun goes down. But, since we eat at sunset, we always have to begin food prep at, like, 9 am. After all, there are 70 people to cook for.
I usually end up making dumplings with most of my cousins that are my age. We have a system going. I'm the folder. I always get comments on my precise folds. It's kinda my thing. But it's so great to see everyone's hard work on the table and watch as it slowly disappears during fun conversations. You always feel so stuffed afterwards, but it's so worth it.

Day Six: July 23rd 2022:
I bumped into some house elves today, I forget how nice they are and how much they do. At Yin Yan Ju, we have such a large army of house elves, though maybe not as many as Hogwarts, though definitely over 100. Most have allegiances with a certain part of the family, however, so I only see around 60 of them regularly. Under the house is a series of tunnels that they all use to get up to the main body of the house, like the old manor houses in England. Underneath the house is pretty much where they live, near the kitchens and the laundry room. We set aside several large rooms for them all, with a bunk-bed situation for each of them, and a few things for them to do if they aren't busy. I know, I know, it seems harsh, but I think they like the work. Honestly, the house elves are pretty much part of the family at this point, given how much they do for us. They've been here for so long that I can't imagine Yin Yan Ju without them.

Day Seven: July 24th 2022:
We went out exploring today. I say we, that was me, my siblings and some of my cousins. We went out into the protective woods that surround Yin Yan Ju and we all made dens. We got Ye Ye (my grandfather) to vote on which was the best. Me and my siblings won, which was obviously to be expected. I mean, our den had a roof! Honestly, the woods around Yin Yan Ju are so cool, I'm so glad that they're there. Exploring the house is fun, but it's always so much more fun to be in the great outdoors.

Day Eight: July 25th 2022:
My cousins challenged me to a fitness test today, and of course I wasn't going to say no. I've gotten a lot fitter the past year, actually being able to play proper quidditch and all. We did a medley of different competitions: press-ups, sit-ups, running, etc. My upper-arm strength has really been building out, so I actually didn't fail the upper-arm tests. My brother did though, and that was funny. I won the running competition as well, as well as the beep test we did. All the running pays off, after all. I'm glad that I'm still able to do all this running about and stuff. Ye Ye (my grand-dad) saw us competing and gave us a mini-lecture on how he loved to do this thing back in his day with his cousins. So I'm treasuring this while I still can.

Day Nine: July 26th 2022:
I'm so tired, but the day was so good. We had a large flying tournament with the family. We played a variation of quidditch where there are still seven members, but there are no set positions, so everyone can fly around and do whatever roll. It's pure chaos. Oh, and the rounds only last for 90 minutes. After all, we have eight teams, and we can only have one winner. We usually agree on teams at the big family meal, otherwise, people will gravitate towards the same teams, and since we younger ones team up, we usually win. That's what we worked out anyway. My great-great-uncle referees since he's the most objective. When we have the whole family over for a celebration we always play, and there are like 24 teams so it feels even more real. I love the adrenaline, and it's so good to be able to play whilst we're away. Flying's always been an escape for me, and it's so great that I get that escape whilst I'm here. Oh, and my team won. Of course.

Day Ten: July 27th 2022:
Today's the day we fly back to Britain, and I'm gonna miss it here. It's been so great to see everyone again, and even the general vibes of Yin Yan Ju just calm me. I mean, I know we'll be coming back next year, but still. This place holds a special place in my heart and I'm so grateful that I got to spend the last week here. Documenting it in this book hasn't been all that bad either. It's been nice to be able to write this down, so I never forget it happened.

Reducio

Journal Word Count: 1584

Total Word Count: 1967

Dear Professor Jensen,

Thank you so much for sending over the opportunity of this assignment, even before I officially started attending Hogwarts. I truly enjoyed writing these journal entries. They definitely helped me to have a much more positive outlook on my summer activities and eased a few of my concerns about starting school. I tried my best to write an entry weekly going through what I was most grateful for that week.

July 2, 2022

Since it is Saturday, I am already grateful for one thing, having my parents at home. I enjoy spending time with them and really want to get as much time in before I go away to school. If I am being honest, I am scared to be away from them. I am grateful that my brother will also be attending with me, but I worry that we will be sorted in separate houses. Although I am filled with worry, I am grateful that today we will have our traditional movie night.

This week’s gratitude list includes:

• We received our letters from Hogwarts. Even though we knew it was coming, nothing beat the feeling of receiving our first letters. I am absolutely thrilled to start my first year.
• This week the weather was surprisingly beautiful. I was grateful to have the chance to visit the Glasgow Botanic Gardens. Walking through the greenhouses and seeing the variety of different flowers was truly magical.
• After we received our supply list, I was incredibly eager to get everything I needed. I appreciate our mom agreeing to take us to Diagon Alley to grab everything.
• While I was at Diagon Alley, I met another student who will hopefully be my first friend. We had a great time at Flourish and Blotts. She has even agreed to exchange letters over the summer!
• I even had a not-so-great experience, when I accidentally spilled my milkshake on another student. But I am really grateful that the student forgave me and we were able to turn the disaster around and enjoy some good conversation over sweets.

July 9, 2022

This week we received more news about the upcoming Summer Camp. They gave us a detailed schedule of the events they have planned. They also included some information on the theme and tents that we can sign up for. My parents really want me to go so that I can hopefully make friends before the school year starts. This week I was grateful for:

• Ironically enough, I was grateful for the rain. It was very soothing to sit by the window starting the readings for the school year. The rain was very relaxing as it hit the glass of the window.
• Yesterday, I was especially anxious about starting school soon. While Marcus and I were in the living room, he helped put my mind at ease. He assured me that no matter which house he is sorted into, he will be there for me. I am so grateful to have him with me.

July 16, 2022

My mom surprised me with another visit to Diagon Alley the other day. She started off the day telling me I had missed something for school. I was pretty sure I bought everything, so I was a little confused. She knew that for a long time I wanted a pet, so she took me to the Magical Menagerie. Now I have a new best friend to accompany me to Hogwarts. His name is Snowy and he’s an Egyptian Mau cat or rather a kitten. He is absolutely adorable and has stood by my side since we brought him home.

July 20, 2022

I wrote my first letter to my Quill Pal. I haven’t heard back yet, but I’m grateful that I was able to step out of my comfort zone and be the first person to reach out. I hope it can be something I get more accustomed to doing.

July 30, 2022

It’s been over a week and I haven’t heard back from my friend. This was my first experience with sending an owl so I’m not sure how long they usually take. I was under the impression it would be fast given that it is the main mode of communication in the magical world. Even though I haven’t heard back from her, I hope she is doing well and that I can still catch up with her during camp. I had a moment where I thought I might’ve done something wrong. But I am grateful my dad sat down with me and reminded me that everyone is most likely busy preparing for camp and the school year. He told me not to lose hope in the friendship and to try my best to keep a positive outlook going into camp in the next couple of days.

August 3, 2022

We started Summer Camp a couple of days ago. It has been a pleasant surprise. On the very first day, I instantly connected with one of my tent mates. I am so grateful for her. I was extremely nervous when we first started talking, and she made me feel at ease and completely comfortable. We are even going to attend some of the events together. I am so grateful for her kindness.

August 6, 2022

Today, my tent mate that has been so wonderful to me since camp started asked me to join her for the quidditch match. I was able to learn a lot more about her and I was grateful that she helped me understand what was happening during the match. It has been a breath of fresh air to have someone I can count on other than Marcus. I was also grateful she pushed me out of my comfort zone to be somewhere crowded. It has been such a relief, to be honest with someone about my worries.

August 13, 2022

They held the dueling matches today. I definitely have an interest in learning how to duel while I’m at Hogwarts. I want to be prepared on how to defend myself if the need ever arises. I didn’t know any of the players but it was interesting to see how they set up the competition. The players also seemed to taunt one another, in a playful way. Everyone seemed really confident and it opened my eyes to how I hope to be one day. I was grateful to witness my soon-to-be peers, so comfortable with magic. It gave me hope for how I will be one day.

August 20, 2022

My shyness has kept me from taking part in a lot of the activities. Plus it seems like the camp itself will be more enjoyable when I’ve attended school. Today I decided to watch the broom races. With how incredibly clumsy I am, I am sure I will make a fool out of myself when I first attempt to ride a broom. I’m grateful that we have been having good weather the last couple days of the camp. I’ve had the chance to get to know my tent mate better and even made a new friend too. I’m not sure why I thought I wouldn’t be able to meet people that I’d get along with. I am particularly grateful for my latest friend who has agreed to exchange letters with me.

August 27, 2022

Just a few more days left of camp and then we are off to Hogwarts. I can’t believe it’s nearly been a month already. I missed my parents and brother terribly. He had decided not to come for the Summer Camp. I guess it was good practice for how it might be once classes start. I think my family could sense my home-sickness. They sent me a lovely letter letting me know how proud they are of me making it through the camp. After learning more about some students and their backgrounds, I am so grateful to have a supportive family.

I hope you enjoy a bit of a look into my summer. I definitely plan on continuing this journal for myself. I am sure that I will have a lot more to be grateful for as I start classes and spend my time away from home.

Hope you had a great summer!

Best,
Ellie

RP WC - 451
Journal WC - 1,218
Total WC - 1,669

AngelFyre had been surprised to receive the letter from Professor Jensen, Head of House for Slytherin. She could not even begin to fathom the purpose of the letter, but upon opening it and reading the contents, AngelFyre was all in from the get go. No harm ever came to anyone by showing and expressing gratitude. Her faith taught her that even in the darkest times, there was always someone or something to be grateful for, no matter how seemingly insignificant.

She ran over to her desk and retrieved a notebook that would now serve as her temporary gratitude journal and began with her first entry.

1 July, 2022: Today I took the Hogwarts Express home. Well, to Kings Cross station to be exact. Home would take another 4 ^1/2 hours on the train to Edinburgh. I celebrate and am grateful for surviving my first year at Hogwarts. I learned a lot about myself and the world. I learned a lot about trust and love, whether it be familial, romantic, or platonic. Mostly, and this will be an oft repeated refrain in my journal, I am thankful for Simon Kincaid in myriad ways. Meeting him changed absolutely everything for me, and when my heart felt too heavy with sadness earlier today, he changed it in an instant. Summer break will not be quite so long and lonely from missing him as he invited me to visit him in London. I am really grateful for that! Also, his support in my journey to discover whether my suspicions about being a Seer are well founded means the world to me.

3 July, 2022: I am grateful today for my parents and my Grandma Ruth. I know my growing up is a scary thing to them, especially for my father, but I have been blessed with utterly loving and reasonable (mostly) parents who allow me to stretch my wings, but offer a safe place to come back to when necessary. I learned today that they will allow me to travel to visit Colin in the next few days, and even better, they have given their consent for me to visit Simon for 5 whole days in London later this month! They have been in contact, via phone, with his Aunt Maggie, and even having not met her they both smile from ear to ear after speaking with her. Them, allowing me to stay with Simon, a 13 year old bundle of hormones in another country, with an Aunt that is too chill by their parental standards, is a HUGE deal. That they trust me and Simon and Aunt Maggie is life changing, and I do not exaggerate when I say that, so there is a titanic amount of gratitude on that development.

6 July, 2022: I am incredibly grateful for my kilted brother, Colin. We understand one another on a level that I suspect is only going to grow stronger through the years, if we live through them! He is good and sweet and honorable and has a heart with such capacity to love that it is nothing less than astonishing. I am grateful to know him and for the opportunity to meet his family and get to know them as well, especially his Seanmamó. My friend.... my brother.... is in real danger and I am mostly grateful for the trust he has placed in me. I pray it is well founded and that together we can find the answers he needs. I am further grateful that the Lord put Colin and his Seanmamó in my path as she seems to know much about being a Seer. Where I had been feeling like a clown, I have been comforted and coming to see, no pun intended, that I may have a rare and special talent that should be looked upon as a gift. I now look forward to discovering more about what it means to be a Seer.

9 July, 2022: Simon is safe!!!!! It is after 2 a.m. and he just called me to let me know he is home after the meeting he had scheduled with his father last evening. He was stood up. It did not go off as he had hoped it would, and for his hurting heart on that score, my heart grieves... truly grieves for him... but I have been on tenterhooks for hours, desperate to hear from him. I am incredibly grateful, so incredibly grateful, that he is safe and sound right now.

12 July, 2022: Today it really was like old home week. My best childhood boon companions, Ainsley and Kendric, arrived at my doorstep bright and early this morning and we three, along with my incredible gentle giant of an Irish Wolfhound, Hillary, had a fabulous day of adventuring and hanging out together. There was swimming, tree climbing, a hilarious game of Twister, and a campout, complete with s'mores and ghost stories. It was a wonderful day, and there will be more like it as summer progresses.

18 July, 2022: I arrived in London today for my 5 day immersion in seeing and learning about all things in the pre-magic life of one Simon Ezra Kincaid. Things to be grateful for today: My parents and I arrived late, but safely; I get to be with Simon...nothing is ever better than that; My parents and I got to meet Aunt Maggie and she is as fantastic as Simon has always said she is; we came across a couple of his friends and I found out he talks about me (apparently a lot!); my father may have made great strides in bridging his and Simon's relationship divide while planting the seeds for it to blossom into something they both sorely need and can enjoy; and on a completely romantic level, there was the love lock at the Millennium Bridge. I am grateful, amidst everything mentioned above, that I am loved and matter to the people who matter to me and am able to share my love with, and for, those same people.

23 July, 2022: Kendric and I had a long talk today, and he openly expressed his feelings. It was heart warming and heart wrenching all at the same time. I had to let him know that Simon was not just a passing fancy. Kendric's feelings are hurt and his emotions are raw, so I would have liked for our conversation to have ended on a happy note, but that, of course, could not be entirely possible when one of us leaves with a broken heart. Kendric did kiss me and let me know that he needs a little time away from the three amigos for a bit to adjust to his new reality, but that he will be back, and will never stop loving me. I am grateful for the power of love, forgiveness, and true friendship.

2 August, 2022: Today I celebrate, and am grateful for, Grandma Ruth! She is 87 years young today and is an absolute force of nature. She is everything I hope to be as I grow into my later years, and I am thankful to have her as my role model. She is hilarious, loving, beautiful... inside and out... and she seems to be quite healthy, mentally and physically. I am blessed to have her in my life.

5 August, 2022: I love my family "farm", family manor, or what may be called by any other name I shall call home. I love everything about it (except that Simon is not here). I love my horses, Goliath and Red; my stubborn mule I cheekily named "Donkey Yoti"; my old billy goat who is known as Gandhi; Clara my sight impaired milk cow; Calvin Coolidge, my flightless pigeon friend, and my porcine runt, who long ago left "runt" in the rear view window, and is named Inna Blanket. They are all safe and happy and loved and well cared for, living their best lives. It makes my heart leap when they see me and want to greet me and nuzzle me or just be with me. I am grateful to have parents who indulge my tendencies to be a pied piper of the injured or dispossessed in the animal kingdom. Being around them and caring for them soothes my soul and simply makes me happy. Then of course, there is also my tree house. I love my tree house and am grateful for past memories there and the anticipation of memories yet to be made there... (I have dreams of one day sharing it with at least 12, as yet unknown but hoped for, children ).

20 August, 2022: I am grateful that Simon is getting the magnificent opportunity to participate in his Hufflepuff vs Gryffindor broom race in the professional London Quidditch Stadium today, in front of an international audience. It was never a foregone conclusion that he would get to do so since he did not attend summer camp, but reasonable heads prevailed, thankfully. No matter how the game ends, he will have had that remarkable experience to think back on for years to come. I am so proud of him.

IC RP: 105 words
Journal entries: 1,402 words
WC Total: 1,507

Mentions @Simon Kincaid @Colin McCoire

✩ Introspective Reflections - Errand Entry ✩

2022 had definitely been a year that had been far from normal for the young Irish lass that was known as Alora Shendrow as she had originally longed for. Although the world around her had seemed to return to some form of normality after combatting a world-wide pandemic life had not been running as smoothly as the young blonde had planned especially over the most recent months.

For as long as the young girl could remember her days had been filled with schooling and studies at her local school where she had the hopes and dreams of one day becoming a fully qualified vet. However, she knew the work and patience ahead of her would be challenging and hard along the way with many years of education ahead of her all the girl had ever truly aspired to do was fit in and make her family proud and with the farm needing an on-site vet what better way could she have planned to achieve this. But much like most plans set out in early childhood new situations would arise that may change the course of which a life decides to go and this was certainly no different for the young ten year old.

It was mid-may when things would start to go wrong at least in the mind of Alora anyway, with exam season just around the corner things had become a little more tense for the young Shendrow Sibling even though her studies at present weren’t as important as those in the future the young girl would put in all of the time and effort that she could to achieve her dreams. With her daily chores on the farm lowered to give the young girl the extra time she needed to revise and study Alora would find herself experiencing an unexplainable moment mid-study when her magical blood would surface for the very first time.

Sitting as she was revising for one of her upcoming exams little Alora just couldn’t seem to find the right page when a sudden and unexplained gust of wind would send her right onto her destination, however, how explainable it could have been at the time would be counteracted by the fact that the evening in question was bright and sunny with no wind in sight. Confusion would spread across the minds of the Shendrow family but answers would be provided through the form of a simple letter of invitation just a month later.

Arriving in the early morning hours was a letter addressed to Alora herself which was unusual in itself considering children of her age usually didn’t receive personal letters. Opening it up Alora would learn that she had been accepted to attend a school by the name of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the upcoming fall informing the family of the fact that the young blonde was actually a muggle-born witch and far from a typical child. However, the letter of invitation was not the only thing enclosed within the envelope as two further pieces of parchment happened to be present.

The first piece of parchment detailed a list of all needed supplies that the young girl would need to complete her very first year of study at the famous wizarding school and secondly was a letter written by a Professor Jenson detailing an optional task for current and new students to undertake throughout their summer vacation of keeping a gratitude journal. Understanding that the task at hand required her to submit at least ten entries from a gratitude journal by the end of August before the next school year was due to begin on September 1st Alora couldn’t help but squeal in excitement.

Explaining the task she had been set to her parents the family would make a brief trip into the nearby shopping district in order to buy Alora a brand new journal and stationary in order to complete the task at hand. Selecting a leather-bound journal that had the initials of her name engraved on the back alongside some pens and other stationary. Arriving back at the family farm Alora would get to work on her task instantly before sending a copy of her favourite ten entries to its required destination praying that she had done the assignment correctly. Alora had always been a keen and avid writer since she was able to remember and had often journaled especially over the recent months so this task was nothing new to her, however, classing this task as her first official piece of homework for her new life and school she hoped she would make a good enough impression before her journey would fully begin.

Dear Professor Jenson,

My name is Alora Shendrow and I will be becoming a first-year student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from September 1st. Firstly, I would like to thank you for giving me the opportunity to complete this task over the summer. I had an amazing summer and through journaling even more than I usually would I believe it will be one of the summers that I will be able to forget as the memories are here on paper.

Although I have been journaling for a while now having this task set to complete throughout the summer has given me more of a reason to reflect on what I feel truly grateful for each and every day and although this letter only has ten entries enclosed as asked I selected my top ten entries for you but I did actually keep a full journal each and every day of the summer if you would like to have a look when I make my way to Hogwarts I would be more than happy to show you.

Anyway, I hope the entries enclosed are enjoyable to read, I put as much effort as I could into the task and tried my best.

I look forward to meeting you in the fall and I hope that you’ve had a great summer Professor.

Alora Shendrow

Reducio

June 7th, 2022

Dear Footsy,

Today has been a rather confusing day as I received a letter from a school called Hogwarts that is supposedly a School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It turns out that I might be a witch and well inside of the letter was a task set by one of the teachers to keep a gratitude journal and so I decided to try and see if it will make me feel better then I do right now and what better way to get started than by just starting and so what do I feel grateful for today?

Today I am feeling grateful that even though today was a little confusing my parents supported me in my decision to at least complete the task that has been set and we went to the local supermarket where I was able to choose a new journal and some pens that I will use to complete the task. I am also very thankful for the with the number of journals that I got to choose between as I found the perfect one which was a brown leather one and mum even paid for me to be able to get it engraved with A.S on the back in this really cute style.

The last thing that I am grateful for today is that my parents have given me less chores on the farm whilst I get used to the fact that I am a witch as they have left the decision up to me whether I want to go forward with my studies at Hogwarts and said they will support me no matter what I decide and for that I am extremely thankful to have that chance and make them proud no matter what.

June 18th, 2022

Dear Footsy,

Well that’s it my life is changing forever, after a long week or so debating what my future holds and what to do for the best I have officially decided that I cannot pass up the opportunity of going to study at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. After all not everyone is blessed with being a witch whatever that means I mean up until last week I didn’t even know that this sort of thing existed outside of fairytales and stories of course and neither did my parents trust me I asked them and I still don’t know how I am feeling about everything but I am sure that everything will become more clear over time.

But today I am grateful that I was able to make the decision to go to Hogwarts and that my family seem to be okay with it. I am also thankful for the fact that even though I have a few months before I leave home to go to Hogwarts my mum suggested we take our summer holidays to London to have a lot of fun before my new life begins. With that being said I am also thankful that my family has enough free time and money to take us on these family holidays even if they are once a year as I love how we get to spend time away from the farm just to have fun together.

I am grateful for everything I am able to do in my life so far and all of the possibilities that might open up to me now that I am a witch even if I have no idea what to expect but I feel blessed to be chosen.

June 19th, 2022

Dear Footsy,

Today has been rather a fun day as my family and I had a family meeting to decide what we will say is the reason for my absence during my time away at my new school. With originally planning on going to the local senior school we had to think up a creative reason why I wouldn’t be going and instead where I would actually be going.

We had countless ideas that I am thankful for my families creativity as the top two choices we narrowed it down to were that I would be being home-schooled instead so that I could focus on the farm but we soon realised that if were to do that one of my parents would have to leave work which to them was a no go and that was when my mum came up with the idea that I was going to a boarding school that specialised in the study of animal care which isn’t entirely false so we liked that idea.

It is another reason that I am grateful today as I have realised how much my family are supporting me in my decision as they even have thought in depth about what would happen whilst I am away which to be honest I didn’t really think about myself really. I can’t help but feel grateful for the opportunities that they give me as well because without their love and support I wouldn’t be able to go down the path I want in my life without their blessing.

July 3rd, 2022

Dear Footsy,

Holiday mode is in full swing here in Ireland my sisters and I went to the mall today as mum had given us a little treat money to buy a few outfits that we want to wear when we go to London to watch Hamilton on the west end. I got this really cute blue flowery dress but I am really thankful for the time we got to spend together today just my sisters and I as we don’t really get to spend a lot of time together when we’re not doing things around the farm.

I am extremely grateful that out of all the shows that are currently on the west end my parents decided to book for us to see Hamilton because I love history and have heard a lot about the show and so I am excited not only to see the show but thankful that we can go and see it live in person, especially as we are planning to go to the Tower of London that morning too where some of the queens of England were imprisoned and their lives came to an end there too.

If I had the choice of choosing what show to see I would have probably have chosen Six which is about the six wives of King Henry the eighth especially as we are visiting some of the most famous sites linked to where their lives were as I am truly grateful to see these places of history still stuck in time even if it is now hundreds of years later and I am thankful that I get to see them for myself when we are in London.

July 12th, 2022

Dear Footsy,

We’re just a month out till our family vacation and today my family and I sat down together over some lunch to decide when we will be going to a place called Diagon Alley to get my school supplies with us only having two weeks to prepare before I go to school. We don’t really know much about what to expect when it comes to that side of my life as of yet but we did a little research and learned that Diagon Alley is the place to go that is basically a shopping district for Wizards and Witches.

I am thankful we were able to be a little more prepared for what is ahead of us as well as grateful to learn that in the Wizarding world they don’t use the same currency that we do here in Ireland in fact they use something called Galleons, sickles and knuts or something. And so I am thankful to be able to explore that world for the first time when I am able to and even though it seems so far away I know deep inside that it will only be a matter of time which I am also grateful for.


July 30th, 2022

Dear Footsy,

Today has been a rather difficult day as we have my aunt and uncles visiting with Grandma from Belfast and well we’ve been debating whether or not to tell the family about what has been going on recently and well today was the day that we decided to tell them the truth of who I am and where I will be going from September. Let’s just say it didn’t go as well as we’d hoped but as bad as we had expected. They didn’t believe us at first until we showed them the letter and explained how they couldn’t really tell anyone else about what was happening cause they’d look crazy but I’m grateful we have the time to heal and with time will come understanding hopefully.

Other than that I am grateful to have had the distraction of farm life today to get me through the day without too much stress as most of the day I spent with the animals outside of the hard conversations. I couldn’t be more thankful for the fact I was raised on a farm and the help and distractions that it brings I would have hated to have seen what this sort of thing would have been like if I didn’t have that escape.

August 7th, 2022

Dear Footsy,

Happy birthday Lora and Leith, what an amazing day it has been today celebrating the 16th birthdays of my older sister and brother. I am grateful that their birthdays fall in the summer unlike mine and Loralei’s as at least we will always be able to fully celebrate their birthday as a family. Usually we don’t really celebrate birthdays but with the two of them finally turning 16 this time my family and I went out to dinner at a nice restaurant to celebrate them for a change which was nice and went to a Korean style bbq which was great and I’m thankful that we could enjoy a nice meal together outside of the house as my parents can’t cook all that well to be honest.

I wasn’t able to get them a present but instead I offered to give them the day off from doing stuff around the farm and that I would do their chores for the day so that they could fully enjoy their birthday but Mum and Dad bought them both a new puppy each, Lora called hers Trixie and Leith’s is called Trip and they are super cute I can’t wait to see how they grow up over the next few years.

August 14th, 2022

I’ve not been feeling all that good today, I really don’t know what is wrong with me but it’s really just started to hit me that things will never be the same again and soon in less than a month I will be away from my whole family in a place I don’t know surrounded by people who will probably not give me the time of day and well my life as I knew it will be over forever there is no going back. Have I made the right decision? Am I right for this? I mean what makes me so different to others to be a witch I mean do I even have what it takes to make a difference?

For as long as I can remember I always thought I knew where my life would go, I would go to school, work hard each and every day then go onto College and University to become a Vet, then once I’m qualified I’d come back here and work on the farm to care for the animals more so we don’t have to rely on the availability and skills of the vets that live nearby but now that this has all happened I really don’t know what my life will become now and I don’t know how I feel about everything. I know I have seven years to figure out what I want to do with my life and find out who I am truly meant to be which I am thankful for but I have never been one who believed in destiny before this.

August 17th, 2022

Dear Footsy,

I can’t believe its almost here… London here we come in just one night of sleep I’ll be leaving Ireland and goodness knows how long it will be till I am back home it’s safe to say I cried tonight when tending to the animals but I know tomorrow morning will be the hardest goodbye but at least it isn’t forever. I need to remember that this journey is just temporary and to make the most of my time away to study then when I get home things can be somewhat normal for the time I am here.

I have just packed my suitcase ready to go and I couldn’t be more excited as we get to explore. Anyway I better get to sleep so I won’t be writing as much tonight but today I am thankful that I am being given the time to adjust to being away from Ireland before going to school even if I won’t be away from my family just yet but it will soon come.

August 24th, 2022

Dear Footsy,

DIAGON ALLEY IS AMAZING, I never expected in my wildest dreams how today would go but honestly the whole experience I had on my very first outing to Diagon Alley was just A-MAZING. We started off with a spot of lunch at a place called the Leaky Cauldron before heading out to start searching for my school supplies and honestly some of the stuff there was beyond my wildest dreams I mean there was this one shop that had a huge figure of a red-headed man that was taking a hat on and off and it sold the most sweet things that mum and dad wouldn’t let me try out as it wasn’t on the essentials list.

Then we went to this bank called Gringotts and it was filled and I mean like had thousands of these small weird creature things working there. I even managed to set up my own bank account well vault which is what they call it in the magic world but honestly I could not be more thankful and grateful to witness these magical experiences for the first time and get all the supplies that I need for school I don’t think i will ever get used to this.

𝓣𝓸𝓽𝓪𝓵 𝓦𝓸𝓻𝓭 𝓒𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓽: 3412 Words
𝑅𝑜𝓁𝑒𝓅𝓁𝒶𝓎 𝒲𝑜𝓇𝒹𝒸𝑜𝓊𝓃𝓉: 1001 Words
𝒥𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓃𝒶𝓁 𝒲𝑜𝓇𝒹𝒸𝑜𝓊𝓃𝓉: 2411 Words

Journal about their feelings and stuff?

Hm... Okay. Piérre was game.

He had all of July, after all. What could possibly go wrong?!

Place | Russetwood House, Guinevere’s Study|| Time | Afternoon

The Russetwood family owl, Moon, flew into Gwen’s view, carrying a letter in her claws. The majestic tawny owl landed on the balcony, and standing up from her study-table, Gwen opened the window to let Moon in and retrieved the letter from her owl. It was emblazoned in the Hogwarts seal, and thinking it was her grade report, she flung it on top of her pile of summer work, thinking that her ‘disappointing’ E’s could wait until later; her parents didn’t need to know she got anything less than straight O’s anytime soon. Moon squawked in protest. Gwen frowned and picked the letter up again, and picked the wax off the parchment. Unfolding it, she scanned the neat writing over and grinned slyly to herself. Yes yes, journaling was something she could do well. And for house points also? Yes please! As for journals… she was sure she had an empty bullet journal laying around somewhere on her bookshelves.
Thanking Moon for her help, she sat back down in her chair to re-read the letter from her Head of House.
“Did Moon come in just now?” She heard her father call from downstairs.
“Yeah, with a summer assignment for house points,” she called back.
“What house were you in, again?”
Gwen sighed. “Slytherin, for the last time! Aish!” The last part was said in a low mutter.
Standing up again, she walked to one of her many shelves, and began flipping through the spines of books, until she found a leather-bound journal of a grayish-bluish color. Taking it off the shelf, she got out one of her fancier quills from a drawer and went back to her desk.
She wrote on the inner cover:

for the purpose of summer work, more specifically, gratitude journals

Flipping to the next empty page, Guinevere started writing her entries, one per day, no more no less:

Reducio

jul 2 2022

today, I am quite grateful for this journal I am writing in; I’m glad that it isn’t too dusty, I’m glad that it had a nice grid guide on one of the inside cover. It’s quite nice, actually! That’s also all I have to write for today, though. It’s short but everything starts somewhere different!

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jul 3 2022

wow, I miss my friends in Hogwarts already! Not that I have many, but maybe I’ll send an owl to Lily to chat. At least, later I’m going skating, and I’ll see Yasmin, Amber, and Alex again! We’ll see how practice goes; hopefully quite well! Kay, I’m back from skating! I wasn’t expecting anything much; I’ve only skated on the lake during the winter months at Hogwarts a few times, but I’m quite grateful for my coach and skating friends for being so supportive.

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jul 4 2022

i’ve just come back from Runa’s place; we made cookies and had a small broom race around her house! We’ve talked to each other about our schools and stuff- she’s gone to Ilvermorny. It sounds pretty cool; she says she might be able to go to the Fall Ball in Hogwarts next year! I’m grateful that I got to see her today!

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jul 5 2022

Not much to say today; maybe just that I had bibimian today- it’s a Korean food that my mother makes, it’s soooo good! I’m grateful for that, yes.

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jul 6 2022

today, I met up with Clarissa, where we started writing something together. Our writing skills are similar in level. She and I are quite similar! I’m grateful for her being my friend, even though we started off as rivals in third grade at our old muggle school!

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jul 7 2022

I realized I haven't told you this yet, but I went to a muggle summer camp today AND I'm going to the one at London Quidditch Stadum in August! I'm quite excited, really. I'm actually going to Beijing for it; I got on the plane yesterday with a girl called Keira who was going to the same camp. She's really pretty, I wish I could show you, but my sketching skills suck. Arrival! The campsite looks AMAZING; the weather is nice (but SO hot though), the skies are blue, the woods are green; yes, thats right, i'm at camp greenwoods! oh right, i almost forgot; this is also my first time going out of europe by myself! anyways, back to the actual thing. When i arrived, the counselors gave me a nametag and sat me down with a few other people. luckily, keira was in my bunk too, so while waiting for my dormmate, we chatted for a bit, until we saw some people in neon yellow bibs arrive. a few of them came to our table, and introduced themselves as Olivia and Astoria. i found out that olivia actually has the same last name as me! well, not really, but my korean last name is 'song,' so that's good enough for me. the rest of the afternoon was fine; not much happened, but at the campfire, oho, there were SO MANY MOSQITOES. ARGH. On the brighter side, i roasted marshmallows with olivia and listened to her talk about this 'handsome dude in a black mask' that sat near her on the bus. i was quite intruiged, since he seemed like a cool person. today, i'm grateful that i've already met so many people and that i slept for more than two hours at night!

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jul 8 2022

in the morning, we had 'advanced art', where olivia made a comic with the catchphrase 'one day, the volcano erupted! BOOM!'. even zane and bangs boy (as we started to call him, or 疯男, or 'crazy boy') caught on. i think he looks quite nice, actually. then was gaga ball, which i havent played before. it's hard to explain, but it was fun and that was all that mattered. nothing much happened in the middle of the day (except all my bunkmates shouting at me, 'HES RIGHT THERE GO ASK HIMMMM' at teentime) but after dinner, we had 'flex', where i chose dodgeball, with olivia. to my great delight, i was on the same team as the said 'him' in above brackets (whom may or may not be a subject of my liking). during a break, i asked him for his name, which turned out to be Sebastian. after the game, we shook hands (because we won) and such. i am grateful that i chose dodgeball for my flex.

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jul 9 2022

today, the news has gotten out. which news, you say? the one that i like sebastian, i say! oh and, we dont call him sebastian anymore, lol. we call him SHEEP. dont ask me why. i, personally, do not think he looks like a sheep. anyways, at breakfast, i arm wrestled Yoko, one of my bunkmates. i won, with great difficulty. i saw sheep arm wrestling another dude, noah, i think his name was. i turned and told my table that i would challenge sheep later, and they made so much noise that the camp director had to come over and tell us to quiet down. fast forward to the ice cream social in the evening. sheep declined my challenge, saying 'no, i'm too weak,' which made Astoria want to kill him for. i am grateful that astoria did not murder him in his sleep (no like literally she took out an utility knife and slashed it across a hastily scribbled 'sheep')

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jul 10 2022

argh, why does time travel so fast? it's already day 4 of camp! i led a thing called 'table chance' in the morning today, because i signed up for 'leadership in training' as an elective. well, i can say for a fact that i am very biased. i chose my own table first, then sheep's. later, we had archery, which was quite fun, as i have not done that before. small note: sheep gave me an arrow. after archery was rock climbing. the first time i didnt do so well, but on the second time, i reached the top of the hard side! but then, i pushed off the wall to hard in my excitement, and knocked my ankle on the edge and hit open a vein. i am grateful that i did not give up halfway up!

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jul 11 2022

ALREADY DAY 5 OF CAMP. *sigh* i really don't want to go back. hogwarts is great and all, but camp greenwoods feels more raw and stuff? i dont know how to explain it. anyways, in the evening, we had a glow-in-the-dark dance party, where keira and some other people performed 'kill this love' by blackpink. they dance really well and such. today, i'm grateful that olivia and i are finally on good terms with the three dudes next door.

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jul 12 2022

DAY 6! It's our last full day at camp, and we're spending most of it at a farm and a shopping mall. I cannot explain how many mosqitoe bites I got. They itch SO bad. Even my repellent didn't work on them! Anyways, after THAT horror show, we split into groups and went to the mall, where I got this coffee from starbucks that was great. Literally, starbucks' coffee is the best. Actually, second best, since i think Heytea's is better. We passed this store called 'Watsons', where we saw sheep's group, and sheep had gotten a STUFFED HUSKY. We took a group picture and watched this really crappy movie, called 'The Lost City'. The romance scenes were top-level cringy. So of course, after the movie, Olivia convinced me to give a letter to sheep saying I wanted his wechat. My letter was also top-level cringe, as I have realized now. In the evening, after curfew, a counselor told us that we could go to this room outside of our building to do stuff. So, the three dudes next door, olivia, yoko, and a bunch of other people and i wenr to the place 'to work on our skit for tomorrow'. As you may guess, we did not work on the skit. We played dodgeball instead. I hold no regrets; dodgeball was a great way to spend our last night at greenwoods. Noah, one of sheep's friends, was also there, so I asked him if he had sheep's wechat. he said yes, but not without a suggesting 'oooooOOooOh'. I am grateful that I have met so many great people here, I am grateful tbat I will be leaving with good regards, I am grateful that I now know what NOT to write in a letter asking for wechats.

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After the twelveth of july, Gwen deemed that it was enough writing, closed her journal, and stuck a nice note on it:

To Professor Jensen,
Here is my gratitude journal assignment that arrived over an owl a week ago. I apologise for the spelling and/or capitalization errors, as it it somehow just a bad writing habit of mine. Nonetheless, I hope my entries are nice to read and that my life might be more interesting than that of last year,
Signed,
G. L. Russetwood.

Approx. Total WC: 1,900

»»————-　　————-««

Journal WC: 1,500

July first- well. Lets see, I'm home, it's like midnight, but I'm grateful for the fact that my travels to get here were safe! I went from a train, to a Taxi, to a plane to another car. Woo it was a lot!
July Second- I miss my friends, Today has been a tiring day for me, I guess I'm grateful that I've like, got more family I never knew about?
July Third- I wonder what Simon is doing? Today My Grandmother went shopping and got me all knew outfits, their all dressed. So today I'm grateful for Females being socially allowed to wear pants and shorts. (I can live with skirts)
July Fourth- I'm grateful for food that is on my plate every night. Today I seen a homeless man begging for food, I gave him my lunch. Also, the birds in Hyde park are so brave!
July fifth- Do I have to be grateful for something? Or can I be grumpy? It's raining and gray and in the city it's so boring! Oh! Maybe I am grateful, I'm grateful for my farm and for rainy days when I'm on the farm!
July Sixth- it's still rainy, I'm going to go to Hyde park today anyways. I'm grateful that I've got a park right near me!
July Seventh- I made cookies today! It was really fun! Next time I think I'll remember to not use as much chocolate though, because some of the chocolate burned.

July Eighth - I did nothing much today, it was raining again, so I went for a walk to Hyde park and then fed some pigeons and found a yummy cupcake shop, which I shall be visiting often I think.

July Ninth- I realize now that to someone reading this, it might be a little confusing, so today I'm going to be grateful for the time that has been granted towards me to explain things to the best of my abilities.
So to start I have grown up in the outskirts of Carlisle UK, which is in Cumbria, which is in northwest England and borders Scotland. It will be no surprise to say that I have a medium Cambrian Accent.
I have lived on my Family's Farm for ten (almost eleven) years, I moved there when I was two, from Canada.
My family lived perfectly fine together and when I was three my Eldest Sister went to Hogwarts, she was sorted into Slytherin, when I was eight my Father died in a car crash, that same year Izzy went to Hogwarts as well, she too was sorted into Slytherin.
Three years later I started Hogwarts, fully expecting to be sorted into Slytherin, like both my sisters. Alas I got the house that best fits me, I was placed in Ravenclaw. Belle (who by now had graduated) supported this, but Izzy (who was in her third year) did not, sense then we have only spoken minimally. In February of my first year, my life was messed with again, my Mum had died.
My Sister Belle had been rather vague about what would happen, but had told me that Everything would be ok, and that she would keep the farm. Well so far she still has the Farm, last I heard she was just working with the paper work to become the legal owner of the farm. I spent Spring break with my best friend Simon, it was fun and really helped me get 'over' the loss of my Mother.
I went back to school and life was pretty normal, my Grades stayed at steady Os in all my subjects, and I worked on training Comet (my Rabbit) some more tricks. When I went home for Summer break things got a little weird. It was late when I arrived home (almost 1 am) and so I went straight to bed The next morning was awful, y plans to see all the animals and spend my day enjoying things went wrong, and I ended up finding out that the woman who I thought had died before i was born was nog dead, and in fact was claiming to be my Grandmother. Lets just say that she annoys me greatly, and when she said I had to go back to London with her, I thought I was in a nightmare, what could I have done that was so bad that I was sentenced to living with my cranky, bossy, rude and old Grandmother IN THE CITY, for the WHOLE SUMMER? And just when I thought I was maybe going to be able to get away with not having to be in London for the whole summer I found out she is Muggle through and through, so therefore I can't go to camp! I am hoping I can at least get to the Broom Race, I love racing far to much to miss it.

July tenth- I'm going out shopping today, That's one thing that is semi nice, I can go around the block and find whatever I want right there!

July Eleventh- I was googling stuff last night, and found out that like two blocks from me there is a art gallery! Thank goodness for Google or else I'd be stuck in this tiny house again. Also it's raining again.

July Twelfth- I spent all day yesterday and most of today at the Art Gallery, it's huge! Sadly the pictures don't move, after being at Hogwarts for so long and seeing Moving pictures I often forget that Muggle art does not move! Which is kind of a shame.

July Fifteenth- After talking about moving Muggle pictures I realized Muggles do have moving pictures! Movies, I went to a movie today, it was ok. Not the best thing ever though, some super hero movie with all these different plot lines, I found it rather confusing. But the Popcorn was good!

July Sixteenth- got a new pair of trainers today! My old ones were broken beyond repair, so I bought a new pair from the secondhand store, I'm so happy that the Second hand store exists!

August first: I forgot to write for a while, oops.
Nothing much has happened, I can't wait to go back to Hogwarts!

Dear Professor Jensen,

There were many things I was grateful for during my summer vacation, and I am glad you gave us this opportunity to express it through a journal. I find this to be an excellent way to reflect upon my summer back home, and to reflect on things that make me happy and remind myself why they are that source of happiness.

-Day 1 of being back home-

I made it home from school today, the journey was long from Hogwarts all the way to Scotland, but I did make it. Shortly before the end of the year, I had gotten a letter from my parents stating that they would have my favorite dish, Cock-a-Leekie Soup. In case you may not know, this is a traditional Scottish Soup with a superb aroma. It's definitely unlike anything I have ever smelled. Especially right after I got home. It is made from peppered chicken stock, leeks, and occasionally prunes (my mother always adds these because it's much better with them). We also always add rice to thicken it and add more flavor. So, on my way home all I could think about was my first spoonful of this wonderful soup. I am grateful to have a mother who cares enough for me to make me my favorite dish, as well as grateful for having a family to share it with.

-Day 2 of my return from home-

This day was joyous because I spent the day with my family at the park. Here, I got to see many of my favorite landmarks as well as enjoy the beautiful nature that I have come to love from my home of Scotland. I also got to bring my cat, Whiskers, along with me and it was so nice to see him again and pet him. I didn't realize until this moment, how much I truly missed him. It's strange to me how things like this work. I hadn't thought about my cat much due to being focused on school, then once I got home it suddenly hit me.

-Day 3 of being at home-

Today my mother and father decided we should stay home and just enjoy each other's company. We just snacked all day and watched a bunch of my favorite movies today! Today, I am grateful for the company of my parents and my lovely cat, who has spent most of the day beside me. (I think he missed me more than he will let on.)

-Day 6 of being home-

The last few days have been pretty uneventful, we finished off the last of the soup (The favorite soup I mentioned yesterday) and it made excellent leftovers. Today, my mother made another one of my favorite foods, Scotch Pie. This is a meat-filled pie with a double crust. One of the best things about this pie is that it can be eaten hot or cold, so it fits to any season!

-Day 7-

Today we went to my favorite restaurant, where my father said that it was time for me to get spoiled and that I could get anything that I wanted off of the menu. Then, afterward, we went for ice cream at my favorite ice cream place, and I got a caramel waffle cone. It was so tasty. However, afterward, I was stuffed and I didn't eat another bite for the rest of the day!

-Day 8-

Today is another day where we spent it at home. I am so grateful to be surrounded by a wonderful family who accepts me and cares for me. We also had the leftover Scotch Pie for dinner and we had it cold this tie instead of hot, which was how we ate it yesterday. This pie warms my stomach even if it is hot or cold. It makes me thankful that my mother is a great cook and baker because then, I can enjoy things like this.

-Day 9-

Today my parents helped me pack up and get ready to go back to Hogwarts in a few days. I am excited I will get to go back to school, and to see all of my friends there again, but at the same time I am sad to leave my parents again. However, I am thankful that I can owl them at any time and I made sure to pack all of my favorite quills in my luggage to go back.

-Day 10-

This is the last full day I have back home. I spent it taking a walk through my hometown with my parents. I wanted to see all of the beautiful sites at home before I went back so that I could think of them once I was back to school, and be grateful for their beauty once more when I return home again next year. Nature is something that I feel I can always appreciate.

-Day 11-

Today is the day that I journey back to Hogwarts. I left mid-afternoon, but not without saying any goodbyes and thank yous to my parents. They do so much for me and support me so much and I am beyond thankful for them. I also made sure to say goodbye to my cat, but he seemed to be over my being there. He didn't seem amused. (haha)

-Day 13-

Today I began settling myself back into my dorm room and relaxing. I was in a sense, thankful to be back at Hogwarts and to be able to see my friends. I can't wait to see what this year brings.

Dear Professor Jensen,
Here is my journal to reflect on this unforgettable summer:
July 1st: Today, I finally went back home after a long, stressful, and colorful year at Hogwarts. I put away my belongings early this morning and took the train ride back to my muggle parent`s home in London. The train ride was a bit long, and I finally went back to London in the afternoon a bit tired. However, that feeling disappeared as soon as I saw my parents. My parents were glad that I am finally back home and gave me a big hug when I opened the door using my keys. They expressed they miss me a lot and so did I. They were happy to see I did well at this school, make some friends, and participated in many clubs and a variety of other activities. My younger brother was also glad that his loving elder sister was finally back to take care of him and have fun with him. My parents cooked several dishes that I enjoy for dinner and we chatted about many interesting things I experienced at Hogwarts and what life at home was like for the rest of the family when I left. I am glad that even though my parents are muggles, they understand their lovely little daughter is different from them and are always supportive of my decisions. That really gave me strength.

July 5th: Today I went to the shopping mall near my parents` office with my parents. Do you know what I love most about that shopping mall? The food. As a girl born in London, England with Chinese heritage, I am naturally drawn to Chinese food. Luckily, there was a Cantonese restaurant with porridge, tea, and several Dim Sums such as shrimp dumplings and meatballs. Words cannot describe how delicious it was. I ate a lot that day, and while I feel like I can still eat more when I was eating it, I immediately felt extremely full as soon as I stood up from the dining table.

July 10th: After spending a few days with my loving family in London, I received an invitation from Cara to join a muggle camp called Camp James with her friend Athena and a few other girls. I thought joining a camp might be a great idea and immediately told my parents. At first, they are reluctant to agree concerning my safety and they want me to stay at home for longer. After I begged them to agree and explaining it makes me more independent, they finally sent me to the camp. Since it is the first day of the camp, we just introduced ourselves, play some simple games to break the ice, and write about tomorrow`s schedules. I also wrote a letter to my parents telling them not to worry about me as I am safe and having fun at the camp. The night finally comes, and I cannot wait for more activities at the camp.

July 11th: Today is the second day of the camp and I participated in tons of activities according to my schedule. After breakfast, there was the music club, where I had a ball singing songs and playing the piano. Girls were playing the drums, the guitar, and the bass. I did not realize there were many talented girls at this camp, and we can start a band to practice songs and perform at the closing ceremony. I also did some freestyle swimming in the pool after the music club. I can normally swim 1000m in one go, but since I haven`t practiced a lot of swimming since attending Hogwarts, it was a bit tiring but accomplishing that goal is still very rewarding. There were other activities such as a cooking club and a creative writing workshop. It was a fun day but all these activities made me very exhausted. I went to sleep as soon as I hit the sack that evening.

July 13th: Today we went hiking in the mountain near our camping area. I brought a lot of water, some bread, some biscuits, and a towel to dry the sweat in my backpack. The mountain road was pretty steep and muddy, so it was quite tough to go hiking. At one point I was extremely exhausted and thought of giving up. However, the other girls in our camp encouraged me to keep hiking and overcome the challenge. Their encouragement really works! I keep on hiking and although I was exhausted, I got a sense of achievement when I finally finished the long hiking path. Through this hiking, I learned the lesson of always keeping on trying and never giving up is the key to success.

July 16th: Today is horse riding day! Although I have ridden a horse before, I have never ridden a horse by myself. It was difficult to learn to get on a horse, and it took me a while to feel comfortable riding the horse. However, as soon as I feel comfortable, riding a horse across the field and viewing the scenery was an amazing experience. The only thing I did not enjoy about that horse riding experience was the awful smell of horses.

July 20th: Time passed fast at this camp! I can`t believe today is the last day of the camp! We got up early to put away our belongings thanks to the alarm by Zara, one of the camp leaders and after breakfast and the closing ceremony with several performances, including our band performance, we went back home with our parents. I had a lot of fun at this camp as I participated in tons of activities and made friends with several lovely girls at the camp. It was tough to say goodbye to the camp and hope I can join a camp like that next summer!

July 31st: Today my parents told me they will be super busy from work in August so they will send me back to Hogwarts in August. I wish I could spend more time with them in August, but it now seems impossible. Luckily there is a summer camp event in Hogwarts that I can participate in. I will write letters to my parents and they promised they will try to spare some time in their busy work schedule to reply to my letters. That makes things a bit better because at least we can communicate with each other. I am sorry for not accompanying them enough in July and going to the camp instead. I hope they will forgive me.

August 1st: I arrived at the London Quidditch Field for the Hogwarts camp today. I looked through the tents and stayed at a tent called heartbreakers with green shades and potions. Potions class is one of my favorite classes at Hogwarts so I really love my tent as well as those friendly people sharing the tent with me.

August 5th: Today I participated in the annual BBQ event at the camp. The scenery there was stunning with the night sky decorated with shiny stars. The food there was also great with meat, marshmallows, and other vegetables on the grill. I ate a lot this evening and forget about gaining weight. I ate too much again. Who can resist the tasty BBQ food?
So that is my journal, hope you enjoy reading it.
Yours sincerely,
Rita Su