The attack of the murderous clam

I certainly don't have many memories from my childhood, and even less are clear. Actually, most of them are quite blurry in my mind. But I remember this story perfectly, even though I was six years old when it happened. I guess it's because of the trauma it provoked on me.

But let's start from the beginning, of course. To start with, I proclaim I love clams. I've always loved them and I always will. They're so delicious! But they have an evil side too, and you are going to discover it very soon...

It was Sunday and, as usually, my father was cooking rice. He had a bowl full of clams and water next to him, as he was going to boil them to add them to the rice. I entered the kitchen and I felt really happy when I saw the clams. So happy, actually, that I went and took the biggest one (it was as big as the half of my child-like hand), with two of my fingers inside. Horror seized me when the clam closed and trapped my fingers! I started moaning, scared, and tried to take it off by shaking my hand; I didn't succeed, though. And when I thought it couldn't be more terrifying, my dad told me:

- Don't worry, sweetie, it's alive.

ALIVE?! The clam was alive?! It surely was trying to eat my fingers! I started shaking my hand even more and shouting. The clam was trying to eat me! I was going to die in the hands of a clam! (Well, actually I was going to die with a clam in my hands, but it doesn't matter.)

I don't remember what happened later, but my dad succeeded in taking the clam off of my fingers. He boiled them all, and when, at lunch, he shared out the rice with the clams, I recognized the one who had tried to kill me. I was a little afraid of it still, so my father ate it.

I thought I would stop eating clams, but they're far too delicious for me to stop eating them. Anyway, I haven't forgotten that traumatic experience and I really think we should take this as a warning. Why? Because the murderous clams will try to conquer the world and exterminate humanity. Just wait, you'll see!

Do you see these hands? They're going to be eaten in 3, 2, 1...

Teenage worries

Teenage is a time of change. There are new discoveries everyday, and with these discoveries, new worries appear. Lots of different issues take up teen minds, but I think there are two main worries.

On the one hand, there we have the future. It is always uncertain and mysterious, but at this time this issue becomes more important than ever. It is the time to choose the path our lives will follow, so it is a crucial moment. Anyway, future doesn't only involve job; future also involves what kind of person you are going to be, which is more important than choosing the right professional career.

On the other hand, I think another one of the biggest worries at this age is social life. Love and friendship are two significant factors in the development of someone's personality, and teenagers start to give real importance to this type of relations. That's why they try to enjoy with them as much as possible. Moreover, the kind of people you make friends with has much to do with the kind of person you are and will be. In the end, everything is linked to growing up.

To sum up, I think teenage is a very important time because it's the moment when we stop growing up to be adult people, and our worries have much to do with these changes. So it is logical to say that future and social life are our biggest worries; after all, aren't they the most delicate things at this age?

Malala Yousafzai: a fighter

Certainly, Malala Yousafzai's story is not a story we are used to hear in our day-to-day life. News about Pakistani young girls who get shot in the head is not something that often appears in newspapers. 

Malala is a fifteen-year-old girl from Swat (Pakistan). Her education, as the other girl’s from her surroundings, is constantly stopped by the Taliban and Malala started writing a blog about this and her opinions about girls’ education; later, New York Times made a documentary about her life. Two weeks ago Malala was shot in the head by the Taliban. Luckily, it was possible to send her to London, and now her state is improving. 

To start with, I must say that, in my opinion, Malala is a very unusual girl for two main reasons. 

The first one is her bravery. I don’t think I would have the guts to denounce this injustice myself if I was in her situation, even with a pseudonym, as she did. Moreover, the fact that she denounced her situation proves she has strong beliefs about girls’ rights, and that’s actually the second point I’d like to emphasize. After all, girls who have been brought up in these countries usually believe in their customs above all. 

To finish, I must admit this story leaves me with mixed feelings. On the one hand, Taliban’s act fills me with despair, of course, and I ask myself why people destroy other’s liberty so easily. On the other hand, though, Malala’s strength and beliefs make me think that, after all, there may still be some hope left for human’s humanity.

Dear FutureMe:

How are you? Or should I say “How am I”? This thing puzzles me. I’m supposed to be writing to whoever I will be in 8 year’s time! Funny, isn’t it? 

To start with, let’s talk about your studies. What did you finally do? I hope you chose the right degree and you're not as mixed up as you were when you were 17 (that is, as mixed up as I currently am!). Now you are 25, so you should have finished your studies and be working. I hope you’re happy with whatever you’re doing. 

By the way, are you still inside the literary world? I expect you to continue with your literature blog. And I hope you’ve been able to assist to lots of literary events. Now, tell me: you’ve finished that book, right? Have you written more novels? And have you managed to publish any? I really wish you have. 

Last but not least, let’s talk about love. Have you found that special person? I hope you have. I don’t expect him to be the perfect boy with whom you’ll spend the rest of your life, but I do hope you’re happy with him and you love each other. That’s all that matters. 

So, this is it. I won’t ask you where you’re living or what you’ve done for the last eight years. I just hope you’re happy and you’re yourself. Don’t change, unless you want to.

Best wishes,

You  

Being seventeen... is it perfect?

It is typical to hear adult people saying: "Oh, if I was seventeen again..." as being that age was perfect! In my opinion, everything has its drawbacks, and being seventeen is not an exception. 

On the one hand, it has lots of perks, of course. At this age our parents start seeing us as grown-up people, instead of the responsibility-free-children we used to be. We can party until late, travel long distances alone and all sorts of things that we weren’t allowed to do before. Moreover, we get more responsibilities, but not as many as adult people do, so we don’t reach that level of stress which workers usually suffer from. 

On the other hand, as I said, there are some disadvantages. For example, we can’t drive; this is a very annoying aspect for the young people who are looking forward to being able to move without depending on their family or public transport. Another important con is that we aren’t allowed to vote. This is quite frustrating because at this age many of us already have an opinion that deserves to be heard. 

To sum up, I think that everything in this life, like being seventeen, has its pros and cons. Nothing is flawless. But it doesn’t need to. Just learn to enjoy the imperfection. And that will make it perfect.