hen I first got here at Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women, my first teacher had to leave. I waited and wrote to whomever I could to get back into class. This was how badly I wanted my education. After waiting awhile, I finally got my paper work back from Mrs. Anderson. Her response was that I had to wait for another teacher. I decided that it was not going to stop me from getting my education.

Then came the wonderful teacher, Mr. Davies. When I first saw my teacher, I was somewhat nervous, but that did not stop me from wanting to learn. I never found time to study until I got back into school.

I had dropped out in the seventh grade, when I was in the free world, but I still remember how to do much of what I knew previously.

I was on a fourth-grade level, when I first entered school at Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women. I started putting my head back together, and, boy, did it pay off for me. Now, I am on the grade level where I should be. I want to go all the way as far as getting my GED before release, and I am willing to do whatever it takes to succeed. I have been trying to get it now for two years straight. It has been a struggle for me, but I keep on studying and working hard toward my goals. So many people say I won't succeed, but I know I will. In addition, I am not going to stop here. I am going all the way, so I will not only get my GED, but take classes after I have my GED and continue to learn. The people who used to call me stupid and dumb will see that I kept my determination and worked hard to achieve my goal. They really made my self-esteem feel low, but that did not cause me to lose confidence in myself. It made me strong each time I had to look at those two words - "Stupid" and "Dumb."

Just because nothing seems to go right, it does not mean to give up. Rather it means to continue. I am suggesting to everyone not to give up the fight; anyone can be a winner, if you keep your focus on your goals and work hard to achieve them.

hen I was young, I used to spend the summer time at my mother's childhood home. Since my mother is the oldest daughter and married early, my sister and I were the only grandchildren to my grandparents before my cousins were born. For this reason, my grandparents loved us and seemed really happy to be with us. I was also happy to stay there. There was one friendly dog, named Mary, and a large garden with a small pond. The environment was good for children to play and grow up.

After going to middle school, I did not go there any more since I had so many things to do. All students were forced to participate in supplementary lessons during every vacation. I was also busy learning extracurricular lessons, such as piano, painting and so on. Recalling my middle school days to my mind, time went as I described above.

The day before my university entrance examination, my grandfather suddenly broke down with a cerebral hemorrhage, and he was in an intensive care unit. When I went to see him in the hospital, he was lying on a bed without consciousness. He was too skinny and pale, and wasted to a mere skeleton. On the 40th day after his stroke, he went to heaven. After hearing of his death from my mom, I cried for a long time, and realized that I couldn't see him anymore.

I spent my winter vacation in my grandmother's home the next year. Since my mother worried about her mother's health and mental condition seriously, she thought that someone had to take care of her. Also I really missed my grandmother.

After his death, my grandmother suffered from melancholia. She spent her time in praying for my grandfather. Her health was worsening, and she lost her smile. However, she was a good grandmother for me. I thought that his death made it difficult for her to live without him mentally.

After getting married, I visited her home for the last time. She had got much thinner than she was, and was suffering from dementia. She sometimes couldn't remember her family members and relatives. Many people might take pity on her, but I thought that the rest of her life might be happy since her dementia would reduce her missing my grandfather. Now she lies beside her husband, and she will be happy forever with him.

ne day I was sleeping in my bunk bed with small kids that I cared for in School. It was our duty to take care of small kids, wash their clothes and give them bathes.

Our beds had two levels. They are made of metal and wood slats inside. The top of the bed had a mattress, which is filled with yellow grass. It is pretty rough and comfortable.

That night was very cold, snowing and windy. You could feel the cold wind and hear the sound of breezes from your window, which was made out of wood and colored green. When you look through the window, it reminds me of my Motherland. The Motherland, which is surrounded by beautiful mountains with covered by snow, and always hear the full of religious music instruments. It was so pleasure.

That night; I was feeling lonely and sad but at the same time it made me remember my family who I left many years because of Red Chinese government occupied my Motherland. I was thinking about my family, friends and my country for a while then I fell a sleep. In my dream I was in my village Nublung in Tibet with my younger brother Tenzin Naldup. When I was in Tibet, I usually took care of our goats. I had to take care of the goats to the high mountains or hills. Sometime, my younger brother came together with me and helped.

One day my younger brother came with me to look after the goats. I was very happy to be with him. He and I get along very well. We went too far away from home and close to the big and high mountains and hills. We looked around the mountains and felt a cool breeze and listened to the sweet sound of the bird's song. It was so beautiful and quiet that we felt like we wanted to sleep and relax and feel the beauty of nature. I told my younger brother that we would rest for a while and we took a short nap. For a while, we forgot about our goats. Especially, one of the goats has a baby in her stomach. Her baby was very ready to be born. When we woke up, she was crying. We went quickly and checked on her. Her baby was born and lost. We were so worried and search for her. Suddenly, I realized that an eagle could have taken her baby. Some how I looked up in the sky, and I saw an eagle. I told my brother that an eagle had taken the baby. We both chased after the eagle. We did not see the big hole, so we both fell down and got hurt and I was so worried and calling my brother. When I woke up from the dream, I was on the ground at my home school in India. My friend Dolma asked me what happened? I told her about the dream, and she asked me if the dream was true or false? I said to her it was true and I miss my family. She said that she understand missing family because she left her family in Tibet too. She said stop daydreaming. I got up from the ground and my knees were turned into gray. Other then that I was all right.

One night, I had again a dream with my younger brother. We were on the mountain looking after our goats. We left our goats and walked a little away from our goats. It was so beautiful and you could see green grass everywhere. We wanted to play some game, but we did not remember what to play. Somehow my younger brother got an idea, and he asked me if we could play pee computation. I said all right, we could do that. We did pee far as we could go through the high hill and deep hole. The hole that was very deep and wide. We both laughed and laughed and hugged each other.

Suddenly, I heard some noise saying, "Get up girls." When I woke up, I was in my bed and it was my dream. I touched my sheets and the sheets were wet and big spot of yellow pee. I felt pretty ashamed and got cleaned up. My home mother did not scold me because I was old enough to understand what I did. She did punish me a few times that I made mistakes before. When I first came to her home. It was also my dream fault. Sometime dreams are good to have, but other times are too complicated and weird. The dream is just a thought that we are thinking about some thing or remembering some one. Sometime, we will have good dreams that will make you happy, but other time dream will make you depressed.

I think a dream is just a dream. Whether it is good or bad don't try to believe too hard on it. In my case in my dream, I was in Tibet and very happy to be with my younger brother, but in the end it put me in a little trouble. However, I always remember my family and friends. They always come to my dream lot.