April 2nd 1843.
This is a journal about my life. Not a journal, a diary which means nobody should be reading this except for me. But if you accidentally read this then I expect you NOT to tell anyone EVEN your boyfriend and family. So..my name is Vanessa Hayler and I am 12. I come from Kansas. A not so beautiful life here is for me when I was getting bullied here. I don't like it at all. My family had 5 people. My mom, my dad, Jonathan ( my bro), Alexandra ( my sis) and me. Today, mom brought me new books for school and just to let you know, we are not poor and also not rich. My life is okay for sure. Getting back to the books, we bought 6 books in total but I only need 5 books I rely the next day so I think of writing a diary and here I was, writing a diary. Properly I won't write often since my life is very busy. Busy as a bee. I had lots and lots of homework. Why do we had to do homework?!!! This is only a introduction for today but I will tell you a huge secret that is more than this new dairy okay. We are moving to another country!
April 4th 1843,
Everything had turn from bad to worst the next day when I woke. It all started when daddy makes an announcement: “Excuse me. Can I had everyone attention please. The next couples of days are the last day that we are going to stay here.” Daddy said, “We are going to move to Oregon City where we will have free lands to start a new life. I promise that everyone will having fun there.”
Really? Does he really think that I am going to have fun when I had to leave my best friend, Jourdan to move to another place. I am not risking any chance to leave. I had grown up in and makes friends here. This is the only place I feel safe and happy. I know that our country had been overpopulated but why can’t we just stay here and the others will leave. I don’t want to move to another place at all.
“ We are not going anywhere! This is our home. My home! I don’t want to leave. Let’s the others leave and we will STAY!” I cried.
“Honey, I know this is hard for you but…. we don't had a choice. We had to leave.” Dad try to make me feel better but it doesn’t work.
I didn’t care. I ran up to my room and slam the door. I don’t want to leave.
After a few hours, dad came up to my room and knock on the door:” Please Vanessa. Pack your suitcase and say bye to Jourdan.” Dad said quietly, “ We are leaving tonight. We are leaving earlier than I thought and don’t bring too many clothes okay?”
I stop crying since I ran out of tears and start packing. All I know was throwing clothes in it. I packed 2 shirts, 2 pants (1 long, 1 short) , of course a notebooks, a pencil and a dress. This dress was from Jourdan, she gives it to me on my 10th birthday.
I packed for 20 minutes and went over to Jourdan's. I slowly knock on the doors and a little about my age with long blonde hair with a familiar face, and it was Jourdan!
" What a surprise!" Said Jourdan.
" Yah! I need to talk to you.Is it okay?" I asked.
" Sure. Come inside." Jourdan said in an unsure way.
I do everything slowly since I didn't want to broke her heart apart. And I finally sat down in the sofa and and try to talk but words was not coming out of my mouth. I take a deep breath and start again: “Tonight….” I talked as Jourdan looked at me seriously,” we are leaving the country to go to… Oregon City. And I don’t want you to be sad. I actually don’t want to go. It just I can’t leave my parents and trust me if I had a choice I won’t go for sure.”
And then, suddenly in my suprise, Jourdan was not crying or sad, she was happy and happier than ever.
“Actually, I am leaving, too. My mom said that ‘ Everyone in town had to leave by tonight or else we will be caught.’ I will be in the same wagon as your family since it is just me and mom.”
What a relief! I am starting to want this trip to begin as soon as possible.
That night, Jourdan's mom and she or her met at our house. We wait and wait for 30 minutes before the wagons come. That moment I had 2 feelings at the same time. Excited and sadness. But the feelings of scariness interrupted too because I know one thing, this trip isn’t easy. And finally, I was on the wagons and writing my diary with Jourdan right next to me.
Dad brings tons and tons of foods for our family, he evens bring frying pan and pots,too.
April 7th 1843,
The was so many people went on this trip, it was about 200,000 people there and 40,000 of them were children all age. Most of them was forced to go and was also sad as I was before. 3 days had past with stopping and sleeping and somehow I had to wake up 4 which I never had. The foods were also not that good at all. We only and always had breads or beans, or bacons or ham and other dried fruits. It was tough,I thought that the facts that dad had to pay $4000 for my whole family doesn't worth it. Though I had lots of supporters in this trip to make me feel happy it is mom and dad and friends and brothers and sisters. I was luckier than most of the people here for sure. We had to travel to Oregon City which is 1,797 miles and about 5 months to travel.
It was a ver very hard trip. We started to move around 6 o'clock in the morning. We had to passes rocks, mountains. We had to stop to take rests and eat lunch. Sometimes, we had to faces lots and lots of challenges when we had to deal with mud rivers, mountains. Some of the travelers even fell off the wagons which makes dad told to sit in a corner of the wagons. One of my neighbor, Ms.Lana fells of and lose her feet. She can't walk and we don't had any medicines for her. Some of them died since they drink milk from a cow that eat poisonous weeds or killed by other passengers while fighting. There was no police mans which makes arguments started . We didn't plan that this will happen! At noon when we found a place to stay the night and washes our body. Some of the days, we can't even had a bath and we are RUNNING OUT OF WATER!! After a long day, we find a place to stay overnight. We usually sleep on the grass or road when the weather was good. And if it started to rain, we will had to sleep under the wagons. Mom was sick and we almost lose her. Thanks to Jourdan's mom. I should had chosen not to go. If we don't need lands, and dad don't get fired from the juice company which turns fruits into juices, we won't put ourself in this big mess! I hate myself so badly.
Some of the time, we ran out of foods and other things, we had to trade stuffs so we could use what we need. The most craziest thing is my parents and I had to walk. Even children had to walk. Walking was hard, there was dust all over the place,and was even harder when the was dust all over the place. We can't see what is in front of us and most of the time, the dust get in our eyes.The wagons are mostly used for sick and tired people.
job
When we were on this trip, I was still had chores. My chores was to milked cows. I was getting used to that job too. For one thing that I feel happy and lucky is that I still had my parents. Others children had to faced the fact of sick parents and parents who died. Also, while I was there, the only game was to hang out with Jourdan and pick flowers or play with the animals. The trip began to become harder when we meet Indians on road but then they got angry since we cross their road which started a fight. And not only me was writing a diary, other kids were too. I hear they did it to improved writing skills and reading skills.
Days pass and for 2 months, everday was the same. I was bored except for one thing, I had a friend and a diary. For most of the day, I write a talk. But I seem to get use to this and was having fun.
July 10th 2013,
After 5 months of everything, we had arrived at last, the place was empty, full of mountains and lands. Certain of places had factory and we had jobs there. Dad work in a farm for a farmer while our house was built in the free land we get. Dad had to work 2 job at a time Though the farmer is really nice and provide us a home with us. I know that we had a life living here but when i remember the facts that we had been in the oregon trail which about 20,000 people die.
We had to lived at the farmer's house for 2 years and I get to go school. It was not easy at all, though the school had really less children but I was getting bullied for being too skinny since I eat only in the morning just because the foods are so hard to eat which is the only thing that it didn’t change since in Kansas to here. I had lose 5kg after the trip. When we get here, the Oregon City, we had to slept on roads and others places. Fortunately, a man see us and helped us a lot. He payed the money for me to go to a school. In school, I was super super good at math. Our life's began to become really good. Then dad wanted a house, our own house so borrow the farmer's money and started building our future house. Since he borrow the farmer's money, so he started to work for the farmer, he had to go back and forth. He had to check the house and went back to the farm. His life was so busy.
For me, I had a great life. I learned with Jourdan, sleep with her and do everything with her. And we get to build a snowman when it is winter. Once we went to our future house, we see how it was constructed. It was made out of woods. Hard woods and it had 2 floors. Dad said that Jourdan and I will live on the 2nd floor with my brother. And my parents and Jourdan's mom will live in the 1st floor.
I find out that dad work 18 hours on the house each day and he finally did. He finished the house! It was beautiful. His hard work had been pay. Everyone loved the house. Though he job since was a farmer. Our life was so so cool. We had a lot of fun!
I was happy that my family all survive and lived happily. The life here was so so great for the first time, I think we did the right thing is to leave Kansas. For sure, Kansas will always be my root and where I come from so I will remember forever. Though that was the time where we already used to be here, before, I was sick because of the foods and we had no shelter at all, we sleep on the roads and had to killed animal by our own hand. I usually help mom with packing up to leave and hangout with Jourdan playing tag for most of the time.
"But that was long ago." Said Jourdan sitting next to me.
Sure it was!!
This is a journal about my life. Not a journal, a diary which means nobody should be reading this except for me. But if you accidentally read this then I expect you NOT to tell anyone EVEN your boyfriend and family. So..my name is Vanessa Hayler and I am 12. I come from Kansas. A not so beautiful life here is for me when I was getting bullied here. I don't like it at all. My family had 5 people. My mom, my dad, Jonathan ( my bro), Alexandra ( my sis) and me. Today, mom brought me new books for school and just to let you know, we are not poor and also not rich. My life is okay for sure. Getting back to the books, we bought 6 books in total but I only need 5 books I rely the next day so I think of writing a diary and here I was, writing a diary. Properly I won't write often since my life is very busy. Busy as a bee. I had lots and lots of homework. Why do we had to do homework?!!! This is only a introduction for today but I will tell you a huge secret that is more than this new dairy okay. We are moving to another country!
April 4th 1843,
Everything had turn from bad to worst the next day when I woke. It all started when daddy makes an announcement: “Excuse me. Can I had everyone attention please. The next couples of days are the last day that we are going to stay here.” Daddy said, “We are going to move to Oregon City where we will have free lands to start a new life. I promise that everyone will having fun there.”
Really? Does he really think that I am going to have fun when I had to leave my best friend, Jourdan to move to another place. I am not risking any chance to leave. I had grown up in and makes friends here. This is the only place I feel safe and happy. I know that our country had been overpopulated but why can’t we just stay here and the others will leave. I don’t want to move to another place at all.
“ We are not going anywhere! This is our home. My home! I don’t want to leave. Let’s the others leave and we will STAY!” I cried.
“Honey, I know this is hard for you but…. we don't had a choice. We had to leave.” Dad try to make me feel better but it doesn’t work.
I didn’t care. I ran up to my room and slam the door. I don’t want to leave.
After a few hours, dad came up to my room and knock on the door:” Please Vanessa. Pack your suitcase and say bye to Jourdan.” Dad said quietly, “ We are leaving tonight. We are leaving earlier than I thought and don’t bring too many clothes okay?”
I stop crying since I ran out of tears and start packing. All I know was throwing clothes in it. I packed 2 shirts, 2 pants (1 long, 1 short) , of course a notebooks, a pencil and a dress. This dress was from Jourdan, she gives it to me on my 10th birthday.
I packed for 20 minutes and went over to Jourdan's. I slowly knock on the doors and a little about my age with long blonde hair with a familiar face, and it was Jourdan!
" What a surprise!" Said Jourdan.
" Yah! I need to talk to you.Is it okay?" I asked.
" Sure. Come inside." Jourdan said in an unsure way.
I do everything slowly since I didn't want to broke her heart apart. And I finally sat down in the sofa and and try to talk but words was not coming out of my mouth. I take a deep breath and start again: “Tonight….” I talked as Jourdan looked at me seriously,” we are leaving the country to go to… Oregon City. And I don’t want you to be sad. I actually don’t want to go. It just I can’t leave my parents and trust me if I had a choice I won’t go for sure.”
And then, suddenly in my suprise, Jourdan was not crying or sad, she was happy and happier than ever.
“Actually, I am leaving, too. My mom said that ‘ Everyone in town had to leave by tonight or else we will be caught.’ I will be in the same wagon as your family since it is just me and mom.”
What a relief! I am starting to want this trip to begin as soon as possible.
That night, Jourdan's mom and she or her met at our house. We wait and wait for 30 minutes before the wagons come. That moment I had 2 feelings at the same time. Excited and sadness. But the feelings of scariness interrupted too because I know one thing, this trip isn’t easy. And finally, I was on the wagons and writing my diary with Jourdan right next to me.
Dad brings tons and tons of foods for our family, he evens bring frying pan and pots,too.
April 7th 1843,
The was so many people went on this trip, it was about 200,000 people there and 40,000 of them were children all age. Most of them was forced to go and was also sad as I was before. 3 days had past with stopping and sleeping and somehow I had to wake up 4 which I never had. The foods were also not that good at all. We only and always had breads or beans, or bacons or ham and other dried fruits. It was tough,I thought that the facts that dad had to pay $4000 for my whole family doesn't worth it. Though I had lots of supporters in this trip to make me feel happy it is mom and dad and friends and brothers and sisters. I was luckier than most of the people here for sure. We had to travel to Oregon City which is 1,797 miles and about 5 months to travel.
It was a ver very hard trip. We started to move around 6 o'clock in the morning. We had to passes rocks, mountains. We had to stop to take rests and eat lunch. Sometimes, we had to faces lots and lots of challenges when we had to deal with mud rivers, mountains. Some of the travelers even fell off the wagons which makes dad told to sit in a corner of the wagons. One of my neighbor, Ms.Lana fells of and lose her feet. She can't walk and we don't had any medicines for her. Some of them died since they drink milk from a cow that eat poisonous weeds or killed by other passengers while fighting. There was no police mans which makes arguments started . We didn't plan that this will happen! At noon when we found a place to stay the night and washes our body. Some of the days, we can't even had a bath and we are RUNNING OUT OF WATER!! After a long day, we find a place to stay overnight. We usually sleep on the grass or road when the weather was good. And if it started to rain, we will had to sleep under the wagons. Mom was sick and we almost lose her. Thanks to Jourdan's mom. I should had chosen not to go. If we don't need lands, and dad don't get fired from the juice company which turns fruits into juices, we won't put ourself in this big mess! I hate myself so badly.
Some of the time, we ran out of foods and other things, we had to trade stuffs so we could use what we need. The most craziest thing is my parents and I had to walk. Even children had to walk. Walking was hard, there was dust all over the place,and was even harder when the was dust all over the place. We can't see what is in front of us and most of the time, the dust get in our eyes.The wagons are mostly used for sick and tired people.
job
When we were on this trip, I was still had chores. My chores was to milked cows. I was getting used to that job too. For one thing that I feel happy and lucky is that I still had my parents. Others children had to faced the fact of sick parents and parents who died. Also, while I was there, the only game was to hang out with Jourdan and pick flowers or play with the animals. The trip began to become harder when we meet Indians on road but then they got angry since we cross their road which started a fight. And not only me was writing a diary, other kids were too. I hear they did it to improved writing skills and reading skills.
Days pass and for 2 months, everday was the same. I was bored except for one thing, I had a friend and a diary. For most of the day, I write a talk. But I seem to get use to this and was having fun.
July 10th 2013,
After 5 months of everything, we had arrived at last, the place was empty, full of mountains and lands. Certain of places had factory and we had jobs there. Dad work in a farm for a farmer while our house was built in the free land we get. Dad had to work 2 job at a time Though the farmer is really nice and provide us a home with us. I know that we had a life living here but when i remember the facts that we had been in the oregon trail which about 20,000 people die.
We had to lived at the farmer's house for 2 years and I get to go school. It was not easy at all, though the school had really less children but I was getting bullied for being too skinny since I eat only in the morning just because the foods are so hard to eat which is the only thing that it didn’t change since in Kansas to here. I had lose 5kg after the trip. When we get here, the Oregon City, we had to slept on roads and others places. Fortunately, a man see us and helped us a lot. He payed the money for me to go to a school. In school, I was super super good at math. Our life's began to become really good. Then dad wanted a house, our own house so borrow the farmer's money and started building our future house. Since he borrow the farmer's money, so he started to work for the farmer, he had to go back and forth. He had to check the house and went back to the farm. His life was so busy.
For me, I had a great life. I learned with Jourdan, sleep with her and do everything with her. And we get to build a snowman when it is winter. Once we went to our future house, we see how it was constructed. It was made out of woods. Hard woods and it had 2 floors. Dad said that Jourdan and I will live on the 2nd floor with my brother. And my parents and Jourdan's mom will live in the 1st floor.
I find out that dad work 18 hours on the house each day and he finally did. He finished the house! It was beautiful. His hard work had been pay. Everyone loved the house. Though he job since was a farmer. Our life was so so cool. We had a lot of fun!
I was happy that my family all survive and lived happily. The life here was so so great for the first time, I think we did the right thing is to leave Kansas. For sure, Kansas will always be my root and where I come from so I will remember forever. Though that was the time where we already used to be here, before, I was sick because of the foods and we had no shelter at all, we sleep on the roads and had to killed animal by our own hand. I usually help mom with packing up to leave and hangout with Jourdan playing tag for most of the time.
"But that was long ago." Said Jourdan sitting next to me.
Sure it was!!