Draft three

The Other Side of Morning
Erin Fogg


Spring 2000

The girl sits, listens and waits. She waits for morning to come. She listens to the birds chirping in the trees, if only she was as happy as they are. As she looks around her bare room she notices her reflection in the mirror. Her pale scrawny face stares back. She turns her head.

Her room is empty.

After weeks of packing the day has finally come when she is leaving it all behind. Tiptoeing to the bathroom she notices her mother and father, already awake, and preparing for what lay ahead. She stops tiptoeing. Trudging back to her room her eyes rest on the last of her possessions left in the stark emptiness. She is overwhelmed. Knowing she has no choice she gently picks up the last of her belongings, her netball trophies, and carefully wraps them up. The masterpiece that once stood there so proudly, gone.
A cheerful voice travels up down the hall.
“Are you ready?”
“We haven’t got all day!”
She closes her eyes and tried to block out her parent’s obvious joy.
“It’s their fault!” She screams inside.
Her mind drifts to the reality of the day.

*****

Little time has passed and the girl wakes under a new roof. The house is bare. The furniture has yet to arrive. Travelling so many miles from where they came from.
She unpacks her trophies and proudly lines them along the immaculate floor, polishing them carefully as she places them down, the only thing of hers in the vast space of her room.
The smell of pancakes wafts up the stairs. Her parents are awake.
“It’s time to get up!” Her mother chimes.
Drowsily the girl attends her chores. She has been restless that night. Her thoughts lay on the hell that lay ahead.
Brushing her teeth she notices all the signs of a new house: the smell, the furnishings, and the stifled cleanliness.
As she leaves the house the emptiness engulfs her. She is alone.



Summer 2000

Morning has come. The sun refuses to rise. It is too early. The girl wakes and slips into her new clothes and rushes down to breakfast. The stiffness in her new jeans annoys her.

Bribery.

Scoffing down her food she gives her mum a gritted grin before escaping out the door; her mum doesn’t notice her forced smile. The girl walks alone. She is still trying to grasp the idea that she is in a totally different country thousands of miles away. She doesn’t belong.

Arriving at her new school she takes her first look of her new life. The school is packed; like ants swarming a honey spill. Opening the door she faces the vast hallway lined with rows upon rows of lockers reaching from the ceiling to the floor. The girl checks her notes. She looks for room 104.

Entering the classroom she takes a seat. She doesn’t know anyone. Unfamiliar faces chat amongst themselves completely ignoring the girl as she sits and waits.
The girl wants more than anything to turn back. She wants to go back to the life she knew. To laugh, to play to feel…
At lunch the girl is confronted by a group of jocks.
“This is our table.” They jeer.
“But…b...” the girl stutters.
“Get lost!”
Feeling small and insignificant she grasps her belongings. She has no where to go. Finding the bathroom she sits.

She cries.

As the tears roll down her cheeks, lips trembling, she is afraid that she will feel that way forever.


Autumn 2000

The sun shone brightly. The girl woke happily. She remembers her grandmother’s favourite saying and smiles, she is right.

‘Time heals all wounds’

Her room is full. Straightening the objects in her room she feels at home. She has found her feet, at last. She no longer thinks of home as some place far away. It is here.

Meeting her first friend was easy. She didn’t realise how naturally it would come to her. It happened all of a sudden. It had occured that first day. She was sitting at her desk when the girl felt a tap on her shoulder.
“I saw what those boys did at lunch, ignore them, they are jerks!”
The girl smiled shyly.
“Hi, I’m Danielle” The girl behind her says.
“I’m… I’m…. not from here." The girl mutters. "I’m Erin.”

As soon as the Erin had spokenquestions came flooding in. Word spread. Erin found herself surrounded. All she had to do was talk and everyone came rushing to meet her.

That morning as Erin is putting on her jacket she notices her friend, out the window, waving frantically. She smiles.

*****

She was being moulded by the people she meets and the experiences that she gains. She wakes every morning, head spinning with the new challenges that each day brings, loving every minute of it.


Winter 2002

Two years pass.
The girl wakes with a sense of dread.
As she watches the snow flakes falling from the sky and melting as soon as they touch the ground her mind drifts back to just one month ago.
How happy she was then. She had just been selected to represent the school, with her best friend, in the national spelling bee competition; it was to take place in two months. It was all the way in Washington D.C.

The girl declined.

The girl snapped back to the present. She had not been looking forward to this day, but it had come anyway. She gritted her teeth as her world began turning upside down, again.
Having left her trophies till last the girl reluctantly has to pack them away. They had hardly gathered dust before she was returning them to the box.

*****

Day breaks, but the girl stays in bed. A month has passed since her return and yet the girl cannot find it in her to accept her previous life.

The trophies remain in the box.

The girl doesn’t enjoy the games she used to play. Netball has lost its shine. She feels rejection as her friends push her away. They don’t understand. She realises that there is no escape. She cannot go back.



Spring 2003

Every morning the girl wakes to find a new day dawning. She looks into the mirror. Her face is no longer pale and scrawny. She has filled out.
Life keeps going on, and this time the girl is prepared to follow it. She finds that no matter where she is that she will find her way. With each set of reestablishments she grows a little and realises that although she has left a part behind, good things will fill the hole.

Time changes, life moves on, so does the girl.
Basketball trophies replace the netball trophies.
She can do it.
Soon life will become complex again, but in the meantime the girl sits, listens and waits,

Time heals all wounds

Draft Two

Erin Fogg

Creative writing

The Other Side of Morning

Spring 1998

The girl sits, listens and waits. She hears the birds chirping in the trees, if only she was as happy as they are. As she looks around her bare room she notices her reflection in the mirror. Her scrawny, pale face stares back; she turns her head. Her room is empty. After weeks of packing, the day has come when she is leaving it all behind. Tiptoeing to the bathroom she notices her father and mother, already awake, and preparing for what lay ahead. Turning around she trudges back to her room, her eyes resting on the only possessions left in the stark emptiness that overwhelms her. Knowing she has no choice she takes the tissue paper and gently picks up the last of her possessions, her netball trophies and teddies, and gently wraps them up, ruining the lovely design that had sat there so long.

A cheerful voice travels down the hall,

“Are you ready?”

“We haven’t got all day.”

She closes her eyes and remembers the time not so long ago when she felt this same apprehensive feeling. Both terror and excitement interrupt her thoughts as she drifts back into the reality of the day.

Little time has passed, and she wakes under a new roof. The house is bare. Their furniture has yet to arrive at their new home, so many miles from where they came from.

She unpacks her trophies and proudly lines them up along the floor, carefully polishing them as she places them down; the only possession in her new room.

“It’s time to get up!” yells her mother from down the stairs.

Drowsily the girl gets up to attend her chores; she had been restless and uncomfortable the night before. She was too nervous thinking of what lay ahead. Brushing her teeth she notices all the signs of a new house; the smell, the fixtures and the cleanliness.
As she leaves the house the emptiness engulfs her.

Summer 1999

Morning has come. The sun refuses to rise. It is too early. She slips into her clothes and rushes down to breakfast. Scoffing her food she gives her mum a gritted grin before running out the door; her mum doesn’t notice the forced smile. The girl is still grasping the idea that she is in a totally different country thousands of miles away.

Arriving at her new school she looks around and notices the masses of people attending. Opening the door she faces the vast hallways with rows upon rows of lockers lining the walls from top to bottom. The girl checks her notes while wandering down the hall, she looks for room 104.

Entering the classroom, she realises that she doesn’t know anyone. The unfamiliar faces chat away amongst themselves completely ignoring the girl as she sits and waits.

By lunchtime the reality of her new life hits her. Sitting alone in the cafeteria she begins to feel so small and insignificant. She wanted more than anything to go home. She wanted to go back to the life she knew and was familiar with; to laugh, to play, to feel.

At lunch she is confronted by a group of students,

“This is our table”

“Oh… Sorry.” The girl mutters as she gathers her things. She walks away.

The girl walks until she finds the bathroom where she sits and cries. As the tears roll down her cheeks, lips trembling, she is afraid that she would feel this way forever.

Autumn 1999

The sun shone brightly and the girl woke happily from her slumber. She picks up her teddy and gives it a hug. It did not take her long to find her feet. Gradually straightening up the objects in her room, she feels at home. She no longer thought of home as someplace far away.

The smell of donuts rouses her senses as she goes downstairs to breakfast.

Once everyone found out that she wasn’t from here it was easy. All she had to do was talk and then everyone came rushing to meet her.

That morning as she put on her jeans and t-shirt she notices her friend outside and she rushes out to greet her. She could feel herself growing more confident. She loves her new life, and she finds herself being moulded by the people she meets and the experiences that she has.

The girl wakes every morning, head spinning with the new challenges that each day brings, loving every minute of it.

Winter 1999

Two years pass.

The day starts how it all began. The girl woke with a sense of dread. She had not been looking forward to this day, but it had come anyway. Packing up her things once again she takes a deep breath and exhales. She gritted her teeth as her world began turning upside down again.

Reluctantly she reaches the last of her possessions, and remembers how unwilling she was to pack them up to begin with. They had hardly gathered dust before she was returning them to the box.

Day breaks, but the girl stays in bed. A month has passed since her return and yet the girl cannot find it in her to accept her previous life. Her trophies remain in the box.

The girl found herself not enjoying the games she used to play, and the things she used to do. She had nothing in common with her ‘friends’ anymore, and she begins to feel rejection. The girl isn’t looking forward to anything anymore as she realises that there is no escape; that she cannot go back.

Spring 2000

Every morning the girl wakes to find a new day dawning. She looks into the mirror and notices her face, no longer scrawny and pale. She has filled out. It doesn’t scare her anymore. She realises that she can’t stop life from happening. It keeps on going. The girl finds that no matter where she is that she can find her way. With each set of reestablishments she grows a little and realises that although she misses what she used to know, nothing would have made her give up the going. Basketball trophies replace the netball trophies. Change is inevitable.

Soon life will become complex again; but in the meantime the girl sits, listens and waits.

Creative writing piece

The Other Side of Morning


June

The girl sits, listens and waits. As she looks around her bare room she notices her reflection in the mirror. Her scrawny, pale face stares back; she turns her head. As she glances out the window she notices that morning has come but the world doesn’t want to show it. Clouds threaten and an ugly day blooms. Her room is empty. Tiptoeing to the bathroom she notices her father and mother, already awake, and preparing for what lay ahead. ********* (insert packing away possessions)

. She closes her eyes and remembers the time not so long ago when she felt this same apprehensive feeling. The circumstance has changed yet she remembers thinking that it was the biggest change of her life. She was wrong. Both terror and excitement interrupt her thoughts as she drifts back into the reality of the day.


July

Little time has passed, and she wakes under a new roof. The house is bare. Their furniture has yet to arrive. The familiar yet new surroundings confuse her as she waits for the sun to rise.
“It’s time to get up!” yells her mother from down the stairs.
Drowsily the girl gets up to attend her chores, she didn’t sleep well the night before. She was too nervous thinking of what lay ahead. Brushing her teeth she notices all the signs of a new house; the smell, the fixtures and the cleanliness.As she leaves the house the humidity of the day engulfs her.


August

This morning the girl wakes with a sense of determination.
The daily chores look pretty attractive compare to what lay ahead.
The sun refuses to rise as she slips into her clothes and rushes down to breakfast. Scoffing her food she gives her mum a cheesy grin before running out the door. The girl tells herself ’this is it’.
Arriving at her new school she looks around and notices the masses of people attending. Opening the door she faces the vast hallways with rows upon rows of lockers lining the walls from top to bottom. The girl checks her notes while wandering down the hall, she looks for room 104.
Entering the classroom, she realises that she doesn’t know anyone. The unfamiliar faces chat away amongst themselves completely ignoring the girl as she sits and waits.
By lunchtime the reality of her new life hit her. Sitting alone in the cafeteria she began to feel so small and insignificant. She wanted more than anything to go home. She wanted to go back to the life she knew and was familiar with.
“This is our table”
“Oh… Sorry.”
Being kicked off her table by a group of kids the girl has no where to go. So she sits in the bathroom and cries. As the tears roll down her cheeks, lips trembling, she is afraid that she would feel this way forever.


January

The sun shone brightly and the girl woke happily from her slumber. The girl couldn’t believe that a few months ago she felt so miserable. Little time has passed and yet the girl feels a sense of happiness. It didn’t take her long to find her feet. Once everyone found out that she wasn’t from here it was easy. All she had to do was talk and then everyone came rushing to meet her.
That morning as she put on her jeans and t-shirt she notices her friend outside and she rushes out to greet her. She could feel herself growing more confident. She loves her new life, and she finds herself being moulded by the people she meets and the experiences that she has.
The girl wakes every morning, head spinning with the new challenges that each day brings, loving every minute of it.


June

Two years pass. The day starts how it all began. The girl woke with a sense of dread. She had not been looking forward to this day, but it had come anyway. Packing up her things once again she takes a deep breath and exhales. She gritted her teeth as her world began turning upside down again.

July

Day breaks, but the girl stays in bed. A month has passed since her return and yet the girl cannot find it in her to accept her previous life. The girl found herself not enjoying the games she used to play, and the things she used to do. She had nothing in common with her ‘friends’ anymore, and she begins to feel rejection. The girl isn’t looking forward to anything anymore as she realises that there is no escape; that she cannot go back.


December

Every morning the girl wakes to find a new day dawning. It doesn’t scare her anymore. She realises that she can’t stop life from happening. It keeps on going. The girl finds that no matter where she is that she can find her way. With each set of reestablishments she grows a little and realises that although she misses what she used to know, nothing would have made her give up the going. Soon life will become complex again; but in the meantime the girl sits, listens and waits.


Spring- A time of growth and renewal;The time of life between childhood and maturity
Summer-A period of fruition, fulfilment, happiness, or beauty.
Autumn/ Fall-A period of maturity verging on decline.
Winter- A period of time characterized by coldness, misery, barrenness, or death.

Journal

This is the journal that I have pasted in my scrapbook so that you can read at your own leasuire. It wasn't that I was thinking that you were reading too slow, or wasn't actually reading what I was writing, the reason I grabed the book from you and said that you should read it at some other time was that I was getting anxious for you to leave because I know my parents don't like you coming over on a school night. That was the only reason.


Day 1
Sunday 19th June

I woke up at 3:00am to get ready to leave. At 6am my plane took off and my journey began. I flew to Sydney, then from Sydney to Los Angeles. From Los Angeles I flew to Chicago where I missed my connecting flight to Evansville. I managed to get put onto the next flight and completed the last leg of my journey. Kendra was at the airport to meet me when I arrived at 8:50pm. At midnight, after over 24 hours of travelling, I finally curled up into a nice comfy bed.


Day 2
Monday 20th June

I slept in until 3:00pm. Kendra had school, then work so I just hung around, called a few friends, and talked to Kendra's mum. Danielle and Katie paid me a visit later on that day. It was exciting seeing them again after all that time. They both looked the same only older. When Kendra came home I convinced her to take me to Walmart. On the way home we stopped by Mary's house, followed by Ashley’s house. The rest of the night Kendra and I sat up talking.


Day 3
Tuesday 21st June

Ashley picked me up at about 10am and we went back to her house and talked for a bit. Then we went to the mall and went shopping. For lunch we had Chinese buffet. Later on that day we took Ashley’s brother, sister and niece to the pool. After spending the day with Ashley I went back to Kendra's house for dinner. We had ribs and decided to have a quiet night in. We ended up watching “Wimbledon”. It was another night going to bed at midnight.


Day 4
Wednesday 22nd June

I went to Brittney’s house where we looked at photos and talked. I bought a ‘moshi pillow’ which I‘d have to say is pretty cool. After that we went back to Brittney’s to swim. After dinner, Brittney and I went and visited Danielle at her work, Roly Poly, in which we got Roly Poly tattoos.Later that night Brittney and I went with her sister Sara and Dustin and got snow cones. When we got back Katie and Danielle came over. Later that night we watched Hitch and went to bed at about 1am.


Day 5
Thursday 23rd June

I woke at 12:30pm, had nachos for lunch, watched SAW, ate cinnamon rolls and played cards until it was time to go to Kendra’s to watch the DVD that I had made. Katie, Danielle, Brittney and Kendra were the only ones who showed up. Afterwards we all went to Pizza Hut. Finishing the pizza we went and watched a ‘puck rock show’ at 1123. It was so hot there but the music was good. After the show I went back to Kendra’s to bed which concluded the night.


Day 6
Friday 24th June

Today was a day spent at the mall shopping. KenAfter the dra and I walked all around the mall while I spent about $600 American dollars (mainly on clothes). mall we dropped by Walmart to buy candy and next we went out to dinner at Acapulcos (a Mexican restaurant). Even though we were so tired we decided to go back into Evansville and have a look at Kohls and after that we caught the 9:55 movie of Batman Begins at Showplace cinema in Newburgh.


Day 7
Saturday 25th June

Kendra and I woke up late and went and had Arbys for lunch. We then spent the rest of the afternoon by the pool. When we were sick of the pool we went and got Krispy Kreme donuts, yum. After that I bought shoes at Shoe Carnival and we cruised Green River Road for about an hour and a half. It was about 11:30pm when we finally pulled into Sonic for some dinner??? We decided to grab a movie and we watched the Bourne Supremacy before finally collapsing into bed at 2am.


Day 8
Sunday 26th June

Kendra’s mom, Tuni, woke us up early and fed us French toast for breakfast. Being tired we spent the rest of the day watching TV; we saw quite a few episodes of “Pimp my Ride”. For dinner Tuni had cooked steak and vegetables. Since we had spent the day inside we decided we’d leave the house even if it was just to go to Walmart again. Having nothing else to do we came back and watched Runaway bride while I ate 4 packets of pop tarts.


Day 9
Monday 27th June

I spent the morning taking photos while Kendra was at school. During her break we got hotdogs. I caught up with Danielle at 5:45pm. We ate at Garfields for dinner, then went and got cheesecake from Danielle’s work where we met up with Katie and Steven. We all went to the Evansville River for a while, then Barnes and Nobles, and followed by hanging out at the Newburgh River until everyone was due home for their curfews. Danielle and I then talked for a while until we fell asleep.


Day 10
Tuesday 28th June

In the morning Danielle cooked pancakes. After breakfast we took her dog for a walk. We then caught up with Chad for a bit before Danielle and I had Subway for lunch. Danielle and I then went for a drive to Boonville and back. When we had returned we went swimming with Steven, Katie and Chris. After swimming all of us got snow cones and had Los Bravos for dinner. After dinner Danielle and I spent the night at Katie’s, talking and being silly until falling asleep.


Day 11
Wednesday 29th June

Kendra and I went to ‘Holiday World’, a theme park in a place called Santa Claus. We rode roller coasters in the morning and then went on the water rides in the afternoon in ‘Splash ‘n Safari’. We spent the whole day enjoying the rides, drinking unlimited amounts of free soft drinks, eating, and having fun; though a lot of time was spent waiting in lines. We left the park at 7pm, grabbed Subway and later that night went and saw the 9:30pm showing of War of the Worlds.


Day 12
Thursday 30th June

At 11:30am I went over to Mary’s. We ate at the International House Of Pancakes for lunch, watched ‘Weekend at Bernie’s’, and afterwards amused ourselves in various stores before Kendra came to pick me up to go and see Jodi. Jodi, Kendra and I went to eat at Olive Garden and while we were there Amanda joined us. After dinner we went to TJ Max afterward Kendra and I went home. I then finally got in touch with Eric and we caught up at midnight for about 30 mins.


Day 13
Friday 1st July

After I had a shower, practised packing my suitcase and Kendra came home we started to watch “Vanity Fair”. Eric called us half way through and we caught up with him while he was working on his car. Eric and I then went for a walk round Lake Ridge and talked. At 8pm Amanda and Jodi picked Kendra and I up and we went to the drive-in movie theatre. We watched “B*witched” and “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”. After the movies we all went to IHOP and have some food before going home.


Day 14
Saturday 2nd July

Brittney and I caught up again and went to the Mall where we ate the best cookies in the world, and pretzels. I consequently had to get another snow cone. At 6pm I met up with Kendra and we went to the Good Will to buy outfits for the 80’s dance party. We dressed up and the headed off to the party. Alas we didn’t stay there long and we ended up coming home and watching the end of “Vanity Fair”. I then met Eric that night and talked for a long time until I said goodbye to him.


Day 15
Sunday 3rd July

On my last day in America I went to the Kenears for lunch. At 5pm we left and I did my last quick shop at the Mall and Walmart. I then packed my bags. Once I was finished we went to Steven’s place by the lake for my ‘July 3rd Party’. We went paddle boating, cooked hotdogs by the campfire, lit fireworks and talked. Kendra and I left at 12pm and went to Boonville because we were going to go teepeeing; but we ended up being too tired so we went home to bed at 2:30am.


Day 16
Monday 4th July

I woke up at 5:15am. I said goodbye to Kendra before catching my 9:09am plane to Chicago. My journey went well until I got to LA and found out that my next flight was cancelled. Fortunately I was booked on the next flight; but unfortunately it meant hanging around the airport for 10 hours until midnight. After losing a day I arrived home Wednesday morning safe and well; sad that my journey was over, but happy because of all the good times I had.


I hope that you start feeling better soon Glenn. Keep up your fluids, and spend your time sleeping and relaxing so that you get better soon. I miss you already! And I do love you.

So far...

Day 1: Sunday June 19th
3:00am Wake up and get ready to leave
3:20am Leave for the airport
6:00am Plane takes off from Melbourne to Sydney.
7:20am Arrive in Sydney and spend about three hours walking around, eating, and listening to music, waiting for my next flight.
10:50am I leave Sydney for my longest flight of the four trips. I sit next to the window next to a couple who were nice. They had come to Australia for their honeymoon and it seems all they did was travel the whole time. The flight was 12 and a half hours long. I watched million dollar baby, which I like, I got a bit teary. Then I think I slept or just snoozed or something. When I woke up again it was already half way through a movie so I watched the comedy channel which like show episodes of Fraiser, Becker, Kath and Kim, that kind of stuff. Then I ate, I had this chicken dish, it was alright, but I am not a big fan of aeroplane food. But we got Magnum icecreams for dessert. I then watched the last half of Good Company, I think that was what it was called. I wasn't very impressed. I also watched Coach Carter, which I enjoyed. We had breakfast which I ate Sultana Bran which was good. I think I got a total of 1 and a half hours of sleep on that flight. So not much at all.
7:10am I arrive in Los Angeles, LA time. I was hungry at that time, and was wanting a burger. But because it was morning they weren't serving the lunch menu so I had these things called cini minis from Burger King, which were dry and not very nice. I also had a hot chocolate from Starbucks. I was so tired at this stage and like just died on a chair, I did walk around a bit and even tried to get an earlier flight to Chicargo but it was all booked up so I couldn't.
10:25am So I caught the 10:25 flight to Chicargo. I simply got on the plane, sat in my seat, put in my earplugs and eye mask, wrapped a blanket around me and went to sleep, I was so tired at that stage. I practically slept the whole way there. Near the end of the flight I woke up though and went to the loo, then I talked to the girl next to me. She was going to Montreal in Canada and she was from Australia also. It was interesting talking to her, she was like in Uni and studying in Austrlia but her parents live in Canada so she goes to visit them every 6 months.
5:00 pm I arrive in Chicargo. Well for some reason I thought it was 4:00pm, so I thought I was still good for my next plane that left at 5:16pm. So I ran around the airport to the next gate. I got there and the flight details were still on the board so I thought I was ok. There was no one there at the gate so I coulndn't ask anyone if I was in time for the flight. I just assumed I was ok. My dad called me and I still thought that the plane had been early, and he seemed a little confused so I said that it was ok. Well I go check the board after I talk to him, and some other flight is up there. Then I go check the boards for the flight and it has dissappeared off the board. So now I start to get a little worried and walk around to try and find someone to talk to. I found this lady and asked her. She said it had already left. By that stage I was so tired and emotional and hearing that I missed the plane upset me and I started crying. The lady was nice and put me on the next flight. So after my outburst, once I had calmed down I waited around for my next flight.
7:50Pm I finally leave Chicargo and arrive in Evansville at 8:50.
Kendra was at the airport to meet me and then she took me to her house. We talked until midnight, then finally I could go to sleep in a nice comfy bed.

Day 2: Monday 20th June
I slept in until 3:00pm. I was so tired so I simply slept the whole way through. Kendra had work however so I just hung around her house, called a few friends to tell them that I was here, and talked to Kendra's mum. Danielle and Katie then came round at 5:40pm and I saw them for the first time in three years. They both looked the same only older. Danielle and I was a little nervous. Katie was her usual bubbly self. They were like I remember. So it was good. We got along right away. Kendra came home from work at 6:00pm and we all chatted til about 7:00pm when Danielle and Katie had to go because Katie had to babysit. For dinner Kendra and I had baked Zeedi, or something like that that Kendra's mom had made. Which was yum. Then I made Kendra take me to Walmart, where I reminised, all the candy, and food and everything. Everything in America is just so big. On the way home from Walmart we stopped by at Mary's house. She was there with her boyfriend and a friend. We didn't talk much as she was a bit preoccupied with her boyfriend. We didn't stay long either because someone called up Mary and asked her to go to Lics and get icecream. So we left. I then convinced Kendra to stop by Ashley's place so I could see her. Kendra stayed in the car which I went and talked to her. Ashley looked different, she was very tanned, with blonde hair. I commented on her hair and she was like "yeah it's from the sun" which is very difficult to believe. But hey. I didn't stay long there either because Ashley was going out with some boys who came and picked her up while I was there. But we arranged to catch up the next day.

Day three: Tuesday 21st June
Ashley picked me up at about 10am, we went back to her house sat on chairs and talked for a little bit. Then we went to the mall and went shopping. Though Ashley did a bit more shopping than me. For lunch we had a chinese buffet. We came back to Ashley's place at about 3pm and couldn't think of anything to do. Ashley had some friends call her, and she called a few, just to chat, while I just sat there for 1 and a half hours. We still couldn't think of anything else to do and her siblings were bugging her to take them to the pool. Well I left my swimsuit and Kendra's and I didn't particulary want to go swimming but I was happy to take the kids. So I convince Ashely to take Audy, Lexy and Kyle to the pool. While we were there April Ashley's older sister came and looked after them while Ashley took me back to Kendra's house at about 6pm because Ashley was doing something that night. So I went back to Kendra's and had ribs for dinner which was yum. That night we just sat in and watched Wimbledon. It was a nice movie. So that was another night of going to bed at midnight for Kendra. Now that wouldn't be so bad but Kendra has Summer school every day at 7:30am. So I felt bad.

Day four: Wednesday 22nd June
I arranged to see Brittney that day and spend the night at her place so I call her up at 9am. I coulnd't sleep any longer and I woke up at 7:30am and got up and had a shower. I couldn't wait any longer so I called her at 9am. I woke her up, opps. She had to go to the bank and we were going to be able to catch up until 3pm. So I decided to call Mary to see if she wanted to catch up before hand. I woke her up also, but she was busy. Brittney had to work the next morning also so I asked Mary if I could see her the next day, but she was busy until 4pm, so that was kind of pointless. So then I called up Katie to see what she was doing, but she was babysitting. Then I called Danielle, who I also woke up. But she was also working that day. Brittney called me back adn said that she change when she was going to the bank so we could catch up early, so she came and picked me up at 10:30am. Tunrs out she got called up to say she wasn't working the next day so I hang out with her still. Brittney and I went to her place and talked. We looked at photos and I saw the year book, some people looked the same, some people looked very different. I fell in love with her squidgy pillow. So I asked her whether we could go out and by one. So we did, we also bought a coke float and then came back to Brittney's to swim in her pool and lay out. For dinner we ate tacos. After dinner, Brittney and I went and visited Danielle at her work, Roly Poly. We met her bf, who is 25, he seemed nice. Danielle then made me wear a Roly Poly tattoe.
Later that night Brittney and I go with her sister Sarah, and the guy she is dating, Dustin, and went and got snow cones. They werre yum. Not like the ones I've had before where there is no falvouring. These were packed with juice with like 40 flavours to choose from. I had fruit punch. It was good. When we got back to Brittney's Katie and Danielle came over. But then Katie got a call from Drew so she went and hung out with him, while me Dani and Brit sat and talked and ate popcorn. At 11pm katie came back with Drew and we met him (this is the guy she is having anb on and off relationship with, she's been out with him three times. They go out then break up, at the moment they are off, but still good friends.) He was cute.
We watched Hitch that night, we didn't start it til like 11:30pm so it didn't finished til 1am. Then we went to bed.

Day Five: Thursday 23rd June
I woke up at 12:30 pm. I slept late, I was shocked.


to be continued...

Ouchies!

I had a flu injection today and now my arm is sore :(. I am told that it will be sore and achy for a few days, but I guess it is a sacrifice I have to make in order not to get the flu at a later date, so I guess that it must be worth it. However I don't like my chances of not getting this cold that is going around. Everyone has it!! No exaggeration. Practically everyone I sit next to, even my guy:(, but he's getting better! Time to take another vitamin C tablet. I'm holding out at the moment and hopefully I can hold out until my Chemistry exam, then I can fall in a flop.

I miss you Glenn, I can't stop thinking about you.

Tomorrow is a study day, and alas I miss out on it because I have this chemitry SAC to do. It is a written report and I have tried to prepare mine and it's 100 words over and I'm not happy with it. The critera gives no indication of what is required for this SAC, so I'm pretty much screwed. Pah why did I do chemistry?? I haven't studied as much as I have liked, and unfortunately other classes are requiring things out of me, such as my HHD SAC, and English essay and creative writing piece, and other work. So much to do, so little time.

Turns out I am leaving for America on the Sunday the 19th of June. I am supposed to be departing from Melbourne Tullamerine at 6:00am. How early is that??!!? I'll have to get up at some unearthly hour to be there 1 and a half hours in advance, plus the travel. But it'll be worth it.

I miss my Glenn so much. I wish I could be with him right now. I don't know when I will be able to see him next. Things are going so great between us at the moment. I want that to last forever. It's a good feeling.

Loving you
Erin

Don't you hate it when your printer doesn't work?!

Ethene

· Chemical concepts

· Relevant chemicals

· chemical reactions involved in the industry

· Should be supported by tables, diagrams, and/or flowcharts.

· 300-500 words

· Impact on society of the selected chemical industry- petrochemical industry and its importance to consumers

· Production of ethene from crude oil

· Significant reactions and conditions under which reactions proceed

· Major uses

· Properties

· Reactions of ethene including the formation of ethanol

· Addition polymerisation

· Formation of polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, and polystyrene

· Heat and rate of reaction

Research:

Ethene is an important building block in the modern chemical industry and is often referred to as ethylene.

It is a hydrocarbon and the simplest member of the homologous series of alkenes. Alkenes are unsaturated molecules, containing one double bond in their structure.

Ethene is a colourless (at room temperature and pressure) flammable gas and is the first member of the alkenes series of hydrocarbon. It is the most widely used synthetic organic chemical and is used to produce the plastics polyethene (polyethylene), polychloroethene, and polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

Melting point: -104ºC

Boiling point: -169ºC

Non-polar molecule: soluble in non-polar solvents & insoluble in polar solvents like water

Reactive: the active site is the double bond.
Ethene readily undergoes addition reactions,

for example
reacts with bromine water (red-brown) to produce colourless 1,2-dibromoethane
CH₂=CH₂(g) + Br₂(l) -----> CH₂Br-CH₂Br(g)

Its low boiling point and low solubility in water are due to its lack of permanent dipoles. The double bond makes the molecule reactive, either reacting with itself or a wide range of other compounds.

Ethene and its derivatives are examples of petrochemicals – compounds manufactured from petroleum. Petroleum deposits contain hydrocarbons, predominantly a mixture of alkanes. This mixture needs to be refined in order to isolate particular batches of alkanes. The first stage is the physical separation, according to boiling point, by fractional distillation. Fractionation involves heating the crude oil until it vaporises. The vapour is passed into a fractionating tower, where it cools as it rises. Several horizontal trays, each with bubble caps, slow the progress of the vapour, and its components condense to liquids at different levels according to their boiling points.

It is obtained from natural gas or coal gas, or by the dehydration of ethanol.

Ethene is produced during plant metabolism and is classified as a plant hormone. It is important in the ripening of fruit and in abscission.

Ethene and its derivatives are examples of petrochemicals – compounds manufactured from petroleum. Petroleum deposits contain hydrocarbons, predominantly a mixture of alkanes. This mixture needs to be refined in order to isolate particular batches of alkanes. The first stage is the physical separation, according to boiling point, by fractional distillation. Fractionation involves heating the crude oil until it vaporises. The vapour is passed into a fractionating tower, where it cools as it rises. Several horizontal trays, each with bubble caps, slow the progress of the vapour, and its components condense to liquids at different levels according to their boiling points.

Production of Ethene (ethylene)

Ethene can be produced either by

I. Extraction from natural gas using fractional distillation followed by steam cracking (the technique for converting alkanes to alkenes)(750 - 900^oC) followed by liquefaction of the gas (-100^oC) and then further fractional distillation
OR

II. Extraction from crude oil using fractional distillation followed by steam cracking (750 - 900^oC) of the naphtha or gas-oil fractions followed by liquefaction of the gas (-100^oC) and then further fractional distillation.

The cracking process typically involves endothermic equilibrium reactions such as:

• C₂H₆(g) C₂H₄(g) + H₂(g) H = +138 kJ mol^-1
• C₃H₈(g) C₂H₄(g) + CH₄(g) H = +81 kJ mol^-1

To maximize the rate of the cracking reactions

• the temperature can be increased so that the gas particles move more quickly and collide more often
• increase the pressure which forces the gas particles closer together and collide more often
• no catalyst is needed to increase the rate of this reaction since the steam provides the required activation energy

To maximize the yield of ethene, by Le Chetalier's Principle

• increasing the temperature of the reactions favours the formation of products since the reactions are endothermic. So increasing the temperature speeds up the rate of the reaction and increases the yield of ethene.
• a decrease in pressure would favour the the formation of products since there are more gaseous product molecules than there are gaseous reactant molecules. However, a decrease in pressure would slow down the rate of the reaction. For this reason the pressure is kept at or below atmospheric pressure.
• removing the product will favour the formation of more product thereby increasing the yield of product. Equilibrium is therefore never actually achieved.