MY LIFE

By: Tamarah L. Santiago

CHAPTER 1:
THE BEGINNING

My birth was very interesting because four months before I was born, September 11, 2001
happened. My father, being active duty in the military, was given orders to report overseas
for operation Iraqi Freedom. My mom was worried that my dad wouldnt be present for my
birth, but miraculously he was able to be present; however a month after I was born he was
gone. He left for almost a year. I came to meet him again when I was 11months old. Weve
began our bond and now Im very close with my dad.
I was born on December 8, 2002 in Philadelphia, PA; Hahnemann Hospital. It was six in the
evening. I weighed 7 pounds and 22 ounces. My parents named me Tamarah Lee Santiago.
It was a happy time for my family. My sister Sam came to see me right away and held me.
My mom says that by the time I had to leave the hospital their was a lot of accumulated
snow from a previous snow storm. Interestingly, till this day most of my birthdays have been
snowed in or canceled because of bad snow storms. Should of known.

CHAPTER 2:
EARLY LIFE

Though I was born in Philadelphia my family was living in New Jersey. So I was raised in
Jersey till the age of 5 when my dad got military orders to move to Salt Lake City, Utah. We
had to say goodbye to all our friends and family from PA. Utah was a beautiful city
surrounded by mountains. However moving from the East coast to the West coast felt very
different from what I was use to.
I went to a private school called CHS for Kindergarten. I had an awesome teacher. I was able
to see my mom every day since she became a substitute and the lunch helper at the school.
That helped me adjust fast. I had an awesome gym class, with awesome teachers. I really
liked that school.

CHAPTER 3:
FAMILY

Im the middle child in a family of five. I have a little brother named Levi and a older
sister named Samantha. My brother is five years old in kindergarten with a big
imagination. He can be annoying at times, but I still love him. My sister is sixteen and
she is in 11th grade, she is an awesome sister and always helps me out when I am upset
or when I need help. I would never trade her for a better sister. My dad is in the military,
and he can be really funny, my brother and I like to tackle him and watch football
together. He is really giving and super fun. My mom is an amazing school teacher, she
has homeschooled my sister, brother and I. I like to watch movies and cook with her.
I have two grandparents and I love them all so much. One of them lives here in Florida,
they both only speak Spanish and my other grandparents live in Pennsylvania. Right
now I live with my grandparents and it is great because I get to practice my Spanish and
I get to eat my grandmas delicious food. My mom has four sisters, and my dad has two,
so I have a lot of aunts. I have more than seventeen cousins and almost all of us come
together at Christmas time and enjoy a fun night with food, tons of presents, games,
(and a lot of noise). I have many family friends, in a variety of places. One of them
includes my best friend Angelica who's been my friend since pre school. Since my family
is in the military, I've been able to make even more friends threw out my life.

CHAPTER 4:
LATER LIFE AGE 7 TO
12

When I was seven and eight, I was living in Utah, and I went to a private school called Faith Baptist
Christian School. I stood there for 1st and 2nd grade, and made good friends. I had a really small second
grade class. There were only seven students, including me, in the beginning of the school year, and then
one of them left to a different school. So, still including me, there was only six students! That was probably
the smallest class I ever had! But I still liked my class. I felt bad for the boys because their was only one
boy. His name was Valentino, but everybody called him Tino. He was the only boy, but he was still fun to
play with. It was sad when we had to leave Utah ,since my dad is in the military.
Our church had cupcakes and other things for a small goodbye party. My Sunday school teacher gave me a
little packet of things to take to Puerto Rico, and Kylie and Skyler, two of my best friends from school, came
to the church to say goodbye to me one last time. Then on the day after halloween, we flew to Puerto Rico.
When I was nine and ten, I was still living in Puerto Rico and I went to Antilles Elementary School, or A.E.S,
for 3rd grade. I didnt feel like I had a lot of friends there. Then I went to Christian Nazarene Academy for 4 th
grade. It was a Spanish school, and I only knew a little bit of Spanish, so I just heard gibberish. Thank God
that my mom worked there, and her classroom was right across from mine. She spoke to the teacher, and
she paired me up with a English speaking girl. Then some of the other girls there knew some English, so
they became my friends and they helped throughout the year. When I was ten, eleven, and twelve, I went
back to Pennsylvania, and went to Gospel of Grace Christian School. I had a lot of friends there. I stood
there for 5th and half of 6th grade. It was a small school, but the owners of the school were very nice, and
they let my mom work there. They were also all related! It was pretty cool. The principals wife had twelve
kids, and almost half of them worked there. Then in the middle of the year, on winter break, I moved to
Florida. For the rest of 6th grade, I am going to Jackson Heights Middle School. I really like it here, and I
have a lot of friends. I'm sure I'm going to have a great rest of the school year.

CHAPTER 5:
MEMORIABLE EVENTS

I remember the time I first moved from Pennsylvania to Utah, and our church threw us a big
goodbye party I was only five so I thought it was just a big party that came out of no where.
We ate, we danced, and we had a lot of fun. We left the following morning, Utah here we
come! My dad told me that it was a long drive. I dont remember all of it because, like I said, I
was five but there was only one thing I remember, I had really bad motion sickness.
When we finally arrived in Utah, I remember seeing huge mountains and beautiful country
sides. I lived in Utah for about three years and made many friends and my brother was born
there! Then the military stationed us to Puerto Rico when I was about 9 or 10 years old. We
only lived there for about two years and it was an adventure. Our house had the best pool
and Jacuzzi ever and everyday after school me and my sister would jump into the fun ,cold
water. I enjoyed the beaches and free food from the restaurants our relatives own there. Then
we moved back to Pennsylvania. We stood there for another two years. It was great to see all
my family and friends again. And lastly, we moved here to Florida. It was supposed to be a
vacation, but it ended up being a home. Now I'm in a new school called Jackson Heights
Middle School. I've made a lot of friends and, for the first time in my life, I love school! On
Sunday night I dont complain that I have school the next day because I'm so excited to see
my new friends, I think that my last move is to a new house here in Florida. I will miss my
friends from Pennsylvania, Utah, and Puerto Rico but I know I'm going to like it here, and I'm
excited to see what's in store.

CHAPTER 6:
DESCRIPTION OF HOW
YOU LOOK LIKE NOW

I am now twelve years old and I have gotten taller, I am four feet and seven inches. I like to
go hiking and camping and spend time with my family. I would like to be in the F.B.I when I
grow up because I like solving mysterious. I dont always like to clean but I do like to
organize. I've gotten more mature since the past year. I have a bad habit about not ignoring
my brother when he annoys me. I still like to play with Barbie dolls because I believe your
never to old to play with barbies! I was in a play last year as one of the main characters, I
had the most lines but I remembered them all. I love being in plays and acting like different
characters. I like to day dream when I dont have anything to do, and I love to read
adventurous and mystery books.

CHAPTER 7:
LIKES AND DISLIKES

My likes are watching T.V, reading mystery books, daydreaming, playing with my toys, talking
to friends, eating, camping, spending time with my family, taking hikes, singing, acting,
dancing, hugging my family members, listening to music, going to school, going to the
movies, having fun, playing in a pool, drinking hot chocolate, grape juice, and a bunch of
other drinks, eating buttery crackers with jelly or cream cheese, playing games in first period,
etc. That list could go on forever!
My dislikes are some kinds of homework, spiders, puking, bugs except for ladybugs,
butterflies, and ants[unless they are red ants], getting punished, getting frustrated, having
nightmares, crying in front of people[unless its my mom, dad, sister, or brother], being tired,
getting hurt physically and emotionally, horror movies, getting spanked, etc. That list can
also go on forever.

CHAPTER 8:
FEELINGS

I believe that people that have enough money should help the poor, in Haiti, in Africa, and
anywhere else. I also believe in Christianity. I believe that people shouldnt litter so that the
world can stay clean, and so that there wont be a lot of pollution in the air. I feel that all stray
dogs, cats, and any kind of pet should be rescued in an animal shelter and be cleaned up so
that someone can adopt them. I feel that abortion shouldnt be allowed un less you are under
the age of sixteen, and I also feel the money should be given to orphanages every day. I also
feel that doctors should work extra hard to find a cure for cancer, and that they should find a
way to not use shots anymore, but find another way to give medicine[because I hate
shots!!!!!]. I feel that some parts of the world need to be more kind so that this world can be
a better place.

CHAPTER 9:
HOW OTHERS SEE ME

I took an interview of my family to see what kind of person they think I am. My mom said that
I am a sweet, helpful, and caring young girl. She said that I am a warrior who always thinks of
others needs. She also said that I am intelligent and very honest, and that I still enjoy my
childlike nature because I still like to play with Barbie dolls. She said that overall, I am a smart
girl with lots of potential, and that I have a bright future ahead of me.
My sister said that I am a sweet, beautiful, outing girl. She said that she is so happy to have
me in my life, and that I always know what to say to make her laugh and smile. She also said
that she cant wait to make even more memories with me as we grow older together.
My brother said [in his own words] that I am sweet, and that I am the best sister ever. He
said that all the time when he asks me to do something like for me to get him a drink, I
always do it right away. He said that I make him happy at the deep of his heart. He also said
that I make him smile and that I know about math a lot, and that I tell him about it. Then he
said that I help him with his homework. Thank you to all my family members that did this. I
love you all so much!!!!!

CHAPTER 10:
FUTURE PLANS

In the future, I would like to go to college to be in the F.B.I . I would like to wait about two
years after I graduate from 12th grade to go to college because I want a break from school!
After I graduate from college, I will have the job as an F.B.I agent. After that, I would like to
have a family. Maybe four kids, two adopted kids and two of my own kids. I would like to go to
Greece because I think it is beautiful. I would also like to live right next to my parents. So
where ever they live, I will live in their neighborhood. In the next ten years I will be 22. I dont
know where I will be at that point, but I hope that it is someplace good. I would like to get my
permit when I am 16 or 17 and my license when I am 18. I would like a Volkswagen beetle in
the color of dark, lipstick red, and I would like to live life to the fullest!

THANKS FOR
WATCHING!!!!