Naomi Benenson
October 15, 2014
HLA
Who am I Project. Part One.Section A:
1 Write
out your full signature. What do you think your signature says about the person
who you are? Were you named after anyone in particular?
My signature: 
Similar
to a thumbprint, a signature is a form of identification; like a thumbprint, no
one signature is the same. My signature, which is written above, has a unique
and distinguishable style. In fact, my friends quickly recognize my autograph because
of the way I write the first letters of my name. I make the N in my first name
large and extravagant and the rest of the letters close together and small; the
same goes for the first letter of my last name. I am bold, outgoing, and cheerful,
and I believe my signature portrays that. The flourishing N and B signify my
gregarious side, and the small letters that follow show my reserved and soft
spoken ways. My signature is a part of who I am, and defines me as an
individual, but how my name became Naomi, is a whole other story.
My parents named me in honor of my
great grandfather Nahum. He was born and grew up in Slutsk, Belorussia and
fought in World War II where he was wounded and lost the use of his right arm. He
taught himself to write with his left hand and to use it as though it was his
right. Nahum had only a seventh grade education, and he began working when he
was thirteen. He was a respected man and worked hard to support his family; Nahum
retired in his eighties. Sadly, he passed away a year before I was born. My
parents wanted to honor his life by naming me after my gallant great
grandfather. My name, Naomi, begins with the letter N just like Nahum’s. I feel
privileged to be named after him.
From what country does your first or last name originate? What is the meaning of your name?
To
begin, my first name originates from the Old Testament, both my first and last
names are Jewish. My parents were born and grew up in Russia, however, after
the Soviet Union collapsed, they immigrated to America. My immediate family
resides in the United States, but my extended family is scattered across the
globe. My uncles live in Israel though, and one day I hope to visit them. My
parents named me Naomi: a biblical Hebrew name that means “pleasant”, to honor
my Jewish heritage and my great-grandfather. When my mother married my father,
she took his last name: Benenson; it is also Jewish name. My grandfather claimed he was the nephew of Flora
Benenson who was the mother of Peter Benenson, the founder of the human rights
group Amnesty International. Because of this association and having relatives in "the hostile West", the KGB in the Soviet
Union persecuted my father’s family.
Section
B:
How many siblings do you have? Names? Ages? What
is your position in the family (oldest, middle, etc.)? Do you like your
position?
Before I came into the world, my sister, until the age of
four, was my parent’s little bundle of joy. Seven years after I was born my
little brother Ethan came along, and eighteen months later, my other brother
Ari arrived. Thus, I have three siblings: Sarah, who at eighteen years old is
the oldest, Ethan, who is six and three quarters (as he puts it), and Ari who
turned five this past summer. Therefore, at thirteen (almost fourteen) years
old, I am the middle child. For the first seven years of my life, I was the
youngest child, and enjoyed all of its perks. This includes often being the
center of attention and my parents taking my side, more often than not, when
arguments with my older sister arose. However, when Ethan came along my
carefree life as the baby of the family vanished.
Now, though, I am thankful to be the middle child as I
have an older sister to test out the waters, so to speak. I
have the opportunity to learn from her mistakes and get a sneak peak of what I
will one day have to go through. As for my younger brothers, what can I say? I
love them dearly, however, they can be colossal pains at times. Although
without them, I would have not learned patience. They keep me on my toes and
light up the room with their mischievous, yet adorable, chortles. Being the middle child has taught me
perseverance, teamwork, and competitiveness. Between the four of us, I enjoy my
position as a middle child, and I would not dream of it being any other way!
Do you have a special stuffed animal, toy, or
blanket when you were little? Do you still have it?
Since I was four years old, I have had a special stuffed
dog that protects me when I am asleep. My sister gave it to me when she could
no longer afford pulling all-nighters to console me. It began when I was around
four years old, and the Harry Potter books and movies were coming out. My
sister, being a fellow fan, bought the movies and insisted we watch them
together. After screaming in terror through half of the first one, my sister
banned me from the media room stating I was too disruptive. For weeks
afterward, I could not sleep at night out of fear that Voldemort would march
into my room and curse me, and Dobby would break all of my precious dolls. I
would turn on all the lights and flee to my sister’s room for protection. It
came to a point where my sister could no longer take me interrupting her
slumber, so she gave me a stuffed dog, who I named Lassie, saying that as long
as I slept with it, Voldemort would not dare to enter our house. To this day,
the lassie provides me with a sense of security and comfort while it lays
snuggled in my arms as I sleep.
Investigate what major news events were the year
that you were born. Compile a list. What event seems most important?
As the first year of the new millennium was drawing to a
close, my parents rushed to a hospital in downtown Manhattan on November 5,
2000, and that night I was born. That year, Vladimir Putin was elected as
President of Russia, personal home computers started to become a commodity, and
Sydney hosted the Olympic Games. In 2001, Wikipedia was launched, Apple
introduced the iPod, George Bush was sworn in as the forty-third President of
the United States, and there was a terrorist attack on the Twin Towers in New
York City that left 3,000 dead. The event that affected my family the most was
the destruction of the Twin Towers.
In September of 2001, I was a jovial baby, living happily
with my family in downtown Manhattan. I lead the average life of a ten-month-old
baby in New York: I took walks in Battery Park with my caring nanny, explored
the streets in my stroller, and took frequent naps. Tuesday, September 11,
2001, was no different. As my parents later recounted to me, it was a
beautiful, sunny day in New York and my babysitter decided to take me for a
walk in Battery Park which is only a few blocks away from the Twin Towers. All
of a sudden, there was a deafening noise and a huge wave of panic spread as a
cloud of smoke and fire engulfed the Twin Towers. Swept up in the mass of
people, my nanny sprinted to the South Street Seaport to take me as far away as
possible from the towers. Unaware that I was already safe inside the Seaport
Mall with my nanny, my father went searching for me and almost perished running
from the falling towers. Our apartment building was covered in ash, and we were
ordered to evacuate for two months. In the meantime, my family stayed at friend’s
house in Connecticut. After this catastrophe, my parents decided New York was
not the ideal home for children, and we moved to the bucolic town of Tewksbury
in New Jersey. If it had not been for the terrorist attack of September 11, I
would not have moved to New Jersey, and I would have been a different person
leading a different life. Ergo, the destruction of the Twin Towers was the most
significant and impactful event on family during the first year of my life.
When you were little, what did you look forward
to the most about being a teenager or an adult?
When I was little, I was yearning to become a teenager. I
mainly dreamed about having the freedom that comes with adulthood. Primarily, I
could not wait to have my own car and drive. It was a great wish of mine to
have the power to make my own choices and be able to go where I need to be. My
parents would have to drive me -and still do- to dance every day, and
frequently they would not be ready on time, and I would arrive to class late. I
cannot wait to be able to drive myself because with it comes a sense of freedom
and independence. As a young child, you are not given many opportunities and
liberties, and watching my sister drive herself to school, watch non-Disney
movies, and stay up late only made me want to grow up faster. I long for the
day that I will be able to call a vehicle my own and become an independent
person.
Section
C:
Describe your favorite place in OTS?
My favorite place in OTS is the rickety old swing-set in
the playground, which despite being rusty and worn out, is a pleasant diversion
from my busy, demanding life as a student. Ever since I was little, I dreamed
of flying like an eagle, spreading my wings - just the sky and me. I even tried
to create my own “wings” out of cardboard, and one day ran around my yard in
hopes of magically lifting of the ground. On school swing set, I can swinger
higher than the pivot point and for a brief moment I’m suspended in mid-air. That
moment brings me elation as it makes me feel like I am flying. Just imagining
this old, rusty swing-set of OTS gives me joy.
What will be the highlights of 8th
grade? The low points? Will the Class of 2015 have an outstanding year? Do you
think that friendships will change significantly from seventh grade?
I have been looking forward to 8th grade in OTS
since I first came to the school. I think the highlights of 8th
grade are going to be seeing the Broadway show in New York City, the school
play, and the three-day field trip to Washington DC. As far as the low points,
I believe balancing schoolwork and dance will be tough, and I do not look
forward to writing essays and completing lengthy assignments. Being an 8th
grader in Old Turnpike School is not easy, nevertheless, I hope that my last
year in middle school will be fulfilling both academically and socially.
I believe the Class of 2015 will have an outstanding
year! Over the past couple years we have proved to be cooperative grade that
can work well together. I wish this year will be lively, easygoing, and filled
with laughter, and I will do my best to contribute to that. I do not believe
friendships will change significantly from seventh grade. If anything,
friendships will just grow stronger and more meaningful. Ultimately, I am very
excited to be an 8th grader at Old Turnpike School, and I look
forward to all of the new experiences in store for us.
What kind of an adult will you be? What will be
the best part of being an adult?
As a young child, I have always enjoyed being around
adults who treated me as an equal and did not put on a high-pitched voice when
talking to me. Thus, I will be an adult that treats everyone –both kids and
other grown-ups – equally. I will be a professional yet entertaining adult who
can brighten the mood in any situation. For me, the best part about being an
adult is the power and liberties to make my own decisions and although it comes
with great responsibilities, I’m looking forward to face the challenges that
come with adulthood.
What is the most important thing that you have
learned about life in the past few years? How did you learn it?
In the past few years, the most important things I have
learned about life are now the mottos I live by: “Fake it until you become it”
and “The less is better”. I initially picked up the phrase “Fake it until you
become it” at dance. My tap dances are often difficult, and right before we go
onstage our teacher tells us, “fake it until you make it, girls” because as
long as we move our feet to the rhythm of the song, no one would ever know we
were not making all of the proper taps. Now at dance, we live by that saying. This
is the rule every performer lives by, even the most distinguished and classical
musicians. I interpret this motto as moving past errors and mistakes, not allowing
them to distract me from my performance. Over the years though, I have tweaked
it to “fake it until you become it” because if one does something often enough,
they will learn how to do it correctly, and one would rather become and mold
into what they want to be as opposed to them simply making it and starting over
again.
“The less is better” applies to my life as I aim to
communicate clearly, precisely, and to the point. Anton Chekhov, a famous
Russian author and playwright, once said, “Brevity is the sister of talent.” Being laconic is a challenge that I enjoy and
setting this as a goal keeps me focused on any task. This is applicable to
every facet of my life from writing essays to dancing to doing math. I live my
life by these sayings, and they help me accomplish my goals. “Fake it until you
become it” and “the less is better” are now part of my philosophy. These
postulates have proved themselves time and again. That is why I find them
important and will continue to rely on them throughout my life.
What is the hardest part of growing up?
The hardest part about growing up, primarily, is the
physical and mental metamorphosis the body and mind go through. It is hard to
understand and know who I am and have self-awareness when I’m changing so
quickly. It feels like only yesterday I was asking my parents to hold my hand,
tuck me into bed, and sing me a lullaby. As I grow older, I am slowly
relinquishing dependence on my parents and filling my own skin. Moreover, a
difficult part of growing up is handling the responsibilities that come with
it. With each year of age, come freedoms, thus, more responsibilities. As an
adult, I will have to rely on myself without the comfort of my parent’s
protection. I am looking forward to becoming an independent adult, and I am
readying myself for the challenges that come with it.
What are the best parts of a new school year?
The best parts of a new school year is seeing my friends
after the summer break and barely recognizing them. I believe one of the most
valuable possessions any person could have are friends, and school gives
students the opportunity to form friendships of a lifetime. Seeing my friends
is the best part of school. Joking around with my friends is the highlight of
my school day; they make learning a fun and memorable experience for me. Additionally,
with every new school year come new adventures. Whether its new field trips,
activities, or clubs, each new school year provides something to look forward
to. Although sometimes pupils despise school due to the heavy workload, the new
and exciting opportunities each year balance it out.
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