Character Building and Journal Entry

Gazing out the window with the palm trees blowing in the wind and the sun shining brightly through the trees, Gabby could only imagine the next summer to come and worried about this one rapidly coming to an end. Flying into Kono in June, seemed like just yesterday, and the school year was about to start with September being just around the corner. Her shipment from the states had just arrived the previous week so to ease her stress in the slightest bit. Everything was coming together in the classroom nicely; she had repainted the room, hung up posters, and created individual cubbies for her students to store their belongings. The classroom was coming together but it was Gabby who was falling apart. She desperately longed for her parents, her brothers and sister, nieces and nephews back home. Moving to Hawaii had been a dream of hers since she could remember, but now she worried about missing out on everything at home.

Before she knew it, the first day of school rolled around and she was rushing about trying to get everything ready for the kids first day arrival. One by one, the students trickled in some with the parents and some came in brave and alone. It did not take long for them to arrive because she only had twelve students total but the grades ranged from kindergarten to fourth. The first day was full of thrills and surprises; they baked cookies, played games outside in the beautiful weather and met the older kids in the next classroom. Gabby loved her school because there was only one other teacher and almost all the kids attended the Seventh Day Adventist church on Saturdays. Growing up in a similar church, Gabby felt so comfortable and at home very shortly after she settled into her new life style.

When the kids went out to play at recess, Gabby had remembered the young man about her age who had sat next to her last Saturday during Sabbath. She remembered his name was Patrick and was tickled when he had sat next to her because the previous week she had noticed him but was too shy to introduce herself. After church, he invited her out to lunch and they enjoyed a quiet and delicious Mexican restaurant. After learning his life story about growing up in Hawaii and going to college here, Gabby felt comfortable and relaxed and began to tell him her life narrative. She mentioned being lonely for her family and friends, what Patrick noticed most of all is that she clearly did not mention missing a boyfriend or husband. After lunch ended, it was the first time she noticed feeling happy and carefree again since she had left Auburn .

The daydreaming ended as soon as the students came running in to tell their teacher about the games they played and who won during recess. The rest of the day flew by and before Gabby knew it she was strategically planning out her grocery shopping for dinner and the rest of the week. Crossing-off each item and she strolled down the isle; she kept wondering if she would run into Patrick. It was a small enough town that it would not be a rare occasion, but for some reason he kept popping into her thoughts.

After preparing and enjoying a delicious dinner, Gabby enjoyed a hot bath and went out onto the balcony over looking the ocean. She just loved the sound of the crashing waves and sun setting. It was just then when she heard the song of her new ring tone she had downloaded. It was her sister who was calling, the time difference was three hours, so it was just before 4 in the afternoon Sarah’s time. Extreme excitement overwhelmed Gabby when her sister told her the breaking news of her pregnancy. After a half hour of shrills and giggles, the sisters hung up but it was just then that the sadness began to creep into her heart once again. The sadness for her family, the sadness of not being with her sister through her pregnancy, and the sadness of not being with Sarah’s kids throughout the school year. A constant ache in her heart wondered if she had done the right thing by signing the contract for a year.

Just after brushing her teeth and getting ready for bed, the phone rang one again. This time it was a random number and she hesitated on whether she was going to answer it or not. It rang four times before she said hello. To her surprise and amazement, it was Patrick on the other end. Something about him made her feel extremely different than any man in her past. Before she knew it he was telling her he would pick her up tomorrow for an early dinner and then had a few surprises planned out for her. The feelings of romance was lingering in the air and all she dreamt about was the following evening.

Another day flew by with her twelve little adorable students. The happiness overwhelmed her thoughts and emotions. By the time she arrived home it was time to freshen up and get ready for dinner. The night began with another great dinner, followed by a romantic movie, and then observing the sunset while sharing an ice cream sundae. This was just the first night of many in the next month that Gabby felt swept off her feet. It had been weeks before she realized that the sadness of missing her family had faded away shortly after Patrick had stepped into her life. With him she felt complete and happy. They began to spend every day together after work and things were as perfect as she could have ever imagined.

Months went by before she realized it was that time again to sign a contract for the following year. Originally, Gabby thought one year in Hawaii would be perfect and she would be ready to come home again and be with her family. It was so much harder after establishing a life on her own, making new friends, and then meeting the man of her dreams, to then pick up and leave her new found “home”. After talking to her mom and sister, who desperately wanted her home for the next year and especially the summer, Gabby knew it was only her who could make her own decision. Her sister had already established a life at an early age, started having children and had been happily married for nine years. Gabby realized she wanted share those special moments in life with the one she loved and it was time to make a decision. Day in and day out for two weeks straight, her mind and emotions were on a rollercoaster. Patrick, of course being the gentleman that he is, put in his thoughts on her staying and promised a happy life together but also was willing to move to her own state if that changed the situation at all. Gabby was completely and utterly happy with Patrick and living in Hawaii , so she felt for the next year at least, her life would resume in Hawaii . Her family was disappointed she was staying another year but excited for her accomplishments. She promised she would come home in the summer and during the holidays. This was someone Gabby felt she had to do for herself and she was glad with her decision.



Journal Entry
Why did you choose the character you did for your piece? What are some of the challenges you found in creating a convincing, complex character? When designing your character, did you attempt to offer the reader something familiar, unsettling/unusual, or a combination of the two? Why did you make this choice and what mechanisms did you employ to achieve this goal?

I chose this specific character for my piece because I just found out that my cousin is going to be staying in Hawaii for the next year and she had some decisions she had to make and thought it would fit this situation perfectly. I found it was hard to show instead of tell in a third person mannerism. I kept feeling like I was telling the story but had to think real creatively to come up with more ways to show how her emotions and decisions were affecting the character. I feel like I attempted to offer the reader something familiar, such as the description of palm trees and sun sets and such. I made this choice so the audience could relate to the situation and almost feel themselves in similar situations.