I live with my siblings and both of my parents. Occasionally, I stay at my Nan’s house in Stoke Newington, with my aunt, two cousins and Nan and I then visit my cousins who work at a travel agents around the corner from my Nan’s house. When I was in year 10, that is where my work placement was for ;’work experience’. (when year 10 pupils are given the opportunity to work at a job placement for two weeks to experience job life) I chose to work at the travel agents as I know the people that work there, and I can trust them.
My baby cousin’s (Ashanti) first birthday is approaching soon, and my cousin – Monique, is extremely excited about it – especially as she doesn’t have school on that day. Her birthday is on a very memorable day (Halloween) – which is very common in my family. Well, my cousin Ashanti’s birthday is on Halloween (31st October), my little sister Eboni’s birthday is on Christmas Eve (24th December), my cousin Tia’s birthday is on New Years Eve (31st December), and my cousin Kyle’s birthday is on Boxing Day (26th December).
I get on well with all of my cousins except one (I won’t go into that story!)and with my littlest sister and my brother, but my relationship with my other sister is quite different – most of the time we are around each other, we have an argument or a fight.
My mum is quite funny and exciting (well my friends think so!) – she is the kind of mum who everyone loves, but sometimes she might start dancing or singing in the middle of the street and she has some really weird habits, but I won’t go into those either!
My dad is just like my mum – like a male version. I’m also just like my dad. Both of them have very good singing voices and they have made a record together before. My dad is currently in a group called ‘Shades Of One’. The group consists of my dad, two of my godfathers and my uncle. They sing all kinds of music – mainly songs in Acapella, and they sound marvellous together. My Nan (my mum’s mum) and Gran (my dad’s mum) are both in their church choir and both have good voices as well, so I guess it must run in the family. Me, my brother and my sister have quite good voices as well.
I am a strong believing Christian and I go to Hornsey Moravian Church on Priory Road, which is literally around the corner from Alexandra Palace (an ice-skating rink). As we are a Moravian Church, we sing lively songs to celebrate Jesus’ life.
Moravian Churches hold many annual events like gospel competitions and tremendous summer camps, and every day of every year is spent raising money.
Other than going to Church, I enjoy acting – I have been in several plays and performance and I am about to join an acting school to help me improve my acting. I love to sing most of all, I have been in many choirs and am in one at the moment, and I have had solos in shows like ‘Annie the Musical’ – mostly performing at Millfield Theatre in Edmonton, North London. Going to performing schools have also become a hobby, and I have been lucky enough to have learned pieces of African, Contemporary, Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Bashment, Caribbean, Scottish, ‘Pop’, and other dance. As you may have already worked out, I enjoy dancing and have been in many dance shows also – yet again, mostly at Millfield theatre. I am currently in training to perform in a pantomime at Millfield Theatre called ‘Jack and the Magic Beanstalk’.
In addition to these hobbies, I love to draw and paint, and so I took all of this into consideration when choosing my options – art, dance and drama.
I take pleasure in playing basketball, football, volleyball, badminton, swimming, trampolining and all athletics. I watch the Olympics every four years – to help encourage myself and build up my confidence in athletics ( I am also an athletic person and have attended some athletic clubs in the past). I look at the athletes – especially from the UK and America who participate in the Olympics, and look at their personal bests and I make an aim to reach near to each when I am 21.
I go to many after-school clubs – choir, basketball, art, dance and steel pan clubs. Soon I will be starting to run a dance club with a friend, and will be starting cheerleading and trampolining.
Steel Pans are my favourite instrument. They are steel drums with a groove in the middle. On the face of the groove are different indentations, which are notes. To know the difference between one note and and another, there are white chalk markings on each note telling you which note they are.
They originate from the Caribbean, but are used in England in shows, reunions, special events and widely used in carnivals.
I love to play steel pans because I enjoy the sound that they make. There are many different types of steel pan – there are three tenors, two pairs of double seconds, one pair of guitar pans, six bass pans and a drum kit for the background sound. I currently play the bass because I love the deep and loud sound it gives in the background of the tenor sound.
I currently work with my mum, and I will continue to do so until I get another job. She owns her own childcare service called Play Action Limited. They run holiday and camping clubs. They hold their holiday clubs at primary schools, but they hold their camping clubs at scout campsites in Chingford.
Running a business, especially one with young children is quite a lot of work, so my mum employed me as her secretary/ office administrator to help her will the paper work. I write replies, print letters and forms and post acceptance letters every month leading up to a holiday. I get paid at a rate of £20 each week.
Working for my mum is something I enjoy because she treats me fairly and does not expect me to do too much – well, sometimes!
I love to eat – no matter whether it’s 8 bars of white or dark chocolate (I don’t eat milk chocolate much), 2 packets of biscuits, 3 plates of Chinese or 2 plates of curry, I could eat it all. It’s quite ironic though, as I am one of the skinniest people in year 11 (wearing UK sizes 6/8) and I am one of the people who eat the most!
I don’t take a fancy to having to play with very small children – especially when I am being told to do so because I’m the oldest. Sometimes, though, I do not mind it because as I am the oldest child in my family, I generally have no-one to hang around with much anyway – I am beginning to enjoy solitaire life!
I hope that in the future, I earn just enough money to live on necessities and certain luxuries. My ambition is to become a singer – that is my lifetime ambition, but whatever job I decide to do, I hope that it is not boring.
In my SATs, I got a Level 6 for the Science Exam and a Level 7 for the English and Math Exams. I hope to achieve a Level B or higher in all of my GCSEs – which will be quite hard, as I have picked a lot of hard subjects.
In life, I hope to become a singer, and my minor ambitions are to live in my own property by the time I’m twenty years old, be able to do the splits by the time I leave Secondary School, to be able to do front and back flips by the time I leave ALL education, attend a college in Spain, and attend University in either America or England.