Seventh grade has basically flew by. My best memory of the grade I'm in is that I had an amazing time. My teachers were relatively nice, I got pretty good grades, and worked hard to get to the place I'm in now. All my teacher's are one of the nicest group that anyone could ever have. Many were leniant on homework, and other school assignments. I am so thankful to my teachers because they mad this year fly by. My grades I really had to work for. It has mainly been straight A's, but who knows what odd assignment is going to come up. My grades could fall in a heartbeat. I try to work hard to earn my grades, because I know that to be successful in life, you have to have good grades. My next favorite thing is all the fun things I've got to try. For example I got to take French.
 
  I am very lucky. My father actually gave me a choice before casting me out to the kingdom. My name is Elizabeth. I am a thirteen-year old, the youngest child of the king of france. To you, you're amazed at how noble the name sounds. To me, it's my father. I live in medeival times, where we don't get choices. Escpesially girls. So basically what happens is thise; "Welcome back, Elizabeth. Guess what? You get to seal the deal on one of the alliances. Go marry their son. Have a nice day." And most of us would be saying,"Sure father I'll go." Even though we have no choice. That's what happened with my other two siblings. Bartered away to a total stranger's family. No choices. No way to escape. It is just go marry them and make sure to not have any contact with us. So it was a big deal when my father said to me "I want you to be happy. You get to choose. Either marry the new alliances son, or stay here."
  A choice to make. One little choice that impacts my whole future. I never knew it would be so difficult. over the past thirteen years of my life, all the choices wree done for me. Go do this. Go do that. It's tiring. And don't even get me started on my siblings. Especially, Nathaniel. Only a year older than me will inherit the throne. If he doesn't have any children, either my children or my sister's children will go and be the new king/queen of France. My sister Juliette was also a pain. She is three years older than me lives in Germany. Dad forced her to move. Now that I llok over this I will say that I will not marry the alliance. I value my father, but I value freedom more.
 
  Today has been the worst day of my life. I am a farmer in the medieval ages in Europe. Today had been one of the best days of my entire life; full of planting crops, Harvesting other crops, and helping pass the time away. But, I should have known that a great day like this, would shatter in to a million pieces. Just as the sun was hitting the ground in a burst of firey energy, I left my peaceful fields, to go home for the day. Walking calmly and happy with my days work, I am energetically propelling myself towards my home. I smile just thinking about my bunk, and a good nights sleep that is in front of me. Suddenly, I stop. Something doesn't smell right. Pungent smells lurked in the air. Smoke. Immediately, I break out in a run only to stop again at the sight of my village. Flames dance around my house, and the rest of the area. No sounds emerge from the wreckage. In the distance, some boats are floating calmly, but swiftly, on the river next to my village. An inkling tugs at my mind. My eyes widen with fear. My body stands rigid and I am incappable of moving. My worst fear has come. It is tearing at what I love. The vikings are here.
   I have heard stories from some of the older people in my village that they are a gruesome people. Almost nobody escapes them. I was lucky. Now I am hoping my luck will continue further, as my travels become more persistant in search of them. Yes, after a couple months, I built a skimpy boat and started after them. Hoping I would meet up to them. I did, but not in the way I had hoped for. Ah, the vikings were quick and noble. Doing their work quickly and cleanly severing many at a time. Yes, running is to tough for you when they're on your trail. I, too, have become one of the unlucky people in the villages. It took just merely a quarter of a second, before I slump over and lay, sprawled in the middle of a now deserted village.
 
    During the middle ages or medieval times many destruction and love happened. Some rulers were good some bad, just like all history. One great king was Charlemagne, or Charles the Great. Charlemagne is French for Charles the Great.  His empire was mainly all Germanic tribes and Turks. He widely supported Christianity, and wanted it to spread all through out Europe. Normally the king and the pope hate each other, but this was not so. A pope had actually said that he should become ruler beacuase he was such a good christian. Charlemagne was also a good military leader. The thing he liked more than the battle strategies is learning. He widely supported learning and wanted a good education system.
 
      My New Year's resolution(even though my family doesn't do them) is to stop lying to my parents. The reason I lie is because I'm scared. I'm even scared of my former teachers! That mjeans if I was absent one day something was due I probably wouldn't turn it in. Or if it is money that I ne ed to turn in, I probably won't turn it in until about about a month later or not at all. I know I'm not supposed to tel lies and that my family  me, but I just don't want to go up to the front of the room or face the teacher. Some steps that I can take to fix it are these. Maybe I can bump up my self-confidence level just a little bit more. Right now I am like at a twenty-five percent.
  Another New Year's revolution is to be a little better at not procrastinating. I normally don't do very well in rthat subject. It's just that everything is a disraction to me. I can't help it. It is just so easy to forget about something, then do somrthing else, instead.
 
   I am bound to this insane guy named Bear and it is so crazy. What did Father Quinel want to say the night he died? Her had said it was about my father. He died in plague and my mother died a few days ago. Now I am accused of stealing from my last lord, caled a wolf's head, traveled to get away, saw what would happen if I was caught, and gave an oath I can never break. Not that exciting, right. This man Bear is a juggler. I don't even know what I juggler is myself. I just happen to stumble in to this village, find him singing in a church, and then become his. Not only that but I can't call him sir like I am supposed to. The one good thing that really has happened so far is that I might be able to earn my freedom tagging along with him. I hope that will happen soon.

    I ave been thinking a lot about my new name, Crispin. Earlier I was called Asta's son.
 
             The most important idea that Japan got from China was a written language. Before Japan had a written language they just talked in Japenese. Then the emperor sent scholars in to look at the Chinese way of life. They brought back many ideas like Buddhism, the Chinese written language, and archetectual ideas. These things influenced Japan. Since Japan didn't have a written language, they wrote in Chinese. Later, they began to write a real Japanese language to learn and write in. Buddhism is a type of religon that China passed on to Japan. Many people were against it when it first came to Japan. Mainly they used their own way called Shinto. Later, they turned to Buddhism with the strength of a figure head named. A popular new style of Buddhism, called Zen Buddhism, came out to Japan. This style taught that you should be one with t universe.
 
        My school is letting us go on a three-week vacation and these are some things that I am looking forward to. First of all, Christmas is next Tuesday and who wouldn't be excited about that? (Please excuse this for every person who celebrates a different holiday, other than Christmas.) I have absolutely no idea what I want for Christmas yet and with it being so soon I just am probably going to tell them to get me whatever for Christmas, because I reall don't have a clue. Of course there is also Russian hristmas that my family also celebrates. Now you arer probably thinking, oh Russians will have the same Christmas, so what is the big deal? It is because the Russians go by an older calender than ours. So they celebrate Christmaslater than Americans do. My family does a little bit of gift giving every year for that. Another thing I am looking forward to is New Year's Eve.
 
       I am a farmer working in the fields of China. While I am watering my crops I hear the sound of hoofs pounding on the ground. Shading my eyes from the sun, I see the outline of figures running, no galloping on horses towards me. A drum starts beating ominously and I am am filled with worry. One thought fills my mind; the Mongols are coming. As they draw nearer and nearer to my fields I do the one thing my mind says: run. I don't know where, I just have to get away from my village, my house, and my fields. Yelling and screaming my head off I push through the city scared with adrenaline pumping in my veins. AS I look back once more I see the Mongols attacking my fields, and I know I will never come back to see my home again. Past the countryside, I know I must rest, although uneasy I sleep for fear they will catch up to me. In the middle of the night the Mongols have appeared again to the west, and I run east. My bones and muscles are tired, though from all the excersise I recieved the day before. Thankfully, I find a village not far ahead and try to make myself scarce. This will not be easy to do, for the Mongols destroy and kill almost everything. As I enter the market place the Mongols have already gotten to the city and are killing the innocent lives of the people. This time I can not escape. I am trapped in a small corner with the Mongols heading my way.
       I try to make myself smaller so they don't see me. They do. Fear is circling around my heart and this time  know I will never live again. I was lucky that I could get away the first time, but my luck has ran out. The axe is being raised right before my huge glassy eyballs, and I wait for the strike. It does not come right away. They try to savor the moment and kill things around me. My heart thumps so nosily I think everyone can here it. Finally, the axe is raised right at me an cuts right at my heart the last thing I remember before life left me, was my reflection in the sharp metal. Then my body slumps and I am gone.
 
            To me the two most important achievements that the Chinese contributed to the rest of the world are paper money and gunpowder. Paper money even though if you look at one of the dollar bills in your pocket seem new they really aren't. The Chinese discovered this when people got tired of lugging coins around on huge journeys was a hassle. The Chinese had already figured out how to make paper, and paper was a lot easier to carry then a whole bunch of gold in a pouch. They just made money from the paper and was able make it easier to carry. On the Silk Road they have to go light so that they don't have to bring another animal to carry it.
                 Gunpowder was used for fireworks another Chinese invention. They used it to create entertainment for the emperor and other people. Later, it was used to help guns fire, but that never happened when the Chinese used it. Fire works helped by gunpowder are still here today, but can take different forms.