A "normal" boy who ISN'T disabled writes of his life. He is the best friend of Johnny Sandusky, and he is the first friend Johnny had.
Jose' Varques is my name. I am 10 1/2 years old, and I have lived here in Nashville, Tennessee, since I was seven.(Moved here from Dallas, Texas, after my parents were killed in a car wreck. I moved here to be with my abuelo; and now he takes good care of me.) I am an only child.
I am, as you might have guessed by my last name, Hispanic. I am Mexican on both sides of my parents' family; and while I AM an only child, I DO have lots of cousins who visit me during the year from Texas. I have short, black hair, black eyes, and tan skin; and I can speak BOTH Spanish and English well. I love Mexican food, especially sopapillas, tacos, enchiladas, burritos, refried beans, rice, jalapeno peppers, and chili dishes. The hotter, the better I like it! :) I also love Cajun food, but it isn't as hot as Mexican (UNLESS it is blackened, of course!).
I go to Eastview Elementary School here in Nashville, Tennessee, and my teacher is Mrs. Janice Harttman. She is really good, and she treats us kids with a lot of respect and isn't afraid to help us whenever we need it. I do okay in school. (I am in the fifth grade.) The ONLY thing I DON'T like about school is the fact that my best friend, Johnny Sandusky, no longer goes here. It's because some kids were mean to him, picking on him about his being handicapped, and so he went to another school. He goes to a school for severely disabled kids; and he seems much happier now. But I still miss him.
Johnny is my age, but he looks to be around six or seven, he's so small, and he has white spiky hair and blue eyes. He wears glasses and hearing aids because he can't see or hear as well as I can. But that is okay; he is still a great kid. He is also in a wheelchair because he has muscular dystrophy, and he has a lot of trouble with his muscles being weak. He sometimes walks on forearm crutches that attach to his elbows, and he wears braces on his legs, but he mostly uses his wheelchair. It is electric, and it is a lot easier for him to get around whenever he uses his wheelchair. He also has seizures, where he falls to the ground and shakes uncontrollably; and he also has to wear oxygen at times because he has trouble with his breathing.
But despite his problems, Johnny is a great kid. He can burp with the best of them, and he is funny. He is always finding ways to crack me up, and he is also cracking jokes (CLEAN, of course). He is a whiz at video or electronic games, and he also is a whiz at figuring out the computer. He may be disabled, but there is NOTHING disabled about his spirit or his will to try new things! For a while he had trouble learning (he has dyslexia), but then he got extra help, and now he is doing much better at school and seems MUCH happier.
As I said, I like Mexican and Cajun food. I also love to play basketball or football, go on hikes or go camping each summer, go to my cousins' house in Texas every Christmas, play video or electronic games, play the marimba, and do Spanish folk dances. I also love to watch the telenovas on Spanish channels because they are so stupid, and I love to laugh at the bad acting on them! :)
My favorite colors are green and blue, and I also love the colors yellow and orange. Looks really good against my dark skin! :) I also love the Dallas Cowboys (why not? I was BORN in TEXAS!), and I love the Atlanta Braves in baseball. I am a regular sports freak, and I also love to play soccer and basketball. As long as it has to do with activity, I can be found playing at least SOME form of athletic game! :)
I oftentimes wish I had a brother or a sister, but then I am glad I have my cousins when they come to visit or if I go to visit them. My cousins are many, but my favorite one is Manolo, who is my age. He is a lot like me, and I guess this is why we get along so well!
I also love my female cousin, Carmelita, who makes the world's BEST sopapillas! They are to DIE for, they are so GOOD! :P
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