"Don't look over the ledge, keep your eyes on the ground, " she panted trying to not to fixate on her escalating heartbeat as she glanced up at her two sisters and daughter. Forcing herself to put one foot in front of the other on the semi rocky trail up Diamond Head, was a massive feat. She was doing fine until half-way up the mountain, when the trail became more primative and steeper, her fear of heights nearly choking her and almost immobilizing her limbs the higher she climbs. At the half-way point she steps aside to the lookout point, to calm her rising fear... she can feel a panic attack coming on... the symptons were there, the rapid heartbeat, the tingling sensation, the shortness of brealth, the overwhelming sense of helplessness. Determined to conquer her fear of heights and her panic attack, she forced herself to look at the mountain view, as the other hikers stopped as well to take pictures. Not wanting to draw attention to herself she takes pictures of the view and listened to the groups' conversation about the military history of Diamond Head. Slowly her heartbeat slows down and decides to continue on and steps back onto the narrow rocky trail to follow others, all the while telling herself that the top is almost within reach... just 99 more steps of stairs to climb, a long tunnel, a spiral staircase, a few more stairs before the 365 degree view of Oahu. NOTHING is going to stop her, not her fear of heights or her panic attack. With the song Ain't No Mountain High enough... drumming in her head, she chokes down her fear and continues to the top just to take that picture.

She felt it again, the relentless poking on her right should blade, but she refused to turn around and give her tormentor the satisfaction. Instead she leaned forward, putting her right elbow on the desk, check resting on her palm, body leading forward, directed toward the teacher, hoping that would be the end of it. No sooner had she let out a sigh of relief, when she heard the scraping of the desk behind her inching closer. She held her brealth, trying not to let her bully know that she is getting on her nerves. Mentally, she goes over her game plan, " Okay if she pokes me again I am going to turn around and tell her off!" The only problem was, it's her first day in an American school and she did not know a lick of English! She realized she had no choice but to use the universal language to communicate her exasperation! As soon as she felt the finger dig into her shoulder, she turned around, crossed her eyes, stuck out her tongue and scoot her desk away.