A Day at Fort Ross

Dear Diary:

The first thing I did today was go through militia training, so I would be able to load a musket and handle sabers. After that, I learned to march. Marching is harder than you think, because you have to know all the commands, like halt or right face. The third thing I did was making a map. That was the hardest thing because we didn't have any rulers or anything we can use for rulers. We had to improvise by using our thumb or finger to measure. The easiest part of the making the map was studying it because for that we just walked around the fort and wrote little notes like big entrance, small room. I felt tired by the time we ate because I did so much.

Last night was the first time in my life I ever had a nightwatch. During nightwatch my friends and I played card games to pass the time, card games like 21 and war. Also while I was there, we had to be very quiet and that's pretty hard! We had to be very alert even though most of us were tired, that's really hard too! We heard screech owls and raccoons rumbling in the bushes. The thing I hated about nightwatch was that it was boring because nothing happened

Today I got to fire a cannon and it's complicated! The first thing you have to do is use a worm on it for cleaning. The second thing you need to do is use a sponge on it which is a lot like using a worm because you do the same thing. The third thing you need to do is put the gunpowder in and that's a dangerous job because a spark could ignite the gunpowder. Finally, you put the cannonball in the cannon and that's a simple job for anyone. Then the cannon goes off and there is a big BOOM and it feels like the your eardrums will explode.

What I Will Remember

There are many things I will remember about Fort Ross, but there are three things I will never forget about Fort Ross. One of them is when I got to carry a saber. When I held it I had a sense of power like everyone is weak and I'm strong. The saber wasn't very heavy, about five pounds or more. I never thought I would ever get to carry a real saber in my life because my parents don't like weapons or things that can hurt people. When I came up to people, they would be scared sometimes.

Another thing I will never forget is tasting borscht. That's because it tasted like dirt or mud! It was pasty and it was red and purple so from the start I knew it would taste disgusting. When I actually tried it I wanted to SPIT IT OUT! I had to drink a lot of apple juice to wash out the gross taste out of my mouth. So I suggest you NEVER eat borscht and I mean it!

The last thing I will never forget is when I saw lightning. The lightning was amazing! Because it lit up the sky it was really a flash. I don't usually get to see things like this because the light pollution in the city, with street lights and head lights. So I know I will never forget that night.

You can also check out my friends Mark's Experience, Michael's Experience, and Kevin's Experience

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