Dripping with sweat under the heat of the scalding sunshine, we slowly but surely made our way up to the glass doors at the top of the steps. I remember distinctly the smell of the paper and the the cool breeze of the air conditioner hitting my skin as we walked through the door. We made our way past the librarian’s counter and moved toward the young adult section then to the manga and anime shelf. Korina picked up book after book and handed them to me one by one as my brother watched quietly. When she stopped, I finally had a huge stack of books that was nearly up to my nose. Books that I never intended to actually read. Before leaving, we made our way up the creaky stairs and into the children's floor, so that my brother could look. He gravitated toward the animal books and soon after chose a book on bats. With our books we walked back down the creaky stairs and made our way to the librarian’s counter. The librarian bagged all of my books, then handed my brothers book back to him and said with a smile “Have a nice day”. I could never thank Korina enough for the experience that changed my life and shaped who I am today.

There were few babysitters I had that I actually liked as a child. Korina was one of them. Korina always tried to make sure my little brother and I had fun when she was around. She would take us to many different places in Clinton. I will never forget the place that came to be my favorite. The library.  As a young child, I did not read outside of school. At least not frequently, anyways. I can say that reading has changed my life. Reading has taught me literally not to judge a book by its cover. Reading has taught me one of the most important life lessons to learn; do not be afraid to try new things because who knows what might come from it.

I was around the age of nine when Korina started babysitting me and my younger brother. At the age of nine I thought I knew everything. Korina and I argued from time to time, but nothing too serious ever came of it. She was always showing me new music, shows, and was always trying to make sure my brother and I were having fun. Korina loved to read. I, on the other hand, could have cared less about reading.  My brother, Korina, and I were sitting in the living room watching music videos on music choice when Korina suggested we go to the library. I was not too interested in walking to the library or books at all for that matter. I was not allowed stay home by myself, so of course I went along. I put on my sandals, which I would later come to find was a huge mistake on my part.
It was fairly warm outside, and as we made our way down the streets, the sun was beating down on us. It seemed as though we were walking forever. My feet began to get sweaty, and I was starting to regret my choice in footwear. Every so often we would walk under a shady tree to cool down. As we neared the busy streets, we were extremely cautious. Once we passed the busy streets, we inched closer to the library.

As we arrived at the library, we made our way up the big stone stairs and through the glass doors. Once we walked through the door I felt an immediate rush of cool air. The smell of the paper from the books is something I will never forget. The three of us walked up the creaky staircase to the children’s section so that my little brother could find a book. Once he found a book, we walked back down the noisy stairs. Korina lead us past the young adult section and traight to the manga and anime shelf. She was picking up book after book and handing them to me. Once I had a stack that was nearly to my nose, we gravitated toward the librarian’s counter to check out. As Korina handed her library card over to the librarian, the librarian scanned the card then began to ring up the monstrous pile of books. After all of the books were scanned, I had two bags full of books. Books I never really intended to read. I had no interest in reading. No, I did not have a reading problem. I was actually one of the best readers in my class. I just never had any reason to read outside of school.

Once we got back to my house, I went upstairs and into my room. I dumped the bags on the floor next to me and plopped down on my bed. I pulled my Nintendo DS out from under my pillow and began to tend to my Nintendogs. After getting bored of caring for my digital pet, I shut my DS and looked down at the bags of books. I picked a book from one of the bags and opened it. I did not understand why the book was backwards, and how the heck was I supposed to read this? I flipped through the book and found a diagram on how to read it properly. It was basically a long japanese comic book translated into English. I thought the idea was absolutely stupid, but it looked interesting.

Once I began reading, it seemed as if I could not stop. The drawings were so unique and unlike anything I had seen before. Before I knew it, I was moving onto another book. These books, which I soon learned were referred to as manga, were so captivating. I did not want to stop reading and they were definitely page-turners for me. Before I knew it, I had finished all of the books. I spent days just reading manga. Manga was the genre that ignited my passion for literature. I was constantly begging my mom to take me to the library. Eventually, I moved on from manga to other genres. I could not get enough of reading in general. Looking back now, it amazes me how one day turned my mindset around and changed me as a person. That day would have never happened, had Korina never babysat. A year or so later, Korina quit babysitting to move on to other things. Though it was upsetting because of how close we became, it was for the best.

To this day, I love to read. Some days I get so enveloped in what I am reading that I will spend an entire day just reading. Experiences shape people in many different ways and I believe that my experience is something that I will never regret and I will never forget. I am sure that anyone who reads this may think that this story is stupid, but this story has a meaning. What I am trying to say is that it is never a negative thing to challenge yourself and try something new. No matter how crazy or lame it seems, that lame or crazy thing might just change your life for the better.