In this project, I learned many new things. I learned about the Rites of Passage. That’s when someone has to go through some sort of ceremony, whether it’s a spiritual ceremony or a physical ceremony in order to become a “hero”. I learned about all the phases a hero goes through. They aren’t always a hero at first. They go through all those stages and find themselves throughout their experiences. I read “The Alchemist.” I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was relevant to the Hero’s Journey. The story was also an easier book, and if someone knew the Hero’s Journey, they could probably find the phases in that book. I also read “Siddhartha.” I learned some important life lessons from the book. I learned that you must live and teach by your own divinity. Siddhartha felt like he never really learned from other people, so he went off to learn on his own. I think that’s really important to know because you can’t always learn everything from someone. Yes, you can learn things from teachers or parents, but Siddhartha learned more when he experienced it for himself, rather than have someone tell him what they learned. I really loved that lesson because I want to do what he did. I want to go travel and find who I am. I also want to learn new cultures and how they do things. I think it’s so interesting. Another thing I learned in this project was how to become an even better storyteller. In this project, I grew a lot. I am more confident in things I do while I’m in class now. For me, it used to be really hard to go and stand up in front of the class. After our storytelling project, I feel like I can stand up in front of the class and share what I have to say or present something to them. My storytelling skills are a lot better now. I used to stutter and repeat things. I don’t do that anymore. I stand up confidently, I don’t fidget a lot, and I don’t repeat or stutter what I used to say. My listening skills are also a lot better. I had a tendency to block people out. I still do that sometimes but not as much. When the students in my class would go up and tell their stories so the class can critique them, I tried my best not to block out people so I could give them proper feedback. The understandings I will take away from this project are what makes someone a hero. It’s not always physical appearance. It can be how they are spiritually. I also learned from the Hero’s Journey that someone can go through the Hero’s Journey more than one time. For example, someone might go through high school. Those four years could be their Hero’s Journey. When they go to college, that could be another Hero’s Journey. I understand what makes a good story and how to make it fit the criteria. I understand why we tell stories. Sometimes we tell stories about what we go through. Stories can be emotional, funny, relatable, etc. The best stories from a storyteller are the ones that are personal. It can give you an understanding on who they are and what they go through in their lives. Storytelling can make our journeys seem more incredible. If they’re real, you probably have some really good stories about the adventures you went on. They can create a visual representation inside of someone’s head, almost as if they were there as well. I understand why storytelling is important to some people and why they tell stories.