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Words Short Essay on A Journey by Train

When a large mail train is about to start, a railway station is generally a scene of
considerable confusion. As the poorer people of India have little regard for time, long before
the moment of departure many of them have come to the station, and may be seen waiting
patiently in clusters round their pots and pans and other luggage.
Besides the actual passengers, the station is also crowded with those who have come to
see their friends off. It is not without much bustle and excitement that all the travelers, after
taking their tickets and having their luggage weighed, get themselves and their many
parcels packed into the compartments of the carriages, and it is a great relief when at last
the bell rings and the train with a loud whistle glides smoothly out of the station.
Let us suppose that you are now comfortably or uncomfort-ably settled in your seat. You
naturally look round the compart-ment with some interest to see what kind of Icon-
passengers you have.
Several different sections of the community are probably represented in every crowded
carriage, and, noticing this, you are able to realise how railway travelling is in influence
tending to diminish the exclusiveness of caste. Some of your fellow-travelers are rude,
others are polite.
Some are so shy and reserved that they will hardly speak when spoken to, while others
force their conversation upon reluctant listeners. Occasionally in a railway train one meets
well-informed and agreeable persons, whose con-versation does much to relieve the tedium
of a long journey.
Even more interesting than the study of the different characters of ones fellow-passengers,
is the variety of the scenery through which the railway passes. As the train hurries on at the
rate of thirty miles an hour, a changing panorama of natural scenery passes before your
eyes.
At one time you look at agri-cultural operations in a rich plain; and then the scene changes
and the train plugs into the shadow of a great forest and wakens the echoes of a rocky and
barren mountain district.
Sometimes your eyes are refreshed by the prospect of the boundless sea, or of some great
river along the banks of which the railroad passes, or rising gradually by long curves up the
sides of high mountains you have a fine view of hill and valley and forest.
It is when such obstacles as a range of mountains or a great river have to be encountered,
that the railway passengers see from their carriage windows the most impressive examples
of the triumph of the modern engineer over nature.
In passing through a mountainous country, the train at one time runs along a huge viaduct
spanning a deep valley, and at another time dives into a dark tunnel bored straight through
the middle of an opposing hill.
Add to all this variety of interesting sights the great cities and other places of historic interest
that are sure to lie along the course of the railroad, and it will be evident that there is plenty
of occupation for eye and mind in a railway journey.
Nevertheless, all travelling is more or less wearisome if long continued, and the railway
traveler is sure to be glad to see interesting sights on the way, but, for all that, after a time
he begins to feel hot and dusty, and the continual rattle of the train jars upon his nerves.
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There are few travelers who do not experience a feeling of satisfaction when their trains
begin to slacken speed, and they know that they are approaching their destination.
Every mode of travelling has its own special inconveniences, and the railway traveler,
exhausted by noise and dust and want of sleep, is often inclined to think with regret of the
old days when travelling was done in a more leisurely manner by river boats and bullock
carts.
He forgets how slow and expensive such a system of travelling was, and that the travelers
were continually in danger of being robbed and even murdered by the bands of robbers who
infested the roads.
It is, however, not necessary to enter into a detailed comparison between the old and new
ways of travelling. Discomforts and annoyances have to be encountered on the railway as
elsewhere.
But the superiority of the railway train over all other kinds of travelling is conclusively proved
by the fact that hardly any one thinks of going on a long journey by road or water, when it is
possible for him to reach his destination by the railway train

















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"The Birth of My Baby Brother, Joe"
I was very happy when my baby brother, Joe, was born. It was exciting. I will never forget it.
It happened last year, on June 29. My mom gave birth to him, and I finally got to have a little
brother. His birth day is very special to me.
The day started like any other normal day. I woke up. I think I ate pop tarts for breakfast. I
wore a green shirt with a tractor on it. My mom's due date wasn't until July 2nd, so I didn't
think he was going to be born that day. I figured it would just be like any other day.
I got on the bus and went to school. I don't remember much of what I learned that day.
Before it was time to leave at the end of the day, Aunt Chloe came to my class and got me
out of class early. She told me that my mom was at the hospital! My baby brother was going
to be born soon! She said she was going to take me to the hospital . I missed soccer
practice.
Aunt Chloe drove me to the hospital. He car smelled like dirty clothes. I got to ride the
elevator up to my moms room. She told me that my baby brother would be here before the
end of the day. I was so excited! She said that she was in labor and was having
contractions. She said it painful and that Aunt Chloe and Gramma would take care of me
while he was being born. She said she needed Daddy to be with her. She told me she loved
me. I asked her how long it would be and she said "I don't know, but hopefully soon." My
dad told me to be good for Aunt Chloe, and not cause any problems.
So, Aunt Chloe took me home. She got me dinner at Burger King. I think I got chicken
nuggets. My mom called me after that, and said "Guess what! Joe is going to be born, but
I'm going to have a c-section. She told me that a c-section is a surgery to get the baby out." I
said, "Okay, when can I meet him?" She said, "Hopefully soon!"
So, the next thing I new, Aunt Chloe and I were on the way to the hospital, even though it
was almost my bed time. I got to see my baby brother through the glass. I couldn't see my
mom because my dad said that she was in recovery. After a little bit, my mom came in a
wheelchair, and she held my baby brother Joe.
I got to see him for the first time! He was so tiny! I didn't know that babies came that small.
He had a lot of dark, black hair. It was as dark as a tree stump. He was sleeping. We went
to the hospital room, and later, my dad said I could hold him if I was really still. I sat on the
couch with a pillow, and my dad sat next to me and let me hold him. He didn't cry at all. He
just slept.
A few days later, my mom and Joe got to come home. It was so nice to finally have a little
brother, even if he can't play with me yet. He is now ten months old. He does cry sometime,
but mostly he is a good little boy. He likes it when I make funny faces and when I blow
bubbles. I'm so glad he was born.
If you are needing another sample of a narrative essay, you might check out this link here.
Narrative essays are a great way for children to develop writing skills and share a story from
the lives.

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One of My Worst Days
Last weekend I had one, well not only one, two of my worse days in my life. I got sick and I
felt very bad and sad. I was in bed all weekend with fever and flu. In the beginning my
friends were in my apartment with me but Saturday night they went to dance in Salt Lake
and I was complete alone in my apartment.
I felt so sad, I had a fever and a headache, and I was alone! Oh, It was terrible. I was
thinking about my family and I was remembering my home and when I got sick in Mexico my
mother and my father, well all my family were with me, they never left me alone, but here
was complete different I was alone and missing my family very much, and their love.
I really felt very sad, so I decide to pray to feel better, and then I watched a movie until I was
sleep. Well this was one of my worse days in my life, but I could understand how important
are your family and their love.
Working in the O.B. Clinic
I am a nurse who has been working in the Taiwan Adventist hospital O.B./GYN. department
for eight years. I love this job, because I have the opportunity to see many pregnant women
safely deliver normal babies nine months after their prenatal checkup. It makes me happy!
That is a very nice experience. Now I will tell you a true story about a patient; I am proud of
her courage and goodness.
It happened three years ago; the patient was a thirtyfive year old woman. She had a
beautiful face, high education level, and a good job. She had a big problem, however. In the
seven years she had been married, every time when her pregnancy reached twelve weeks,
the baby died. As a result, she had an abortion three times. The doctor said that her female
hormones had some problems. She wanted to have a baby, because her age was older.
Her husband was the only son in his family. Therefore, she went to our hospital to see the
specialist for artificial reproduction.
The doctor gave her many exams and treatments. She went to the clinic every day for blood
tests and medical injections. Every time she was crying about her physical discomfort and
mental pain. This complicated and hard process was not something that everyone could
endure. I always helped her to understand every step that she would need to do and also
explained to her husband. I hoped that her husband could help her to decrease her pain.
They tried three times for the artificial reproduction operation. The last time, the operation
succeeded; she was pregnant, and the ultrasound showed she was going to have twins!
After nine months, the babies were borntwo beautiful girls. She was very excited. I was
crying with this couple, because I knew this experience had been so hard for them. Now we
have become the best of friends; she usually brings her two kids to the hospital to see me. I
love them. Moreover, they are the best gifts God gave this brave mother!
Every day, many things happen in the hospital, some interesting and some sad. However, I
always remember every true story in my mind. Im a woman and I will be a mother in the
future; I know having a child is very important to every woman. At my work, Ill continue to
help these women to get what they want!

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My Abundant Year
I had an interesting and funny year. First, in January, I went to graduation travel in Thailand
with my classmate. That is below our class graduation travel. We had go to see transvestite
show, but that is not very nice, I don't like it. We went to play aquatic sports, such as banana
boats, glider sports. That is very funny.
The second thing is I came to America. Because my father hoped I can study English in
here. Before I had come to America with my younger brother, so this time was my second
time come here. I came here with my father. My father's friend picks us go to his friend
there, and he brought us to ELC. My father wanted to know how the school is his daughter
study, and then he fell at ease I stay here.
The third thing in May, I left my school. At the some time, I also left my job, which make me
very happy. Because in May, I graduation in my business college. As soon as, I came to
America to study English, so I left my work. That work made me work hard. Sometimes I
didn't know how to do this job. It was very terrible job, and that let my life and my health not
very good. So when I decided to leave this job, I felt glad and happy.
I came to America, and I feel happy things, because I had many things to do. Such as first
went to conference, first cross Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year. Every
holiday made me feel funny. I remember I had a good Hollowing. That day was my friend's
birthday. She is from Cedar City, and she came to Provo. My study buddy brought us to a
Halloween ghost house. American ghost house is very scary more then Taiwan. I felt scared
and interesting, but the weather is not good. It was a raining day. I think this year was my
busy and abundant year. Everything was very interesting and funny. I hope I have the same
interesting things in next year.
A Terrible Experience in My Childhood
Every spring, when the weather is cold, I remember when I was a little girl (almost seven
years old). I lived with my mother and my grandma in the country, because they were
teachers there. Of course, this place is in Argentina, my country.
We stayed at the Marical Santa Cruz School from Monday mornings to Friday afternoons.
There were a lot of children that went to school there. On the weekends, we lived in a little
town named Galvez, in Santa Fe province. My father lived and worked in another place,
Rosario (the second most important city in Argentina). We were together as a family only on
the weekends and when we were on vacations.
One day, in the afternoon, when the weather was very cold, the sky began to turn dark. At
this moment, an old man arrived at the school and said: Please, take care of the children
and yourselves. I heard on the radio that hard winds and rain, with the possibility of
becoming a twister, are coming!"
I believe that I never felt as I did at this moment. I thought that it could be the final day of our
lives. All the children, my mother, my grandma and I were under the tables and desks. What
fear we had in this moment! However, a few minutes later (almost ten), the sun was shining
again, and the sky went back to blue.
From this experience, I learned not to exaggerate something so little. It was a small storm,
and I thought I was going to die. I think now that similar things happen in many areas of life.
The sun always stays, but the clouds go.
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The Dream of My Sister
Many people have different dreams. So many dreams and so few accomplishments . . .
Very often our dream shatters like a champagne flute on the hard floor. My sister Ivoneide
Salazar, was the lucky one to have her sacred dream come true. When she was 14, she
heard about this fairytale land where everybody was happy and they called this the land of
Milk and Honey. Even now at thirty-nine years old she still remembers her twenty third
birthday back in Brazil when she met with her family for the last time before she departed to
the United States. This is how she would tell this story if you were her close friend:
"Thirteen years ago I was at Rio de Janeiro airport in Brazil, very anxiously awaiting my final
departure to Los Angeles. Still in the moment so close to my departure, it was difficult to
believe that I was going to finally make my own dream come true. I always wanted to learn
to speak English and visit the USA. I had an opportunity to meet with many young American
missionaries at my church. The missionaries lived in Brazil and served the Lord by teaching
the Gospel to the Brazilian people.
One of them invited me to meet with his family and to get to know him better. Two weeks
before my birthday, David bought me a present. It was a one-way ticket to America! I flew
for many hours, and on top of it, I had problems with the Immigration in Florida. Finally after
all the adventures of this trip, I arrived safe and sound in Los Angeles. I was very relived to
see my friend's happy face in the airport. David was impatiently awaiting me with a bouquet
of red roses. I think he was more nervous than I was.
The first place he took me to see was the Los Angeles Temple. He was very nice and took
me to see many places every day. We had many opportunities to get to know each other
better. I felt that he was glad for his plan that he made to bring me to the US. I felt in love
with this wonderful man. To have the opportunity to marry him was like a dream that I never
thought could become a reality, because he was always telling me that I was a great friend.
But one day, David surprised me when he asked me to become his wife. We got married six
months later on December 12, 1987, in the Los Angeles Temple. I become Mrs. Salazar in
the presence of his family and friends.
The years went by and we had four wonderful children. When I remember the trip that I
made to America, I feel very happy to know that I let my doubts become hope, that
everything would be all right. My life changed because I made a decision, even with all my
doubts. I'm a very happy person today."
She told me that story so many times that I kind of remember every little detail. My sister
has four kids and very loving family. Sometime I envy her, but most of the time I'm proud for
her success. Some of my dreams didn't come true and some did. But overall I think I was
always very blessed with my family and my friends.

Almost Losing My Dad
My family and I lived in a big city in Brazil named "Rio de Janeiro", one day we decided to
change the city, we chose a small city in another State. In this new city named "Juiz de
Fora" happened a sad action in my life, my father was hit by a car and almost died. He was
in a hospital about 12 days. I was very sad about that because I love my Dad a lot and I
didn't want to see his died. My family and I believe in God a lot and today my father continue
in this life. It was sad but God helped today and us we are happy again.
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My Little Sister
I remember the first time that I saw my little sister Patricia. She was wearing blue clothes.
My thought was, "! boy! Where is the girl that I'm waiting for?" I was eight years old. I was
skinny, and my arms looked weak. Anyway, my mother trusted that I could hold the baby.
Then, I took Patricia in my arms, and I knew how much I loved her. I believed that I could
take care of her like my own child.
My mother had a full-time job. She couldn't stay at home the whole day to take care of her
children. Then, we had a person who was in charge of housekeeping and taking care of us,
too. I didn't want someone else totake care of my sister. I began to change my dolls for a
real baby. I fed her; I gave her a bath; I changed her clothes. When she was crying, I held
her. I loved her, and I still love her so much!
Patricia grew up, and I still treat her as my child. She is 14 years old. She is taller than I am.
She is a beautiful girl. However, she will always be my little sister.

A Happy and Sad Day
On March 25,2000 was the day that I saw my family for the last time. It was seven months
ago at the Galeao airport, in Rio de Janeiro City. It was the busiest day that I have had in
whole life. We were happy, because I was coming to the U.S. to learn English. Also, it was
really sad, because I knew that I wouldnt see my family for a long time.
I can remember this day like it had happened yesterday. In that morning, I went shopping
with my mother and siblings. The store was crowded. We got nervous, because we had to
do everything quickly. Everything seemed extremely slow. I couldnt stay there for a long
time. Then, I went home and left my mother there.
I had some friends coming over to have lunch with me. We had a good time together. We
took pictures and talked for the rest of the afternoon. We also looked if I had everything
ready in my bag. I enjoyed being with my friends and family in that afternoon.
Before I left to the airport, I asked my father to bless me. I felt that it would be very important
to my life in that time.
At the airport, all of my siblings, nephews, nieces, sisters-in-law, and aunt were there. My
brothers told jokes. We laughed all the time. When it was time to go, I hugged each one. I
didnt want to cry. So, I didnt. It was the hardest time to me. When I turned, I started to cry,
but they didnt see. Anyway, it was necessary.
Now, I miss them so much. I dream about the moment that I am going to hug them again. I
hope to do it soon.




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My First Date in the U.S.A.
On Oct 28, I had my first date in the U.S.A. with a guy from my ward named Nathan. He is
nice, gentlemanly, and cute. The date was an activity for our ward. The Relief Society and
the Elders Quorum decided to set up a dance where everyone would have a partner.
Knowing that some of us from the ward would not attend because we didnt have someone
to go with, and they decided to set up blind dates. They handed out sheets with the
following question, Would you like to come with someone from the ward? If yes, who?
However, it didnt necessarily mean that you would go with the person you wanted, but if
not, they would find someone else to go with you. They matched the sheets to find out the
partners. For me, it worked perfectly.
Everything started two weeks before the dance, when they handed out the sheets, and I
was sitting by Nathan. I didnt know any boy from my ward well enough to write down. I
thought that it wouldnt be fear for me, because maybe the guy, who I would choose, he
would have another girl to go with. Then, I asked Nathan, a guy who I had met one or two
months before, if he wrote any name on the paper. He told me he did not, because he was
new in the ward, and he didnt know many girls there. I wrote his name on my paper. I
thought that could be a great opportunity to him little more and have fun.
On the following Sunday, the Activities Committee gave an invitation to the activity to each
person telling him or her who was their date. First of the all, the ward secretary told us that
not everyone had a date yet, because we have more girls than boys in our ward. First, he
gave the invitation to the girls, but I didnt receive one at this time. I was disappointed about
not having anyone to go with. I was really frustrated when he gave the invitations to the
guys, and Nathan received one. After a while, the ward secretary took out from his pocket
more invitations, but I had lost my hope. Finally, he gave one to me. I tried to pretend I was
surprised about going with Nathan on the date. I looked around like I was trying to find him.
However, I knew exactly where he was sitting at that time. At the end of the meeting, we
met in the hall, and we talked a little bit about dressing up for the dance, so that we could
match. It was a 50style dance. I felt bad for pretending to be surprised, but at the same
time, I couldnt tell him that I wrote his name because it would be an embarrassed situation
for me. Anyway, I think he had some idea of my plan.
Finally, the big day came. I spent the whole afternoon taking care of my appearance. At 6
p.m., everything was almost ready, but I hadnt dressed up yet. I was nervous about going
out with him, because it wasnt his choice at all. Anyway, it was too late to change it. I was
putting my make-up on when he arrived. Christine opened the door, and talked to him for
about a minute, which was time enough for me to get ready. Before I came down stares, I
told him dont laugh at my costume. I came downstairs, and the first thing that he said was,
You are pretty It made me to feel flouting in the sky above. I was wearing a long pink skirt,
a white T-shirt, white tennis shoes, and bobbie socks. He looked nice, too. He wore jeans
and a white T-shirt.
During the dinner part of the dance, I was too nervous to talk to him. We both said just a few
words like The food looks good or They should start with the music soon Both of us were
feeling uncomfortable. It was the worst part, but after dinner when the music started to play,
I felt a little better, because we started to dance and we didnt talk as much.
During the dance we played a game. The guys wrote their names on pieces of paper, and
after wards girl drew name. Then, the girls needed to find the guy whose name they drew.
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Whether it was coincidence or not, I drew Nathans name. I was surprised, because I had
wished to dance with him in this game, too.
Well, like a dream, it had its end. He drove me home. He walked with me to the front door of
my house, and he gave me a hug and said bye. That night I could not fall asleep
immediately. I wanted that night wouldnt have end. I found myself making plans to go out
with him again.
These last two weeks, we have been seeing each other often. I think I am interested in him,
but I know that he is not interested in me for sure. He just thinks about me like his friend. He
has come to my house to help me with my homework, and we go together to church, but it
doesnt mean any thing to him. I feel frustrated about it, because I cant do anything to
change his feeling for me. Anyway, I had a good time going out with him. I hope to have
another opportunity to go out with him.

A Childhood Memory
Mrs. Buck asked us to write, "Memory from Childhood". When I took my pen, I had many
memories from my childhood. Just like Mrs. Buck today in class said, "Brainstorming".
Which one should I choose? I feel it's difficult. Suddenly I felt I saw a river and I sank in the
river. Ok let me talk about this event.
In my hometown there is a river. After school, many students went there and swam, but my
parents didn't allow me to swim there. One reason was every year almost one or two people
died in the river. The second was I was very thin and weak, my parents worried about that.
One afternoon, I didn't have class; my friends and I went outside to play. We went to the
river and they swam in the river, they were very happy. I stood on the bank. I really wanted
to swim, but I was afraid, at that moment one friend talked to me, "The water is shallow. You
can swim in here and I can teach you." I walked down to the river and she taught me. After
half an hour she said, " You practice in here, I want to swim a while." I practiced again and
again. When I stood up, I felt the water was deep and I sank in the water. Suddenly a hand
caught me. It was my friend.
I went home, I didn't talk to my parents. After a week my parents knew that event, they were
very angry. My father has a friend, he knew that thing and told my father, "Your daughter is
very thin, she needs to do exercises. I can teach her to swim." My father thought he was
right and allowed me to swim. Therefore I could swim ever





10

Cultural Problems
I have been in America for four years. This four years was a hard time for me. Everything for
me was very different: different language, different customs, different food, and different
people. I was like a newborn baby, and many things I didn't know, and I had to learn
everything again.
On September 17, 1996, while I was sitting on an airplane from Shanghai to New York, I
was thinking about my family, my friends, and my future. I thought, "Why do you want to go
to America? We are a rich family in China. Everything here is very good. If you are going to
America, you don't know what will happen in your future. My mother is worried about me."
Suddenly in my mind I heard these words: "You are a competent lady. You will have
beautiful future in America." I thought my friends were talking. Yes, I could do many things in
China, but I also would be able to do many things in America. When the airplane arrived in
New York, I walked very firmly. I believed that I would be a competent lady in this new land.
During the first two months, I had a very happy time with my husband. This is a beautiful
country. Many things were fresh. "I need to do something by myself," I thought. I told my
husband, "I want to know this community. I want to find a job." "Are you sure?" he asked.
"Yes, I am sure."
The second day, I went out wanting to find a job. "How long have you been here? Can you
speak English?" everybody asked me. Even though I had studied some English in China, I
couldn't speak at all. After a few days, nobody wanted me to work in his or her company. I
was very disappointed. I couldn't speak English.
I felt very bad. I went to the store, the hospital and everywhere I always needed my husband
with me. If we went to some American friends' party, my husband needed to teach me the
American customs. I couldn't speak to anybody. I was like a baby. I lost my confidence. I
began to hate everything here. I hated the people. I hated that my husband brought me to
America. I missed my country, my family, my friends, and my small business. In China I had
a beauty salon. I supervised ten other men and women. I could earn two or three hundred
American dollars every day. I am a smooth talker in my hometown, and many people trust
me. In America, however, I didn't have any good friends to talk to. I started looking and
feeling old, and I grew some gray hair. My husband said, "You must go back to China.
Otherwise, you will go crazy." But I didn't want to leave my husband, and I didn't want my
family and friends to see how I had changed for the worse.
After that, my husband spent a lot of time helping me overcome those cultural problems. He
took me traveling to Florida, and told me many good things about America. I had some good
changes. Last year, my husband sent me to China. I stayed in China half a year. I had a
wonderful time with my family and friends. However, I missed my husband, and I began to
miss America. I thought there were many good things in America even though I hadn't liked
America before. When I came back to America again, my husband decided to send me to
the ELC at BYU to study English. He thought Provo would be a good place for me. There
are kind people and good schools there. I very much wanted to go, but I was afraid of
English. "Don't worry about anything; you will getting better there," my husband reassured
me.
Right now I am very happy in Provo. Provo is a really nice place. I feel warm in Provo,
because there are nice people, and I have made new friends here. I am happy in the ELC,
because here, my English is getting better and better. My confidence is growing more and
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more. I can talk again. Even though I can't speak very well, I believe I will be able to speak
well someday.
If you ask me how I could overcome those cultural problems, I will tell you: my husband
helps me overcome them, Provo helps me overcome them, and the ELC helps me
overcome them. My friends said, "You have become young again!" I have to say, "Thank
you ELC, thank you my teachers, and thank you my husband! You gave me confidence, and
you gave me a new life."

My First Presidency
When I was a little kid, I was never a leader or president of my class. I was very friendly and
pesky, but I had bad grades. I didn't like the school because it was boring. The teachers
were cold and boring. I didn't like math, grammar and natural science. My grades were low.
My teachers always said to me, "You need to improve your grades because when you grow
up, you will be a carpenter, bricklayer, or stevedore (a man who works in the port carrying
bags)." (It is a common phrase in my country). My teachers always said to me, "You are a
bad student. Your grades are very low, and you shouldn't be the school class president."
However, when I was in fourth grade, my classmates nominated me as President. All my
teachers were opposed to this idea. They wanted to elect another kid because he had good
grades, so I didn't worry about it. I was only interested in playing games.
I improved my grades, but I wanted to be more popular among my friends, so I enrolled in
the school's soccer team. However I didn't play. I was so angry with the coach because he
didn't want me to play. There was a tournament. During the whole tournament I sat on the
bench. My coach knew about my bad grades, and for that reason he did not let me play.
I improved my grades a little. I finished school as an average student. All my friends finished
school with the best grades, and they were the best students. I was so sad because I
wanted to be together with my friends, and among the best students. I prepared for the test
very well, but I got really nervous about every test. For that reason, I forgot a lot of things,
and got bad grades.
When I entered high school, I continued to have bad grades. My handwriting was very bad,
so my dad helped me, and he taught me how to write better. I started to use a quill and
Chinese ink. The first few days were very hard, because I spilled ink on my notebook. I had
to repeat it all, and sometimes I broke the edge of the quill. "If you are a beginner, you need
to write very slowly when you use a quill, " my dad said. I learned it very well. After that I
wrote very well, I showed better homework. My teachers were happy, and they said to me,
"Congratulations!, your writing improves every day and your grades, too." In my country, the
school year is divided into three quarters. During the first two quarters, my grades were very
bad. For that reason, my grades weren't enough to pass to the next grade. I studied hard
and improved my grades in the third quarter. As a result, I passed to the next grade with
good grades. In the second and third grades I had good grades, and I felt so happy.
When I was in the fourth grade, I was elected vice president of my class. It was the first time
that I was a leader among my classmates. I was very happy, and I didn't disappoint their
trust.
12

Four years ago in the fifth grade, I was elected president of my class. I did many activities,
such as dances, raffles, and selling typical food to earn money. It's a tradition for high school
students in Ecuador to raise money because in the last grade, the students go on a trip.
In the last grade I was reelected as President of my class. I was really happy. My
classmates and I did more activities. In the end of the school year, we went to the beach for
five days. It was a wonderful experience. All my classmates were grateful for my
administration, and I was grateful to them, too. Before we graduated, I finished school very
well. I got good grades. I felt really so happy. Now I understand my teachers, I think they
always are proud of their students. When one student is good, they are very happy.
Sometimes they say many real things about our future. If we don't study, we never reach our
goals.
I learned from my experiences to be strong in achieving my goals, and to not accept defeat.

My Experience in High School
When I entered high school I liked to tell jokes. The first three years I was so lazy. My class
inspector was angry with me all the time because he didn't like my jokes. In particular, he
always told me, "You are not only a lousy joker, but you are also a lazy student." I didn't
care about what he said, but I decided to change my behavior. Everybody was satisfied with
my new behavior.
In the fourth year I became vice-president of my class. I was proud because my classmates
voted for me. As a result of their trust, I worked very hard for my class. That year we wanted
to go on a trip. At the end of the school year we had enough money raised, so we decided
to keep it instead.
In the fifth and sixth year I was elected president of my class. My classmates and I
participated in many activities. In two years we earned a lot of money. Before we graduated,
we went on a trip to the beaches in Ecuador. We enjoyed it, and we became very good
friends.
I learned to be constant in my goals. I was never affected by the words of my class
inspector. Instead I always believed in myself. I had enough strength to confront the
challenges in my high school life. Now, I have a big challenge. That is to attend BYU.
However, my first challenge is to get good grades in this semester and learn English very
well.





13

My Adolescence
During my adolescence, I was very restless. I couldn't stay quiet for one minute. I also was
very irresponsible. My bedroom was a mess. Clothes, shoes and books were everywhere.
My mom was worried about my bad actitude and rebellious character.
One day my mom told my father that I didn't want to clean my room and about my character,
too. My father was so angry, and he said, "If you don't clean your room today, you can't
come home. You will sleep on the street or sidewalk." I said to him, "I don't have time to
clean my room, maybe I'll clean it tomorrow morning." He answered, "Clean it right now. I
am serious." I started to clean my room.
The next day my Mom made a schedule of all chores that I had to do every day. The first
day it was hard for me because I had to get up at 6:00 a.m. The next few days I started to
become responsible in doing my chores. My mom was proud of my efforts to change my
character. I became quiet and improved my grades, too.
Right now I don't like disorder. I hate to see my roommates' bedrooms a mess with clothes,
shoes, and books everywhere.
The adolescence was a good age to learn from my mistakes. I still make mistakes, but I try
to improve my character.















14

My Experience With Religion
At first, I want to introduce myself. I was born in Japan. The next year, I went to the USA to
live in Arizona because of my fathers job. I grew up there for five years, and I came back to
Japan to enter elementary school. I grew up in Japan for thirteen years, and then I came
here to the English Language Center.
Next, I am going to write more details about my experience with religion. When I was a kid
living in Arizona, I was already going to church. I dont remember it well, but I liked church
until this time. Then I came back to Japan and went to elementary school. Of course, I went
to church, but not willingly. I had two reasons to go to church. One reason was that my
parents forced me to go to church. Another reason is a trivial thing. If I didnt go to church, I
would have to stay home alone. It was a terrible thing for me, because I was a little kid!
I grew up to be eight years old, and I was baptized. I grew up to be twelve, and I became a
Deacon. However, it made no sense for me because I didnt have the right of choice. I think
eight years old is too young to decide to participate in church or not. I cant understand
religion even now. How could I understand it at that age? I think it was impossible for me.
When I was twelve years old, I went to junior high school and I belonged to a soccer club. I
liked to play soccer, and on Sunday, I usually went to soccer practice. If I didnt have soccer
practice, I wanted to go on a date with my girlfriend. Therefore, I didnt like to go to church.
Of course, these were not the only reasons I hated to go to church. Another reason was
may parents. My parents still forced me to go to church.
I grew up to be eighteen years old and I hated go to church. I wanted to study instead of
going to church. I wanted to go to a high-level university in Japan. In addition to this, I
wanted to play with my friends, because I went to a private school and usually I studied hard
on weekdays. However, I had to go to church. If I didnt go to church, I couldnt go to that
school, because my parents would forbid me to go to school and said they wouldnt pay my
school tuition. Therefore, I always felt frustration in church. I just wanted to have the right to
select a religion by myself.
One day, I decided to tell my idea to my parents. I tried to explain my idea again and again.
However, my parents wouldnt accept my opinion. They said to me that religion is best, and
other things come second. I gave up trying to explain my opinion and tried to think of
another way. Finally, I got the idea to go to BYU. I thought, "If I go to BYU, my parents cant
force me go to church, and I can choose for myself. BYU would be a good choice for me
because, if I want, I can learn about this church easily. Also, my parents will permit me to go
to BYU." Therefore, I decided to go to BYU and the ELC. I came to BYU so that I can
choose a religion by myself.
The first Sunday I was in Provo, I was invited by my friends to go to church. I went to
church, but I didnt feel frustration or annoyance, because I went to church by own choice.
Church was good because I could get new friends there, but that shouldnt be a reason go
to church.
The next Friday, I saw that one of my friends was taking a lesson from the missionaries.
When I saw it, I was playing billiards. I felt interested in those lessons, however, so I took
part in them. I have membership in this church, but I didnt believe in God. Therefore, I had
interest in that lesson. I just wanted to know if this church is true or not. The missionaries
asked me, "Do you know God exists?" I answered, "No." Therefore, the missionaries
15

recommended to me that I always pray and ask for help from God. I promised to try to do
this, and the first lesson was finished.
I will keep taking lessons from the missionaries every Friday. I want to learn something from
the missionaries, and I want to know what is true, because it makes a big different in my life
whether or not I believe in a God. I will find the true answer someday.

My First Crush
Last, winter my friend New-heart called me. She wanted to meet me, so I went Myonys-
Dong in the evening. It was very cold. The chilly wind was like a knife. I took a taxi, because
I want to see her.
After all, I arrived earlier than my friend, so I waited in the department store. A few minutes
later, my friend called me.
I turned back to pick her up. At that time, I saw an angel. At that moment, everything
becomes distant. I can't remember my friend. I can just remember him. He wore a gray coat,
and he looked like he was very smart. He is very tall, over 6feet, but at that time his height
looked average. Also, he had long hair. In fact, I hate it when men's hair is long, but I could
forgive him. He was perfect. We came to the Caf, and we started to talk. He is a friend of
my friend. His major is economics. He can play the bass guitar. Wow! I don't like his major
and he is a musician.
However, I knew that if I love someone, I would become blind. Because I could divide that
"what is right" and "What is wrong" I love what he loves. My friends advised me that "He isn't
a perfect man" however, I can feel his charisma, as sad as his long legs, and his long hair
looks like sad lyrics. His heart is like white paper. When he doesn't speak, he is thinking.
When he is talkative, he is a magician of language. Therefore, we met several times, and he
became my boyfriend.
However, now he is in the military, and I am studying in Utah. We can't be together, so
before I came here I parted from him. Nevertheless I like him forever!!








16

Traveling to Australia
Australia is a vast island and the world's sixth largest country. People say Australia is
blessed with a fascinating mix of native flora and fauna. Australia offers a wealth of travel
experiences, from the spectacle of the Great Barrier Reef to Sydney. There are also many
beautiful beaches. That's the reason I went to Australia.
My first impression of Australia was western architecture, comfortable lifestyles, and mellow
people. Sydney is made up of many exciting areas, each with its own flavor and personality.
I caught a ferry from Circular Quay to explore Sydney's beautiful harbor, and strolled around
to Australia's best known landmarks, the Sydney Opera House, Harbor Bridge, Darling
Harbor, Chinatown, Kings Cross, and Bondi Beach. When I went to a nude beach, I saw
people who weren't wearing swimming suits. It was very interesting. In Korea, we could
think about it.
Fraser island is 125 km long and over 160,000 hectares in area. Fraser Island has a truly
amazing array of natural wonders including beautiful rainforests, pristine lakes, and endless
surf on the beaches. I participated in a Fraser island camping tour with some foreign friends.
We borrowed a four wheel drive car and drove around the island. We enjoyed a barbecue
and swam at the beach together. We had an awesome time. I wanted to talk with them and
make friends with them a little more closely, but I couldn't speak a word of English. I always
was quiet and didn't understand what they said. What a shame!
I worked on a farm at Bowen for a week. Bowen has been given many names, including
"gem of the coral coast" and "the climate capital of Australia". It has many farms. To work on
a farm is very difficult. Almost all the people there were working to save travel costs. I also
did this. It helped me understand the value of money.
By traveling I felt that the world is small. I realized that I have to study English very hard to
be an international person. I didn't speak English well, so I often lost my way. Whenever
Australians showed me the way, they were willing to help me at anytime. I heard that they
think of nature first of all when they build a building. They think about animals and plants. I'm
very impressed by it. Most of all, I learned about the Australians' kindness and love of
nature. Whenever I see Australia, I want to travel to Australia again. I miss Australia.

My Preparation to Pass the Exam
When I was a high school student, like most students, I also wanted to go to a well-known,
prestigious university. Thus, I determined to apply to Korea University, which is one of the
most prestigious universities. I tried to pass the entrance exam, but I couldn't pass it. As a
result, I went to HongIk University, and felt the first disappointment in my life.
However, in the president's speech at the entrance meeting, he encouraged me. He said, "A
college's fame is made by your effort. Our college is developing right now. Also, our college
has many opportunities to develop and improve. You have the opportunity to help HongIk
University." In this meeting, I learned how to live in school and society. I made my mind up
to do my best at everything and found what I wanted to focus on. I knew that when our
thinking changes, our vision clears. I chose the CPA exam as my new challenge.
17

I began to go to HyungSuSa, which is a circle for studying for the CPA exam, and started
my new life. In the circle, there were a lot of rules and friends. At the time, I was happy,
because I had a good time with my friends and learned knowledge I did not know before.
However, when I took the CPA exam the first time, I scored only 22 points out of 100 on the
exam. This was much lower than what I expected, even though I had studied for only one
year, and was not ready enough to pass the exam. I felt disappointment again. After one
year, I thought I was able to pass the exam this time, but when I took the exam a second
time, I received 58 points, and still couldn't pass the exam. I felt disappointment once more.
After that, I became a senior. I couldn't afford to spend my time any more for the exam.
Because all men must go to the army in Korea, I had only one year for the exam. The time
was important to me, so I decided to spend the time efficiently. Before anything else, I set a
goal for how much I would study, made specific rules including daily schedules, and bought
a clock. I tried to keep the goal and my rules. Sometimes, I wanted to have a rest, but I
always thought about my goal and overcame my desire. One night, I had studied hard for
the exam in college and thought I did my best. When I was on the way home, I felt
comfortable and could have self-esteem.
As a result, I passed the exam. I also learned that to do my best brought happiness to me.
Though the time was difficult, it was important to me and brought delight to me. I thought
that achievement, self-content, and the development of myself were real happiness. This
time was one of the best times in my life.














18

Going to the Mountains
One day my friend, Erik and I, were talking about vacations. Then he asked me if wanted to
go for a couple of weeks or more from our home to the other side of the mountains. This
travel was about 2000 miles. My answer was yes. I was very excited!
We began to prepare our stuff. We took a tent, a camp stove, 2 sleeping bags, gear, a few
meters of rope, and food. We had to take a train for 20 hours to the north until we reached
the city of Turiman. Then we went to a picnic area. Erik found a good place to put our tent. I
made a campfire and cooked rice for dinner. We ate and then went to sleep.
The next morning we got up early. We went fishing. The stream was very beautiful. It was
close to our camp. We took a couple of fishing rods and fishing nets. Erik sat on a big rock.
He cast out his line and began to read a book about cooking fish. After 2 hours, Erik was
asleep. When his fishing rod began to move, I cried, "Hey Erik wake up!!" He took his rod
and reeled in a big fish. "Excellent!!" I said. We had our lunch.
The next day, we went to the mountain. We took our stuff and walked for a long time.
Suddenly, we found behind the trees and between the rocks, the mouth of a cave. The
opening was shaped like the letter "O". We were surprised. We left the stuff and took our
flashlights and started to climb into the main passageway of the cave. In the cave we found
many things. One of these things was an old kitchen set. We also found an axe and blade.
We thought that it could be left over from a campsite. We were enjoying our discovery. Then
we came back to the mouth of the cave. We were "hot, dirty, covered with candle drippings,
and delighted with the success of the day" (from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark
Twain). Then we put up our tent and made a fire. The night came and the sky was beautiful.
A lot of stars were out. The full moon had a smile on its face.
In the morning we left for Asparragos, a small town. We went to an old hotel where we could
take a shower and sleep in a real bed. Asparragos has 1000 people. There is a church, a
bank, a gas station, a school, a bus station, and a park with very old pines. The sky was
very clear. The sun shone with great intensity. In the afternoon we went to the bus station.
We took the bus.
In this moment we began the most frightening moment of the trip. The bus was very old.
The way was narrow. It was made of dirt and stone. The mountains were high, and the way
was dangerous. When the night came, the sky was covered with dark clouds and it began to
rain with great intensity. The bus did not have enough light, and from the mountain there
was a waterfall that hit the bus. The bus was very wobbly. We were afraid because it didn't
have stability and the water was coming into the bus from all sides.
I thought we would be dead soon, yet in three hours we stopped in a gas station in a nearby
town. The rain subsided. The sky was clear again with the moon full and stars out. The town
was called Limpu. My friend Alex lived in this town, so we went to his house. We knocked
on his door; when he came to the door and saw us, he exclaimed "I can't believe it!" We
enjoyed a week with him. We told him about our adventures.
In this week we went swimming, played baskeball, watched movies and did many more
things. When we decided to go home, we decided to take an airplane.

19

My Friend in China
I went to China two times. The first time, I met Jie. It was about three years ago. At that
time, I was a high school student, and I took part in a project to visit the Chinese sister city
(Guilin) of my home city in Japan (Kumamoto). It was my first time to visit a foreign country,
so, I was very excited. At first, I didn't know much about China, and I was worried about it,
but I learned about China and Guilin before we departed. I grew to like China the more I
learned.
When we arrived at Guilin airport, the representatives of Guilin received us. I was excited
but a little nervous, because one of them was my partner, but I didn't know about her. When
we went outside the airport building, a girl spoke to me. She was my partner, Jie. She was a
very cute and kind person, so, I came to like her, and I was glad to meet her.
I stayed there about six days. During that time, we talked about many things. We always
spent time together. We used English for our talking, because she couldn't speak Japanese,
and I couldn't speak Chinese. When we couldn't understand our partner's word, we used our
common characters, Chinese characters. In the six days, our friendship grew. When I went
back to Japan, we were very sorry to part. We said, "See you again," and hugged.
After two years, I had a chance to go to China again. I went there with one third of the
members who came the last time. Jie waited for me in the airport this time, too. We were so
glad to meet again! As soon as we found each other, we hugged.
I stayed there about four days. During that time, we visited her high school, stopped at her
house, and went shopping. We walked and rode the bus. When we went shopping, she
looked into my wallet to teach me about money. I wanted to be careful to take care of my
money, because I knew that Japanese people have much more money than Chinese
people. However, I didn't know the value of money in China, so, she said, "You have too
much money. You must watch your wallet." I was thankful for her warning. After that, when
we were riding a bus, there were many people crowded on the bus. Almost all the people
were native Chinese. She put her hand on my bag casually, and guarded me on the bus.
Another time, when we were walking in the town with other members of my group, we met
one of the other Chinese members from the last time. Her partner hadn't come this time, so
she had no partner this time. We walked with her for a while. On the way, we passed by a
lake. Everyone took a picture with their own partner, but the girl was alone. My partner saw
it, and she asked me to stand with the girl, and she took a picture of me and the girl. The girl
looked so happy!
I already knew Jie was a good person, but thanks to those things, I could know her good
qualities more than before. I learned many things from her on this trip, so, this trip became
good for me. We have been good friends, and we also still keep in touch even today.




20

Missionary Work
Ever since I was baptized in 1994, I really wanted to go on a mission for the LDS church. I
wanted to share this gospel and my happiness with others. In April of 1998, I got a mission
call. It was to the Temple Square Mission in Salt Lake City, Utah. I was so surprised,
because I could not speak any English. However, I believed that Heavenly Father would
help me on my mission.
On July 1st, 1998 I became a missionary in the MTC (Missionary Training Center) in Provo,
Utah. I stayed 2 months. It was such an exciting thing. When I put my name tag on, I felt the
spirit so strongly. During that time, I learned a lot of things.
I especially learned about companionship. I had a total of 25 companions on my mission.
Each of them was so fun! When I worked with my companions, I could see a lot of
successes, because the blessings became two times as great. My first companions were
from Hong Kong (Sister Chau), and from Bulgaria (Sister Demistova). We could not speak
English to each other. It was such a terrible situation! We tried to speak slowly and help
each other to understand. We tried to stay together all the time. It was a very hard time for
me. We prayed a lot for our English.
In September 1998, I moved to the Temple Square Mission. At first, I could not understand
how what we were doing was missionary work. We always had to give tours or contact with
visitors. Sometimes I was thinking about what the difference was between a tour guide and
a missionary on Temple Square. It was a big question. I realized that, if people didn't testify
about the gospel, they were just being a tour guide. I learned how to find out people's
feelings about our LDS church.
One day in October, I was looking for some guests on the grounds. I found a man. He
looked so sad. I was thinking that maybe he had some worries. I asked him, "Do you have a
concern? I can help you." He looked up at me, and he said, "You can't help me. You can't
speak good English." It was very frustrating for me. I got angry about it. I just wanted to say
something to him. I told him, "Hmm, I know. Even though you proposed to your girlfriend,
she said 'NO', right?!" He looked me and said, "Exactly." I could not believe it. I had been
kidding! I had already said it, though. I was praying about what I should do.
After my prayer I said, "Keep smiling! Your smile brings happiness." His face became more
sad. Suddenly, he stood up, and we walked to the north. He was trying to keep smiling. I felt
that he was acting. Suddenly he knelt down and then started crying. I was standing in front
of him. He didn't stop crying for a long time. I didn't have an idea for making him stop. A lot
of sisters looked at me. They sent me body language that meant, "Did you make him cry?" I
turned red because I felt so bad.
I felt that I should testify something to him. I found a dead leaf from the ground. I said, "Do
you know why this leaf is dead now?" He said, "Because of the fall season." I said, "Yes,
exactly. You know that the tree has to throw away this dead leaf. That tree will have a new
leaf in the spring." He said, "Yeah." I said, "You also can have a new leaf soon!!" For a
while, we didn't say anything. I was praying in my heart, "Please, Heavenly Father, help him
to understand what I said about the leaf being like life." Finally, that man said, "Thank you. I
can have a new life. I will try to keep smiling." He smiled at me. I was so happy that he
understood!
21

Sometimes life is so hard. We can learn a lot of things from our life, including why we are
going on a mission. "Love one another" is a big commitment. I enjoyed serving the Lord. My
mission was a wonderful experience for me. I still want to help people in my life. I know this
Church is true. The Book of Mormon helps us to find happiness in our life. My desire is to go
back to Heaven with everybody, and I still want to share my testimony. Now, I have a calling
in my ward. I am a stake missionary. I appreciate that I can get to know more people and
love them. I'm trying to find investigators. I hope that everyone will go on a mission.

My Tongue
I was trying to remember an experience to tell in this narrative when suddenly I remembered
this. It's a funny and true experience. Now when I think of it, I laugh a lot, but when it
happened, I was really frightened. I'm going to tell it to you.
Once when I was a child, maybe eight years old, I had a frightening experience. I think
about it frequently. I was in my house will all my family. I cannot remember when it
happened very well, but it was possibly at Christmas. We were going to have a big supper
and I was very happy because I like to eat a lot. Besides, I hadn't eaten for a long time. (A
long time for me may be one or two hours.) Therefore, I was starving. I became very angry,
because I saw my mother and my aunt talking for a long time. This made me angry,
because I didn't want to wait any longer. Moreover, it was time for having supper. Weren't
they starving?
"Mother, what happened with the food?" I asked. Then she looked at me seriously and said,
"You need to be patient, my honey."
"Yes," I replied, "I see. I need to be patient. Nevertheless, I can't be patient today, because I
am starving."
Time passed, and finally dinner was on the table. The first dish was "puchero." Puchero is
one of my favorite dishes; this dish has chicken, rice, vegetables, and pork. Also, it's a very
hot dish, so usually you need to wait at least half and hour before you start to eat. You can
enjoy its taste better when it's not so hot. Nevertheless, when I saw it on the table, I got a
spoon and started to eat quickly. In a moment, my face was red, and there was a strange
feeling on my tongue. I had burned it. Immediately, I shouted in pain and my mother asked
me, "What is the matter?"
"Mother, help me! I think my tongue is going to fall off!" I screamed hysterically.
"Do not worry, my child. Your father is going to take you to the hospital," said my mother. I
looked at my mother's face and I could tell she was concerned.
Then my father and I went to the hospital. When we arrived there, I tried to tell the doctor my
problem, but I could not do it because I was very nervous. My father did it for me. I do not
remember my father's words exactly, but he said something like, "Doctor, I think my son
burned his tongue, because he ate a pretty hot dish."
"Open your mouth," the doctor said after he'd heard my father's words. I did it slowly. He
looked at my tongue for a long time. "Do not worry, little guy. Your tongue is very hot, but it
22

will not fall off," the doctor finally said. When the doctor said that, my father started laughing
happily. Soon the doctor was also laughing.
I was embarrassed. However, I was happy because my tongue would not fall off. I have
learned one important thing since that day. Patience is a great virtue. I think this is the
funniest experience that I've had in my life.

My Graduation from High School
One of my most special experiences is the time I graduated from high school. These special
moments make me happy when I remember them. I won't ever forget these moments in my
whole life. They are unforgettable times with family and friends on an important day to me.
I remember before we graduated, my classmate and I went to Puerto Cortez and La Ceiba,
two of the most important beaches in my country. It was a wonderful experience because
we enjoyed and learned about life at the coast. We visited important historical places around
Puerto Cortez. We swam at the beaches and we traveled for about one week. We enjoyed it
a lot.
Two days after our trip, we had our graduation from high school. Our school was located in
the center of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, my country's capital. In the graduation ceremony we
used special clothing. They were brown and beige colors, because in my country, each
different junior high school and high school has a special uniform. The ceremony was
wonderful. We sang my country's national anthem, we held the flag in our hands, and we
put the other hand on our hearts. It was so special to me, because we showed reverence for
our country. That day, around 200 students graduated, including my older brother.
After the ceremony we had the opportunity to take pictures with our teachers, our family,
and friends. I celebrated with a big party with my family and friends, but at the same time, I
felt sad because some of us were going to different universities. On the other hand, my
mother and I were so excited. She told me her experiences in the university, and my brother
said he was very interested in going to the university. Later my brother and I went to the
same university and started to enjoy university life.
When my experiences of high school come to my mind, I feel happy and I can enjoy them
once more. I keep these special moments in my heart to remember my wonderful days in
high school.






23

My Weekends at the Ranch
When I was a child, I met a new place with my family. This place is very big and beautiful.
Its name is Ranchito. It is located in Soyopa town. It is 150 hectares in area. Its weather is
very hot in summer, but in fall it is cool. It has a lot of different wild trees. The ranch is one
hour away from my home where I lived in Hermosillo.
This ranch belonged to my grandparents. My grandfather loved this ranch, but when he
died, my grandmother distributed her inheritance to each of her sons and daughters. Each
of them received a share in the ranch. After that, The ranch was neglected and deserted
because none of her sons wanted to work on the ranch. It was like this for a long time.
Five years later, my father was able to buy the whole ranch for us. He bought this ranch
because he wanted to share this with us and his future descendents. Two years after that,
he bought several farm animals, such as cows.
When I was about 12 years old, my parents, my two bothers and I began to go to the ranch
every weekend. There were a lot of things to do. First we spent a long time clearing the
forest. After that, we planted many orange and other fruit trees. I learned to drive a tractor;
my father taught me. I did that very easily. Then we plowed the whole area that used to be
forest. After that, we sowed alfalfa for the cows. Over time, the ranch developed, and when
we were finished, it became a beautiful ranch. Nowadays the ranch has many different
animals: cows, horses, hens, and ostriches recently. Also, there are two pools. We made
those things together.
When I was there, my older brother taught me to ride a horse. I learned to do that very well.
I always remember that with much love because he rode a horse with me for a long time
around the ranch, and we enjoyed those times a lot. Also, my two brothers and I went
fishing in the stream that is close to the ranch. I can remember this time very well, because
we went fishing every day for about two weeks, and we caught only one fish. Also, I
remember the special time with my younger brother, because I went with him to hunt many
times. He could hunt birds, snakes, and different wild animals.
My mother is also an important part of my memories of the ranch. When we were there, she
made delicious Mexican food. She made homemade barbecue, chili rellenos, beans, and
beef with chili. She was with me almost all the time. She taught me how I can become a
good cook, and also all things about the responsibility of a home.
Those times were very unforgettable, special moments in my life. I always keep those times
in my thoughts and my heart, too. I enjoyed every weekend with my family. My family is the
most important thing in my life. I love them very much, and I will love them forever.
Memory from Childhood
I had a typical childhood, but my life changed when I was fourteen. Our family moved from
our small village to Seoul, a capital city in Korea. After we moved, life in the country was
wonderful for me, but as soon as I entered middle school in Seoul, I become shy and
nervous. The other boys in my class were tough. And they laughed at my country ways. So I
didnt like the other boys, I became more interested in computer. I always liked computers,
so I started to read about computer books. I was very unhappy at that time, but Im glad this
happened because I finally decided to become a professional programmer. Now I have a
computer science masters degree. I also have been studying for a computer science ph.D in
Korea since 1996.
24


My Trip to the U.S.A.
My name is Mora I. Siregar, and you can call me Mora. I am from Indonesia. In this essay I
would like to tell you a story about my experience in coming to the USA. I was very happy
when my sister Vera registered me at a school in the USA. The school was the English
Language Center in Provo, Utah. Sometimes, I felt nervous, because it was my first time to
go to another country which used a different language than my country. I also had to leave
my family for a long time. However, I tried to keep strong and calm. I knew it was a good
choice to study in the U.S.
I departed from my hometown (Batam) to Singapore on April 23, 2000 at 6:00 p.m. I went by
ferry and got there forty minutes later. Singapore time is one hour earlier than Batam time,
so I was there at 7:40 p.m. Going from the World Trade Center to Changi Airport took 20
minutes by taxi. The taxi driver deceived me about the cost. I was supposed to pay him $12,
but he charged me $22. I realized that at that time, but I just thought about the fact that I
was in another country. I didn't want to make any trouble.
In the airport, I went to the Northwest Airlines counter, but it was closed. I asked a security
guard about that, and he said, "You have to wait, because the counter is closed now. It will
open at 4 o'clock in the morning." I worried because I didn't actually have a ticket in my
hands. Actually, my sister had already booked an electronic ticket for me. However, I
needed to go to the airline counter for the ticket. I could do nothing about that until the next
day. It was a boring thing to wait until the next day at the airport. I walked around the
building and took a seat to read a book for a while. I went into a cafetaria to eat some food
and a soft drink. I couldn't sleep the whole night, because I was afraid that if I slept, the
aircraft would be gone when I awoke. Therefore, I stayed awake the whole night.
The plane took off from Singapore to Japan at 6:00 am, and I was in Tokyo airport four
hours later. I had waited the next flight to San Francisco approximately two hours. I thought
to myself, "Wait, wait, and wait again!" I decided to take some pictures at the airport for
memories.
I met a new friend when I was taking pictures. His name was Al Corpus. He was of
Philippine descent, but he became an American citizen. He guessed that I was Filipino also.
Then I said, "No, I am not. I am Indonesian." We talked a lot about our countries. He told me
about his experience when he arrived in the U.S. the first time. We became good friends. In
the plane, he sat beside me. He taught me what I would need to do to enter the United
States. He helped me a lot.
Hours later when I arrived at the San Francisco airport, Al Corpus showed me where I could
take my luggage. He waited for me when I was checked by the customs agent. He also
escorted me to Delta Airlines for my next flight to Salt Lake City. He was very helpful and
friendly. I thanked him very much.
I had to wait for a few hours for a flight to Salt Lake City. I didn't do a lot of things there. I just
read a book to spend my time. I arrived at the Salt Lake City airport at noon. I booked an
Express Shuttle ticket to Provo. About one hour later, I arrived in Provo. I stayed at Best Inn
& Suites for a night, because I could only enter my apartment at Heritage Halls the next day.
I felt cheerful and thanked God, because I got to Provo safely. I took a shower and watched
T.V. I was hungry at night, so I looked for a restaurant for dinner. I was confused about what
25

I could eat and where. I knew nothing about Provo. I walked slowly and thought about it.
Suddenly, I saw a Burger King restaurant. I had eaten burgers in my country, so I bought
one and went back to the hotel.
The next morning, I went to Heritage Halls to find out about my apartment. Actually, my
sister had already booked the apartment for me. I only had to show my identity, and they
told me that everything had been arranged. They suggested that I buy some things for my
personal needs. I went to ShopKo for shopping, because it was easy for me to get there by
bus.
I went back to my apartment in the afternoon. I met my roommate then. His name is Hiroshi.
He is Japanese. He is taking classes at the ELC also. We talked about a lot of things, and
went to slept at midnight. Before I slept, I prayed and thanked God that I arrived here safely
and blessed.
Day by day the time has passed. I have had no big troubles so far. I feel happy taking
classes here. I am also happy because I had a lot of experiences on my trip to Provo. I will
remember it until I die.

The Thief
I had a trouble story while I was in the university. Somebody stole my clothing. In the
morning of that day, I had just finished washing my clothing. I dried it under sunshine
outside of my apartment. I came into my room to continue doing my homework. Late in the
afternoon, I came out to pick up my clothing, but I couldnt believe what I saw. All of the
clothing was lost. They were gone. My clothing was stolen by somebody.
I felt bad and angry, because some of the clothing was new. I just bought it a few days ago.
I was shocked for a minute. I thought to myself, "Who stole my clothing?" I tried to be calm,
because I didnt know toward whom I would be angry. I went to a small store close to my
apartment to buy a cool drink. For an hour I sat to calm down.
After that, I came back to my room and tried to forget it. As a result, I forgave the thief,
whoever they are, and prayed so that person would change their habit. Hopefully, no thief
would come anymore to my apartment area.







26

The Memory of My Rugby Game
When I was a high school student, I belonged to the rugby club in my high school for three
years. I run faster than most people, so my position was fullback. This position's number is
number fifteen. I also had another talent besides running fast. It was footwork that faked out
my opponents. Because of my footwork, I could get many points in the games.
During the summer vacation when I was in my first year of high school, our rugby team went
to a camp in Sugadaira in Nagano-ken. The camp lasted for a week there. The camp's
schedule was too hard for first year rugby members. It was because we had to wake up at
5:30 A.M. and prepare for our practicing (for example: inflate the balls, draw the lines on the
field, etc). The practicing started at 6:00 A.M. and ended at 11:00 A.M. After practicing, we
had to prepare meals for everyone. The game started at 2:30 P.M. and ended at 4:00 P.M.
Then we had to prepare the meals again. After dinner we had a meeting at 8:00 PM for an
hour. After the meeting we had to wash laundry for everyone, and then we could sleep.
Because of the hard schedule, I couldn't play as well as I thought. I also made mistakes in
the game. The night before we came back to Tokyo, I called our coach and he said to me,
"Tomorrow is the last day, and we have the last game. Recently you have made some
mistakes during in the games. What's happening? You can't be the rugby player I know. Get
your confidence back!" He also said, "Don't forget this motto!!" The motto was "One for all,
all for one." I was impressed by this motto. The next day I ran for dear life and did my best.
The result was that we won the game, and I got three tries.
Even now I still remember the motto that the coach said to me. The motto helped me in
other situations in my life. I'd like to help other people in the future with this motto.













27

My Visit to Spain
Two years ago, I visited Spain with my friends Kim and Kary. I was very excited when I
made the decision to visit Spain. For a long time it was my dream, because my last name
"Aragon" is from Spain. I told my friends that I wanted to know more about Spain's culture.
We decided to spend one month in Spain and visit many cities.
When we were on the airplane, we traveled for a long time. The airline hostess only gave us
some juice and crackers. We felt very hungry, so when they gave us a good dinner, we
were very happy. I remember there was a little white cheese with the dinner. I like cheese,
so I started to eat the cheese. The cheese did not taste very good, and I felt something in
my teeth like wax. I thought, "Oh! This cheese has wax!" I needed to take off this wax, but I
didn't because I was very hungry. I told my friends about the cheese, and they laughed and
laughed. I laughed, too. We enjoyed the dinner.
The next day we arrived in Madrid. The weather there was very cold. My friends thought that
weather there would be the same as here in Utah in April. It was very cold, however. I didn't
bring a jacket. I needed to ask my friends to borrow a jacket.
We visited about seven cities, including Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Logrono, Toledo, La
Coruna, and Elda. We stayed in each city for 3 days. We traveled by train from city to city
some of those trains weren't very comfortable. Toledo was the city I liked best because it
has very nice architecture. It is old architecture, and Toledo is a place for tourists. There are
many thing to buy. I bought some souvenirs such as jewels.
During this time, we had many good experiences. One good experience I remember was
when I went to the Mormon Church. I found friends from my country and met other very nice
friends. Also, they invited us to have dinner with them. The food I like best from Spain is
paella. It was very good. The people there were very nice to us. A girl took us to the center
of the city of Madrid. We visited the art museum, cathedrals, parks, and a castle. In each
city there is very big Catholic Cathedral, which for me is very interesting. Also, some cities
have nice architecture. I felt very excited about all of the architecture.
Some bad experiences also happened when we were traveling. One day we missed the
train and it was very difficult to find tickets for the non-smoking section. It was a holiday, so
many people were traveling. We tried to change the tickets, but we couldn't. We made the
decision to travel with smoking people. I felt sick. It was so bad. They smoked a lot, and we
needed to endure this for about 8 hours. It was a very bad time for us.
Another day we missed our stop, and the next stop was about 30 minutes away. At the next
stop we waited for about four hours. It was 7:00 a.m., so we needed to eat breakfast, but
there was nothing to eat. Also, it was very cold. We made a decision to find food. My friends
went to the city, and I stayed with the suitcases at the train station. I felt afraid, because
there were two men sleeping on the floor. When my friends came back, I felt better.
Finally, the vacation was over, and we needed to come back to the U.S. I felt happy,
because I learned about Spain's culture. It was very good, and I want to go back someday. I
love the people of Spain.

28

A Sad Experience
When I was on my mission in Cucuta, Colombia, I had a sad experience. My companion
asked me to go to the center of the city, because she needed to buy something. We asked
Marlon to help us to go over there. Marlon is a boy who likes to help the missionaries.
Marlon has a car, so he went with us to the center of the city.
When we were in the center of the city, I decided to leave my purse on the seat of the car,
because I didn't want to take it with me. We spent about two hours shopping. When we
came back to the car, we saw a window was open. Some person had opened the window
and stolen my purse.
I felt very sad, because in my purse were very important things, and I cried. We went to the
police to report the problem. I was waiting for almost 6 months to buy my things again. I
learned from this experience that I have to take care of my purse.
Marriage
Every marriage has its own unique story. Like others, through my experience, I have
learned how God works for his children on the earth. In fact, He changed my life as giving
me the chance to make possible it possible which was impossible.
After I met my wife at a church meeting, we became close and decided to get married.
Instead, there was a big problem for us. We had the same family name. In Korea, having
the same last name means that historically we came from the same family. Because of that,
we couldnt legally get married. That also meant we couldnt get married in the temple. We
fell down with sorrow. We chastised ourselves for getting so upset. We didnt give up on the
idea of marriage.
To solve the problem, both of us tried everything we could. We asked the temple president
in Korea to write a letter to the Prophet to make a special exception. I not only prayed
fervently, but I also served in the church as much as I could. Above all, I believed that God
would help me if my wife was the right person for me. Through this whole experience, I was
calm and waited for the answer.
One day I received a phone call from my wife telling me that the Korean government had
decided to allow marriage between people of the same last name. We, a couple with the
same family name, have claimed to change the law which had existed for fifty years. When I
heard the news from my wife, there were tears in my eyes. I know that my prayers were
answered. I know God lives, and he loves all of his children. He always leads us in the right
ways.





29

Ping Pong
My favorite sports are table tennis and soccer. I prefer to play table tennis, or ping pong.
When I play ping pong, I think about my adolescence. Its such an interesting memory for
me.
One day when I came to the church with my older sister, a woman was playing table tennis
with another man. I watched their impressive game while I was waiting for my sister. At that
time, another man asked me if I want to play and I said OK. I played against a woman
named Sun-hi Shin. I enjoyed the beginning of the game, but the ending was unhappy
because I lost the match to the woman with a score that was under 10 points! It was a
serious blow to my dignity. This is because in my country, men usually win games against
women, no matter what the game is.
However, I really wanted to do something that would make me win as soon as possible in a
game against the woman. I started to always be intentionally late to school because I was
practicing ping pong. In my middle school, there were several rules. When we were late for
school, we had to run 10times around the grounds. When I was running, I practiced my ping
pong stokes. I also practiced smashing as I was watching myself in the mirror. I did that for
two months. At last I made an appointment with Sun-hi Shin for the coming Saturday at 4:00
p.m. I prayed to win the match. I was so happy that day! Above all, I didnt tell another
person about my joy but, I told myself how happy I was again and again. I felt like I was
flying. I have never forgotten that day.
This is a good memory for me. Although this is a funny story, I also learned if I try to
overcome my wick point, I can get it and also, it makes me happy.

The Adult Camp Conference
Most people have its own unique story. Like others, I also have my unique story. It is the
most special experience that I have had. I had several callings in the church. In particular I
was an adults president during the four years. The adults meeting are so interesting and
exciting. For example, we used to play game and activities, group date, hiking, dancing
party and fire side. When I was serving as an president for the adults meeting, I really
wanted to make some special activity which could remain in my memory.
When I was 26 years old, the adult camp conference came. The conference was big party
for single adults. It included all the single members in Korea. It held every four years. I
wanted to serve in that conference, even though I didnt have enough time for that-because
I was working in the LG company. However, I went to a meeting to prepare the conference.
In that meeting I was called as the president of the conference. It was a good opportunity for
me. I started to prepare the conference. The first thing I worked on was consisting executive
councils about 50 people. The second, I had to find the good place for the conference.
Finally I prepared each part of it.
In conclusion, we worked hard and hard. As the result of it, the conference finished
successfully. This experience gave me a good memory for my single times. And also it
became the most helpful experience in managing and organizing a meeting to me.

30

Life-Long Best Friends
It was the 4th of July, 2000, Americas Independence Day. As usual on every Independence
Day since I was five, George and Terry, my two best friends, and I, went on a picnic. I
diligently carried out my household chores, packed my picnic bag and off I went to collect
my friends. It is going to be a beautiful day, I thought to myself as I rode down my
neighborhood street on my beat-up Schwinn. Unknown to me, I was to learn that day that
the good die young.
George and I were born on the same day. His father and my father were best friends from
their days in high school. Their story is much like a novel or a movie about two life-long best
friends. They joined the marines and both got married the same year. Interestingly, they had
their firstborn on the same day. As fate would have it, George and I became real close
friends. I did not have a sibling, and George became my twin brother. We did everything
together and, interestingly, had similar talents. We were both outstanding in soccer and
played in similar positions. To put it simply, we were inseparable. George had a big heart
and was honest and caring. He would do anything for his friends, especially me. He was the
perfect companion.
We always held our little Independence Day picnic by the river. It was three quarters of a
mile west of our apartment. As the three of us rode noisily past the houses on our bicycles,
fireworks exploded loudly from the neighborhood. It was such a promising day. By the river,
we played soccer, swam and caught fish just a single, tiny and bony catfish. After having a
late lunch, we sat down and talked and laughed loudly. Then out of the blue, George held
my hand tightly.
Promise we will always be best friends; that we will be exactly like our dads? he earnestly
pleaded with me. I cannot explain why, but a chill ran down my spine. I had never seen
George that serious before.
I promise, I mumbled, barely audibly.
It was almost dark and we had to rush home lest our parents got worried. Terrys home was
the nearest from the river. He shouted goodnight and rode into their compound. Next was
George.
Remember your promise! he shouted as he turned to enter their compound.
Those words haunt me to this day. Out of nowhere, a sports car rambled around the corner
and headed straight at us.
George! I cried out as I swerved to avoid the oncoming car.
The next thing I heard were skidding tires and a loud bang. I was in a daze. I saw people
screaming and running towards where the car had stopped. I think I passed out. When I
came to, I saw Georges mother holding a bloody, lifeless body, weeping hysterically. The
reality of the situation hit me like a thunderbolt. Inexplicably, my legs became weak. The sky
above started spinning wildly. I felt like a strong wind was lifting me up; I was swimming in
the air. Then all of a sudden the wind stopped. I was unable to swim again and fell down
with a thud. When I regained consciousness, I was in my bed. Mum was sitting beside me,
and I could see she had been crying.
31

Why him? I asked her in frustration. She just cried, and I cried too.
The death of my best friend shook me to the core. I was angry, bitter and inconsolable. How
could God take him away so soon? There were so many unscrupulous people around, but
God chose to take George. Life was never going to be the same again without George. A
million friends could never replace him, or even one million angels, I thought. Then one
evening, I was sitting with my mother after tea, and I asked her, Mum, does God love us? If
He does, why does He hurt us so badly? With loving, teary eyes she looked at me and
said, God loves us so much son. He takes the righteous when they are still little, before the
world can hurt them, and makes them angels.
I feel George next to me, following whichever path I choose, because he is the most faithful
of friends. He is my angel now.
My Personality
I think there are many words to describe my personality. I range from being the
nicest kid in the world to be the biggest brat in the world. The word I would most
describe myself as, though, is shy. You will soon see why I think I am shy.
We were at soccer camp, the summer before I would be in sixth grade. "We"
means my friend Kara and me. It was the very first time I had been to a soccer camp, and
a sports camp-or any camp- at that. I was very nervous. Kara was nervous too, but she
isn't as shy as I am.
The first few days that I was at camp, I wanted to participate in small things.
What I consider small things are things like being the example to show the other campers
how to do drills and different things liked that. I, of course, couldn't find it possible to
volunteer for that. They would probably laugh at me. Besides, half of the other campers
were ten times better than me.
All through camp I went on stepping back when there was a chance to participate
in things I wanted to do. Then the real time I wanted to volunteer came. It was the last
day of the week at camp, and the campers were going to play the instructors in a game of
soccer. I really, really, really wanted to play. Of course I didn't. I just sat back and
watched while Kara and the rest of the girls had fun playing against the instructors. When
Kara came to get a drink from her water bottle, she said to me, "Abi, why don't you come
play?" "I don't want to," I said. Boy, was that lying.
I hope you realized that there is no advantage to being shy. It is much more fun to
go on ahead and do the things you want to in life. You should be glad if shyness is not
included in your personality.






32

Samantha Springer
All people have memories - good memories about themselves that give them
self-confidence in the years to come. I have one particular memory that made me feel
good and more sure of myself. It showed me my strength. I now knew how great of a
singer I was.
It was a beautiful Saturday - not a cloud in the sky. I was with six other people at
Paramount King's Island - all of which were my friends. We had just met up with my mom
and step-dad, Todd, and they brought up the idea for me to sing at the country karaoke
booth. You see, I had been planning on singing "Don't Be Stupid" by Shania Twain at my
school talent show that year, and they thought it would be great practice. Well, obviously,
I wasn't too thrilled with this idea. I was afraid that I would mess up and that there would
be too much competition. On top of that, all of my friends were there. I wasn't about to
embarrass myself in front of all of them! Peer pressure is hard to deal with and I'm telling
you, my friends do not know how to take the answer, "No." They had heard me sing
before, and they weren't going let me back down. By that time, my friends and I were
sitting in the audience's place, planning on watching the singers perform. What I didn't
know, was Todd had already signed my name up.
I watched in amazement as the woman running the booth sang her opening song,
"Any Man of Mine." She was awesome. However, when she announced the first singer
to sing karaoke, my jaw just about hit the floor. The first singer was me! Nervously, I
walked up the steps to the stage and took the microphone. I forced a smile, and
introduced myself to the audience. Then the familiar music started. For a second, I
panicked, thinking that I had forgotten all of the words, even though they were right in
front of me. Despite my nervousness, I naturally started singing and dancing - without
relying on the screen for the words. I was really getting into it. Though, the beating of
my heart seemed to drown out the sound of my voice, the audience looked like they were
really enjoying it.
When it was all finally over, I was shaking from all of the adrenaline. I heard a
thunderous roar, which was all coming from the enormous crowd that I had captivated
throughout my song. I walked down the stairs of the stage, and, to tell you the truth, I
couldn't keep up with the compliments people were giving me. People I didn't even know
were saying things to me. It made me feel wonderful and talented. I must not have
embarrassed myself.
From that day on, I have felt so much better about myself. This whole experience
changed my life. Now I am a leader, rather than the follower I used to be.








33

My Job Experience
I woke up with a loud ringing near my head. A few days back, or years to be exact, I would
have easily put it off and dose back again on my soft pillows. Ahh, but this day was different. Its my
first day in my first job ever. I could hear my head pounding. I never needed the alarm clock in the
first place anyway, since I hardly slept last night. Ive always seen myself as a cool guy but the
butterlies in my stomach speaks much differently about me, though. I headed for the shower and felt
the water slap me from my semi-half-awake half-asleep state. Breakfast! But where are my
stockings? Though contrary to real day-today experience, I wish mom was here. Well, better get off
now or I might miss the bus. I surely want to make a good first impression and hope this will carry
me all the way to promotions. I can hardly wait right now to experience the sweet smell of success!
I stopped myself as I saw a man staring at me. Daydreaming may have been written all over my
face. Secretly, I pinched myself for making a fool of me.
As I came inside the building, I headed for the shop to which I was assigned. Across the
shop, Darlene Shepherd subtly nodded at me, acknowledging approval of my early arrival. She
was the one who chose me as a shop steward. Of course, I wanted to prove my worth. I love the
dignity of work, but best of all, I love to walk around the corner and shop just a liiiitle bit of little-bitty
things. My first day in my first job closed shopped with less adventure than I expected. This routine,
except for the case of the missing stockings, went on for some time. Until last April, I saw my
coworker named Daniels crying. Apparently, she was reprimanded. I came near her. At first it felt
awkward hugging her a bit ( we hardly knew each other except for our first names). But when I did,
her tears fell all the more, and I was completely taken over by her concern It was mid-afternoon,
she said when her legs became awfully painful trying to stand all day. As the pain became almost
unbearable, she tried to sit on one of the chairs placed near the customers area. Though shoppers
were becoming fewer by the moment, Mr. Jarvis (our head supervisor) came in just as she sat
down on the couch. Think about perfect wrong- timing indeed! I could understand where Mr. Jarvis
is coming from, since it did look the way it shouldnt look. But termination? I tried to calm myself
down. Being angry might give me my fifteen minutes of victory but it could defeat my career-history.
I brought the case to higher management. I carefully chose and weighed my words and to my
amazement they listened and relented. From then on my co-workers would start looking for me to
speak for them whenever they have concerns that they feel uneasy to face with the supervisor or
manager.
I found myself getting more and more involved in my co-employees work-related concerns. I
have learned to listen and empathize with them, without getting emotionally involved myself
whenever the outcome turns out unfavorable. I never did saw myself before as what I am becoming
right now.
Lately, weve been involved in community outreach to feed the homeless. Its a pretty sight to
see big-muscled Jack teaching math to 5 year- old Sam. Ive seen how generous below-middle
class workers could be with their spare time. I thought plenty spells generosity, but my co-workers
proved them wrong. Before we started this project, I honestly had some doubts as to its success
and sustainability. Before, it was just us, me and the union. I believe in the unions contribution to
the betterment of the workers welfare. And yet, the more we ask, the more we see things to
complain about. There seems to be no end on what to grudge about. Of course, as we go along
helping the needy, there would be more things to sort out, too. And more things to improve on.
Yeah, life as a shop steward does have its many rewards. Shopping? Maybe. For now I see my
storehouse rich with lifes lessons --- being my brothers keeper (whether one is rich or not-so-rich),
standing up for what is just and striving for equality. As we wrap our things and clean up the mess
after the feeding program, all around me, I see tired happy faces. Tired, but happy.