How to Help Haiti

Recently have you heard about the monstrous earthquake in Haiti and its heart-breaking consequences? This earthquake, one of the most terrible ever left behind: 200.000 people dead, 250.000 injured, 1.5 millions homeless. It destroyed everything on its way: hospitals, churches, schools, streets, companies, and prisons. It took away Haitian people’s happy lives, even the smallest things for them to survive. Before the earthquake, they had had families, money, and business, but after the earthquake everything ended in smoke; they lost all. Can they maintain their lives on the collapse? The Haitian people, indeed, need our supports. But what we should have now is an effective specific plan to help them through.

Firstly, it is essential to provide the survivors with food, water, medicine, and shelters. These are the vital things that bring them energy to continue their lives, to fight against the biggest enemies of human beings such as: hunger, epidemic diseases, and homelessness. To carry out this thing, we need the cooperation of many countries all over the world to create the strength of international solidarity in solving the contemporary difficulties that Haiti is coping with. Depending on ability of each country, we can donate more or less. For example, the rich countries may be responsible for delivering free medicine, medical equipment, and materials for setting up camps. With the developing countries, we can aid the Haitian people in overcoming hunger by supplying them with food. Besides, we need attract volunteers who are very necessary for transporting relief, building tents, solving sanitation problems, and doing medical relief in Haiti. The more volunteers there are, the more help they can get. Furthermore, we also pay attention to organize relief systematically so that the Haitian people are able to get the most timely and valuable one.

The next thing is to clear the collapse and rebuild the infrastructure in Haiti. As we know, after the devastating earthquake, rubble, blocks of collapsed buildings with dozens of the dead bodies are everywhere. Collecting and burying the dead bodies contribute to solving the environmental problems as well as prevent the spread of the epidemic diseases such as cholera. In addition, clearing rubble on the streets creates better conditions for relief transportation, getting help much more easily. To do it, we need a large number of people of military forces not only in Haiti but also from other countries. We can help Haiti now, but we can’t help it forever, so we should help the Haitian people reconstruct infrastructure as the basic foundation for them to recover and develop their country by themselves in the future. According to a report, to rebuild, Haiti needs about 11.5 billions US dollars. It’s an enormous amount of money; therfore, raising funds and appealing donors to deal with financial problems are very important for Haiti. The attempt of the Haitian people and the help from other countries will create the internal motivation and external motivation to accelerate process of reconstructing Haiti.

The earthquake broke the order and security of society in Haiti, and our duty is to associate with Haitian government and organizations such as the international Red Cross, Interpol to restructure it. The fact that there are many criminals who take advantages of disorder to escape from the prisons, many bad people pretend fostering children to buy and sell children illegally. We have to have methods, policies to interfere and prevent the spread of social evils. This thing aims to build up the Haitian people’s belief in the Haitian government in keeping safe for them and their future.

In general, if we know how to help Haiti, we can quickly solve the complicated problems that Haiti is confronting and get the expected results. I do believe that hopes will blossom in Haiti. We will see smiles on the Haitian people’s faces instead of sadness and drops of tear. Small donation will bring big changes, and our supports will be a miracle to contribute to transformation of Haiti.

Pressures to Get Good Grades

Without a doubt, most students try their best to have good certificates when graduating, thus it is good to put pressure on students in order to motivate them to get good grades. However, more and more students are being stressed day after day, even some cheat on exams to achieve good results, or some realize that they lack necessary soft skills because of focusing too much on learning all the time without any outdoor activities. These problems are the effects of increasing pressure on students to get good grades. Why do they have to suffer from too much pressure? There are at least three causes: to meet their parents’ expectations, to be able to attend in higher and better classes, and to get desired jobs with excellent learning results.

First of all, the pressure to get good grades is caused by parents and teachers who want the students to get the best results or the scholarships. Sometimes these students believe that they must do everything right in order not to hurt their parents’ pride as well as their teachers’ expectations. These pressures which are thought to be good for students turn out overbearing. In order to meet their parents’ expectations, students keep learning even without relaxing. Some are stressed seriously by the “duty” of achieving top scores, and then they are exhausted with headaches, stomach pains, back pains, and dizziness. Some of them even have to take medicine to cope with the stress.

Not only the expectations but also the request to attend in higher and better classes leads to negative effects on the students’ lives. Even though students receive numerous pressures in schools, all schools require them to learn as much as possible, and their levels will be upgraded to higher ones. Obviously there are always certain standards or degrees which students have to achieve. However, not all of these standards are easy to overcome. This is really a big problem to students because not all of them are good enough to get the required grades. As a result, students may cheat on exams or even plagiarize class assignments to be able to get better scores. It is how the pressure that students receive from schools affects them negatively.

Last but not least, future job is one of the pressures on students to get good grades. To be sure, a student who has better grades than others’ is more likely to be recruited in a job interview. That’s why most students just focus totally on improving their majors but not attending any social activities. Nevertheless, having good grades doesn’t mean getting good jobs at all. The pressure of concentrating on theory subjects in schools prevents students from taking part in outdoor activities. Therefore, some of them have neither soft skills nor social knowledge. These ones can not apply for jobs that require communication or teamwork skill.

In short, the three causes of pressure on students to have good grades come from expectations, higher levels, and future jobs. However, grades are the one thing but not the only thing that students need to have successful school years, and good lives after schools. Thus, students should learn how to reduce the pressure on grades to balance their learning. In addition, they should always try their best and make sure of taking advantage of the education that they get from both schools and the society out there.

University Life Makes Me Become An Utter Strange Person!

Can you imagine how the university life affects me? In the past, I used to be a model pupil who never knew what is playing truant, an obedient daughter who always obeyed my parents, helped them do the housework, never dared to answer them back, a daughter often asked for mother’s advice in choosing clothes. Now; however, I become another person, not being myself any longer. University life has changed me a lot for the worse, not for the better.

First of all, university life has changed my characteristics. It makes me become a professional liar. I often cheat my mother to have more money. I ask her for money to pay the school fee, to pay the rent, or to buy referent books, but actually, I use all the money to buy clothes, shoes, to go shopping. Also, I often tell lies when I want to cut classes. I have so many excuses. For example, I got stuck in traffic jam, had personal affairs, or even was seriously ill just to hang around. I am, in fact, rarely present in class. I just go to school when teachers check attendance. Besides, university life makes me become an undisciplined person. I think that I reach adulthood; moreover, my parents are not by my side, so I can do everything I want. I usually come back home late. Sometimes, I come back home very late at night when my roommates have slept already. I also break the school regulations very often such as: being late for school and never wearing uniform. University life makes me not recognize who I am now.

Furthermore, my learning style has been changed a lot. I have no interest in studying. From now on, there will be no one forcing me to study; no one can control my study. I study just to deal with teachers, to make my parents pleased. When working in group, I often let my classmates solve the problems by themselves. I rarely go over lessons at home, just review them as the examinations are coming. I even do not prepare for the new lessons before going to school. I think it is a waste of time, and playing games is much more interesting than doing homework. When the examinations are coming, I borrow my classmates’ notebooks to make photocopies, or search information about my subjects on the internet so that I do not have to go to class every day. From an outstanding pupil at high school, now I become a normal, even sub-normal student learning for nothing.

Last but not least, university life has worsened my living style. I become lazier than ever. I am now living in a big city which is far from home, far from my mother. Consequently, I never cook, just going out for meals. I also rarely tidy my room, and clean the floor. My clothes litter every where on the floor; my books are all over my desk; my left-over food is here and there on the table. Everything is so dirty that my friends just shake their heads and sigh whenever they enter my room. Terribly, I turn into a crazy follower of fashion. I want to be a person who keeps up with others, want to have anything which others have. That is the reason why I spend the money my parents give on clothes and things I like without paying attention to their prices. From a girl treasuring money, I am now a careless waster.

In brief, university life brought me many negative changes in not just characteristics, but learning and living style as well. When sitting alone in my room, and recall my memories, I feel regretful because of everything I have done since I was a freshman. I do not want to be a person like this any more. I would like to be myself in the past right now, and I know it is never too late to change as long as I try.

Lessons from My Life

Getting confused with my writing assignment: the most influential person in your life, I don’t know what to do because of the fact that I haven’t been influenced by anyone up to now. Perhaps no one believes that, but it took me more than one week to think of any influence I got from people around me, and the result is no one. My family, my teachers, even my best friend, none of them appears in my influential people list. Someone said “the greatest teacher is your life”, and I totally agree with that point of view. All of my experience, my changes, and even my wounds come from my life. Twenty years living this complex life, I have learned the way to be stronger, I have known how to accept unacceptable things, and also I have been taught how to enjoy such a complex life.

As being mature enough, the first thing I realize is that I must be stronger and stronger to gain whatever I want. There is a certain unwritten law that the stronger person will be the winner. Years ago, as a little girl, I was “a girl of tears”. It means that whenever I encountered any unhappy thing, the only way I chose to respond was crying all time. I cried to clear away all sadness, to show to everyone that I was in a bad mood in order to call for care from them. Actually, I did the wrong thing, totally. The only thing I received was their indifference. They just pitied me as a sensitive girl, but no one asked me what happened. Since then, I have found out that no one but I could pull me out of these messes. I force myself to stand high in front of any obstacles; also never I give up until I can’t try any more. Hesitating at nothing, I just simply do what I want. Maybe the result won’t be as good as I expected, but at least I won’t regret any missed opportunities. As a result, a strong-minded girl becomes my image whenever someone talks about me.

However, it’s not a pink life to everyone, and I’m not a kind of lucky person who always succeeds. Like others, I have to learn how to accept unacceptable failures although I tried my best to change the situation. Formerly, I couldn’t stand any failures even nearly went mad when it was out of my control to ameliorate the problems. Nevertheless, I soon recognize that it’s really just a waste of time to sit there and keep blaming myself for these failures. My best friend said that “if your life kicks you, don’t let that break you down but forward”. Moreover, I’m just a human being, and no one is perfect. Thus, whenever doing something, I always do my best in order not to regret if the result is a failure. That failure will be my motivation for me to go on with new plans and gain new successes then. It’s the way how my life taught me to accept unavoidable failures.

Last but not least, it’s no one but my life that taught me how to enjoy such a complex life. Since I was a child, simply I just thought that there was nothing more interesting than lessons in schools. I used to spend all of my time learning without games, music, or extra activities. Consequently, I soon got tired with my busy schedule. I was so bored that I just wanted to give up all. No one could help me until the day I look back upon my life and realized that I didn’t have time for myself. Since then, I have changed my life for a better one. I learned how to balance between learning and playing. Additionally, I took part in more social activities to find pleasure form the world outside. I had more time to take care of myself as well as everyone around me. My former life has taught me that it’s necessary to have a positive attitude towards everything. And now, I am really satisfied because I finally find the best way to enjoy myself.

In short, I am pleased with my current image: a strong – minded, positive, and relaxed girl. All of my changes come from no one but my life. It’s my life that taught me so many lessons to become better and better. It’s my life that brought me lots of experience to make me more and more mature.

Orange Festival, a Festival of Spectacular Orange Masterpieces

At anytime of the year, a lot of festivals are celebrated all over the world. They bring participants many different feelings such as funny with Cheese Rolling in England, a little bit dirty but exciting with Mud Festival in South Korea or enthusiastic with Tomato Battle in Spain. However, you will surely be surprised if you have a chance to pay a visit to the Orange Festival in Netherlands, a festival of spectacular orange masterpieces.

After more than fifty years, the Orange Festival, now, becomes one of the most famous annual festivals in Dutch. Each year, it attracts over 700 thousand visitors worldwide, especially European visitors. The festival which is also known as the Queen’s day is originally celebrated to commemorate the national unity in Netherlands. Nowadays, the festival often falls on 30th April, the birthday of late Queen Juliana. In festival’s time, Amsterdam city where the festival takes place is covered with the bright orange color. Amsterdam, indeed, becomes a joyful party area bursting particularly around Dam, Rokin and Damrak.

Although, the festival is just in a day’s time, its preparation starts a month before. During this time, a large number of the best oranges are shipped in from neighboring countries like Spain, France, etc and the islands in the Mediterranean. Then numerous talented artists everywhere in Holland are invited to come and make extraordinary works of art, such as: giant castles, magnificent windmill houses, famous cartoons, local charming farmers, etc in different sizes and colors of fresh fruits. All of them are marvelously displayed throughout Amsterdam city and wait for the amazing moment of the party.

In the festival day, a lot of activities occur around the city. However, the celebrating has actually begun the night before (the Queen’s night). Clubs and bars are opened for playing, drinking, and dancing until morning. In the next day, the first impression is that everything is radiant with the orange color. The local people as well as foreign visitors wear orange clothes, the symbol of Royal family. They heartily dance and sing traditional Dutch songs. Visitors can take pictures of impressive orange sculptures, drink cold tasty orange juice served freely.

Banners and flags are flown with the same color, even some of fountains have a pigment added to the water. As time goes by, the crowded on the street makes the atmosphere more likely and enjoyable. For the bargain shoppers, a free market is also held for trading something you no longer need for. The stalls are filled up with a huge variety of antiques like clocks, vases, pictures, even swords.

After immersing into these exhilarating activities, it will be a miss not to not join the breathtaking outdoor rock concert in late morning. The strong voices together with jubilant melodies will leave you an unforgettable experience.

In fact, the concern is not only a farewell but also an invitation for the next year festival. If you are the one of the people who considers Amsterdam as one of Europe’s best party cities, then the Orange Festival, April 30th, will help you to confirm your ideas.

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Diwali, the Festival of Light

Last autumn I was in India during Diwali, the "Festival of Lights" which takes place every year to celebrate the victory of good over evil. This festival lasts for five days and is held at the end of October or in the first week of November.

Preparations began weeks before the event. People cleaned their homes and painted wonderful designs called rangolis on the walls and floors. They bought beautiful new clothes and jewellery to wear during the festival, and women made delicious sweets which were better than any others I have ever tasted.

During the five days of Diwali, every home and temple was decorated, inside and outside, with lovely clay lamps and colourful candles. After dark, the whole neighbourhood glittered with thousands of tiny lights, as though in a fairy tale. Excited children set off firecrackers, and at first I was frightened by the loud bangs, but the spectacular display was so fascinating that I soon joined in the spirit of the celebration.

 Diwali is a deeply moving festival. I am very grateful I had the chance to share in this celebration of peace and harmony. I have fond memories of the experience, and in particular I will never forget how friendly and generous the people were.