Category: About Myself

As a meticulous teenager without a single detail of design for my future, intolerable anxiety propelled me to make a move towards any plan of action for my future. After remembering my mother’s demeanor of aspiration as she spoke to me regarding a family friend who is a missionary and doctor who humbly climbs the mountains of Mexico to offer free care to the underprivileged, a career in the mission field was first on my list, although I actually did not believe that somebody as shy and introverted as myself could prosper in that field. Nevertheless, when opportunity surfaced within my church’s youth group to attend a weekend Dallas outreach, I was eager to unite with people of like-passions and to take a step deeper with my relationship with God by putting my faith into action. More concerned about feeling like a total outcast on the trip, I could have never predicted how this weekend outreach would permanently impact my life. It was in a crowded bus station downtown Dallas, where I discovered my aspiration to become a missionary.

The church met early on a Friday morning to fill the vans with suitcases, Bibles, and hyper adolescents. Most of the kids were very close knit to each other, and I was the only one who wasn’t loudly singing songs that I never heard of or talking about people that I have never gotten to know. Rather, I was too busy combatting uneasiness and fear which told me that I was not needed or wanted on the trip. I spent the trip in prayer, asking God for forgiveness for going on the trip because, seeing that I was different than everyone else, I thought that it was not meant to be, or asking for God to reveal to me if this was what He wanted from me.

Upon our arrival at YWAM, we immediately got to work. Our first mission project was, together with the YWAM staff, organizing a neighborhood block party at a nearby park for children and family to have fun, hear the gospel, and worship. I worked with a face paint on the table and a brush in my hand, when a Guatemalan woman who worked at the church, we were staying at approached me. Upon seeing me, she said that she could see how I was different. She revealed to me this truth that God does not make mistakes. And this is how he made me. And I should not want to be more outgoing because God created me to be more reserved. God makes people different so that He may use them in different ways. Your personality is perfect for the plan that God has for you. This touched me because I had always thought that I was not meant to be a missionary because I didn’t have a super outgoing personality like all of the kids in my youth group. This made me feel like I could become a missionary.

Filled with confidence from the woman’s speech in the park, I was able to minister with confidence in who I am and how I can be used to be a light in the darkness. And additional activity involved my prayer tea, and I going downtown, handing free water-bottles on them and offering prayer. This was a really personal experience as we were able to be personal by asking to pray with people one on one. I however once again faced opposition as a young woman in a dark corner of downtown Dallas at 9:00 at night. Self-doubt once again began to hit me as I doubted my ability to do be productive to anyone as I wasn’t able to pray with anyone without a male leader with me. But those fears were subsided when I met a woman of so much tears and hopelessness. And while we talked to her, I can recall hearing other men crying hate towards that woman in the background. But this one was able to open up to me as a woman and cry on my shoulder. I had the opportunity to show the love of God to her, when she desperately needed it.

We were just about to head back to the church when I spotted a man in a wheel chair whom I wanted to pray for. As he drove further away, and time was an obstacle for me, I almost lost all hope of speaking to him. But suddenly the wind blew. And the wind blew the man’s hat straight in my direction, so I ran to grab the hat to hand it to him and offer him a blessing and prayer. I realized then when he didn’t grab the hat that he was an older quadriplegic, homeless man. Upon seeing him I couldn’t understand how he survived in the streets. He gave me a genuine smile as he thanked me and asked me to put his hat in his bag along with the water bottle, I gave him. When I offered to pray for him, he gladly accepted. After my prayer with him, he revealed to me his strength. He told me about how God is good in everything that he does. And in allowing him to have quadriplegia, He knew what He was doing. The man had the most beautiful heart and such strong of faith. He then referenced the book of Hebrews in the Christian Bible concerning people throughout the Bible who had faith in their God and trusted in him despite the appearance of the situation, “These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar”. This intimate moment humbled me to think that this man, could be paralyzed in all of his limbs, homeless, and yet so confident in the will of God for His life and the promises that He has in store for him, who am I to complain about the personality that God has created me with and with the feeling that I’m not good enough or not fit to be who God would want me to be.

I had experienced a rare joy on the mission trip. I hadn’t realized the great effect that it had on my life until I returned home. I was exploding with joy that I had not realized I had stored up inside of me for this trip and so much I had learned that I was exuberant to right down. The weekend trip seemed days longer considering how early we awoke and immediately began our productivity. The incredibly positive outcomes of the trip of being able to confidently spread the love of Jesus, worship in public, with people, and have random strangers open up to receive prayer. It was in the bus station where I realized that if I offered anybody the hope of prayer, most people would take that light of hope, because we live in a dark world of discouragement and hate and sorrow and pain and tears. People everywhere are living in darkness, longing for a light, but nobody offers. Nobody loves them. Sitting on the metal benches, awaiting their ride, the sit and stare at the cars passing by but into their own world as they are lost in thought dreaming about a family member that is passed, or the sickness of child, the loss of a parent, the downfall of a job, a couple thoughtless spoken words, the betrayal of a spouse, or the expression of pity from a doctor. I knew I had wanted to serve people in some way to express my great love for them. I didn’t think that I was fit to be a missionary, but the joy that came from my mission trip, changed my life forever. I was mentally separated most of the time from my peers, but the joy that came from making people smile through sharing the glory of God superseded any doubts. I realized how wrong I had been my whole life in vanities, as I experienced a peace greater than anything else that the world had to offer. I was hooked. After years of searching, I found my purpose.

When you have goals in life that are fulfilling its very satisfying to oneself, you become a great source of help for others who might have a struggle in life. To have a purpose is very meaningful for a fundamental life and gives you a sense of self-esteem. Essentially, my purpose is to inspire others through my art and making positive connections with others who might have difficulty expressing oneself.

One of the many experiences in life, throughout are was that I discovered my passion after seeing paintings in a museum of art and culture, the way the artist can communicate the pain of the people through his paintings. Then I felt that I had this gift of transmitting feelings through art (my emotions for example happiness and sadness). When I was in the website ‘Roadtripnation’, I found out that most of my careers were about art. And I wasn’t surprised because I am really a creative person. But not only was this for me, I like to see other people smile when they see a piece of art that they love. It gives me joy that they are very fond of paintings I create.

I’m order for my art to help others. I would need to create a safe and comfortable environment through my paintings. Referencing ‘How to Find Your Purpose in Life’, telling your story can help others change and grow, and help overcome obstacles. My painting will help inspire others hopefully be therapeutic for them to express and have a sense of safety. Many people can’t tell their story so they might feel empowered to know there’s people that can speak through their paintings and that there are other ways of speaking your mind or telling your story.

Art impacts the society by being influential to opinions, culture and class. Art gives society a fundamental sense of oneself. My purpose will help others communicate from different cultures to get the same message. Gives empowerment to people who want their voices heard and positive messages to one another. Also, my purpose helps others escape from reality, awaken their talent and skills and ignite their passion. Even companies use art to advertise their sells. Nowadays you see art everywhere that’s how much art is influential to society, culture and industries.

Overall, art is my purpose and great way of taking stress and relief out of my life and help others. My purpose gives me a sense of meaning and it gets me going to help others express themselves. Receiving happiness from others because of something I did helps me know that this is truly want I want to do for the rest of my life. This purpose is really what I want to do, helps me and others.

References

1. Roadtrip Nation. Roadtrip Nation, 2019, ‘Alejandra Ceja’. Roadtrip Nation, http://roadtripnation.com/leader/alejandra-ceja
2. Smith, Jeremy Adam, UC Berkeley, and Ggsc. ‘How to Find Your Purpose in Life’. Greater Good. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Oct. 2.

Part of my previous job experience includes babysitting. Babysitting is a part-time job that involves looking after children of all ages on behalf of their parents, or guardians, and ensuring their safety in exchange for remuneration. The babysitter can be expected to help the children with extra activities such as homework, cooking meals for them, and transporting them to extracurricular activities such as sports or music lessons. The babysitter can be employed to work every day of the week, looking after the children when they come out of school while their parents are working, or the employer can be employed for specific occasions to look after the children while the parents attend a function.

Babysitting is a great way to earn money that you can contribute to savings or to help pay for tertiary education, such as a university. Babysitting consists of many positives and negatives. Some of the positives include providing you with a lot of life experience, such as taking responsibility for your actions and learning how to work with money responsibly. Another positive side to babysitting is that it provides you with practice and experience for when you have your own children one day. Babysitting can also be an impressive factor to add to your resume for future job applications as it shows a sense of selflessness and care.

A negative side to babysitting is that it can be very time-consuming and distracting from other important tasks. This job may require some unpleasant tasks such as changing diapers

In order to be a good babysitter, you require certain personal characteristics such as responsibility, patience, multitasking, problem-solving, confidence, and good communication skills. Babysitting can be a physically demanding job, as you may be required to be on your feet for most of the day. Some parents are looking for specific traits in a babysitter such as having first aid training, having a driver’s license, and having no criminal background.

The ONET job description characterizes babysitting as a job that requires certain characteristics including being able to perform certain tasks, have certain technology skills, contain certain knowledge, have certain abilities, being able to complete certain work activities, have a certain level of education, and must have certain interests, work styles, and work values.

Tasks that the babysitter must be able to complete include removing hazardous objects and developing appropriate boundaries and rules in order to create a safe environment. Another task that the babysitter must be able to perform is to prepare and serve nutritionally balanced meals and snacks for the children. The babysitter must be able to perform certain first aid tasks such as CPR for in case of an emergency.

Having certain technological skills could benefit the babysitter when it comes to helping the children with school-related tasks such as homework or assignments. Having access to software such as calendar and scheduling, computer-based training, internet browser, and word processing software will contribute greatly to the completion of school-related tasks.

Having knowledge on certain topics can contribute to forming an attractive resume which can help you to get a good babysitting job. Having a good English language will assist in communication skills and grammar, which is important to some employers. Having a good education and training will aid in helping children with their school homework or assignments and is probably one of the main aspects that a parent looks for in a babysitter. Knowledge of human psychology will help you to understand other people’s behaviors, personalities, and interests, and also aids in showing empathy for others.

The job of a babysitter requires certain skills. The skill of monitoring allows you to assess the performance of yourself and of others and allows you to make improvements. Having social perceptiveness allows you to have awareness of other people’s, in this case, children, reactions and understand why they behave in a certain way. Having the skill of active listening will allow you to give your full attention to the child’s needs. Judgment and decision-making are essential when it comes to working with children, as you may be put in a situation where the child is in danger and an important decision needs to be made.

The ONET website also lists certain abilities that are needed for babysitting. You must have oral comprehension, oral expression, problem sensitivity, deductive reasoning, and speech clarity. All of these aspects contribute to effective communication and problem-solving, when necessary.

Babysitters must be able to perform certain work activities. Assisting and caring for others is essential, and helps the babysitter to provide personal assistance, medical attention, and emotional support. Communication with parents, or guardians, so that they are aware of any potential issues that children have or to assist with certain behavioral issues of the child. Forming constructive and cooperative working relationships helps to maintain a healthy and comfortable working environment. Babysitting requires many physical activities such as lifting, walking, stooping, and handling objects.

Babysitting also entails focusing on more detailed work activities such as ensuring a safe environment for the children, educating the children on health or hygiene practices, providing first aid, and preparing nutritious meals.

The work context of a babysitter includes face-to-face discussions, freedom to make decisions, a typical work week consisting of more than 40 hours, making use of a vehicle for transportation, and spending the majority of your working hours indoors.

To be employed for this job often requires a high school diploma and some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience. To excel at this job, it is important to have certain interests including social, artistic, enterprising, and conventional.

My purpose in life is the very meaning of my existence and without knowing this I may suffer ignorance of my own significance. We fall prey to the illusion that our lives don’t matter and we have no connection or impact on the world around us. There are many insights into my purpose on earth and living within a meaning mission: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before that we should walk in them” (NIV, Eph. 2:10). This fuels my Faith and hope in whatever God gives me to do, drawing souls back to Him. I am crafted with skill and a purpose, by God, for His purposes.

Specifically, we are created in Christ Jesus for good works. God prepared what He wanted us to do for Him long ago. He has already planned what He wants each one of us to do with our lives. We do not need to copy what someone else has done or is doing. He has a unique plan for each of us to serve Him in this world. This includes certain spiritual gifts and the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives to lead us in service to Him.

Understanding my purpose and authority in God’s kingdom helps create a sense of meaning in my life. Myles Munroe says, “Most people don’t know the key to life. This is why so many people live tragic lives; they don’t know why they are here. They haven’t a clue about how to make their time on this earth count for something worthwhile. Their existence is, in many ways, a kind of ‘living death’, because a life without purpose is not really a life at all” (pg.14).

Finding a sense of meaning to life gives me a sense of place. When you have found your purpose, it is easier to know where you belong. You also gain an understanding of the environments and communities that you benefit from connecting with. Sense of place evolves through personal experiences, and defines how I view, interpret and interact with the world.

Understanding my purpose and authority helps me dig into God’s word. The primary way God speaks to us is through the Bible. This means that one of the first things I should do in my search for God’s purpose is to start digging into scriptures. This helps me to understand the heart of God. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (NIV, Psa. 119:105). Living wisely in God’s word, which is the first step towards finding righteousness.

God has given us very specific gifts and strengths and this helps get things done. Sometimes God’s purpose for us probably involves the things we are already good at doing. “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit” (NIV, 1 Cor. 12:4). As I discover my gifts, am reminded of my divine worth as His child, and am able to draw closer to Him and help others do the same through rendering charity to orphans and mothers who are not able to support their families.

When I know my life purpose am more easily able to exercise choice in each moment of my life. You know better whether a situation or person really fits in your life because you know why you are here and what you want to do. Myles Munroe says, “We get up every day and go about our daily activities, but are we doing what we are supposed to be doing? With all the options and choices that lie before us every day” (pg.14). Choices have consequences that transcend decades. For instance, the choice I made to reach out to the needy in society might seem something of little importance now but a repetition of this action for years would help to develop a sense of dedication, commitment and hard work.

Knowing my life purpose gives me a clearer sense of who I am. It is as if you have distilled your life down to its essence by connecting with your purpose. Sense of self helps me relate to how I feel about myself, my level of self-esteem, and confidence which results into producing hope and breed positive self-fulfilling prophecies.

Believe it or not, knowing your purpose makes life easier. You know what to pay attention to and what is less important. You spend less time and energy caught up on the things that don’t really have impact. “Success alone is not enough; you must succeed in the right thing. God is not impressed with our sincerity, faithfulness, commitment, or success unless we are pursuing the right assignment-His assignment. Anything else is failure” (Myles Munroe, pg.15).

Knowing my purpose allows me to have a much greater impact on the world. My purpose allows me to have the most profound impact. Knowing my purpose helps me live life with integrity. People who know their purpose in life know who they are, what they are, and why they are. And when you know yourself, it becomes easier to live a life that’s true to your core values.

Knowing my life purpose has helped me become more confident. Am aware that am here for a reason and that my contribution counts. Confidence helps me take on the world with more energy and determination, resulting in better relationships, quality work and a feeling of being connected with my surroundings. Self-confidence has helped me influence others more easily through my evangelism work hence pulling more people back to God, and as well as control my own emotions and behaviors more responsibly.

This impacts my life in a way that am able to figure out what God has called me to do. It’s often said that God works at the intersection of our gifts and our passions. My passion is to help people be the best that they can be. I love teaching others about themselves, giving them the know-how on how to develop themselves and be better, happier and more successful than they would be without me through the word of God. The reason I am so passionate about this is because I can see the greatness in all the people I talk to. At the same time, I am passionate about being the best I can be, because the better I am, the further I can catapult everyone I come into contact with. I view myself as a slingshot that reaches down into the dark abyss, grabs hold of someone, and then catapults them into the stars so they can shine!

“Where there is no guidance, the people fall, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety” (NIV, Prov. 11:14). In other words, one of the main ways God will help you find your purpose is through others. Paul, writing to the Christians in Ephesus, reminds them that they were “without hope and without God in the world” (NIV, Eph. 2:12). Their situation was the worst it could possibly be: they were “dead in (their) transgressions and sins” (NIV, Eph. 2:1). But God, full of Love and mercy, reached out and brought them new life in Jesus (NIV, Eph. 2:45). When I share the gospel, I offer the hope that can only be found in Christ.

Understanding my purpose and authority helps me reveal Godliness in this world, as well as to refine the world and elevate it to a higher spiritual level. “But that which we can know about God leaves us without any excuses”. Emphasis on one possessing a true spiritual life through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Conclusively, the greatest secret to living effectively is understanding the power of priorities. “Our life is the sum total of all the decisions we make every day, and those decisions are determined by our priorities”, – says Myles Munroe. Priority is defined as putting first things first. When we set right priorities, we use our time for intentional purposes. That protects our energy, talents and gifts since our time is not being wasted or abused.

References

1. Munroe, Myles. Applying the Kingdom. Benin City: Beulahland Publishers, 2017. Print.
2. New International Version. Thomas Nelson, 1798. Print.

For my cultural experience project, I participated in a holiday with one of my best friends from childhood called “Candlemas”. It’s a holiday that Hispanics celebrate every year on the date of February 2nd. The holiday is celebrated because of the custom cleaning of Mary, 40 days after the introduction of her child Jesus was born. The celebration is called Candlemas because this was the day that all the Church’s candles for the year were honored. This day likewise used to have extraordinary criticalness in the rural calendar, in light of the fact that the date lies somewhere between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, so it denotes the day whereupon winter is half finished. It is a time that normally shapes a change period in winter there is a sense in which express gratitude toward God we are proceeding onward into more promising times.

To better understand the holiday “Candlemas”, you must take a look back as far as 2,000 years ago to the day Jesus was born. So for example, if a baby is born on a certain day, the mom must wait 40 days to visit and be purified (https://www.infinityauto.com/knowledge-center/daily-life-and-family/candlemas-day-mexico). Since Jesus was conceived on the 25th of December and he was brought into the world a Jew, Mary, and Jesus visited the sanctuary of Jerusalem forty days after the day he was born, while visiting on February second. Infant Jesus was presented, and the Virgin Mary was officially purified. As far as how Mexicans celebrate this day, on the day of, families take down Christmas decorations such as Christmas trees and lights. Then everyone dresses up as baby Jesus as they proceed to church to be blessed. Another common activity is the gathering of family and friends to celebrate this holiday together, particularly on “tamales.” During gathering many Mexicans also make a special dough called rosca, which is shaped like a wreath and contains a figurine of the baby Good Shepherd baked inside of it.

I participated in this event with my best friend Maria’s family who is Hispanic. Since I knew I needed a cultural event to attend, I felt like that was the best event for me to participate in. On Candlemas night, we placed candles in all the windows to set off the spirit. The tradition of the Hispanic culture is amazing. First I’ll like to mention how good their spicy foods are. Maria’s parents cooked one of their famous dishes from Mexico City which is called “Enchiladas”. It basically is like a Nacho bowl which is very good. The ingredient of the spicy beans made it much more delicious. It also contained shrimp in it and shrimp is a famous dish also from the African-American culture. The best food of the night was the Tamales. This type of food is eaten on this day because Tamales were part of the offerings made to the gods since they’re made with corn, which according to the Maya, is the food from which man was created (https://www.mexico.mx/en/articles/candelaria-february-tamales). When asked about their music preferences, they said that they love to listen to R&B Hip-Hop which is from the black ethnic group, but their favorite Mexico Artist is Mc Davo.

This event is very different from the African- American culture. This culture celebrates this event 40 days after Christmas, but in the African American culture, there’s no such day like this. La Candelaria is celebrated in towns and villages of Madrid with a variety of festivities. Clowns dressed as farmers push around fake young bulls made of wood with two horns while the bullfighters dressed in colored silk pants with lassos and paper flowers chase and perform mock bullfights around the town. In the evening, in the town center, the makeshift bull is assassinated, and the town celebrates by drinking sangria, categorizing the blood of the bull.

Maria parent’s religious beliefs were common and similar to other cultures even though Hispanics only celebrate that particular day. They grew up as Catholics and stuck to their same beliefs and values. They mentioned that they pray every single day and that they read the Bible at least once a week. There’s a Church in the United States that is worldwide and it is called, “Roman Catholic Church”, the place that I attended so that I could get the whole experience of celebrating Candlemas Day.

All of these Facebook quizzes drive me crazy. I am like the next guilty person when making I want to know whether Donald Trump took the last one. But this morning, when I saw ‘Your Finger Words About Your People’, I shook my head. I don’t need to look at my feet to find out who I am and don’t need it. We lose a lot of things when we always see our fingers. Look, look ahead, look inside, and know who you are. Don’t rely on stupid Facebook quizzes.

Know who you are and be good with the fact that you who are you always change. If you ask me who I was before Albany and who I am now, I have to tell you that there are two different souls. The core, the ‘I’ core, is the same, but I have these little traits that occur when bad things happen and try not to let them change my essence, but it’s not an easy task. Albany’s experience has made me bitter and angry. Because I really believe in karma, I really tried very hard not to want evil for this project, but every morning I needed conscious effort.

So, who am I?

First of all, I’m a mother. The truth is, I never wanted to be a mother and my two chickens were a mistake, but now, 25 years later, I can’t imagine life without them. They are the reason why I did not undergo a constant vodka diet after my divorce and the reason for getting out of bed every day. So far, they are the best things I’ve done in my life, and somehow they have become the two most amazing people I know.

Secondly, I am a wife. I am currently married for the third time. My first marriage lasted seven years and my second marriage lasted nine months. Usually, I don’t accept my second marriage because it’s very short, but it happens. But this third marriage is undoubtedly my best marriage and relationship. I have learned a lot from my past and am glad that we have been together for 13 years.

My friend doesn’t have close friends, but some of what I have is for me. Some come from middle school and others I do on the road. They are spread throughout the country, but if any of them need me, I will be there without asking why. When we become friends, I consider you forever as my friend.

I am old because I am looking for a missing road group, I have a driver’s license since 1997. I am not sure why I have it and why I did not find an observer group that I had outside myself last week. But a retrospective view of me is a 30-year-old sword, and that’s when I feel every year in my 50 years of life. I paused and looked at the mirror in the bathroom. I wondered who this old woman looked at me. It couldn’t be recognized for the first time, and for the first time since the fifties, I felt as old as this woman’s appearance. You closed your eyes and turned 30, and then you opened your 50s, it went really fast and today I have to adapt.

Most importantly, I’m happy. With all the turns and turns during the past 50 years, this is more than just height. I love and lose and love again. I have to be the mother of two children that I never knew I wanted or needed. I have to grow as a man and be a wonderful woman and a good friend. Life is good and that is enough.

Mother continually tells me, “I wish I could be a teen again, living at home with no bills to pay and responsibilities”, then I think to myself: “Why did you leave home in the first place, if adulthood is SO bad, why move out?”. We all have to grow up sometimes, however I’m not ready to sacrifice this life of entitlement.

Awesome is how I would define home life, one that is full of ‘trials and pleasures’ and I wonder how cool it would be to live in a place of my own and not have nobody tell me when to do this, or when to do that, just pure peace and relaxation. Unfortunately, I am still at school, doing matric and I need my parents, my home, and, sometimes I may think he is a pain, but I need my brother too.

I consider living at home as a dependent ‘the good life’, something my parents always state to me about how great it was being at home. When I have a problem, mother will sort it out. When I need something fixed, father rescues me. When I’m sick, they care for me and when I need a friend, my brother is there.

Free food, free Wi-Fi, free boarding and free entertainment are just some benefits. I just open the fridge and, ta-da! FOOD! I am not required to pay a cent for any of those luxuries that are handed to me from my loving, providing parents, ‘gratis’. If I need to go anywhere, all I have to do is ask my mother, who initially would nag, “How about you get a job and a license, and you can come and go as you wish without harassing me?”. She’s a real hoot, that would mean I am required to study to get a license, and I would be obligated to work to get a job which is not something on my to do list. Ultimately, she would relent and take me to my destination, with some cash, of course.

That’s the good stuff, the free stuff, and the pleasures of home life.

The trials however, are a whole different ‘kettle of fish’. The free luxuries cost me a smelly job of ‘poop patrol’ that, not MY pets, MOMS pets, excrete all over the garden. Taking the groceries out of the car, as shopping in moms’ eyes is a strenuous task, and after filling her trolley with all the goodies at the shop, she now cannot carry it herself. Laundry and dishes and then there are those family gatherings that no one ever wants to attend, or helping father in the garage. In order for me to enjoy a delicious home cooked meal that mom slaved over for the last two hours, which didn’t just magically appear in the pot for her to cook, or when I open the super clever fridge, that’s always full of thirst-quenching beverages, that was the paraphernalia I lugged from the car to the house like pack-horse. Occasionally I think she considers me her personal slave to order around but as it goes, chores and responsibilities is my payment for those good things.

I love the pleasures of home life which really does supersede the trials, which I hate, although I complain a lot about those chores, which I feel my parents make me do so they can sit on the couch and chuckle, while I break a sweat cleaning up.

Nonetheless, it is a sacrifice I have to make for this perfect home, with the amazing contents, and if I think about what I need to do to enjoy it, I would rather be a teen at home, than a responsible grown up who has to do the adult things like working, raising kids, shopping and cooking, and having to cart kids around. I have come to understand that everything you enjoy or want has a price. Something we ultimately learn when we have to grow up and take on the big bad world.

It was Nancy Drew who first made me fall in love with mysteries. She tackled each case with such ingenuity, determination, and self-assurance that I could not help but admire her bravery and independence. The thrill of the search, the rising tension of the confrontation, and the swift justice moved me in a way I could not explain.

I went on to discover the world of medical mysteries in an unlikely place. Sandwiched between a phone bill and a Costco ad, the first issue of Discover Magazine came to my house when I was eight years old. As I flipped to a page titled “Vital Signs,” the words “Mystery Disease” stuck out. I began reading and was instantly hooked. The patients were mysteries themselves, seeing doctor after doctor with no diagnosis — until one doctor noticed something different. After each issue, I rushed to the computer and researched the rare disease, vowing if it were me thirty years later, I wouldn’t miss it. I longed to solve these mysteries myself, to be active in the pursuit of knowledge about human life.

I don’t read traditional mysteries much anymore, having long outgrown Nancy Drew and her magnifying glass. Instead, my love for the unknown has led me to an unusual genre—memoirs about the biggest mystery of all— dying. Discovering what people value in times of death, what they feel determines their quality of life, and how the people around them react fascinates me. When I read surgeons’ accounts, I celebrate the patients they save and empathize with those they could not. It is their resilience and dedication to their job, their unbounded desire to save others that resonates with me the strongest. When I read about bioethics and euthanasia, I am swept away by the complexity of human life and emotion. At what point is life no longer worth living? How much are we willing to sacrifice for those we love?

I seek to capture these fragile abstractions in my everyday life. On this quest, I am often confronted with the unnerving reality that what I believe to be true is extremely fallible. I find myself rewriting conclusions to my own mysteries I thought I had solved. Yet, I find joy in this grey area of broken truths— in defending my ideals, and in forming new ones. I want to be challenged. Skepticism becomes my best friend. I open myself to new discoveries, foreign ideas, and unusual perspectives. Each time I am wrong, I am one step closer to getting it right. In attempting to uncover the mysteries I encounter every day, I become a stronger critical thinker and a more perceptive individual, always searching for more complete truth.

Fragments of answers reveal themselves to me in the arts, sciences, and my community. How can I solve the mystery of my life— who I am, what I value, what my purpose is? In the studio, I explore my love for illustrating snapshots of emotion in elaborate detail. In psychology class, journal entries help me to define my own perspectives on ethical dilemmas. In Science Olympiad, I develop an insatiable desire to learn more; about diseases, teamwork, and myself. In my volunteer work, I connect with others through their joys and struggles. All these come together to uncover my mystery, but the last piece is missing.

I think back to the Discover article I read all those years ago, noting the relief and closure the patients must have felt, and the answer has never been more clear. Medicine is my opportunity to help others solve their mysteries while pursuing my desire to learn more about human life. With the idea that my knowledge might someday affect others, I am constantly motivated to continue searching for answers.

Every day, I look for chances to channel my inner Nancy Drew. To search for clues—and to close the case.

Canada is a dream country for the majority of Indian teenagers and youngsters because of its best education system and better lifestyle. I came here in September 2018 as an international student. It is the last semester of my study and I will be graduating in the coming couple of months. After noticing a continuous rise in the number of patients infected by the Corona Virus, the government of Canada issues an order to close all schools, colleges, and other businesses to carry out and maintain social distancing. This situation leads to a temporary layoff from my part-time work and termination of on-campus study as well as the Implementation of online study completely. I learn best by listening to the professor’s lectures and by engaging in class discussions. So, I am facing hardships to adopt the online study method, but I am receiving great support from my professors to be comfortable with it. Moreover, in the current scenario, online study is the best method to complete our study within the expected time durations because we have a limited period of study permits and visas. It will escape us from delays in the study and further issues related to visa extension and study permit extension. When I look at the number of patients as well as deaths caused by coronavirus in other countries, I feel safe being here. The best thing I noticed while living here during these crises is that the government is paying attention equal attention to the problems of international students like their citizens. It is issuing emergency funds for them and allows them to continue their study online.

While talking with my friends and family for long periods in my free time, I acknowledged their problems due to the emergency state in my home country India. The majority of my friends lost their jobs for an undetermined period and not getting any financial help from the government to cover their loss due to unemployment. Agriculture is the main source of earnings for the majority of the Indians including my parents. Due to the lockdown, they are not allowed to visit their long-distanced farms and perform farming practices there. Consequently, their crops are destroyed which leads them to a major financial crisis. The whole country is suffering from a financial crisis more than the fear of getting Coronavirus disease. Very few people are suffering from this disease in my home country and the government is trying its best to trace and provide appropriate help and treatment to them but lacking in dealing with other problems arises from implemented solutions to prevent the outbreak of this disease.

I had a plan to move to Calgary with my brother after completing my study in a couple of weeks. But now I canceled that plan due to two reasons. First is the cancellation of the flights and another is safety concerns. Moreover, I was thinking to find a full-time job in the summer season but now it’s also not possible due to the lockdown.

Criticism of actions and support provided by Niagara College

I consider myself very lucky to be a part of Niagara College because it always shows its concern toward students and makes the best efforts to facilitate them. In order to deal with the crisis related to Coronavirus, the management of the college opt very good strategies to move forward which are given below: –

1. They immediately cancel all the on-campus classes and activities to avoid the gathering of the students due to safety concerns.
2. They communicate the whole situation very well to the students through the mail and keep in continuous touch with them to provide aid.
3. They opt for the online course delivery method to complete the courses on time and revised their teaching-learning plan and course content within the period of one week.
4. They also provide information to the students regarding dealing with the current crisis and the effective precautions to prevent this contagious disease.

The one area in which the college is lacking to provide support to the student is financials. For the next semester, the students must deposit their fees until the last week of this month. Now there is a state of emergency in our home country and a lockdown is existing here. So, it is very difficult to deposit the fee on time for some students because they can not receive the money from their parents from India due to the curfew until 30th April. Online banking is not accessible to a large portion of the population of my home country. So, their parents must visit the banks to transfer the money which is not possible at this moment. The college must extend the last date for the fee deposit.

I never would have thought that my own family could build something that would benefit the rest of my family for the rest of our lives and our kids’ lives. Imagine that one day, during Christmas time, your family decides that they want to open up their own popcorn business right out of our house. My mom and aunts were gathered together planning everything out.

“How, exactly, would we know how to open a store?” asked everyone in the family.

We didn’t know, but we certainly figured it out.

The building of Kernels Gourmet Popcorn has changed my life for the better and will continue to help me as my life goes on. The way that my family works together every day inspires me to build my own family based on the same values exhibited in and out of the store.

Kernels started as kind of a hobby. We made popcorn for people that wanted it. It was popped into an old room in my grandparent’s house. It wasn’t at all a serious business. We then worked our way up to going to festivals. When we got popular enough, we were doing online orders from all over the country. Eventually, we got to open our own store in 2013. Our whole family was part of the opening of Kernels. We all work there or have worked there at some point, and it remains a large part of our lives.

At the store, there are many jobs that have been developed. For example, at the beginning of Kernels, we didn’t need anyone to watch the young children, but as years went by, we had to have someone watching them every second that they were awake. Another job that was added was the culinarian. We needed someone to make and develop new recipes. The customers didn’t want to have the same popcorn, but to have some sort of variety. We would have taste testing every few weeks to determine whether or not we should add it to

I never would have thought that my own family could build something that would benefit the rest of my family for the rest of our lives and our kids’ lives. Imagine that one day, during Christmas time, your family decides that they want to open up their own popcorn business right out of our house. My mom and aunts were gathered together planning everything out.

“How, exactly, would we know how to open a store?” asked everyone in the family.

We didn’t know, but we certainly figured it out.

The building of Kernels Gourmet Popcorn has changed my life for the better and will continue to help me as my life goes on. The way that my family works together every day inspires me to build my own family based on the same values exhibited in and out of the store.

Kernels started as kind of a hobby. We made popcorn for people that wanted it. It was popped into an old room in my grandparent’s house. It wasn’t at all a serious business. We then worked our way up to going to festivals. When we got popular enough, we were doing online orders from all over the country. Eventually, we got to open our own store in 2013. Our whole family was part of the opening of Kernels. We all work there or have worked there at some point, and it remains a large part of our lives.

At the store, there are many jobs that have been developed. For example, at the beginning of Kernels, we didn’t need anyone to watch the young children, but as years went by, we had to have someone watching them every second that they were awake. Another job that was added was the culinarian. We needed someone to make and develop new recipes. The customers didn’t want to have the same popcorn, but to have some sort of variety. We would have taste testing every few weeks to determine whether or not we should add it to our special flavors list. There were many other jobs that were made over the years in which Kernels progressed.

In the end, I know that I will always think of Kernels as my second home. I had practically grown up with Chef Kernels, our mascot/logo, as my “nanny”. I learned many things from Kernels that will help me in the future, seeing as I want to open up my own store once I graduate from college. I now knew how to manage a store and all the things that go on behind the curtains. I owe my family’s closeness to Kernels, too. When I have a family of my own, I will know how to communicate effectively and how to make the most of our time together. I would say that my attitude has improved, also. It had to be in order to be able to work with “challenging” customers. Overall, Kernels has affected, and will continue to affect, my life and my family’s lives for the better.