Level 5

An Unexpected Turn of Events

There I was, three years old sitting on the floor of the car.  My uncle was driving on the way to the hospital.  It was night and only the city lights could be seen.  There were more people in the car: my grandparents and my parents, who were screaming desperately and constantly asking me how I was feeling.

Earlier that day, I woke up in the morning at my grandparents’ house.  My grandparents were watching me for the weekend.  My grandmother served me breakfast and I watched TV while I ate.  She got ready to prepare food for later.  When I finished breakfast, I noticed my grandmother had left a small bucket of water on the floor in the middle of the living room.  It seemed like a great idea to use it as an obstacle and jump over it.  However, there were two things I did not know: the water was boiling and I was too small to be able to jump over it.  My left foot fell into the bucket and the rest is history.

Disinfection and rehabilitation were difficult.  I developed an intense fear of water.  I needed a psychologist to overcome the trauma.  That person suggested I sign up for swimming classes to leave my fear of water.  With time, my psychologist's suggestion worked.

The years passed and I realized that I was very good at swimming.  My coaches also noticed my skill, so they invited me to competitions and trips.  Over time, I discovered that I could teach other people to swim.  I signed up for CPR courses and training methods.  I became a swim coach with over 15 years of experience and worked at 3 different aquatic centers.  

I am happy and I feel lucky because I found my passion where I would never have imagined.  When misfortune happens to us, we choose whether to stay with the negative or look or the positive in that situation.

Written by: Paola Arroniz

Plastic In Our Lives

Have you heard that plastic is destroying the planet?  People use a lot of plastic and because of this, there is constant heavy pollution.  For this reason, people should use less plastic in their daily lives.  

One reason people should use less plastic is because it pollutes our planet.  For example, did you know that there is a whole island in the ocean made up of waste?  This island is made up of predominantly plastic.  This is because plastic is not a biodegradable material.  Plastic remains a piece of garbage and cannot be destroyed. As you can see, this causes great harm to nature and therefore to human health.  After all, human life is inextricably linked with nature.

Additionally, people use too much plastic and need to look for alternatives.  Every day in our life, we use plastic containers, water bottles, and grocery bags.  One alternate change could be that people use paper.  Paper is a natural material that decomposes and does not cause much harm to nature and the planet.  Thus, using more paper materials in everyday life would help reduce plastic consumption.

In conclusion, people should use less plastic.  It is necessary to choose materials that decompose and do not cause as much harm to the environment.  Let’s look for alternative materials!

Written by: Kate Striukova