Microfinancing (KIVA)

Microfinancing

Organization: KIVA (kiva.org)

Name: Virgen Del Rosario De San Sebastian Group

# of members: 13

Location: Peru

Link: http://www.kiva.org/lend/414046

Description:

This group from Peru has gathered together because of their economic difficulties. Together, they make a living so that they can support themselves a team. Their primary ways of making money is by holding small businesses such as crafts businesses, furniture sales and nutrition sales.

As of now, the leader of the group is Sabina Carlo Flores. She is a 27-year-old mother who has 3 children. She needs to support her children and herself so that they can have food and so that the kids can have education like others their age. So, Sabina has pulled together this group so that they can work together to earn for a living. Currently, a lot of the money earned by the group comes from Sabina’s business – she runs a pizzeria. However, the money they earn is barely enough to buy enough of what they need, like clothes and nutrition. Conditions are tight and the group is falling short on resources. Thus, Sabina needs the loan to buy more supplies to make cheese and pizza, which would maximize the group’s income, allowing them to get all the resources they need in amounts that enough to support everyone.

I would support Sabina because the loan she needs is not just for her or her business. The loan is also not to just support her children but to support a much larger group of adults who have their own children. Lending them the money they need will ensure that they can live properly and healthily while also promising that all their kids can go to school and have opportunities to lead a better future. Thus, I would support Sabina and her group as this is a desperate and combined effort to make people’s living conditions better.

Microfinancing (Kickstarter)

Microfinancing

Organization: Kickstarter (kickstarter.com)

Name: Virgen La Source (documentary film)

Nationality: Swedish and Haitian

Link: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1826355829/la-source-a-film-about-brothers-bringing-clean-wat?ref=live

Description:

                La source is a village in Haiti, located near a mountain that channels water. For the people in the village, the mountain is the main source for clean water – to drink and for sanitation purposes. However, the government does not fund the supply of water, making it hard for the people in La source to receive water for their families. They are left with 2 options – make a long and dangerous trip to the mountain every day to bring back loads of water or receive unclean and infected water from nearby rivers.

                The film mainly focuses on the Lajeunesse brothers, who used to live in the village. Brother Josue moved to New Jersey and found employment as custodian in Princeton University and a taxi driver. He sends the money to his brother, Chrismedonne, who works as a carpenter in La source. The money is used by the brothers to create a channel for the water to travel from the mountain to the village.

                I would support this program because water is an essential part of people’s lives. These people struggle every day to get clean water. This is holding them back from education, success and development. Thus, I would support the Lajeunesse brothers in their work with the village so that this can change the lives of the many people held back by these third-world difficulties.

                

Sending a Letter (To: Bryan Cranston)

Who am I writing this letter to?

Bryan Cranston.

Who is Bryan Cranston?

Bryan Cranston (age 56) is an award-winning American actor, writer and director. He is very famous for his role as Walter White in the AMC TV show, Breaking Bad, and he is also well-known for his role as the father character named Hal in Malcolm in the Middle. So far, he has won 4 Emmys for his outstanding performance as the lead role in Breaking Bad and he has been nominated several times for his other roles. He is currently working on the 5^th Season of Breaking Bad with a salary of $125,000 per episode. As of now, his net worth is over $30 million.

Why am I writing to him?

Bryan Cranston has a lot of experience in his profession. He started his career by portraying minor characters. He was not paid much and difficulties started to swarm into his career.HH However, he managed to move up to the highest positions in American drama after gathering more experience and expanding upon his talent. His hard work led him to become one of greatest stars on TV and allowed him to win lots of awards. Also, throughout his career, he has shifted between the types of environments he worked in. For example, he has moved from Comedy to Dark Family Drama within a short period of time while still keeping up his reputation. Although I have no objective of being an actor, I still want to be like him. My prime intent is to be a physician. That takes 10 years at least. It is much like Cranston’s career. So, I want advice for him to see how he was able to build up on his career over such long periods. Also, as a doctor, I will have to deal with different patients and fix various situations. This is much like Cranston’s life in the entertainment industry – moving from Comedy to the depths of total seriousness. So, I want to know how he has learned to deal with different types of people and used these interactions to become better in his career.

So, here’s the letter…

Dear Bryan Cranston,

        My name is Tahmid Zawad. I am from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. I used to be a big fan of your hit TV show “Malcolm in the Middle”. I always liked all the hilarity and drama. Now, I am an even bigger fan of your work in “Breaking Bad”, which I would say, is the best TV drama series I have watched. I think you are an amazing actor and the way you blend in with different environments in acting – from comedy to dark drama to action – always greatly inspired me. Watching amazing actors such as yourself, I have always wanted to be big and successful although I may never win an award so prestigious like the Emmy. In short, your work and achievements are very inspiring.

        It inspires me even more than you have worked so hard to achieve your fame and respect as an actor, currently being at the peak of your career so far. I understand it did not start off easy as you had to begin by playing small roles. Your career moved slowly but, in the end, you achieved BIG. And that is why I want to ask you for advice. I want to go to medical school by the time I am 20 after finishing bachelors in life sciences. Then, it will take roughly over 10 years to become a licensed physician. So, my career path is very slow and I have to be really patient to be able to be successful while also being competitive to become a doctor out of the many, which is very similar to the way the entertainment industry, works. Also I always enjoyed how could so easily change from being “Hal” to “Walter White”, hence moving from comedy from more serious drama. Since I want to be doctor, I will have to deal with and get used to different types of people and conditions, while also making myself better at my career, which you always did. Thus, I would like to ask you about how you were able to build up on your career on your path to success. I would really appreciate if you told me more about your life story and about the important things you learned from life that worked for the better part of your career. I would be very pleased because this would give me a more clear idea of the “real” world which comes after high school. And I am sure your advice and guidance will allow me to make better decisions.

        It was a great pleasure writing this letter. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Tahmid Zawad

Good Advice

Letters I read: President George W. Bush, New York Governor George E. Pataki, North Dakota Governor Edward T. Schafer, Northern Mariana Islands Governor Pedro P. Tenorio, Maine Governor Angus S. King Jr., Louisiana Governor Mike Foster Jr., Hawaii Governor Benjamin J. Cayetano, Kentucky Governor Paul E. Patton, Iowa Governor Terry E. Branstad, and Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura

My 5 favourite quotes:

“Always do your best. Be a doer, not a critic. If you are fortunate enough to take something out of the system, put something back to it. Give life everything you’ve got – don’t look for the easy way out.” – George H. W. Bush, page 5

Old Bush’s words inspired me especially because despite the way the media presents them in modern day, Bush has come a long way and his words show me that there is a lot to learn in life. What he is saying is true and not many people often refer to such things. Most people tend to watch and complain about how politics go back and forth. But, Bush is saying be a “doer”, meaning we must take the idea for the need of change as our responsibility and take it in own hands. Also, when he says that it is better to avoid “the easy way out”, he is saying that we should not rely on others and we should use all our abilities for the things we want, giving life “everything you’ve got”.

“… I believe in simple things: truth, idealism and fighting for what’s right. And I believe that people have the right to know what I am doing to improve the quality of life. I also believe that government must serve the people, not the other way around.” – Hawaii Governor Benjamin J. Cayetano, page 23

There are many layers to Cayetano’s quote. And, his quote proves his honesty and that he truly looks out for the people. This makes his words very meaningful and respectable to me. Normally, politicians would ignore the needs of the people and go to support corporations and so. But, this man understands that there is something wrong with this system and he confidently speaks out against it. He shows that the government must serve the people and oppress them. This is something many politicians are afraid to do. Thus, his words show his courage and he truly inspires me.

“I would have has absolutely no success if I had stood around waiting to be invited into the game. I got into politics because I wanted to see things change and I realized that no one was going to listen to me if I didn’t speak up. I did, look where it got me!” – Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura, page 47

Changes do not just occur. People are involved in it. If you want a change, you must be a part of it to make it happen. That’s what Jesse Ventura did. He did not just sit there, he pushed himself into “the game” and changed things and made them the way he wanted them to be. He stood up, spoke out and turned his life upside down. This is telling people that if they really want something, they should not just make a wish but also make it come true. That is what Ventura is telling us, and his quote is much related to that of Bush and Governor Cayetano. And he just does not speak his thoughts; he speaks out his actions – as examples. Thus, his words are indeed meaningful to me.  

“… It is important to all of us that you do (study, work hard and achieve) – after all, you, and all other young people of our country, are out future” – New York Governor George E. Pataki, page 57

It seems to be often forgotten that children of this generation will be the leaders of the next. Pataki’s quote tells us that children are the drivers of the success of the future. This gives a lot of meaningful to the many pressures and difficulties youngsters go through during education, often wondering why they need to do it. Pataki answers this confusion very clearly and precisely. “We are the future”. This makes us imagine that if we do not work hard, the world, to which we shall be leaders, will fall apart. This pushes us to do our best at school – because, without our dreams, there will be no future. Thus, I like this quote a lot and this should be a constant reminder to those kids who pay no importance to education.

“My philosophy has long been to set my goals high, work hard, and I will achieve those goals. My father instilled me the belief in work hard and commitment to your goals. It has served me well in private and public life.” – North Dakota Governor Edward T. Schafer, page 61

Governor Schafer tells us that we must set our goals high and work hard to achieve success. This is in fact, true. When people set high goals and go beyond their limits to achieve it, they become unstoppable and go on a rampage to get what they want. And that is the key to being happy and successful in life. Setting low goals and being lazy has always worked otherwise. Thus, we must never underestimate our potential and we must always look forward to that extra mile that we can surpass. For, success is defined by how far one can go and Schafer has a very nice way of presenting it.

THE END.

Finding Purpose

1)      Despite having my own reasons to come to school, my parents and other external sources have shown me alternate reasons to come to school.

a.       My parents want me to come to school because they want me to be educated. They want me not to just pass, but also be among the best. They believe that being among the top in all subjects is the key to success. Also, it is something for them to brag about to their friends who also have children my age. So, it also comes down to a matter of competition because to the average immigrant parent, their child’s grade determines where they stand in society.

b.      My culture, although it has qualities that are not vibrant in Canada, still strictly focuses on people’s success and literacy. My culture puts people in their places and positions in their lives based on grades and success. If I were to stay with my culture, I would need to get amazing grades, be successful and wealthy. If I wanted to choose my life partner from my cultural background, marriage is only an option when I have high grades and a clearly bright future. So, culture wants me to go to school because without success, and education, people will look down on you and less people will support you. Thus, overall, it is all about respect and recognition.

c.       My friends have also given me multiple reasons to come to school. This is because there is no other place for us to build a strong friendship through cooperation and hard work. School is also a major factor that brings friends together and keeps them close together. Thus, my peers are also a reason why I come to school.

2)      Although there is pressure from family and culture, I generally ignore their expectations and look up to my goals and expectations. I come to school because I want to find out how I will be successful. I want to know what area of knowledge and work fits me the best. I want to find out what interests me the most and what I am the best in. Thus, I come to school because it balances out my choices and shows me which career I should take that would make me the most successful.

My grades are quite good, in my opinion anyways. My average is around 92 at school. I have subjects which I am really good at: Careers (<100), Biology (95), History (94), Mathematics (94-97; undecided by teacher), and French (95). Then, there are subjects that I am mildly good at: Computer Science (around 90), Interdisciplinary Studies (82), English (>84). My grades are like this because although I spend so much effort in certain subject areas, I reduce my focus in other subject areas. Thus, I am inconsistent. If I used more energy and study time, my lower grades would catch up with the higher ones, hence increasing my overall performance. Also, I tend to become lethargic. So, I lose my ability to use all of my skills and potentials to perform incredibly in each subject area.  If I had put all of my effort to work, I could have achieved an over 95 average. Thus, I conclude that I am pleased (for now) with my grades but not fully satisfied because I know that I can do a lot better than what I already achieved at school.

3)      I am obviously unsatisfied with certain results of my performance during this school year, but I think I improved a lot from last year. Last year, most of my grades were in the 80s and some were in the low 90s. My average was around 88 in Grade 9. I was not satisfied, especially considering so many of my peers being better than me. However, this year in Grade 10, although I did not put in 100% effort into my work, I still worked harder and managed to achieve a lot better in grades as compared to last year. My average rose by a lot and I am much better than most of the friends who did better than me last year. So, I am proud of myself. Also, this allowed me to gain a lot more confidence and encouragement, meaning I am determined to put more effort into school in Grade 11. So, I achieved big this year although I am not fully satisfied.

4)      Since I am in Grade 10, within the next 4 years, I have a lot to achieve:

a.       Firstly, I want to gain an average over 95 to greatly increase my chances of getting into the best Universities in Canada

b.      Also, I want to get the highest grade in Biology and Mathematics because these are tools that will help me become a doctor

c.       I want to get into Life Sciences at UofT

d.      I want to get an average of over 95 at UofT to increase my opportunities of being a participant at Medical School