Category: Literature

Literature is a power within me. It encourages me to share stories, express myself, and see the beauty of the world. It teaches me meaning of life in hidden messages within books. I love Literature and would like to share this passion with my beloved Readers.

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Health Impacts of Climate Change and Potential Solutions

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During the pandemic quarantine, I was given the time and chance to explore topics I am interested in. Climate Change and how it shapes our future is one of the things I seek to explore and study more about. Therefore, I enrolled in an audit online course by Harvard  University on EDx on the health impacts of climate change. It was my first time enrolling in an online course by a university, but the experience was priceless. I could study from the best resources including research papers from experts, visual graphs of interesting data and statistics, the discussion videos of the professors and experts at the field, and many others. Upon finishing the course, I wrote an informative essay, using the knowledge I gained from the course as well as further research, in the hope to raise more awareness about this global emergency and powerful solutions humanity needs to focus on. 

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The Health Impacts of the Climate Crisis and Potential Solutions

 

         “Health is the human face of climate change.” said Michelle Williams from the Harvard School of Public Health. Many understand climate change predominantly from only the environmental perspective, leaving out another indispensable effect of the climate crisis: human health. Intense greenhouse gas emissions from anthropogenic sources result in many devastating consequences including sea-level rise and heat rise on land, increased droughts, floods, and extreme weather along with changes in precipitation and more. These unprecedented changes to the environment are triggers to many harmful health risks and diseases that will reverberate globally. The main health risks include those that are caused by heat, air quality, infectious diseases, nutritional diseases and deficiencies, and complications caused by migration.

         Climate Change is a global emergency that threatens the well-being of humanity through its many health impacts, and it depends on our actions to divert this fateful path.

          The first category of health risks induced by the climate crisis is those that are caused by heat, mainly heat strokes and heat exhaustion. The risks vary by different combinations of heat and precipitation levels. The more heat and precipitation, the higher the risks. Here is the heat index and its health risks in each condition. 

Heat Index
Figure courtesy of NOAA and the US National Weather Service.

The most vulnerable populations to heat-related illnesses include outdoor workers, people with heart failures and diabetes, people who are obese, elders, and pre-pubertal children due to their incapability to shed excess heat well.           To further understand how we can reduce heat-related illnesses, we should find it’s main causes. One of the major components that contribute to warming temperatures is the urban heat island — meaning when the temperature in the city region is much higher than the temperature of the rural areas around it. As urbanization increases, so does warming and pollution. Cities are more likely to be hotter than their surroundings due to how they are built with mostly grey asphalt roads and dark roofs (which absorb heat better than white or green surfaces). Actions that are taken to reduce urban heat islands will not only reduce climate change, but will also directly impact many people’s health as well.

Here are the most environmental-friendly cities in Europe
© Travel Daily Media, “Here are the most environmental-friendly cities in Europe” by Kristin Mariano

 One of the most effective ways to decrease heat-related illnesses is to redesign urban environments so they absorb less heat. Some ways are through mandating and encouraging more green buildings and households, planting more trees and vegetations — perhaps through green roofs and hydroponics which are the most efficient methods for urban environments due to small-space requirement and other benefits –, increasing reflective surfaces by using cool roofs, and other energy-efficient appliances and technologies [2]. These alternatives to the conventional infrastructures won’t only help to decrease heat and pollution in the city and increase sustainability and development in cities, but they can also directly benefit the economy, health and well-being of the residents as well. For instance, a report named “The Rise of Green Buildings”[3] from the Economist confirms that “Going green (in buildings) saves money by reducing energy and maintenance costs, and may boost productivity.”

The second component of health impacts caused by the climate crisis is those that are caused by air pollution including Asthma and other chronic respiratory diseases and pollen-allergies. Increased temperature can lead to an increase in ground-level ozone, a highly irritating gas that forms just above the Earth’s surface[4] which can cause inflammation in the airway and damage lung tissue[5]. Furthermore, the increase of carbon dioxide increases pollen output in ragweed plants, which is a big contributor to seasonal allergies,  while also lengthening its pollinating season. Additionally, as climate change increases the severity and frequency of droughts and heatwaves, the conditions that trigger wildfires also increase. Wildfires, without even mentioning the health effects, are destructive phenomena — affecting air, water sources and drinking water quality, while destroying countless precious wildlife species. But if we look even more closely, the smoke of burned fires includes many toxic chemicals that are dangerous for human health, including acrolein (a lung irritant), carbon monoxide (which can be fatal at high concentrations),  formaldehyde, and benzene or PAHs (all of which can cause cancer). According to the World Health Organization, volcanic activities and wildfires affected 6.2 million people and caused 2400 deaths worldwide in the period of 19 years from 1998 to 2017 [6]. These particulate matters, which are “all solid and liquid particles suspended in the air many of which are hazardous that includes dust, liquid droplets, pollen smoke and more”[7], are contributed mostly by combustion of fossil fuels (mostly coal and diesel). The different sectors that contribute to more particulate matter globally include traffic for 25%, industry for 18%, domestic Fuel for 15%, other human sources for 20%, and natural sources for 22%, according to a research paper titled “Contributions to cities’ ambient particulate matter” by Federico  Karagulian and others from Science Direct[8]. 

Because transportation accounts for so much of the pollution, we can all help to reduce our contribution by using transportation very consciously. Using a bike or walking whenever possible won’t only help to reduce your carbon footprint and help to save lives by not polluting the air, but you will also improve your health and reduce your risks of obesity, heart diseases, and more health complications. Moreover, by choosing to carpool or take public transportation, using energy-efficient appliances, and using electricity consciously, you will save your household’s expenses as well as making a difference to this global crisis. 

          Another interesting impact that the climate crisis puts into the pool of its many other dangerous health effects is the increase of infectious diseases. The risks of both waterborne and vector-borne diseases will be increased by pollution and the changes in weather patterns. An example of waterborne risk is the toxic algae bloom which, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the US, is “simple plants that live in the sea and freshwater that grow out of control and produce toxic or harmful effects on people and many marine species” [9].

Harmful algae blooms (HABs) found in 3 New York City parks - CNN
© CNN: “Toxic algae: What you need to look out for 01:13” from Dog-killing toxic algae discovered in 3 New York City parks by Susan Scutti

Although rare, these toxins can cause fatal illnesses including headaches, vomiting, diarrhea, and numbness or tingling if ingested. These toxic algae blooms are triggered by nitrogen from fertilizers and livestock that flow into the water sources, the increase in water temperature, as well as extreme weather events including hurricanes droughts or floods. Despite waterborne illness, climate change also increases the risks of vector-borne diseases, especially malaria. Warmer temperature will be a  sweet spot for mosquitos development until it is too warm and is lethal to them. Because different species of mosquitoes adapt and thrive in different ranges of temperatures, it’s complicated to project the increased risks of malaria. According to an article about Climate Change and Malaria on the UN chronicle, written by S.D Fernando, a professor at the Department of Parasitology at the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, “Variation in climatic conditions, such as temperature, rainfall patterns, and humidity, has a profound effect on the longevity of the mosquito and the development of malaria parasites in the mosquito and, subsequently, on malaria transmission”[10]. 

Despite the increased risks of both waterborne and vector borne diseases, we can take preemptive actions by reducing the use of toxic pesticides, better managing livestock waste and wetlands, eliminating habitats of malaria-transmitting mosquitoes, and continue other proven strategies to combat these diseases like sleeping in nets. Although climate change is creating a stack of obstacles before us, we still have all of the power and chance to combat these diseases. 

          When we think about climate change, we often do not know that, in addition to the many above health effects, it also will affect crop yields and alter the nutritional composition of our foods as well. This means the climate crisis threatens the world’s food security by decreasing crop yields as well as its essential nutrients.

Poland's corn production plunges | 2018-11-21 | World Grain
© Poland’s corn production plunges | 2018-11-21 | World Grain

As discussed in the above paragraph about air pollution and its contribution to respiratory diseases, more heat produces more ground-level ozone which can also impair plant growth and damage leaves. To illustrate more on this ramification of the climate crisis, an article on the World’s Economic Forum written by Zongbo Shi from the Birmingham University wrote: “Pollution from soot and ozone has caused a major decrease of crop yields in India, with some densely populated states experiencing 50% relative yield losses.” [11]  

This means that crop yields are going to boost if the ground-level ozone is decreased. According to the Harvard Course on Climate Change impacts on health, today, ozone toxicity has been estimated to kill enough crops in India to feed 94 million people. In China, the loss of agricultural productivity costs $250 billion per year which equates to about 20% of total agricultural revenue for the nation. [1] In addition, other threats caused by climate change including heavier downpours that will lead to floods, heat, and droughts as well as sea-level rise and salinization of coastal aquifers are all critical factors that will severely affect agriculture in many places. According to a Nature’s research paper, extreme weather events contributed to about 10% loss of agricultural production globally in 43 years between 1964 and 2007. [12] 

          Besides decreasing crop-yields, more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere also means fewer nutrients on your plate. To enhance your understanding on the relationship between CO2 and nutritions, Kristie Ebi from the center of Health and Global Environment put it best during her TED talk: “that plants, when they have higher carbon dioxide, increase the synthesis of carbohydrates, sugars, and starches, and they decrease the concentrations of protein and critical nutrients. And this is very important for how we think about food security going forward. ” [13]

Kristie Ebi: How climate change could make our food less ...
© TED Talks | How climate change could make our food less nutritious

According to her talk and other studies, climate change decreases the essential nutrients and vitamins including protein (a critical energy provider, immune health bolster and helps to maintain and grow tissues), zinc (critical for the immune system and needed for the sense of smell and taste, leading to lack of appetite if lacked), iron (important for metabolic processes, especially the transport of oxygen in the red blood cells) and the B vitamins (converting food into energy) which will increase deficiencies and associated health risks globally. According to the World Health Organization, 1.4% -1.5% (0.8 million) deaths are attributable to zinc and iron deficiency worldwide. [14]  In addition, “there are about 1 billion people who are zinc-deficient” according to Kristie. 

Furthermore, climate change is also leaving immense effects on fisheries. Anthropogenic impacts on the ocean including overfishing along with the effects of climate change including ocean acidification and the loss of corals are huge menaces to the fisheries industry, leading to shifts of diets to more caloric and highly processed foods for coastal residents [1]. This significant impact of the climate crisis on our very plates is especially concerning, considering how much of the world’s population right now is already facing this immense diet-related problem of starvation, deficiencies as well as obesity.

In order to ensure our food security is stable for the future generation, the world needs to limit, if not prevent, the release of more CO2 in the atmosphere or create technologies to plant crops protected from the emissions of this gas. 

          Lastly, all of the effects of climate change including food insecurity, sea-level rise, salinization, water shortage, and many other extreme weather events are forcing many climate-refugees out of their homes. In some cases, like in the Syrian Civil War, climate change is an underlying factor that can intensify situations and leads to migration.

The Great Climate Migration Has Begun - The New York Times
© Meridith Kohut from New York Times article: “THE GREAT CLIMATE MIGRATION”

These refugees who must move against their will surely face tremendous amounts of hardships and health effects, ranging from mental health issues including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), depression or anxiety, as well as physical illnesses including deficiencies, and pollution exposure. Moreover, most refugee camps lack access to clean water and basic sanitation which can trigger an array of illnesses. Despite these hardships, climate refugees aren’t considered as refugees defined by the official definition by the UN, depriving them of the privileges other refugees have. 

The most efficient way to reduce climate-refugees is to invest more in climate resilience in vulnerable communities which include small islands in the Pacific and other oceans that are vulnerable including Kiribati, Tuvalu, and others, least developed countries in Africa or Asia, coastal cities and more. 

         A global crisis calls for global actions. In these past several years, more and more people are exposed to more awareness of climate change and how they can act to help prevent further extreme events and mitigate the effects of our pollution. Organizations, private companies, and academic institutions have been joining hands to accelerate research and framework for actions and policies to be adopted in places needed. Different facilities have different responsibilities to complete their roles in this crisis. 

Academic Institutions need to actively educate students on important data and statistics that are needed for actions to take place. Such data includes the causes of climate change and its impacts on the economy, environment, health, and more, as well as proven plans and frameworks for actions that can be taken to reduce them. However, the subjects that students need to know to effectively understand the problems and take action go beyond just climate science. Students also need to learn about psychology, anthropology, and sociology to understand how social and cultural norms along with the way humans think can affect this problem. 

Furthermore, we also need more experts and scientists who research more scientific evidence and create groundbreaking technology to help solve this global problem. To see more studies and research, we need to encourage more investment from governments, organizations, and private corporations in this field. By finding new ways to partner with the public and the private sector (including Google or Facebook), academic institutions can accelerate the movement of knowledge generated within themselves to the rest of society. Without bridging the knowledge, data, and insights from research facilities like universities to other organizations in other sectors, we can’t effectively implement changes in our society.

 Actions should also be focused on the places that contribute most to the problem, especially cities. Cities account for about 2/3 of global energy consumption and 70% of greenhouse gas emissions.

The most densely populated cities the world: Mumbai, India tops list
© USATODAY.com | The most densely populated cities the world: Mumbai, India tops list

To intensify the problem, in 2050, it is estimated that 68% of the people will be living in urban areas. It’s crucial for the government in the cities, especially their leaders, to focus their attention on working to solve climate-related problems for their residents because they are the closest and can see closely the problems that they are suffering from the effects of climate change. 

Another important aspect of climate change action is financial needs and aids. This is when big bank facilities, like the World Bank, need to come to place. The financial need to assist climate change adaptation demands between 30 billion to 300 billion US dollars by 2050. [15] Given this immense financial need, the world bank and wealthy countries can invest more in financial aid for vulnerable countries in need. 

The call for action especially needs to be taken into account in the individual level. 

While these big corporations and governments have huge responsibilities to take care of, we, as individuals and responsible citizens, share this obligation to create a hopeful future for our children and their children. We need to be constantly conscious of the irreversible impacts we leave on this planet and take the responsibility to commit to reducing those impacts. We need to be on the right side of history, and the only way you can do that is to act now and encourage others to do the same. The biggest problem to change is that we believe that others will carry the responsibility to change or that others will save the planet for us. However, do we even have a choice to neglect the responsibility to take action when our planet is in a stage of a crisis? I believe that we don’t have a choice when it comes to an emergency as immense as this global climate crisis. We must educate ourselves, spread awareness, fight for change, and act now before it is too late. Every small action is your choice, and it’s important to understand the worth of those every small contribution you can make.  The fate of the future is on our hands, and how it unfolds depends on how we choose to write it now. 

Bibliography: 

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Here is the pdf document of this essay: Health Impacts of Climate Change Essay. 

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Creativity is a Solace, Especially in Challenging Times

2020 will be remembered for the COVID-19 pandemic and how it affects the livelihoods of many, mine included. It restricted me from going to school like normal, meeting my friends, expressing and listening to stories and thoughts, and having that comfort of closure and connections. However, this quarantine also has its perks. I love how it can give us time to pursue our passions, experiment with crafts we love, and the chance to explore new things. In challenging times like this, art can be a great inspiration. It allows us to tap into our creativity while helping us to heal by expressing unsaid voices inside ourselves. By sharing these voices with others, we can also inspire and help others heal. Art is powerful, and it depends on us what we do with that power. 

To me, I choose poetry and writing as my medium of expression. Here are two poems of mine that I wrote in Khmer. I  submitted these to a poetry competition in the theme of resilience in the pandemic. The first one was selected as one of the 3 that will be exhibited to the public, and I am so honored to have this power to share what I love to inspire and comfort others. 

This first one is titled  ​ឧបសគ្គនិងសុទិដ្ឋិនិយម (Obstacles and Optimism).  Through this poem, I want to give some sparks of hope and positivity to the readers by encouraging them to be optimistic by emphasizing how optimism can be our weapons in turmoil to combat the challenges it brings to our hearts.  Another important message of this poem is how spreading love and hope to other people have the power to strengthen the resilience of a community and help everyone to stay strong together. 

ធម្មជាតិជីវិតតែងមិនទៀង                          មានព្យុះមានភ្លៀងជាធម្មតា

ជម្ងឺឈឺថ្កាត់គ្រប់សង្ខារ ​​​​​​                                    ទោះទៅទីណាជៀសមិនបាន។ 

ដូចដើមទស្សវត្ស២០ថ្មីនេះ                              គ្រប់ៗប្រទេសទាំងប៉ុន្មាន

រងគ្រោះធំំមួយគេចមិនបាន ​​​​​​                         ប្រុសស្រីគ្រប់ប្រាណរងវេទនា។ 

ជំងឺរាតត្បាតកូរូណា​​​                                           វាយលុកប្រហារយើងគ្រប់គ្នា

មិនអាចជួបមុខប្តូរសន្ទនា ​​​​                            ត្រូវឃ្លាតឆ្ងាយគ្នាដើម្បីសុខ។ 

ប៉ុន្តែអស់មិត្តទាំងឡាយអើយ ​​                         ចូរកុំសោះឡើយបៀមតែទុក្ខ

ចូរក្រោកឈរឡើងហើយសម្រុក ​                     ស៊ូរខ្លាំងវាយលុកនឹងវាវិញ។ 

យើងជួយចម្លងក្តីសង្ឃឹម​​                                 ចែកស្នាមញញឹមកុំទោម្និញ

ចែកក្តីស្រលាញ់ទើបចំណេញ                            យើងគួរបញ្ចេញការគាំទ្រ។ 

ទោះបីគ្រប់យ៉ាងលំបាកពិត                             តែយើងត្រូវគិតរឿងល្អៗ

គិតថាអនាគតនឹងបវរ                                     អ្នកត្រូវបន្តកម្លាំងចិត្ត។

(English Translation)

The nature of life is uncertainty,       

There will be the typical storms and rains,

Diseases and illnesses in every life,     

Wherever we go, we can’t escape them. 

Like the start of this 20s decade,       

Every country in the world,

Suffer from a huge  tragic which we can’t escape from,

Every girl and boy needs to endure this misery. 

The contagious coronavirus, 

Viciously attacks all of us, 

Restricting connection and conversations, 

Needed to be apart to be safe. 

However, all of my friends, 

We do not need to swallow only the pain, 

Let’s stand up and go forth, 

Be strong and resilient to fight back. 

We can pass on hope, 

Share the smiles without hints of sorrow,

We can profit only when we share love, 

We should show support. 

Although everything is truly painful, 

We should think about the positivities, 

Believe that the future will be bright,

We need to continue this hope.  

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The second poem talks about how differences in us don’t matter. No matter who you are, you can’t escape from this pandemic. Therefore, we all should help to put a stop to this contagious disease by taking actions and helping each other to continue to be strong no matter what. 

ទោះមានឬក្រ                  ទោះខ្មៅឬស                   សុទ្ធតែដូចគ្នា

ពេលមានជម្ងឺ                   តែងរងវេទនា              ​​វីរុសផ្តន្ទា

                                              គ្រប់គ្នាទាំងអស់។ 

បើដូច្នេះហើយ                   ចូរកុំបណ្តោយ​​​​​​                រីរាឲ្យសោះ

ត្រូវប្រុងប្រយ័ត្ន​                 អនាម័យឥតខ្ចោះ       កុំមានចន្លោះ

                                               ឲ្យវារាតត្បាត។ 

ទាំងយើងទាំងគេ ​​​            ជៀសមិនបានទេ    ត្រូវប្រឹងសម្អាត

កុំធ្វេសប្រហែស               នោះធ្វើឲ្យខាត      ចូរកុំប្រមាថ

                                             អាយុជីវិត។ 

យើងគ្រួសារមួយ            គួរតែលើកស្ទួយ​          ជួយគ្នាមូលមិត្ត

ជួយថែជួយទាំ ​​​               ជួយលើកទឹកចិត្ត       នោះក្តីសុខពិត
​​​                                          នឹងមានដល់យើង។

(English Translation): 

Whether you are rich or poor, black or white, we are all the same. 

When encountered by diseases, we would suffer from this misery. 

The virus punishes all of us. 

If this is so, we shouldn’t be careless. 

Always be cautious and hygienic. 

Leave no space for the virus to spread. 

Us and Others, we all can’t escape from this. 

So we should all try to take action. 

Don’t be careless, that would be a loss. 

Never ever doubt the priceless value of life. 

We are all in this one family, 

We should empower and help one another, 

We should take care of one another, 

We should cheer each other up, 

Only then, we can be truly happy together. 

 

 

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How To Be Happy When You Lose a Loved-One

How to be Happy when You Lose a Loved-One 

By: Angely Rose

From: Tara Magalski

Losing someone you love is one of the most painful tragedies a person can encounter, whether that someone is your dearest teacher, friend, family member, life partner or colleagues. All individuals on Earth must have gone through this problem at least once in their life. When experiencing loss, it doesn’t always mean death, but also personal departures and other circumstances that take away our loved ones. This problem is one of the major problems that most people encounter because it can cause many mental health problems including depression, stress, and many more. It makes studying, working or just living hard and painful. So, how can we cope with those emotions after losing our loved one? How do we learn to take steps towards a new life? It might seem hard at first, but consider these following steps to help you and do not forget to stay COMMITTED throughout this whole journey to a new beautiful life.

All of the Steps to Help you to be Happy Again:

Self Awareness

First of all, we need to learn how to be self-aware. In this step, you can take a deep breath and learn to accept all of the truths about yourself and the situation. It’s totally normal to feel sad, just allow your emotions to come out because it is also an important part of being aware of your emotions and how to control it. During this step, it is important to keep out all of the accusations (either it is self-accusations or accusations for other people). Thinking about our or someone else’s fault is not going to help you to get that person back, so learn to keep out regrets and accusations out of your beautiful mind! Life is a maze with many different possibilities, the ones that we chose and the one we have never entered. This leaves us with the ‘What-ifs’ or the “If onlys”. But those thoughts only bring us pain and regrets which brings us nowhere. Life is full of everybody coming and leaving, so just let it be and learn to accept it (even though I know it is hard).

Expressing and Controlling Your Emotion

Grief is a hard process, so expressing your feelings is an extremely helpful way to help you cope with it. You can express your feelings through many different ways. The way that I suggest the most is writing your feelings down, in a diary or your personal journal. Writing is one of the best ways to express your emotions because you can release all of the details out on the paper which can be a good way for you to reflect back on the situation later. Sometimes, when you read that later, your perspective towards the situation might change a lot and it helps you to see how you were, how much you have improved, and how far you have come.

Another way of expressing ourselves is through verbal communication. You can find people whom you can trust or can relate to the topic the most to talk to and to let them help you. After you release all of your emotions, you are going to feel much better. Whew! On the other hand,  if you just let the feelings and emotions eat you up inside and just hide it, I can assure you the situation can be worse because those negative feelings are really powerful. Don’t ever let them have control over you!

After that, you need to learn how to have control over your thoughts and emotions. I know that there might be a lot of negative feelings and thoughts after you lost someone. It is totally fine if you have them a lot at first, but you need to learn how to control it step by step. You need to learn not to let that pessimism overwhelms your mind. Try to take a step out of the darkness and another step into the light. One way of doing this is to try.  

Start to Work Towards Goals

Losing someone you love is extremely hard to cope and is time-consuming. It is a huge obstacle that holds you back from completing your goals in life. So, you need to restart working towards your goals or you can create a new list of goals. Grab a sheet of paper, write down a list of things you think you can do to help you start again. You can try putting things like being social active again, join more social events, find new hobbies or you can spend more time with your hobbies. Focus more on yourself, you can try setting more goals that can allow you to take care of yourselves. Create some me-time and allow yourselves to do the things that you like. Hobbies or interests can help you a lot better.

Look Back to the Positive Sunshine

After allowing enough time for you to be sad and to grieve, you can start to look back into the positive sides. Please remind yourself of how the person that left you would want you to be. They would want you to be happy and strong to continue the journey without them. They trust you to continue the journey with a smile, so please make that come true. Think about how far you have come and listen to the words that the person who left has told you. I can assure you that you will definitely meet other new people that mean so much to you in the same way. Just allow some time for yourself to come back.

Allow yourself to find a new light, new journey, new hopes, and new possibilities. Although you have lost someone important, you can still be strong and happy to continue your own life. Start planning what are you going to do next. What is your next step for your life? Make some changes, take some risks, try new things, find light to your world. Usually, new things can lead you to unexpected and amazing destinations.

Lastly, let the past be and START A NEW JOURNEY!

Here is a website you can visit for more information on the five main stages of grief.

https://grief.com/the-five-stages-of-grief/

 

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Love in the Moonlight (inspired story)

A girl with a fate she can’t change.

A family she did not choose to come in.

A life that has no other doors to escape,

only to accept the truth that she is a riot’s daughter

 

The truth is Her father is a man of justice

He devotes his life for the nation’s freedom

He quarreled for  lives well-lived for citizens in the whole kingdom

He contests for what’s right for the country

He fights for his daughter future,

but he will never know that his daughter’s life is completely unexpected

 

Even born as a girl, she needs to hide her beautiful identity.

Disguise is the only thing she can do to survive.

She must live the life of a boy, growing up as a hidden girl in a man’s identity.

She must cut her hair off with that feminine sweetheart longing for long, beautiful hair.

She cried and crave a life like other girls, where she can play doll, braid her hair up and decorate it with flowers.

Where she can pick flowers and sew it to be a princess’s crown.

At night, she sleeps and dreams of a life where she can wear a long, beautiful dress,

Get her long hair down to her waist and dance freely by her own.

But as the sunrise up and the truth become clear, she cries, disappointed of the life she must live.

 

As she grew up and learned to be strong, tough like a man, she seeks for comfort, love and freedom.

 

As intertwined fate came to place, she bumped to a tall fair stranger.

A person she grew to meet everywhere and shined out of all strangers.

She did not know who he is yet, and she just passed by with not much attention.

Like the wind, passing by a tiny pretty flower.

Continue reading “Love in the Moonlight (inspired story)”

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Children Must Have The Right and Access to Education (Argumentative Essay)

Angely Rose                                                                                                                                      `12/12th/2018

Children Must Have The Right and Access to Education

There is a quote from Nelson Mandela who is the former president of South Africa: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”. This quote is really true and that is the reason why all children deserve the right and access to quality education. Unfortunately, According to the United Nations Sustainable Development website, “Over 265 million children are currently out of school and 22% of them are of primary school age”. This statistic bespeaks that there is a huge amount of young children around the world who still need help getting a decent education. One of the main reasons for lack of quality education is that some developing countries are having the struggle to give every single child the access to quality tutoring due to poverty and other emergencies that the countries need to handle. Furthermore, the need for quality teaching caused by “the lack of well-trained tutors, inequality problems related to the opportunity provided to rural children and girls, and the impoverished conditions of schools ”(United Nations). However, I firmly consider education as a prominent right that all children must have.  Although education requires a lot of money and time, every single child that is in the age of going to school must have access to and the right to education. Education for a young child is extremely crucial for empowering individuals and help them to reach their best potential, reducing poverty, and benefits of future economic growth.

Although education depends heavily upon inclusive finance, offering education to the young generation can reduce poverty in the impoverished community. To demonstrate, in many developing countries, poverty is one of the main problems that people are dealing with. Poverty is the state of extreme sufficient in the financial field. The problem is that the shortage of money can affect and lead to other problems including low access to education, clean water, and nutrition, hunger, etc. However, by offering adequate tutoring to children, it can reduce poverty and give many benefits to our society in nearly all aspects which is the key to sustainable development. Villa Kulid, Director General of Norad, gave a speech about education and how it can help to reduce poverty as well as other problems. He observes that “One year of education is associated with a 10% increase in wages”. (Kulid) This fact shows that education has a huge power to enlarge the wages of the workers. Education can boost incomes for citizens and giving the consequence of dwindled poverty.  Furthermore,“A newly published paper by UNESCO shows that education is critical to escape chronic poverty and to prevent the transmission of poverty between generations.”, as demonstrated by Kulid’s speech. This statement has indicated that education is a major factor to decrease poverty in different generations and communities. Education has the power to let individuals find their potential and help their community, boosting incomes and decrease poverty.

Another reason that explains why education is essential to us is that it is a considerable factor that can help to determine how blooming the economy of a country is.  Investopedia, which is an international website edited by writers who are financial experts and advisors since 1999, also discusses education impact on the economy. Investopedia observes that “globalization and international trades depend upon the competitive economy between countries. Therefore, each country needs to have a buoyant economy that is supported by decent education.” Brent Redcliff, who has years of experiences in digital marketing, analytics, a freelance writer for Investopedia and currently works as an analytic manager in Accenture, wrote an article titled, “How Education And Training Affect the Economy” that was published in March 2018. Brent Redcliff wrote that a “resilient economy has the capability of operating different industries that can compete with international standards. To meet this standard, we need a lot of scholars who possess the skills and knowledge to build a powerful workforce. What’s more, it also helps with employment within the country as well. In fact, the employment rates in different countries are based on the education levels of their citizens” (data.oecd.org, 2018). In conclusion, education is needed in order to create a prosperous economy in a country.

What is even more important than helping to boost the economy and lower the poverty rates, education can leave remarkable impacts on each individual life of those young children. By delivering education access to children, it gives them a huge opportunity to find their potential, dreams, passions, and talents which they will live upon and pursue further throughout their lives. To put it in another way, Education has the capability of empowering individuals and gives them the chance to reach their greatest potential which can help to reduce inequality in society. After they found out their passions and talents, they can pursue a career that can further support their communities and countries. A great example of that is a Pakistani teacher named Mohammud Ayub that has committed his life teaching other people the basic subjects including math, English, etc. He is a Pakistani scholar that used his knowledge that he had gained to spread and help his community back. He has made a big difference in each student’s life that he taught and the community around him. (Associated Press and Newsela Staff) In addition, the process of education that includes many subjects including Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math will give guidance for student’s passion, prepare them for obstacles and improve student’s critical thinking skills. In scmp.com, UChicago professor says that “STEM help to prepare students for the future that awaits. Education in schools is imperative for children to find their passions, potentials, and talents which can reduce inequality and lead to sustainable developments in communities.”

In conclusion, Education for children is an essential field for development in each country though it requires money and time. In addition, it helps to reduce inequality, poverty, boost the prosperity of the economy, and empowers those individual children who are educated to help their community and society back. By offering the right and access to quality education for children, it is a huge profit for everyone in nearly all aspects, including the community, country, family, and individuals. Therefore, the right and access to quality education is exceedingly an important right that every and single child around the globe deserve to have in spite of any conditions or situations that they are under. There are a lot of works to be done in order to help all children in the world to gain access to quality education

Works Cited:

https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/education/

“4 Quality Education” UN.org 12/7/2018  

https://newsela.com/read/pakistan-teacher/id/8162/

Associated Press and Newsela staff, “Pakistani man teaches poor kids in a park, keeps promise to his dying dad.” 03/27/2015. 12/7/2018

https://www.investopedia.com/articles/economics/09/education-training-advantages.asp

Brent, Radcliffe, “How Education and Training Affect the Economy” Investopedia.com Dec 5, 2018. 12/7/2018

https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/2156080/how-stem-education-can-help-hong-kong-children-live-their

“How STEM education can help Hong Kong children to live their dreams” SCMP.com Friday, 20 July 2018. 12/7/2018

https://norad.no/en/front/about-norad/news/role-of-education-in-ending-extreme-poverty–taking-a-global-lead/

Villa, Kulid, “Role of Education in ending extreme poverty – Taking a global lead” Norad.no   11.11.2014. 12/7/2018

 

 

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TEDx ISPP 2018 | Empowering Literature in Cambodia

Literature is one of my main passions, especially reading and writing. However, I found out that there are several challenges that Cambodian authors face nowadays that can threaten the Literature including copyright infringement, unbalanced interest towards technology instead of reading and writing, and the tremendous loss from the Khmer Rouge Genocide. 

My goal is to encourage other people to preserve and cultivate the value of Literature because of its various advantages that can benefit individuals as well as the bigger communities. I wanted to create a bigger community of help to empower literature in Cambodia as well as the world. Therefore, I gave a public speech in the TEDx ISPP event on the 1st of December, 2018 about Empowering literature in Cambodia. There I talked about the numerous importance of literature and the reasons why it is worth empowering and very important to me and all of us, as a part of citizenship and the factors that contribute to its decline in usage. 

To elaborate, there are 4 main reasons that explain why Literature is very essential to us. The four core benefits of literature include critical thinking, writing, and comprehension skill building, imagination and creativity expansion, the learning of cultures history recording and the support of social development, and last but not least, it showcases of the state of humanity. Despite that great benefits of literature, there are many factors that contribute to its decline in usage. 

It was a wonderful learning experience that helps me with my researching, networking, public speaking skills and more. For example, when I needed to email the author of a book and a director of a film to ask them for permission to use their works. It also gives me the chance to raise my voice, encourage others and be a part of the change. 

For more information, visit this slide presentation that I used for my TEDx talk: 

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1whqrjmhyBHWs2K1etxIWI37mawBwKSAuuOjywg99jnA/edit#slide=id.g46dd97658e_0_0

  

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Poetry Workshop

To continue on my journey with Literature, I have attended a Poetry Workshop that is held at Phnom Penh with the other 7 participants. During the workshop, I have learned new techniques to improve my writing skills, specifically writing poems.

One of the new techniques I have learned is “Show Don’t Tell” strategy when the writer does not just tell the story by saying What is It but writing to explain why and how it becomes what it is and show the depth of the objective. To practice this, we did a writing exercise where we have a picture as our prompt. I have inspired a lot from this activity because using a picture as the prompt for our writing is a new insight for me. It has improved my writing piece a lot when having a picture near me to look up to. 

The picture she showed us to exercise the concept of “Show don’t Tell” was a scary room that is haunted. This is the short story that I wrote inspired by that picture: 

The Haunting Room

The moment I walked into the house, the doors were slowly moving, creating a strange and haunting rhythm that shook my body. The rooms were like relics from a mysterious past that contains countless painful memories. I shivered as the smell of blood reached up to my nose and realized this is horrifying. 

Then, Jessica, who is the facilitator in the workshop, gave us a chance to Meditate about a place that reminds us of a memory or our favorite place. Then, we did freewriting activity and here is a piece of my free writing, 

The Warmth of Childhood

Sounds of Calmness and joy, the universal rhythm of nature when water and Earth blend together. The picture is fading in and out, The picture through a little girl’s eyes making a strange shelter out of the sand. Not knowing what is happening around her, she built the sand shelter with concentration. It was her world, it was the place where she belonged to and that moment is the moment she feels the most like herself. as a unique person. She started to step out and into the water of souls calling out to her, the peaceful waves smoothing her steps. She was walking to a loving person’s arm, the word “mom” crept in her mind. At that moment, her world was so small, her mom was the queen and das as a king. They are the only people she truly knew, The arms were holding her close she could hear the beat of the mom’s warm heart. In that moment of joy, the waves splashed as though it seems to be enjoying the warmth of this vast ocean of love and pleasure. It was that wonderful single moment, that all mattered. 

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A Life Changing Audition, The door to become a Change Agent

       Everyone is unique and has different amazing personal stories that are worth sharing. All of the people who are living on this planet, each goes through different experiences which help construct beautiful or painful memories for that particular human-being. Those different experiences are the mold of who we become in life and shape our future self. It is not just about the experiences that we went through, what is even more important than that is How we React and What we do with the experiences we have gone through, whether it is pain or pleasure. Do we give up, not take a step forward and never taste the true life meaning? Do we make it a lesson and step for success? Do we believe in changing ourselves and be determined in any situations? Well, here is my little Memoir that describes the one moment that changed my life and who I am. It is a precious opportunity for me to become a change agent and find my true potentials to help people and make the world a better place.

A Life Changing Audition, The door to become a change agent

by Angely Rose

 

   “The one moment that you do not really value or realize the great importance of it might be the moment that can change your life forever.” Have you ever imagined a moment that can change your life forever? A simple moment? An unrecognized moment? Well, I had experienced a moment that made a huge impact on my life and made me who I am and who I will be.

 

The approaching audition

On a normal school day, something interesting had been announced by our

fifth-grade teacher named Sou Sovanna. She is an old woman that everyone recognizes as the elder teacher in the school. “On Monday, there will be a school coming to host an audition. The school’s principal requires three students from each class to join. I have chosen some students already.” She paused a while to catch her breath from the long speech of the announcement. Then, she continued with an unhappy face that shows the class that something wrong has been going on. “Angely, Nimol and Jolie, you are the three students that are going to represent our class.” I had no doubt why we were the students that got selected. During my usual Saturday, I spent my time going through math and Khmer textbooks to review some lessons and did some math exercises and word problems. My mom was the first person who was informed by me about the audition. She was so inspiring and encouraging. My mom taught me extra math lessons from grade six which I had no idea about before. The usual night before the audition approached and the rest of the world was sleeping except me.There was a combination of excitements, marvels, and worries that came into my mind about the audition.

 

The beautiful morning of the audition

Other people in my neighborhood were wide awake and so was my family. I got up earlier than ordinary days. I brushed my teeth, took a shower and dressed in the white shirt and blue skirt which was the official uniform of Cambodia. I tied my hair up tight and looked at another me in the mirror, a me that is going to face something soon. The pair of dark but clear eagle eyes, the snub nose that looked like a hill while everyone’s has mountains, the rosy pointy natural lips and the limp hair that made up me in the mirror. I was prepared for the audition that I knew nothing about. I got on the red moto with my mom and headed off to my primary school. It was a kilometer away from my house. When I got of the moto, my mom said “Just try your best. No matter what is the result, you and me both will be satisfied.”

After a normal goodbye to my mama, I was walking with my heavy legs to a bench instead of my class because it was locked. I had my breakfast there and I thought about the last thing my mom said. I whispered lightly to myself, just try your best, Angely. You won’t ever know what is it going to be. After having my breakfast, the class door was unlocked and I went inside. I saw Nimol and Jolie holding their modern iphones. I was surprised, though when seeing such unnecessary tools like those phones on such important days like the coronation day or something like that. They said, “Auditioning is nothing. We just need a paper with all of the notes hidden from the recruitment team and that is enough to pass”. My heart sank to the bottom of the deep wild ocean after those words reached my ear. I was rubbing my ear again to make sure that what I heard was not wrong. “The three students who were selected for the audition! Run as quick as possible to the two new sixth grade classrooms over there!,” my teacher announced with a strong voice with a pointing gesture towards the classroom.

 

The first round of audition, a step towards impact

 

Nimol, Jolie and I were walking towards the classroom that our teacher pointed to. I was sitting with a girl that I had never knew before. In that moment, I could hear student’s voices, “What is the purpose of the audition?” or “What is the prize if we win?” Besides those questions, I also heard some hope. “I am definitely going to pass this ordinary audition.” Those expressions from each student had transformed the classroom to a market on a Sunday morning. All of a sudden, there were two women who were walking into the noisy classroom, one with the school uniform and the other with a neat office suit. The shorter woman with the school uniform on started to introduce the audition with a strong and serious voice “Hello Students! We are the recruitment team from Liger Learning Center that is located in Takhmao. This audition is going to determine the students who are going to get a full scholarship as the second cohort of the school. This is the one and only chance for you all in your entire life. There won’t be another opportunity in the future so you all should try your best to pass this. If you pass this audition, you will get the corresponding of $16,000 as the prize.” Everybody gazed at the teacher with awe and enthusiasm to go through the audition. On the other hand, I could notice the two teachers who were looking at each other in the funny way. Another teacher laughed gently and looked back to the students with a serious look. “If you are selected to go to study at Liger, there will be a laptop that will be given to each of you and that is a rare opportunity for students your age!” the other teacher explained with great expressions at the end. “We have different sections of tests in this first round. If you finish the sections before the time runs out, you have to wait. Do not cheat to do the other sections unless the new time has been approved.” The two teachers passed out the printed paper of tests to each students. “One, two, three, Start your first section!” There were a lot of sections for us. I felt so satisfied with all of the tests, rules and the prize.The test was as hard as lifting an elephant. I could feel the pressure throughout the test. However, I was announced as one of the students that were going to continue to round two of the audition. The intense happiness and delight suddenly poured into my mind and soul. The thrill was so great like I’ve won a million dollar jackpot or get to travel in the time machine. “All of the students that need to go the next round needs to stay here for the second round. Please be prepared.” I ran to pick my equipment from the classroom and quickly continued running to the front gate. I told my mom that I was selected as one of the students to continue to the second round.

 

The Second round of the audition, another step upon the great dream

 

The second round was approaching and I was ready. During this second round of the audition, I was engaging in a lot of the activities that the recruitment team planned for us. In those activities, there was flipping the blanket with three other students, getting to know each other by gathering names and ages with timing, fixing the lamp’s electricity, etc. During the activity sections, each student was pulled out of the activity to do the two other types of tests. There was timed reading and answering some weird questions that I have never even imagined before. First, I was required to go and sit face to face with teacher Reaksmey who was the member of the recruitment team. She picked a pretty thick book for my reading and the name was “The Economy of Cambodia” She turned to some certain marked pages and handed the book to me. She started speaking without looking into my eyes, “You may start reading when I tell you to, do you understand? ” “Yes!” I replied readily.

I started reading as fast as I could because reading fast is also one of my natural aptitudes. After I finished reading, I was required to go into the similar situation with the new teacher. He looked just like an Indian man so my mom calls him Indian teacher until now. During his section, there were a lot of unusual questions that were asked to me. “If you had a chance to invite someone for dinner, who would that person be?” Teacher Bunthan asked with a curious look to express the desire to know my answer “poor people or orphans!” I quickly answered because my mind had been stuck with a poor classmate that I wanted to help desperately. The teacher continued to ask another question“If you have a chance to go to the space, will you go? ” “Yes, of course!” I replied. Science and astronomy have always been my favorite subject at school. Exploring and solving mysteries of astronomy and outer space is a desire to me. The most memorable question to me was “If you could invent something new, what will it be?” I felt like the ideas in my mind has popped out. I was speechless for a moment. Suddenly, an amazing idea from the scenario I was looking at gave me something to speak. One of the most busiest roads in Phnom Penh with a swirl of dust transforming the road into a dusty planet. “Vacuum cleaners on street to help absorb the dust!” I answered happily. After that, he continued asking me a lot more weird questions. After all of the thrills and complex sections of this round of the audition, parents of the students came to hear the results. One of the teacher from the recruitment started speaking “ Congrats to all of you who is still here on this second round. However, only a few students are chosen for the next round of the audition. Before I announce those students, I would like to say that all of the students has done a fabulous job in this round and don’t be upset if you are not going to the next round.” Teacher Reaksmey has called out a row of students to go up to the stage. Those moments, those seconds,my heart was bleeding. I clapped and cheered with a hopeless smile. Suddenly something fascinating reached my ear that could change my feeling like pouring frost on a hot burned heart “Angely!” my soul was suddenly filled with the intense delight.   

 

The third round of audition, the last step towards my bright future

 

The last round was doing a presentation for the Country Director, and two other staff from the school. I was required to interview villagers in my community to ask them about the problems that they are facing and prepare a presentation for the third round of audition at the school. My mom told me to respect the judges as much as I can. She even taught me the way to sit and speak with the judges.

Weeks passed and the time that I was given was over. The audition day came. I was in a closed room with three judges. I felt really different since my foot stepped into the room. I did not know any of them except a Cambodian teacher that I knew from the second round of Audition. The other two men were foreigners. I did not feel really comfortable talking to them but I tried my best to do the presentation. I carried my two posters that I had prepared from home to show the three judges. Teacher Bunthan which was the teacher that I knew from the second round of the audition helped me set up the poster. After I prepared the posters, the two men that I had never known before asked me some greeting questions. That made me feel less nervous about the audition. I started my presentation in Khmer and Teacher Bunthan translated it into English. After I finished my long presentation, the judges clapped and asked me to sit down to answer some more questions. I was comfortable talking with the judges as if they were my close friends. All of the things that my mom had told me like to sit real straight and to put your legs down (she means not crossed because it seems disrespectful to Cambodian culture). I behaved naturally and answered the questions that were translated from English to Khmer one by one. Each time that the judges heard my answer translated into English, they nodded and smiled which makes me so confident talking to them. At last, I was asked by a simple question in English which was: How many years have you been studying English? I understood what they wanted to ask me but my grammar was pretty bad. I was taught only the present and past tense at school and the question I got was another form of grammar that I have never heard before. I calculated the years and quickly answered, “I study English for three years.” I tried to answer the question the way they asked me in the similar ways my teacher has taught me. The judges told me to answer the question again in the correct form. With the help of Teacher Bunthan, I could be able to answer that tough English question by repeating his words. Finally, it was the end of the presentation time. I prepared all of the posters to leave. I waved goodbye to the foreign judges and said goodbye in Khmer for my Cambodian teacher. My parents said it was so long and they were worrying a lot. However, I felt the time was passing so fast. This was my first time being in a condition like this. After all of these complex tests, I was told as one of the students who will be given a full scholarship to study and the Liger Leadership Academy. That moment when I had been informed was so fabulous I can’t even put words to describe. 

The next door to my hopeful future

In the present, this fabulous memory of the audition has been recognized and valued. It is a turning point in my life because of many reasons. After I got selected, I came to study in Liger Leadership Academy which is a unique school compared to other schools all over the world. There are great opportunities to strengthen my learning including TEDx, MUN, volunteer hours with other organizations, etc. In addition, the learning program is so unique. What have been shaping me the most are what we called Core Values and Change Agent Characteristics. Those values and memories will fold my future self as I continue my journey of life.

 

Try your best and take different opportunities as they come because you will never know what the results are. 

 

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Mini Personal Narrative

A big part of literacy is writing; In our literacy class, we have read several personal narratives and discussed about it. Most personal narratives can be written or showed in many different forms including stories, poems and songs. Most of the narratives tend to describe a memorable moment, a meaningful part of our live or something that changes the way we become who we are. It is written about someone’s part of live specifically and not about a general idea.  I have written a mini personal narrative in a poem form which describes a memorable and meaningful memory I shared with my big family on my Grandma’s birthday.   

Angely
Teacher: Hannah
9/14/2018
Literacy

My Grandma’s Birthday

The moment of joy
The moment of true happiness
Beyond the heart can feel
Beyond the brain can know
The day of sunshine and delight
The day of which everyone in the family smiled
23rd of August, 2018
My most rejoicing memory
Which I will never forget.

When the sun has done its job
Rising up upon the roof
The long tent filled with crowded people
Joining my grandma’s ceremony

Continue reading “Mini Personal Narrative”