The Swimming Lesson free essay sample

Dad said, â€Å"since the creek was not very deep we would just wade across. †Always eager to play in the cold water I agreed and followed as he walked into the creek. After just a few steps the water was up to my waist and I was starting to get nervous. Then another step or two brought the water up to my chest and I stopped and held my arms up for dad to carry me. Used to having him heed my request to be picked up any time I raised my arms, I was surprised when he took a step back and told me to â€Å"just let my feet float to the top and swim to me. Since he was only an arms length away, I laughed and did as he asked. Then surprisingly he took another step backward and told me to paddle with my hands, kick with my feet and just keep swimming. We will write a custom essay sample on The Swimming Lesson or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page He took another step backward, then another and another and before I realized what was happening I had crossed the creek. Excited, I yelled, â€Å"i can swim! I want to do it again! † And we did. I must have crossed that creek 10 or 12 times that afternoon. Dad was walking alongside, showing me how to dog paddle, then how to do an overhand stroke, float on my back and even hold my breath. That afternoon I was sure I had accomplished something great. I had to have a lot more lessons before I was allowed to swim in any water that was over my head. Learning how to swim made me love that cold water in the creek even more. Now being much older every time I have cooled off in the lake, river or pool, I have been grateful for that afternoon. I will always remember the swimming lesson dad gave me.

Information Technology vs Industrial Clusters The WritePass Journal

Information Technology vs Industrial Clusters Background and Introduction: Information Technology vs Industrial Clusters Background and Introduction:Discussion:Conclusion:  ReferencesRelated Background and Introduction: Information Technology (IT) has been an important force transforming human life on planet earth. It has changed the foundations of business, social, economic, financial, technological dimensions of human life. It has fostered the pace of life as well as changed the lifestyle and speed of human life. Now with the advent of internet, the speed of life has become an important determinant of keeping pace in different dimensions of life. The very meaning of markets and boundaries defining the markets and business domains have undergone a complete change because of the internet and fostering technological change that it brought in its wake. While corporate business world has taken full advantage of the internet, it has still I the early phases of realizing full support and potential of the internet. IT speculators suggested huge benefits from the internet which meant relocation and complete physical freedom from the customers, competitors and physical boundaries of the market which earlier defined the very limits of any industry. By early twentieth century, the markets were tended to be defined at local level, at city level and at the national levels. There was little mention of the international or global markets. This was because of limited progress achieved in the means of communications and transportations. Most markets were considered as physical definitions or definitions in terms of physical presence of the buyers and sellers. Each place where buyers and sellers could be physically present were defined as local markets. Where ever the buyers and sellers could gather together from a national scale were the national markets. The limited advancements in the means of transport and communications were a natural barrier on the market definition. Discussion: As the industrialization process grew and the means of transport and communications also grew with them. The beginning of the railways system and the telegraphs and telephone brought about some relaxations in the definition of the markets and the markets definitions also included the areas from far off here there were customers of any product or service where transport means such as railways and communication means such as telephone and telegraphs had access. Therefore the means of transport and communications have served as a key factor defining the geographical boundaries of markets. The definitions of the market boundaries has moved hand in hand with the advancements of the transportation and communications. The second half of the twentieth century has brought a technological revolution especially in the IT sector. The computer is the most fascinating invention of the twentieth century. It has transformed the speed and accuracy levels of the information processing. It has also promised and delivered transparency and merit. In the last fifty or sixty years the world has witnessed the rise of internet which has impacted the communications in an un-precedent manner. The rise of the internet has defined and redefined the basics of communications in every nook and corner of the world. The business markets and each industry and segment is deeply affected by the growth and usefulness of internet. Amongst the key benefits envisaged by the IT experts, the Internet was thought to redefine the markets as well. In several sectors such as services banking and retailing and IT, it was thought that the internet would introduce branchless services virtually eliminating the physical presence of the branches in every area of the country. But despite the wide spread use of the internet in every office and production factories and manufacturing area, it is noted that companies still prefer to be located near their competitors and outsourcers. Why? This is the primary question that we need to answer in this essay. In the conventional approach to networking, most industries in retailing services and banking followed an level headed approach with their competitors. In every area, Mcdonalds and KFC and Burger King have their outlets almost next to each other or as near as possible. Banks also tend to have their branches next to each other in every area regardless of the volume of business they can get. They go for prominence and presence as much as for their market share ion every area. The reasons are simple and straight forward. Despite the use of internet, physical presence through an outlet is thought as important as the market share and sales through that area. Secondly the most important characteristics are discussed as follows: In the banking sector concept of branchless banking was envisaged with the rise of internet. Despite after wide spread use and years of practice and websites each bank has launched and online services uploaded on their websites, the online services used by the clients, customers and banks is hindered by some plain truths. The mal practices, internet frauds, site hacking and other practices that put the online security of information under question mark, has caused clients, customers and banks to shy away from using the online services with full confidence. The use of the online services is limited and transactional volumes of the online services are still limited because of the limited trust and confidence earned by the online services because of security of online information. Most companies and clients and individual customers deem online data to be vulnerable and prone to theft. This causes the use of online services to be used in limited volume and thus limiting the concept of br anchless banking. Secondly, the traditional and conventional banking practices call for a physical presence of the ban k outlets in each area so that the customers may see and visit the bank they trust and deal with. This is owing to the fact that customers pledge their trust more with a bank physically present than with the one which has a presence only on the web. The so called ‘human element’ is still more important than the technologically advanced services such as online banking.   A modern customer does not have the luxury of time and his time is money. He wants to invest his time as much cautiously as money. He knows that if he mismanages his time, he will loose money, therefore time is money. The ebanking is an answer to many of his needs on this perspective. He can perform many of his jobs and day to day banking activities which ate into his precious time, He can deal with all financial activities by means of ebanking. A modern customer is an ebanker. He prefers not to visit a bank branch as long as he can meet his banking need via one of the available ebanking means and ways. Therefore, ebanking is considered as an answer to many of the problems of the customer of modern day baking market. â€Å"Challenges remain even in Latin America. In locations not served by banks most users open an account primarily to access welfare payments, or because their employer deposits their salary directly into their account. Apart from withdrawals, the most frequent use of the accounts is for making utility bill payments.† http://economictimes.indiatimes.com â€Å"The power of cellular phones has been tremendous in the country, and the branchless banking program would target cell phone users with little or no access to banks, he said.†(www.thejakartapost-banking-start-bali.html) Telebanking is also considered as part of the internet banking. In the telebanking services by dialing the given Telebanking number from anywhere, the customer can access their accounts and by following the user-friendly menu, entire banking set up can be conducted through Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system which is purpose built and designed to serve the customer. There are sufficient numbers of hunting lines available with this system and the customer calls never fail or go un attended. The system is built around in several local languages and acts to the usage ability of the customer. The modern day organization is highly interactive and dependent on the ebanking services. The accounts department is functional on ebanking system and it can check its daily cash balance and issue checks and make payments and transfer the funds through ebanking and tele-banking services alone. It saves on the time and effort of the organisation. Branchless Banking has potential as stated by Time s of India â€Å"Branchless banking has a huge potential to reach the unbanked and underserved segment of the population, he said and added that the branchless banking certainly will help people to take better advantage of the banking facilities at affordable cost† (http://timesofpakistan.pk) The cultural factors that tie and define business values for a specific locality also define the brand equity and market share in specific pockets of a market forcing companies to locate themselves in each area close to their competitors and outsourcers. This forces most banks and retailing companies like Mc donalds, KFC, Burgar King to stretch out and make their branches available in the local vicinity of their competitors. If a competitor in retailing will have an outlet in one area, he may well get the touch and feel of the local buyers more intimate touch and feel of the local buyers. He can respond to their needs more sharply and meaningfully than if he is not there. Same goes for the banking sector as well. Each branch manager has to perform as part of his duties a heavy job of personal banking and personal relation building with his clients in each pocket of the market to make its customers feel at home with their bank. â€Å"  Branchless banking is very useful and helpful in both urban and rural areas† states (http://telecomnewspk.com) With the rise of IT and internet services, the cluster formation or geographical concentration of competing companies is maintained because of the customers increasing demand for ‘Customization‘ in the products and services areas.   This forces most companies to locate themselves close to their competitors so that they may learn about the local taste and preferences. Each retailing outlets tries to serve the customers in a customized fashion in terms of local taste and preferences. Same is true for the banking sector as well. Most banks open their branches close to their competitors because they want to make sure that they meet the needs of their customers in a superior fashion to their competitors. With the rise of IT and internet services, the cluster formation or geographical concentration of industrial units is maintained because of the production economies and tax holidays offered by certain states. The competitors tend to have their industrial units in the same areas because they want to keep pace with the tax holidays that are earned by their competitors. It affects their cost of production and thus the cost of sales of their products and service. Therefore, the competing companies tend to locate themselves close to their competitors and outsourcers as it may be caused by the tax benefits and tax holidays earned by the companies in certain industries. This leads to the cluster formation or geographical concentration of industrial units despite the widespread used of the internet and IT services. With the rise of IT and internet services, the cluster formation or geographical concentration of industrial units is maintained because of the fact that many companies tend to maintain their outreach to the market and access-to-market at the same level as their competitors’. This factor is important in the case of many products and services such as foam and bedding industry which is a heavy produce to carry and it needs to be located near the market and thus in order to maintain a competitive edge with the competitors on ‘outreach’ to the market, the companies tend to locate their industrial units close to their competitors. This is also why with the rise of IT and internet services, the cluster formation or geographical concentration of industrial units is still maintained. The cost of transportation as part of production cost is an important determinant of the choice of location for companies for their industrial units. Companies tend to locate their industrial units near their competitors because they want their transportation cost to be the same as of their competitors.   This is also a reason why despite the rise of IT and internet services, the cluster formation or geographical concentration of industrial units is still maintained. Companies tend to locate themselves close their competitors because of the fact that they want to maintain their edge with their competitors in terms of getting the market feedback. They want to maintain an equal closeness and proximity to their clients or customer base or target market with their competitors and ear the title of caring and respect for the customer in the eyes of the customers. Therefore even with the rise of IT and internet services, the tendencies of concentration of industrial units is still maintained.   Industrial clusters develop â€Å"Industrial clusters develop in places where a business can develop links with other firms (and universities, government bodies and so on) to boost its performance† (cogentsi.com) Lastly, companies tend to locate themselves close their competitors because they want to conduct market intelligence and collect information about their competitors activities and utilize that information in their business plans. This leads to industrial clusters and concentration of industrial clusters within geographical areas, despite the increasing use of information technology and internet services. In so doing companies maintain their edge with their competitors in terms of market intelligence. They want to maintain a close eye on their competitors and thus even with the rise of IT and internet services, the tendencies of concentration of industrial units is still maintained. Conclusion: From the foregoing discussion, it is difficult to escape the conclusion that despite the rise of internet and wider spread use of information technology, companies tend to concentrate their locations within close geographical locations. The use of internet and information technology has certainly increased the efficiency and functional performance of the companies at a mass level, the potential benefits accruing from branch-less services and reducing the geographical concentration are still far from reality.   Most of the companies tend to be located near their competitors and the outsourcers because of the cost advantages and strategic reasons that hold, sway and largely dictate the strategic decisions of companies such as locating industrial units.   References http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/opinion/branchless-banking-in-india/articleshow/3386737.cms thejakartapost.com/news/2011/03/01/branchless-banking-start-bali.html http://timesofpakistan.pk/business/2011-01-21/branchless-banking-is-future-of-financial-sector-shahid-kardar/22094/ cogentsi.com/industrial-clusters.htm http://telecomnewspk.com/2011/03/formal-branchless-banking-in-pakistan/ http://mobile-financial.com/node/14211/Marketing-Branchless-Banking

Blaming Khrushchev for the Cuban Missile Crisis Is Wrong

Blaming khrushchev for the Cuban missile crisis is wrong, for it is kennedy who precipitated the crisis and no one else. Cuban missile crisis does not consist only the placement of missiles in cuba , but also the things before it, cubas nationalization of industries ,like the bop, the embargoes , the soviet giving of aid to ussr, Subject: outbreak / origins of the Cuban missile crisis Focus: role of superpower involvement Timeframe : 1959 to 1962 Keyterms to note: precipitation of crisis Arguments 1. Khrushchev was to be blamed as well as kennedy 2. Only krushchev should be blamed The personalities of who was to be blamed for the Cuban missile crisis can be traced as one looks at the events in th1950s which led to Cubas deteriorating relations with the USA and its subsequent alignment with the USSR, which led to the placement of missiles in Cuba and the consequent tensions that followed. This relations has its origins in the quest for self interest by newly elected leader, Fido Castro, as while as search for national security by both superpowers from the tension passed down from the cold war in Europe ( qualify). Kennedys search for national security precipitated the crisis when his search translated into actions that directly went against Cuba and pushed Cuba away from the US and into support of the USSR. Kennedy failed to consider that Castros intention to establishing diplomatic relations with the USSR was not to antagonize the US or threaten its national security but mostly for economic benefits. ( the US had earlier refused to grant a loan to Cuba and there were continuing disputes over American property in Cuba). This failure to interpret events correctly led US on its intense quest for national security by instituting economic embargoes on Cuba and direct intervention as seen in the Bay of Pigs invasion. However, such actions were needlessly aggressive for its national security was not threatened in the first place. This however caused a deep rift in the US-soviet relations which was an opportunity for USSR to gain a foothold in the Caribbean ; and thus allowed the opportunity for issiles to be placed on Cuba and arising to the tensions that followed. Khrushchev had a part to play in the Cuba missile crisis as well because his action of giving aid to Cuba, a traditional backyard of the USSR, further fuelled the already intense mistrust the US had of the USSR; eventually cumulating in the Cuban missile crisis, leaving Cuba on the edge of brinkmanship. The role of Castro in starting economic reforms directly affecting American industries also contributed to the US suspicions in the crisis. His actions of turning to the USSR for economic aid ( even though he was not communist) also reinforced US perceptions, and his final agreement for missiles to be placed in Cuba (although he knew the implications of doing so) was the ultimate trigger for USs knee-jerk response and the subsequent tensions that followed. Kennedys misinterpretation of Castros actions ( aligning close to the USSR)-as threatening its national security- stemmed from his perception of monolithic communist aggression and the loss of china to communism. communism expousedeventual showdown and triumph over capitalism. Communism has already extended to parts outside Europe such as China, and as such national insecurity has grown; thus the need to safeguard their national security. This misinterpretation of Castros actions , coupled with Kennedys inexperience in dealing with world affairs, caused the US to embark on its quest for national security through economic embargoes on Cuba the initial bay of pigs as a direct intervention . However, such actions were needlessly aggressive for its national security was not threatened in the first place when castros intentions were for economic benefits rather than to deliberately antagonize the US. Furthermore, due to his inexperience,Instead of turning to diplomatic action, kennedy set on the institution of a military solution (With the aim was to oust Castro from power and to reverse the effects of the reforms) caused Castros fear of more direct American intervention ( demonstrated by the case of Guatamalan) and the desire for military protection in anticipation of it and to seek protection from future efforts to unseat his revolution. This further motivated Castros shift to the USSR and his subsequent nationalizing of American owned industries, banks, etc, which created the conditions for the Cuban missile crisis to happen. Castros shift to the USSR directly coincided with Khrushchevs quest for a successful foreign policy and need to address nuclear strategic imbalance. Khrushchevs search for USSRs national security could be traced from the need to spread the Solidarity movement worldwide, to extend communist zeal into Cuba so that there would be countries supporting USSR and its line of communism. his need aroused due to events like the humiliation of the Berlin wall and the failed ultimatum over berlin, where the credibility of krushchev (in narrow terms) and Khrushchev( in broad terms) was lost. Krushchev also believed that it was right for soviets to extend their influence into the backyard of the us since the US has extended their influence in Europe. khrushchevwas aware of the weakness of Soviet weakness in terms of the number of nuclear warheads and missiles. Given the weakness of Soviet nuclear capability , placing missiles on cuba could be a quick solution to addressing the strategic imbalance. Khrushchev also had an overtly simplistic view that he must return the same medicine the us had been administering in turkey with the jupiter and thor missiles. thus his action of sending missiles to Cuba. However, the US did not see developments in the way that the USSR did. The US saw the placement of missiles as a provocative and aggressive threat to US security, given that the Soviet missiles could reach major US cities on the eastern coast. The fact that the US had seen Soviet tendencies to lead to aggression against the capitalists from the soviet testing of the atomic bomb, the collaboration with stalin during the nazi soviet pact, and the confrontational Berlin Blockade led the US to think that not only was Cuba turning communist ( that the USSR had indeed extended her sphere of influence and Cuba was a breeding ground for states hostile to the US, followed by states within Latin america), but the placement of missiles would mean a high probability of a pre-emptive first strike from the USSR . Put together with the fact that any changes with the political status qup (with US as a leading political power) would severely undermine the credibility of kennedy and america, and how the US was not prepared to forsake economic interests in Latin America where western Europe can overcome its dollar shortage and pursue economic revival, atop of its search for national security, the uss response was to choose a quarantine. alsothey to produce plans for an American invasion of Cuba and put all American bases around the world on high alert with the expectation that an American nvasion of cuba would provoke a soviet response in Europe. This equated to the intensification of the nuclear arms race when clearly it was dangerous; and led the countries to be on the edge of mutually assured destruction. as it reached crisis level It threatened the existence of the entire world. While it is undeniable that the issue that kickstarted the intensification of the nuclear arms was the soviet placem ent of missiles in cuba, it should be noted that both superpowers played a part in their quest for national security and self-interest. Kennedys perception of monolithic communist aggression led it to its attempts to try to cripple Cuba to prevent it from posing any threat to the US national security through the institution of actions that were needlessly hostile towards Cuba, causing it to turn to the USSR. This granted the USSR the opportunity to place its missiles there to address nuclear strategic parity and to spread the zeal of communism to safeguard its national security; which was again viewed as aggression by the US. This led to the oncoming of the Cuban missile crisis, where the nuclear arms race threatened the existence of the entire world.

The Coming Anarchy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Coming Anarchy - Essay Example Kaplan argues that all these developments which are a result of natural resource scarcity and overpopulation will lead to a global anarchy where war and crime are indistinguishable. Kaplan cites loss of power of central governments, political borders becoming obsolete and transfer of power to security firms and private armies as the reason for the rise of global anarchy (Kaplan, 1994). Kaplan’s thesis of the coming anarchy has great support not only from other scholars and experts in the field but also from general public and political community. The support for the thesis mainly rises by the fact that it has been very accurate in predicting the current events in Africa. Also it has been praised for its broad range of reasoning and thought provoking style. The thesis is not free of criticism. It has attracted a lot of criticism for its unscholarly presentation and unprofessional approach. It is argued that there are many flaws in the argument along with poor interpretation of the findings and methodological errors. This paper is an argumentative essay that refutes the claim that resource scarcity will lead to anarchy. The supporters of the thesis believe in it for the logical explanation that is used to prove it. The environmental scarcity of resources which is due to increased demand as a result of overpopulation, degradation of resources, unequal distribution, etc will result in civil violence. Ecological marginalisation and resource capture will be the causes behind civil violence and this in turn will lead to social effects such as migration, legitimate institutes become disrupted and agricultural production is constrained (Barbier & Homer-Dixon, 1996). The supporters agree with the end result of these will be the one predicted in â€Å"The Coming Anarchy†. Further explanation is that convinces many of its supporters is that as scarcity of natural resources

Bib 8 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Bib 8 - Essay Example According to the Acts, Peter had to flee from Jerusalem after the threats of persecution by King Agrippa and spent his time henceforth traveling and building churches all over. There is mention of Peter returning to the church in Jerusalem later but not much account has been given of him other than that in the Acts. Peter’s writings indicate that he was on missionary work in the areas of Asia Minor and also in Rome, working with Mark to translate his experiences with Christ and document the teachings and history (Niswonger, 1992). Peter’s ministry was mainly to the Jews. Peter’s First Epistle was written from Rome and addressed to people in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia (Barlee, 1837). The issues raised by Peter mainly comprised the church persecution. Also, Peter detailed his own understanding of apostolic ethic. Peter’s second letter was addressed presumably to the same churches but the topic under discussion was the false teachers in the church. In the final years of his life, Paul saw the killing of his wife, was thrown into the Mamertine prison where he converted his jailers, was subjected to immense torture and was killed in 67AD by Nero (McBirnie). According to the Galatians, apostle John was in Jerusalem in the about 49AD where he rose to a position of great influence in Christianity; shortly after the Roman destruction of Jerusalem, he moved to Ephesus (McBirnie) and stayed till his last years as a leader in the Ephesians church (Niswonger). Here under the Roman king’s decision, John was exiled to an island called Patmos where he was presented with the sacred book of Revelation and he recorded the events in New Testament book of Revelation (McBirnie) along with John’s letters. John addresses the people as the pastor and the apostle in a very personal manner and refers to himself as the ‘elder’. The main subject

Gaining from Detective Work in Oedipus the King and A Scandal in Bohemi

A detective story is a genre of fiction in which a person attempts to solve a crime. The detective may be a professional or an amateur, and generally has nothing to gain from solving the crime. However in Sophocles’ â€Å"Oedipus the King†, the main character Oedipus is not only determined to solve a crime, but he is also in pursuit to find his own identity. This is similar to Arthur Conan Doyle’s â€Å"A Scandal in Bohemia† where Sherlock Holmes has been hired to work as a detective in return for monetary compensation. Both situations enable Oedipus and Sherlock to gain from unraveling the mysteries that sweep their towns hence making these stories different from most detective stories. Few people think of detective work in regard to â€Å"Oedipus the King†, but this play builds on riddles solved, and unsolved, making it to be a mystery. Oedipus starts out as an optimistic individual who is in charge of a cold case proclaiming that he is going to solve the mystery of the murder of King Laius, in order to life the plague from his city Thebes. The people of Thebes look up to and Oedipus for solving the Sphinx riddle, â€Å"You freed us from the Sphinx; you came to Thebes and cut us loose from the bloody tribute we had paid that harsh, brutal singer. We taught you nothing, no skill, no extra knowledge, still you triumphed (Sophocles 44-47). The people believe in him without any prior knowledge of him. When he first hears of the murder, Oedipus immediately takes on the role as a detective when he hears â€Å"where shall we find clue to solve that crime after so many years† (Sophocles). The Oracle at Delphi tells Oedipus that the plague will be lift ed if Thebes banished the man who killed Laius (Sophocles 74, line 350). In the beginning Oedipu... ...pensation for his services, but he receives much more, he learns never to under estimate the power and wit of a woman. The label engages the reader to into the literature in order to piece the clues together to form and understanding of the story. When the reader gets all the clues they realize that these two stories go against the typical form of a detective story, because of the fact that they both gained from solving the crimes. Oedipus was able to benefit from solving the crime in that he was able to lift the plague from Thebes, save the people and find out his true identity. Although the answers didn’t necessarily benefit Oedipus in his favor they helped the city return to a state of normalcy. Holmes may have been beaten by a woman’s wit, he solved the mystery of â€Å"A Scandal in Bohemia† received a monetary compensation as well as learned a life lesson.

Caroline O’Kane Essay

Social class is often judged upon by the following criteria; money, possessions, and ranking. In our society today, so much of our life is focused on social ranking. There are those who actively try to climb the social ladder while there are others simply who seem to be at the highest status. In Westport, it seems that most people are privileged in some way. I’ve grown up being on the soccer team, traveling on vacations to Arizona, the Caribbean, and London, never giving much thought to social class. These activities and gifts are just part of my life. However, over the last few years, I have come to realize that there are people who do not have these privileges. That is when I began noticing different social classes. I am part of the National Charity League, a Mother / Daughter organization formed to do charity work throughout Fairfield County to benefit others who don’t have as much as we do. We make dinner for the Gillespie Center, babysit at Bacharach Houses, homes owned by the town to help educate women with children, and so much more. However, out of all the philanthropies that I have been a part of throughout the years, the most influential experience for me has been tutoring children at the Caroline House in Bridgeport. After traveling a mere 7 exits on I-95 from Westport, one finds Bridgeport, Connecticut, a town so vastly different from Westport yet so close. Houses are packed elbow to elbow, each only spanning one room wide. There are no bright colors painting the houses, if there is any paint at all. A few blocks off the highway is a â€Å"home† called the Caroline House. Children and adults come daily to learn, play, and have a safe haven. With the National Charity League we are given the opportunity to help teach elementary and middle school students. Over the summer I chose to tutor at the Caroline House. Seeing the kids show up at 9 o’clock each and every day ready to learn made me very proud to see young students with such a desire to learn, willing to give up their summer days to read, write, and practice math facts. After a few hours of learning in the morning, there would be snack and a recess break. As Sister Anne, a nun who runs the house, would give goldfish out, all the kids would take them eagerly and eat them as if they hadn’t had a similar bag just the day before. The protection they showed for what was given to them stood out to me after seeing the kids in both the Coleytown and Staples Cafeterias. Westport kids often buy a bag of goldfish  to then leave it on the table, let others take a few, and when they feel satisfied throw away the remains. At Caroline House the kids ate every last fish, knowing their next snack might not be until the same time the next day. During the same snack break, we opened the doors to go outside. The boys run ran around laughing and playing wallwith a ball as the girls played with chalk, making fancy creations of butterflies on the pavement. I clearly remember one girl sitting on the Little Tikes slide she had outgrown. She wore a homemade tie-dye shirt with jean shorts that were one size too big, with her skinny legs hanging out over the side of the slide. Blue, green, and yellow friendship bracelets ran up the length of her arm. Her big brown eyes were burrowed into the crease of her Magic Tree House book, glancing left and right though the words. , â€Å"reading† a Magic Tree House book. Upon walking over and asking what her book was about she replied saying she did not know, but she really wished she knew how to read the text.. This It especially touched me to see seeing a little girl holding a book, that inside of which existed its pages held an entire world that she wanted to join. Throughout my entire elementary school education, I dreaded my 30 minutes of reading each night because I would much rather have been able to gogone outside and to bounce on the trampoline. I am glad my mMom made me stick with reading, often reading with me to help encourage me. RAs reading soon became almost second nature since we, after learn iting at such a young age as we do in the Westport school system., Wwe have fortunately never had to known what it is like not being able to explore the various worlds that books have to offertake us to. I am happy to try and instill the same in the children of Caroline House. After that conversation, I made it my project to teach this girl how to read. I felt compassion for her when she got frustrated, and I also felt proud of her for wanting to learn, especially in an environment where learning is not as much of a priority as it is here. Looking back, today and everyday I am thankful for the strong education values and system along with the unconditional support from my family and teachers. I look back and see a younger version of myself and I don’t think at the time I understood the gift of reading that I was trying to give back to this little girl at the Caroline House. I try to remember each day to be appreciative of everything I have; I now know there is always someone that needs more than I ever will. It makes me realize that the  children at the Caroline House are even lucky compared to others in America, and the world as a whole. This experience has taught me to try my hardest to be as nonjudgmental as I have come to realize that no matter who we are, some of us have more and some of us have less but should that define us as people? The Caroline House in Bridgeport introduced me into a whole new life, that of children, some close to my own age, who lived a life so different than mine and anyone that I know, just 10 short miles up the road. I personally try to remember each day all the privileges we have and often take for granted. The most basic routines in our day to day in life are the things that can change peoples lives in ways that you would never understand unless you stepped into their lives. Despite my fortunate reality that I have grown so used to, I was brought into a world where I was surrounded by different people showing me a different class, making me vigilant to help even in the smallest ways to improve their future. I am grateful for this opportunity because as much as I teach the children of Caroline house, they teach me.