As I held my father's hands one night, I couldn't help but notice their calluses (老茧) and roughness. His hands tell the story of his life as a1, including all his struggles.

    One summer, I remember, a drought (旱灾) hit Ontario, turning it into a2desert. On one of those hot mornings I was picking sweet corn with my dad to fill the last3from the grocery shore. Fifty dozen was all we needed, which4took twenty minutes. That morning, however, the process didn't5quickly. After forty minutes of aimlessly walking in the field, we6needed twenty dozen. I was completely frustrated and7. Dropping the basket heavily, I declared, “If the store wants its last twenty dozen, they can pick it themselves!” Dad8“Just think, my little girl, only ten dozen left for each of us and then we're9. ” Such is Dad—whatever problem he10he never gives up.

    11the disastrous effects of the drought were felt all over our country. It was a challenging time for everyone,12Dad remained optimistic. He13to be grateful for other things like good health and food on our plates. Only then did I truly begin to14Dad and his faith guided us through the hard times.

    Dad is also a living example of real15From dawn to dark, he works countless hours to16our family. He always puts our happiness17his own, and never fails to cheer me on at my sports games18his exhaustion after long days. His loving and selfless nature has inspired me to become more sympathetic and19, putting others first.

    Dad, the life20I have learned from you will stay with me forever. You are my father, teacher, friend and, most importantly, my hero.

    During the early 1980s, I was a sales manager for a large training company. One of my 1 was to train people on how to sell. I taught people that lack of time and opportunity were only excuses for not producing 2.

    My mother is a Greek immigrant with 3 formal education. Her high point of each week was Sunday when she 4 take an hour-long bus ride to church, where she and her friends would 5 and exchange gossip and stories of their families.

    When the committee members decided to 6 money for a new Greek church, my mother jumped at the chance to 7. Her plan was simple: talk to as many people as possible about buying tickets and make them feel 8 if they didn't.

    That was 9 I came into the picture. She said I was a big shot and gave me ten booklets of ten tickets, each one worth one dollar, 10 up to a total of $100. A week later, I showed up with the 11 half. "I simply didn't have the time." I 12 to my mother.

    "You either do something or you have all the 13 why not," my mother shot back and started to cry. I was 14 and quickly agreed to buy the rest of my tickets myself. She stopped crying 15 and said, "When you want something, then you do 16 it takes to get the job done, even cry." With a 17 she said, "I knew that crying would work with you, and for being so sad with your excuses, here are ten more books." As a sales manager, I paled by 18. It 19 that my mother sold 7,000 tickets, 200 ahead of the second.

    I learned a new level of distinction between 20 and results. Soon afterwards, I quit my job and started my own business, training people in time management.

I was working as a lifeguard at Tower 15 on Newport and two blocks to my right was another guard named Mike, working at Tower 17. He called me over the phone and said, “Hey, I have 1 two kids who are swimming in the dangerous zone. I have to give them a warning. Keep an eye on us.” I said “Sure.” In case of 2, anytime we got out of our tower, we were supposed to 3 somebody else.

Mike hung up the phone and 4 the lifebuoy(救生圈). Then he realized that these two kids had been 5and that there was a great tendency for them to be 6 by the wave. 7, Mike rushed toward the ocean. I 8 the water and all I found was two small heads. The mother of the two kids knelt(跪) down on the beach with 9 .

    When I dropped my binoculars(望远镜) and reached the mother, Mike was in waist-deep water, 10 the two kids. I turned to the mum and said, “Hey, it's OK. They are safe.” I saw the terror started to 11. Then she glanced back and got her first good look at Mike. A new kind of 12 washed over her face as though there was another threat to her kids' lives. She snatch(抢) her kids without 13 .

    Mike had some seemingly 14behavior, and his shaved head showed a scar(伤疤). Maybe he had no 15 manners, but his lifesaving ability 16 his unsatisfactory skills in PR(public relation). In the mother's 17 , Mike was a really terrible guy. However, that couldn't change the fact that he had just18her kids.

    Mike just glanced at me and smiled. As I jogged back to my tower, I promised myself I'd never let my own 19 prevent me from 20 a hero when I meet one.

Be a Traveler, not a Tourist

    Last summer, I had just enough money saved to buy a golden ticket—a 3-month train pass that would take me to the furthest reaches of Europe. Excited for my journey, I packed all the necessities —except the 1.

    While the convenience of the Internet was definitely a contributing factor to my 2 not to take with me the few expensive kilograms of out-of-date information, this was not the only reason why I decided to fly alone.

    To be honest, my main 3 with the guidebook is that I find it 4 the pleasure of a journey—like bossy aunt who is always telling you what to do, 5 she doesn't always know what is the best.

    Experience has taught me that there is an obvious 6 between a tourist and traveler.

    While waiting in a queue, I met a man who had a checklist. He showed me his list of “Top 20 Things To Do in Italy” and 7 off in a loud American accent that he'd seen everything Italy has to offer in just four days.

    The problem I had with this man's 8 to travelling was that he was too 9 information provided by his guidebook. He was lost in the 10 attractiveness of the “must-sees” and 11 to all the wonders and adventures that might happen during the 12 trip.

    So, 13 any guidebook, I traveled to Estonia, the tiny Baltic country bordering Russia. In the 14 of advance plans as guidebooks would suggest, I had no choice but to turn to some friendly faces for advice. I 15 myself first and then asked them what was happening around the town. When this  16 an invitation to a beautiful Estonian home by a river where I 17 a 110-degree wood-stove sauna, 18 picked forest-mushrooms and the good 19 of our five newfound Estonian friends, I was most glad that I had left my “bossy 20” at home.

    Growing up in Kenya was amazing because I learned so much, though the poverty and lack of resources were sometimes frustrating. I knew I didn't have much, but I was 1.

    There was only one thing I wasn't happy with: 2. I wanted to go to high school and university. I had the drive, the will and the grades, 3 I didn't have the resources. Even 4 things like food, water and shelter weren't readily available. Young people in poverty have little or no 5 to high schools and universities. Where I lived, it was challenging 6 someone helped. When I left primary school, I was in the same 7 as many other poor disadvantaged youth. 8, during that year, a charitable high school for girls, Starehe Girls Centre, was 9 and I received a scholarship. Today, I am 10 record as being the first student to be enrolled in this school.

    In 2006, my school 11 The Global Give Back Circle, a not-for-profit organization for 12 disadvantaged girls to complete their education and gain 13 skills. After graduating from high school, I was given access to a nine-month IT course. 14, its give-back attitude had taught us to not only care about ourselves but other people. With this in mind, 10 of us created a website called "Hey Sister, Get Clued-Up". Through this educational website, aimed at networking 10,000 African 15 worldwide, all Sisters commit to sending information to their villages. This can be to 16 financial freedom, advance information17 to health issues and provide knowledge about social networking behavior.

    "Hey Sister  Get Clued-Up" is only 18 to those girls who can access the Internet, which highlights the huge challenge in 19 the divide between the haves and have-nots. But our plan is that these girls will 20 what they learn to other girls through "the power of their voice".

    Last year at the weekly classes of Eastside Academic Studies, I met some people with the whole responsibility for teaching and working. They cared deeply for the 1 of their students. One of them was the English teacher, Mrs. Roos, who taught me AP Language and Composition.

    I was first 2 with the fact her teaching would not be cookie-cutter (俗套的) style and 3 day after day. She was smart. She did not expect to teach 4 as if we were mass-produced products required to pass a certain 5. She thought we were the individuals that were in the 6 of being built for the future we would face. She spent time in knowing us 7.

    At the same time, every 8, I could see, was thoroughly investigated and analyze, so that she could give us high-quality comments and 9 proposals. In her opinion, her 10 didn't stop at the end of the school year; it stopped at the end of her students' 11. Thus, she did her work seriously.

    Mrs. Roos was not the one to give an easy A. Yet that was the work she 12 us to do. She was looking for right 13 inside of us. Additionally, she was more than willing to present a Plan B when a student needed her help, and willing to spend time outside of the 14 class when we couldn't finish the once-a-week 15.

    Because she was absolutely 16 with her students, I thought it made her 17. However, by 18 what she liked through stories and opinions in our class conversation, she 19 us. She cared for us. I summed it up like this: She gave her best to her students and I 20 the teacher like her!