1 . A wise teacher once told me that every teenager needs to experience a not-so-fun first job from working at a grocery store to the fast food industry.

Now I still remember my first day at a fast food restaurant three years ago. I wanted to save up money and buy my own car, so I applied everywhere I could that summer. The restaurant called me right away and I thought to myself, this is going to be easy. Within four hours of my first shift, and I heard the words that no 16-year-old boy or anyone for that matter wants to hear “Mike, there’s a problem in the men’s bathroom and you might want gloves for this one.” I realized right away that working at the restaurant was not going to be a picnic. The manager expected a clean environment and particularly fast service with a friendly smile. 

Over three years later I still work at that restaurant whenever I go home during vacations. I love my co-workers there and all the customers know who I am. Every morning the same senior citizens come in and get their morning coffees. They chat with us workers and joke around. Our smiles have just as much to do with them making us a part of their everyday lives as the coffee does.

From my first job at the restaurant, I learned team work and devotion. I also learned staying positive no matter how rough things seem to get. I will forever carry the experience that I gained at the restaurant with me as I go forward in my life.

2 . I was living in Delta in 2015. There was a man, Boniface, who owned a store which I’d often visited. Gradually we became friends. One day, we talked about the business opportunities in our country at that time, and during the communication, I found the most practical one was starting a barrow (手推车) rental business. Then we had some in-depth exchanges of views on it, and both of us thought there was a strong possibility of succeeding. So we went into the business.

We started as a small business with 6 barrows. The barrow-men gave us 51 cents per day for renting the barrows. It seemed small but later grew and made our life better. But we didn’t stop there. That was because when we first started our business our aim wasn’t only to make money. The most valuable thing for us is to touch others’ lives positively.

In Nigeria, being a barrow pusher is not a very attractive job. But for people who were poor farmers or young people without jobs, wheelbarrow pushing helps them make a living. It doesn’t require much skill. With hard work and vigor, a person can make money daily.

We saw the meaning of this business and then decided to spend money and resources on re-branding barrows. We gave each barrow-man a branded T-shirt to show they belonged to a good brand. We also held small classes for them to educate them on how to make their barrows better transporters and how to be extra polite to people so as to build up a good reputation. We marketed them as polite and excellent pushers to attract more customers. These methods worked. They started getting more jobs and earned more. And a number of them even saved up enough to start businesses of their own.

Today, that little business made us millionaires while hiring over 20 people and touching their lives positively. Over 20 families are fed because two Nigerians decided, despite all the difficulties, to do something.

3 . Community Development Projects Overseas

The aim of Community Development Projects abroad in Temple Conservation, DIY and more is to improve poorer local communities. You can do them as part of your work experience, gap year or career break, or just as a volunteering holiday.

South Africa

Time: 1st, March — 31st, May 2024

Registration fee: $65

Maintenance/Handyman/DIY skills, this project would love to have you! The project is truly unique. You will assist an Animal Rehabilitation Center that desperately needs any help it can get and you will be benefiting the animals at the same time! And, of course, the location is very unusual. And finally, conservation are lovely people to work with!

Sri Lanka

Time: 1st, May — 31st, July 2024

Registration fee: Free

Buddhist Temple Repair and Construction, Project in Kandy

Rebuild and repair Buddhist temple in and around Kandy. This unique and fascinating project offers an opportunity to learn about Sri Lankan construction using traditional manual methods, without using modern machines.

Work includes construction, repairing temples, cleaning in and around temples, interacting with children and villagers and helping the Temples arrange Community Centers for the village youths. You will also assist with the repair of paintings and sculptures inside the temples.

Zimbabwe

Time: 1st, October — 31st, December, 2024

Registration fee: $120

Community Healthcare and Medical Project in Gweru gain basic medical experience in local clinics and play a role in HIV/AIDS education and awareness. You will be able to get involved in not only this clinic but others in the nearby area as well. You do not need to be qualified in any particular area. You will work with children from the ages of 3 to 6 years. It is a very worthwhile, enjoyable placement.

“Every life is a boat, the dream is the boat sail.” Every child has a dream of what they want to be. When Renee Butts was little, her dream was to become a volunteer firefighter because her father was one. Sadly, when she was 14, her beloved father died and she was never able to do volunteer work with him. However, Renee’s story didn’t end there. She was determined and never gave up, which makes for a good firefighter.

Now Renee is a member of the Carmel Fire Department, where she is required to be an Emergency Medical Technician. She should also be ready to deal with any emergency, like fighting a fire, dealing with a car accident or helping someone who’s sick. Sometimes she is in the driver’s seat or using the water pump. Renee works nine to eleven days a month on 24-hour shifts. She also has a family to care for, as her husband is also a busy firefighter. Dealing with housework and working so much can show her great determination.

When I asked Renee what the best part of her job was, she replied, “Helping people and saving lives.” I think that shows signs of being a true hero. She’s always willing to do anything for anyone in need. Renee says that her job is frightening at times, but extremely exciting. “The worst part of my job is that I see death. Actually, sometimes people die in the accident, for which I am very sorry.” With 140 people in her station, Renee is one of the only three women, but that doesn’t bother her. She says everyone can get a fair shot and do the same jobs.

I was inspired by this because I knew I would be very scared to do her job and didn’t know if I could handle seeing people die. We would never live without people like her who have the courage to risk their lives. Renee’s determination rubs off on me and makes me believe that I can do anything.

7 . Few 17-year-old girls know how to weld (焊接)two metal pipes together. I have learned this skill in the past five years as a(n) ________ for my father’s personal plumbing (管道装置) business. This summer job often needs to deal with the mess that causes physical and mental ________ , and, to some extent,   ________ a tough and elegant attitude. It is often difficult to cope with. But I ________

Every morning, I have to put on a pair of men’s jeans. Most of my peers are ________ to wear it in public. I ________ tied my hair when I rushed out of the house, and ________ into the front passenger seat of the plumber’s construction vehicle.

When my peers were part-time babysitters or lifeguards, I was helping my father in the dirty bathroom or the ________ basement. Thick dust   ________ my nose and mouth, and my hands became black. There is nothing beautiful and neat; everything in front of you is ________ .

Honestly speaking, I felt ________, discouraged and unable to think hard. Pipe work is a tough job, and I sometimes hate it. I asked myself why I had to ________these dust and sweat. I can even find another job, a ________ job more like my peers. ________ , just like I hate messy pipes, I also hate being affected by these little ________   emotions. After all, the world is built by people who are willing to get their hands________ . Life is a process of ________ chaos and learning to clean up, and pipeline work is no ________.

My dad and I not only create chaos, we also create ________. When customers are ________for our work, I understand that we have brought order to their lives in small places. The physical and mental discomfort of plumbing work is worth it.

8 . Job for You!

9 . That cold January night, I was growing sick of my life in San Francisco. There I was, walking home at one in the morning after a tiring practice at the theater. With opening night only a week away, I was still learning my lines. I was having trouble dealing with my part-time job at the bank and my acting at night at the same time. As I walked, I thought seriously about giving up both acting and San Francisco. City life had become too much for me.

As I walked down empty streets under tall buildings, I felt very small and cold. I began running, both to keep warm and to keep away from any possible robbers. Very few people were still out except a few sad-looking homeless people under blankets.

About a block from my apartment, I heard a sound behind me. I turned quickly, half expecting to see someone with a knife or a gun. The street was empty. All I saw was a shining streetlight. Still, the noise had made me nervous, so I started to run faster. Not until I reached my apartment building and unlocked the door did I realize what the noise had been. It had been my wallet falling to the sidewalk.

Suddenly I wasn’t cold or tired anymore. I ran out of the door and back to where I’d heard the noise. Although I searched the sidewalk anxiously for fifteen minutes, my wallet was nowhere to be found.

Just as I was about to give up the search, I heard the garbage truck pulled up to the sidewalk next to me. When a voice called from the inside, “Alisa Camacho?” I thought I was dreaming. How could this man know my name? The door opened, and out jumped a small red-haired man with an amused look in his eyes: “Is this what you’re looking for?” he asked, holding up a small square shape.

It was nearly 3 a.m. by the time I got into bed. I wouldn’t get much sleep that night, but I had gotten my wallet back. I also had gotten back some enjoyment of city life. I realized that the city couldn’t be a bad place as long as people were willing to help each other.

10 . When Will Shortz was in eighth grade, at the age of 14, he had to write an article about what he wanted to do with his life. He wrote about his dream to become puzzle maker. That same year, he sold his first puzzle to the magazine Venture. By the age of 16, Will had sold many puzzles to magazines.

In college, Will found that there was no traditional way to study puzzles. There were no classes offered on puzzles. Luckily, after becoming bored with studying economics, Will learned that his university offered a special programme that allowed students to create unique fields of study. Will and his teachers then created new classes that studied on puzzle-making. Will studied puzzles mostly on his own.

Will did well in college, but he did not know how to get a job creating puzzles. For summer work, he joined the magazine Penny Press, where he realised that he could find work as a puzzle editor. Will then found job creating and editing puzzles for Games magazine. This seemed like a dream job because he could create new kinds of puzzles.

After 15 years at Games, Will then worked for The New York Times. When he first joined, the newspaper's crossword puzzle was very difficult, and only a few readers could finish it. Will made important alterations, such as including everyday language in the answers so that many more people could enjoy it. He made the crossword puzzle more interesting for more people.