A Mind's Journey

What made me different from my siblings as I was

growing up, was that I preferred to have a carefree
and very often, quite reckless attitude towards life.
While my elder sister and my little brother did their
homework at home, I was out chasing the stray dogs
and getting myself all messed up, with the
neighborhood kids. My father always said I was a
waste of life, but my mother always defended me
saying I would make the whole family proud one
day. When you're 9, you don't really think about
making the family proud. All I could think of was
when I'd get to go out and play again. But suddenly,
in the summer of '96, I came home to a rude shock.
My father had decided to leave us and settle down
with another woman, who he claimed he loved. My
mother refused to hand us over to him and he
looked visibly relieved. You see, by now, I was well
past my 'always out in the sun phase'. I had begun
to look at people, and begun observing their facial
expressions and begun to formulate stories and
situations that they were in. More often than not, I
was right about what they were thinking as well.
Then on this day, my mother was not only
heartbroken that her husband had decided to leave
her, she was absolutely terrified at the prospect of
having to raise three kids alone. All I could do, at the
tender age of 13 was give my mother a shoulder to
cry on. I did all the house work that I could manage
along with my siblings, before mum got home from
work. Then we all sat and had dinner together and
recounted our day's activities. Talking, I realized
then, has a very therapeutic effect on people.
Whether it's about the tiniest incident or a life
changing one, you actually feel better when you talk
to someone about it. But even greater than talking is
the art of active listening. When you actively listen to
someone, you give them their full attention and
there's no better feeling than having someone giving
you their undivided attention. I tried it out with many
people, friends, relatives, even random strangers
sometimes. I realized that I had the ability to make
people feel better by just listening and talking to
them. It got me interested in the psychology of the
human mind.
"Sitting here and looking back, I dont know where to begin. My life..."
 For Emma

I still remember that day. The day when I decided I wanted to be a writer. It was bright
and sunny, and I was walking to school. My sweet neighbor, Mrs. Simmons handed me
a candy as I passed her home, just like she did everyday. That day she gave me a red
one. My favorite color. And I knew it meant something special. She kissed my forehead
and told me (like she did everyday) that I reminded her of her grand-daughter, who had
died at the age of 9. That day, she said she had a secret to tell me. She said that her
grand-daughter, Emma always wanted to be a writer. Mrs. Simmons told me how much
she missed Emma, and gave me a copy of David Copperfield, from Emma's cupboard.
She said that was the least she could do and just smiled a mysterious smile. I was
already a voracious reader at age 12 then, and was jubilated to receive a classic! So I
just thanked her and left for school.

When I returned home, I immediately ran up to my room, finished my homework and

began reading. I continued reading till my eyes closed and I fell asleep and the next
morning, as soon as I woke up, I continued reading till I finished it. When I was done, I
was in a completely different world. The trials and tribulations that I faced were nothing
compared to David's experiences. And I simply could not help but admire the great
Charles Dickens.

Just as I was beginning to imagine myself as a renowned writer, my mother came into
my room. She was visibly distraught. When I asked her what the matter was, she simply
hugged me and sobbed. After a few moments, she told me that Mrs. Simmons had
passed away in her sleep the previous night.

It was the greatest epiphany I had (I was only 12, after all). Suddenly it all fell into place.
Mrs. Simmons giving me the book. And her passing away into the next world while I
was discovering a new one of my own. I do not remember if I cried. All I remember is,
that day, I decided that if there was anything I could do for the sweet lady who
pampered and spoiled me with candy every single day, for the lady who loved and
missed her grand-daughter so dearly, it was to fulfill her last wish. It was that day that I
decided that I was going to be a writer. And that is exactly what I hope to learn from
your prestigious institute. By learning to write well, I want to ensure that wherever the
sweet Mrs. Simmons is, she's wiping a tear of joy. From her eyes and from Emma's too.

Looking back on a childhood filled with events and

memories, I find it rather difficult to pick on that
leaves me with the fabled warm and fuzzy feelings.
As the daughter of an Air Force Major, I had the
pleasure of traveling across America in many
moving trips. I have visited the monstrous trees of
the Sequoia National Forest, stood on the edge of
the Grande Canyon and have jumped on the beds at
Caesars Palace in Lake Tahoe. However, I have
discovered that when reflecting on my childhood, it
is not the trips that come to mind, instead there are
details from everyday doings; a deck of cards, a
silver bank or an ice cream flavor. One memory that
comes to mind belongs to a day of no particular
importance. It was late in the fall in Merced,
California on the playground of my old elementary
school; an overcast day with the wind blowing
strong. I stood on the blacktop, pulling my hoodie
over my ears. The wind was causing miniature
tornados; we called them dirt devils, to swarm
around me.

An example of an autobiographical essay/personal narrative

[Written by a student in the Labour Studies program, used with permission]

My name is Carlo, and I was born in June, 1958, in Italy. Our family, made up of my mother,
father, and a brother, emigrated to Noranda, Quebec, when I was five years old. I encountered
my first, but not last, taste of racism when kids in the neighbourhood laughed at my poor
command of English. As fast as I could I learned not only English, but French as well. I became
trilingual, speaking fluent French and English, as well as Italian. In the process, I made new
friends from a lot of different cultural backgrounds.

We then moved to Toronto, Ontario, where my Dad got work in a rubber factory. From my
earliest days, I knew our family had to struggle for every penny. My Mom baked pizza which my
brother sold by the slice, door to door. I caddied at the local golf courses and brought home all
the money that I made. I hated it when other kids made fun of working people, like garbage
collectors, who cleaned up trash for a living.

When I was in grade six, I was ill in hospital for two months with a kidney infection, and it
changed my whole life. I seriously took up playing guitar. I began to do photography, and joined
the audiovisual club. I discovered I was artistic with an interest in graphic art, although I didnt
always agree with the kind of art assignments the teacher gave us. However, I had no idea what
to do after high school graduation. Thinking electonics was the wave of the future, I enrolled in
and graduated with a diploma from George Brown College in Instrumentation Technology. I was
hired on by Ontario Hydro as an apprentice.

Life was magical for a single guy in Toronto at this time. I made quite a bit of money. I enjoyed
meeting and socializing with many new friends from a variety of different cultures. During this
time, I met and married my wife, Valerie, a Registered Nurses Assistant, and soon we had two
wonderful children, a daughter, Carla and a son, Nicholas. With new family responsibilities, I felt
there was not enough opportunity for advancement at work. My wife and I thought of places we
would like to live such as the east coast. But there were no jobs there. We finally decided to
move to northern B.C. when I was offered a job with a forestry company.

Because of the childrens activities, I soon became involved in the community coaching
childrens hockey and soccer, and being a scout leader. At work, I joined the Pulp Mill
Recreation Club, eventually becoming president. There were a lot of things that needed
changing. I decided I wanted our company to start a wellness program and researched to prove
to them that healthy employees tremendously reduced absenteeism and health costs to the
company. I wanted the company to reward those who kept themselves fit and began to lobby for
this through our union.

I soon became elected as union safety captain, then later became a shop steward. I began to
run for executive positions rising through the ranks from financial secretary to environmental
vice president, chief shop steward, first vice president, and finally becoming president, a
position I held for two years.

In my trade, I constantly must upgrade my skills, so I took advantage of many learning

opportunities to do so through the company. This helped our union come into the 21st century,
because I insisted we buy computers and subscribe to e-mail, connecting our members to other
locals throughout the province. I also edited the union newsletter, keeping the members
informed of all aspects of the locals business. I used desktop publishing to produce our
newsletter before anyone in Head Office knew what it was. Using my background in art and
photography, I brought our publication from a crude photocopied rag to a sophisticated
communication tool. For my efforts, I won two Canadian Association of Labour Media Awards,
one for the best cartoon in Canada, depicting flexibility in the workplace, and one for the best
editorial story of less than 500 words for a Union Newsletter. I also use my desktop publishing
abilities for community fund raising activities.

I lost an opportunity to be union president for a third year because of an unpopular decision our
local executive made in connection with implementing a contract that upheld the recognition of
seniority rights. Reflecting back, I would not do anything differently. We took the task at hand,
looked at the contract, discussed among the executive, asked for the opinions of our area rep,
the Western Region Vice President, and our lawyer. Then we made our decision and stood by
it, even though it meant I lost the presidency by nine votes. Now, two and a half years later, we
are being proven right through the labour board.

Because of this event, I found myself with extra time on my hands. This opportunity made it
possible for me to concentrate on pursuing university studies and my social work for unions. I
enrolled at AU in the Labour Studies program. I continue with the newsletter, putting forth social
and political issues that organized labour is facing today. I support the unions in the community
and am involved in organizing them as they have never been organized before. I am even more
committed to fighting for social justice than I have been all along, and am keen to move along
this route in the future.