Student Essay - Oh Yeon Taek, Year 9, Sayfol International School - The Unexpected Gift

Oh Yeon Taek, Year 9, Sayfol International School

The Unexpected Gift

Daniel was a university graduate. Nowadays, many people had difficulty getting a job. Although Daniel graduated successfully, he was not able to get a job as he kept failing the employment tests. He lived with his parents for a long time. At last, he left his parents’ home and decided to live on his own because he felt sorry for his parents.

With a part-time job, he earned just enough money to live on. One day, he returned home from work and saw a white box with a piece of paper on it. The box had a few holes in it. It moved and shook as Daniel went closer to it. When he opened it, he saw a puppy which swung its tail and jumped on him. Daniel didn’t like dogs as he was afraid of animals and he knew they would leave fur all around the house. However, he was kind enough to keep it in his house.

Daniel named the puppy ‘Dan’ and fed it with love. Every time he came home, Dan wagged its tail and spun around Daniel to welcome him. Daniel started to realise how wonderful dogs were. A month later, Dan suddenly acted strangely and barked at Daniel with a painful expression. Daniel applied for a holiday and took care of Dan. Daniel took Dan to see a vet and realized that Dan had a huge lump in its body. The operation could be fatal for Dan. Daniel was in a dilemma.

Daniel cogitated for a week but he couldn’t bear Dan’s painful expression and didn’t want to observe its painful condition anymore. Dan’s operation took three hours. That was the longest three hours in Daniel’s life as it felt endless. He couldn’t stay still due to anxiety. At last, the operation was complete. Dan was fine. Daniel decided to become a vet so that he could help other animals like Dan. Daniel’s parents were very proud of him. 

Dan was an unexpected gift from an unknown person. Nobody expected Dan to be in a fatal condition. However, Dan became an unexpected gift that made Daniel an animal lover. Dan also gave him an amazing profession. Daniel would always be grateful to Dan.

Student Essay - Trapped – by Lucky Im Si Hyun, Year 9, REAL International School

Trapped – by Lucky Im Si Hyun, Year 9, REAL International School

“Again, the boy has returned,” I thought. The shriek of the metal door beat against my eardrums. The tiny boy, shivering from the cold approached me as I opened my eyes lazily. He tossed the white hare into my locked cage and started to chatter. He sat down bravely on the chilly ground in front of me. I devoured the hare leg as I stared into the deep-black eyes of the boy. Deep inside his eyes, I could see loneliness and warmth. As I gazed into his eyes, he smiled at me lightly.

The next morning, I heard unusual and numerous footsteps. A stout man, accompanied by two paunchy men, was carrying several cages containing familiar faces. They were trembling in fear and looking at me for help. Then they men shut the door loudly. I blinked my golden eyes. After a few hours, the boy came rushing to me with worry written all over his face. I yawned and stretched to show him that I was fine. A smile suddenly brightened his face. He started to chatter again, but not in the way he usually did. The tone was serious. I knew what he was saying. He was concerned that I would disappear just as the others did. “Only you and I are left,” I pondered. I moved slightly towards him but the chain prevented me from going any further. 

It was no good. The moon light slanted over me and woke me up. There was no sound except for the sound of the boy’s footsteps. The steps were hastier than usual. He rushed to me after opening the door in silence. He unlocked my cage rapidly with his trembling hands. As the boy opened the heavy, rusty door, my heart bounced with vigour. I jumped out of the cage and dashed out of the deserted room with him. A few seconds later, we both froze. We heard a car driving towards us. The dazzling light shone at us as we dashed hurriedly away. I could hear my heart beating so hard that my eardrums hurt. My mind went crazy and my legs screamed with energy. I howled as loudly as I could. I was free! Bang! Then there was sudden silence. 

The stout man was smoking and aiming his gun at the boy. He reloaded the gun. My eyes widened as another flash of light appeared at the head of the gun. The boy moaned in pain. Then he fell onto the ground. My instinct sensed danger and urged me to run away. However, my heart was stinging as the boy moaned. I smelled blood, smoke and danger from the direction of the boy. I dashed at the plump man and bit his tender thigh. He screamed in sudden agony. He went mad and shot me. The boy pleaded with tears for me to escape. It was no use. My body had become out of my control.

The man returned to the old wooden cottage leaving us behind. The boy was weeping and holding my cold body in his arms. I stared into his eyes and growled softly at him to show him I was alright. He smiled and embraced me. Time seemed to have stopped. I felt snow on my muzzle. It was snowing the same way it did when I was trapped and met this boy. I dropped my face over his chest one final time.

Student Essay - Why did Sewol Sink? – by Park Woon Yong, Year 9, Sayfol International School

Why did Sewol Sink? – by Park Woon Yong, Year 9, Sayfol International School

A few days ago, there was a huge disaster in South Korea. It shocked many people. The thing that made people most upset was the fact that it was not a natural disaster but human error. There are several reasons why Sewol sank.

Firstly, they used a dangerous route. The government suggested using a safer way but they used a different one because the one that the government suggested was longer. They chose a shorter way because they had departed late and wanted to make up for lost time. They wanted to shorten the journey even though they knew that the route was dangerous because the sea was shallower along that way. There were many strong waves in that area too. This route goes in between two islands and is not suitable for a big ship like Sewol.

Secondly, the captain and crew were unskilful and irresponsible. The captain slept most of the time during the journey. It was a twelve-hour journey but he spent seven hours in his room. He passed the steering wheel to an unskilful navigation officer. Even worse, when the ship started to sink, the captain ran out of the ship first, leaving the passengers behind. He told the passengers to stay where they were. They wasted a lot of time which could have been used to escape.

Thirdly, Sewol was carrying too much freight. The crew members didn’t secure the freight properly. The law states that all freight is to be checked every two hours but they didn’t. The ship couldn’t remain stable because it was heavy on the right side due to the weight of the freight. The owners were only interested in making profit by carrying as much freight as possible. They didn’t think about the safety of the passengers.

The disaster has already happened. The only thing we can do now is to do our best to rescue the people who were on board, even if the possibility of survival is small. We must make sure that these things do not happen again in the future.

Student Essay - Today’s world is a dangerous place in which to live – by Christine Park Jeong In, Year 9, Sayfol International School

Today’s world is a dangerous place in which to live – by Christine Park Jeong In, Year 9, Sayfol International School

Do you think the world is a safe place for you and your family to live in? Are you happy and satisfied with your life? Nowadays, when you watch the news, there are always one or more articles about crime, disasters and anything which makes you frightened and worried. People often think these problems are caused by religious disputes or international arguments. These thoughts are partly true. I believe this world is a dangerous place for us to live in and here are my reasons.

Firstly, the world has become too advanced. Our highly developed technology helps some people to commit crime more easily. The most successful inventions, the computer and the internet, are the main causes of this. We do a lot of things on the computer like internet banking, shopping or downloading music. To do all these, we need to key in our credit card number or important information about ourselves. This enables hackers to steal our information and get us into trouble. Additionally, too much stimulation by the internet and television can make people mentally unstable. People can get addicted to gadgets and devices and neglect their duties. Sometimes, people cease to distinguish between reality and fantasy, which can lead them to behave dangerously. So, a technological world may benefit us but it can also put us at risk.

Moreover, crime rates are increasing very quickly in many countries, especially in poorer ones. In some impoverished countries, those who are desperate for money form a group to commit crime in order to obtain money. In richer countries, people are less desperate but they still commit crime such as rape and drug abuse. The biggest problem is that not enough is done to stop these crimes. In some countries, the police are too afraid to pursue the criminals. In many cases, the police are also involved in organised crime. Even in richer countries, crime has become so common that it is difficult for the authorities to control. Offenders have become younger and display less conscience. Therefore, the world is an unsafe place in which to live. 

Finally, nowadays, many disasters are affecting human and animal life. Natural disasters like tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes and volcanic eruptions are frightening and killing many people. Unfortunately, there is little we can do to prevent these disasters caused by Mother Nature. The only thing we can do is to slow down our activities that cause some of these and other disasters. For example, if we stop cutting down trees, we could prevent landslides, deforestation, destruction of habitats and messing up of the food chain. If we stop open burning, we could prevent acid rain and global warming. Thus, our activities, which cause calamities, make the world dangerous. When these calamities occur, the effect is so great that it takes a long time to recover and a lot of people’s lives are sacrificed in the process.

In conclusion, a world that is too technologically advanced, full of crime and plagued by disasters makes us feel that that world is a dangerous place in which to live. Most of these things are caused by humans. Since we caused it, we should solve it. It is now our turn to make the world a safer place to live in.

  

Student Essay - The Trip – by Lee Enoch, Year 9, Sayfol International School

The Trip – by Lee Enoch, Year 9, Sayfol International School

All the Year 9 students in our school went on a trip to Australia. Our plane stopped at Indonesia to refuel so we were given four hours to do whatever we wanted at the airport. After four hours, three of my friends and I went to the place where we had promised to meet but none of the others were there and no plane was to be found. I saw a similar plane but I was wrong. There was no plane to take us to Australia. 

We all calmed down and tried to find the plane and the pilot. We looked for the other students for two hours but we couldn’t. At that moment, we saw our suitcases coming towards us. A tall man was carrying it. I took my suitcase and we were all in a panic. Where did our plane go? Why did they leave us? What are we supposed to do now? All bad possibilities crossed my mind.

Ten minutes later, I could see a plane ready to depart. It was our plane! We all ran toward the plane. We had to catch that plane to go to Australia. Right before my eyes, I saw it flying away from us. I wanted to cry at that moment. 

I went to the service counter quickly and asked what plane was next to go. They said there would be a plane in two hours’ time but we did not have any money to buy the tickets. At that moment, I felt really upset so I went to the toilet. At the toilet, I met one of our teachers. She said that she had been looking for us because the departure time had been changed. She bought us some new tickets.

We got the tickets and arrived in Australia. We met our school friends and teachers; we hugged one another.  They were waiting for us at the airport. We promised to enjoy our trip and never lose each other again.