Seven minutes past midnight. Trying to escape the house to take a fresh deep breath. The cold icy breeze brushes against my skin making the hair on my arms stand up. Walking across the street past my neighbours Mrs Shears house I see a small dog-like figure laying on the ground. No movement just still, still as a statue. Thoughts rushing through my head of what it could really be. My mind continues to ponder. Walking towards it I enter Mrs Shears backyard. I made it. I take a few steps closer and closer to the motionless dog. A pitch fork stabbed right into the body of the dog, standing up right. I rushed over to see it, it was Wellington! He was on his side in a running formation style. He laid still on the drenched dark green grass. I sprinted to him, I pulled the pitch fork out of his body, blood dripped all around the greenery, I have no emotions, none, but why? Why would they do this? Why?I liked dogs, they were cool and they made me feel calm. A door hinge squeaks, Mrs Shears comes sprinting out of her door dashing straight to me, screaming. I don’t like loud noises or when someone asks me too many questions it fills my head. The scream begins to sound louder and louder. I drop Wellington straight to the floor, I cover my ears, close my eyes then hunch my back to the grass, it feels cold, just how I like it. She screams at me, “Have you killed my dog!” I replied with “No I did not kill your dog”, “Are you sure!”, she proceeded to ask me many more questions, blood covered my whole body head to toe. She stares at her dog, with fear and regret for leaving him outside. “I’m calling the police on you”, her phone rings. 

The police arrived. I like the police, especially their numbers and what they do to help the world to make things a better place. He walks towards me, there are 2 of them, one girl and one boy. The girl has a scratch mark on the side of her left ankle, while the boy has a leaf stuck on the bottom of his black shoes. His eyes stare at me intensely. I still stroke Wellington’s side, he’s becoming cold. He sat next to me and he looked at me with a grin. “What happened here?” “The dogs dead” “Yes I’m pretty sure I can see” He teases me a bit while the girl police stays with Mrs Shears comforting her. “Did you kill the dog”,“No I did not kill the dog”, “I know you did, why in the world are you here watching it die!”. He’s been asking me too many questions, it swarms my mind I can’t answer in time, he’s not giving me enough time to think. I go cover my ears, close my eyes and press my forehead against the grass again. He tries to pull me up, I don’t like it when people touch me. I stand up and punch him in the chest. He grabs my arm and I can’t fight back.

He put me in handcuffs, his face turned red “Oww that hurts” I say.  He didn’t care, he pushed me to his car, I went in the black seat. It was a quiet car ride. It was long too, the girl and boy would talk to each other about their weekends. When we arrived at the station he threw me against the wall, “No STOP” “SHUT YOUR MOUTH!” he screamed out. My face started to bleed. I see a shadow in the distance. It’s my dad! He comes in screaming. “STOP THAT’S MY SON!” The policeman stares at my dad with hatred. “I don’t care” “Let him free now!” The police man doesn’t listen to my dad, he doesn’t like it when no one listens to him he gets mad. “I am a LAWYER I KNOW MY RIGHTS!” He demands. “HE DOESN’T GET TO SPEAK!”. The policeman stares at me with rage “I don’t care!” he screams out. Eventually he did let me out of the handcuffs. My dad left the station with a smirk, he was ready. While my face continued to bleed.

An ordinary day, minding my own business. The touch of the warm bright sun shining through the window lifting the hair on my arms. Silence fills the room. Suddenly the tension beneath my feet rumbles and shakes, everyone dropped to the ground under their tables desperately holding onto the legs of the table for safety. Remembering about my little sister I eagerly try to run out the door unaware of the falling beam from the ceiling. Each step I took I re-played all the good moments I had with my family. Then it went black. 

A few seconds later I woke up with the beam on top of my arm. Tears streamed down my face from the pain. Yelling  for help, someone came. Ten seconds felt like an hour. My heart racing like never before. My arm throbbing but my mind is still on my sister. I stood and with support began to feel the dizziness leave my body. I darted to the half broken door. Avoiding the calls and cries from the classrooms I keep running. Jumping and leaping over utility poles, broken bricks scattered all over the ground. 

Out of breath I finally made it to my sister’s school. I stare in horror at the chaos the earthquake has caused. I rush in with worried tears. Seeing many dead bodies all over the ground. I feel my heart drop to the ground, my eyes dripping wet. I see my sister’s body on the ground, motionless. No emotions on her face, she’s in a position I can’t explain. I drop to my knees and start to shed tears.

I sat there by her side weeping in silence, all the laughs we  shared, her smile lighting up the room, her jokes that would make my day, all gone just in 10 seconds…

What are my responsibilities as a Global Citizen?

Socrates Story “The Three Sieves: tells us about the importance of thinking before you speak. we need to ask ourselves it is kind, true, necessary and if its not don’t speak.

Walking away from a dead body I once called a friend, blood sweat and tears dripping down my face. The smoke and ash wrap themself around my body. Horror and pain aching through my arm. Terror and chaos breaking loose. Buildings crumbling unsure what awaits me next. Shattered glass across the ground breaking into millions of pieces beneath my shoes. Flames with vicious heat burning innocent families with the sound of screams ringing in my ears. My heart racing with the thoughts of Elizabeth’s death. What would’ve happened if I saved her in time? Harmless people flinching with small sudden movements. Remembering Aunt Miriam I walk a bit faster seeing a pile of rubble where our apartment used to be. Where could she be? Was she in the apartment? Searching frantically for Aunt Miriam. The burning buildings turned into ash burning my lungs.

 Choie Sew Hoy was born in 1838 in the city of Guangdong Province in China. A company named Cheong shing tong ( the Flourishing Virtue society) formed in 1878 owned by Choie Sew Hoy down in Dunedin. The goal of the company was to return all the deceased Chinese to their families before they could turn into “hungry ghosts.” Choie Sew Hoy was a miner later becoming a merchant to provide for his family. Choie Sew Hoy felt the Chinese people were getting fines just for coming into the country. So he often talked to the Government and asked them if  the Chinese could be treated fairly. He got married and soon had 4 kids.  Choie Sew Hoy was an accomplished business and merchant selling rice, peanut oil and  mining needs and exporting scraps of metal, and old horseshoes back to China. Choie also gave moneyto the local hospital, library and other charities.

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