Impact of Trilingualism in Kazakhstan

Impact of Trilingualism in Kazakhstan Identify any ONE education reform policy/measure recently adopted by a Ministry of Education that you are familiar with, critically examine how different stakeholders have tried to shape this education policy and how the change has been introduced. Analyse and evaluate the selected education reform policy/measure in light of the literature you have read. Introduction In Kazakhstan, as in many other countries, education is highly influenced and controlled by the state education policy-makers. Tensions and difficulties arise within various stakeholders due to new policies and reforms adopted by Ministry of Education. This paper aims to analyse potential issues related to one of the new adopted reforms, namely trilingual education in schools. In this essay I will discuss how this reform was introduced by government. Intentions and strategic plans expressed through education system will be also analysed. Then perspectives of various stakeholders regarding trilingualism are discussed, drawing on data from different case studies and interviews. This topic might be important because of its novelty and scope in nowadays realities, where governments around the world try to apply different reforms to correspond with global trends. I would like to focus on this topic in order to examine potential outcomes and consequences for the future education of Kazakhs tan. I will also compare and take into account my own experience since I studied and worked in a multilingual school. Introduction of the Trilingualism in Kazakhstan What is the ideal model of education system? There is no simple answer to this question in the international professional community. In 2016, Kazakhstan celebrates the 25th anniversary of independence. Kazakhstan is actively integrating into the global community; where a fierce competition of economy, technology, education systems and etc. take place. Consequently education reforms should be done according to global mainstream. Nowadays, two trends are becoming more popular among the global education systems: (Smith Sandvik (2012)) The rapid development of information and communication technology education (e-learning, smart training, etc.) Improving the educational level of the population, primarily due to the expansion of access to education. Moreover, the education reforms carried out by developed countries can be divided into four main blocks: Education system management Lifelong learning The content of education and ensuring its quality The development of vocational education system Analysis of Kazakhstans educational policies in the framework of the State program of development (2010) shows five changes in the education system: Expansion of pre-school provision Implementing trilingual education in schools. E-Learning Developing pedagogy through the Centres of Excellence programme Extension of secondary education to 12 years of schooling According to this reform, from the 2019 year science lessons will be taught in the English language. In this section, I will discuss how this debatable and controversial reform was introduced by the government. Ongoing reforms in the education sector of the Republic Kazakhstan provide a number of initiatives, including the introduction of the trilingual education system at all levels of education, which aims to shape the future generation, fluent in Kazakh, Russian and English languages. While this reform might seem positive and meaningful, indeed due to several reasons as a time to implement the change and teacher training thus makes schools and management team struggle in the successful implementation of this reform. The objectives of language policy of the modern Kazakhstan reflects in the address of President of Republic of Kazakhstan, N. Nazarbayev, Kazakhstan in the new world (2007), in which the framework of competitiveness of country and its citizens, proposed phased implementation of the cultural project called The unity of three languages, aimed to the development of three Languages: Kazakh as the state language, Russian as the language of international communication and English as the language of successful integration into the global economy. And worth to note that, the University of Cambridge became a strategic partner of Kazakhstan in this education reform process. (10) Wilson, Reform at Scale: Teacher Development in Kazakhstan (2013). There has been created Kazakhstan Programme by the cooperation of Kazakh and English educators. The university of Cambridge, the faculty of education website states: The University of Cambridge Faculty of Education supports an ambitious and far-reaching programme of educational reform in Kazakhstan through training, research and consultancy all designed to build local capacity. [15] In accordance with the State program of development Education of Kazakhstan for 2011-2020 (2010), the English language should be studied not only as a foreign language but also be used as the language of instruction at all levels of education. Starting from September of 2016 elementary schools must implement some changes. For instance, first-grade students will be taught English in a very accessible and entertaining way. Major innovations await children and their parents from 1 September 2019 in all schools, regardless of the language of education, history of Kazakhstan will be taught in the Kazakh language, and world history in Russian. In the 2019-2020 academic years, the 10-11-graders will be conduct four subjects in English chemistry, physics, biology and Computer Sciences. Learning the terminology in English on subjects like Computer Sciences and Natural Science for students of 5 and 6 grades will begin in 2017-18 and 2018-19 academic years respectively. Due to large-scale implementation of trilingual education, there is an urgent need for teachers who can teach their subject in the English language. This problem requires special attention since the English language is not widely used in everyday communication, unli ke Kazakh and Russian languages. And this is in line with Ball (1997) who states, policymakers expect that teachers are familiar and be able to successfully implement changes; also individual policy-makers do not normally take into account complexity of the environment where changes intended for. The Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan (MoES) is currently developing the Roadmap development and implementation of trilingual education. According to State Programme of Education Development for 2011-2020 and Roadmap (2010), its expected that the percentage of the population speaking state language, by 2020 will reach 95%, in the Russian language will be speaking 90% of the population, and 20% of people will speak English. In fact, the policy of trilingualism will create the conditions for the children to study Russian and English language rather than the Kazakh language. However according to Minister of Education and Science of Kazakhstan, Erlan Sagadiyev: Why do we need to develop trilingualism? Today there is no doubt that the future of knowledge, science, information, and the competitive ability of any nation, will depend on the knowledge of the English language. This must start from school. And gradually increase the amount of English language in order to start school subject teaching at the senior school. However we need to understand the most important meaning of the implementation of trilingual education in Kazakhstan is the total knowledge of the Kazakh language by our population. The priority of the learning the Kazakh language was, is and remains. [11] It is expected that current reforms probably will slow down usage and development of state language. A shift in language knowledge and usage of it in the workplace and private lives of citizens has taken place over the past decades. Due to historical events, the North Kazakhstan is dominantly Russian-speaking, while South part of the country mainly Kazakh speaking. According to the 2009 census, the urban citizens tend to be linguistically speaking Russian-dominant. The Russian language remains the most widely spoken, with 94.4 % population indicating that they understood spoken Russian and 84.8 % indicating that they can read and write the language. In comparison, 74% reported that they understood spoken Kazakh and 62% reported that they could read and write Kazakh. This is huge numbers for the country where 65.5 % of the population are Kazakhs and 21.5 % are Russians (2014 census) [14]. All these lead to the logical conclusion that the government must take a mission to improve the q uality of Kazakh language. Kazakh-medium education needs to be improved and Kazakh people will have to use Kazakh more often in their work and private lives. In order to pilot the trilingual education in the sector of secondary education in 2007 Daryn network of educational institutions for gifted children was created. According to Ministry of education, currently trilingualism is being successfully implemented in 117 secondary schools, in 33 Daryn specialised schools, 30 Kazakh-Turkish lyceums, 20 Nazarbayev Intellectual schools (NIS). Its worth to specifically note that, the Kazakh-Turkish lyceums (Grades 7 to 11), are actively implementing trilingual education. Subjects like Maths, Physics, Biology, Chemistry and Computer Science are to be taught through English. Kazakhstan History, Kazakhstan Geography, Physical Education and Military preparations are to be taught through Kazakh. Turkish and Russian are to be taught in language arts classes. These schools are one of the most prestigious and successful in the country. I have graduated from one of Kazakh-Turkish lyceums. Moreover after graduated from university I have experience working there for 2 years as a teacher. The main reason for their success is quality teachers, teaching material and excellent management and leadership skills of school administration. Additionally, apart from English language Turkish is also taught there. The presence of native Turkish teachers also plays a big role in the quality learning of the Turkish language. The next reason is that those lyceums are situated in cities; therefore they have sufficient funding from government and different private sponsors for implementing various projects. Then there is an entry examination to get enrolled in lyceum. There are only 30 lyceums in Kazakhstan, so this makes 1 or 2 lyceums in each city. There are only 2 new classes accepted each year; this means 50 new students per school get a chance to study there. Still, there is a strong competition among students, and mainly excellent and good students get accepted. The policy makers perspective The general task of the Ministry of Education and Science (MoES) is controlling the education system by making policy and legislative decisions in order to improve. The MoES website states that: The mission of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan: Development of intellectual potential of the nation, the formation and implementation of state policy in the sphere of education and science, ensuring competitiveness and sustainable socio-economic growth. Although the primary focus of MoES is nations education, its undeniable that government is highly aware of the nation as a part of the economic structure of the country. It is clear that education must be looked at from this point of view since the purpose of education in large part is to protect the economy of the nation. Nevertheless, the economic way of treatment education paying more importance to money than the intellectual progress of the nation (Ball, 1997, Tikly and Barrett, 2011) However, there are some people who support changes. One of them professor B.Bekturganova The evidence is that the information in English-language on a global scale is greater than in German, Spanish, Chinese and any other language. To keep up with the latest innovations and developments students must be proficient in English. The educators perspective A bottom-up approach works best when new policies, reforms and changes are introduced. Jones, Potter Ebrahim (2001) also suggest that teachers should be given the opportunity to express their ideas and opinions; this will lead to the creation of shared approach for effective change. Another reason is that majority of teachers are willing to influence the design of quality systems in order to bring meaningful change to themselves and their students as shown in Jones, Potter Ebrahim (2001). Knowing and speaking three languages is wonderful skill, but this should not be done at the expense of other important subjects. For example, in rural areas, where the teachers are incredibly insufficient, who teach several subjects, trilingualism might turn to complete disaster. In my opinion, the first thing that happens after the start of the implementation of educational reforms teachers will leave schools, who taught all their lives in the same language. There is a doubt that universities will not have time to prepare a sufficient number of specialists who will be able to replace the old cadres within three years. Moreover, there is no guarantee that the young teachers will be willing to travel to distant villages and rural areas. Additionally, there is a lack of quality teachers even in cities. More teachers are leaving state schools in order to work for private schools, where the salary is considerably higher. The level of education will deteriorate, due to which the reform had begun. No doubt that trilingual education is a matter of time, and in the near future, it would be probably implemented. It seems current reforms do not fully calculated, and are made for the sake of short-term economic and political interests. If the Ministry of education, in fact, decided to modernise the education system, he would have understood that this would take time for preparation and implementation. Action should be done step by step. Firstly to prepare teachers, secondly the material base and then introducing a novelty in one sector, then in another, etc. However, in fact, government frantically trying to implement reforms altogether. Unfortunate teachers do not rest at all and taking language courses to be able to work at school. For example, Anatoly Mazura Physics, a teacher with 30 years of teaching experience says: Teaching Physics laws and rules in English Terminology is already complicated. Then, I guess Ill just have to leave a school. Not all children are able to learn in such way. There are, of course, children who can learn material fast, on the other hand, there are children who need more time, and if they all will be taught in English, unlikely that they will understand anything. There are a lot of teachers who are in the same situation as Anatoly Mazura. These teachers are thinking seriously about his future career. They need to make a choice: stay in school or to change the profession. Anatoly is not sure that he will be able to learn English in two years and to communicate with students properly, as required by the new educational reform. Innovations made by Ministry of Education scare not only teachers but also school head teachers. Irina Smirnova said that teacher staff is not able to perfectly speak, write, and also qualitatively explain the subject in English since most of the teachers are of old age. The school administration organised compulsory English classes for all teachers. Every teacher must study ten hours of theory and practice of English ten hours per week. Studying grammar and rules take most of their time. In the remaining time, teachers must practice speaking and writing skills. According to Irina Smirnova Majlis deputy, ex-principal of the school-lyceum à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾- 48 Almaty, Kazakhstan Tough we have experience in trilingual education through Kazakh-Turkish schools and Nazarbayev intellectual schools. However, nowadays according to state program there are not any English classes for 4th-grade students in secondary schools and only one hour a week at 1,2,3rd grades. It is impossible to learn a language in this situation. If we want students to know three languages, not necessarily mathematics, physics, chemistry should be taught in the English language. It is better simply to teach the language more intense, and maybe one subject which will not affect cognitive abilities of students could be taught in English. The subject technology why not do in English? I think this is a hasty decision that could lead to serious problems. Although a positive viewpoint on the subject is that Ministry of Education officials know about the level of training of Kazakhstani teachers and therefore prepare to massively retrain teachers all over the country. According to Minister of Education Erlan Sagadiyev, there are 365,000 school teachers in Kazakhstan. In general 32 000 senior school teachers who know English needed for successful implementation of the reform. As the Ministry of Education reported, teacher training for the implementation of the program and trilingual education is already being implemented as following: Nazarbayev University will prepare 675 subject teachers (chemistry, physics, biology, computer science); Nazarbayev Intellectual School and JSC Orleu will prepare 69 teachers through the updated program KATEV will teach 18,250 children in summer language camps; 680 subject teachers (chemistry, physics, biology, computer science) 84 teachers from regional specialised school for gifted children; 800 science teachers. In accordance with State Programme of Education Development (2010) teachers who teach science and math in English, is expected to increase to 15% by 2020. (3) However, rural schools in distant regions of the country will face most problems. Because even physics or chemistry teachers not enough there. In some rural schools, teachers combine two roles of math and physics teachers. According to the Ministry, the solution to this problem is to provide internet access to such schools and retrain teachers by distance learning technologies. The Ministry plans in the next three or four years to provide 90% of Kazakhstani students access to broadband Internet (today it is 76%). Also, apparently this reform will cost huge money and resources for the government. The students perspective According to the information-analytical centre and the Public Opinion Research Institute, 1055 pupils of 9 and 11 grades (66% from school with the Kazakh language of instruction, 34% from the Russian language of instruction) participated in the survey. A survey showed that only 15% of students are fluent in English. The vast majority of students (68%) do not want to study computer science, physics, chemistry and biology in English. They believe that they will learn neither English language nor the subjects due to the low quality of education, many of them consider it would be useless for their future work. It is important to note that students of schools, colleges and universities of the country are already living in a trilingual environment, so for children learning English is not a problem. Fear of studying languages is projected by parents, thus hindering students development says officials from Ministry of Education. In my perspective, I think the choice of the student to study subjects in a foreign language must be voluntary and not compulsory. Parents should have a choice whether they let their children study or not in trilingual school. Subjects in the English language should be taught only in senior schools, and only as an optional. Because today level of English language of secondary school students is not enough to adequately understand the teaching material. School teachers, who will teach subjects in English, should have an appropriate certificate, for example, TKT, CELTA, CELTYL (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Young Learners), ICELT (In-service Certificate in English Language Teaching). This will mean that teachers completed needed course. Therefore head teachers and more importantly parents will know that subject teacher has qualifications and certification to teach in English. The Parents perspective Most parents in Kazakhstan still support the introduction of trilingual education in schools. For voted 66% of mothers and fathers, while 81% said they want their children to know especially English. The information-analytical centre in cooperation with the Public Opinion Research Institute studied parents opinion about the transition to a new model of education and the level of students training. 1000 parents (urban 53.5%, rural 46.5%) took part in the survey. Researchers found that half of the respondents fully satisfied with the quality of English education in Kazakhstani schools, rest satisfied partially, the negative attitude expressed by 6%. As already mentioned the implementation of trilingual teaching was supported by 66% of parents. A quarter of respondents were against MoES initiative and 9% of parents had problems to answer. Main reasons of their concerns are related to the lack of teachers personnel and weak educational methodological base. Conclusion Kazakhstan is steadily changing its educational system towards corresponding to global trends. Educational reforms of Kazakhstan undoubtedly implementing to improve knowledge of students to become competitive in modern world realities. However, there are potential problems which may occur when implementing the reform. The main issues: a lack of teachers who can teach through English, lack of high-quality language learning materials, insufficient level of knowledge of teachers and students in rural areas. There is a general agreement amongst parents that subjects should be taught in the English language, however, some educators believe this is not possible in the current circumstances. In general, there is a concern that after implementation of trilingual education reform, development of state language will probably decrease as students will devote more time for both Russian and English language. The government should pay more attention to the development of intellectual and academic potential of students rather than the political and economic way of treatment education as shown in (Ball (1997), Tikly and Barrett, (2011)). Particularly research of Jones, Potter Ebrahim (2001) has been useful in providing ideas that educators should be given the opportunity to express their ideas and opinions; this will lead to the creation of shared approach for effective change. A full-scale launch of the trilingual education can be successful if a sufficient number of teachers who could teach in English in rural areas would be trained. One solution could be hiring foreign subject teachers for a long term. This might considerably support the implementation of trilingual education; however, it will cost a lot for the government. Overall, a wide range of work must be done, which requires sufficient human resources, time, effort, and financial investments. In this essay, I focused on the introduction of trilingual education in Kazakhstan and potential consequences of this reform in different stakeholders perspectives. I confirm that this topic should be investigated in more details since it was not possible to cover all the nuances due to resource, time and word limit constraints. The future research appears to be needed in the field of leadership and management of trilingual education in Kazakhstan. References Baimanov, D. (2016) Astana is experiencing the shortage of teachers and educators [online] Available at: http://dknews.kz/nehvatku-uchitelej-i-vospitatelej-ispy-ty-vaet-astana/ [Accessed 13 January 2017] Ball, S. J. (1997) Policy Sociology and Critical Social Research: A Personal Review of Recent Education Policy and Policy Research, British Educational Research Journal, 23, 3, pp.257-274. Bekturganova, B. (2016) We are responsible for our childrens future [online] Available at: http://www.inform.kz/ru/b-bekturganova-o-reforme-obrazovaniya-v-rk-my-otvetstvenny-za-buduschee-nashih-detey_a2892951 [Accessed 13 January 2017] Bridges, D (2014) Educational Reforms and Internationalisation: the case of School Reform in Kazakhstan, Cambridge University Press. Jones, Potter and Ebrahim (2001) Managing Curriculum Change in Schools, ERIC p20 Kapital. (2016) 66% of parents for the three languages in schools [online] Available at: https://kapital.kz/gosudarstvo/50391/za-trehyazychie-v-shkolah-66-roditelej.html [Accessed 14 January 2017] Kuchma, V. (2016) Reward and punishment of the Ministry of Education (Why the extension of the school year being criticised?) [online] Available at: https://kapital.kz/gosudarstvo/49389/knut-i-pryanik-ministerstva-obrazovaniya-rk.html [Accessed 13 January 2017] Kuchma, V. (2016) Big change in Kazakhstans schools [online] Available at: https://kapital.kz/gosudarstvo/49775/bolshaya-peremena-v-shkolah-kazahstana.html [Accessed 13 January 2017] Nazarbayev, N. (2007) Address of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, to the People of Kazakhstan. [online] Available at: http://www.akorda.kz/ru/addresses/addresses_of_president/poslanie-prezidenta-respubliki-kazahstan-nnazarbaeva-narodu-kazahstana-28-fevralya-2007-g [Accessed 18 January 2017] Nazarbayev, N. (2012) Address by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Leader of the Nation, Strategy Kazakhstan-2050: new political course of the established state [online] Available at: http://www.akorda.kz/en/events/astana_kazakhstan/participation_in_events/address-by-the-president-of-the-republic-of-kazakhstan-leader-of-the-nation-nnazarbayev-strategy-kazakhstan-2050-new-political-course-of-the-established-state-1 [Accessed 14 January 2017] Sagadiev, E. (2016) The meaning of the introduction of trilingualism in Kazakhstan the total knowledge of the Kazakh language by population [online] Available at: http://www.inform.kz/ru/erlan-sagadiev-smysl-vnedreniya-treh-yazychiya-v-kazahstane-total-noe-znanie-kazahskogo-yazyka-naseleniem_a2897529 [Accessed 13 January 2017] Smith Sandvik (2012) Four Global Trends in Education (And Why They Matter) in MetaMetrics. The Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan(2010) State Program of Education Development in the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2011-2020. [online] Available at: https://kaznmu.kz/eng/state-program-of-education-development-in-the-republic-of-kazakhstan/ [Accessed 18 January 2017] The Ministry of national economy and of the Republic of Kazakhstan Committee on statistics (2014) [online] The official statistical information Available at: http://www.stat.gov.kz/faces/wcnav_externalId/publBullS14-2014?_adf.ctrl-state=17nhn6hpxp_4_afrLoop=14098389396800612#%40%3F_afrLoop%3D14098389396800612%26_adf.ctrl-state%3Dere6z4bhw_9 [Accessed 13 January 2017] Tikly, L. Barrett, A. (2011) Social Justice, Capabilities and the Quality of Education in Low-Income Countries, International Journal of Educational Development. University of Cambridge (2017) Kazakhstan Programme [online] Available at: https://www.educ.cam.ac.uk/centres/kazakhstan/ [Accessed 13 January 2017]

The Twilight Saga 4: Breaking Dawn 5. ISLE ESME

â€Å"Houston?† I asked, raising my eyebrows when we reached the gate in Seattle. â€Å"Just a stop along the way,† Edward assured me with a grin. It felt like I'd barely fallen asleep when he woke me. I was groggy as he pulled me through the terminals, struggling to remember how to open my eyes after every blink. It took me a few minutes to catch up with what was going on when we stopped at the international counter to check in for our next flight. â€Å"Rio de Janeiro?† I asked with slightly more trepidation. â€Å"Another stop,† he told me. The flight to South America was long but comfortable in the wide first-class seat, with Edward's arms cradled around me. I slept myself out and awoke unusually alert as we circled toward the airport with the light of the setting sun slanting through the plane's windows. We didn't stay in the airport to connect with another flight as I'd expected. Instead we took a taxi through the dark, teeming, living streets of Rio. Unable to understand a word of Edward's Portuguese instructions to the driver, I guessed that we were off to find a hotel before the next leg of our journey. A sharp twinge of something very close to stage fright twisted in the pit of my stomach as I considered that. The taxi continued through the swarming crowds until they thinned somewhat, and we appeared to be nearing the extreme western edge of the city, heading into the ocean. We stopped at the docks. Edward led the way down the long line of white yachts moored in the night-blackened water. The boat he stopped at was smaller than the others, sleeker, obviously built for speed instead of space. Still luxurious, though, and more graceful than the rest. He leaped in lightly, despite the heavy bags he carried. He dropped those on the deck and turned to help me carefully over the edge. I watched in silence while he prepared the boat for departure, surprised at how skilled and comfortable he seemed, because he'd never mentioned an interest in boating before. But then again, he was good at just about everything. As we headed due east into the open ocean, I reviewed basic geography in my head. As far as I could remember, there wasn't much east of Brazil†¦ until you got to Africa. But Edward sped forward while the lights of Rio faded and ultimately disappeared behind us. On his face was a familiar exhilarated smile, the one produced by any form of speed. The boat plunged through the waves and I was showered with sea spray. Finally the curiosity I'd suppressed so long got the best of me. â€Å"Are we going much farther?† I asked. It wasn't like him to forget that I was human, but I wondered if he planned for us to live on this small craft for any length of time. â€Å"About another half hour.† His eyes took in my hands, clenched on the seat, and he grinned. Oh well, I thought to myself. He was a vampire, after all. Maybe we were going to Atlantis. Twenty minutes later, he called my name over the roar of the engine. â€Å"Bella, look there.† He pointed straight ahead. I saw only blackness at first, and the moon's white trail across the water. But I searched the space where he pointed until I found a low black shape breaking into the sheen of moonlight on the waves. As I squinted into the darkness, the silhouette became more detailed. The shape grew into a squat, irregular triangle, with one side trailing longer than the other before sinking into the waves. We drew closer, and I could see the outline was feathery, swaying to the light breeze. And then my eyes refocused and the pieces all made sense: a small island rose out of the water ahead of us, waving with palm fronds, a beach glowing pale in the light of the moon. â€Å"Where are we?† I murmured in wonder while he shifted course, heading around to the north end of the island. He heard me, despite the noise of the engine, and smiled a wide smile that gleamed in the moonlight. â€Å"This is Isle Esme.† The boat slowed dramatically, drawing with precision into position against a short dock constructed of wooden planks, bleached into whiteness by the moon. The engine cut off, and the silence that followed was profound. There was nothing but the waves, slapping lightly against the boat, and the rustle of the breeze in the palms. The air was warm, moist, and fragrant – like the steam left behind after a hot shower. â€Å"Isle Esme?† My voice was low, but it still sounded too loud as it broke into the quiet night. â€Å"A gift from Carlisle – Esme offered to let us borrow it.† A gift. Who gives an island as a gift? I frowned. I hadn't realized that Edward's extreme generosity was a learned behavior. He placed the suitcases on the dock and then turned back, smiling his perfect smile as he reached for me. Instead of taking my hand, he pulled me right up into his arms. â€Å"Aren't you supposed to wait for the threshold?'71 asked, breathless, as he sprung lightly out of the boat. He grinned. â€Å"I'm nothing if not thorough.† Gripping the handles of both huge steamer trunks in one hand and cradling me in the other arm, he carried me up the dock and onto a pale sand pathway through the dark vegetation. For a short while it was pitch black in the jungle-like growth, and then I could see a warm light ahead. It was about at the point when I realized the light was a house – the two bright, perfect squares were wide windows framing a front door – that the stage fright attacked again, more forcefully than before, worse than when I'd thought we were headed for a hotel. My heart thudded audibly against my ribs, and my breath seemed to get stuck in my throat. I felt Edward's eyes on my face, but I refused to meet his gaze. I stared straight ahead, seeing nothing. He didn't ask what I was thinking, which was out of character for him. I guessed that meant that he was just as nervous as I suddenly was. He set the suitcases on the deep porch to open the doors – they were unlocked. Edward looked down at me, waiting until I met his gaze before he stepped through the threshold. He carried me through the house, both of us very quiet, flipping on lights as he went. My vague impression of the house was that it was quite large for a tiny island, and oddly familiar. I'd gotten used to the pale-on-pale color scheme preferred by the Cullens; it felt like home. I couldn't focus on any specifics, though. The violent pulse beating behind my ears made everything a little blurry. Then Edward stopped and turned on the last light. The room was big and white, and the far wall was mostly glass – standard decor for my vampires. Outside, the moon was bright on white sand and, just a few yards away from the house, glistening waves. But I barely noted that part. I was more focused on the absolutely huge white bed in the center of the room, hung with billowy clouds of mosquito netting. Edward set me on my feet. â€Å"I'll†¦ go get the luggage.† The room was too warm, stuffier than the tropical night outside. A bead of sweat dewed up on the nape of my neck. I walked slowly forward until I could reach out and touch the foamy netting. For some reason I felt the need to make sure everything was real. I didn't hear Edward return. Suddenly, his wintry finger caressed the back of my neck, wiping away the drop of perspiration. â€Å"It's a little hot here,† he said apologetically. â€Å"I thought†¦ that would be best.† â€Å"Thorough,† I murmured under my breath, and he chuckled. It was a nervous sound, rare for Edward. â€Å"I tried to think of everything that would make this†¦ easier,† he admitted. I swallowed loudly, still facing away from him. Had there ever been a honeymoon like this before? I knew the answer to that. No. There had not. â€Å"I was wondering,'7Edward said slowly, â€Å"if†¦ first†¦ maybe you'd like to take a midnight swim with me?† He took a deep breath, and his voice was more at ease when he spoke again. â€Å"The water will be very warm. This is the kind of beach you approve of.† â€Å"Sounds nice.† My voice broke. â€Å"I'm sure you'd like a human minute or two†¦. It was a long journey.† I nodded woodenly. I felt barely human; maybe a few minutes alone would help. His lips brushed against my throat, just below my ear. He chuckled once and his cool breath tickled my overheated skin. â€Å"Don't take too long, Mrs. Cullen.† I jumped a little at the sound of my new name. His lips brushed down my neck to the tip of my shoulder. â€Å"I'll wait for you in the water.† He walked past me to the French door that opened right onto the beach sand. On the way, he shrugged out of his shirt, dropping it on the floor, and then slipped through the door into the moonlit night. The sultry, salty air swirled into the room behind him. Did my skin burst into flames? I had to look down to check. Nope, nothing was burning. At least, not visibly. I reminded myself to breathe, and then I stumbled toward the giant suitcase that Edward had opened on top of a low white dresser. It must be mine, because my familiar bag of toiletries was right on top, and there was a lot of pink in there, but I didn't recognize even one article of clothing. As I pawed through the neatly folded piles – looking for something familiar and comfortable, a pair of old sweats maybe – it came to my attention that there was an awful lot of sheer lace and skimpy satin in my hands. Lingerie. Very lingerie-ish lingerie, with French tags. I didn't know how or when, but someday, Alice was going to pay for this. Giving up, I went to the bathroom and peeked out through the long windows that opened to the same beach as the French doors. I couldn't see him; I guessed he was there in the water, not bothering to come up for air. In the sky above, the moon was lopsided, almost full, and the sand was bright white under its shine. A small movement caught my eye – draped over a bend in one of the palm trees that fringed the beach, the rest of his clothes were swaying in the light breeze. A rush of heat flashed across my skin again. I took a couple of deep breaths and then went to the mirrors above the long stretch of counters. I looked exactly like I'd been sleeping on a plane all day. I found my brush and yanked it harshly through the snarls on the back of my neck until they were smoothed out and the bristles were full of hair. I brushed my teeth meticulously, twice. Then I washed my face and splashed water on the back of my neck, which was feeling feverish. That felt so good that I washed my arms as well, and finally I decided to just give up and take the shower. I knew it was ridiculous to shower before swimming, but I needed to calm down, and hot water was one reliable way to do that. Also, shaving my legs again seemed like a pretty good idea. When I was done, I grabbed a huge white towel off the counter and wrapped it under my arms. Then I was faced with a dilemma I hadn't considered. What was I supposed to put on? Not a swimsuit, obviously. But it seemed silly to put my clothes back on, too. I didn't even want to think about the things Alice had packed for me. My breathing started to accelerate again and my hands trembled – so much for the calming effects of the shower. I started to feel a little dizzy, apparently a full-scale panic attack on the way. I sat down on the cool tile floor in my big towel and put my head between my knees. I prayed he wouldn't decide to come look for me before I could pull myself together. I could imagine what he would think if he saw me going to pieces this way. It wouldn't be hard for him to convince himself that we were making a mistake. And I wasn't freaking out because I thought we were making a mistake. Not atall. I was freaking out because I had no idea how to do this, and I was afraid to walk out of this room and face the unknown. Especially in French lingerie. I knew I wasn't ready for that yet This felt exactly like having to walk out in front of a theater full of thousands with no idea what my lines were. How did people do this – swallowall their fears and trust someone else so implicitly with every imperfection and fear they had – with less than the absolute commitment Edward had given me? if it weren't Edward out there, if I didn't know in every cell of my body that he loved me as much as I loved him – unconditionally and irrevocably and, to be honest, irrationally – I'd never be able to get up off this floor. But it was Edward out there, so I whispered the words â€Å"Don't be a coward† under my breath and scrambled to my feet. I hitched the towel tighter under my arms and marched determinedly from the bathroom. Past the suitcase full of lace and the big bed without looking at either. Out the open glass door onto the powder-fine sand. Everything was black-and-white, leached colorless by the moon. I walked slowly across the warm powder, pausing beside the curved tree where he had left his clothes. I laid my hand against the rough bark and checked my breathing to make sure it was even. Or even enough. I looked across the low ripples, black in the darkness, searching for him. He wasn't hard to find. He stood, his back to me, waist deep in the midnight water, staring up at the oval moon. The pallid light of the moon turned his skin a perfect white, like the sand, like the moon itself, and made his wet hair black as the ocean. He was motionless, his hands resting palms down against the water; the low waves broke around him as if he were a stone. I stared at the smooth lines of his back, his shoulders, his arms, his neck, theflawless shape of him†¦. The fire was no longer a flash burn across my skin – it was slow and deep now; it smoldered away all my awkwardness, my shy uncertainty. I slipped the towel off without hesitation, leaving it on the tree with his clothes, and walked out into the white light; it made me pale as the snowy sand, too. I couldn't hear the sound of my footsteps as I walked to the water's edge, but I guessed that he could. Edward did not turn. I let the gentle swells break over my toes, and found that he'd been right about the temperature – it was very warm, like bath water. I stepped in, walking carefully across the invisible ocean floor, but my care was unnecessary; the sand continued perfectly smooth, sloping gently toward Edward. I waded through the weightless current till I was at his side, and then I placed my hand lightly over his cool hand lying on the water. â€Å"Beautiful,† I said, looking up at the moon, too. â€Å"It's all right,† he answered, unimpressed. He turned slowly to face me; little waves rolled away from his movement and broke against my skin. His eyes looked silver in his ice-colored face. He twisted his hand up so that he could twine our fingers beneath the surface of the water. It was warm enough that his cool skin did not raise goose bumps on mine. â€Å"But I wouldn't use the word beautiful† he continued. â€Å"Not with you standing here in comparison.† I half-smiled, then raised my free hand – it didn't tremble now – and placed it over his heart. White on white; we matched, for once. He shuddered the tiniest bit at my warm touch. His breath came rougher now. â€Å"I promised we would try† he whispered, suddenly tense. â€Å"If†¦ if I do something wrong, if I hurt you, you must tell me at once.† I nodded solemnly, keeping my eyes on his. I took another step through the waves and leaned my head against his chest. â€Å"Don't be afraid,† I murmured. â€Å"We belong together.† I was abruptly overwhelmed by the truth of my own words. This moment was so perfect, so right, there was no way to doubt it. His arms wrapped around me, holding me against him, summer and winter. It felt like every nerve ending in my body was a live wire. â€Å"Forever,† he agreed, and then pulled us gently into deeper water. The sun, hot on the bare skin of my back, woke me in the morning. Late morning, maybe afternoon, I wasn't sure. Everything besides the time was clear, though; I knew exactly where I was – the bright room with the big white bed, brilliant sunlight streaming through the open doors. The clouds of netting would soften the shine. I didn't open my eyes. I was too happy to change anything, no matter how small. The only sounds were the waves outside, our breathing, my heartbeat†¦ I was comfortable, even with the baking sun. His cool skin was the perfect antidote to the heat. Lying across his wintry chest, his arms wound around me, felt very easy and natural. I wondered idly what I'd been so panicky about last night. My fears all seemed silly now. His fingers softly trailed down the contours of my spine, and I knew that he knew I was awake. I kept my eyes shut and tightened my arms around his neck, holding myself closer to him. He didn't speak; his fingers moved up and down my back, barely touching it as he lightly traced patterns on my skin. I would have been happy to lie here forever, to never disturb this moment, but my body had other ideas. I laughed at my impatient stomach. It seemed sort of prosaic to be hungry after all that had passed last night. Like being brought back down to earth from some great height. â€Å"What's funny?† he murmured, still stroking my back. The sound of his voice, serious and husky, brought with it a deluge of memories from the night, and I felt a blush color my face and neck. To answer his question, my stomach growled. I laughed again. â€Å"You just can't escape being human for very long.† I waited, but he did not laugh with me. Slowly, sinking through the many layers of bliss that clouded my head, came the realization of a different atmosphere outside my own glowing sphere of happiness. I opened my eyes; the first thing I saw was the pale, almost silvery skin of his throat, the arc of his chin above my face. His jaw was taut. I propped myself up on my elbow so I could see his face. He was staring at the frothy canopy above us, and he didn't look at me as I studied his grave features. His expression was a shock – it sent a physical jolt through my body. â€Å"Edward,† I said, a strange little catch in my throat, â€Å"what is it? What's wrong?† â€Å"You have to ask?† His voice was hard, cynical. My first instinct, the product of a lifetime of insecurities, was to wonder what I had done wrong. I thought through everything that had happened, but I couldn't find any sour note in the memory. It had all been simpler than I'd expected; we'd fit together like corresponding pieces, made to match up. This had given me a secret satisfaction – we were compatible physically, as well as all the other ways. Fire and ice, somehow existing together without destroying each other. More proof that I belonged with him. I couldn't think of any part that would make him look like this – so severe and cold. What had I missed? His finger smoothed the worried lines on my forehead. â€Å"What are you thinking?† he whispered. â€Å"You're upset. I don't understand. Did I†¦ ?† I couldn't finish. His eyes tightened. â€Å"How badly are you hurt, Bella? The truth – don't try to downplay it.† â€Å"Hurt?† I repeated; my voice came out higher than usual because the word took me so by surprise. He raised one eyebrow, his lips a tight line. I made a quick assessment, stretching my body automatically, tensing and flexing my muscles. There was stiffness, and a lot of soreness, too, it was true, but mostly there was the odd sensation that my bones all had become unhinged at the joints, and I had changed halfway into the consistency of a jellyfish. It was not an unpleasant feeling. And then I was a little angry, because he was darkening this most perfect of all mornings with his pessimistic assumptions. â€Å"Why would you jump to that conclusion? I've never been better than I am now.† His eyes closed. â€Å"Stop that.† â€Å"Stop what?† â€Å"Stop acting like I'm not a monster for having agreed to this.† â€Å"Edward!'7I whispered, really upset now. He was pulling my bright memory through the darkness, staining it. â€Å"Don't ever say that.† He didn't open his eyes; it was like he didn't want to see me. â€Å"Look at yourself, Bella. Then tell me I'm not a monster.† Wounded, shocked, I followed his instruction unthinkingly and then gasped. What had happened to me? I couldn't make sense of the fluffy white snow that clung to my skin. I shook my head, and a cascade of white drifted out of my hair. I pinched one soft white bit between my fingers. It was a piece of down. â€Å"Why am I covered in feathers?† I asked, confused. He exhaled impatiently. â€Å"I bit a pillow. Or two. That's not what I'm talking about.† â€Å"You†¦ bit a pillow? Why?† â€Å"Look, Bella!† he almost growled. He took my hand – very gingerly – and stretched my arm out. â€Å"Look at that† This time, I saw what he meant. Under the dusting of feathers, large purplish bruises were beginning to blossom across the pale skin of my arm. My eyes followed the trail they made up to my shoulder, and then down across my ribs. I pulled my hand free to poke at a discoloration on my left forearm, watching it fade where I touched and then reappear. It throbbed a little. So lightly that he was barely touching me, Edward placed his hand against the bruises on my arm, one at a time, matching his long fingers to the patterns. â€Å"Oh,† I said. I tried to remember this – to remember pain – but I couldn't. I couldn't recall a moment when his hold had been too tight, his hands too hard against me. I only remembered wanting him to hold me tighter, and being pleased when he did†¦. â€Å"I'm†¦ so sorry, Bella,† he whispered while I stared at the bruises. â€Å"I knew better than this. I should not have – † He made a low, revolted sound in the back of his throat. â€Å"I am more sorry than I can tell you.† He threw his arm over his face and became perfectly still. I sat for one long moment in total astonishment, trying to come to terms – now that I understood it – with his misery. It was so contrary to the way that I felt that it was difficult to process. Theshock wore off slowly, leaving nothing in its absence. Emptiness. My mind was blank. I couldn't think of what to say. How could I explain it to him in the right way? How could I make him as happy as I was – or as I had been, a moment ago? I touched his arm, and he didn't respond. I wrapped my fingers around his wrist and tried to pry his arm off his face, but I could have been yanking on a sculpture for all the good it did me. â€Å"Edward.† He didn't move. â€Å"Edward?† Nothing. So, this would be a monologue, then. â€Å"I'mnot sorry, Edward. I'm†¦ I can't even tell you. I'm so happy. That doesn't cover it. Don't be angry. Don't. I'm really f – â€Å" â€Å"Do not say the word fine.† His voice was ice cold. â€Å"If you value my sanity, do not say that you are fine.† â€Å"But I am: I whispered. â€Å"Bella,† he almost moaned. â€Å"Don't.† â€Å"No. You don't, Edward.† He moved his arm; his gold eyes watched me warily. â€Å"Don't ruin this,† I told him. â€Å"I. Am. Happy.† â€Å"I've already ruined this,† he whispered. â€Å"Cut it out,† I snapped. I heard his teeth grind together. â€Å"Ugh!† I groaned. â€Å"Why can't you just read my mind already? It's so inconvenient to be a mental mute!† His eyes widened a little bit, distracted in spite of himself. â€Å"That's a new one. You love that I can't read your mind.† â€Å"Not today.† He stared at me. â€Å"Why?† I threw my hands up in frustration, feeling an ache in my shoulder that I ignored. My palms fell back against his chest with a sharp smack. â€Å"Because all this angst would be completely unnecessary if you could see how I feel right now! Or five minutes ago, anyway. I was perfectly happy. Totally and completely blissed out. Now – well, I'm sort of pissed, actually.† â€Å"You should be angry at me.† â€Å"Well, I am. Does that make you feel better?† He sighed. â€Å"No. I don't think anything could make me feel better now.† â€Å"T/?af,† I snapped. â€Å"That right there is why I'm angry. You are killing my buzz, Edward.† He rolled his eyes and shook his head. I took a deep breath. I was feeling more of the soreness now, but it wasn't that bad. Sort of like the day after lifting weights. I'd done that with Renee during one of her fitness obsessions. Sixty-five lunges with ten pounds in each hand. I couldn't walk the next day. This was not as painful as that had been by half. I swallowed my irritation and tried to make my voice soothing. â€Å"We knew this was going to be tricky. I thought that was assumed. And then – well, it was a lot easier than I thought it would be. And this is really nothing.† I brushed my fingers along my arm. â€Å"I think for a first time, not knowing what to expect, we did amazing. With a little practice – â€Å" His expression was suddenly so livid that I broke off mid-sentence. â€Å"Assumed? Did you expect this, Bella? Were you anticipating that I would hurt you? Were you thinking it would be worse? Do you consider the experiment a success because you can walk away from it? No broken bones – that equals a victory?† I waited, letting him get it all out. Then I waited some more while his breathing went back to normal. When his eyes were calm, I answered, speaking with slow precision. â€Å"I didn't know what to expect – but I definitely did not expect how†¦ how†¦ just wonderful and perfect it was.† My voice dropped to a whisper, my eyes slipped from his face down to my hands. â€Å"I mean, I don't know how it was for you, but it was like that for me.† A cool finger pulled my chin back up. â€Å"Is that what you're worried about?† he said through his teeth. â€Å"That I didn't enjoy myself?† My eyes stayed down. â€Å"I know it's not the same. You're not human. I just was trying to explain that, for a human, well, I can't imagine that life gets any better than that.† He was quiet for so long that, finally, I had to look up. His face was softer now, thoughtful. â€Å"It seems that I have more to apologize for.† He frowned. â€Å"I didn't dream that you would construe the way I feel about what I did to you to mean that last night wasn't†¦ well, the best night of my existence. But I don't want to think of it that way, not when you were †¦Ã¢â‚¬  My lips curved up a little at the edges. â€Å"Really? The best ever?† I asked in a small voice. He took my face between his hands, still introspective. â€Å"I spoke to Carlisle after you and I made our bargain, hoping he could help me. Of course he warned me that this would be very dangerous for you.† A shadow crossed his expression. â€Å"He had faith in me, though – faith I didn't deserve.† I started to protest, and he put two fingers over my lips before I could comment. â€Å"I also asked him what should expect. I didn't know what it would be for me†¦ what with my being a vampire.† He smiled halfheartedly. â€Å"Carlisle told me it was a very powerful thing, like nothing else. He told me physical love was something I should not treat lightly. With our rarely changing temperaments, strong emotions can alter us in permanent ways. But he said I did not need to worry about that part – you had already altered me so completely.† This time his smile was more genuine. â€Å"I spoke to my brothers, too. They told me it was a very great pleasure. Second only to drinking human blood.† A line creased his brow. â€Å"But I've tasted your blood, and there could be no blood more potent than that†¦ I don't think they were wrong, really. Just that it was different for us. Something more.† â€Å"It was more. It was everything.† â€Å"That doesn't change the fact that it was wrong. Even if it were possible that you really did feel that way.† â€Å"What does that mean? Do you think I'm making this up? Why?† â€Å"To ease my guilt. I can't ignore the evidence, Bella. Or your history of trying to let me off the hook when I make mistakes.† I grabbed his chin and leaned forward so that our faces were inches apart. â€Å"You listen to me, Edward Cullen. I am not pretending anything for your sake, okay? I didn't even know there was a reason to make you feel better until you started being all miserable. I've never been so happy in all my life – I wasn't this happy when you decided that you loved me more than you wanted to kill me, or the first morning I woke up and you were there waiting for me†¦. Not when I heard your voice in the ballet studio† – he flinched at the old memory of my close call with a hunting vampire, but I didn't pause – â€Å"or when you said i do' and I realized that, somehow, I get to keep you forever. Those are the happiest memories I have, and this is better than any of it. So just deal with it.† He touched the frown line between my eyebrows. Tm making you unhappy now. I don't want to do that.† â€Å"Then don't you be unhappy. That's the only thing that's wrong here.† His eyes tightened, then he took a deep breath and nodded. â€Å"You're right. The past is past and I can't do anything to change it. There's no sense in letting my mood sour this time for you. HI do whatever I can to make you happy now.† I examined his face suspiciously, and he gave me a serene smile. â€Å"Whatever makes me happy?† My stomach growled at the same time that I asked. â€Å"You're hungry,† he said quickly. He was swiftly out of the bed, stirring up a cloud of feathers. Which reminded me. â€Å"So, why exactly did you decide to ruin Esme's pillows?† I asked, sitting up and shaking more down from my hair. He had already pulled on a pair of loose khaki pants, and he stood by the door, rumpling his hair, dislodging a few feathers of his own. â€Å"I don't know if I decided to do anything last night,† he muttered. â€Å"We're just lucky it was the pillows and not you.† He inhaled deeply and then shook his head, as if shaking off the dark thought. A very authentic-looking smile spread across his face, but I guessed it took a lot of work to put it there. I slid carefully off the high bed and stretched again, more aware, now, of the aches and sore spots. I heard him gasp. He turned away from me, and his hands balled up, knuckles white. â€Å"Do I look that hideous?† I asked, working to keep my tone light. His breath caught, but he didn't turn, probably to hide his expression from me. I walked to the bathroom to check for myself. I stared at my naked body in the full-length mirror behind the door. I'd definitely had worse. There was a faint shadow across one of my cheekbones, and my lips were a little swollen, but other than that, my face was fine. The rest of me was decorated with patches of blue and purple. I concentrated on the bruises that would be the hardest to hide – my arms and my shoulders. They weren't so bad. My skin marked up easily. By the time a bruise showed I'd usually forgotten how I'd come by it. Of course, these were just developing. I'd look even worse tomorrow. That would not make things any easier. I looked at my hair, then, and groaned. â€Å"Bella?† He was right there behind me as soon as I'd made a sound. â€Å"I'll never get this all out of my hair!† I pointed to my head, where it looked like a chicken was nesting. I started picking at the feathers. â€Å"You would be worried about your hair,† he mumbled, but he came to stand behind me, pulling out the feathers much more quickly. â€Å"How did you keep from laughing at this? I look ridiculous.† He didn't answer; he just kept plucking. And I knew the answer anyway – there was nothing that would be funny to him in this mood. ‘This isn't going to work,† I sighed after a minute. â€Å"It's all dried in. I'm going to have to try to wash it out.† I turned around, wrapping my arms around his cool waist. â€Å"Do you want to help me?† Td better find some food for you,† he said in a quiet voice, and he gently unwound my arms. I sighed as he disappeared, moving too fast. It looked like my honeymoon was over. The thought put a big lump in my throat. When I was mostly feather-free and dressed in an unfamiliar white cotton dress that concealed the worst of the violet blotches, I padded off barefoot to where the smell of eggs and bacon and Cheddar cheese was coming from. Edward stood in front of the stainless steel stove, sliding an omelet onto the light blue plate waiting on the counter. The scent of the food overwhelmed me. I felt like I could eat the plate and the frying pan, too; my stomach snarled. â€Å"Here,† he said. He turned with a smile on his face and set the plate on a small tiled table. I sat in one of the two metal chairs and started snarfing down the hot eggs. They burned my throat, but I didn't care. He sat down across from me. â€Å"I'm not feeding you often enough.† I swallowed and then reminded him, â€Å"I was asleep. This is really good, by the way. Impressive for someone who doesn't eat.† â€Å"Food Network,† he said, flashing my favorite crooked smile. I was happy to see it, happy that he seemed more like his normal self. â€Å"Where did the eggs come from?† â€Å"I asked the cleaning crew to stock the kitchen. A first, for this place. I'll have to ask them to deal with the feathers†¦. † He trailed off, his gaze fixed on a space above my head. I didn't respond, trying to avoid saying anything that would upset him again. I ate everything, though he'd made enough for two. â€Å"Thank you,† I told him. I leaned across the table to kiss him. He kissed me back automatically, and then suddenly stiffened and leaned away. I gritted my teeth, and the question I meant to ask came out sounding like an accusation. â€Å"You aren't going to touch me again while we're here, are you?† He hesitated, then half-smiled and raised his hand to stroke my cheek. His fingers lingered softly on my skin, and I couldn't help leaning my face into his palm. â€Å"You know that's not what I meant.† He sighed and dropped his hand. â€Å"I know. And you're right.† He paused, lifting his chin slightly. And then he spoke again with firm conviction. â€Å"I will not make love with you until you've been changed. I will never hurt you again.†

A Speech On Cornerstone Education - 1086 Words

Cornerstone Education PGS I have received my Associates degree in Business this week, I am thrilled by this accomplishment. I did not plan that I would finish, I thought that I would enjoy each moment of this journey without expectations and I did. The Professional and Graduate Studies program at Cornerstone University has enriched my life with the freedom to write in my worldview, to reflect creatively, and invited a new way of being outside my inner circle that has opened a bigger world. The freedom to write from my worldview is an indispensable gift that I will continue to carry with me. The surprise of writing from my true self with God is a pleasant experience, as opposed to the uncomfortableness of expecting to write in the†¦show more content†¦In the fine Art course I felt at home drawing and viewing paintings with a variety of colors with meaning and wisdom in as simple as a stroke of the brush. I am now especially fond of Rembrandt’s Prodigal Son and Bruegel’s The Parable of the Blind. I soaked in the art history and the surroundings of the era and the time where the artist breathed out the stories of their life in their art. Adam’s Peace by Henri Nouwen, is the story of Henri’s life with Adam. Adam cannot do anything for himself, his life is to just be, and fully depends on others to fulfill every need. Adam needed Henri and Henri cared for Adam. Henri writes lovingly how Adam speaks into life as a witness of peace, â€Å"Peace is first of all the art of being.† Image life with attentiveness to what is now, not worried about the coming or going of the next thing. Henri wonders, how he too can be present to the now and live life empty of human pride in this present moment (Nouwen, Henri, 2013 pg. 123). Where there is striving for the next thing, only a portion of the moment is noticed. I want to be fully present. Adam is forced to be fully present and live in the now, and we have a choice to live fully present. Creative thinking belongs in business management. As an artist and a poet, why receive a degree in business management? Creativity is needed in the busy business world with in the rushes and demands perfection, creativity belongs. A creativity soul reminds us that we are

The Chalice And The Blade, By Charlotte Bronte And A...

Dominant and recessive genes. The genes that make up who we are. The genes that make us special and unique. There are billions of combinations of genes just as there are humans in the world. Each dominant gene masks the appearance of the recessive, the weaker gene. Like these dominant genes, throughout history men have dominated every aspect of life, pushing the women, who are symbolized by the recessive genes, to the sidelines. Women have always been present in the evolution of the world, but their role has been blinded by the superiority and the dictatorship of men. In The Chalice and The Blade, Riane Eisler introduces the two basic models of society: a dominator model, where one half of society is favored over the other, and a†¦show more content†¦Although she has no significance in the family and knew she was going to be punished for her misbehavior, she wasn’t afraid to defend her actions. Similarly, Mariam in A Thousand Splendid Suns, shows courage in enduring . In the first few years of her marriage with Rasheed, she begins to face problems: â€Å"In the four years since the day at the bathhouse, there had been six more cycles of hopes raised then dashed, each loss, each collapse, each trip to the doctor more crushing for Mariam than the last† (Hosseini 99). Mariam suffers from several miscarriages. Rasheed’s anger and violence continues to aggravate as Mariam is not able to provide Rasheed a son and heir to the family. He continues to abuse her. Being the strong woman she is, Mariam continues to stay with Rasheed and does not break the marriage. Her options could have been escaping from Rasheed or killing herself, but Mariam just endures the pain. The disappointment of the failed pregnancies lowers her self-esteem but it makes her a stronger person as she is able to fight the agony. Mariam does not let Rasheed’s dominator values of intimidation restrict her to live a courageous life. Restricted by dominator values, both Jane and Mariam are able to overcome the barrier created by these values and develop the partnership value of courage. In times of hardship, both Jane and Mariam find a hopeful light through the partnership value of friendship. In