PsyInfo (tools to success) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

PsyInfo (tools to success) - Essay Example I can remember all the times I was sad as a kid, birthdays, holidays, Christmas time. I didn't know that growing up without money may have tied my parents down some and that they may have even felt like giving up in their lives. It was as if we were all embarrassed at living. Today I can look back and understand and appreciate some of these pressures of poverty, that they can really affect communication among family members and in a sense stunt the emotional growth and health that is needed. Feeling apart from others, isolated and unique in that way, I could no longer avoid states of depression. Today I see these states as important. In a child, one who is rebelling, they could lead into all kinds of mental illnesses if they are not properly attended to. Finally I met an individual who would change my life by the example of his own life. I had managed to get a job working in a store. I was about 17 at the time and was no longer going to school. The manager was one of the most busy pe rsons I had every met in my life. The store was a franchise type and was open 24 hours. When I got in in the early morning he was their taking inventory. When I left he was in the back stacking up inventory. He wasn't an old man, he was like middle age. I found out he spent his afternoons at business school. This man never took me personally.

My Assignment Essay Example for Free

My Assignment Essay According to Wikipedia, custom is defined by an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting and safeguarding customs duties and for controlling the flow of goods including animals, transports, personal effects and hazardous items in and out of a country. Other definition of custom is practice or rule of conduct established in a particular community, locality, or trade, by long usage and obligatory on those within its scope. A valid custom must be certain, reasonable, not contrary to statute law, and of immemorial antiquity. It is also called custom and usage. Malaysia which once known as Tanah Melayu has implemented the collection of tax since before the colonial era. The one responsible on that era to collect the tax known as Shahbandar and the one who become their chief is Penghulu Bendahari. Upon with the colonial era, Straits Settlement (Negeri-Negeri Selat) was formed. There were three straits in the Straits Settlement; Malacca, Penang and Temasik (Singapore). Each straits consist of Governor who has the authority to collect the tax. They were lead by General Council located at Calcutta which control by Board of Control of British East India Company. Even though the Straits Settlement has been formed, the previous tax used by Pembesar Melayu still used such as Tax Farming. With the formation of Federation of Malaya on 1948, Customs and Excise department also establish for the whole Malay Peninsula. The formation of the customs union Federation of Malaya 1948 was suggested by Sir Cecil Clementi. The suggestion was made on the Head of Rulers Conference which also known as Durbar on 1931 at Seri Menanti, Negeri Sembilan. According to Custom Ordinance 1952, those who involve with The Federal Council are responsible for issuing all regulations relating to customs matters. Upon reaching the independence days on August 1957 and the formation of Malaysia, the Customs and Excise department were restructured many times to make the regulation was tally with the developing Malaysia. In Malaysia, custom department was known as Royal Malaysian Custom. Each department or organization in government or private sector has its own mission and vision. The vision of Royal Malaysian Custom is to make Malaysian Customs services world class in 2015. Royal Malaysian Custom got three main missions. First and foremost is to drive economic growth. Second is protects national security and public welfare through revenue collection services. Third is facilitates the trade and industrial and ensuring adherence to the laws through efficient and effective means. The article state that the custom has increased and upgrade the scanner machine located at the country gate. They did this to ensure that their officer can increase the performance via high technology machine. The custom done this because of the increase of smuggling activity happen in our country. Recently, the smuggling activity has increased. As a normal citizen, I observe that this thing happen due to government has increase the price of some items without telling to the citizen. Thus, the normal citizen demand on the low price items has increased greater. Smuggler who wants to make the profit will use this opportunity to distribute their items. What is smuggle item? Smuggle item is an item which were brought into the country illegally and not paying the duty. Usually the item also did not follow the standard rate of a certain item. For example is smuggle phone. Are the phones either is safe to be used and has the safety warranty or any others. Another example is nicotine and tar ratio in a cigarette. Usually the ratio in the smuggle cigarette not following the standard that is state by the ministry of health. Proposal to Improve Custom 1. In my opinion, what custom has done was a great worked. This is because they will prevent smuggling from occur and prevent a person or company that trying to evade from paying tax and create an equal right among all importer. A research has been done by Richard James from Goldman Sachs Group Inc. According to the statistic that was done by him, our country was listed as the top country that smuggling cigarettes. James said that on year 2009, the percentage of cigarette smuggle is 37 percent and is expected to increase as the legal cigarette price was announced increase by the government. The smuggler today also has come with many creative and unimaginable methods to smuggle their goods. For example is what stated by www.harian –metro-online.com. There was a smuggler who dug a whole between a bunch of 15 piece of footwear. Thus, custom effort to upgrade the scanning machine was a great idea to prevent from a new way of smuggling that the smuggler keeps improving it. All of this activity happen due to what is stated before, that is due to government has increase the price towards several item. To prevent this from occurring again, I think government should decide properly before making decision on increasing the price of items. For example, the price of the smoke was increased because the government think that by increasing the smoke price, a smoker citizen will decrease thus create a healthy citizen. But what is expected by the government was wrong. A heavy smoker made the smoke as their habit. Even there is a slogan made by them. The slogan is â€Å"smoke is like their second life† or â€Å"we cannot live without smoke†. Thus, to continue their habit, they intend to find a smoke which has lower price. The lower price smoke is surely the smuggle smoke. And the smuggle smoke contain higher nicotine and tar which did not follow the ratio of both ingredient that is allowed by the ministry of health under the poison act 1952 and food act 1983 control of tobacco product (amendment) regulation 2008. This indicates that smuggle smoke is more dangerous compare to prohibited smoke. 2. One of custom general objective is to prevent loss of revenue. As we all know the tax collected by the custom is one the country revenue. The revenue will be used to develop the country. It also gives benefit to the citizen if the country developed well. Thus, by more smuggling activity occurs, it causes lot of country revenue loss. It is equal to a hard for the government to develop the country. To prevent or reducing the activity, Malaysian Custom can implement what has been done by the Singapore Customs (SC). SC has made â€Å"joint media released by Singapore Customs (SC) and Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA)†. On these joint, the SC manage to arrested many smuggling attempt. One of the attempts is happen on 11 April 2009 at Tuas Checkpoint. The smuggler foiled a smuggling attempt using bricks to conceal illegal cigarettes. They done the operation as soon as they receive the information that there will be Malaysia-registered prime mover would be smuggling duty-unpaid cigarettes into Singapore. As the first line of defence towards the smuggling activity on Singapore region, ICA has intercepted the vehicle that is believed to be the smuggler. As the result, they found a total of 20,970 packets of cigarettes hidden beneath the floorboard of the centre column of the trailer. Officers had to drill and pry open the centre column of the trailer’s floorboard to expose the smuggled cigarettes. All the content in the vehicle was seized and the driver was arrested and punished using the Singapore Law. On the contrary, Malaysia first line of defence from smuggling activity is the custom itself. Thus, the custom can create a division for the immigration and check point authority to make the work flow more ease and efficient. They also must act fast as soon as they received the information. The custom must execute the law strictly. They must tighten up the security checks on the cargo or vehicles to prevent attempts to smuggle things. This is to prevent the loss of country revenue which helps the country to develop. Besides, custom side must aware with new techniques used by smuggler to smuggle things as they somehow will try to find a new way to smuggle their things. 3. As addition, I think the custom also can send their officer regularly to make exercise on checking cargo or goods pass the custom. This will ensure that they can do a full check on the cargo or goods fast and efficient without wasting time. This also can increase the quality of the custom and make the other country respect our custom. Besides, the custom also must select their officer carefully so that there will be no bribe case happen during the process of checking and pass the custom. This is to ensure that our custom not look down by the smuggler and other country custom.

Handling Teenage Pregnancy Analysis Social Work Essay

Handling Teenage Pregnancy Analysis Social Work Essay Teenage pregnancy is no longer a surprising news to the public. Teenage pregnancy referring to McGraw-Hill dictionary, understood to occur in an age 13 to 19 who has not completed her secondary school study, has few or no marketable skills, is financially dependent upon her parents or continues to live at home and is often mentally immature . It made a critical impact upon Hong Kong society and it became a significan issue in society and academic fields. The paper would illustrate the brief history and contemporary situation in Hong Kong. It will also analyzes the social work pratice area of teenage pregnancy in Hong Kong and the reason why it is a hard task to deal. This is one of the social work practice that I think it is difficult for me to work on. I would review literature and cases about how can social workers handle this problem for the preparation for the further study and future work. Introduction In the past ten years of the 20th century, British governments became aware of teenage pregnancy issue as a significant public health and social problem . As a long-time sociologist on this isssue has observed, teenage pregnancy has become a veritable industry . This view was shared by Hong Kong society. Official statistics have already clearly shown the teenage pregnancy problem years ago. According to the a public survey on school-based sex education in Hong Kong conducted by Department of Social Work at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, among those aged 26 or below who requested for abortion in the past three years, 3% of them were teenagers below 16. Moreover , 183 teenagers aged below 18 gave birth in 2006 . All these statistics have again aroused the public concern. For the social work field, this is a social issue worthy of discussion. A local youth organization in Hong Kong conducted an exploratory and qualitative study focusing on teenagers who had become pregnant under the age of 18 (Hong Kong Federation of Youth Group 1995b). This is a in-depth study on teenage pregnancy in Hong Kong. The total of 25 girls were interviewed whom were referred by the Social Welfare Departmaent and other NGO. The study aimed at finding out their attitudes towards sex and contraception as well as the decision-making process regarding abortion. It explored that more interviewees chose to have an abortion in Hong Kong than to give birth to a baby that may trouble their futures. About half them made the decision to terminate the pregnancy within 2 weeks. However, four girls could not make up their minds or come to an agreement with their boyfriends . In these cases, the 24th week passed without a decision, making it too late for a legal abortion. Dealing with their issues of pregnancies, they worried more about the unpredictable chang es in their future life than the social moral or others impression on them. All in all, it concluded that these girls had actively participated in the decision-making process, moreover, even make the decision by themselves. In some condition,heir parents were not in direct practical help and some parents even did not know the problem at all. Difficulties in handling teenage pregnancy I know the most difficult part for me to handle the teenage pregnancy case is client self-determination phase. The client may be already suffered from her own confusion and the complicated emotion. As a professional social worker, must help the client to understand the pros and cons in her situation. Following the NASW Code of Ethics social workers respect and promote the right of clients to self-determination and assist clients in their efforts to identify and clarify their goals . This decision making is an overwhelmed task for everyone. To choose an abortion, means a loss of a essential attachment relationship . It is a more psychological tramua than a biological hurt. Choosing to keep the baby, also lead to a loss of the normal life, facing the threat of social norms, financial problem, parental style, end up of education, etc. It seems that there is never a good choice. In this helping process, it may conflict with my own interest and personal value and I afraid that would influence the clients self-determination ability. I feel confident with my professional of non-judgmental, but talking about providing the options, it is hard for my preference of anti-abortion. My mother is a Christian and her Christian value of opposing abortion has a great affect on me. From a Christian view, deliberate abortion, unless the mothers life is in danger, is murder. I agree with the idea that this is kind of killing the most defenseless livin beings by taking away their most basic right to live, without their permission. So this is also the reason why in some countries, abortion is illegal. The baby is innocent. It is a tragedy that one have no right to determine to live or not. I regard the baby as human life though some people say it is only an unwanted tissue. Besides, teenage abortion patients are more likely to come up with physical risks. Because their bodies are not yet fully developed and can not produce pathogens, which are found in the cervical mucus of older women and protect them from infection . These teenagers are also twice as likely to experience cervical lacerations and higher risk for post-abortion infections such as pelvic inflammatory disea se and endometritis . Scared by above information, I was clear that my personal interest is an obstacle to me of giving the unwed mother the choice of abortion. On the other hand, continue the pregnancy, the major concern is raising up the baby. If the baby could not born in a complete family, or the parent were reluctant to accept his/her, it may cause a negative effect on the babys whole life. It is not his choice to come to this world, but he have to bear all these. I really believe in the family of origins lifelong affect on the baby. Social scientists have found that the children growing up in single parent families are disadvantaged in many aspects comparing to a two-biological-parent families . Studies shows that these children are more potentially to have deviant behaviors such as become low acadamic achievement, drug abuse, join a gang, ect. Many of these problems are related to the poor economic condition and parenting style. To be honest, none of us want to born in a single parent family. The child may rather his mother did not give birth to him, but he have no choice. I worry that my dilemma of these cases would affect these sensitive teenage as they are really vulnerable under such condition. In the future work, I realize there is no way to escape from all this kind of issue. I have no choice but find out a applicable way to deal with it. How do social worker handle teenage pregnancy After doing literature review, I found the cardinal values of social work give me an effective support to handle these crisis. The Code of Ethics point out that all human beings deserve access to the resources they need to deal with lifes problems and to develop their full potential . As a social worker, we must believe that the client have the ability to make the preferable decision. Keep neutral and enhance their problem-solving and decision-making capacity in order to avoid conflict between our personal beliefs with the clients value. Tough decision to make Applying empathy to this kind of cases, we should recognize their emotional reactions. If we can not stand in their positions, it is impossible to help them to help themselves. During this period, their emotion would be easily affected and would go through shocked, frightened, frustrated, angry, helpless, lost and alone, worried and shameful. Showing acceptance and being supportive is essential, it can lower the clients anxiety and build up a trustful relationship. After the clients management of her emotion, weigh out the options, for example: her mental or physical health during prenancy, the financial conditionl and family support of the teenagers family, the family and status of the father, the future education or other plans for her . In the helping process, she is assisted to appraise her strengths and weaknesses as well as her extant resources and limitations, identify and assess alternatives, show empathy on her thoughts and feelings as well as take serious consideration of the welfare of the baby . Understand and inform the client about the pros and cons of all the choices, utilize the resources and then respect her choice no matter what it is.. Though the final decision is made by the client, this choice in fact would not be decided by her own. No doubt this would involved of her family support system or partner and friends social network. These teenager are tend to make decision under the pressure given by their parens or boyfriends. Mothers choice Usually, social worker whom work on the teenage pregnancy case will provide the teen three options and help this client to assess her situation. Keep the baby. If the client decide to keep the baby, the social worker should make it clear to the realistic demands of the costs whether now or the future. Make sure she get the fully perspective of the future challenges. Many kinds of responsibilities she has to take, such as physical and psychological changes, financial risks or maternal management. And the most important, is she well prepare for the new role of a parent. Give the baby up for adoption. The most crucial task before the babys birth, is consider to make the maximum benefits for the baby. Though it may broken the mothers heart. After concerns of the babys better future, some pregnant girls will continue their pregnancies and painfully give up the baby for adoption. If the client face her situation of not ready for a parenthood, no matter what kind of factors, we should respect her choice. She is bravely admitting she is not ready to becom a mother but want her baby to achieve a better life. To choose adoption can arouse the sense of loss and guilty. This feeling will start with the pregnancy itself because the expectant parents realize the fact of accept the loss of their own immediate life plans . Dealing with sadness and guilt is not easy, some of them may really suffer from the fact that permanently separated from their child or even feel grief and shame last a lifetime. So analyze all these cost and possibilities and inform her as much details as possible, it help her feel in control and confirm of making this decision. End the pregnancy. Some time abortion is a hard but reasonable choice. Abortion is a very sensitive issue for many people and a very difficult decision to make for many women. But to some extent, finacial or psychological limitation, they have no choice but to give up their babies for adortion for further consideration. Having an abortion under 24 weeks is considered legal in Hong Kong. Also, social worker should make sure that the client is informed the possible consequences, by consulting the doctor, the family and the partner to evaluate the determination. How if I face this issue As I realize the difficulties of myself in dealing with teenage pregnancy, the best way to solve this dilemma is follow the ethical principles. All social workers work is helping people to help themselves. What I have to do is to help her find out the best way to solve her problem. First is to keep confidential. Only in this way, the client assured that their information will not known by others so that will talk freely and provide more imformation. The principle also point our the confidentiality is not absolute when the client present a danger to self or others . I may discuss this concerns with my client and let her to decide whether to continue the services under such situation. A teen may face a dilemma, whether to tell others or not. When we feel the involvement of a parent or friends could be helpful, but she may not want any outside involvement . It is reasonable that under the pressure of social norms, this young girl will like to keep a secret. Senior social work suggest that the best way is explore her reluctance of telling others, after that, is up to her decision. And then, consent is an important ethical issue as well. We suggest voluntary involvement with the case to the client. For instance, Canadas common law states that people can consent if they are capable of understanding their problem, the proposed treatment, and the likely consequences of having or refusing treatment . In another word, it is her choice to consent or refuse. Facing any kind of deviant behaviour, a social worker must be non-judgmental. All of us were have been taught that we should not make judgments in class. As a human being, it is hard of putting none emotion on others. Geldard holds the view, that being non-judgmental and treating client with unconditional positive regard are goals which we should try our best to achieve. Though this is difficult, we need to explore in supervision any personal issues which may be interfering with their ability to be more accepting . I should strive to do this in order to build up a trustful relationship with the client. Conclusion Teenage pregnancy is a multifaceted issue that involve so many factors. As a social worker, understanding these teenagers as they try hard on making their decisions regarding sexuality and parenthood involves , keep in touch with their perceptions of themselves and their assessments of the opportunities that waiting them . After writing this paper, I recognize I had considered too much about humanitarianism and fostering a healthy baby, but neglect the pregnant teenager-my client. A social workers most concern is how to help the client to make maximum benefit in her situation but not to judge if they are right or wrong. I have to learn and practice more on believing in the clients ability to solve the problem and respect her choice. I will not pass judgment on the client who are confronting difficult decisions, they are doing the best they can.

Humor and Criticism in Erasmuss Praise of Folly Essay -- essays papers

Humor and Criticism in Erasmuss Praise of Folly Humor and Criticism in Praise of Folly Erasmus’s Praise of Folly is a humor-filled satire of pretty much everything. It is filled with wit and sarcasm which make light of serious problems and blow insignificant issues out of proportion all the while bringing a smile to the reader’s face. It is not stinging humor at the expense of others (unless, of course, the shoe fits), rather it is directed towards everyone. Erasmus even includes himself in the joke, practically parodying himself in the first section (xvi). In Praise of Folly, Erasmus uses this humor to criticize without the harsh judgment of seriousness. His humor parallels the import of his subject. When Folly discusses the issues most significant to Erasmus, she loses her jocularity and ironic tone, whereas in her first voice, Folly laughs at those whose foolish ways are reason for criticism but not for scorn. This section finds great ironic humor in the folly of all types of conceit, pointing out that the most condescending of people have little reason for such egotism. Folly laughs at the conceit of â€Å"the general run of gentry and scholars† with their â€Å"distorted sense of modesty† (11) including â€Å"those who lay special claim to be called the personification of wisdom, even though they strut about ‘like apes in purple’ and ‘asses in lion-skins’† (13). Folly, of course, is guilty of this most of all in dedicating a whole book to praising herself, and she admits the great folly behind this when she asks, â€Å"What could be more fitting than for Folly to trumpet her own merits abroad and ‘sing her own praises’† (11). Erasmus jokes about this type of conceit because it is innocent and commonplace. His point is to en... ...art for any lack of seriousness. Here we see the culmination of Folly’s progression towards Erasmus’s most serious subject and away from humor. Erasmus demonstrates the value of humor by making fun of insignificant issues and teaching us how to laugh at ourselves. â€Å"Jokes of this kind . . . which aren’t lacking in learning and wit† (4) help us put the less significant aspects of life in perspective. They also aim to moderate the level of his criticism making it more constructive than insulting. For it is â€Å"the ridiculous rather than the squalid† (7) to which his humor applies. He reserves a more serious voice for more serious wrongdoing. We see this parallel between humor and subject clearly as Erasmus progresses from constructive criticism of insignificant folly to harsh indictment of religious pretension and most of all in his solemn praise of Christian folly.

Oliver Twist - Name Etymology Essay -- essays research papers

Oliver Twist - Name Etymology Summary: Oliver Twist is a poor orphan boy cruelly treated in the public workhouse. Pennyless and hungry, he runs away to London, only to fall into the clutches of a gang of thieves and pickpockets led by the master criminal, Fagin. Befriended by a man robbed by the gang, Oliver ultimately learns his true identity and gains a new home, a fortune and a brand new family! Name Analogies: Oliver: Norman French form of a Germanic name, possibly the name Alfihar meaning "elf army". The spelling was altered by association with Latin oliva "olive tree". The olive tree also symbolises longevity and hope, and the olive tree is renowned eternal. It is also a symbol of peace and reconciliation, the branch of the olive tree is chosen by God to mean to Noà © (Noah) that the Flood is finished and that the diminution begins, symbol of the forgiveness. Also symbolising of victory, the olive tree is a present loaded with a gratifying meaning during the Olympic Games in Athens. Crown of olive tree and jars of olive oil are so offered to the winners. A symbol of force, the olive tree is renowned for its very compact, very heavy and very hard wood. It is wooden of olive tree that are made Hercules’s bludgeons and it is with the wooden picket of olive tree that Ulysses brings down Cyclops in the Odyssey. I think this name suits Oliver very well as his name, derived from the olive tree. It symbolizes peace and reconciliation as Oliver duly shows...

Rappaccini’s Daughter Essay: Solitude/Isolation in the Story and Hawthorne’s Life :: Rappaccinis Daughter Essays

Solitude/Isolation in â€Å"Rappaccini’s Daughter† and Hawthorne’s Life  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   In the Nathaniel Hawthorne tale, â€Å"Rappaccini’s Daughter,† we see and feel the solitude/isolation of the scientific-minded surgeon, Dr. Rappaccini, likewise that of his daughter, Beatrice, and finally that of the main character, Giovanni. Is this solitude not a reflection of the very life of the author?    According to A.N. Kaul in his Introduction to   Hawthorne – A Collection of Critical Essays, the themes of isolation and alienation were ones which Hawthorne was â€Å"deeply preoccupied with† in his writings (2). Hawthorne’s personal isolation from people from 1825 to 1837 was probably due to his lifelong shyness among people. This reluctance to freely socialize may have been a result of a foot injury: â€Å"an injury to his foot at the age of nine reduced his physical activity for almost two years† (Martin 16). Wagenknecht says in Nathaniel   Hawthorne – The Man, His Tales and Romances that this accident â€Å"reduced him for over two years to a state of invalidism that probably contributed toward developing his taste for reading† (2). Or Nathaniel Hawthorne’s shyness was perhaps due to the death of his father when he was but four years old. Regarding the impact of this death upon Hawthorne, Edmund Fuller and B. Jo Kinnick in â⠂¬Å"Stories Derived from New England Living,† say:    When the news came of his father’s death, Hawthorne’s mother withdrew into her upstairs bedroom, coming out only rarely during the remaining forty years of her life. The boy and his two sisters lived in almost complete isolation from her and from each other (29).    The Norton Anthology: American Literature states that as a college student at Bowdoin College â€Å"shyness caused him to try to evade the obligatory public declamations† (547). It continues:    Hawthorne’s years between 1825 and 1837 have fascinated his biographers and critics. Hawthorne himself took pains to propagate the notion that he had lived as a hermit who left his upstairs room only for nighttime walks and hardly communicated even with his mother and sisters (547).    Henry James, a contemporary of Nathaniel Hawthorne, who knew him socially, had lots to say about Hawthorne’s isolation and shyness in his book Hawthorne:    . . . this region to be of a "weird and woodsy" character; and Hawthorne, later in life, spoke of it to a friend as the place where "I first got my cursed habits of solitude.

Slave Boy – Creative Writing

Today, my brain is a whirlwind of emotions: memories from my past. A past I would like to forget but can't. I will begin my story, my story, from when I was just six years of age and taken from my family. It feels strange to look over the shores of my native lands, the same land on which I was sold to white men to work as a slave. We the, Africans were seen as an inferior and uncivilised race, enough justification to be enslaved and treated little better than animals.My real name was Nkauwa but they called me Sam. My identity; my family; my culture; my freedom; they took everything from me and changed it. My life would never be the same again. It was Nigerean slave dealers who rounded us up like cattle. The vast majority of us were caught during fighting against other African groups, prisoners of war. The rest were criminals like me, but my only crime was stealing fruit from the market, my punishment? a lifetime of enslavement. Our hands were tied behind our backs with pieces of rough string that stopped the blood from reaching our fingers. Being six at the time I did not understand why women were crying, their shrieks of horror threw me off-balance and I panicked, I did not understand what was going on, nor did I recognise any faces around me. I asked a man behind me why they had brought us here and he told me sadly, † to learn the ways of the white-faced people.† I felt so alone for the first time and I had a feeling I would be alone for a long while. I started to cry. When the ship rose up through the horizon, all commotion stopped at the magnificent yet terrifying sight, I had seen boats but never on that scale before. The silence was tense with apprehension and fear of the unknown. When the ship had anchored, twenty of so rowing boats came to shore, filled with crates of guns, cloths and lead. It was the first time I had seen white flesh, by no means was it to be the last. Time was spent by both parties inspecting each others goods, as if we were merely objects of little value. They looked in our mouths and felt our muscle-span to see if we would be strong efficient workers. The white men showed the slave dealers how to operate thier new weapons and then we were rowed to the ship; little did I know of the conditions that would face me for the ten week voyage of hell. I was soon put down under the decks, and there I received a stench in my nostrils I had never experienced in my life; we were packed so tightly we had just enough room to turn to turn ourselves and I could not stand up without my head touching the ceiling. The air was fetid, it nearly suffocated me. I began to vomit before the ships anchor had even been raised. It was a scene of horror for the worst ten weeks of my life. The conditions and our hunger brought on sickness amongst us, many of whom died. The crew of the ship cleared the dead in the morning and fed us barely edible, meagre meals. The wretched situation was aggravated by the chains and filth we were living in . At some point in the journey the crew must have realised that if they kept us under the deck for the whole journey there would be no slaves left, so they let small groups on the deck every few days. I sobbed to myself most nights but no one comforted me apart from the groans of the dying. At times I wondered to myself, if this is just the journey, what would the destination be like? The suffocating smell brought sharp, stabbing pains upon my lungs. When we were finally taken off the boat, I was almost too weak to move and I felt terrible. Welcome to America! As I was carried off the boat, the wind hit my face like an explosion and my body siezed up with pains shooting through my muscles. We stood in a yard in the docks, suddenly the doors were thrown open and a considerable number of men waving money and rope rushed towards us in a scramble. The men had the ferocity of brutes as they grabbed frantically at us; again I experienced the touching of muscles and inspecting our teeth, precisely as a jockey examines a horse. It is scarcely possible to describe the confusion and fright I felt as a small child. A tall, scruffy man with a long beard and hat grabbed my shoulders and shoved me in a corner with the rest of his chosen purchases, grumbling † This one looks like and investment.† The choas continued as we were led away and put on the back of his horse and cart. The man was swearing and smoking his pipe when in a temper, he whipped the horses into a trot. We were off! I was still adjusting to the change of environment from the ten weeks under deck and my body was in a lot of pain. As we travelled through the hustle and bustle of the Southern town of Missisippi, Louisiana, we entered the rural countryside and after an hour or so we stopped at a large, wooden farmhouse, complete with a mill that was spurting out clouds of white smoke from its chimney into the clear blue sky. Aproaching closer I noticed behind the mill, a small village of huts and a huge open plantation with with cotton plants growing in thick formations. We were escorted off the cart and brought into another yard outside the farm house from where we were called up one by one to enter the house. It was a very nervous wait and I noticed lots of other black workers already in the fields. I had no idea what was going on but when I was called up I knew something terrible was going to happen by the way the man looked at me with a mean and menecing smile which sent shivers down my spine that I can still remember to this day. He walked towards me and grabbed me by my ear and dragged me inside, to a room containing a large fire place with a crackling fire. Next to the fireplace stood an African house servant and in the centre of the room a desk with the tall, bearded man who drove the cart. He stopped writing, looked up at me, poured himself a glass of whiskey and drank it in one go. The man proceeded to talk to the servant in English, and in turn the servant translated it into Nigerean and repeated it to me. â€Å"Your name's Sam, call me boss, you'll work only for me now, pickin' cotton on my plantation, sunrise to sunset.† He paused and then said † If I catch you slacking or even worse, trying to escape, you will be whipped till the skin falls off your back, do you understand, me?† I looked at the man behind the desk blankly, he nodded to the servant who in turn advanced behind me and pinned me to the desk. I desperately tried to wriggle out of his firm grip but, it was useless, the more I struggled the more the boss laughed, he strolled to the fireplace and reached inside to reveal a red-hot branding iron which he used to torment me by holding it close to my face, making beads of sweat form from the heat and from fear. I was begging, pleading for his mercy but he didn't listen, he pushed it hard against my forehead, producing a horrifying hissing noise and the foul smell of burning flesh. It would be a mark that would never leave me, It hurt physically and mentally; to be branded like cattle, an act of pure evil. The pain was unbearable. For days I couldn't concentrate on anything but the burning sensation, it made me violently sick with fever but I was expected to start work straight away. I was given a huge hand woven basket to fill, I watched to learn the correct technique, a fairly simple task; picking the white flowers by twisting the stems on which they form along the main branches. The plants grew in dense lines which were the same height as me, it was very easy to get lost in the endless jungle of the plantation fields. As the day turned into night and there was not enough light to work in we were given a form of corn meal in tin bowls, it had been produced cheaply with few nutrients. I was also issued with new clothing made from very coarse cotton; uncomfortable to wear but much better than the filthy rags I wore on the ship. No shoes were issued, I still walked barefooted, everywhere I went. The new slaves were put into the accommodation of the already over-crowded huts. The tiny wooden, dank huts were set out in rows and contained no sanitation at all. The huts were filthy a perfect breeding ground for disease. They were window-less and smelly, with broken glass, old shoes and rags that littered around the floor. I squeezed into a hut, with ten people, cold and in a place thousands of miles from our homes. I missed my family. I felt the power of death over life , I knew what I had to do, I had to escape. I lay awake for the best part of the night, planning for the best method and timing for my escape. After hours of thought I realised, there was no easy way out and now was as good a time as any other. At this point everyone in my hut was asleep. My heart was racing, I sat up, took a deep breath and opened the creaking, rotting door, I started to run, passing the house, then the gate and then the sign post. I ran like the wind and I didn't slow down. I was running on nothing but the fuel of my anger, the anger I had built up inside me, since the very first moment I was captured. I didn't stop until I felt safe and my lungs were gasping for air. I kept a steady pace up and by the time I reached the town the sun was rising in the East but it was far too early for people to be out and about. As I entered the wharf I remembered the fact I still had no idea how I was to get on a ship heading back to Africa. My heart sank and I slumped down behind some crates and began to cry. I was convinced I would not get any further until†¦. suddenly I heard a voice getting closer, it sounded like two English sailors talking but one had a strong African accent. I tried to stay hidden but they picked up the crate I was behind and spotted me. â€Å"Hey, what you doing ‘ere, Your not supossed to be round ‘ere,† The white sailor said in a gruff voice. The African was quick to notice I had already been branded and must have ran away from my master. He asked me, in Nigerean, my name and what I was doing here. I told them my story and they it turned out we were from the same part of Nigeria and were stopping there on their way back there for some illigitimate trading of tea leaves and tobacco. They were both kind men and disagreed with the principle of slavery, they were quick to take pity on me and put me in an empty crate to hide me until on the ship. The trip back was much more comfortable than before. Although I slept below deck with the crates, I was allowed on deck whenever I wanted. I never went hungry for that ten week trip and rebuilt much of my strength. I showed gratitude for my rescue by doing odd jobs around the boat, usually cooking for the crew or scrubbing the deck. When we reached the main port of Nigeria I was so happy, it was a terrible ordeal for anyone to go through and something I was lucky to survive. The scar on my forehead is a constant reminder and my mental scars will never go away but I learnt many things during that time. I will never again take my freedom for granted and I cherish every moment of life with my family in the place where I truly belong.