by Kaiya Jones, Year 13 Student, Kaipara College
Kia Ora, Reader!
I hope you are not too stressed out during this season of festivity! I, for one, am beginning to feel the looming shadow of last minute Christmas shopping (which I swore wouldn’t happen again) hovering over me. I feel it is a certain type of person who can seize this chaotic time of year, and ladies and gentlemen, I am not one of them. I must say, the heat and sunshine is so incredibly welcome…until I actually have to do anything, at which time I engage in the ritualistic behaviour of cursing the blazing ball of gas in the sky.
I’m of the mind that the best thing a student can do with their holidays is work part time. Sure, having an actual holiday is important, but there are so many good things that come from part time work. It teaches self-management, money-managing, responsibility, time-management, commitment, etc. However, unfortunately, with the territory comes the abundant problem of places of employment requiring experience, and kids not being able to get the experience required to land a job. It would appear one of the only ways to guarantee getting a job when you have little to no experience is through connections. Once you know people you have routes into workplaces, people who can vouch for you, and ones who can help you seize opportunities as soon as they come.
The second best thing that a student can do with their holidays is to live, have fun, make mistakes and learn. To all the parents out there; I know you want to protect your children from every hurt in the world, and sometimes letting them make mistakes is like watching a car crash. But making mistakes is half the fun in life, and the most opportune time to make them is when you are young and have little responsibilities for the better part of 3 months. When people reflect upon their lives, they frequently say school was the best part of it. I don’t know that I agree with school being the best part, but I would surely agree with anyone who claims the school HOLIDAYS were a good time. Talk about the best time of your life, you get unburdened freedom, especially if you do not have a job, and your only limitation is how far your parents are willing to drive you.
Now as this is my last article, I would like to wish you a wonderful life, Reader, and impart on you some quotes which I plan to live by, and which I think everyone could benefit from keeping in mind.
- “Do not fear death, for lack of knowing what lies beyond. This will only hinder your ability to enjoy life and all it has to offer. When you have lived a full life, and death comes, you will welcome it with open arms. For whatever is on the other side, be it everything, or nothing at all, it will be to you nothing less than the next great adventure.”
- “It’s easy for an ego to complain and criticise; it takes awareness and intelligence to stand above the ego.”
- “Be curious, not judgemental.”
- “Humans evolved to live together based on caring and sharing - compassion and justice since that promotes surviving and thriving for both individuals and bands.”
- “Comparison is the killer of happiness. Do not let the accomplishments of others diminish the hard work you put into your own, and be kind to others, but most importantly, to yourself.”
Yours sincerely,
Kaiya J.
