English Writing Collection: Personal Essays and Reflections

Swimming Pool and Community Spaces

Swimming: I studied the results. The best options for a better quality of life and for the space you have are a swimming pool, a green area, and a sports complex and gym. Why these options and not the others? Because near your house, you have a big park where you can take your children, play on the swings, and walk your dogs. The option of the library, I think, is not the best because the surroundings are noisy, and people go to the library to be in a quiet environment. On the other hand, an arts and crafts center is not a space that many people use. For all these reasons, and thinking about the best options for all the residents, I have decided to allocate the free space to a swimming pool and a green area because all residents, regardless of age, can use them. And a sports complex and gym because it is also important to stay physically active.

I hope you understand my decisions. Thank you.

Overcoming Obstacles in Gymnastics

Let down: I’m going to set the scene for you. When I was 17 years old, I was studying for my Bachillerato and competing in the Spanish Gymnastics Championship.

At that time, I needed to study a lot because Bachillerato is very difficult, and every weekend, I had to travel around Spain with my gymnastics team.

When the date of my final exams was getting closer, my club told me the dates of the championship, and unfortunately, both events were on the same dates.

The next week, I asked my teacher to reschedule my final exams, but his answer was that I had to choose: exams or sports.

At one point, I thought about giving up Bachillerato because there was too much material to study in such a short time.

My parents went to talk with the teacher, and he agreed to reschedule my exams for the week after the championship, but I kept thinking I would fail because I didn’t have enough time to study.

My parents supported me throughout the process. During the trip to the championship and in my free time, I was studying for my exams, but I kept thinking I would fail them. Finally, my team and I competed in the championship and won, and the next week, I took my exams, passed them, and completed my Bachillerato.

At that moment, I told myself: never doubt myself and never worry about other people’s opinions because with hard work, I can achieve all my dreams.

The Global Plastic Crisis and Recycling

Article plastic: On the one hand, this problem comes from the misuse of the packaging because all the population spends a lot of money on plastic bags when they go to the supermarket or shopping malls, and don't think about the problems that these actions cause.

On the other hand, another problem that affects the world is that only a small part of plastic is recycled. I think it's an effect of the scarce education on recycling, because the majority of people don't know the correct way to recycle. One of the solutions to reduce plastic is to replace it with another material. For example, plastic bags can be replaced with paper bags.

Currently, in Spain, this measure is in effect, but I think we need more changes.

Another important suggestion is to replace plastic water bottles with other materials like glass. All these little changes can make a big difference for our world.

Please recycle.

Life-Changing Decisions and Career Choices

Difficult decision: One year ago, I needed to discuss with myself what the best decision for me was: continue working in the afternoon to save more money, or leave it (the job) to have more time to study and in the future have a relaxing life.

This decision was discussed with my parents and my brother, and they thought the best option was more time for me, for my plans, and my future, because at that moment I didn’t have time to go to the doctor.

This is because I left work in the afternoon. At the moment, I think it is the best decision that I could make because I could focus on me and on my future. Now I can go to the doctor, go shopping, and have a relaxing afternoon. But the most important decision is joining this English group. The reason for this is to have a better future in at most two years. Another decision that I made last week was joining another specialization of PT teacher. This means I can work with people who have special needs to study in a regular school.

To sum up, I know that in the next four months I need to study a lot and have too much work, but I know that all the effort in the future will be rewarded by finding a regular school with a good timetable so I can take my son with me to the same school. I think that in life you have to make difficult decisions to build a better future.

Investing in Culture and Public Services

Museums and galleries: Hi Mr. Bryan, I read your article in the newspaper about the street survey. I see the two points. On the one hand, we need to invest more money in culture for our children, because if we educate children with a strong cultural background, our society will be more educated. On the other hand, people say that the government spends too much money on art. I would like to know who decides how this money is spent, because so many people would prefer this money to be spent on summer festivals or other events that benefit only a small group, but not the truly important issues. In my opinion, the government should allocate money to different areas, like arts, to help build a strong cultural environment, to hospitals, to help care for sick people, and to improve public spaces for people with disabilities.

To sum up, the government needs to invest in essential public services. Thank you, have a nice day.

The Value of True Friendship

Actions speak louder: Hi Andrea, yesterday I read this quotation: “actions speak louder than words,” and it reminded me of you. I know we don't see each other frequently, but for us, time doesn’t change anything. We each have our own lives and a lot of plans, but when I need you, you are always there for me.

When I read this quotation, I felt very lucky to have a person like you in my life. We have been together since we were young, went to school together, went to rhythmic gymnastics together, won many championships, spent summers together, and supported each other in the worst times of our lives.

I remember when my grandmother died, and when I called you to give you the news, you didn't leave me for a long time, because she was like a second mother to me. You kept me busy with plans so that I wouldn’t think about the pain, and you made me smile.

Thanks to you, I met a lot of people who are now my friends, and discovered a new world: Bachata. I didn’t like this style before you introduced me to it, but now I can’t go a day without it because it helps me forget my problems and makes me happy.

I'm very grateful to you, because you have been there in the best and worst moments of my life, you invited me into your world of Bachata, and you introduced me to your friends, who are now our friends. I know that no matter how much time passes, you and I will always be together. I love you.

Architectural Marvels and Environmental Impact

Building admire: My favourite building is the Tower of Pisa. On the one hand, I think it's very difficult to build a tower with this number of meters in height and such an inclination. I always think about how the Romans could move the big pieces of the tower, put the pieces one above the other, add many details, and make the tower inclined without it falling over. The real history says that the Romans were assisted by animals that had a lot of strength, but other theories talk about the assistance of extraterrestrials, because they needed a lot of strength to move the pieces of the monument.

Focusing on the tower, I think it is one of the most beautiful towers in the world, because it is unique compared to other monuments. It has a lot of history, because when the tower started to incline, there was a high probability it would be demolished, but many architects helped to correct the inclination, and due to this help, we can still visit it today.

On the other hand, when talking about how living spaces influence our lives, I think it slightly worsens our lives. Currently, more and more houses are being built, especially in cities, leading to large populations, more cars, and more pollutants. Nowadays, more people suffer from allergies and require more medication than in the past.

For example, this pollution affects monuments like the Tower of Pisa, because it erodes many details, and it has to be cleaned frequently because the pollution turns it black.