ESL Homework

• Tell us how much money you had to begin with ($200, $1000, or $2500) How did it feel to have more or less money than other people in the class? What did you spend the most money on and why? What did you spend the least amount of money one and why?

I had $1000 to spend. I think that if I had more money, I can buy more useful things than others who only had $200. I spent the most money on "Heat/fuel", because if we have food, then we need to cook it. That means we need gas. We won't just EAT that food without cooking it first. Also, if you cook the food, the food has less germs on it. That's why I spent the most money on "Heat/fuel".
I spent the least money on Education, because I think, if you don't get any food, then you'll be hungry. If you get hungry, then it will be hard to concentrate in school. I think school is less important than food or water or heat. If you get to graduate from school that is good, but you can be poor from owing money.

• How many of you could not afford education? What would your lives be like if you could not go to school?

I think only Jacky and I couldn't afford education, because we spent more money on food, water and gas. If we couldn't go to school, then we received less knowledge than others. In the future, we will get less work opportunities than others.

• What were some of the trade-offs in your decisions and choices? In other words did you have to make certain sacrifices in order to buy other things you needed or wanted? (For example: buying purified water in order to afford to send your children to a better school)How would it feel to have to choose between food and health care?

Sometimes, I'll make the decision based on "what I want" first, then I'll make "what I need" after. But I will choose what I need first if I don't have the money for what I want. I choose the beans, vegetables, meat for food, because if you eat healthy, then you will have a lot of energy to do things. If you drink clean water, you won't get diseases. But I think education is not that important as the water and the foods, but I had to choose between food and health care. I think I chose food, because if you eat healthy, then your body has a lot of energy to resist diseases.

• How many of you have ever been very sick or gone to a hospital or had friends and family who have? What would your life be like now if you had been unable to get medical care?

When I was in grade 6th, my brother got a fever. At that time, his body's temperature was 40。C. Everyone in our family, specially my mom, was so nervous, and sent my brother to hospital.

I chose health care that provides hospital services. Because I think if you really get a disease, like fever, or cough, you really need to go to hospital, or it will get worse.

• When you were choosing what to buy, did you think about the environmental impact? For those of you in the lowest income range, did you have a choice about the environmental impact you produced? If not, how did it feel to not have a choice??

I think those people who have the lowest wages, don't have a choice about environmental impacts. Because they don't have money to buy what they need or what they want, so they don't have choice. They'll get things from nature which will effect the environment. But sometimes, the things they use won't cause an the environmental impact. In comparison, the rich people always buy the things they want, and don't think that much about where it comes from and the environmental impacts.