WHITING N° 01

FRIENDSHIP
One of the most meaningful friendships I’ve ever had is the one with my friend Carlos
Mostacero. We became friends when I was helping my brother to do his group task
Carlos was part of the group. He is younger than me, but we could establish a good
relation since the first time. Making friends was not easy for me, but it was different
with him.
Even since Carlos and I became friends, we didn’t meet very often. I only could go to
his high school once or twice a month. There were occasions in which my brother
organized meetings with his friends and he used to include me to the group, so I
could talk to Carlos. Spending time together is too funny. I like his jokes, he
understands me very well. I feel I become a different person when I spend time with
him, I can play like a child. It’s like “feeling young again”.
Getting fun is not the only thing that I like when I am with Carlos. When I feel bad or
I can’t deal with a problem, he supports me. For example, I used to feel anxiety for
almost everything. Thinking too much about my future, my career and my self-
esteem was painful for me. I couldn’t deal with them alone, but things changed since
I met him. He always listened to me and gave me advice. Sometimes I think he’s like
my personal psychologist. Carlos has the best way to help me even he’s just a
fourteen-year-old guy.
Of course, I help him with his problems, too. Since he’s an adolescent, he has many
doubts about his future. Looking for an identity is hard at that age, is helping him is
easier for me because I have gone through that stage. I try to understand the way he
feels and look for the best advice for him. Lately, he has had some identity problems.
He wants to change his habits. I suppose he feels kind of afraid, so I do as much as
possible to make him feel better. I hate to see him sad, but he always counts on my
help.
I strongly believe that a real friendship is the one in which both people support each
other and stay together during the dark moments. Being in a friendship with Carlos
made me understand how beautiful it’s to have a real friend. We don’t have the
same age or the same interests, but it doesn’t matter if we have each other and I
hope it will continue for a long time.
 WHITING N° 02

PROCRASTINATION
Personally, I strongly believe that I am a procrastinator. I tend to do almost everything at
the last moment. So many people told me that I should change my behavior and start to
organize my time so I won’t have too many problems with my activities. It’s easy to say, but
doing it is the difficult thing for me. I don’t know if it’s because I’m kind of lazy or I am afraid
of the change. I need to work a lot on this aspect of my life.
When I was in high school I used to be a great student. I used to participate a lot in class, I
got good grades and I helped my classmates with almost everything. The only problem was
that I didn’t like to do my homework. Waiting until the last day was common on me, after
all, I always used to finish my homework on time. Even I was punctual, I felt stressed by the
pressure I was in. I tried to follow a schedule but I got bored too fast, so the problem
continued for a long time.
Once I finished high school, I realized that I hadn’t decided what career I was going to study
yet. I felt so frustrated! I was worried and my stress was increased. My parents were
worried, too. So they recommended to me to take a year off to think better about my future.
As consequence, I continued studying at ICPNA. I wanted to change my habits, so I started
to eat healthier than before do I could face my gastritis. Also O spent a lot of time on things
that I enjoy. For example, drawing and dancing. I recovered my communication with my
parents and my brother. I felt better because I was doing the things I always wanted to do
with calm.
When the year was gone. I had to get prepared to enter to the university. I felt afraid again.
I had many doubts about what to study, but finally I decided to study psychology. Even I am
going to apply to a private university, I am going to an academy to get new knowledge so I
can do better in the exam. The problem came back: procrastination. I have troubles on
solving math problems, so I postponed doing some homework. I was tired of doing the same
thing again and again, so I decided to change.
Nowadays, I do as much as it’s possible to follow a schedule. I go to ICPNA in the mornings,
after that I do my homework until 3:00 p.m. Then, I go to the academy and stay there until
8:30 p.m. When I arrive home, I finish my day doing exercise. I don’t want to feel stressed
again. Solving my procrastination problems was difficult, but not impossible. If you really
want something, you need to do your part and start the change today. Don’t wait until
tomorrow!
 WHITING N° 03

HEALTH
Personally, I think I have a reasonable health. I take care of what I consume. For
example, talking about my diet, I consider it a healthy eating. My personal diet is
based on fruits and vegetables. But there is a problem, I suffer from gastritis so I
need to be very careful with the food I eat. I’m not supposed to eat food that
contains too much fat. Processing this king of food is complicated for my organism,
so I reduced my consumption of junk food such as fried chicken, French fries, soda,
etc.
Talking about exercise, I like to practice some sports. Swimming and playing
basketball are very good sports, so I consider that those disciplines help me to
develop my motor skills. I spend many hours sitting, so going out to play, to swim or
just to walk are great activities to deal with my stress. Dancing is another of my
favorite activities, I get fun from it. When I dance I feel relaxed, forget my problems
for a moment. I exercise four times a week, so I think that’s enough for me.
Nowadays I’m studying English at ICPNA on the mornings and I go to an academy in
the afternoons. I need to focus on my studies a lot because I’m going to start
university. Doing my academic assignments makes me feel under a lot of pressure.
Sometimes it’s difficult for me to organize my time, but I’m working on it. Recently,
I have made a resolution and that is to do my activities better.
I try to keep a healthy life, but some circumstances put me under a stress. I’m trying
to change that and look for solutions that can take me to success. As for example,
when I realized I had to change my lifestyle completely (but it wasn’t like that). The
same happened with my studies and other things.
Even I had many problems I had to learn to deal with them. If you want to have a
healthier life you need to identify which are your weaknesses and look for your
strengths. Focus on your personal skills and improve them. Don0t be afraid of the
change. You need to leave your comfort zone and to experience new things. Change
your bad habits and look for activities you really like.
 WHITING N° 04

VAQUITA: THE WORL’S MOST ENDANGERED MAMMAL

Over the years, humans have been developing new technologies to make life easier.
Of course, we enjoy it! But there are negative outcomes, too. Environmental
pollution has been causing several problems to animal species, so much so that many
of them are extinct. Terrestrial animals like the Black Western Rhinoceros; and
marine animals like the Caribbean Monk Seal have disappeared on the face of the
Earth. Also, it seems that the Vaquita is going to have the same destiny.
The Vaquita is a small cetacean. It’s one of the only seven species of true porpoises,
and is the only one that lives in warm waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean. There has
been a really big decrease of its population in the last years. In 2017, it lost 67% of
its population, leaving less than 40 specimens. For this reason, the Vaquita is
considered as the most endangered marine mammal species in the world.
The main threat for this species is accidental fishing. In an attempt to catch larger
fish, fishermen accidentally capture these mammals. The Vaquita is caught between
fishing nets and they get injured. As consequence, it dies. Gillnets are located in a
big zone if the Vaquita’s habitat. It causes approximately 39 deaths every year. It
represents the 17% of its total population in Santa Clara gulf.
Other possible threat are alterations and pollution of the habitat. Vaquita’s habitat
is small and the supply of food in the marine environment is affected by the quality
and level of nutrients. Also, the pesticides use has a harmful effect. With the water
full of chlorine and the change of food quality, this mammal suffers from digestive
diseases. With fewer individuals in the habitat, the reproduction is lower. It’s difficult
for this species to find a couple when there are very few of them. Also, the
adaptability of newborns is complicated by the conditions of the habitat.
Facing this problem, the Mexican government has made multiple efforts to conserve
the Vaquita. Also, The Evolutionary Distinct and Globally Endangered of Extinct
Program, which is a program that makes efforts to conserve species, has been
working on projects that prohibit fishing in the territory of these creatures. As well
as the Vaquita, there are many other species that are in danger of extinction. We
need to open our eyes and act if we want to preserve the world we already have.
People need to be aware of their acts, learn and teach that this is our unique home
and need to take care of it.