Island Views

[I]Editor’s Note: The following essay and mini-essays are written by the students of Mrs. G. C. Borja-Robinson’s writing classes at the Northern Marianas College.The views expressed are solely those of the students.[/I] [B]Three kinds of friends[/B] [I]By CRYSTAL BENAVENTE[/I]

Do you have many friends? Does each friend treat you the same way? A friend does not always seem to be what he or she appears to be. It takes time to truly know a person. Often we are not sure whether we really know a friend. For me, there are three types of friends: a true friend, a friendly friend, and the person who pretends to be your friend.

As a 19-year-old, I believe a true friend is someone who proves himself or herself to be a good role model for you. A true friend honestly tells you when something you did is wrong and helps you make it right. A true friend is someone who gives you his or her full attention when you need it. A true friend is also someone who tells you things with honesty and love and will not offend you.

A friendly friend is someone who has a positive attitude toward you at all times. A friendly friend is a person who is considerate of you. He or she makes time for you whenever you need to talk to him or her and will not speak negative of you. A friendly friend is a person who simply has a patient heart toward you.

A pretend friend is the third type. He or she is a person who appears to be loving at first but really has an animosity toward you. A pretend friend will avoid a situation where he or she has to help you with a problem. Such a friend acts as if he or she really listens to your problem(s), but will turn his or her back on you with no support.

We have to be careful when we meet these three types of friends. We must learn how to deal with these different friends, especially when we share our personal thoughts and problems. Most importantly, we all need true, genuine friends for support.

[B]How to shop economically[/B] [I]By YUN HEE LEE[/I]

Have you ever shopped and spent more money than you planned? There is a way to save money while shopping. First, you must make a shopping list. Next, buy only those items that are on the list. Third, after shopping check that the items you bought were on your shopping list.

First, you have to make a shopping list if you want to save money. Write down only items that are necessary for you and your family. You should write the reason you want to buy an item and the number of things you need. If you are a mother and your children are young, also have your children write their shopping lists. Before going shopping, you should check your children’s shopping lists. Children tend to want new and fashionable things that are often unnecessary. Making a shopping list will keep you from buying unnecessary things.

Second, buy only those items that are on the list. If you want to do economical shopping, don’t look around the entire market! There will be many fascinating and brand new products and they are displayed in a fantastic way to be sold. They may affect your moneybag. Limit your shopping to only necessary things and it will protect you from the temptation.

When you get home, check that the items you bought were on your shopping list. If something you bought was not on your shopping list, ask yourself why you bought the thing. After you determine the reason, you should try in the future not to buy something for the same reason. Make a record of how successful you were and how much you bought that was unnecessary. Checking your shopping purchases after shopping will help you to shop economically the next time.

Shopping economically is a process that takes time. It can be done, however, if you plan ahead. Make a shopping list and buy only those items on your list. You will save money if you follow the steps I have suggested.

[B]Jogging[/B] [I]By HEIRSZAN MARTINEZ[/I]

Do you like to jog? Since I joined the Northern Marianas College Reserve Officers Training Corps, jogging has become the best exercise for me. Other ROTC members and I jog when we meet our instructor at the American Memorial Park. From AMP, we jog all the way to the Army Base in Puerto Rico and back. The ROTC exercise program depends on one’s age. For example, I am 21 years old and I have to jog two miles in 13 minutes. The last time I ran, my time was 25 minutes, so I took almost twice the time I was supposed to finish. So I have made a promise to myself to jog everyday to pick up my speed. If I stay committed to my promise, maybe I will be able to finish the next two-mile run on time. To some people, jogging may be a boring thing to do but for me it is not boring. I want to join the Army someday so jogging will help me achieve my fitness goal. Jogging makes my legs feel like they have been stung by millions of bees. After I jog for several minutes, I eventually get used to the pain. Jogging is good for leg strength and weight loss. If you want to stay fit, go out and spend a couple of minutes jogging. Later on you will see improvement with your endurance and body weight.

[B]Golf[/B] [I]By HAN JEON[/I]

For several years, I used to play golf on Saipan. I believe there are many advantages to playing golf on Saipan. First, golf fees are not as expensive as in Korea. Those fees may include golf lesson fee, playing on the golf course, and other fees. Golf players on Saipan also do not have to drive more than 30 minutes to reach a golf course. Another attraction of Saipan’s golf courses include beautiful tropical views of the blue sky, the blue ocean, green plants, and well trimmed playing fields. Additionally, cool breezes are always present. Such tropical beauty is hard to explain with words if you have not experienced playing golf on Saipan. If you want to play golf, I recommend you go early in the morning. You will enjoy the tropical beauty and cool air, and you will not feel so tired after playing. Viewing the vast golf course and the ocean also will improve your vision and heal your exhausted mind. Playing golf requires a lot of energy so players have to eat before they play and drink water often while playing. This will help you maintain good health. A golf player walks a lot on the golf course and stretches many muscles. Most of Saipan’s golf courses do not allow players to go into the fields with their golf carts to look for lost balls. So players must walk far to find a lost ball (s). So playing golf involves much exercise. Thanks to golf, I lost weight, and I had memorable moments with other players and the golf instructor. Playing golf not only requires swinging the golf club and hitting the ball, it also requires strong endurance, concentration, and physical strength. As a fun sport, golf also encourages friendships among players. Players often keep in touch with each other to play golf. Golfers play for fun, good health, and friendship.