The Five-Storied Pagoda of Kofukuji Temple is located in Nara Park. It was built by the Fujiwara family in the year 710. The temple is considered as one of the “Four Great Temples” of Nara. The Kofukuji National Treasure Museum stands in its temple grounds where people can find the Ashura, one of the best-known Buddhist statues in Japan.

In the year 734, Empress Komyo established a hall that consists of 28 statues to remember her mother. One of them is the Hachibushu, the protectors of Buddha. Some stories say that Ashura was a cruel warrior. However, a few years later, he woke up and saw the truth. So, he repented and became a protector, too.

Over the centuries, many of the buildings and statues at Kofukuji Temple have been destroyed by fire, war, and natural disasters. Still, Ashura, along with other Hachibushu, have survived. It is known that one of the reasons for their survival is that they are very light. So, they could be easily carried out in times of emergency.

Irena Sendler helped Jewish children escape from the ghettos. One day, she hid a little girl under the back seat of her car. She told the girl to be silent. However, the girl was very sick. As they were leaving the ghetto, they were stopped by some Nazi soldiers. The little girl started coughing while the soldier was checking the car. So, Irena started coughing loudly. The soldier looked very concerned for Irena. He told her to see a doctor as she might have caught a bad disease from the Jews. Fortunately, Irena was able to escape safely with the little girl.

In 1943, Irena was arrested by the Nazis. They tortured her and asked about the Jewish children she helped escape. Despite all the pain, she remained silent. Irena’s friends were able to save her from that situation. One of her guards agreed to let her escape in exchange for money. Then, she was hidden for safety but it did not stop her from helping the Jews.

The Jewish children she was able to save were taken to religious institutions and Polish families where they were given false identities. These children consider Irena as their hero.

A language allows people to see the world in a special way. When a language is lost, the unique culture which preserves its ancient wisdom is also lost.

In English, 25% of the words are verbs, but in Cherokee there are over 75% verbs. Explaining how people act is what makes Cherokee unique. It tells what is happening, who is acting and to what or whom the action is being done. In 1821, a Cherokee scholar introduced the writing system which protected the language. However, written documents are not enough to preserve the language. People should use the language to communicate in order to preserve it.

To keep their language alive, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians are using Cherokee for daily communication and discussions. They also started an immersion program for high school students that requires them to speak Cherokee before they can graduate. The program is also available in computer programs by using an application that allows people to type in Cherokee letters.

Many people are fond of studying languages. However, it is never a piece of cake. Some people spend years studying a language but never achieved fluency.

Lydia Machova, a language mentor, revealed the secret of learning a foreign language. In her speech, she mentioned that she studies a new language every two years. A lot of people have been asking her secret about learning a language. But it is also a gray area for her. So, she would always answer them with “I simply love learning languages,” but people would never be satisfied with her answer. Because of that, it made her think about how these people who can speak two or more languages do it.

Machova met a lot of people who can speak different languages through an event where language lovers gather around. One of them was Benny from Ireland. He told her about the method which is to start speaking the language from day one. He learns phrases from travel books and goes to meet native speakers and have a conversation with them without worrying about committing mistakes. Benny also shared that he does not need to travel to have a conversation with native speakers. He can easily do it in his own house by using the internet. She had also met some people who like learning a new language by copying the sounds of the language.

Having met all these people made her realize that there is no shortcut in learning a new language. People should discover the best method that would fit their interest. Remember that the ball is in your court. While learning a new language, people should always find joy in the process.

In our modern society, having basic knowledge of using computers is important in every part of any business or job. That is the main reason why most companies require their employees to have excellent computer skills. Electronic communication such as email and fax are being used daily in most jobs all over the world. Having essential skills at work with the use of computers can benefit employees and give them more advantage to improve their careers. Having employees with excellent computer skills could also help companies keep up with the ever-changing technology trends used these days.

Nowadays, parents want to make sure that their children get the best possible education available. That is why more and more parents are signing up their children to computer education classes. Students of all ages are learning how to use computers which gives them more advantages in the long run. Having basic to advanced computer skills can make them be the best in their chosen careers. Also, it could open more job opportunities for them in the future. Students who have essential knowledge in using computers can be more confident and be more encouraged to continue improving their skills to be ready for the future.