I was 10 when flooding displaced my family from the Butaleja District of eastern Uganda in 2008. Illegal sand mining along the riverbanks_______flooding already caused by climate change. We_______ our farm and home, so we moved over 130 miles away to Kampala, Uganda’s capital city, where we lived with my______. But her home quickly became______, so we moved to a one-room rental (租赁)—much______and less beautiful than our old home. It was too much for my father. My mother raised my siblings (兄弟姐妹) and me after he______. She often ______to find enough food or money. I can’t______how many times we went to sleep hungry because we couldn’t afford food. But back on our farm, we had______to eat.

And we still couldn’t______the impacts of climate change. I’ll never forget one night in November 2014. It began to rain, the power______, and water flooded our room. We stood outside all night. The next morning, we moved back into our grandmother’s house for four months until my mom could afford to______a new home.

Living through______flooding made me realize I had to protect the environment. In 2020, I ______ Earth Volunteers, a climate nonprofit organization currently supporting youth climate education. Knowledge is______: I believe my father wouldn’t have abandoned (抛弃) us if he had known why those floods hit in 2008, or how to respond.

Growing up, I’ve always had a special fondness for my English teachers. Each new _________, I was so excited to meet my new teachers, but never once did I _________ finding a teacher like Mr. Zelcer.

Before I entered my senior year, I heard stories about Mr. Zelcer and his class, where too many students crowded. I always wanted to know how _________ his class was. So of course, I went to class that first day with _________. It was in that class that I felt my _________ about education became different. It was the guidance of Mr. Zelcer that allowed me to open my eyes.

The goal of his class wasn’t _________ to teach us how to pass the exam. It didn’t _________ the fact that promised us to get an A in the end. It was to teach us how to be human. We never _________ the process of learning and simply living in the moment because of the heavy school work. But he _________ that.

He __________ that each student needed different things to succeed, so he let each of us go on our own paths — something I’d never seen a teacher do before. It sounded __________, but it did work miracles. Mr. Zelcer isn’t just an English teacher to me, but a guide.

Senior year is a(n) __________ time for all students as it’s one of the biggest parts of college admission. What surprised me was that even during the days I desperately wanted to go home, I always found __________ in his classroom. His passion for teaching was excellent, so he always __________ the room after a long day.

Learning under Mr. Zelcer is something I’ll never forget. He deserves to be __________ for his work and the impact he has on his students.

Last semester, I worked in a restaurant in my spare time. In the beginning, it was very _________ for me to learn the rules and remember the recipes. I had to stand there and _________. At the end of the day, I was so tired that I almost could do nothing.

After a few days of working, the head waiter told me that I could take charge as a chief. I knew if I worked hard, I would take charge of a room. It meant I could get more _________. I was glad to do that.

As new, it was not an easy thing to _________ all customers well. Sometimes, I dished up wrongly. Or I forgot the customer’s requirements. What was _________, I overturned the plates twice. However, I could not be _________ because of these difficulties.

One day, I was about to be off duty when three foreigners came here. It was my first time to talk with a _________. Suddenly, my mind was blank even though I had memorized 3500 words. I began to speak slowly, but think _________.

“Excuse me, what can I do for you?” I said it word by word. At the same time, I showed them the _________. “No, we order ... with some rice.” They said so quickly that I could hardly understand what they wanted.

“Pardon?” I asked with embarrassment.

“Hum, there is no rice left. How about noodles? Like this and this.” I felt   __________ embarrassed. I could not __________ the dish name to them and just showed the picture in the menu to them.

On the way to school, I saw them again and we went the same way. They were students too. They talked to me. I stumbled to respond to questions. I __________ about why I couldn’t remember any words. However, I __________ to this atmosphere gradually and began to talk to them more fluently. I restarted to pick up my confidence again. They praised me for my self-confidence.

It is memorable, for it was the first time to make a dent in my heart. __________ self-confidence means half success. I believe in myself and won’t __________       confidence any more.