the gift of the magi.
One of the hundred of stories written by william sydney porter was the gift of magi. This is a stupendous story that tell us about how love can overstep certain limits that probably a materialistic word couldnt do it. the christmas night Della, one of the main characters, decides to cut off her beautiful and long hair to buy a watch chain for her husband's watch. on the other hand, her husband decides to sell his watch to buy her combs for her wonderful hair. At the end of it there was not present exchanges, just two faces shocked into trance but at the same time, two happy hearts to know they love each other so much.
Is it romantic? funny? silly? idealistic ? honest? Many people could have a different point of view of the story, but definitely, there is one in common: this show us something that we really would love having, a real love. somebody who be able to give us more than expensive details, a relationship full of adventures, honestly and so much love! when i read the story, the first thing that came into my mind was : yes , yes , very romantic but what ? when something like that is going to happen in the real life. It doesn't tell me anything to me because is not my story. Moreover, i ask myself again, what does love mean? does the other person need to give me his entire heart to make me fell happy?
After that i got that love goes beyond a simple promise for the rest of our life. Love is something people build every single day with their actions, their words , and their way to focus their own lives. Love is a relationship base on the respect for the other's opinion likes and decicions. Love doensn't mean to close the eyes and see through the other's eyes. It is to be able to reconize a whole world and be brave to decide a person we want to give, if not our whole life, at least a honest feeling until it be possible.
Many people can think it doesnt exist , but i see it every where. Love not necessarily implies a man or a woman. I see it for example, when ,the kids i take care , hug me and give me a smile every morning as soon as i wake up, or when i walk on the streets and a man helps a hurt dog because a car crashed on its leg, even when the moms, wifes, father, and sons of many kidnap people appear on the tv crying and protesting for their freedom. Those are just few example of love around the world that we see but at the same time we dont feel.
In conclusion, love doesn't have any color race or religion. Everybody is asking for a drop of it but we dont realize there is plenty of this in ourselves, in the other, that one that many times we reject because" is not the same as us". The story is a great excuse to remaind us one of the best human being still own: Love.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
What is Jazz?
For me, jazz is the kind of music that brings a lot of bright emotions, and jazz never makes me bored.
Jazz is never the same; it is full of movement and actions – just like a living organism. Also it is a free style of music. Every improvisation of jazz usually doesn’t commit to paper and their life is too short but very bright, like a little star on the sky, which sparkles brightly and then burns out, making you wonder.
Melody of jazz is full of beautiful and the same time sophisticated harmony that makes you happy.
Syncopated rhythm and a swing of melody start you dancing along with it.
However, if you listening or play blues, you feel sadness or compassion because blues is a song of a lonely soul.
I’ll never get tired of jazz because it gives me energy, motivation, and inspiration.
Jazz is never the same; it is full of movement and actions – just like a living organism. Also it is a free style of music. Every improvisation of jazz usually doesn’t commit to paper and their life is too short but very bright, like a little star on the sky, which sparkles brightly and then burns out, making you wonder.
Melody of jazz is full of beautiful and the same time sophisticated harmony that makes you happy.
Syncopated rhythm and a swing of melody start you dancing along with it.
However, if you listening or play blues, you feel sadness or compassion because blues is a song of a lonely soul.
I’ll never get tired of jazz because it gives me energy, motivation, and inspiration.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
My Name
My complete name is Regina Aparecida Bulgarelli. My middle is a name of the Saint in Brazil. My mother wanted a lot to have a girl. She tried 4 times before me. I am the youngest among 4 brothers. Every year she went to the city of the Saint in Sao Paulo State to visit the Saint the she was devoted. Once she decided to make a promise for "Nossa Senhora Aparecida" the Saint, if she had a girl, she will give her name to the baby. The Saint heard her and I'm here.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
What can you say? what can you think? what can you even feel, when you know you just start to share your five senses with somebody you even love yet. A big silence begins to grow up into your belly. The girl is still too little for the word "woman". people talk , walk, ask , look..... but it is just you with your own noises inside your body. it is just you, trying to read the black and white signs that back an forth inside your brain. it is just you, with your head down, looking at your legs, waiting for your turn, guessing how everything is gonna be. Something in the very deep says you "dont do it", but we never learnt to hear those kind of voices, you always hear what you have to do, not what you really want to. There you are girl , with your stripe green sweater and your broken pants, stucked in a puddle of mud, with your eyelashes all wet, with your trembling body, your sweat hands holding your old doll, and your hair around your neck trying to hang up yourself.
-who is next? a voice yell.
You look at his eyes. Yours are scared.
-Everything is going to be as it was before. He says.
- Over here please, the voice says again.
The room is all white .
-Lay down and close your eyes, it is going to be fast "it is not even an operation".
Your hands press the bedsheets in order to asphyxiate the blame, because in the very deep you know nothing is going to be as it was before.
(This is an answer for the short story called: "Hills like with elephants " by Enerst Hemingway. )
-who is next? a voice yell.
You look at his eyes. Yours are scared.
-Everything is going to be as it was before. He says.
- Over here please, the voice says again.
The room is all white .
-Lay down and close your eyes, it is going to be fast "it is not even an operation".
Your hands press the bedsheets in order to asphyxiate the blame, because in the very deep you know nothing is going to be as it was before.
(This is an answer for the short story called: "Hills like with elephants " by Enerst Hemingway. )
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Music is international language
Music is international language because it appeals to people's emotions, sence of identity, and many other feelings, composing sounds into a melody, just like letters make up words.
While listening to music, people can be happy or sad, be romantic or heroic, and they don't need to understand any words.
When musicians from many different countries sit in an orchestra and play wonderful music, they don't think about politic positions of their countries, they just enjoy playing instruments and making music together. We should learn diplomacy from them.
Like all languages, music has an alphabet. It is notes. But if all languages have different amount of letters in their alphabet, there are always only seven notes and they sound alike to musicians all aver the world.
So, in my opinion, music is the language understandable for everyone. It unites people of different interests, nationalities, and generations, making them say, do, and promote the right things.
While listening to music, people can be happy or sad, be romantic or heroic, and they don't need to understand any words.
When musicians from many different countries sit in an orchestra and play wonderful music, they don't think about politic positions of their countries, they just enjoy playing instruments and making music together. We should learn diplomacy from them.
Like all languages, music has an alphabet. It is notes. But if all languages have different amount of letters in their alphabet, there are always only seven notes and they sound alike to musicians all aver the world.
So, in my opinion, music is the language understandable for everyone. It unites people of different interests, nationalities, and generations, making them say, do, and promote the right things.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
About my nightmare
The grammar for me is my nightmare, is hard to learn all the grammar roles and use, that's something that is harder because I'm thinking in Spanish and the grammar rules in Spanish are different and sometimes you can see in my emails, letters or like this kind of messages the confusion between the English grammar and the Spanish grammar
Friday, September 26, 2008
"The enlightened forest" is ma favorite book.
"La foret illuminee" can maybe be translated as "the enlightened forest". This phrase is the title of the book written by Professor Gervais Mendo Ze. He was a famous writer who was in charge of the Cameroon Radio and Television(CRTV) Office. He wrote many other interesting books ,but this is my favorite one. The reason is the quantity and the quality of the figurative language used by the author.Read this book is somehow discovering the camerounian way of life.
The principal actor is Anani. Anani is a young educated boy who is just starting his work life. He thought that going to school is everything in life.He dressed up in the western suit to impress his employer, he tried to follow the law . He does not know that people do not care about how you dress or how you work. The whole country lives under corruption. Not only that he was frustrated by all those frauds , but also Anani felt destroyed because he noticed that there were some family members who do not do anything to become self-sufficient.They are at home everyday waiting for someone else to do everything for them. Even love is about money; and in order to have money you have to work in that corrupted system. Consequently you have to maintain yourself there by commiting fraudulent deeds . That what it takes to have your wife and all the unfortunate who will of course live forever at your place without even trying to do something to improve their lives. You can reject all that but make sure that you will not be killed magically.There are some people whose work is to end your life if you do not want to cooperate. The less harm they can do is to ruin your life so that you can fit in the society.
Beside these story, the author Professor Gervais MendoZe wants to show that the city is still a forest . We can have electricity, but still we are in the forest . In the front cover of his book there is a picture of the city with big and tall building at night . You can see the lights on in differents rooms all over the city. By that picture ( I apologize that I did not find a sample of it so that I can share with you all) the Professor would like you to compare the city and the forest. For him the buildings in the city resemble trees in the forest. The buildings are just tall and big as the trees . The only difference is the light that people turn on by night time. In the book , cars are similar to animals . If there is a wreck ,it is just like when two animals meet and fight or eat each other . Some people stay in their rooms so that they do not have to interact with others just like some birds in the trees which fly when something else approaches.
Finally Anani took off from the society . He did not want to talk to anybody. He was just like others animals in the forest . He was trying to avoid any wreck with a human being. That did not last for ever . He changed his mind and joined the whole corrupted system . He was involved at the end in politics. As a common quotation he had dirty hands because it is hard to do politics and do not be involved in fraudulent acts. Anani gave up his dream. He did not try to change the wrong thing . He choose to survive and to be able to feed his family. He became a part of the bad system.He forgot his dreams. Did he have the choice ? The answer is hard to find .
I enjoyed reading that book . I read it when I was in middle school and still now I think about it. Life can make us give up our dreams. It is hard to live without dreams, but sometimes it happens. I like the metaphor of the title . I believe that cities are just illuminated forests. The only difference is the electricity. People most of the time act like animals.
The principal actor is Anani. Anani is a young educated boy who is just starting his work life. He thought that going to school is everything in life.He dressed up in the western suit to impress his employer, he tried to follow the law . He does not know that people do not care about how you dress or how you work. The whole country lives under corruption. Not only that he was frustrated by all those frauds , but also Anani felt destroyed because he noticed that there were some family members who do not do anything to become self-sufficient.They are at home everyday waiting for someone else to do everything for them. Even love is about money; and in order to have money you have to work in that corrupted system. Consequently you have to maintain yourself there by commiting fraudulent deeds . That what it takes to have your wife and all the unfortunate who will of course live forever at your place without even trying to do something to improve their lives. You can reject all that but make sure that you will not be killed magically.There are some people whose work is to end your life if you do not want to cooperate. The less harm they can do is to ruin your life so that you can fit in the society.
Beside these story, the author Professor Gervais MendoZe wants to show that the city is still a forest . We can have electricity, but still we are in the forest . In the front cover of his book there is a picture of the city with big and tall building at night . You can see the lights on in differents rooms all over the city. By that picture ( I apologize that I did not find a sample of it so that I can share with you all) the Professor would like you to compare the city and the forest. For him the buildings in the city resemble trees in the forest. The buildings are just tall and big as the trees . The only difference is the light that people turn on by night time. In the book , cars are similar to animals . If there is a wreck ,it is just like when two animals meet and fight or eat each other . Some people stay in their rooms so that they do not have to interact with others just like some birds in the trees which fly when something else approaches.
Finally Anani took off from the society . He did not want to talk to anybody. He was just like others animals in the forest . He was trying to avoid any wreck with a human being. That did not last for ever . He changed his mind and joined the whole corrupted system . He was involved at the end in politics. As a common quotation he had dirty hands because it is hard to do politics and do not be involved in fraudulent acts. Anani gave up his dream. He did not try to change the wrong thing . He choose to survive and to be able to feed his family. He became a part of the bad system.He forgot his dreams. Did he have the choice ? The answer is hard to find .
I enjoyed reading that book . I read it when I was in middle school and still now I think about it. Life can make us give up our dreams. It is hard to live without dreams, but sometimes it happens. I like the metaphor of the title . I believe that cities are just illuminated forests. The only difference is the electricity. People most of the time act like animals.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
All about grammar by David !
When I think about grammar, I starts shaking. Grammar for me is the most difficult thing when I am writting. I think that not only happens to me. It also happens to everyone; it does not matter in which languge are you writting. Even in my own language, I still having problems with grammar. I think that the most difficult for me is puntuation. Commas are my headache, not even mention some other things that i can not get together. What i am doing to improve my grammar and write better is definitely reading a lot. if you read for instance, news papers, magazines, flyers, etc.. you will not olnly improve your grammar also your vocabulary.
Monday, September 22, 2008
English Grammar
Hello!??? (Letme think about grammar)
It's not easy for me to write in English for me,becouse, is not my first language, olways I think in spanish, also it's the languaje tah must speake during tha day. In may work I make translations from English to Spanish.
I hope one day can write not perfectly but the best that I can. Tha must importantn think it's I do the first steps, be in tha school and try . Thanks.
It's not easy for me to write in English for me,becouse, is not my first language, olways I think in spanish, also it's the languaje tah must speake during tha day. In may work I make translations from English to Spanish.
I hope one day can write not perfectly but the best that I can. Tha must importantn think it's I do the first steps, be in tha school and try . Thanks.
Grammar is really hard.
I think grammar in English is really hard because for example, in spanish you can write like you say, the only bad for spanish is you need to conjugate all verbs. But in English you read and talk different like you talk, for that I think is more complicated.
Is to hard when you need to write somenthing and after that you need talk or read because is all different.
So, one day I want to can write some good.
My favorite author
Fedor Dostoevsky is a famous Russian author, who lived in 19th sentury. He aws born in Moscow November, 11, 1821.
Dostoevsky turned to writing as a profession after a brief military career, puplishing his firt novel POOR FOLK in 1846. In 1849 he was arrested for his participation in a political group and sentenced to proson in Siberia for four years. Later he wrote that here, in prison, he recognized Russian soul. His novels explored the psychology and moral obligations of modern man, and he is famous for creating the "underground hero", a protagonist aliented from society and in seach of redemtion.
Dostoevsky wrote the classic novels CRIME and PUNISHMENT (1866), THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV (1880). I would like to tell about his book IDIOT. the hero of the novel is Prince Myshkin, a kind od modern Christ. He is a good man who attempts to live in a corrupt society, and it is uncertain whether he succeeds or not, since ne leaves the pages of the novel with the world about him worse than when he entered.
I like Fedor Dostoevsky bacause he is creative other and wrote about a soul.
Dostoevsky turned to writing as a profession after a brief military career, puplishing his firt novel POOR FOLK in 1846. In 1849 he was arrested for his participation in a political group and sentenced to proson in Siberia for four years. Later he wrote that here, in prison, he recognized Russian soul. His novels explored the psychology and moral obligations of modern man, and he is famous for creating the "underground hero", a protagonist aliented from society and in seach of redemtion.
Dostoevsky wrote the classic novels CRIME and PUNISHMENT (1866), THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV (1880). I would like to tell about his book IDIOT. the hero of the novel is Prince Myshkin, a kind od modern Christ. He is a good man who attempts to live in a corrupt society, and it is uncertain whether he succeeds or not, since ne leaves the pages of the novel with the world about him worse than when he entered.
I like Fedor Dostoevsky bacause he is creative other and wrote about a soul.
Watt i think about English gram er
English gram er is hard y ! because it is not the same as Spanish
mostly the way you read it is the way you rite it . and in English it is not you can say it one way and it can rite the other way this is way i want to learn the correct way so i will look professional with my writing and learn new things .
mostly the way you read it is the way you rite it . and in English it is not you can say it one way and it can rite the other way this is way i want to learn the correct way so i will look professional with my writing and learn new things .
Saturday, September 20, 2008
English grammar
English grammar, like grammar of all languages, is not so easy to learn. The best way to learn it since you are child to all your life.
If you came from a foreign country and have to study it for some years only, in my opinion, you should concentrate for incorrect verbs, phrasal verbs, and idioms. Also in English language are many words which you have to memorize how to read and write them.
Another difference between English grammar and grammar of other countries is how to build sentences. Sometimes you can translate a sentence but cannot understand it. In addition to English grammar I would tell about English grammar of humor. Here it is necessary to read between the lines, to know history, traditions and mentality of country.
And what do you think about English grammar? Is it easy for you?
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Nadya
Hello, my name is Nadya. I came to USA one year and some monthes ago. Everything looks OK, only I need my hobby. I used to sing in a vocal group for many years and I really miss it now. If you know ensemble or chorus in Memphis, I will thank a lot for this information.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Surprising
I always thought that when you are from United states , you cannot miss a job especially if you are educated . So there a place in this world where being American and educated do not make you first in all your request. I maybe sound funny but the thing is I am still really surprised.
I believe that there is a God. There is a justice and one day I will become what I have dreamt of. The thing is to keep dreaming even if there is no hope. One day I will laugh about all those frustration. I will even feel embarassed to be reminded of that. Because I know that I will be successful, I will not think to much about it.
I complain but I have to thank my parents. If I did not go to school, I will be like some people who do not think about going back some day.
I believe that there is a God. There is a justice and one day I will become what I have dreamt of. The thing is to keep dreaming even if there is no hope. One day I will laugh about all those frustration. I will even feel embarassed to be reminded of that. Because I know that I will be successful, I will not think to much about it.
I complain but I have to thank my parents. If I did not go to school, I will be like some people who do not think about going back some day.
Monday, September 8, 2008
About me
hello fellas!
My name is david. I have been living in Memphis for the past four years. I am a proudly Mexican. I was born and raisied in small town called Acambaro, and from there, we moved to the city of Leon; this two cities are located in the state of Guanajuato, which it is located in the middle of the country . In May 23, 2008 was the date that I came to he United States.
The first time that I came to the United States, It was not how I expected it . I was thinking that the English that I learn from highschool in Mexico,was going to help me. Then, I realized that I did not learn anything back home. Everything was so different like pronunciation and accents. Finally, I started to take some english classes before enrolling to any college. It was really hard for me when i was learning English; there was too much presure from my father and my friends, like they knew how to speak English very well, they were telling me if you do not learn english within six months something is wrong with you. But they were telling me that just to focus more in my learning. Now that I can communicate myself, i would like to improve my grammar; therefore, I can do better in college.
My name is david. I have been living in Memphis for the past four years. I am a proudly Mexican. I was born and raisied in small town called Acambaro, and from there, we moved to the city of Leon; this two cities are located in the state of Guanajuato, which it is located in the middle of the country . In May 23, 2008 was the date that I came to he United States.
The first time that I came to the United States, It was not how I expected it . I was thinking that the English that I learn from highschool in Mexico,was going to help me. Then, I realized that I did not learn anything back home. Everything was so different like pronunciation and accents. Finally, I started to take some english classes before enrolling to any college. It was really hard for me when i was learning English; there was too much presure from my father and my friends, like they knew how to speak English very well, they were telling me if you do not learn english within six months something is wrong with you. But they were telling me that just to focus more in my learning. Now that I can communicate myself, i would like to improve my grammar; therefore, I can do better in college.
Well I shold tell you a littel aboute mi
Hi well my name is Aaiisha i am from Mexico . I have been living in Memphis for 4 years
my favorite thing to do is play soccer and boxing . I have a daughter she is for her favorite thing to do is soccer well watt i do in the week. is go to work ,pic up my daughter from daycare got to soccer fields , boxing and at the end of the day i am at home doing chores . and that's watt i do for a living
my favorite thing to do is play soccer and boxing . I have a daughter she is for her favorite thing to do is soccer well watt i do in the week. is go to work ,pic up my daughter from daycare got to soccer fields , boxing and at the end of the day i am at home doing chores . and that's watt i do for a living
My favorite sport
I love play ping pong.
This sport have a lot of benefits, it's help you to get concentration, balance in your mind, body synchronization, fast reaction, keep you active and Healthy.
I used to play when I was in the college, but I stop to play for a long time, almost 10 years, I graduated, I got married and continued with my life, so I left the ping pong in the past and never come to my mind play again.
Now after 10 year, I have the opportunity to move to Memphis for business reasons and one day I went to the Germantown sport center to do cardio and 2 persons was playing ping pong and I just watched how they play, one of them invited me to play, after that he invite me to the Memphis Table tennis club.
From that day till now I returned to play my favorite sport and play as much I can, enjoying every time like is the last time I will play.
This sport have a lot of benefits, it's help you to get concentration, balance in your mind, body synchronization, fast reaction, keep you active and Healthy.
I used to play when I was in the college, but I stop to play for a long time, almost 10 years, I graduated, I got married and continued with my life, so I left the ping pong in the past and never come to my mind play again.
Now after 10 year, I have the opportunity to move to Memphis for business reasons and one day I went to the Germantown sport center to do cardio and 2 persons was playing ping pong and I just watched how they play, one of them invited me to play, after that he invite me to the Memphis Table tennis club.
From that day till now I returned to play my favorite sport and play as much I can, enjoying every time like is the last time I will play.
Hi, I'm Luis
I'm talk to little about me in the United States.
The first time when I came to the United States really hard, because I come one sunday and to the next day Im go with my father to the school for register me in the school.
Im start the school one tuesday, when I was wait the bus I was nervous.
When I go to the room Im fear because the people talk to me but Im not what they say.
So 3 month after Im missed the nervous, I don't speak english but I haved friends for help me,
when I doed the fisrt year in the high school I learn a little, because in the all class only Im talk in spanish with my friends and don't put attention to the teachers.
The next year Im put a little more attention because I was learn the english.
Now Im understand a little but I need learn to write.
Im dream with go to back to mexico but don't come back, but before to go I need to learn the english. I go to mexico when I Know to can read, write and speak english.
I love to the soccer.
I am Ivonne
Hi! My name is Ivonne Najera de Arguijo. I'm from Mexico, My home city is Durango. I'm Teacher, I have my degree from Mexico. Righ now I'm working in Memphis City schools, like Professional Asisten with the little childrens. I'm married, I have 3 childrens. I'm in Memphis becouse my husband have an oportunity to work here in this city. We like to estay in this city becouse I like alot things in this city and arround especialy the natural pleces.
Me again
It is very obvious that I was the only one who really needed this blog. Anyway I want to write and I am going to do so no matter what. Here I am thinking about something. "School is the only way you are going to make yourself become what you want".Those were my parents words every single day.I used to believe that but not anymore.
Look at me I went to school my all life long.Funny part I never did miss school even when I was sick.School was the love of my life.First I thought I wanted to be a teacher . After a while I thought I will become a translator . Finally I had a crash on law and international relations .God only knows how many nights I spent awake trying to memorized my constitution, international treaties ,criminal procedures...
I did all that to avoid doing bad jobs. I mean vulnerable jobs. You do not know when they can fire you. Even if they fire you , you can not find another one so easily.That part of going to school is so crual for me . Just because I can find the right person to send me my trancripts from Africa , does not mean I have to suffer.It is just so frustrating to have to do the right thing but do not benefit from it . I did what I was supposed to do but now I am not feeling secure.
I think states should organize their policies in order to adapt the education to others countries standards. I feel sometimes like nobody ; which is not true , because I sacrified my life to school and I did a good job by having my master degree in public law.
I think sometimes about that I will be done with the first two years of my PhD if I was still in Africa. It is not good to complain to much. May be I would not have enough money to finish . For people like me , Africa only needs money.
Look at me I went to school my all life long.Funny part I never did miss school even when I was sick.School was the love of my life.First I thought I wanted to be a teacher . After a while I thought I will become a translator . Finally I had a crash on law and international relations .God only knows how many nights I spent awake trying to memorized my constitution, international treaties ,criminal procedures...
I did all that to avoid doing bad jobs. I mean vulnerable jobs. You do not know when they can fire you. Even if they fire you , you can not find another one so easily.That part of going to school is so crual for me . Just because I can find the right person to send me my trancripts from Africa , does not mean I have to suffer.It is just so frustrating to have to do the right thing but do not benefit from it . I did what I was supposed to do but now I am not feeling secure.
I think states should organize their policies in order to adapt the education to others countries standards. I feel sometimes like nobody ; which is not true , because I sacrified my life to school and I did a good job by having my master degree in public law.
I think sometimes about that I will be done with the first two years of my PhD if I was still in Africa. It is not good to complain to much. May be I would not have enough money to finish . For people like me , Africa only needs money.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
How are you all?
It was a pleasure to meet you all. I miss you ;including the teacher too.I was just wondering if you forgot about our little commitment which consists on keep writing . If you ever remember it , I have in mind a couple of topics we can talk about : what did we learn in writing workshop? or how do you appreciate the teacher? I have some more but I will like more suggestions to make interaction . I am looking forward to heard about you and wish sincerely that you are enjoying your summer.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Living in Taipei or Memphis
Memphis
Taipei I am from Taipei, Taiwan. As I mentioned earlier, Taiwan is a small island country, 35,960 km² big with over 20 million populations living in it. Taipei is the capital, size of 272 km² with 2 million populations. Still can't image how crowd it is? Let me bring some numbers up, you will have a better idea about it. Compared to Memphis, size of land is 763.4 km² and populations are 680,768 which is almost 3 times big of Taipei city, but only has 1/3 of populations living in.
Because of the high population density, people live in sky high buildings which are made of concrete and steel. The whole city is not only full of people but also cars and scooters which cause serious air pollution problem. Thank god! Because the oil price keeps going up, more and more people take subway and bus to work.
Because of the high population density, people live in sky high buildings which are made of concrete and steel. The whole city is not only full of people but also cars and scooters which cause serious air pollution problem. Thank god! Because the oil price keeps going up, more and more people take subway and bus to work.
Some people saying, Taipei is a restless city, because there are too many stores running 24 hours: you can watch a 2:00am movie and have your breakfast at 4:00am, or drive up to Ya-ming Mountain to have a hot spring bath in the middle of the night. Whatever you want to eat, shop, or be entertained, the options are overwhelming.
In contrast with Taipei, Memphis is a quiet and slow pace city. Most of stores are closed at 9:00pm, and only few cars drive on roads at 11:00pm. People here live in 1 story or 2 story high of houses, have yards with lawn, and flower beds, have a park just around the neighborhood. People are friendly and never in a rush. They greet and smile on pedestrian walkway, at schools and at stores.
Although life in Taipei got all of the conveniences you can image, in Memphis you got healthier and better environment to live with. No matter where I live, I think I enjoy both.
Monday, July 14, 2008
How do I deal with the Memphis heat?
This may sound weird, but I like the Memphis hot summer with one remark: with an airconditioner at my home and with A/C in my car. From my point of view the heat is better than cold. At least I don’t need to spend a lot of money for buying good warm clothes to survive in a terrible frost. Also I look much prettier in a summer dress then in winter big cloths with a red-blue cold nose and cheeks.
I came here in the beginning of April by my car (by the way, no A/C in it) from NY. The weather was so nice and pleasant, I even did not want to think that soon it is getting hotter and hotter. In the middle of May my brain started to melt on the way to work and back to home. I decided to stop this turture and bought a car with airconditioner. Now I am happy and like the Memphis heat.
I came here in the beginning of April by my car (by the way, no A/C in it) from NY. The weather was so nice and pleasant, I even did not want to think that soon it is getting hotter and hotter. In the middle of May my brain started to melt on the way to work and back to home. I decided to stop this turture and bought a car with airconditioner. Now I am happy and like the Memphis heat.
My Favorite Dish - Seol Leong Tang
Seol Leong Tang Kim Chi
I forgot what Caroline asked us to write, so I picked one that I was interested in: My Favorite Dish.
Lately I have addicted to Seol Leong Tang, a traditional Korean food, which is made of ox legs and simmered in a big pot of water for hours, in old times, even days.
Because of the long time cooking, the flavor is extracted out of ox bones and the soup turns to snow white color. Usually people use salt and green onion to season, and eat the soup with rice. In the popular Korean drama, My name is Kim Sam Sun, the leading actress even mixes the soup with Kim Chi (Korean fermented vegetables) sauce.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
How did I survive summer heat in Wuhan
My hometown Wuhan has a blistering summer time. When I was a little girl, most families lived in a small room without air conditioning. When the evening came, almost all the people moved their bamboo bed outside onto the pavement of the road. Everybody used a palm leaf fan to expel mosquitoes and cool themselves. They chatted all the night and slept outside to survive the hot summer.
When I was a teenager, the majority of the citizens owned an electric fan in their room. Most of them did not sleep outside, only some people were still enjoying slept outside on their bamboo bed.
Before I came to America, most families in Wuhan used an air-conditioner in their apartment. Nobody slept outside anymore in summer.
When I was a teenager, the majority of the citizens owned an electric fan in their room. Most of them did not sleep outside, only some people were still enjoying slept outside on their bamboo bed.
Before I came to America, most families in Wuhan used an air-conditioner in their apartment. Nobody slept outside anymore in summer.
My first independance day in USA
What's special on independance in USA.
On my first independance day in USA was so quiet . Because I didn't know anybody except fireworks.I was in America for about 1month and I didn't know a lot of people except our neighbour family.They had barbecue outside and the invited me and we drank some beer.I watched fireworks at home because I didn't get any transportation way.
But this year was different from last year because I went downtown to watch fireworks and I went to a party.They most supprising thing is before I came to America I heard a lot the American National Anthum,but since I came to America I did never hear it even on the Independance Day.
On my first independance day in USA was so quiet . Because I didn't know anybody except fireworks.I was in America for about 1month and I didn't know a lot of people except our neighbour family.They had barbecue outside and the invited me and we drank some beer.I watched fireworks at home because I didn't get any transportation way.
But this year was different from last year because I went downtown to watch fireworks and I went to a party.They most supprising thing is before I came to America I heard a lot the American National Anthum,but since I came to America I did never hear it even on the Independance Day.
How do you survive the summer heat?
The first time I went out in the summer I thought I grilled. It was hot in Africa where I used to live but not like here. It is the hottest place I have ever been in my life. I feel sometimes like I wanted to cry . I am glad that now we have a car so that we do not have to wait and wait for late buses. We learn how to survive the summer heat.
We always have to put on the air conditioning in the house . We notice that it become hard to drink something hot. We always put all the drinks in the refrigerator . Someone is always trying to take a shower to avoid stinking. We have to wash our clothes more frequently too. The opening as the doors and the windows remain close to save on the gas bill. We also have a special habit for outside.
It is necessary to put on suncream , to wear sunglasses. It is better not to stay out for a long time. We also turn on the air conditionning in the car while we are riding. We also have to use deodorants. It is also fun to swim because the water is cold.
To sum up it is a daily lesson to learn how to survive the summer heat . We try to be open-minded to every advice because we are still new . All suggestions are welcome.
We always have to put on the air conditioning in the house . We notice that it become hard to drink something hot. We always put all the drinks in the refrigerator . Someone is always trying to take a shower to avoid stinking. We have to wash our clothes more frequently too. The opening as the doors and the windows remain close to save on the gas bill. We also have a special habit for outside.
It is necessary to put on suncream , to wear sunglasses. It is better not to stay out for a long time. We also turn on the air conditionning in the car while we are riding. We also have to use deodorants. It is also fun to swim because the water is cold.
To sum up it is a daily lesson to learn how to survive the summer heat . We try to be open-minded to every advice because we are still new . All suggestions are welcome.
Monday, July 7, 2008
The United States' Independence Day
Independence Day is a very important for most countries which had been colonized. It is a special moment to remember those who fought for freedom and liberty for us, the later generations. Subsequently, the 4th of July in United States of America is an exciting day. You can notice alot of activities going on .
First the stores were closed. You can imagine that people got ready days ago. Many people did not work on that special day. In the morning our neighbors were grilling . Some set up picnics. They ate hot dogs. It is a lovely picture you see because families had a little bit time to be together . If you watched the television, you could learn on certains channels alot about the Independence Day. The very exciting part is the evening.
Then many people were getting ready to go out. Many of them were dressed up. Some went to restaurants.Another part went to the movie theater. However the majority wacthed fireworks. Some families made their own fireworks. The first time you hear it , it can be very scary . It is just fun . They are so beautiful to look at . The circle shape with different colors are so wonderful to see. And there were so many .
Finally we really enjoyed it. It was a pity that we did not have a chance to hear the national anthem . We still were impressed by how the American are so proud of their Independence.
First the stores were closed. You can imagine that people got ready days ago. Many people did not work on that special day. In the morning our neighbors were grilling . Some set up picnics. They ate hot dogs. It is a lovely picture you see because families had a little bit time to be together . If you watched the television, you could learn on certains channels alot about the Independence Day. The very exciting part is the evening.
Then many people were getting ready to go out. Many of them were dressed up. Some went to restaurants.Another part went to the movie theater. However the majority wacthed fireworks. Some families made their own fireworks. The first time you hear it , it can be very scary . It is just fun . They are so beautiful to look at . The circle shape with different colors are so wonderful to see. And there were so many .
Finally we really enjoyed it. It was a pity that we did not have a chance to hear the national anthem . We still were impressed by how the American are so proud of their Independence.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
The National Day of China
On Oct. 1st of 1993, my son was born in Wuhan, China. Actually, my son's birthday should be Sep. 17th, but he did not come out on that day. I was so happy and excited, because Oct. 1st is the National Day of the People's Republic of China.
China has recorded over 5000 year history. Different dynasty chose different date as its National Day. In 1912, The Republic of China overthrew Qing dynasty. Dr. Sun Zhongshan, the first president named Oct. 10th as the National Day. Mao Zhedong, the leader of the Chinese Communist Party declared found of the People's Republic of China on the tower of Tian An Men on Oct. 1st of 1949. Thus Oct. 1st was selected as the National Day of New China.
Every year of Oct. 1st, Chinese people spent whole week celebrating the National Day. Every 5 years anniversary we could watch parade in Tian An Men Square on the TV. When we are in my son’s birthday party, my son always says that whole Chinese people celebrate his birthday. He felt so special on that day.
China has recorded over 5000 year history. Different dynasty chose different date as its National Day. In 1912, The Republic of China overthrew Qing dynasty. Dr. Sun Zhongshan, the first president named Oct. 10th as the National Day. Mao Zhedong, the leader of the Chinese Communist Party declared found of the People's Republic of China on the tower of Tian An Men on Oct. 1st of 1949. Thus Oct. 1st was selected as the National Day of New China.
Every year of Oct. 1st, Chinese people spent whole week celebrating the National Day. Every 5 years anniversary we could watch parade in Tian An Men Square on the TV. When we are in my son’s birthday party, my son always says that whole Chinese people celebrate his birthday. He felt so special on that day.
My First Indenpendence Day in US
At that time, I stayed at my aunt’s place. She invited her friends to come over to her house to have Bar B Q and sing Karaoke. The house was full of people, food and noise, so I prefered to stay outside to watch my cousins playing in the pool. When I was getting bored from watching kids, one of my new friends that I met in IEI showed up and took me out. She drove me around the town, but not much thing to see - everyone was celebrating July 4th at his/her own place or friends’, even supermarkets closed early. Since there was nothing to have fun with in outside, she could only took me to her apartment and we watched a movie together.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Uknown first impression of Memphis
May 22nd , 2007 .It's almost 11:00 pm and United Airlines plane landed to Memphis International Airport from Chicago O'Hare.And almost Midnight we are in our new house.But nothing to say about Memphis,it's to dark and we have travelled for more than 20hours in plane and waiting in airports more than 20Hours.So we slep more than a day just to get some rest.
Two day later we start to to get out of the house and trying to discover our new city.And the first impression Memphis is as hot as the city we were coming from.But one of the most important thing is the public transportation.The worst I have never seen before.So it was not easy for us to movewithout our own car,and we didn't have any. But after a while we got transportation so it's to easy to move.Memphis traffic is not to bad but for a guy like me ,there is nothing interresting in Memphis beside The Missippi River,The FedEx Forum and Beale St.Anything else is dead ,day time as night time.
I don't say that Memphis is not a good city to live,but just it's not what I expected and I hope I will find ,maybe some interresting places to visit in Memphis which will change my opinion about memphis
Two day later we start to to get out of the house and trying to discover our new city.And the first impression Memphis is as hot as the city we were coming from.But one of the most important thing is the public transportation.The worst I have never seen before.So it was not easy for us to movewithout our own car,and we didn't have any. But after a while we got transportation so it's to easy to move.Memphis traffic is not to bad but for a guy like me ,there is nothing interresting in Memphis beside The Missippi River,The FedEx Forum and Beale St.Anything else is dead ,day time as night time.
I don't say that Memphis is not a good city to live,but just it's not what I expected and I hope I will find ,maybe some interresting places to visit in Memphis which will change my opinion about memphis
My first impression of Memphis – People lived in a wooden house!
The first day arriving in
I couldn’t help to worry about any fatal accidents which might happen, for example, a drunk driver lost control of his car and dashed into the house or some lunatic carried a gun and swept shooting in the street. I tossed and turned all night long and did not know if it was because I missed my family too much or too worried about the wooden house.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
First impression of Memphis
Eight years ago, when I took my son departed from the Shanghai International Airport on a journey to what the Chinese referred to as "美国(Mei Guo)", translated as "the beautiful country". I was so exciting and a bit worried. Being alone in a completely different country was a pretty difficult for me.
When the plane entered U.S territory, from the air, Memphis looked extraordinarily different from China. The trees looked like brigades of soldiers in battle formation. In China, the trees were scattered and the land looked barren. But in Memphis, the land was a sea of lush green. The sky was baby blue with thin wisps of clouds.
Finally, when my son and I arrived in our first home in Memphis, we did not feel tired. My husband gave us a tour of the UT campus. I was wondering why is the campus was not fenced, because the campus we used to live on in China is fenced. We walked down the street which was so quiet. In China, we lived in the city where everywhere is crowded. We saw a small old building on Union Ave. My husband told us this is the famous Sun Studio. Elvis's first LP was recorded in this building. I was so excited beacause Elvis was famous all over the world. I could not believe the famous Sun Studio is in such a small building.
We were so lucky, in the evening, my husband told us that there was a Christmas party in the church. The church is not far away from our home. There are two free ESL classes sponsored by Memphis city school at the church. My husband had been studying English in advanced class for four months. The Christmas party was for all the students, so my husband took us to the party. The church had prepared a lot of delicious food like fruit and dessert, some toys were prepared for the kids. Also, some students brought their own homemade food for the party. After eating, all students and teachers played games together. If you won the game, you got a toy. My son was so glad that he won the game and got a toy-Arthur. He loves Arthur very much which was a first toy in America.
We had a wonderful first day in Memphis, we love living in Memphis.
When the plane entered U.S territory, from the air, Memphis looked extraordinarily different from China. The trees looked like brigades of soldiers in battle formation. In China, the trees were scattered and the land looked barren. But in Memphis, the land was a sea of lush green. The sky was baby blue with thin wisps of clouds.
Finally, when my son and I arrived in our first home in Memphis, we did not feel tired. My husband gave us a tour of the UT campus. I was wondering why is the campus was not fenced, because the campus we used to live on in China is fenced. We walked down the street which was so quiet. In China, we lived in the city where everywhere is crowded. We saw a small old building on Union Ave. My husband told us this is the famous Sun Studio. Elvis's first LP was recorded in this building. I was so excited beacause Elvis was famous all over the world. I could not believe the famous Sun Studio is in such a small building.
We were so lucky, in the evening, my husband told us that there was a Christmas party in the church. The church is not far away from our home. There are two free ESL classes sponsored by Memphis city school at the church. My husband had been studying English in advanced class for four months. The Christmas party was for all the students, so my husband took us to the party. The church had prepared a lot of delicious food like fruit and dessert, some toys were prepared for the kids. Also, some students brought their own homemade food for the party. After eating, all students and teachers played games together. If you won the game, you got a toy. My son was so glad that he won the game and got a toy-Arthur. He loves Arthur very much which was a first toy in America.
We had a wonderful first day in Memphis, we love living in Memphis.
My first impression of Memphis
I had strange feelings when the first time I saw Memphis. After scy-crapers in New York I was totally surprised to see Memphis would-be a city. It looks like the pleasant huge green village for me! After my arrival, I was impressed by several things. One of them was a very kind and humorous policeman. When I got lost in the middle of Memphis and made a wrong turn, he saw my new york car plate and blocked the entire central street with words “Folk, let go Big Brother from the Big City!” It was funny! And later I always meet only friendly understanding people. Besides I was impressed to see a lot of small cars on big wheels. They run very fast on roads and remind me of antelopes. I don’t know why. As regards to roads, here in Memphis, are surprisely empty without any traffic compared to New York even in rush-hours. It makes me happy here. I noticed that Memphis abounds in Catholic and Baptist churches, hospitals and strange it may seem, auto service centers are everywhere. Also I have discovered plenty of lifeless unoccupied buildings in great locations. I hope in the future they will be reconstructed and be attractive for business or people.
Anyhow I live here now and Memphis is my home and I like it.
First impressions of Memphis
"Welcome to United States of America" said the lady who introduced herself as our case manager at the Memphis Airport on May 22nd 2007. I already thought that it will not be a piece of cake to communicate because her accent was so strong. I realized that was the sentence she had said after a while. I did not know at that time what new things I will see.
At the beginning our house was fine for me . We ate and slept for 3 days. I was so happy and so exciting. I remembered what the cultural orientation teacher told us. According to her it was not good to be too much exciting .She always noticed that people sometimes fall in depression when things do not happen the way they want. We stayed at home for almost 2 weeks. The neighbors were nice and they still are. They are so friendly. Most of them are not from the United States.
Then we went out to start our ESL classes at Catholic Charities. The streets were so big . I found that beautiful . Sometimes in my African mind I thought it was a waste of space . Funny ! Uh! May be it was just unusual for me to see many so big streets. I disliked the idea of buses. I was not use to wait for the transportation for a long time. There is always a taxi waiting where I come from. People were always smiling. I discovered that in United States "How are you?" and "How are you doing?" are just greetings. That means when people say that they do not really want to know how you really are. That is still weird in my mind.
To conclude I was happy to be in Memphis . I think it is a beautiful place. I am still discovering this place and everything hard I handle it by being with my family. There are my strength in this special journey.
At the beginning our house was fine for me . We ate and slept for 3 days. I was so happy and so exciting. I remembered what the cultural orientation teacher told us. According to her it was not good to be too much exciting .She always noticed that people sometimes fall in depression when things do not happen the way they want. We stayed at home for almost 2 weeks. The neighbors were nice and they still are. They are so friendly. Most of them are not from the United States.
Then we went out to start our ESL classes at Catholic Charities. The streets were so big . I found that beautiful . Sometimes in my African mind I thought it was a waste of space . Funny ! Uh! May be it was just unusual for me to see many so big streets. I disliked the idea of buses. I was not use to wait for the transportation for a long time. There is always a taxi waiting where I come from. People were always smiling. I discovered that in United States "How are you?" and "How are you doing?" are just greetings. That means when people say that they do not really want to know how you really are. That is still weird in my mind.
To conclude I was happy to be in Memphis . I think it is a beautiful place. I am still discovering this place and everything hard I handle it by being with my family. There are my strength in this special journey.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Who is me?
Dear friends,
Today I am going to introduce myself. It is also a wonderful journey to meet somebody. I am a lucky girl who born in a lovely big African family. However you can be only lucky because life is not fair. I lost my father in a foreign country and become a refugee which changed my life forever . Let me tell you about the special girl.
My parents get married in Rwanda when they were 26 years old. My father was a diplomatisch and my mother a nurse. They have had 7 children : 5 sons and 2 daughters .
By being raised in this family , I received an education which Iam proud of and would like to hand out to my kids if I ever have. We were tought to learn ,learn and learn . Our parents gave us the right key of life which is school. As a matter of fact we never forgot that and we kept going to school to improve our life even if it was hard .
Nevertheless dreaming and keep going meet brake . My chance was stopped by a devil who was so jealous to see an almost perfect family . That evil was death of my father in August 2008.We thought for a whole year that life was over for us . My mother never gave up . She said my children will be somebody someday.She fought for us and we are here, struggling to find our way . I believe that we are in a good way.
To sum up , I think knowing me is easy when you know who are my models . It is obvious that God will still help us even in United States to go back to School.
Today I am going to introduce myself. It is also a wonderful journey to meet somebody. I am a lucky girl who born in a lovely big African family. However you can be only lucky because life is not fair. I lost my father in a foreign country and become a refugee which changed my life forever . Let me tell you about the special girl.
My parents get married in Rwanda when they were 26 years old. My father was a diplomatisch and my mother a nurse. They have had 7 children : 5 sons and 2 daughters .
By being raised in this family , I received an education which Iam proud of and would like to hand out to my kids if I ever have. We were tought to learn ,learn and learn . Our parents gave us the right key of life which is school. As a matter of fact we never forgot that and we kept going to school to improve our life even if it was hard .
Nevertheless dreaming and keep going meet brake . My chance was stopped by a devil who was so jealous to see an almost perfect family . That evil was death of my father in August 2008.We thought for a whole year that life was over for us . My mother never gave up . She said my children will be somebody someday.She fought for us and we are here, struggling to find our way . I believe that we are in a good way.
To sum up , I think knowing me is easy when you know who are my models . It is obvious that God will still help us even in United States to go back to School.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Hi everyone. This is Ying. I am from Wuhan, Hubei, a big city in mid-south China, where I lived for 31 years. In 1999, my husband got a J1 visa and came to Memphis as a visiting scholar. After 3 months, my son and I arrived in Memphis. I like Memphis for the reason that both Memphis and Wuhan have the same climate and are nearby a big river (Mississippi River and Yangtze River). Before I came to the US, I was an accountant in China and had 11 years working experience. Now I work in a company that imports merchandise from China. Most of my colleagues in the office are Chinese speaking, so we always speak Chinese in the office. I knew of the IEI program 5 months ago. Before writing class, I took the Communication Skills for Internationals class of IEI program in University of Memphis. I learned a lot of English language skills in the class and learned a lot of different cultures from my classmates who came from different countries.
Hello from Unknown
Hello,
I'm Unknown and I'm coming from one of the smallest counties in the world,located in eastern Africa.I live in Memphis for 1 year and 1 month with all my familly.Four brothers,two sisters and my Mom.
I lived in another country in Africa as a refugee for long time and I got my high school diploma in Mathematics,Chemistry and Physics Sciences ,and a Bachelor degree in Business Managment and accounting.Actually I'm imployed in Hotel in Memphis as an Inventory Control Specialist.
I attend the Intensive English for International to improve my writing ad communication skills to be abe to get a better job,have a promotion or if possible go back to school if i can afford it.
My dream is to succed in America and build a better future for me and my family.
I'm Unknown and I'm coming from one of the smallest counties in the world,located in eastern Africa.I live in Memphis for 1 year and 1 month with all my familly.Four brothers,two sisters and my Mom.
I lived in another country in Africa as a refugee for long time and I got my high school diploma in Mathematics,Chemistry and Physics Sciences ,and a Bachelor degree in Business Managment and accounting.Actually I'm imployed in Hotel in Memphis as an Inventory Control Specialist.
I attend the Intensive English for International to improve my writing ad communication skills to be abe to get a better job,have a promotion or if possible go back to school if i can afford it.
My dream is to succed in America and build a better future for me and my family.
Brief Introduction
Hi! Everyone,
This is Anne.
I am from Taiwan. Yes! Taiwan, not Thailand. Although these two words look alike and sound similar, they are two different countries. Thailand is located in southeast Asia, right next to Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia, five countries. Taiwan is an island right across to mainland China. For more information about Taiwan, please go to http://eng.taiwan.net.tw/lan/cht/search/index.asp. I also insert a short advertisement of Taiwan in this page.
I knew about this writing program from my co-worker, Ying who was IEI student and now is one of the members of this writing workshop. We both came to here for improving our writing skills and also wanting to know more people from other countries.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
about me
About me.
When I am analyzing and thinking about my life, I realize that the entire period of my conscious life I have always been anxious to move in a warmer place. Every 12-14 years I do a step to change my enviroment.
During the first 14 years I have been lived in Ural. I was born and grew up in a small village in the Ural Mountains in Russia. Ural is the ancient mountains as old as the Appalachian Mountains in North America. Actually they look very similar each to other. I can tell it as a person seen the both of them. When I was traveling two months ago from New York to Memphis my way was exactly parallel with the Appalachians. And I had a strange warm feelings that I am at home in the Ural and going to visit my mother and my relatives. I got these sensations, because the Ural and Appalachee mountains are almost identical, exept for the weather. The winter in Ural is a real winter with a lot of snow and long. The temperature is -40-45ºF sometimes, and a depth of snow could be more than 5 foot. Folks have a great fun rolling in a snow during winter.
After graduation of University I moved in the town, named Borovsk. Next 14 years I have been lived in Borovsk. This town is very old. It is known to have existed since the 13th century therefore it is full of historical events. Borovsk is closed (around 70 milles) to Moscow. Thus, theoretically I moved to northely of Ural, but the weather in Borovsk is much warmer then in Ural. The sound is funny, but it is indeed so. There is a mild weather in Borovsk, average temperature during a summer is about 68-75ºF, and winter is not that long and cold as it is in Ural. After the years freezing in Ural I injoyed a lot having a warm hands and feet in Borovsk.
At the present time I am in Memphis. I again started a new page of my life. Do I need to discribe in details my current status here in burning summer and hear my mother’s complains about snowing in Ural???? Ah?
My guess is my life will be over in some place on the equator.
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