Journal #20: Goodbye

This semester is the second one that I study in ALP. In summer, when I finish the summer course, I think I can say something and write a paragraph. But after finishing this semester, I can write a research paper. What a big change.

Before studying in ALP, I think that writing an essay is very difficult and I am afraid it. With international students, they can be good in structure, vocabularies but not in speaking and writing. It is a big problem that we want to overcome. Therefore, when I studied in ALP, I regconize that it becomes easier. Especially, I really like to study the studied method of universities. In Composition class, I was known what students do and what professors want students to study in university. It gives an experience for my studying.

Besides, I often speak English everyday with my classmate. Although our English is not really good, we try to talk together. We discuss and present about many topics that help us improve English skills. I know that it is too far to speak English like a native person, but studying in ALP is a preparation for my future studying.

Thank my teachers.

Ceyda and Yejin

Journal # 19: Baraka

This is the first time that I saw a documentary film about life of many people over the world. Before seeing Baraka, I have known about the life of some countries through films and books but I did not really comprehend as this time. Although Baraka film do not have main actors and words but by showing images, it brings to me a part of nature and human life of 24 countries from 6 continents.

My first impression from Baraka film is that the religious believe. Through this film, I see the differently religious ceremonies of many people. The some first scene, the author shows us the image of people holding ceremonies. Although they come from different countries but they have a similar thing that believed in religion. I can image that when they have trouble or happiness, they also find religion to share with it. This believe helps them overcome the difficulties in life.

My most deeply feeling after seeing Baraka film is the poverty and starvation. Today, we were born and grown in the modern society, so maybe we can image the poor and starving life of others. Baraka shows a phenomenon that there are a lot of people living without food, clothes and home on the world. Nowadays, some people said that they can’t live without television, internet or car, but they do not know that there are still a lot of people live in that condition and they are still fine. This movie helps me look up my life which is abundant and then I will consider it.

Furthermore, this movie also shows the different scenes of two lives: the poor life and the modern life. I can’t forget the image of a person who is shouting. I think he is depressed with the industrial life. In industrial life, people maybe have enough life but they have to work hard and work as machine. They only work, work and work to finding a good life. Obviously, two lives with different trouble show a fact part of lives in the world.

To summary, I know many aspects of human life of many countries through Baraka film. It is an evident of nature and human life. No characters, no scrip but it brings to people who see this movie the different thought. I believe that after seeing Baraka film, people will have more deeply thought about life.

Leslie and Veasna

Journal #18: Reaction - Writing

Edgar Allen Poe is one of the most famous poets in England, and his poem, the Raven, is well-know. The poem described a feeling of a person who woke up in the midnight with the strange noise. He thought there are some visitors at his chamber door and he tried to find who they are. When I read this poem, I see some his feeling such as scared, worried and alone.

First of all, I can image a scare of a person in the midnight. He felt frighten, thrilled and he assured by himself to face with the strange. Although his feeling was mixed, he was grave and tried to find what thing happened. Maybe there was not anyone in his house to share this situation with him, so he had to face his feeling. I feel so sorry for him.

Another feeling is that I sympathize with his solitariness. In whole story, the man’s solitariness was revealed obviously in his action. When he opened the door, he saw a craven perching upon a tree and he tried to talk with it. He felt tiresome, murmured and asked for answer. Perhaps he has lived alone for a long time, so now he became muddle-headed with it. He wanted to escape from his loneliness and sadness but no one could help him. His feeling and activities are certain to fight against loneliness.

Obviously, this poem gave a message that the loneliness had a strong power to destroy anyone’s life. Therefore, we should try to face and overcome it.

Saud and Sammy

Journal #17: Anticipating your Parents' Objections

Dear dad,
To this today, I have lived in America for 6 months and everything to me is good. Therefore, I want to write this letter to tell to you that please do not worry about my life. I know that I had decision that makes you confused. The first, I decided to study in HCM city. You always want me and my sister study in our home city. You said to me that living near family is good for a girl. Living here, I will have anything from you and mother instead of doing anything by myself in a strange place. You are afraid that I will have many difficulties to face. I know that I am always a little child in your thought, but I want to study many things and I want to do my future by myself. An arranged job is good for someone, but maybe it is not good for me. I think the passion about business of you and mother effected on me, so I really want to study in a challenge environment and build my business.

The second decision that I always feel sorry is studying in USA. I know that our distance is more and more far, and your worry also increases. You are not worried about my life, my study but also my relationship. You have never thought that I will live far from our family and you always prepare a future to me. You prepared a good job, a comfortable life to me. You also hindered my decision, and sometimes you did not want to talk with me on purpose making me change my mind. I know that you and mother only want to bring the best thing to me, but if I stay in our home, how can I improve my knowledge. Besides the advantage of living near family, you also know the limit of my city. I really want to near our family but I also want to study. Living in a challenge environment will help me improve my skill and grow up to the age of discretion. After studying something, I will come back Viet Nam and begin my business. I think at time I will have experience and be confident to do anything without your worry.

Everything to me is new, but I know that I will stick my gun. My life is stable. Unlike living in Viet Nam, now I can cook by myself and arrange my life logically. I have meal and sleep on time and do exercise everyday. I remembered when I was in Viet Nam, you often asked me do exercise but I am so lazy. However, now I am voluntary self-conscious do it and I am so happy. I hope you and mother will support to me. I will not make you disappointed.

Your little honey,
Ni

Priss and Sehyun

Journal #16: Confucius Quote

"Find a job that you love doing and you will never have to work a day in your life." - Confucius

For long time ago, money and sustenance is the most important factor for people choose a career, but now they want to find a job that is suitable with their interest. The reason that when they do anything that they like, they will be pleasant. Although it is too hard, they still think it is interesting. In contrast, it is so difficult for people when they work without passion, or interest. For example, with a normal job, people will want to finish their work part rapidly and then come back home. They do not want to have responsibility with their work while with their interest job, they will try thier best to work. People will do not cared about anything except their job. With them, every day in company is a fun and they do not feel tired with job's pressure. Therefore the efficient of their work will increase.

Because of these things, I also want to work for my favorite. I think I will work efficiently when I have a passion for my career. It brings the benefit not only for my company but also for myself. This is an important factor to companies pay attention when they want to attract the geniuses.

Sun and Ceyda

Journal #15: Analyzing Arguments

Brittany Kunza, (2008, October 29). The difference between getting fat and staying fat.The Dayly Titan, p. 4.

In this article, Brittany mentioned that nowadays many people are diet by not eating and they only eat ice cream or broccoli (p.1). Her argument that people can lose weight by eating healthy food or doing exercise is claim of policy and cause. She used researchs about fat cells of Kirsty Spalding of Karolinska Institude in Sweden and Spalding which appeals to character and appeals to emotion. They show that People’s weight increasing or staying depends on the number of fat cells in their body, so instead of eating nothing to loss weight, people should reduce their fat cells (P.21).

Jamie and Leslie

Journal # 14: My First Source

Jewell D,Tacchi J, Donovan J (2000 Dec).Adolescents from different socioeconomic backgrounds had different attitudes about teen pregnancy. Retrieved October 17, 2008, from
http://ebn.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/4/4/125

This article is a research paper about the attitude of adult women about teen pregnancy. Through this article, I know the opinion of women who are young mothers when they were teenage. They feel be regret about pregnancy at teenage and they want to receive the aids of people. They also only want to have babies when they were about 27 to 33 year olds. This thing leads to new angle about young mother's attitude.

Teenage Pregnancy (2008, October 24). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved October 17, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teenage_pregnancy

This article give me some information about teenage pregnancy, and it helps me know about what teenage pregnancy is and the reasons of it. These information is the basis knowledge for me doing research about attitude of American about teen pregnancy.

Jupiter and Saud

Journal # 13 : Summary/Paraphrase Practice

Associated Press (2008,October 14). PepsiCo to cut 3,300 jobs as profit falls 10%. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-pepsi15-2008oct15,0,4994393.story

According Los Angeles Times (October 14, 2008), because of the decreasing economy, Pepsi, one of the biggest soft drink companies, lessenes 3,300 jobs in company. Chief Executive Indra Nooyi maintained that the economy in USA leads to many difficulties to manage company, so it need to have an imbleness change to success. Now, the economic element affects thoroughly to PepsiCo's business and it leads to decline in PepsiCo's benefits . Therefore it tries to do the different ways to attract the consumers and increase the net income as it expects. PepsiCo countinues having the plan to maintain the soft drink and develop the new product like juice and teas beside lessening job.

Veasna and Priss

Journal # 12: Research topic

My topic is teenage pregnancy in the USA. The reason that I chose this topic is that I read article about Vice President candidate Palin's daughter and BrineySpear's younger sister. They were also pregnant when they were teenage; however some people' s attitude were different about them. With Palin's daughter people think it is ok but it is a big problem to Britney Spear's sister. Therefore, I did not know how American's attitude with teenage pregnancy, and I want to know about it.

After reading widipidea, I know that teenage pregnancy is quite popular in the world, especially in developing countries such as Africa and may be in some developed contries like America and UK. The reason of this are low level education, low level conception, family or sex. These things lead to teenage pregnancy problem.

The people's attitudes are different and they change in a recent period of years. How do American's attitudes change about teenage pregnancy? or How do American's attitudes about teenage pregnancy? is the question that I want to do in my research. This question will give me a general obversation about how American think of teenage pregnancy. I think that their concepts may be different from Asian's. It is extremely interesting to know American's thought.

Jupiter and Jamie

Journal # 11: Advice

While some people are very cautious about seeking or giving other people advice, I like to listen and may be can give advice if my friends need them. I thinks that a good advice can help people solve many problems that they can do by theirselves. However, a bad advice also make some people feel terrible, it may be lead a bad result. In addition, advice can change our life, so we have to consider carefully each word in advice.I also gave some advices to my friends, and I did not know whether or not it is effecient. I only known that my friends needed them, and they felt more comfortable when they had a person to share anything.

One time, after my best friend graduated from university, she wanted to go out her home city to work for a foreign company. She really liked to work for a challenge environment and meet some new things. However, everyone who loved her such as her family, her boyfriend did not want to permit her to do it. They were scared that she will have difficult things in new environment. They worried about her life, her accommodation, her job, her new friends, and they think about anything that can be terrible to go with her. This made her confuse about her decision and she seeked an advice from me. What a difficult advice.

Her parents said me that I should advise her to stay in her home city, but I know my friend's characteristic. She really like to go to HCM city to work, and I think that she was young, so she can face and overcome difficult things. Therefore, I said to her that: " You can try it". The result that now my friend works for a bank in HCM city.

In first period of time, she had many difficulties. For example, she did not find a job and a shelter. She felt very terrible and she wanted to come back home. At time, I regreted about my advice, perhaps I also made her parents to be disappointed. Therefore I try to help my friend as I can. Now everything is ok, and she has a good life in HCM. She is very happy because she did what she like. I felt better when meet her family and her lover. I think that I will not give any advice to another. Hichic.

Laura and Priss

Journal # 10: American Food

American Food? I only know some food in USA such as Hambuger, Hotdog, salad and I do not like it. Perhap there are many food in USA that but do not know, but in my opinion when say about American food, I only think about cheese. Most of the American food alway contain cheese, so I do not familiar with it. The reason may be that I am an Asian, and I often eat Asian Food which is completely different from American Food.

Asian Food has more spicy than American Food. When we cook anything, we often use a lot of spicy such as chili, pepper, but American do not use it as same as us. Especially, we also use fish sause in our food. In contrast, American have never had fish sause in their meals. Therefore, American food's taste is diffirent with Asian food's.

Moreover, the different ingredients is special things of Asian Food and American Food. We prefer have seafood and vegetable in their meal more than meat and chicken like American. In addition, American often have bacon and cheese in their food while Asian are strange with it. Every ingredients create a special taste, so it make Asian food be different from American food.

Another different thing that make me amaze when I came America that food here often was frozen. For example, meat , fish and even vegetable also were frozen to sell to customer. I have never seen many forzen food like them before. In my country, everything is fresh , so we are quite amazing about frozen food. It may be make me do not really like American food.

However, I hope I will be accustomed to have frozen food because I live in America and I have to eat them everyday. (8____8)

Saud and Laura

Journal # 9: Optimistic Quote

"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." - Winston Churchill

In life, sometimes we will meet the difficultiy, some optimistic people think it is normal and they try to overcome it, but some pessimistic people think that it is a big problem. How we face to a problem depending on our thought about it. If we think it is easy to solve, it will be easy. If we think it is difficult to solve, it will be difficult. Like that, the pessimists often evaluate something more negative than optimists. They often see the difficulty in anything, even it is a good apportunity. Therefore, sometimes they make theirselves to be stressed. In contrast, the optomists always see an apportunity in the difficult circumstances. They often feel happy and think that life is beautiful.

Vietnamese has conception that after having any accident, if you are alive, you are very lucky. Therefore, when we hear someone be accident, we often say " You are still healthy. It is lucky". Because of it, many people say that Vietnameses are quite optimistic. I am Vietnamese and I am also an optimist. Athough I have the difficulties, I often put my mind at ease. I think that I will overcome anything if I am determined to do my best. I see everything by possitive conception, so I always feel happy. I think if I don't be optimistic, I can't live in USA because the difficulties that I must to face.

Smile, smile and smile is the best way to help me feel happy.

Leslie and Sammy

Journal #2 : Getting arround.

I have lived in USA for 4 months, and I often take a bus to go anywhere. It is inconvenient that I have to wait for long time at bus stop especially at weekend. Hichic. Therefore I do not want to go anywhere until I buy a car. I am looking for a car and I hope I will get it rapidly. However I scare to drive in fwy because I have to drive very quickly. It makes me be stressed, so I think I have to try hard.
The traffic in VietNam is completely different in USA because we often ride motorbike more than car. The distance of somewhere in VietNam is very close, so it is very flexible to ride the motorbike to anywhere. I prefer driving motorbike to car because it very fast and I can talk with my friends. Therefore, we often organize picnic in another city and we can ride motorbike to there to enjoy sightseeing. I like it so much.
Now the streets in VietNam are not wide, but I hope that in the future they will be improved. There are many project to perfect the traffic system in my country, so it will be good in future.

Leslie and Laura

Journal #1: Introduction

I am Van Dinh, and you can call me Candy. Perhaps you read my blog and wandered that who Candy was ? Because I joined this class lately, so now I have to introduce myself following the teacher's comment.(8_8).
Vietnam is beautiful and peaceful country, and that is place where I was born. In specific, I lived in Hue - the middle of my country where my lovers are living there. My family is small including my grandmother, my parents, my elder sister and my younger sister. Now I had a brother-in-law and a niece.
I lived in Hue from 0 year old to 18 years old, after I went to HCM city to study university. Many people asked me why you went to HCM to study. There are not some universities in my home city. It is not true. The fact that in my city has some famous universities, but I wanted to study the news things and the challenges. Therefore, I went to HCM city to challenge mysel
In the studing university progress, I am very happy because I have the good friends, useful activities, good memories, good job. In addition, I also met the difficulties in my life when I live in HCM and I am very happy because I faced and overcame them. The life in HCM telled me a lot of things and it help me more courage and stronger. I did not forget anything that I had in university.
Now I spend the new challenges in USA, and I hope that I will overcome anything. I hope,hope and hope to make friend with everyone.
Nice to meet you.

Priss, Sammy

Journal #8: My Best Friend

I remembered that the first time I met her in Physic class in the middle school. At time we did not talk together, after 2 years later I also met her in Basketball club. We became friend. She is my best friend, and she is a sole person that comprehend me. Although after graduated from highschool, I went to another city to learn for 4 year , we still kept in touch together and our friendship is not change to this day. Everyone also said that we has many same thing, so we comprehend together.

We also like to play basketball. We can play it from morning to evening. When we were on vacation in the second year in highschool, we ride the bike to basketball club every day at 5 AM. Sometimes I wandered that why we can do it. We were also in a team and joined the basketball matches together. I was number 9, and she was nember 6. We were very happy.

Both my and her favorite are walking around Huong River. We can walk around many hours to talk together anything that we met or listened. We also confide about our future or our family in each other. Afterward, we studied in different place, but we continued telling together through telephone or internet. Everytime going back Hue, we walked together on familiar street to think about anything that happened in our life. Now, I live far from my friend, but I always remember of our memories and hope that we will be best friends forever.

Veasna and Sun

Journal # 7: Heroes

When I was child, I often saw many heroes in the movie, but I known that it was not true. I have never thought that in one day I could become a heroe and have a superpower. I will do not know what I do with my power, however, if I was gift a superpower, I want to fly.

I like travel so much. I like to go to Europe to visit France, a place that I want to go on honeymoon, Italy, England, but I have not enough time to travel all of them. ''-''. Therefore if I can fly, I will visit them anytime that I am free without transportations. Even I will go in one day, and go back to study in ALP. hichic. I also can fly to school or Universal next Sarturday. Morever, I also can go back Viet Nam, and visit my family whenever I miss them. It is very quickly and easy to go anywhere.

Futhermore, I can escape from polluted environment or the daylife by flying in the cloud and hiding there. I do not image my feeling when one day I sit on the cloud and see any activity on the ground. It is great. In addition, I can help some people by taking them go out of the serious circumstances such as flood, drowing. I think that is a good idea, but I do not know that I can do it.('o')

How do you think of a person who has a strange power? I think that it somtimes makes other people scare, so I will not tell anyone. I will keep secret to can be a normal person in the life, eventhough I am not normal.

Priss and Sammy

Journal # 6: Doctor Dolittle

I did know why my journal was erased. hichic


I commend Jupiter and Jamie

Journal#5: Music

"Bonjour Vietnam" or 'Hello VietNam' is the favorite music of me. I heart this song accidentally when my friend introduced it to me. She said that " Listen and tell me what your feeling".

The song was written by a French musician and was sang by an amateur singer. The Lyric expresses the affection of the Vietnamese girl who was born in French. Although was born and growth in French, she still loved Viet Nam. Through the mother's story and the information on the Television or the internet, she wanted to go back Viet Nam to know about country and people in VietNam.

Want to see your house, your streets.

Show me all I do not know.

Wooden sampans, floating markets, light of gold.

All I know of you is the sights of war.

A film by Coppola, the helicopter's roar.

One day I'll touch your soil.

One day I'll finally know my soul.

One day I'll come to you.

To say hello... Vietnam.

That was the first time that I heart it, but it brought to me to have much feeling. The lyric not only mentioned the girl's emotion about vietnam but also remindered the fight of Vietnamese in the war. It remindered to me a heroic history of my country. Iam so proud of Vietnam where there are the meek and affable but not less cougeruos people.

In addition, when living in my country, I did not realize my country' s value, and somtimes I thought that everything here is very normal. However, after hearing the Bonjour Vietnam, the affection of the girl who has never gone to vietnam, but she always keeps an image of vietnam in her heart vibrated me. There are some changing in my thought. I feel to love my country so much, and I want to travel arround my coutry to enjoy Vietnamese's life. I try to preserve and built my country's images. I want to everyone to know and love Vietnam, a peaceful and beautiful place.

Esteban and sammy

Journal#4:The Weather

A year has four season, and every season has the special beauty, but I love the fall best. In fall, the weather is mild and comfortable. Sometime breezy wind blows the leaves dropping in the street to make a beautiful scene. The trees changing their new shirt's color look very attractive. I like walked on the street covered by yellow leaves with my friends. We can talk together while enjoying the view. Not hot like the summer and cold like the winter does the fall weather bring to the people easygoing felling. A suddenly drizzly rain also make a romantic air to the lover. In these days, I often go out to inhale the pure air and take some photos with my friends.

Saud and Jamie

Journal #3: The Old Fear

The exterior of the people looks like to be strong, but interior of them always exists a weakness. They are often afraid of something such as insects, dark and may be human. Like them, I was so frighten of snake, that was a nightmare of me. Every time seeing the snake, I felt my flesh creep and my heart could not be breath. I was numbed and could not move anywhere. Even though when I ran into a death snake, I also thought that it would bit me and I wanted to cry. I thought it was very terrible if I continued being at this circumstances. Therefore, I found anyway to solve my problem. I went to the bookstore to buy the books that mentioned about snake, and read them everyday. In addition, I found out about the snake images on the Internet and looked at them. I wandered that they were only the small animals, so I should not scare them. After a longtime overcoming the fear, now I feel comfortable when I face to snake. That is an good experience to me to face the fear.

Muath and Priss