THU LE
Read95
10/23/2010
Student Learning Objectives for READ 95

1. Look for a chapter that you believe could help you improve your reading for college texts. Write the chapter name and why you selected it.
I looked through the textbook, and I think that chapter 1, Active Reading and Thinking Strategies, could help me improve my reading for college texts. Reading involves much more than moving my eyes across lines of print, recognizing words and reading sentences. Therefore, to have the good reading skills to prepare for studying in college, I must have the good strategies.
I saw that this chapter shows the strategies which could help me improve some new skills in reading before I study college classes.























2. Read through the chapter and write why you believe this section will help you improve your reading abilities.
I believe this section will help me improve my reading abilities because this chapter expresses the way to be successful readers with the active strategies. I read those strategies and I saw that it is very helpful to help me concentrate and understand easier and faster. For example, before reading a assignment, I should preview something about this assignment by reading the title of that assignment, checking its author and source, reading the introduction or first paragraph, noting any typographical aids or reading quickly any end-of-article and end-of-chapter material. After previewing, I should take a moment to think about what I already read about the topic. This is my background knowledge. This chapter also shows me how to activate my background knowledge. Besides, this chapter mention about disengagement strategies, such as: positive tone, negative identity management, justification, behavioral de-escalation and de-escalation. In short, I think that with those knowledge this chapter will help me improve something in my reading abilities,































3. What additional help could you use to improve your reading that you do not believe are covered in the textbook section you chose. Optional question
Although this chapter has a lot of helpful knowledge to help me improve my reading skills in this quarter, it still has some skills that don’t mention, such as: how to recognize organization of the essays or paragraphs or how to recognize the main idea in each of paragraph. These factors are also one of the good ways to have the better reading skills. If readers consider organization of assignments, they will be easier to follow and understand them. Recognizing main ideals in paragraphs will help readers remember what assignment talk about and understand main ideals of assignments.
Finally, Chapter 1 and the other chapters in this book are helpful and they help me a lot of things to have the good reading skills after this quarter.

What do you love in EAP 98?

EAP98 is my first class in TCC, a new environment. First, I really feel surprised about everything. I surprised about the method of study, teacher, my classmates, study equipment because they are very different from my country. In my country, I must study more than 8 o’ clock everyday from 7a.m to 5 p.m. Moreover, one class which I studied before has more than 50 students. Also, we just listened to teacher and did homework, and we never do together in the group or something like that. On some first days in this quarter, I think that to adapt with a new environment and a new study method is very difficult for me. I really don’t want to go class because I feel bored and sad. I don’t have any friends; also, I don’t like do together in the group. I remember that in the first time, when I do homework with the group, we are just silent or discuss a little. Now we are friendlier and speak together more. After two and half month when I study here, I really feel that a new study environment is very exciting. In EAP98, I met a lot of new friends who come from different countries. Mainly, I study a lot of things to write a good essay, and I realize that my essays are better and better. I hope that in the end of the quarter, we will have more beautiful memories and have a funny party on Monday. Thanks for my teacher, my classmates. Thanks for everything and good luck to you! I will meet you so much!!!

The end of quarter!

This is my first quarter, and EAP98 is my first class that I take in TCC. I remember that the first month when I studied here, I really feel tired and bored because I often got sick; I got homesick and I cannot adapt with new studying methods. Sometime, I wondered myself why there are a lot of differences between my country and US, and why people on the world don't use the same language.:) I also was surprising when studying class EAP 98 in the first day. This was first class I study which have boys more than girls. I surprised and disappointed because I wanted to have a girl who same age with me to share with me a lot of things in class. However, everything has particular things. Day by day everything seems better. I made a lot of friends, and I feel that American was also fun and exciting.
Almost the end of the quarter, I think that it is too fat, but I studied a lot of things. First, I want to thanks Monika so much because actually my ability in writing essay is more improved. I also want to thanks my classmates who help me a lot. Thanks Khoa, Vietnamese guy, who help me translate to Vietnamese when I can't understand what teacher say or something like that. I also want to thanks Mykyung so much. When I didn't have enough time to eat lunch, I come to class with tired face, and I told to Mykyung “I’m so hungry". She often gave snakes for me. I really love your snakes. hihi :)). She is also a guy who of spoke with me and shared with me a lot of thing about the class and the life in the US. Although I rarely speak with the others guy in my classmates, I also thanks them because they are my good classmates. I hope so in the final week, we will speak more to understand each other more. Also, we will have the party fun and happily. I also hope that we will also study together in some next quarters. How about you? What do you want to told with me and our classmates?

Gender Box!

Today, May 27, I and my classmates was listening the teacher, Robin Echtle talk about the Gender box in senate room. She and some listener discuss about the gender. She elicited ideas from the audience the stereotypical qualities of "Men/Boys", stereotypical qualities of "Women/Girls”, such as: some participants said that men or boys often have some characteristic, such as: adventurous, lazy, devious, playful, wild, daredevil, immature, talkative, take charge, aggressive, attentive... In contrast, women or girls are often responsible, sexy, sassy, fickle, sensitive mature, subservient, conservative, noisy, bright, sneaky, itch, co-dependent, supportive, etc. I think that not only in the US but also in my country, people often think about men and women these features above that she and somebody mentioned. However, I think that women in the US are more active and stronger than my country. Women can also handle the important positions in social. I said that they are strong because I saw that in my country if women divorce with their husband, sometime they can’t stand and feel ashamed. In addition, she also described three ways by which we can define our gender, both ways that we choose and ways that we don't choose: biology, gender identification, and sexual identification. Actually, in my opinion, I often define gender of anybody by biology. However, some mans or women have actions opposite with their gender. In this situation, some people often say that you look like a girl although he is a man. The teacher also asked we feel when somebody told that you are not a real girl or real man. Some students said that they will be sad or angry, disappointed or something like that. With me, I don’t know because I never have the same situation. However, if having somebody told me that, I will answer: “I understand myself”. Although I cannot understand the whole of her idea, maybe I also understand more about gender in the US. She also presented a lot of things, but I just understand something above. :) I hope that if you understand more, you can share with me because I need information to write essay. Thank you so much!!!!!

What I need to learn???

I studied a lot in this quarter, but I think that I need study more. In this quarter, I studied how to write a good essay in different kinds of essay, such as: comparison, argumentative essays. Also, I studied how to make a good hook, thesis statement, and topic sentences. To have a better essay, I should research outside information to convince readers more easily. A good essay does not use only some simple sentences. Writes must use a lot of complex or compound sentences to make the essay interesting. Actually, I studied a lot of new things, and I also feel better than the first time that I wrote essay. However, I want to study more. I really want to study how to write the good essay in the short time. When I write the essays in the short time, I feel uncomfortable. My mind cannot think any good topic, example or explanation. In addition, I get a lot of mistakes in grammar and spell. I remember that in mid-term, I wrote essay in 2 hours. I really felt nervous, so I tried my best to concentrate to find the good idea to support for my essay. Also, I must spend 5 minutes to do brainstorm. While I wrote, I had a lot of mistakes in grammar. When I finished, I also spend time to check these mistake. I am afraid of writing essay in class because I can co a good job in the short time with a lot of pressure. I think that practicing maybe is good way to overcome this difficult because when writing a lot, I will recognize what my mistakes are. I hope that in 2 final weeks, Monika will give me and my classmates a lot of tips to write a good essay in the short time without any problems so that I could do final exam well. :))) How about you??? Do you want to study the same thing with me??hihi.

Speed Reading!

Actually, I didn't care about the speed in reading because my vocabularies are too poor. When reading books, magazines or anything else, I must check dictionary so much. Therefore, my speed in reading is too bad. When I came to 95 reading class yesterday, the instructor help us know how to improve to read fast and we also practiced reading in the short time to increase the speeds. To be a good reader, people should avoid some things. First, you shouldn't vocalize because it will make you read slower and less than 250wpm. Besides, "word-by-word" methods also make people cannot be a "thought reader" because people cannot understand the whole sentences easily.
I think the most popular mistake that I often have is stopping when I see any new words. This breaks the rhythm of my reading and makes me lose the trend of thought or miss some of the main ideas. People also should not use pencils or fingers to follow a line of print because it cannot move as fast as eyes. Some other mistakes that people should give up to improve reading skills is don’t need to regress means to go back; also, they should concentrate seriously because concentration is one of the most important skills not only reading but also anything that they do. People should pay attention to author’s clues to understand things that people are reading easily and exactly.
Speed in reading is very necessary, but it is not means that people must create fast speed while reading because when people read too fast without understanding, it is unmeaning. In the different materials, people should have suitable speed when reading. For example, with difficult concepts and vocabulary, technical materials or critical reading, people just should read with speed from 250WPM to 50WPM. I think that one important thing that we can improve reading fast is practicing. The more we practice, the faster we read.

With these method, I hope that I can become a good reader in the future! :)) Good luck to you!!

Improvement in Writing Essay!

I studied a lot of new knowledge and feel better in writing essays so much after this quarter.

I remembered that the first essay that I wrote is so bad. It had a lot of mistake in grammar and spell. Also, my thesis statement is not clearly because it couldn't control idea of this essay. Moreover, body paragraphs are also not good because they didn't have the clear topic sentences and exact example to support for the essay.Therefore, I had a bad grade with this essay. After that, I also recognized many amazing things. I know that the styles of writing in the US is very different from my country. When I wrote compositions in my country, I didn't need to write thesis statement, hook or something like that. In the other words,that the styles of writing in my country is implied. People seldom say anything clearly, such as: There are 2 reason why I like this. They just write generally and pronoun "we" is often used as common sense.

Now, I have more experience to write the good essay. Mainly, I can write the thesis statements more clearly and exactly. I also analyst topics to choice the good methods to write, such as: contrast, cause-effect, narrative or argumentative. Besides, I understand that to have a good essay, the writes should write compound and complex sentences as many as possible. Moreover, transition words is very important to make a good essay. Depending on the kinds of the essays, the writes use different transitions. This makes the essays more interesting and perfect. Reference information is also contribute essay better, so to have a good essay, we should spend a little time to research information on the internet or library to understand the topic that we write more. Actually, I am better in writing than the first time I wrote, but I can not control the time that I must write. I often write the essays slowly. This is not good for me in the test which had limited time.

It is my first quarter, but I wrote a lot of essays. Sometimes, I feel tired but I love writing. However, I don't like to chose topic by myself to write. I like writing the topics that teacher request because I can't good topics. Also, I will try my best more and studied more information when writing topics that I never know. This also make me reflex faster in the examinations.

I hope that after this quarter, I can write faster but it is still true in grammar, spell and good in content. Hope you have 2 final weeks in this quarter fun and study well.

A FREE LIFE

I have just read three chapters in “A Free Life” of Ja Hin, but I feel that this book is very interesting and exciting. First three chapters this book told about the family who left from China and moved to the US to start a new life with a lot of difficulties. Nan is a husband of Pingping. They moved to American first, and after that Taotao also went there. Taotao really missed his hometown, aunt, uncle, grandparents in China. He cried a lot and surprised with a lot of new things in the US. At first time, they didn’t have a private house and a lot of money, so they must live in Masefield’s house and do housework for them. Taotao seemed to be adapting quickly, but sometimes he got homesick, cried and made his parents worried and sad. With many challenges, they tried their best to overcome and make their life better. Although there are sadness and worriless, but maybe they have a better life than living in China and do everything that they wanted.

After reading these chapters, I feel that my situations and their situations have a little same. I also live far from my country, hometown, family and friends. I often get homesick and miss everybody. When starting a new life, I get a lot of new troubles like their family. However, I think that if we try their best to adapt with new life, I believe that we will get the successful and free life that we wish.

Difficulties of Reading English!

There are a lot of difficult things for me about reading in English. First, my vocabulary is so poor, so understanding the readings, I often check dictionary when reading. This wastes me a lot of time and makes me feel uncomfortable. When I read newspapers or magazines, I am not excited in reading them because I just understand them a little. Second, styles of writing in English are so different from my country. Writers often use a lot of idioms, phrasal verb that I never see before, so it makes me confuse.

Although reading is very hard, but I like it because I think that it is very useful for me. In the first time, I do the exercises on the reading lad; I think that they are too hard and complicated. However, now I feel better after practicing a lot of the academic readings there. In my experience after studying two months in the US f I read a lot of newspaper, magazines and academic readings more, I will have faster reflex in reading and understand their contents more quickly.

When I was in my country, I often read the “Sun flower” newspaper. It has 2 languages: Vietnamese and English, so it is easy for me to follow and understand. However, when I live in the US, I quit this habit. Now, I often read newspaper on the internet because it is more convenient for me and it helps me save money.

I will try my best to read more and more so that I can have good reading skills in the next quarter.

Differences in my University in Vietnam and TCC!

Before I came to the US, I had been studying for one and a half year in UEH in Viet Nam. UEH stands for University of Economic Ho Chi Minh city. Because the educational system in my country is very different from the US, so there are a lot of differences between the university that I studied and Tacoma Community College.
First, I want to mention about the campus. My university is less big than Tacoma Community College. It doesn’t have a lot of buildings like Tacoma, and it just has only one building. However, it has a lot of campuses. It has more than 10 campuses which placed in almost of districts in Ho Chi Minh City. I also feel confuse when finding the buildings in TCC and the campuses in UEH. I remember that in the first time I studied in UEH, I lost my way to go the campus A. Also, almost at the end of the quarter, I haven’t find the buildings in TCC easily yet.
Second, there is difference in the method of study in UEH and TCC. I really feel surprised a lot when studying first time in TCC. In TCC, there are a lot of computer that students can use liberally and comfortably. In contrast, my university doesn’t have many computers. It just has few computers in computer lab for students to study Information Technology or Computer Science major. Students who don’t study those major cannot use these computers. I also see that in TCC, if students want to study group or individual, and they don’t have computers, they can borrow computers from library. It is very easy and convenient for studying of students.
Finally, teacher is one of the amazing differences between TCC and UEH. In my university, professors just stand in front of the class and talk. They don’t care what students do and whether students understand. Moreover, they are very strict. Therefore, almost students feel bored and disappointed. They see that what they studied is not useful for their job in the future. On the other hand, in TCC teachers are very friendly. They often care their students carefully and devotedly. They also have office hours to share with their student’s difficulties.
There are some differences between my university and TCC. I hope that you can understand more educational system in my country. I just study in the US about 2 moths; however, I really love the method and teachers here.

Advising Day!

On Tuesday, May 11, TCC has an Educational Planning Day from 10am to 3pm. On that day, we will meet our advisor to register for our classes in the next quarter, but we can be registering for summer fall quarters together. This quarter is first quarter I study in TCC, and this is a second time I meet advisor to register for my class. I don’t know clearly about registering and choosing classes, so I must meet my advisor. My advisor is Ann Park. I will meet her so that she helps me register for my class and explain to me some questions. I think that in the next quarter, I will register for 4 classes: Reading and Writing V; Grammar and Speaking V; Pronunciation and Conversation III and Math.

I register for Reading and Writing V class, Grammar and Speaking V class, because this quarter, I am studying Reading and Writing IV class, Grammar and Speaking IV class. I want to continue studying EAP in the next quarter.

Besides, I register to study Pronunciation and Conversation III class to improve my pronunciation and speaking. I also want to study Math while studying English, but I don’t know exactly what Math class I will be in. Therefore, I will meet my advisor to ask detailed information about this problem.

Wish you have an advising day fun and happy!

My Plan!

I have been studying at TCC only 1 month. This is my first quarter, and I’m studying English because my English skills are not good. I will try best so that I can improve my English faster. After that, I will take Reading and Writing 95, English 101, English 102 or more because these are one of the conditions for me to study college program.

I intend that after finishing studying English, I will study college program at this school about 2 years. My major will be business. I must study hard so that I can have good results because I want to transfer the UW, stands for University of Washington.

When I read on the UW’s website, I saw that TCC connected with the UW; therefore, students in TCC will be guaranteed to transfer the UW after graduating from TCC. UW is one of the biggest universities in Washington State. UW has a main campus at Seattle, but now it opened a new brand at downtown Tacoma. It has a lot of major that students can choose, such as: business, nursing, science computer and engineering. If students want to study near their house, and this brand has majors that they want to study, they can study here. It is more convenient for students. When I study at the UW, I will continue studying business because I really want to become a good business woman when coming back to my country. Business major will give me knowledge about how to create and allocate productive resources and advances our understanding of the choices and behaviors of individuals, households, firms, and other organizations. It is really important, and it helps me a lot of things in my future.

That is my plan in the future after finishing studying at TCC. I will try my best to study hard so that I can have the good results in my study, and I can make my dream become true.

TET'S HOLIDAY!

Have you ever enjoyed Tet’s holiday in Viet Nam? Tet is a biggest holiday in my country that welcome the New year. It often keeps about 7 days, but it just have 3-4 main days.

My family prepared a lot of new things in the days before Tet. First, I and my sister came back to my house because we studied university in a big city which is far from my hometown. After that, I and my mother went to market to buy a lot of new things, such as: clothes, food, flowers, jam, cake….My sister and my younger brother painted and cleaned up my house. My father cut the trees, and decorated my house beautifully. I love the warm environment in these days. We made the cake and talked about something together. These are some special food that we often eat on Tet’s holiday: banh chung, banh day, banh tet.

In the New year’s Eve, we went to center city to observe the flower market and firework. It is very beautiful and interesting.
In the first day of Tet, we went to our relatives’ house to wish longevity, luck and happiness to them. I and my younger brother received lucky money from my grandfather, my grandmother, my uncle and my aunt. We also lighted the josses to honor our ancestor. After that, we would go to pagoda so that wishing a new year with happiness, luck and peace.

The second day was a day when I went to my teacher’s house with my friend. We visited our teacher, have lunch together and have some fun activities. We often went to the beach near our house and enjoy that air.

The third and the fourth day, I and my siblings stayed home so that my parents could
visit relatives who have lived far from my house. After these days, I and my siblings would travel some beautiful places in my country. It is the most wonderful time on Tet’s holiday.hi.

This is some activities that the people in my country often do on Tet’s holiday. I think that every country has different cultures and the way of living; so it has different way to celebrate New Year. How about New Year in your country? If you have any opportunities to come my country, don’t miss Tet’s holiday in my country.

My favorite movie!

Besides music, movie is also a popular entertaining in modern life. A lot of movies has not only meaningful content but also good quality. When I have stress, or I want to relax after hard studying, I often go to cinema with my friend because watching the movies make me feel more comfortable.I watch a lot of wonderful movies, but I like "Titanic" best with 2 main reason: meaningful content, good music.

This movies told about one beautiful love of two people who came from different grades, but they met and fell in love each other in the ship, Titanic. Titanic is a biggest ship at that time, and it was just used for the rich people. A young poor man won a lot of money when he played card with other people, so he have one ticket, and he want to gome by this ship. He and his friend was very fun, they run acrross this ship and obsevred the poeple, and he ran into to meet a beautiful girl. After the time when they talk and share their feelings, they understood together and fell in love each other. He showed a lot of new things about his poor society that he lived for her. But her mother and her boyfriend protested and prevented them. After difficulties, they unterstood together clearly, thier love is more and more big; however, this ship had some problem and it sink. At that time, thier love is the most beautiful because they can give thier life so that thier lover can live. I really love it, and I have watched it several times. I always cried when the man died.

Besides a good content, songs in this film is very wonderful. " My head will go on", it became a famous song when this film showed. This song is very suitable with content and emotion of figures.

This film won a lot of Oscar awards at that time, and I think that a lot of people know and love this film so much. Have you ever watched this film? If not, why do you try to watch it?

TRANSPORTATION!

My country is a poor country. It still has a lot of poor people and poor countrysides, and the main transportation in my country is mortocycle
and bicycle.

Every adult has one mortorcycle to move from this place to that place. Mortocycle is the main transportation to go to school of students and to go work of worker. Moreover, if you want to go any place, you must use mortocycle. It is very necessary in our life. When you are 18 years old, you can use it, but you must have a driving license. You will have a writting test, and if you pass, you will have a pratical test.
If you also pass this test, you will be permitted to drive it. I think that taking a mortocycle's driving license easier than taking a car's driving license. When I was 18 years old, I also had one mortocycle, and I often went to my university by it. I like to drive mortocycle but not in a big citybe, just in my hometown cause I can observe a lot of beautiful sights across the street and enjoy the fresh air. In the big city, there are a lot of mortocycles, so it it very difficult to keep safe for myselt. Moreover, there are a lot of noise, smoke and dust in the atmosphere, so it is very terrible to drive it there. In the afternoon, there are many workers and students come back thier house after studying and working, so traffic jams are often happened.Driving mortocycle is also very dangerous, and there are many accidents happen every day and kill a lot of people.

Besides mortorcycle, bicycle is also the main tranportation in my country. It uses for childrens because it is less dangerous than mortocycle, and it is easy to use.

When you are less than 18 years old, you must use bicycle to go to school. Riding bicycle is very interesting. Have you ever riden it? It is very wonderful!
It is also very cheap, just 20 USD. But it is not convinient because it waste a lot of time to go to 1 place to 1 place. If you use mortocycle, maybe it just take you 10 minutes, but if you use bicycle, maybe it will take you 30 minutes. Moreover, when you want to go to a far place, you can't use it.

In short, bicycle and mortocycle is very useful and popular in my country. I think that one day, when economics in my country develop, they will be replaced by car. I hope that that day will be come soon!

WEARTHER IN VIETNAM!

My country has 3 clearly different areas and every area has extremely different weather.
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In Northern part, there are 4 clear season like in America: spring, summer, autumn and winter. A season is about 3 months.
In the spring, the weather is very warm, and the sky is very clean and blue. A lot of trees and flowers grow, and they are very green This weather is very good for us to celebrate and enjoy the Tet’s holiday, a biggest holiday in my country. The spring often starts in January and ends in March.

In the summer,the weather is so hot that we don’t want to go anywhere.It often rains and continues a lot of days after that.The summer starts in April and ends in June.
Autumn is the most beautiful season in my country. A lot of yellow leaves left the trees and drops down. It is the romantic sight that we expect to see. Moreover, the weather in this season is very comfortable. It doesn’t rain, and it isn’t cold. It is just cool and purity. Especially, the most beautiful autumn is in Hanoi, capital of my country. A lot of tourists go there to enjoy this wonderful atmosphere.
In the winter, it doesn't have snow because the weather is just cool, not cold, but everybody must wear scarf and a lot of clothes to keep warm and not to get sick. This season often begins in October and ends in December.











In Central part of my country, the weather is very strict because it has a lot of mountains near the sea. Therefore, it makes the wind not to come to the land. The weather has quite differences in 4 seasons. In the summer, the weather is extremely unacceptable. It is very hot, and the temperature is about 37C-39C. The people in this area are very black and poor.

In Western, my hometown, there are just 2 clear season : rainy season and sunny season. Every season is about 6 months. The weather in my hometown is very especial and display for the weather in the tropic.
In the sunny season, the weather is very wet, and it often rains. It starts in June and ends in December. The famers will plant trees, flowers, and other things because the weather is very suitable so that the tree can grow fast.
In the rainy season, the weather is hot but temperature is about 30C. It is advantage to go to beach and swimming pool. I love this weather in my country because I feel comfortable and health with this weather.

There are some information about weather in my country. As you see, it is very different from America, so I often get sick in the first day when I go here. I think that the weather in America is very terrible and strict. The weather is very cold and temperature is about 20C. After 3 weeks, I feel better, and maybe I love this weather more.

MY SAD MEMORY!

MY SAD MEMORY!
My life is a journey with a lot of changes that lead me to different roads and make me more mature. When I was in my country, I studied to pass the important exam so that I could study at the most famous university in my country, but I decided to stop studying and move to the new country to start new studies. There were really unforgettable events in my life; however, there was one event that I couldn’t change and couldn’t forget in my mind. That my elder brother passed away from the large intestine cancer at a young age was the greatest loss and the most important event that I still remember forever in my life.
My elder brother is the first son of my parents, and he was a good student in his school; however, he had poor health. When he was in grade 11, my parents took him to the hospital to check his health because he was very weak, and his intestine often hurt. After checking his health, the doctor said that his intestine was just inflamed; therefore, he took medicine, and he lived normally after that. He continued studying and he passed the important exam with a high score to study at the University of Science in my country. With happiness and effort, he studied at this university and continued to get good results. Everything happened well, so my parents didn't think anything about his disease.
However, his disease was happening very quickly and surprisingly that we couldn’t image and believe that it was true. One day, while he was studying at the university, he hurt so much and couldn’t stand. His friends took him to the hospital near his school, and they checked his health. After that, doctors called my parents and told them that he could live just about 2 months because his large intestine cancer was in the final time. They also told my parents that if they had discovered his cancer sooner, maybe he could have lived longer, but now it was too late. Although the doctor gave the result to them and explained to them clearly, they didn't believe that it was true.
My parents tried their best to find any way to treat his disease; however, all of their efforts didn’t have results and his cancer was more and more serious. They took him to a lot of big hospitals in my country and sent him to foreign countries to treat but these hospitals didn’t admit him because his disease was too serious. He couldn’t eat anything and couldn’t even urinate. His intestine was swollen and he lost a lot of weight in the short time. He hurt so much, his eyes was deep, his legs and his arms looked like a skeleton. He was on his bed and he could speak just a little. His cancer was maltreating him terribly. Finally, they accepted the truth and tried their best to face it so that he thought that he was very healthy, and he could live longer. All of the persons in my family tried to do anything that he wanted so that he felt happy and funny. In his birthday my family was sad so much, and we cried a lot, but we still celebrated a birthday party happily and fun for him because maybe this was the last birthday in his life.
What will be will be! Everything finally ended. We wished, prayed, cried and hoped so much, but a mysterious power didn’t come to us. At noon, on December, 26, 2008, my elder brother passed away when he was just 22 years old. That was the most terrible time for my family although we prepared our spirit to accept this. My mother swooned because she lost her son forever. We did everything , but finally we still lost him forever.

The loss of his elder brother was a huge loss in my life. When I lost him, I learnt a lot of things about life and I was more mature. I knew how to take care of my family and how to live more meaningfully. I also loved my parents and my younger brother more than when my elder brother passed away forever because I knew that nothing is worth as much as my family.

12A1! MY CLASS

Memories is a part of our life that we can't forget. I'm sure that everybody has beautiful memories in mind. We always remember these and consider it a beautiful part of our life. Maybe the time when we go to school is the best wonderful time in our life. We live without thinking about money,job or anything. We just study and enjoy life with our friend. I also have a lot of unforgettable memories in my mind when I studied in my high school.

In my country, educational system has 12 grades. After grade 12, we have to take tests if we want to study in the Universities or colleges. Therefore, we must study hard so that we could pass the exam because it is very important. Our parents hope about us so much so we didn’t want that they fell disappointed. To get the best result, we must try our best. We study a lot. We must study about 5-6 hours per day and must do a lot of homework. Although studying so much but we have a lot of fun time in our class. I have a lot of beautiful memories that I always remember in my life when I study in the last grade. My name class is 12A1 and it is chosen class in my high school. That means it is the best class in my school at that time. My classmates are very friendly and study very well. We has been studying together for 3 years from grade 10 but we are really happy and understand together in last grade.

We had a lot of holiday in a studied year, such as: Woman’s Day, Tet holiday, Independent day, Labor day. In that day, we didn’t have to go to school, and we often celebrated the party or a picnic. I really remember the Woman’s Day best. The girls in my class and my teacher cried a lot because we really feel happy and surprised. The boys in my class did a meaningful thing. They made a CD and record their voice in that. In that CD, they spoke about my class, my teacher. They also spoke about their emotion when they studied in this class. Moreover, each of the boys will show their emotion about 1 girl or 1 surprised memory when they studied in class. They talk very sincerely and honestly. Besides, they also give each of the girls and my teacher pretty flowers and small gifts. It was very exciting and interesting.A monitor in my class stood in front of the class and told that they really wanted bring us beautiful emotions in the time when we study at our class. They hoped that we keep these emotions during in our life although our life always have a lot of change, and each of us has a different way to get the success.



My friends in my class!!



My class in the Women's Day

I really feel happy when I have these friends. Although wherever I go and my life has a lot of changes however I always remember these beautiful memories and keep them in my heart.

WHAT ARE YOUR PROBLEM????

Challenging and difficulties will lead us to mature and succeed! If our life don't have difficulties, how do we feel? Everybody always have worries, sadness which we must overcome.But I think that our life is more and more better, happier if we know how to solve the problems and how to make the problems become nothing!My life is also a journey with challenging, change and it is more difficult than when I left my family, my country and begin a new life in a new country. I must solve a lot of problem that I never had before : different languages, different cultures, different the way of life and homesickness.I miss my parents,my siblings,my friends, my country even I think that this is my biggest problem, I can't live without them but now I overcame. And right now I really fell worried about my English skills, specializes in my listening skill.

In my country, I just studied grammar and writing but I was never taught listening skills or Speaking skills. But I could understand when I spoke English with Vietnamese and I never spoke English with the foreigners. I think that it is ok and I believed that I could understand the foreigners easily. But I'm very confused when I go to the US. When I was on the airplane to go to the US, I couldn't understand what the flight attendences talk. I'm really afraid of this and I fell very disappointed about myself. When the flight attendence ask me what you want to eat, pork or fish. I can't understand and I ask the people who sit next to me. He is a vietnamese and he expailn to me.It is terrible! I really worried whether I studied when I can't understand what they talk.

After I come to the Us, I try my best to understand everybody. The first day when I go to school, I really felt happier because I could undersatnd what my friends in Japanies said. But after that, I study in the EAP class, I fell nervous because I just understand a little what teacher said.I undertand a little and I guessed what the teacher means. After class, I must stay and ask teacher bout the homework because I afraid that I misunderstand. Day by day,my listening skills is better, but I can't hear the whole of the sentences teacher say when they talk fast. I must pay my attention and try my best to understand. Especcially, I can't hear phone because I can't focus on the communication and I can't understand exaxtly.

Every problem has the solution. I believe that and I think that I will improve my listening skills beacuse now I really fell better than the time when I recently went here.I will try to watch television, talk with my friends and join the club for internsational students. I must study English well that I can get my dream, I can study the college program easily. Every difficulty will help us fell more and more mature. Every challenging will help us believe in ourself and get more experience. Every effortness will bring us to good result. "Wish the good things to you and I"

I, TOO, HAVE A DREAM

When you have a dream, you fell happy. So, why don't you have a dream ???? !
When I was young, I wanna become a doctor. I really want that because my father was sick seriously, my family worried so much. My mother cried a lot and she afraid of my father couldn't recovery, my father would leave from us. And my dream seemed a fire and it blazed.I wanted to do anything that I can help my father, I can do everything so that my father could live with us. Everybody in my family prayed, hoped, wished...and waited. With a treatment by laze and another modern treatment, my father lived again after 3 long months. I really fell happy and I think that life was very meaningful and beautiful. Life didn't bring us the worst things that I used to think.Our life returned!!! We seemed to be lived again!Family is a factor that can't lack of in our life. And I think that when you losed anything, you would fell that this is really important and worth!Therefore, when you have this, you should keep it so that you won't fell regret about this that you did!!!!!!!
Today, I still keep my dream and I try my best to get it. In Viet Nam,I was studying in the University. But I want to get more knowledge and meet a lot of friends who come from many places in the world. So, I stop my study there and go to the US that I can get my dream in the best way and in the fast way!!! I wish that my dream will be true!



Dream, confidence and effort will lead to us to success! If you have a dream but you don't have confidence and effort, you will lose your dream. But if you try your best and you are confident in your self but you don't have a dream, you won't know where you go, you don't know the road that you will come!!!!And I wish that your dream and my dream will be true!!!!!!!
Wish that good things will come to you and I!!!

Vietnamese food!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have you ever eaten Vietnamese food ?????????? Someone asked me what my favorite food was..."Vietnamese!" I quickly replied, "At least for the moment." Why am I so attracted to this particular cuisine? It is easy to answer because I’m a Vietnamese. Hi. Now, I’m living in the US but everyday I eat Vietnamese food although American food is very delicious but I want to keep my country’s cultures in myself. And I would like to introduce you some information about Vietnamese food.




Many critics shun fusion cuisine and yet that is exactly what Vietnamese food is. But unlike the contrived fusion cooking of some avant-garde chefs, Vietnamese cooking is characterized by an inherent balance and harmony.

Vietnamese cuisine subscribes to the same Chinese principles of yin and yang ; the balance of opposites , but takes on its own distinct personality through the use of local ingredients and indigenous spices. As in China, you will find a balance of the five flavors : sweetness, sourness, saltiness, hotness, and bitterness ; cooked in stir-fries, hearty soups, rice and noodle dishes. But in Vietnam, their dishes will be laced with limes and lemongrass, light and pungent fish sauce, or wrapped in delicate lettuce leaves with fresh, feathery herbs. Neighboring Southeast Asian countries also use the same indigenous flavorings, but somehow they never quite hit the unique union of technique and taste that appears in Vietnamese cuisine.

The French have also contributed to Vietnamese dishes or perhaps more appropriately, the Vietnamese have added their own finesse to French standards, particularly to European-style sauces, meats and patés. Vietnamese cold roast pork sandwiches are a Hanoi lunch staple, stuffed with fresh herbs and raw vegetables into Vietnamese-style baguettes: French rolls made softer by a subtle mixture of rice and wheat flours. Vietnamese dishes also commonly combine indigenous flavorings with such French-introduced ingredients as asparagus and potatoes.

In the south, Vietnam adds to its cuisine the hot and fragrant curry dishes (cari) of Indian influences, introduced through the spice trade. While northern Vietnam uses black pepper, sesame, and the oil-rich frying techniques of its Chinese roots, the southern region weaves together a lighter mix. They rely less on oil and more on grilling or water-based cooking methods, usually serving herbs and vegetables raw, with such flavorings as fresh chiles, limes, coconut milk, vinegars, tamarind, sugar cane, and of course the ubiquitous fish sauce, or nuoc mam. Sophisticated, exotic, delicate, complex, fresh and light...these are the qualities of Vietnamese cuisine that seduce me.

I wish that you could understand a little about my country’s culture after you read this information. And I hope that you could go to my country and enjoy Vietnamese food! It is very wonderful!!!!! See you in my country in the near future!!!!

The first week in the US!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Are you a international student? What do you fell in the first day when you go to a new school, new counntries and a lot of new things???? I'm a international student and this is a first time when I study at TCC. Therefore, I really fell surprised about anything, about students, about teachers, about the way to study, about new friends who from a lot of places...I just went to the US on March 21, 2010 but on March 22, 2010, I must go to school to join the week of international student. I was very tired after a long journey from my country to the US but I felt very curious, excited, nervous...because I could meet a lot of new friends, I could know how my school was. The school that I just know by the internet, brochures...Now, I could see by my eyes, I could enjoy the activities of this school .





I take these pictures in TCC. I like this sight.

I can't speak English well and even I can't hear the native people speak, so I want to meet a VietNamese so that I can understand and I could be confident. Moreover, TCC is very big, it has a lot of building and I couldn't know exactly where building 11 was. Fortunately, the first morning when I went to school, I met a Vietnamese. He is a devoted mentors and he has been studying there for 2 years. He told me carefully about this school, about how to register class, how to improve my English skills, how to get familiar with a new life without family. He has a lot of experience because he has been a international student like me.(^!^) And he understood my feelings now as he used to passed through. When I was living in my country, I was a monitor in my high school and my university , so I often spoke in front of a lot of students. Besides, I often celebrated for my classmates some parties or some competitions or join the activities in my city and I like charity activities. And I really want that, I’ll try my best that I can do these actions like him. And he understood my feelings now as he used to passed through. When I was living in my country, I was a monitor in my high school and my university , so I often spoke in front of a lot of students. Besides, I often celebrated for my classmates some parties or some competitions or join the activities in my city and I like charity activities. And I really want that, I’ll try my best that I can do these actions like him.

I also met a lot of people who come from the UKK. UKK is a university in Japan and their students are very nice, friendly but they just study in the US about 6 months. After that, they will come back Japan and continue studying in Japan. I made friend with Sayaka, Aida, Miho, Kiho…We have fun time together, we talk about our cultures in our country, about foods, about music band…We felt excited and interested when we have the same hobbies. After we had had breakfast together, mentors divided students in groups and played ice breaker to get to know each other. After this game, I made friend with students who come from Korea, Thailand, Russia. Then, staff present about immigration homestay ad academic information. In that afternoon, we had a campus tour and a mentor introduced about library, web café, bookstore, fitness center, gym…It was a first day when I went to school. It was very interesting and wonderful!

The second day, I continued going to school but I had a test on that day. After the hard test, we had lunch and the fun activities with mentors and groups.

The third day, I went to school to make ID student, registered for the class, bought book, learnt how to use the computer in the school, how to use the portal and other important information.

Especially, the fourth day was the most happy in that week. After we had made a bank account, we went to the bowling court and played bowling during day. It was very excited!!!! And this was the first time when I played bowling because it was very expensive and it wasn’t popular in my country. Louis was member in my team and I made friend with him. He was very friendly and he was a person who often speak with me in both Grammar and Writting class althought we come from different countries, different cultures, different languages.... I'm very happy when I know him and now we are classmate. And another interesting things that I know in the first week of international student.





I'm really fell happy, funny in the first days when I went to TCC. I promise that I will try my best so that I can become a mentor in a next quarter. And I will introduce this school to the new internatioal students like the devoted mentors in this springquarter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Miss!!!

Our life has a lot of change that we never think about that!!!!!!Really???????????I think that is true and that is really true for me!
I'm a small girl and from I was born to now, I never think or worry about anything in my life. I just know how to study well....And now, everything is more and more changed....
I really love my country. my family and my friends.... I love them very much and even I think that if I live far from them, I can't stand..
You don't know that what will happen in your live and me,too..
I think that I can't do that but now I live in the US where I never think that I will come during in my life...20years...
But now it is happening....

My life in the US and in Viet Nam has a lot of differences with which I fell very surprised. The weather in Viet Nam is very hot, often about 90F and I never wear a lot of clothes or wear scarfs...
Especially, there is no snow in my country and I really want to see it in the US. Last week, my cousin took me to the snow mountain and it is a first time when i see snow. Do you believe that I eat it immediately when i see it??? It is true because I really surprised ...(<:>)
There are a few cars in my country and transportation in my country is motorcycle. I have 1 motorcycle in my country and I drive it very well.hi(^!^) but I don't know how to drive car.
There are a lot of differences between the US and my country....
And I miss all of them in my country very much....
I miss my family, my father, my mother, my elder sister, my younger brother so much and I wish that I would meet them as soon as possible. When you go away, you will feel that your family is very important and you can't live without their love and.......
My father and my mother is old and they must do very hard however they always give the best thing for us.And you know, in my country love of parents for their children is very huge and sacred...I can live without materials phone, internet, laptop and another things but I can't believe without my parents. I remember that the night before I went to the US, my mother talked to me a lot of things. I and my mother cried a lot and I know that my mother loves me a lot, I must try my best to study.
My father ....
He talk a little but I understand him and I love him so much. My father give all of his life for me and for our family...

I miss my friends, friends in my high school, my university and .......
Friends is a part of my life and they are very important in my life. When I lived in VN, I have a lot of beautiful memories which I can't forget. And I think that it will follow me during my life.
I really miss the days when we went to the beach and play...We sang, we danced..we had funny stories...we talked together and understand clearly...
........
And now, I have a new life in new enviroment, new friends in new school, new language in a new country, new difficulties and new effortless in new start ..... A lot of new things ....

What will be will be...and That I must try my best to do everything is the most important. I have my family, my friends....who always support me, encourage me and this is purpose to try for myself.
Try my best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Try my best !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

My class in first quater is blogging today!!!

I am very surprising because it is the first time I study be using blog to improve my writing skills. My teacher, Monica, told with us about writing entries for bog can help us increase a little by little to in writing.
According my opinion, I think that writing entries for blog is not only useful but also fun because you can get grade for our class, share about our thinking and improve about writing skill. We will chose the topics by ourselves and write about this. We don’t need to care bout grammar, organization or anything else. We just need to write and write. The more you practice, the better my writing skill is.
I hope that after write a lot of entries for my blog in this quarter, my teach and classmates will understand me more; also, I can improve my writing skill more. I also hope that I understand teacher and my classmates more by reading seeing their pictures in their blogs. This is really fun and helpful activity that I study in this quarter. Thanks Monica so much for giving us a lot of new method to study. Hope you help fun when enjoy blog each others during this quarter!:))