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TABLE OF CONTENTS A message from your teacher ……….……………………………………. 2 Sharon Behrens……….. My New Life in the U.S.…………………....… 3 Bolor Chinzorig………… My Most Important Thing…….…….……….. 4 (Kalie) Kieu Dong……….. My Husband…………..............……………… 5

Yide Han.……………….. Creating My Own Life……………………..…. 6

Naoko Hanishi*…………. Most Important Things …………………...…. 7

(Doris) Xinsui He….……. My Special Uncle……………………….…….. 8

Graciela Hernandez…… My Fear or Earthquakes……….…………….. 9

Phuong Huynh….……… My Best Friend……………………………...... 10 Eunju Lee……………… Learning a New Language………………..…. 11

Angel Loli……………… The Purpose of Life……………….…..……… 12

Nikki Nguyen*…………. My Mistake…………………………..……….. 13

Tai Nguyen*…………… My Dad, My Life…………………………….… 14

Amilcar Perez….……… My Trip to the United States …………………. 15

Maria Ramirez*……..….. H.I.V. Positive………………………………..… 16

(Ace) Yang Ren*……….. The Most Important Person in My Life…..….. 17

Jhovana Santillan……... Be a Good Example ………………………...... 18

Ye Sun.……………….. An Experience of Being Robbed…………….. 19

Dung Vu*……………..... My Most Important Thing…………................ 20

Yan Wang….………….. A Beautiful Place……………………………… 21

Djamila Yazag…………. The Lottery……………………………………. 22

(Ye Ye) Xiazhu Ye ……. Breakfast Is Important to Me…………….….. 23

Euyong Yim………..….. My First Foreign Trip…………………………. 24  

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    Other students wrote about important things from their past or important decisions that they have made in their lives. Some students described their hopes and dreams for the future. Some explained why they are working so hard to get an education. To the Student: I have enjoyed teaching your class, and I have seen a lot of improvement in your written and spoken English during this semester. Good luck to each and every one of you. STAY CONNECTED! Sincerely,  

Rick B. Robinson  Rick B. Robinson

May 2014 To the Reader: The essays contained in this booklet were all written by Intermediate Listening and Speaking students at Laney College during Spring Semester 2014. The assignment was for the students to write about their most important things. Some students wrote about their parents or their children.  

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Sharon Behrens April 6, 2014

My New Life in the U.S.

After I graduated from university in China, I went to Singapore for my work from May 2007 to October 2012. It was a really long time for me during those five and a half years. I had lots of fun in Singapore, but, of course, I was homesick, too. I met my father-in-law in Singapore in 2011. When he realized that I had no boyfriend and was two years younger than his son, he decided to introduce his son to me, his name is David Behrens. Finally, his son became my husband. I came to the U.S. in September 2013 and got married in October of that year. My parents joined us for my wedding, and other family members attended our reception, too. I'm so happy living in the U.S., enjoying my new life with my husband. I hope I can learn English well and then, one day, I can transfer to an university to get a bachelor's degree. Also, study a third language — Spanish. Maybe, I will study Cantonese, too, find a well-paying job and have two cute mixed babies within the next five years. That would be great! My biggest interest is travel. There are more than 200 countries in the world, and I hope that I can travel to at least a quarter of those countries in my lifetime. I plan to travel to one country each year, so there are still many countries waiting for me to visit them. My husband and I will go back to China to hold our Chinese style wedding in the summer of next year. After that, I will go to Japan with my husband for our second honeymoon. The first stop will be Tokyo. I want to

take a look at Sakura and the natural hot spring in its valley. Also, geishas are very famous in Japan, so I also want to buy a kimono like they wear. I'm looking forward to going to Tokyo very much. This year, my plan is go to L.A., San Diego, Seattle and Vancouver to see the maple leaves. I hope my

Personal photo: Sharon Behrens dream will come true.

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Bolortungalag Chinzorig April 7, 2014

My Most Important Thing

My name is Bolortungalag Chinzorig, and I am from Mongolia in Central Asia, so I speak Mongolian. My family was fortunate enough to win the DV Lottery in 2011, so I left Mongolia to come to the United States in 2012.

My most important thing is my family. I have three boys. My boys are Chingun, who is 13 years old, Temuge, who is eight years old, and my Sengum, my

Bolor and her family in Mongolia youngest, who is three years old. My children’s health situation is my biggest concern because they have all have the hepatitis virus. That’s why we came here, where health technology is the most developed in the world. My husband and I have decided to live in the U.S. for our kids, for their future education, and for

their future life. I am living in Oakland, so I want to speak

English as well as I speak my native Language. I am enrolled at Laney College, where I’m studying culinary arts. Bolor working in the Culinary Arts Program

           

 

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(Kalie) Kieu Dong Apr 7, 2014

My Husband

In my life, there are many important things, but one of the most important things is my husband. He helped to bring me to the United States, and he has changed my life around me for the better. If it weren't for him, I would still be in Vietnam right now, and I don't know what I would be doing now. My husband's name is Thang. We have been married for almost eight years, but I will never forget how I met my husband. It was through my uncle, who lived in the United States and owned an automotive shop. In 2000, my husband was working for him as a mechanic. The day after New Year's Day in 2006, my uncle came to Vietnam,

and at that time, he introduced my husband to me, which was the first time my husband had come back to Vietnam after 23 years of living in the U.S. We got engaged in January 2006 and got married that same summer in my country. All of his family flew back to Vietnam and attended our wedding. It was so perfect, and I will never in my life forget that day. After we got married, my husband started doing the paperwork to sponsor me to come to the U.S. to be with him. It took almost two years for me to get to the United States. In 2008, I came to the U.S., and the day I came here, I was so happy and excited. I am very happy living with my husband, and, every day, I feel his love multiply. And so, maybe, we will have a child very soon.

                Photo  this  page,  property  of  Kalie  Dong  

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Yide Han 4/8/2014

Creating My Own Life

If you love him, bring him to New York for its Heaven. If you hate him, bring him to New York for its Hell. It was an immigrant from China who wrote that paragraph. Before I came here, I never thought that this land could be Heaven or Hell for me, and I didn’t really know this country at that time. I thought that most people considered America to be a fashionable, rich, free and a beautiful place in the world, and that they would have perfect future in this country. But I haven’t really thought about how to create the life that I want here. When I was in China, I lived an unexceptional life. I worked in an auto factory, and lived the same life day after day. My little hobbies were playing soccer or flying model planes with my friends on the weekends. Sometimes I hoped to have a new life that would be filled with passion, adventure and purpose. Now, I have already tired of this unchanged life. It’s finally the time to go out and look at this world. I came to America about one year ago. When I actually lived in this country, I found that there were many things which I needed to start over. It has also been an opportunity to challenge myself. First, this different language is like a big mountain that I need to climb. I must learn it if I really want to adapt to this American society. I am not able to fly over it, so I need to climb it step-by-step. A journey of a thousand miles begins with one single step. I need a guide to come into my life and show me the right way and give me the power and energy to find encouragement. I have courageously taken that first step and began creating a new life for myself. Before I came here, I had an American dream that I would have a house facing the sea with spring flowers blooming. I also hoped to have a job that I would love and would love whatever I would do. Life is a journey, I hope my journey will be exciting One day, all of my dreams can become a reality.            

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Naoko Hanishi April 1, 2013

Most Important Things Last semester, I wrote about my most important thing, which was

that I wanted to live for the moment with no regrets. The death of my father was greatly related to this. Actually, I am under the influence of my father as I am writing this time, too.

I started playing basketball when I was ten years old, so I achieved entrance into a high-ranking university because of my basketball skills. However, I decided to quit basketball after I changed my thinking about the future and went in another direction.

At that time, I was 21 years old, and I worried very much about telling my parents. I expected that they would grieve very much if they heard about my decision. They had always supported me, though, so, one day, I decided to convey this information to my father.

“I am thinking about going in a different direction. What do you think about that?” He said to me, “I would support you no matter what you chose to do. However, I just hope that you choose correctly. Your family, your friends and other important people care, too. Right? And I feel that you are really lucky. I think that you are endowed with a splendid environment with many good chances and surrounded by splendid people. Even so, you must not neglect to make an effort. You may forget to be thankful, and you may give up your good luck if you become lazy.”

The words of father said affected my heart deeply, so they came to be always in my mind. I feel that there is a meaning to his words that will help me if any unexpected thing ever happens to me. My father died later. Many more people attended his memorial than our family had expected, so we were surprised at how many came to pay respects to him at his funeral service.

I was taught by observing his life what is important in my life. Those things are listed below. A person cannot live alone. Therefore one must not forget feelings of thanks all the time. And one must keep making an effort in order to be able to feel that life always has meaning. I will surely have a substantial and worthwhile life like my father — if I do these things.

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Xinsui (Doris) He April 6, 2014

My Special Uncle

One day, when I opened Wechat, a Chinese application, I found an article about Cantonese slang, which reminded me of my uncle, who had taught me Cantonese slang when I was a child.

In my heart, my uncle, my father’s elder brother, was just like my second father. Every day, as soon as I came back from kindergarten, I did my homework with him. He would fan me with a handheld fan, and sharpen pencils for me. After I finished my homework, I used to play with my toys with him. My father always felt bored if I asked him to play with me, but my uncle was patient, even happy. Nobody can guess that my, who has had schizophrenia until now, is a patient man.

One night, after dinner, I wanted to play with him as usual. However, he was sitting on the wooden bench, and murmured dully. I looked at his eyes, which often looked kindly, but now, they looked horrible. He talked so strangely that I tried to comfort him and asked him what had happened. He just pushed me away impatiently and shook his head, muttering some strange words. My father heard what my uncle had said, so he brought me out of the room and warned me that should not bother my uncle because he was dangerous.

Although my uncle was mentally ill, he never hurt anybody in the family. My mother and father were so busy that they could not take care of my grandparents very well. Therefore, my uncle, a good cook and homemaker, took care of my grandparents and me. When I did not have class, I always saw how he did the housework, such as cleaning the vegetables. In my own way, I just sat beside him playing with vegetables and water. He did not scold me angrily but laughed kindly.

Also, I liked to observe how he cooked. As he would warn me that the oil could spill out from pan and hurt my face, and he comforted me, saying that he was willing to cook for me forever, so I did not need to worry about learning to cook. In my long life, many people in my heart have been very important, but my uncle is a special one in my heart. He not only accompanied me through my childhood, but he also taught me a lot when I was a child. Except for my grandfather, he was the only one who pampered me deeply, even when I was naughty, so I am grateful to him.

Thank you, my dear “sei ba ye.”

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Graciela Hernandez 4/2/2014

My Fear of Earthquakes

Earthquakes are a natural phenomenon, which cause me great fear. I know that, throughout the world, there occur many natural disasters, for example, tsunamis, tornadoes, flood, storms and earthquakes. All of them cause a lot of damage, but, for me, earthquakes are the worst things that can happen. In 1985, there was a very strong earthquake at around 7:00 am while I was in my house in Mexico.

personal photo: Graciela Hernandez That day, I had gone running at 6:00 am. After I came back, suddenly, I started to feel a little dizzy, and I thought that I had over-exercised. Suddenly, the door started to whip back and forth, and I realized what was happening. I carried my little brother and my nephew out of the house. Once outside, I saw my mother, who was holding her head, and I said, “Mom this is an earthquake.” She started to scream. I said, “Calm down, nothing will happen.” It lasted for more than two minutes. When it finished, I turned on the T.V., but there wasn’t any signal. Immediately, I turned on the radio, but it didn’t work, either. In a couple of minutes, the signal was restored, and the news showed the disaster in the city. My mom and I were in shock. In those days, my dad was sick, and he had been hospitalized for a chronic disease. After forty-five minutes, the telephone system came back on. Then we received a call from the hospital, and the receptionist told us that we needed to pick up my dad because other people were more injured than my dad was. We went to the hospital, where there were a lot of people arriving. Some of them were really harmed. I felt very sad, and I wanted to help them. The emergency services weren’t enough. In a short time, the people organized rescue brigades, and I joined in. It was terrible. There were many collapsed buildings and a lot of injured people. This wasn’t all. A second earthquake shook the city again, and more buildings fell down. The people were really scared. They didn’t feel secure and slept in parks and streets. I even remember the Gynecological Hospital, where many mothers and babies had died. Also, there were trapped people who survived for more than two weeks. Finally, Mexico City was restored after a long time. Since then, I’m afraid of earthquakes, and I will remember that tragedy in Mexico — and all of those who lost their lives. In conclusion, earthquakes are the most terrible natural disaster for me because I’m a survivor of one of the biggest earthquake in Mexico.  

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Phuong Huynh 3/27/2014

My Best Friend There are many different kinds of friends who play different roles in our lives. Every human being needs to have friends like they need air to breathe, like they need food to live. Everyone has different needs, so everyone has different kinds of friends. For me, friends are the people with whom I share common interests. Friends are the only people who help me when no one else will. My best friend, whose name is Thu, has helped me with a lot of things since we started our relationship in the 10th grade. She has been my protector, my transportation, and my mentor. Personal photo: Phuong Huynh

When I was in 10th and 11th grades, I used to be bullied by some classmates. I was the head of the class, so I had to check their homework every day, and I had to report to my teacher if there was anybody who hadn't done their homework. That was the reason why some of my classmates didn't like me. My friend was the person who scared them off in order to protect me. At that time, she was chubby, especially when she was wearing traditional Vietnamese clothes. I remember one day, when she and I were walking to the school cafeteria, my classmates said that we looked like the number 10. Some of the guys were scared of her. They told each other not to fight with her because she would use her body weight to kill them. One time, in class, there was a girl who said that I was selfish because I wouldn't let het copy my homework. My friend defended me by arguing with that girl. She was always on my side to help me. Time passed, we went to Ho Chi Minh City to attend university. She went there before me, so she knew how to navigate that big and crowded city. It was my first time to be there, so I didn't know how to get around at all. My friend rode her bike from her apartment to the bus station to pick me up. The distance between her apartment and the bus station was about 8 miles. Even though she felt tired because I was heavy, she didn't complain. She was still happy to help me. I'm very thankful to her for helping me. Without her I would have gotten lost. My friend is also my young mentor. Whenever I face some obstacles, she always gives me advice and always gives me a lift when I’m feeling sad. She always makes me feel better after my talking to her. My life wouldn't be like it is right now without the friends I have had. I really think that I wouldn't be alive without them. I hope that I'll be in touch with them forever.

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Eunju Lee

3/27/2014

Learning a New Language As soon as I arrived in San Francisco International Airport, I was scared to death because I didn’t even know how to make a simple sentence in English. While I was passing through the customs, a customs officer asked me something that I couldn’t understand. I was perplexed and didn’t know what to do. My hesitation made him suspicious of me. After about five minutes, I was sent to an office to be interrogated by a man who looked like a policeman. I almost cried without saying a single word until a Korean interpreter came to me to explain what was going on. This was the first awful memory of what happened to me when I landed in America. Also, it was at that time that I realized why I needed to study English in earnest. Living in a new country was a lot more difficult than I had expected. There were no fantastic moments like I had imagined that could have been in a movie. The reality was cruel. However, it was not always like a nightmare for me here. When I started taking ESL classes to learn English, I realized how poor my English was. Even though I tried to concentrate on the lecture, I couldn’t understand my teacher’s explanations. I was just sitting on a chair for almost four hours a day. For the first six months, I was really bored and started skipping classes, but I knew that I had to study English hard. After a period of idle time, I became determined to push myself to achieve my goal. As soon as I enrolled in English classes at Laney College, I began to feel that English was fun to learn. Also, I started understanding my teacher’s explanations gradually. Among the many classes, I loved my grammar class most. After taking English grammar, I could understand the parts of speech, the structure of the sentences, and the usage of the syntax. Even though there were so many things that I needed to memorize, learning grammar was so much fun. When I studied English by myself, I tried to memorize things without knowing why they were used like that. Therefore, it was really difficult for me to keep studying. However, with the help of my English teachers at school, I could understand many difficult concepts that I hadn’t known before. Although I still need to go far to advance my English, I can see how much I have improved since the horrible incident at the airport. Maybe, life is like an endless journey until the last day, and no one knows exactly when that will be. Probably, I will never know how much of my time is left. Sometimes it is hard for me to live alone in America, speaking a language that I am still wrestling with. However, I can say that learning a language is fun, and I will keep pushing myself to go forward.

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Angel Loli April 5, 2014

The Purpose of Life

When we read the Bible, we learn that God exists, but the Bible isn’t concerned with proving that God exists. It only states that He was busy with the world’s creation. The Bible teaches, too, that we were created by God, and that our life has a purpose and that our birth was planned by God. Many people live without knowing the purpose of their lives. They don’t know why they are on the earth, why they were born, or why they live an empty life without direction. They get money, power and pleasure, but they lack something. They read a lot of books, searching for the purpose of their lives, but they don’t find anything to help them. This is because their searching is wrong. They have to read the Bible in order to find the purpose of their lives. This makes sense because the Bible is the Word of God, our creator, and He tells us what his will in it is. It doesn’t matter what the circumstances of your life are, God has planned your life with a purpose. Maybe, your parents weren’t waiting for you, and maybe they didn’t want you, but you were born anyhow. You know that God is love, and His love is everlasting, so He will help you no matter what problem you have. I want to tell you what happened in my life. My mother didn’t want me. She didn’t want me to live and, when she was pregnant, she tried to abort me, to kill me. But she couldn’t do it, so I am alive! Now, I know that God protected me. He saved my life because He has a purpose for my life. It doesn’t matter if you are the victim of a violation. It doesn’t matter if you are a drug addict. It doesn’t matter about the situation of your life. You are alive because God wanted you to live. He loves you, and He will take you out of the bad situation that you have now. He will heal your pain and give you a new life. He is waiting for you to open your heart to him. He is waiting for you to search for him with a humble heart. God wants you to use you. He is going to use the circumstances of your life in order for you to help people. If you are addicted to drugs, God will use you to help people that are addicted to drugs. If your husband abuses you, God will use you to help women abused by their husbands. If you let God direct your life, your life will improve, and you will feel better because you will have found the purpose of your life ,and you will be able to help other people to resolve their problems.

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(Nicki) Ngan Nguyen April 8, 2014

My Mistake

As a teenager, I used to want to live far away from my parents. Although I loved them very much, I decided to study in another country. Finally, the United States was my choice, a decision that has changed my life. I can’t forget about my last week with my parents, when I was still in my country. After I had passed my interview to be able to study in the U.S, my parents were so proud of me. I bought an airplane ticket immediately because I felt very excited thinking about my new life without my parents’ management. The more I got ready to leave them, the more my parents were sad and silent.

During that week, there was an expression of great sadness on their faces. They pretended to be happy with me in order to create a happy memory.

I heard my mother crying so many times at night, and I saw that my father couldn’t even sleep every night. They were counting down the time left while

I was still with them. Nevertheless, I was totally unmoved in the face of their feelings. Instead of

helping my mother to clean up the house, I woke up late every day because I wasn’t going to school anymore. Instead of having last family meals with

my parents, I was careless and hung out with my friends, which made me feel guilty every time that I thought about them.

On the night of my last day at my house, I suddenly felt a close tie with my parents, and I realized that I had wasted all of the time I had had to be with them. My mother was crying while she was cooking the last dinner for me. My father breathed a deep sigh that I could hear. However, I pretended to seem good in order that they not worry about me. I just wish I could go back in time to spend more time with my family during that week. When I got to the airport, my parents hugged and kissed me, which made me cry so hard. I wished that I had said sorry to them because of what I had done wrong. I wished that I had helped my mother clean the house. I wished I had had a meal with my parents every day. But it was too late now, which had been my mistake.

Now, I’m trying my best to study in this country, to build my dream life to make them believe in me. To redeem my mistake, I promise myself that I have to be successful and not to make them sad because of me, anymore. And, I’m waiting for the day when I can see them again just to say that I love them so much!

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Tai Nguyen 4/3/2014

My Dad, My Life

If anyone asked me what the most precious thing to me was, I would

not hesitate to say, "That's my dad." From the time my mom died when I was five years old, my dad took

care of my five siblings and me until we grew up. He is the one that knows me best and is also the one that I see the most and have known for the longest. He always stands by my side, and, whenever I feel down, he encourages me to stand up by myself and on my own two feet, and he has

always told me never to be weak or cowardly because my family was not a wealthy family. Therefore, my dad taught me all the sayings that I had to know in my life. He has always tried to save his money from his work to buy things that I might need, and he has always wanted me to go to school because he knows that an education will determine the future of the

person. As a result, I admire him as a great person and have always thought that my dad is really a superman. I remember that, once I got sick, and he sat next to me and gave me pills, along with kind words. For the reasons above, I think that my dad has had a huge impact on the person that I am today. Whatever I achieve in my life will be credited to him. He taught me everything that I know about life, hope, faith and the long journey ahead. In conclusion, I think that everything that I learned from him will be there through me when the people see my remarkable success. They will know the value of his teachings. I am so happy to have a great father. Photo this page, property of Tai Nguyen

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Amilcar Perez April 5, 2014  

My Trip to the United States

After a long time, I was finally ready to come to be with my father in the U.S.A., so far from Guatemala. But first, I had to cross around 4,900 kilometers of land. My uncle brought me from Guatemala to the Mexico border, and he knew which places to cross. When we crossed into Mexico, I encountered many beautiful places as we traveled by bus that I had never seen before. I was a little bit afraid to be caught as an illegal immigrant, but I was more focused on my important thing, my destination. At first, everything was excellent. We didn’t have any trouble. I started walking for the first time in the desert with another bunch of people, who were traveling to the U.S.A., the same as me. In the beginning, everybody had taken enough food and water for the long trip. However, things were about to change for us. On the fourth day, we unfortunately met some bandits, who were just standing in middle of the desert. There were around ten people who had guns there, and they demanded our money, the only money that we had left. Everybody started giving their money to those people because they were afraid of their weapons, but, for some reason, I didn’t feel afraid for myself, and I hadn’t brought any money anyway. My mother had always told me and my brothers, “Never be afraid if you didn’t do anything wrong.” They took almost all of our food and water, and they just left, and we had to leave two people behind in the desert. Because of dehydration and fatigue, they couldn’t do it. I was very tired and thirsty myself, but I never thought of giving up.

We finally arrived in Phoenix, Arizona, and some other people drove me to Virginia, where my father was, and the trip from Phoenix to Virginia was amazing. And after ten years, during which time I hadn’t seen my father, I finally met him and I felt very happy.    

Photo  source:      http://valtorta.org/jesus_is_tempted_defaultpage.asp  Illustration from the writings of Maria Valtorta are copyrighted by CENTRO EDITORIALE VALTORTIANO, Isola del Liri, Italy. All rights reserved in all countries.

 

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Maria Ramirez 4/2/2014

H.I.V. Positive

I am H.I.V positive, which is very important for me because, it is about my health. This happened when a man raped me.

I did not know that I had that, but, one day in December 2011, I started feeling bad. I had a pain in my hand and fever, too.

My husband was worried about me. I thought that it was not very serious, but days passed, and I was feeling very bad. So On Monday January second in 2011, my husband took me to the hospital.

When we arrived there, the doctors asked me many questions, and they gave me many tests. They were looking at me a very concerned way.

The doctors came to me, and they told me the bad news, which was that I was positive for H.I.V. I was in shock, so I could not talk or even mourn, and I was shaking and felt very nervous! I thought that I would die! And I remembered that in my country, Guatemala, many people died of it, but that was because they had no medicine.

Also, I was very scared, and I thought that everyone would discriminate against me. But the doctors told me that I would be fine. And I had to stay in the hospital for three weeks.

Since that day I have to take medicine to treat this condition. Now, I have a lot of information about this disease. Life is too short, and we have to be happy every day. I love life, and I realize that it was not my fault for having gotten this condition. Photo this page, property of Maria Ramirez

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(Ace) Yang Ren 4/10/2014

The Most Important Person In My Life

My mother was always the most important person in my life. But now, there’s another person who has appeared in my life, and she’s gradually taking the place of my mother to become the most important person in my life.

Who is she? How could she take the place of my mother? She is my fiancée, and her name is Ling. There are two reasons why she is becoming the most important person in my life.

First, when I was young, my mother taught me very carefully. She limited my free time and sat beside me, watching me do my homework. Then I was a middle school student, but, when I grew up, she knew that it was time to give me my freedom. So she stopped trying to control me as usual, and I felt that she gave me more space in life. That sounds good, but that’s actually a dangerous time for kids at that age. They can learn things easily, but this also includes bad things, such as smoking, drinking, fighting, drugging and so on. However, I was lucky and pleased that Ling appeared in my life.

I remember my first time seeing her was at a party. I was shy about meeting a girl at that age, but she wasn’t. She had enthusiasm, and she was always asking me to go out with her on the weekends. .

I remember that, on one hot summer day, she came and found me and told me that she had transferred from another high school, so we became classmates. That changed me a lot. We always went to school together, and we spent time together after school. I spent more time with her than with the other classmates and the “bad guys,” who were always fighting, smoking or doing bad things. She told me to stay far away from those guys, and later, I knew that she was right. She helped me chose the correct way of my life.

The second reason that she’s so important to me is she has taught me a lot. We have had a good relationship since high school, college, and even now. She always takes care of me and helps me a lot. She has taught me the way to become successful, how to take care of myself, and that a man needs to be responsible and needs to make his own judgment about everything. And I realized at that time that she was gradually taking the place of my mother. She’s now teaching me instead of my mother.

However, actually, she’s still not the most important person in my life because, this summer, I am going to get married to her. And I think that, at that time, she will truly become the most important person in my life.

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Jhovana Santillan 4/31/2014

Be a Good Example

In 2004, I was only 18 years old, and I was studying the first year of the university in my country, but I had to leave my studies because I was pregnant.

From the day my son Jesus came to in to my life, I have tired to be a better person and, especially, a good mother. I remember looking in to his eyes for the first time, and I promised always to ensure his safety and be an example for him.

After much effort, I was able to finish my studies at TSUB (University Technologist in Biotechnology), but, since coming

to U.S., I can't work on anything related to my studies, but I want to show my son that that will not stop me.

At this time, I needed to get my G.E.D., so I am now studying ESL because I want to get a good job and a better life for my family, and my next goal is to go to U.C. Berkeley.

Now, my son is 10 years old, and I hope to meet all my goals and be a good example for him and to show him that no matter how difficult the obstacles that hang over our heads are, they can always be overcome.  

 

                  Photo  this  page,  property  of  Jhovana  Santillan  

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Ye Sun 4/3/2014

An Experience of Being Robbed Thieves are a common thing in the

world, but encountering a thief should not be a common thing to each person. The experience of being robbed is a really bad thing because, when it happened to me, it made me angry and afraid of any stranger coming up behind me.

My experience happened when I was 16 years old around Chinese New Year. I had recently gotten my first scholarship, so I was very glad and decided to go shopping to reward myself.

When I got on a bus, there were so many people on it. I put the money in an outside pocket and wondered how not to lose the money.

A guy moved up close behind me. My arm, which was covering the pocket with the money, was pushed aside gradually by the man. I felt so uncomfortable, and I wanted to move away, but the bus was jam-packed with people, so I could not move.

When the bus stopped, I got off the bus, and realized that my money had disappeared. Feeling the empty pocket, I felt anger fill my chest. That damned thief had stolen my money !

Since then, I have been afraid of any stranger coming up behind me. Once that anyone moves close to me and stays nearby for a moment, I will move away quickly in defense. The feeling of being robbed has saved me from several thefts.

Some time after I got married, I was holding my daughter while I was standing in front of a grocery cart. I felt something wrong with my left pocket. It was the same thing that had happened in China. I was being robbed again. Immediately, I moved away and saw a long, sharp pair of tongs appearing from the pocket where my wallet was. That guy disappeared immediately when he was exposed. Luckily, by just feeling that I was being robbed, I avoided losing my wallet.

Nobody likes being robbed. I’m certain I would get upset if it happened to me again, and being robbed would cast another shadow in my mind. Well, how about you? Photo this page, property of Ye Sun

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Dung Vu March 27 2014

My Most Important Thing

There are many important things in my life that I cannot live without. I would begin with health, then family, next friendship and, finally love.

Health is an important factor in my life. I always keep my heath in check because, without health, I may not be able to live a happy life. For example, after I quit smoking two years ago, my health began getting better and better every day. I was very happy when I was able to quit smoking. My family and my children don’t

have to face the “ second-hand smoking “ problem, and they also live a better life because of it.

As I mentioned above, my family is a big part of my life. They have helped me to be who I am today. There are always beside me to help me whenever I need help. They supported me to quit smoking to be more active and to live healthily. I could not have succeeded as I have today without my family and their help.

There is an old saying: “A friend in need is a friend indeed.” I have some friends that are always there for me. Sometimes I have a problem that I cannot talk to my family about, so I come to them. They always put themselves in my shoes to feel my situation. They share with me my happiness and also my sadness. I am very grateful that my friends have helped me so much, and I will always be available for them whenever they need me.

Finally, there is love. I cannot live without love or being loved. Love can change a bad person to a good one. Love gives me the strength to overcome my weaknesses. Love helps me to build a relationship with my family.

In conclusion, heath, family, friendship, and love are the most important factors that I carry with me every day. Each of them is a part of me, and I could not be who I am without any of them. Photo this page, property of Dung Vu

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Yan Wang April 6, 2014

A Beautiful Place

I come from a small island, which is in the south of China, whose name is Hainan. China has two big islands, which are Taiwan and Hainan. However, Taiwan is more well-known in the U.S. My hometown is Haikou, which is the capital city of Hainan. I love my hometown. All of my memories are from there.

Hainan is a beautiful place, and some people don’t know that it has another name, which is “Oriental Hawaii.” The weather in Haikou is very warm for most of the year, and the winter is very short, so many people like to go to Hainan for the winter.

Hainan is an island surrounded by the sea. We can drive to the sea in 20 minutes. When summer comes, there are a lot of people who are swimming, surfing, diving and barbecuing. They do these activities on their vacation. Whenever you lie on the beach, and see the blue sky and the sea together, you will be very relaxed.

My favorite thing there is the food. There is a lot of local food. For example, we have Wenchang Chicken, Jiaji Duck, Hele Crab and Dongshan Mutton, which are four dishes in Hainan. Also, Hainan has many types of tropical fruit, like coconuts, jackfruit and clause nalansium.

The coconut is a symbol of Hainan, which was planted two sides of the streets with coconut

palms. Hainan has a lot of historic culture, ruins from war, which is China’s war of liberation. For example, Haikou has gun turrets, and there is a thousand years of history. The streets were built by Asians who donated the money for it. These people are called “Overseas Chinese,” people who leave China and immigrate to other countries.

We have our own language, which is also called Hainan, and it is very difficult to understand. The language is hundreds of years old, and the local people use the language for opera. I can understand it, but I can’t speak it very well.

My hometown is small, but it is a beautiful city and island in China. I hope that you can go there for a visit one day.  

                Photo  this  page,  property  of  Yan  Wang  

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Djamila Yazag 4/5/2014

The Lottery

I was in the university when my best friend and I decided to continue our major in a university outside of our country. But, first, we had to get our diplomas from the university of Algeria.

In 2010, my friend told me about an online lottery, which was a U.S green card lottery, so we took pictures of ourselves to use them for the registration. We gave the pictures to my friend’s boyfriend to enter the lottery for us, and he did enter them at the end of October.

As time passed, we totally forgot about the lottery because we were busy with our studies.

In July 2011, we graduated from the university. Because my friend lived far away from me, I didn't see her for almost two months. All during the summer. I was busy looking for a job.

One day, my friend called me, but she didn't reach me because my cellphone was off, so she called my father, and she left a message for me to call her back.

When I came home, they told me that I should call her. “I will tell you something,” she said, “but be quiet, and don't tell anybody yet.” I was scared, and I thought that I had done something wrong. “You won the lottery, the one that we entered!” She exclaimed. I was surprised, and I started crying. I accused her of lying, but she swore that it was true, so I had to believe her. I was happy but a little bit sad until she said that her fiancé had won, too. I told my family, and they were very happy for me.

The next day, I saw my friend and her fiancé. We went online, and we double-checked, and they were right. I had won, so we made a plan for the steps that we needed to take. Fortunately, they helped me.

In April 2012, I got my visa after I had passed an interview. My friends got their visas first, so they came to the U.S. before me.

My family was happy for me, but my mother was worried. “You should get married before you go,” she said. I ignored her advice because I wanted to start a new life in the U.S.

In September 2012, I came to the U.S, and I got my green card, and then, I found a job just a few days after I came here. I also met a wonderful man who is from my hometown soon after, and I have by now gotten engaged, and we are going to be married this summer.  

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(Ye Ye) Xiazhu Ye April 3, 2014

Breakfast Is Important To Me

Every day, I eat breakfast, and I tell my family that eating a

good breakfast every day is healthy. It is the most important meal of the day. My family eats different kinds of food to keep healthy. A good breakfast may contain eggs, milk porridge, meat porridge, fish porridge, or vegetable porridge, and some people eat an apple or orange or some different kinds of fruit. Because of my healthy habit, I feel active in the morning when I go to work and when I go to school to study English. A good eating habit includes eating breakfast every day, so I want my family to follow this.

Health is the most important thing in life. There are many people who think that money is better than health, but I think that health is more important, especially for my family.

I have been thinking about this question for a long time. May 23, 1995, was an important and painful day for me. My mother had been sick, and, on that day, she went to see the doctor. She hadn’t eaten breakfast every day, and she died that day, so I resolved to get up early each morning to cook for my family.

It doesn’t matter if my family is rich or poor. This is something I can do every day for them to keep them healthy. I am always sure to remember to cook breakfast to keep our bodies healthy, so we can enjoy happiness together every day.                  

       

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Euyong Yim March 20, 2014

My First Foreign Trip

This story is about my first foreign trip. Five years ago, I traveled with a friend to Thailand. I was excited because that was my first overseas trip, although my friend had already experienced overseas travel many times when I arrived in Thailand the weather was very hot. We arrived very late, so we went to our hotel

The next day, we visited the palace in Thailand. The streets are hung with photos of the King of Thailand, which we could see everywhere. The Thai food was so delicious, and the flavor was very distinctive. We saw many foreigners everywhere that we visited. We had Thai massages and visited the traditional markets. In the evening, we watched a special show, in which the gays are dressed to look like women.

The next day, we went to Pattaya. Pattaya has many pubs and hotels, where

many tourists appear daily. We went to Coral Island and, also, enjoyed water sports. Thailand's tropical fruit is fresh and good.

This was my first overseas trip, and it was a unique experience. Thailand's hot weather was difficult, but the Thai people were friendly, so it gave us a good impression. We have good memories about going back home to Korea. I will visit Korea next year, and I also want to go to Hong Kong with friends.

Photos  this  page,  property  of  Euyong  Kim