Paragraph 3, Second Draft, Ho Won Lee

Korean Education Needs Change

 

            The biggest change that must be made in the educational system is the university entrance system. First, the university entrance exam must not be the most important method of evaluation which basically classifies them academically. Because, it eventually acts as a critical factor of distinction of which social class you will be in. Due to the fact that the employers regard the university of the employees very highly when recruiting new workers, this has become a sad reality of the current workforce in Korea. Instead, the students must be evaluated according to their performances during the 4 years of university. Because this is a more accurate and trustful proof that the student is a worker with the company's needed requirement. Let's say that a student is hired at the earliest age of 24 and at the latest 28. Then isn't it logical to evaluate the workers based on their latest achievements and traits instead of a test they took when they were 19? A person might refute this by saying the university exam is a strong factor that helps assort the academic people from the non academic people; and they will say this because in order to prepare for this exam it requires you to work strenuous and long is needed. However, 4 years can change a person a lot if not completely and it takes a minimum of 4 years to be able to get a degree; and thus to apply for a job. Consequently, the students must not be weighed heavily on the exam to judge a potential employee's academic standard. Instead, the students' level of academia must be evaluated upon most heavily on how much experience, good deeds, and how hard he or she worked at University. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 A Special Encounter with a Special Person

 

            

              In Toronto, I encountered a friend who saved me from being confused about my true religion and persuaded me into becoming a devoted Christian. The name of the person who is important to me is Matt and he was my colleague in high school. It had been 5 years since I last saw him and we never kept in touch with each other. He was one of those students who were very troublesome. He was involved in activities that were inappropriate such as smoking cigarettes and marijuana. Also, he skipped classes and spent most of the time seducing girls. Basically, he was an extremely secular student who was not interested in school. However, he had a great personality. He was very humorous, kind, appreciating and upright. In addition, he respected everyone and never offended anyone by despising others. Although, he was not very responsible, he was one of the few people who I always admired for his or her great character. It had been 5 years since the last time I ever even saw a glimpse of him. During this time my belief about my religion, Christianity, was diminishing; and I was struggling to find a true religion that I could be dedicated to. Tired from all this conflict against myself, I decided to forget about religion and spent time studying what I wanted in the library. During this time, I suddenly wondered how Matt was doing these days. One day I was walking to the library when I saw him sitting right in front of me on the library security's chair. It was completely unexpected because usually men who were over 40 years old took the job. In total astonishment, I approached him expecting him to be still my old troublesome Matt; but to my surprise he had completely changed. He asked me to read the bible which was the first book that he ever read, that made him like books. He was so absorbed in the Bible he acted in accordance with what the Bible told him to do. Therefore, the Bible had completely changed him. He started to give me advice on my life by applying the knowledge he gained from the bible. His wisdom and intellect completely stunned me. I felt that he was at least 10 years older that I was. Due to this occasion, I was able to find my church and regain my trust in Christianity; this led me to have the faith that I have right now. Matt is the person who I will always remember. He is a person who deserves my utmost respect. I want to express all my gratitude and appreciation towards him for guiding me into the right direction in my life.

2nd Draft - Week 3 Hyun Kyoung Cha

You're Not Who I Think You Are!

 

Have you ever put a headlock on a complete stranger? When I was in highschool I made a terrible mistake of doing such a thing on somebody I didn't know. I was supposed to meet my friend in front of a large mall at 1 o'clock. I waited for 30 minutes but my friend still wouldn't come. I was furious about the fact that he had kept me waiting so I thought about how I could play a prank on him. I thought the most extreme prank I could play on a boy would be something physical. I decided that a headlock would be ok since it wouldn't hurt that much compared to our difference in body size. I found a similar person looking around as if he was looking for me, so from behind I headlocked him and shook him back and forth. However, he wouldn't respond as he usually would so I said, "Surprised, huh?" But to my surprise, it wasn't my friend! It was somebody who looked like my friend. His face was all red like it was about to burst and was coughing due to my tough wrestling. It might sound funny but I instantly kneeled down and begged him for mercy. Luckily the man was very generous and didn't hit me back. From this experience, I learnt that pranks should never be played before serious consideration.

 

My Furry Little Friend

 

Without doubt, pets could be called companions for life. Lots of people, including myself, can prove that. By having a close relationship with pets, you will be able to undergo an unforgettable experience. As the society nowadays is uptight and complex, people do not have the opportunity to meet diverse people. Even if they do, they become unconcerned about eachother. However, for pets, it is different. As pets are simple animals, if you treat the pet in a respectful manner, you will be able to obtain full respect from the pet as well. Moreover, if  you get more intimate with the pet, you can tell them to "sit" or "play dead", and they might probably do as they are told. This is not possible with people, as they are uptight and complex animals. Moreover, it is possible to share secrets with the pet that you have that you have never told anyone before, or share activities that can not be done with friends or families. A person could both mentally and physically enjoy time with the pet by playing ball or throwing frisbees around. This will not only be beneficial for the pet, but also for the person. For example, it has been proven that elderly people who own pets tend to live longer due to the mindset that their pets will be left alone if they die. Therefore, pets can be wonderful companions for an individual who wants an unforgettable relationship.

Week3 Paragraph Final Draft/KIM Juhee

Change is Needed

 

Have you ever fallen asleep during the whole class in your high school days? For me, I quite frequently did, because I couldn't sleep enough in those days. The same phenomenon is still taking place in many high schools, and I think it's time to change the tough school hour system. As we all may know, education is a very important social issue. Especially in Korea, where parents are so enthusiastic for their children's academic process, debates over the educational system have always been controversial. Many changes are being made to the current educational system, but it's not enough as long as the current school hour system is alive. Many Korean high school students are forced to stay at school for a long time to get a good grade in the university entrance exam. In my case, I had to study at school until midnight in my high school days. When I got back home and went to bed, it was almost like 1 or 2 in the morning. What's worse, I also had to get up early in the morning, around 6 a.m., because there was another class before the first regular class. It was so hard for me to follow the time table, and still I can see many high school students who are suffering from this system. The main problem of this system is that it is not likely to be effective, because it makes students tired and sleepy all day long. Being exhausted from lack of sleep, students keep sleeping in classes and may miss some important parts for their study. Also, it can be harmful to students' health. Not only do they lack sleep, but also they are not able to work out enough because they have to stay at school all day. When I was a senior in my high school, I weighed much more than I do now since I had eaten a lot and never worked out at all. Unfortunately the same thing still happens to many students, and their health just gets worse and worse. Another bad outcome of this system is that students hardly have their own free time. People tend to think that students, especially high school students, do not need a free time because they have to focus on studying. But I don't think so. Since they get a lot of stress from the school life, they really need time to relax and feel free. Therefore, the current time arrangement of Korean educational system is not effective at all. I think if schools could shorten the school hours, I'm sure that they would see much more students studying with passion and concentrations.

 

A Scary Confrontation With a Crow

 

Last winter, I experienced the most frightening moment in my life on the street of Sapporo, Japan. Walking down the street covered with snow, I got hungry. So I bought bread and ate it on the street. Suddenly, there appeared a huge crow in front of me, blocking my way. It actually was the biggest bird I had ever seen, which had huge wings and a long bill. Since I'm a person who has a serious phobia of birds, I quickly looked around to ask for help. But it was early in the morning so there was no one. I couldn't move or say a word at that moment. After a few seconds, it started to threaten me, making its body bigger and croaking loudly. I even thought it could kill me soon and nobody would notice it. Then, fortunately, I remembered that I was holding bread in my hand. "Maybe this bird just wants the bread. Let's throw the bread" I thought. But at the same time I thought, "what if it attacks me when I throw this? Should I run away?" All these thoughts occurred to me in just a few seconds, but it felt like hours for me. Even though the weather was freezing cold, I was sweating like it was summer. Finally I decided to give the bread to him and took a deep breath. Slowly, I picked the bread and threw it right in front of the crow. Fortunately, that seemed to be what it had wanted. He picked the bread with his bill immediately, and flew away. Still frightened, I couldn't move for a few minutes after it had gone. It was the scariest experience in my life and I don't eat something on the street anymore.

Week3_Second Draft_Shin Jeongchul

2010/07/11 – Intro to Academic Writing                                             200701804 Shin Jeongchul

Topic – Are pets good companions?

 

Dogs – The Best Friend of Yours

 

Although there are some astounding rumors about dog attacks on humans lately, dogs are still good friends of human being. Firstly, dogs are loyal to you. Your pet dogs with wagging tail wait for you until you come home after work. This behavior seems like what good friends do who always welcome you, not depending on their daily mood. A dog faithfully and equally loves even the master with a distorted face by fire. Next, from how dogs conduct themselves to you, you can learn how to keep good relations with others. Dogs always trust and follow us. On the other hand, we often treat our friends and family differently in accordance with our daily condition. Not to lose good friends, sometimes we need to learn patience and tolerance from dogs. Finally, looking at the entire life of your dog, you can think about life and death. Since you see how creature is born and dies, you may learn how valuable your life is. In some cases, dogs can bite people to defend themselves from danger. However, unless we threaten them first, they are still good companions who love, respect and teach you.

 

 

2010/07/11 – Intro to Academic Writing                                             200701804 Shin Jeongchul

Topic – How you met someone who is important to you

 

Ordinary, But Special

 

Is there any memorable day for you that others find it ordinary? Here is my story about such a day that I have not told even my friends. In the summer of 2008, I studied in the city of Vladivostok, Russia as a foreign exchange student. Most people may think I had such a wonderful life for 6 months there. However, I was stuck in daily routine such as waking up at 7 every morning or laundering socks and shirts every Thursday. One day at 11 am, Yana, my best friend, one of which I used to call three musketeers –she always accompanied two female friends. For that reason, I called the company in that way– , called on me. She invited me to her 18th birthday party. Having nothing to do alone, I gladly accepted her proposal. On my arrival in a Japanese restaurant, where the party held in, I saw three musketeers and two unknown girls. They knew each other well except me as they were members of the Japanese faculty of the same university. Because I didn't know how to deal with strangers, I was embarrassed. I kept silent throughout the party. While we were eating different kinds of sushi rolls, I sensed somebody's continuous sight of me. It was Anna, one of two strangers. Though I was sitting against her, there was absolutely no word we took out of the mouth. To describe her looking briefly, she had such fascinating blue eyes, shiny blond hair and silky skin. As the party came to an end, I began worrying if I would not have any chance to meet that nice Russian girl. When Anna and I walked out of the restaurant after the party, I halted and asked her for phone number. After the first encounter, I called Anna out three times to take a walk together. Now Anna and I are like peas and carrots. The day wasn't full of romantic events. However, it was one of the most special moments of my life because I met whom I am destined with today.

 

 

week3 2nd draft Park Jun Hyung

200701393 Park Jun Hyung

7 July 2010

 

 

 

 

Pets are Good Companions

 

There are three reasons why I think pets are good companions. First, pets are helpful for your health. Most people who raise pets tend to have fewer diseases than those who do not. There is research from Tokyo University which has concluded that having a pet actually lowers your blood pressure and improves your health. Even placing fish tanks in nursing homes helps calm both residents and staff. Also, dogs give a person a reason to get out and walk - they are great companions for an exercise program. Next, pets help people in socializing with others. Pets help people by giving them a living being to care about, to be with, and to talk to. They help their person to be more social and to make friends. For example, it was easy for me to start a conversation with others on the street when I walk my dog. My dog gave me chances to talk with pretty girls as they always say "How adorable!" Although it isn't sure if they were talking to me, it was easy for me to start conversation with them. Finally, pets could be beneficial when raising children. For children, owing a pet improves their self esteem - someone who loves them unconditionally and wants their undivided attention. The presence of pets in the house helps children's responsibility. For example, my aunt told me that it was easy for her to make her daughter build responsibility by raising a dog. She tried to take care of the dog having it to be always safe and comfortable. She learned the responsibility in a natural way by raising a pet. My aunt also said that it helped to foster her emotional, cognitive, social, and physical development. Sometimes pets please us and sometimes we rely on pets. Pets are good friends to us and there will be nothing that could be a better companion to us than pets.

 

 

 

No Money, Tomorrow

 

When I was eleven years old, I had an embarrassing moment that is now a special memory to me. I started to live in Nashville, Tennessee when I was eleven years old. The first semester of my 4^th elementary grade began when I arrived in Nashville. However, I was not able to communicate with classmates or teachers even in simple English. Every day was a nightmare to me as all I do for several weeks was just watching the clock hoping for class to finish soon. One day in the morning, I forgot to receive two dollars from my father. As soon as I noticed the absence of my lunch money, I started to panic. At that time, I did not know how to explain to the teacher that I didn't bring lunch money. Lack of vocabulary and my laziness in studying English started to pay off. I thought about telling the teacher that I cannot eat lunch because of the stomach ache. Since I learned the English word, stomach, from my sister on the day before, I thought about saying to the teacher "My stomach sick." But as a little boy, I was anxious of getting in trouble that what if teacher brings me to the doctor and finds out that I lied to her. After hundreds of thoughts coming up on my mind, the lunch time finally has come. The classmates were heading to cafeteria and I just followed them without any plan or strategy to break through that difficult situation. As I was standing in line to receive foods on tray, my palms were so sweaty because of my nerves. I looked over the classmates in front of me paying two dollars to the cashier at the end of the distribution plates. Then, I saw a classmate who passed through the cashier without paying the money. He said something but I wasn't able to listen because of the distance. Finally, it was my turn to pay for the lunch. I was unprepared and did not know what to say for the excuse. However, since I knew the word money and tomorrow, I just said "No money, tomorrow." Then, the cashier said "Yes" with her smiling face. All at sudden, my nerves were relaxed and I breathed a sigh of relief. In retrospect, although it was not much a hard situation for me, I was overly worried because it was the moment that I never encountered before. Even now, it sometimes makes me a little smile when I recall this moment happened by my poor English. It is a special memory to me as it was my first suffering moment caused by English

week 3-2nd draft-seon hae

2^nd draft

Shin Seon Hae

11 July 2010

My First Nose Bleed

 

During my 23 years of life experience, I only had a nose bleed once when I was five years old. People have nose bleed mainly because they get tired or get stressed but for me it was nothing stressful. When I was a kid, my family used to visit our grandparent’s house every weekend. I don’t exactly remember what I did every time I visited them but the memory of that day, when I had my first nose bleed, comes alive to me like a photograph whenever I think back. That day my grandparent’s relative came to visit with their two children. While grownups had their small talk about their daily life they send three of us to the playground to have our own time of knowing each other. After playing with me for a while two of them sat themselves on the squeaky swing. They were planning to compete against each other on who goes higher on the swing. They did warn me firmly to stand aside and just watch while they compete, but I guess I didn’t go far enough. I was watching them swing fast and high like a bird and felt excited myself, but the next moment I found myself lying on the cold sandy ground with blood running from both of the nostrils. I got hit by the swing when it was coming back up again. They tried hard to stop the bleeding but eventually I had to go to the hospital because the bleeding didn’t stop. After this incident I think I had developed a tolerance to nose bleed because whatever tough things I do I never had a nose bleed ever in my life, thanks to the children and to the swing. 

 

 

Hold On to Your Skirt!!

 

Do you know what happens when your skirt covers up your belly? This may sound strange, because skirts don’t usually cover up your belly, but you will find out what happens through my embarrassing story. This happened two years ago when I was living in Japan on the day when my friends and I planned to hang out. In the morning when I looked outside the window the sky was high, the sun was shining and the wind was blowing gently. The weather made me feel like walking for one or two stations before I get on the train. As I got ready, I chose to wear a white T-shirt and a patterned skirt made out of light thin fabric. Soon after I got ready I started walking along the train tracks. On the other side of the road, there was an elementary school and I could over hear the giggling of the children on the playground. The sound of the leaves fluttering as the gentle wind passed through and the giggling of the children made me peaceful. But the next moment as the fluttering sound of the leaves got louder the giggling stopped. The only sounds left were the leaves and the echo of my screaming. The moment I felt peaceful and pleased with myself of making a good choice, a strong wind blew towards me and lifted my skirt up to my belly before I knew what had happened. Instead of covering where it supposed to cover my skirt was covering my belly, which made it easier for students over the fence to see what color underwear I was wearing. A little while later I found myself dashing along the road pretending nothing had happened. From that day on, when the wind seems to blow the first thing I do is to hold on to my skirt so no one can see what color I am wearing. 

Week 3- 2nd draft- Choe Byoung bin

200703360 Choe Byoung bin

Education is To Question About Yourself

     What does it mean to be educated? In a broad sense, it is to get cognition. Cognition means that you aware the reason for this or that. To know the reason, you should be curious and need to ask questions about things presented to you. In my opinion, Korean educational system kills this ability to ask questions freely. Korean students are taught to accept what is proven through tests or exams. Moreover, getting into good universities is considered to be a major goal because it guarantees future success in the job market. Currently, over 90% of high school students go to colleges for this reason. That is why I believe students who are only interested in study should go to colleges. Next, Korean educational system should be designed to develop students' ability to question, search and wait for the answer. This would probably be the real meaning of power of thoughts. Last but not least, enthusiasm and confidence to pursue what students really want in life should be boosted through teaching diverse aspects of life and people who lead not normal or regular but interesting life. Korean education should work as school of self-realization by initiating students' true desire of what they want to be and presenting various ways of how to navigate through lives on their own.  

 

What Huangshan Trip Has Taught Me

In year 2007, to celebrate my grandmother's 80's birthday, my family took a trip to China. We went to Shanghai and then flew over to Huangshan (yellow mountain), which is in the southern part of the Anhui province in eastern China. Huangshan is very famous for pine trees distorted by the wind and crissy-crossed roads to get to the top. Monkeys, instead of showing alarm at visitors' intrusions, followed us, jumping from branch to branch in the thick woods, seemingly eager to catch something to eat. Most hikers found it spooky yet fun to be tailed by a monkey. Each foot following the other, I could see trees thining with the increasing altitude and the peak growing nearer. Top of Hunagshan was under the white blanket of clouds since it is in the moist region and later found out that this splendid view is known as the Sea of Clouds. I felt like I was floating, seeing a bald, craggy expanse of rock surrounding me and the clouds together. If there was a lesson from the trip, although it was sudden, I realized how precious it is to be with my family. I could see plants, animals and microorganisms live off each other, breathe and eat each other's wastes, depend on one another all the way to the top. Since I am, too, part of the nature and so depend on my family, I felt thanks and love for them.  

 

Week3_Second Draft_Eun-Jin Hyun

R200603674 Eun-Jin Hyun   A First Date is Never Easy                Four years ago, in April, when flowers started to bloom making romantic atmosphere, my first date turned out to be a very embarrassing but an unforgettable memory. First, my boyfriend and I decided to meet at COEX, watch a movie and have some dinner in the multiplex. Even our day course seemed to be simple I was so thrilled and anxious. When we arrived to the theater in COEX, there was a film poster hanging on the walls which had two handsome men with a beautiful landscape on the background. The title was "Brokeback Mountain." On the bottom, there was a phrase that said it had received many awards. Both of us did not hesitate a moment and bought two tickets. As we entered the gate, I was so excited and nervous that I could feel my heart beating. I was worried about everything. I was asking myself how I should sit or where I should place my hands. However, thanks to my boyfriend, he held my hands tightly during the movie, until we found out it was a gay movie. Watching a gay movie was not that bad, but when the sex scenes with two men, started to pop out, I could feel a very uncomfortable atmosphere between us. Even though I had cold sweat on my back, I could feel my face burning. I was so embarrassed and could not even look at my boyfriend's face. We turned ourselves to the opposite side with our backs facing each other. After three hours of this troubled situation, we were not in the right mood to have dinner, so we agreed to meet on another day and said goodbye. This day was unforgettable not only because it was my first date, but also because it did not match my dream date.   R200603674 Eun-Jin Hyun   Unconditional Love from Pets                Besides parents or relatives, pets are creatures that give unconditional love to their owners. Pets are one of the best companions that a human could ever have. First of all, pets are perfect friends to tell all of your stories since they cannot speak. Unlike human, they do not cut in while others are talking nor do they ignore you. Pets are willing to pay attention to any story, no matter how ridiculous it is. Recently, there has been a research that children who raise pets have high language ability compared to others. Also, pets help people to be more active and out-going. Taking a walk, grooming and feeding require a lot of energy and make owners to get exercise whether they like it or not. Above all, pets have positive influence on human mental health. Since pets love to be with their owners, they help people not to feel lonely or isolated. When people see their dog wagging its tail to greet them after hard work, the stress and loneliness are reduced more easily. On the other hand, there might be some people who worry about the cost of raising pets. However, in a long-term view, having a pet as a companion is more efficient than thought. For example, when people use drugs to treat mental disorder, most of them stop the medication because of the side effects. Through this process, money and time are wasted with no recovery. Pets, however, do not bring such consequence and even prevent other types of mental disorders in advance. Pets are friends who listen to you endlessly, best partners that will run right beside you, and supporters that will always be there to welcome you.

Week3_Final Draft_EunJi Bahk

Week3_Final Draft

SC200601302

EunJi Bahk

 

 

 

 

Doggy Bag

 

 

 

 

Hannah was a 13-year-old girl who had been helping homeless people for seven years in Canada.  After watched the TV program about her, I felt sorry and wanted to do something for those people in need, even tiny little things.

One day, two of my friends and I went to a Brazilian night club.  Since we stayed in there from 10p.m. to 2a.m. without having any food, we were just starving.  When one of my friends told us he wanted to have a breakfast with pancakes, sausage, bacon and eggs and suggested going to his house to make a very nice breakfast at three in the morning, it took us a split second to say "YES"

           The breakfast was just like heaven-sent taste, but the problem was that we made too many sausages and eggs, so even though we ate like horses, still there were many sausages on the table. My friend gave me plastic container and put the food in it. It's called doggy bag, which many people use when they can't finish their meal in many restaurants.

           A couple hours later, I was heading to the subway station, and I saw a homeless guy looking for some food in front of the garbage bin. Suddenly I felt guilty of being full up and remembered Hannah's story.  I realized there was a nice breakfast box in my bag, so I called him and said, 

           "Excuse me Sir, I guess you are hungry, I have some food, which is very clean. I'm not going to eat this, so I want you to take it, otherwise I am probably going to throw it away."

He stared at me for a while and asked me,

"What's in the box?"

"Oh, well, some sausages, bacon and eggs. I made this just two hours ago."  After he listened to me and then he said,

"No, ma'am, thanks but I am a Vegetarian."

 

Then he walked away slowly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Beautifully Features of Stockholm

 

 

 

Stockholm is full of many different features.  First, it is the best city for someone who wants to feel the international but traditional atmosphere.  It sounds a little bit bizarre, as those two features are too different.  Since college tuition is free for everyone including international students, thousands come from many different countries to study in Sweden.  International students, therefore, make up the internationality of the city.  Stockholm is also very unique because of its location.  The city is located on Sweden's south-east coast, where Lake Mälaren meets the Baltic Sea.  In other words, it is surrounded by water.  You can look around every inch of the city by boat, or just take a good walk along the waterways. There are still lots of old structures and buildings in Stockholm.  People have been taking a good care of them, and some structures were built even more than two or three hundred years ago.  My favorite place in the city is "Gamla Stan", which refers to "Old Town".  When I was walking in the town, I felt as if I became one of the brave Vikings.  The City is very beautiful especially in the late afternoon or early evening.  You will see many street musicians playing various instruments such as violin, cello, or even singers with band in the Old Town.  You can walk to musical accompaniment everywhere you go.  Finally, Stockholm is also good for students who want to rest from exceeding pressure of school work.  Students' pubs are filled with many people reading a book or having a conversation with their friends drinking a glass of beer.  Thus, Stockholm is a location with a lot of different features and all those characters make the city even more special.

Week 3 Finals Semi Park

"I'm The High School Student"

 

     Last summer, I was looking for a tutor job. Luckily, I found an advertisement on internet. It was written, "I'm a first-year high school student looking for an English private tutor. I prefer a female teacher." Then she left her phone number and address below. She lived very close to my house and she wanted to start it as soon as possible. It looked perfect for me. I called the number right away. A middle-aged woman answered, and I, of course, thought she was the student's mom. She wanted to talk more in person, so we hung up after making an appointment. Two days later, I went to her house exactly on time dressing properly. The woman who I talked to on the phone welcomed me. She asked me to take a seat, and I was waiting for her daughter to come out. However, I felt something weird because it didn't seem that she was waiting for someone. I asked her when the student would come. To my surprise, she said, "Oh, It's me. I'm the student" I was embarrassed and didn't know how to respond to it. I tried to be clam but I couldn't. Not caring how awkward I was, she let me introduce myself in English. I thought I would test the student's English, but I found myself being tested. Right after I finished, she told me how much she would pay. It was less than I expected. I only nodded while she was talking. I was blanked out. When I got out her house, I could realize what happened to me. I was not sure if I could teach that old woman who has such a strong personality. However, I had to try at least because I needed money. It was a wrong decision. I should have found another tutor job. She often forgot our class. She was having dinner outside while I was waiting for her at her house over an hour. She even forgot to pay me on the pay day so I had to notice her for several times. She asked me to prepare a lot of things to study before the class, but I had to help her to translate word by word. The worst thing was that I couldn't say anything mean to her. Because she was around my mom's age, I felt pressure to be polite. After two months, I gave up. It felt like a year.

 

 

 

 

"How I Met My Best Friend"

     If I come up with an important person to me besides my family, it's my friend, Natalie. It was in summer vacation four years ago. I was dating a guy from my school and I used to hang out with him and his high school friends. One day, we were drinking beer together. I was close to one of them, and his name was Hyosub. He started talking about his recent blind dating. Interestingly, the girl who he met was from my school and she was a member of my photograph club too. They drank quite a lot and accidently kissed, but they didn't contact each other again. I was so curious who she was. He told me her name but I didn't know her. At that time I didn't participate in my club activities hard, so I knew only a few people in the club. After summer vacation ended, I was in the club room chatting with a few of friends. Then a girl came in and said hello to me. It was the first day when we saw each other. She introduced herself, and I figured out she was the girl! I pretended not to know anything about her. After for a while, I thought it would be okay to talk about Hyosub to her. I whispered to her, "Don't you know Hyosub?" She was so surprised and asked me back right away. "How do you know him, what did he tell you?" I just smiled. She was embarrassed that I knew her secret happening. She turned red. However, after a second, we started laughing. It was funny. What a small world! Since the day, we became closer and closer sharing more secrets. Still now, we remembered the day. I don't contact Hyosub anymore, but I feel appreciated to him. Thanks to him, my friend and I could be friends.

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Paragraph Wk 3, 2nd draft, Shinjae Sung

 

 

 

 

Grandparentville, Your Worst Nightmare

 

Shinjae Sung

11/07/10 2^nd draft

 

             I'm not close to my grandmother because of the time I spent living in her house. When I was fourteen, my family and I spent three crazy months with my grandma. I'd been raised in England so barely knew her but was excited at the idea of living with her in Korea. But to my utter dismay, the cultural differences and age gap between my grandma and I made us row constantly. The first day there, I opened the fridge and there was no juice. My grandma had no liquids other than an occasional carton of milk and an endless supply of tap water. She believed milk was too fancy and orange juice was bad for you. Little things kept getting my grandmother and me into fights. She gave more pocket money to my brother although I was older. My grandmother thought gender trumped age and I'd call her sexist. She ended up giving us the same amount which enraged me more. She'd often insist I was talking back when I felt I had a right to speak. Grandma would often say, "Children should never be seen or heard". We spent three months trying to understand each others' different cultural background but got nowhere. I'd love to have a good relationship with my grandma but after living together our relationship is strained; we barely meet now. Spending too much time with my grandma caused silly, hurtful fall-outs. If I could do it over, I'd never live with my grandma. If I'd just met her a few times a month, we'd be much closer. Sometimes, living together makes us grow apart.

 

 

 

 

 

 

That Fuzzy Feeling

 

Shinjae Sung

11/07/10 2^nd draft

 

             I remember feeling pleased about sitting in the very middle of the front row. During the winter season, our school assembly hall would turn into a stage where we'd watch the annual Christmas pantomime. It was the height of my childhood experiences. I still yearn for that warm and fuzzy feeling of watching the play, lining up to see Father Christmas, and finally getting a present from his big sack. I loved sitting on Father Christmas's huge red lap the most. His workshop was set up right next to the assembly hall in a corner of the lunch room. It was covered in an extraordinarily large piece of cloth, grey and frayed from years of children tugging at it. The tiny lunchroom chairs and tables we usually ate from instead made me think of Father Christmas's little elves instead. Meeting Father Christmas was better than pulling gift filled crackers, eating chocolates from an advent calendar or any full stocking bursting with goodies. Going to school late at night was the best treat of all. The darkness made everything look different and mysterious and the ten minute walk to school seemed more exciting and surreal. Usually, night meant sleep so the vastness of nighttime outside gave me an adventurous thrill. Even at twenty four, when I am out under dimly illuminated dark grey skies, I feel bold and free. Precious memories that should not be wasted are always accompanied by that warm, fuzzy feeling that makes me think of soft red Father Christmas suits and chilly, dark winter nights. Those kinds of memories, however cold the winters get, are unforgettable.

 

 

 

 

 

Week 3_2nd draft_Yunyoung Kim

Name: Yunyoung Kim

Date: Sat, July 10^th

 

Paella: More than a Dish

 

One day, a friend of mine called me and asked if I wanted to join them, a short trip to Barcelona. I made a sudden decision but I realized that I had little knowledge about this city. However, after this trip, Barcelona became one of my dream places to live. First, Barcelona is a city with a Mediterranean climate. As soon as we arrived there, we spent time lying on the beach and taking a nap under the dazzling sunshine. Also, the weather couldn't have been better whenever we went sightseeing to the world-famous Antoni Gaudi's structures, which harmonized well with the city. Second, the food was great and one of them was paella. The guide book said it was a kind of sticky fried rice, so Koreans might like it. We tried three paellas with chicken, seafood, and squid ink. At first, I was reluctant to taste the squid ink one because it was completely black. However, it was so savory, contrary to my expectations. Now, it is one of my favorites and whenever I think of Barcelona, the first thing that comes to mind is squid ink paella. When we almost finished our meal, the waiter who served us came back and we started chatting. It seemed like he had forgotten that he was working as a waiter and became a student like us while we were talking. We shared our thoughts about the trip, our interests, our goals, and so many other things. After that, we went out for drinks at a bar and became friends. Barcelona was a perfect spot for me with the mild climate, sunny weather, and charming people who know how to enjoy tasty food from their fresh ingredients.

 

 

 Celebrating Chuseok in a Different Way

 

             Last October, three Korean girls put out their heads together to make a plan for coming Chuseok. Yunyoung, Jinyoung, and Jooyoung would normally spend time with their family to celebrate it, but those three girls were staying in London at that time. Finally, they decided to have a special party with their foreign friends. Jooyoung's place in Notting Hill was selected as the party venue and they started to get ready for the party by making some phone calls to invite their close friends. After inviting five friends, they went to Korean supermarket. They bought some chicken, rice cake, drinks, fruits, vegetables, and their favorite Häagen-Dazs strawberry cheesecake ice cream. Back in the kitchen, they cooked two main menus: Spicy Chicken Stew and Tteokbokki. Yunyoung printed the recipes out and they started cooking with the fresh ingredients. Even though they were not good cooks, they all did their best. When the food was sizzling in the pan, their friends arrived one after another. Their eyes were full of curiosity. "The food is ready," said Jinyoung. As soon as she finished her word, five hungry guests gathered around the table. One of them knew how to say Bon appétit in Korean, jal meokkesseumnida, so all of them spoke it in chorus and started eating. Fortunately, they really like the food and three novice cooks felt relieved and proud. After the dinner, they had some fruits and ice cream for dessert and stayed up all night talking and giggling. It was a bit far from the traditional celebration, but a perfect party ever in terms of having a meal with people who they care about so much.

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