2015 ESL Students Bring You the World by Rick McKinnon

ESL Students Bring You the World Volume 15

Essays, Stories & Cultural Insights South Puget Sound Community College English as a Second Language Department Spring 2015 Sponsored by Services and Activities Fees

Dear Reader, Although the students in the English as a Second Language program at South Puget Sound Community College come from all over the world, their common experiences and dedication to learning English bring them together. As teachers, we are honored to have students who are so caring and so interested in learning. We hope you draw as much inspiration from reading their stories as we have. Over a hundred students from 31 countries have shared their stories and essays here. The contributions are organized alphabetically by country of origin. Student biographies are listed in the About the Authors section at the end of the book. Students of the following ESL instructors contributed to this volume: Heather De Munn Deborah Dohrmann Caroline Hobbs Andrea Long Amy Metcalf Heather Williams Julie Williamson Edited by Heather De Munn Cover design by Sara Gettys A special thanks to Services and Activities Fees for sponsoring this publication. Commenting on the diversity of people and beliefs that make up the United States, former U.S. President (1977‐81) and 2002 Nobel Peace Prize Recipient Jimmy Carter said: “We have become not a melting pot but a beautiful mosaic.”

TABLE OF CONTENTS AMERICAN SAMOA……………………………………………………… BANGLADESH................................................................. BOLIVIA......................................................................... BRAZIL.......................................................................... CAMBODIA.................................................................... CAMEROON................................................................... CHILE........................................................................... CHINA.......................................................................... EGYPT…....................................................................... EL SALVADOR................................................................. GERMANY..................................................................... GUATEMALA................................................................. INDIA........................................................................... INDONESIA…................................................................. JAPAN.......................................................................... JORDAN....................................................................... LIBYA........................................................................... MEXICO........................................................................ MONGOLIA.................................................................... MOROCCO..................................................................... MYANMAR.................................................................... NICARAGUA................................................................... PERU............................................................................ PHILIPPINES................................................................... PUERTO RICO................................................................. SOUTH KOREA................................................................

5 6 6 7 7

11 11 12 19 20 22 22 23 24 24 25 25 26 36 36 37 38 39 39 40 41

THAILAND...................................................................... 47 UKRAINE........................................................................ 52 UNITED STATES................................................................ 52 VENEZUELA.................................................................... 53 VIETNAM....................................................................... 54

ABOUT THE AUTHORS....................................................... 65

AMERICAN SAMOA

ESL STORY By Rachel Ata I have never been the type of person to enjoy new beginnings, change, and starting over. I was living with my Mom, oldest sister and three younger sisters at the time. My Father decided to leave the island 4 years before us, along with my brother and other older sister, to seek the American dream. When he finally had everything situated here in the U.S., it was time for my mother, sisters and I to come along. On April 24, 2004, I was forced to make the biggest change of my life. I had just turned 18, fresh out of high school, awaiting to start my adult life at a place I have never seen. Leaving behind my home, my family, my friends and especially my beautiful culture. I was transitioning from a tiny island that is 76.83 mi2 (199 km2) to a state that is 71,362 mi2 (184,827 km2). I knew that the language wasn’t the only thing that was going to be different. Just like everything else in life, it takes time to adjust to changes and new surroundings. Took some time to get used to the food, weather and people. The change that took the most time to get used to, was accepting the cultural differences. As a Polynesian descendant from American Samoa, we grew up learning that, God is always first, family is everything and Respect is well‐known. Here, religion is a choice, respect is a foreign language and it’s every man for himself. Learning to accept what I cannot change became easier as years flew by. I’m 29 years old now, 4 days ago (4/24/2015) marked 11 years since I left my home. These past eleven years, I’ve gained so much knowledge and appreciation for new beginnings. This journey I started 11 years ago, lead to so many great opportunities, not only for me, but my family as well. A wise man once told me that “New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings.” Washington is now known as my second home, and continuing on the American dream, the ideal that every U.S. citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination and initiative. One thing that I will always take with me no matter where I might end up in life, is that I will never forget my culture, my traditions and especially my roots.

BANGLADESH MISSED MY BANGLA NEW YEAR By Tajuddin Mina Bangladesh is a small country in South Asia. We celebrate our own new year every year. It’s called Pohela Boishakh. On this day we Bengali people celebrate this day with a great joy. Many cultural programs are arranged on this day. Bengali girls and women wear colorful sarees and dresses. Men also wear new colorful Panjabi dresses. I remember my father bought me a new dress on our Bengali New Year day. On my childhood we lived at our village. It was the most enjoyable time in my life. People gather wear different colored masks, make color art on the face. The best part of our Bangla New Year is Panta Ilish food menu in the morning. It’s like rice with Hilsa fish, pickles (achar), lentils (dal), green chilies and onion. I miss my country and my culture. BOLIVIA FROM BOLIVIA TO THE UNITED STATES By Marcela Fernández Salazar I’m from Sucre, Bolivia. I was born on March 2, 1989. I graduated from Salesiana University at Bolivia with Psicomotricidad Licenciature. I met my boyfriend in 2014 and he lives here in the United States. Because of him I made the decision to come and we could be together. Now I’m living new experiences and I feel good. My really difficulty is the language, but I trust myself and I know that here at the ESL I will learn fast and finally I will speak English to communicate to other people including my boyfriend.

BANGLADESH / BOLIVIA / BRAZIL / CAMBODIA

BRAZIL MY FAVORITE FOOD By Anselmo Samuel Cabral In my country most people eat rice and beans at lunch. It is traditional Brazilian food, no matter what kind of beans. Beans have vitamins so they are good for us. Beans are also easy to cook using simple ingredients, depending on the type of food that people like. I like to eat rice and beans in all my meals. Rice and beans is basic food of the Brazilian population everywhere in the country. The most famous food in Brazil is called “feijoada.” It is black beans with beef and pork and we eat it on rice. THE REASON I CAME TO THE UNITED STATES By Daiane Ewonus Before I moved to the U.S.A., I lived in São Paulo, Brazil. I lived in São Paulo for 9 years. I was a hairdresser in São Paulo. Jordan, who is my husband now, went to Brazil three years ago, and we met in a restaurant. He went to Brazil to learn Portuguese, so he lived in Brazil for seven months. I wanted Jordan to live in Brazil, but he could not because he was working in the army and he had a further 4‐years contract in the army. I and Jordan started thinking about getting married, and after that I would live here in U.S.A. In July 2014 I came here and got married. I started studying English here and I have a lot of friends. I am happy here. I like this country, and I like to learn a new language; but I miss my family and my friends in Brazil. CAMBODIA SIEM REAP By Kry El In Cambodia Siem Reap is one of the most beautiful provinces with a lot of spectacular sceneries. In Siem Reap you can enjoy many parks and forests

where you can go hiking, bird watching, and camping. If you visit Siem Reap don’t miss the most amazing temples that are in the northeast of Siem Reap, such us Angkor Wat, Bayon, and Bonteay Srey where you can view incredible hand‐made statues that are very quaint. It also has picturesque mountains, fountains, and waterfall! Be sure to see Phnom Koulen National Parks. In addition, it has a lot of Cambodian traditional foods! Don’t forget Beef Lok Lak. So, if you plan for wonderful vacation, come to Siem Reap. MY LIFE IN THE USA By Lukman Lep I am from Cambodia. Now I moved to the USA 2 years ago. First, when I arrived in the USA I was excited because the USA is different language, culture, lifestyle my country. And when I stayed 2‐3 days I was very sad. I missed my family because I came myself and my family lived there. When I lived 2 months I was feeling happy. I knew people a lot. My neighbor is very good. They like me and they talk with me every day. And I applied to study ESL. Now I know English a little bit more than before. I was very happy and I like living in the USA. THINGS I MISS ABOUT MY COUNTRY By Mary Los My name is Mary Los, and I’m from Cambodia. As an immigrant of this country, I share many memories I have of my life from my country of Cambodia. Many of these memories are of family and friends, food, and different events and activities. Some of memories talk about the foods and memories of Cambodia. I remember eating such a different foods in my country. We also eat fish and rice for our foods. Grilled fish, fish soup, and fish cooked and seasoned in many different ways. We ate lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. Some fruits I used to eat in my country they don’t have here, I miss eating them. I miss getting fresh coconut from my backyard or store and drinking them. We also eat fresh chicken that we usually get from the farm or from the one we raise. We usually have to kill and pluck the feathers of our own. I enjoy eating our country’s different styles of food that are not in this country. I enjoy eating some of the homemade desserts my mother and grandma make. Some of

CAMBODIA

desserts can’t be made here because no ingredients. Last but not last, I miss my family. Growing up in Cambodia, I lived in very large family. My family included my parents, siblings, cousin, and other relatives in need of housing. Therefore, our house was always busy and included many other members in addition to my immediate family. It is pretty common to have lots of people in your family. THINGS I MISS ABOUT MY HOME COUNTRY By Sochantrea Matanane In 2008 I left my home country. My home country is Cambodia. Cambodia has nice weather and is a beautiful place. I have a big family. Every time we had a holiday celebration my family and I had so much fun all together. We danced, sold food and visited some places. I have a lot of different kinds of friends and coworkers. Some crazy, some funny, and some have a bad attitude. I miss Khmer food and my mom’s cooking. Also I miss so many fruits and vegetables. In the winter I miss seeing the rice fields. The rice fields are beautiful when they are green and later when they turn golden. I also miss my family parties. MY FAMILY’S STORY By Sopra Set I’m very happy to live in U.S.A. because it is freedom country. Right now I have a son named Samir. He is one year old. He walks a little bit. Sometime my son and my husband play outside. I’m happy with my family. MY FIRST DAY IN THE U.S. By Sawine Thongthip My first day in the U.S. was awful. I came to the U.S. on December 18th, 2005. This is the winter in the U.S. I came from a hot country. I didn’t have a warm jacket like American people have. So for me it was freezing. By the way, I was very sleepy because the time is about sixteen hours different. For example, in Cambodia, Friday 9PM in the U.S. is Thursday 7AM. So my idea is before you move to a new place you need to study it first to make it convenient for you.

MY NEW LIFE IN THE UNITED STATES By Tantavy Towa I am from Cambodia. I came to the United Sates on April 9, 2014. The first day when I came to the United States I was very sad because I worried about my life and missed my family. A few months later I still felt bad because I did not have some friends. My language was still bad. I couldn’t talk with everybody and I did not have job yet so I was very bored. I always stayed in the house because I couldn’t drive a car and missed my family and my friends so much. Now I lived in the United States 1 year. I feel so much better than the first time I came to the US because now I have friends, I have a job, I can speak some English, I can do something by myself, and I can make more money than in my country. MOVED TO U.S. By Juwariah Yunuff I moved to U.S. on 9/14/2004. The first year I came, it was really difficult for me because everything was so different from home country. Even my neighbors I couldn’t understand them, but I really like communicating with them. So at that time it was very difficult, and I was so sad every day, and cried, cried because I miss my family. When my husband went to work, I stayed home with daughter. I was so scared, and couldn’t go anywhere because I didn’t drive, and I didn’t have friends, but I was able to pursue patiently the challenges. So 9 years later in 2013 I was able to take ESL class, and I could understand English a little bit. I made lots of friends. After that, I felt better, so in 2014 I became a U.S. citizen, and 2015 I got a driver’s license. Finally now everything has changed. I am really happy with my sweetness husband, daughter, and my 2 sons. So my wonderful family and I really satisfied living in a freedom country.

CHILE MYTHOLOGY OF CHILOE ISLAND By Hardy Carcamo The Chiloe archipelago is located in southern Chile, between latitudes 41 and 43 south latitude, covers an area of 9181 square kilometers and has a population of 167,659 people. The origins of the Chiloe mythology are a mixture of old religions of the first inhabitants, Huilleches, Cuncos and Onas, pre‐Columbian inhabitants of the

CAMBODIA / CAMEROON / CHILE

CAMEROON MY JOB AS A CATTLE FARMER By Bako Danpullo My job was cattle farmer in Adamawa province. When a farmer marries, he gives the woman a three‐year‐old heifer. This is called Sadakh in Hausa language. Before the lady has a baby, the heifer has a calf. After the baby is born, the man’s family gives a one‐year‐old bull to the baby. The mother’s side gives a one‐year‐old heifer. Before the child goes to school, about four years old, the bull is five years old. The family sells the bull for 500, 000 francs (Central African CFA franc). The parents use this money to buy five bulls of one‐ year‐old for the child. The heifer is now five years old and had two calves. So now the child has eight cattle. Before the boy is eight years old, the five bulls are five years old and the family can sell them and buy 25 more bulls. Families do the same thing for all other children they have. Children are independent with the cattle and they don’t need to work for the government. When the child is 18 years old, he has 216 cows and he hires four workers – one for each 50 cows. Each worker gets a salary of 30,000 francs a month. Then the boy have to marry because the parents say you are free now. He marry and get a house and he can do for himself with his cows, to pay workers and buy food.

archipelago, and mythologies and superstitions, especially Celtic, brought by the Spanish and other Europeans. One of the most popular legends of the islands is a Caleuche. It is a ghost ship used by sorcerers night sailing both on the sea surface and below at high speeds and very bright. Aboard there are parties, dances and music whose noise attracts sailors who roam the islands and makes them into slaves. Another important figure is a Pincoya who is a goddess of the fertility of marine fauna. It is personified as a beautiful and seductive red hair blond woman, beautifully dressed, who lives with her husband Pincoy. They live in a constant state of joy and celebrating, being the bitter enemies. The Pincoy and Pincoya come to shore. He begins to sing a beautiful and strange song and she started a dance that slowly becomes a frenzied dance. If she dances in front of a hill, local beaches have no fish, but if she dances in front of the ocean seas there will be lavish numbers of fish. The third in importance is a Trauco, who is a short creature that is protected from the rain and sun with a conical hat made of Quilineja material which also makes a suit that protects his body. He catches lonely women in the forest and despite being a dwarf is very strong, carries a stone ax used to cut down trees with only three shots no matter the size or hardness of these. Optimism and faith in an ever better future, characterize the mentality of Chiloe. The sense of freedom and the defense of their traditions are elements basic to understanding this hospitable and brave people, marine and peasant, caring people and traditions. CHINA THE MID‐AUTUMN FESTIVAL By Anonymous The Mid‐Autumn Festival is a very traditional holiday in China. On that holiday you can see many kinds of lanterns. The lanterns usually are made of bamboo and paper. Put inside a candle or light bulb when night is coming. You can see lanterns on every street, just like Christmas.

CHILE / CHINA

Some lanterns are like animals, some like flowers, some like ships and houses. Many many kinds of lanterns on the street. My favorite lantern is the dragon lantern with dance. When the dragon lantern hears the firecrackers, the dragon comes with you to dance. A PLACE IN MY HOME COUNTRY By Biying Chen Mount Wuyi is one of the most beautiful places in China. It’s located in the Southeast of Fujian Province, China. There are many majestic peaks and unique views. Most people climb up the “Heavenly Tour Peak” and enjoy the view from the top. That is the best view in the area, so don’t miss taking panoramic pictures. Enjoy the bamboo rafting trip down the “Nine Bend River,” it’s the best way to tour the Wuyi Mountains. You’ll get to see huge rocks of different shapes and sizes. You will also get to see some “hanging coffins” in the large cracks in some of the gigantic rocks. They are more than 2000 years old. Still nobody knows how the coffins got there. This should not be missed! You must visit a tea farm and taste unique “rock” tea. It’s very famous in this area. Be sure to see the gorgeous “Water Curtain Cave”. It’s the biggest rock cave in the Wuyi Mountain scenic area. Go to the town where there are lots of food stands that make amazing cheap Fujian dishes. Also don’t forget to try the tea eggs. There are tea eggs hard boiled in tea available on streets everywhere in China, but at Wuyi Mountain, they are particularly good. You’ll need to spend at least 2‐3 days, and the best season to visit is from June to September. Anybody who loves the mountains and rivers and to see nature, come to see Mount Wuyi. A FUNNY LISTENING PROBLEM By Chenglan Fang I lived in United States since March, 2014. I didn’t speak a word of English when I first came to the USA so a few funny things happened. One day, apartment manager’s staff went to my home fix sink but he didn’t give notice beforehand. He knocked on the door and said, “I come from CYCLE (real estate name).” I thought, “What? He is psycho?” I thought CYCLE sounded like psycho. I was so scared and called my husband. He was still working. He said,

“I will send my friend to our home.” My husband’s friend Li came to my house later. But he came from office called CYCLE, too. So I decided to learn English well. I know learning English is very difficult but I never give up. MY LIFE IN CHINA By Qin Friend I have a happy family in China. I have one sister and one brother. My sister has one daughter and my brother has one son. I have one daughter. My father is 70 years old and he likes to drink and smoke. My mother died 13 year ago. I always miss her. She was very nice to everyone. She was a very happy person and everyone liked my mother. When it is New Year, my family had a party. I made sweet rice balls. This is our custom for our family reunions. My mother made fish every year for family to be prosperous the next year. We just really enjoyed delicious food. Then we talked about interesting things. Always we laughed together. The mood was very good. My job was an accountant in China, where I worked for a company that made and sold cakes and bread to many food stores. I liked my job and worked there for 12 years. After that, I changed my job and became a market manager. I liked this job very much because I got to work with people and make more money. I did this job for four years. After work, I liked going to eat with my friends. Some nights my friends and I would go out dancing. I enjoyed this very much. I liked to cook food. Every time after go to restaurant, I will buy food and learn restaurant cooking. Sometimes I need to try many time so I feel it is same restaurant taste. I like to learn new things. Each holiday, I was always with my family. We felt so happy and I enjoyed my life. BEST PLACES TO VISIT IN CHINA By Wei Yu Huang China is a beautiful and wonderful country. I love my country. Beijing is the capital of China. A lot of places are very formal. The Great Wall is one of them. The present preserved Great Wall of China is the major parts built in 14 century called Ming Great Wall. It starts in the Hushan in Liaoning province and

CHINA

ended in the eastern point Jiayuguan. The Great Wall is very, very big and tall. It was built long. People carried a lot of stones to the mountain. They didn’t have any machines, so they just used their hands and took the stones, one by one to the tall mountain. But The Great Wall is still strong now. Beijing has a lot of wonderful places, but I think The Great Wall is the best. So, if you come to Beijing, China don’t forget to come in and see Great Wall. MY LIFE BEFORE AND NOW By Jianping Krone I came to Olympia from China. In China I watched fireworks with my family for New Years Eve. We cooked many kinds of food and watched the celebration on TV. Now there are many things I enjoy in America. Sometimes my husband and I pick mushrooms in the forest. We take them home and eat them. In the summer we pick blackberries and also blueberries. Then we make pies and jam. I think Olympia is a wonderful place to live. NEW LIFE IN AMERICA By JL I’m from China. I came to the USA on August 22, 2011. My first day in San Diego was so sad and I was so hungry. When I arrived in the SD Airport I had many difficulties. I wanted to pick up my baggage. I went to the baggage claim and waited for my baggage. And then everyone took their baggage. I didn’t see it. You know, the waiting became almost unbearable. But my senior picked me up. He is from China. I told everything to him. I was very nervous. He said take it easy. Let me talk with customer service. Later he said I have to give them my information. “They will send it to you tomorrow.” Into the night I cried a lot for a long time because I live far from my parents and I was anxious about my baggage and slowly fell asleep. That’s my first day in the USA. On the second morning I got my baggage. I was very happy. Finally, I went to study at SPSCC. I met new friends. I learned to speak and listen and to write. I feel better they are very nice. I like to study here and enjoy my new life in the USA.

CHINESE LUNAR NEW YEAR By Jie Li Chinese Lunar New Year is the biggest holiday in China. This Celebration is the most important for people. People wish their family members and friends to be healthy and lucky during next year. People celebrate Chinese Lunar New Year by decorating red color, getting together and having big dinner with family. The color red is used by people to decorate house and most buildings. People decorate with red color paper‐cuts and couplets with popular themes of "happiness", "wealth", and "longevity" in the windows and doors. Pasting on the door large red Chinese character "fu" is very popular. The "fu" means good luck and fortune. The children usually get a gift ‐ red packs from their parents and grandparents that is lucky money. People would like to decorate red color because it is lucky color and means have a wonderful of New Year in China. People have a long time off because people will get together with family and would like to stay a long time with parents. No matter where the people are, they will catch up to go home on Chinese Lunar New year eve. Nowadays, many people and family would like to go travel with together in this holiday although maybe there is transportation trouble. It is a tradition of culture that people get together in Chinese Lunar New Year. Almost every family prepares a rich and big dinner on Chinese Lunar New Year eve. People watch TV, eat food and drink wine, because this is the happiest a day in a year. Dumplings are called Jiaozi, which are the most important food for Chinese Lunar New Year eve dinner. It means “Tuan Yuan” (circle) that hope our life will get perfection. The great dinners are shared with all the family members getting together on Chinese Lunar New Year eve. People decorate red color to welcome Spring Festival coming. People look forward to getting together with family and eating a rich dinner on Chinese Lunar New Year eve. When clock points to twelve, people light firecrackers that are lighted and sound everywhere. At the same time, celebrating Chinese lunar New Year is a beginning of New Year in China.

CHINA

MY NEW DAWN By Yijun Liu I came to the United States eight months ago from China with my daughter. Like most new immigrants who leave their home country, family, friends and job, we arrived in a completely different country. There are always many challenges and difficulties. My husband gave us a beautiful and warm house. My daughter had to start her high school life immediately. That was hard for her. Comparatively, I started my new life slowly after having a fast‐paced life in China. I became very dependent on my husband from being independent. I needed his help for everything. All because my English was not good enough, and because I couldn’t drive. I felt I lost my freedom and confidence. I felt depressed. I had to make a difference. First, I needed freedom of driving. To be honest, I feel nervous when I'm driving and my hands get sweaty. However, I had to overcome my psychological barriers because here not driving equals no legs. I studied very hard. As a result I got my driver's license. After that, I began my ESL courses. When I was done with the first course, I felt great. It helped me a lot, my English has greatly improved. Especially, I’ve met many new friends here. I go to parties, I go to church. And I keep going to the gym exercising 4 or 5 times a week. I have a fulfilling and happy life. My daughter also adapted to her school life, and she is doing a wonderful job. I am so grateful to my husband. He is my rock in hard times. I enjoy my new dawn and new life. I will continue to learn English to chase my long‐term goals! CHINESE NEW YEAR By Yan Ma My favorite holiday is Chinese New Year. Chinese New Year is not on January 1. Chinese New Year is the lunar new year. Fifteen days before the Spring Festival and 15 days after Spring Festival is very busy in China. In the New Year on this day we will get home to parents, brothers and sisters. All the family is together and my home has a lot of food. We will have new clothes. We will have fireworks. We will have a New Year party and the whole family will wait every year for the 12:00 bell sound. We will see various forms of New Year. In this day all of us are together chatting. We feel the warmth of the

family. We feel the family’s friendship. We have the same blood. We all have the same last name. We are concerned about each other and we are looking forward to the family reunion of the Spring Festival. This is the reason I love this day. We can certainly get together. This day represents the Chinese culture! HUI’S TRUE STORY By Hui Wang My name is Hui Wang. I am from China. I have lived in the USA since 2010. Here is a little of my true story in the United States. December 2, 2010 was my first day in the USA. Everything has been new for me. After three months, I met my husband. His name is Matt. He is a very gentle man. My life has changed. He has given me a comfortable life. We started dating. On May 20, 2011 we decided to get married, which meant that we have to make a new life together. We have very different cultures. When we just started our own life together, we had lots of trouble coming up. One day I finished my work at 9pm. (I ride my bike to work.) Usually he has to pick me up at 9pm. But he did not come. I called him many times. He did not answer. I was very upset. When I got home he was sleeping. The next morning, he told me “Sorry, I was tired.” He was very polite. I said “alright”. I didn’t know why at that time I was not angry anymore. But I do know right now because I love him. I have learned a lot of America’s lifestyle from my husband. Be patient, respect, be polite… I love him more than myself. Also I am happy that the Lord sent him into my life. FIRST DAY IN THE U.S. By Serena Xu Do you remember how you felt on your first day in the U.S.? I remember when the airplane just landed, I was very excited, although sitting for a long time on the airplane made me feel a little tired. Out of the airport, I sat in my girlfriend’s car to Chinatown. When I drove in the town, I felt like I was in China because most of the people are Chinese. There you can find Chinese supermarket, Chinese restaurants and whatever you want. At midnight, it is also busy. You also can do everything such as in the daytime. A little disappointing was the city is small and the buildings are not like China. Most of

CHINA / EGYPT

the buildings are townhouses. It’s very different from China. But I like the air there. The environment is very clean. EGYPT THE BEAUTIFUL FESTIVAL OF THE VALLEY By Nahed Elsobky The Beautiful Festival of the Valley was celebrated by ancient Egyptians. This festival was celebrated every year at the beginning of the summer. It was a celebration of the dead. It was a grand procession which could go for several days. It was colorful and joyous occasion for people who lived in Egypt. There was a special ceremony which had to be led by the king. People participated and sacrifice food, drink and flowers to honor their dead relative This procession was led by King Amun the king of the dead from the East of the Nile River to the West side of the Nile River, the land of dead. The King Amun traveled by ceremonial barge which was covered by gold. This festival was very important for ancient Egyptians. People who participated sacrificed food, drink and a lot of flowers. There were musicians and acrobats to entertain the people. Also the women played sistrums which are a kind of rattle instrument that makes a soft sound. A lot of flowers were presented. The Egyptian culture believed that flowers have a power of spirits. People took these flowers to their relatives’ tombs to pay their respects and ensure the revival of the deceased’s spirit. They spend the night on the deceased tombs to feel closer to them. In conclusion, Beautiful Festival of the Valley was a grand occasion for ancient Egyptians to honor their dead and bless them and bring them closer to god. EASTER HOLIDAY IN EGYPT By Hanan Hassan Easter is on April 21. We go to the beautiful gardens in Ismailia. We also go swimming on Easter at the beach. On Easter we also wear spring colors like green, yellow, red, and orange. We eat salted fish and colored boiled eggs. We

all eat these types of Egyptian foods like lupini beans, green onions, lettuce and arena green. EL SALVADOR THE IMPOSSIBLE By Lucy Cornejo The Impossible. It is one of the few nature reserves in El Salvador. A forest with a variety of trees, endangered animals and a number of trails that take you from one community to another. There are no roads on which vehicles arrive, only those paths that for centuries animals have made and with the passage of time men and women have used. I remember visiting this place for the first time when I was a teenager and when I left I was in love. I walked and walked until you reached the most momentous point, a bridge which lets the inhabitants of one village travel to another. That point to which I refer is the one that gives its name to the forest. A long time ago it was impossible to reach that point but now it is possible because of the bridge. In fact there is a handmade plate by a local resident, which reads as follows: WHAT WAS IMPOSSIBLE YESTERDAY TODAY IS POSSIBLE". And on each side is a precipice, where the vast, endless vegetation is lost in the mist. This story reminds me of my first lessons in English. Five years ago I thought that learning a new language was impossible for me; now that I'm at a more advanced level and I can say that today it is possible. A TRADITIONAL FESTIVAL By Ana Flamenco In El Salvador the biggest tradition is the festival and celebration of the Divine Savior of the World (El Salvador del Mundo). It is on August 5 and 6. It is the most important festival for everyone. Every year some people take vacations and visit their family to share food. Some people go to church. There is a parade in the town and a fair with games, food, folk dances, and art exhibitions. There are fireworks at night.

EL SALVADOR

MOTHER’S DAY By Maria Edilia Garcia Zavala In El Salvador, Mother’s Day is important in the schools. The students make a dance, act, and also have food and drinks. Also there are raffle tickets for mothers. To win prizes some children make or buy different types of presents like flowers, drawings, stuffed animals and others. At home they make a family feast full of special types of food. THINGS ABOUT THE AMERICAN LIFE THAT I LIKE OR APPRECIATE By Susana Mino I think this country has a lot of opportunities. You can have a good education in this country and you have many opportunities to study and work. If you live legally in this country you can bring your family. I appreciate this country because it is free and there are good opportunities for you and your family. I am a single Mother. I have two daughters. My oldest daughter is 17 years old. She will be graduating in June with an Associate’s degree from SPSCC. She applied to the University of Washington and she was accepted into the college. I am so happy for her. This is my American dream. My youngest daughter took the test for the running start program. She will be studying next September at the college. I am blessed to living in this country. We have liberties that other countries don't have. For example: Cuba or Venezuela which are communist countries. When somebody asks me about my American dream, my answer is I still believe in my American dream, it is to send my daughters to college. To become a Citizen in this country is also my American dream. I am still working very hard for my goals. I am grateful for living in this country. BEST PLACES TO VISIT IN MY HOME COUNTRY By Nelson Rivas El Salvador it is a beautiful country and is located in Central America all connecting with the neighboring countries of Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua. El Salvador is one of the countries in the region that has access only to the Pacific Ocean. Throughout the coastal areas there are many beautiful beaches to go to swim with family on vacations and special beaches for surfing.

We also have many mountains to go camping with the family and walking, climbing and all sorts of nature related sports. People would love to visit them once. We have many typical foods like pupusas. This kind of food is very famous worldwide. They are made from corn flour with ingredients such as chicharron, beans, cheese and allote. We also have the famous fried yucca which is a root that is extracted from the ground and it is very tasty meal. GERMANY OCTOBER FESTIVAL By Nathan Quick The October Festival is usually in the first week of October. It is a festival about celebrating the end of fall and the start of winter. It is not a religious holiday. On the Octoberfest, people drink beer, visit attractions and eat special German food. Germany is known for their great beers so everybody who visits has at least one beer at the festival and it’s served in a big “mast.” There are also a lot of attractions at the festival for kids and adults. Over 20 attractions are there to have fun. And finally, there is the food. Everybody knows Germany for “sausage” and “sauerkraut.” From little pretzels to big dinner everything is included. The Octoberfest in Munich is my favorite festival and everybody should be there at least once. GUATEMALA THE LIFE I HAD IN GUATEMALA By Vilma Loarca When I was a little girl, I lived in Barrberena Santa Rosa. I was a very happy girl because where I lived grew a lot of fruit. There were oranges, lemons, bananas, pineapples, melons, grapes, strawberries, coconuts and many other types of fruits. We also had coffee plants. Oranges, bananas, and lemons

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grow together with the coffee plants. I picked coffee beans for my job when I was young. There were also beautiful waterfalls and rivers. I loved to play in the rivers, and I enjoyed walking through the bushes. My family and I loved fishing at the rivers and we would catch a lot of fish, shrimp, and crabs. I enjoyed living in Guatemala until I came here. INDIA THINGS I MISS ABOUT MY COUNTRY By Venkata D. Nellore I am missing a lot of things from India: culture, family, friends, food (sweets, pickles, Spice Rice), traditional weddings, festivals, temples, traditional dress (chudidhar, saree) and famous places. I was born and brought up in south India near Hyderabad. Hyderabad is a capital city of Andhrapradesh. It is 6 hours travel from my home town either by car, bus, or train. I finished my schooling in my home town then I completed my masters in Hyderabad. It is a beautiful city and center point of AP. Most of the people like Hyderabad because it’s developed by education, IT, shopping complex, business, movies theaters, grand celebration for festivals. I had a lot of choices going to restaurant for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I celebrated my birthday with my college friends in restaurant. My sister and uncle families lived in Hyderabad. When I visit India meet every one. We miss them. India has a lot of historic temples and also uses different languages but south India speaks in Telugu but my national language is Hindi. When I was in India I visited Thirupathi for Lord Srinivasa, Shiridi for Saibaba, Srisailam for Lord Shiva, Kanipakam for Ganesh, Vijayawada for Durga, Badrachalam for Sri Rama. I have a state holiday for festivals. I miss my whole family. Each and every festival celebrates with family members in my home town. Recently I missed my cousin’s marriage. But my kids don’t know my culture. Slowly I will teach them. They miss their grandparents a lot. They can’t speak Telugu because they know English only.

INDONESIA BEST PLACE TO VISIT IN MY HOME COUNTRY, BALI ISLAND By Ningsih Boswell Bali Island is just one beautiful island out of 8,844 in my home country, Indonesia. Let me explain to you about Bali Island. Bali is a magical island and the most famous island. Bali blends spectacular mountain scenery and spectacular beaches. Bali is a unique island where its people still believe in Buddha. Hotels and resorts in Bali are really great with natural flowers in resort gardens that you might not have seen before. You can do many activities in Bali like swimming, jogging, running or people who like to do hiking have a lot of mountains with breathtaking sights. People who like skydiving, boating or just relaxing on the beach can do those things in the beach areas. There is a very famous Balinese dance. In most hotels and resorts while the guests are having dinner, they can watch Balinese dance. It is really romantic and they serve a lot of delicious food. Don’t ever skip seeing wood carving if you visit Bali because it’s very interesting and beautiful. People in Bali very often do a spiritual ceremony, where people bring any kind of food and they put it on the beach. This is the ceremony to say “thank you” to the Spirit that people believe takes care of Bali Island. Going sightseeing in Bali is very interesting and exciting. You might think your vacation is in heaven! JAPAN CULTURE SHOCK By Yuriko Syphard I was surprised that America has a lot of fast food restaurants. I knew American’s fast food is a lot of food for me, but I wondered about the size of the drink cup. I felt lucky because I can get a big hamburger and big drink cup. The American and Japanese cup sizes are different. Also customers in America refill their cup by themselves. I felt lucky again. Refills are awesome for me. I checked the difference between American and Japanese cup size. American large cup size is about 1.5 times Japanese large cup size. American medium cup size is

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bigger than Japanese large size. Japan has the smallest drink cup in the world. I came to love America. The American big cup size makes me feel happy. JORDAN THE LOWEST PLACE ON EARTH By Amal Basal The Dead Sea is the best place to visit in Jordan. It's called the Salt Sea, and it means "Sea Of Salt". The Dead Sea is the lowest spot in the earth; it's over 1,300 feet below sea level. It's located in the South‐West of the Jordanian capital Amman. From the Dead Sea properties there are a lot of salt minerals in the water. Because the water has 332 grams of salt water, nothing can live in the water. You'll see the shore of the sea is white, crystals of salt covering everything. Because of the extremely high concentration of dissolved salt minerals in the water its density is way more than that of plain fresh water which makes people float. And what this means is our bodies are more floatable in the Dead Sea. There are many hotels around the Dead Sea so you can sleep, take a shower and enjoy the view. The health centers are using the mud from the Dead Sea and use it for therapeutic and cosmetic purposes. These can help for the treatment of various skin diseases. The people came from all over the world to see it and to cure medical problems. LIBYA RAMADAN By Rema Alsahli Ramadan is a religious holiday. Muslims all over the world celebrate Ramadan every year for one month. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic Calendar and there is no specific time to when Ramadan starts. Ramadan sometimes comes in the winter but also spring, summer, and fall time. Moreover, Ramadan is the month when the Quran was sent down. Muslims in

Ramadan wish each other blessings for the holy month by saying “Ramadan Kareem”. During Ramadan, Muslims become closer to Allah in many ways. Ramadan is the month Muslims get closer to Allah by fasting, praying, reading the Quran and helping and feeding poor people. Muslims fast each day of the month, from sunrise to sunset. Muslims pray five times a day and one extra prayer after breaking the fast, reading the Quran from beginning to end throughout the month. Also, in this month the family gets together every other day to break the fast together and help each other to prepare the food. But some families get together every day. Ramadan is the best month in my home country, Libya, and for the Muslims all over the world because it makes you closer to Allah and your family. At the end of Ramadan, people start going shopping for new clothes for Eid‐al‐Fitr. This comes after Ramadan. Eid is the festival of fast‐breaking. Ramadan is the best month for all Muslims because Allah forgives people for their mistakes and people can get closer to Allah. By reading the Quran, praying, and fasting, people in Ramadan also forgive each other. MEXICO MY STORY IN MEXICO Anonymous I am from Mexico. I was born in Uruapan, Michoacán. I have two brothers Javier and Jesus. They are older them me. My dad was a policeman, but he is retired. My brother Jesus is a sales person in a company named BIMBO. He has two beautiful daughters. I have so much more family in Mexico than here in the United States. I have only a few uncles and cousins and my brother Javier here. MY SMALL EXPERIENCE IN CANCUN By Neyvi Aceves Seven years ago I lived in the beautiful state of Cancun Quintana Roo in México. Cancun is a very famous touristic place especially for the beautiful beaches. I remember my first day in Cancun was exciting because I went to see

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my sister because she had left home to go to Cancun a year before. That night was full of stars and I could smell the sea since come down from the airplane. When I lived there I used to help my sister in her business. We woke up early to prepare everything to go and sell food to the people who worked in the construction. After we finished selling food we enjoyed walking on the beach. Also when we had days off we visited many places like museums, lakes, hotels, parks, nightclubs and restaurants but mostly enjoyed the wonderful weather and beautiful sunrise. Unfortunately I only lived in Cancun for one year because I had to return to my hometown for family problems. But I will never forget my wonderful experience in this place that helped me to meet different people and lifestyles. MY FAVORITE FOOD By Dalia Díaz The tlayuda is the crisp corn tortilla with pork fat (asiento), beans (frijoles), cabbage (repollo), Oaxaca cheese (quesillo) and meat (carne) on top and served with salsa and quacamole. This is my favorite food because I eat it sometimes. This is appetizer or snack for some people but for many people this is meal. I invite you to try it. TRADITIONAL MUSIC OF GUADALAJARA By Bertha Alicia González Sánchez Guadalajara is the beautiful city in Jalisco state. Guaddalajara is elegant city with history and traditions. Very representative is the music “mariachi” and “tequila.” Mariachi is recognized symbol of Mexico for Mexicans. It is very important in the culture. It is traditional for serenades at midnight and family events such as birthdays and baptism. The mariacheros dance and they play our traditional music. They make good atmosphere in our celebration and make dances for people to participate. The traditional music is on May 10, Mother’s Day celebration. Mothers listen in the early morning to “las mañanitas” and the children present flowers, to celebrate moms in their day.

I really like the mariachi. I can highly recommend them for any celebration. DAY OF THE DEAD By Luis Amado Gordillo Balderrama The Day of the Dead is a traditional celebration in Mexican culture that takes place on November 2nd of each year. This special day is to honor and remember our ancestors who died. To celebrate the day of the dead, people make different kind of food, altars, parade and a big mass. People make a special altar at home with flowers and candles to put the pictures of all ancestors who died. Then they offer different food, drinks and bread that was the favorite of the people who died. Then people go to the church to do prayers for the eternal rest of all dead. After the mass, many people participate in a big parade where the people are wearing costumes like skeletons and masks like skulls painted with different colors and dancing with joyfulness for their ancestors. After preparing altars and going to church and the parade, all families go to the cemetery to put flowers, candles, and food over the tombs of their dead. Then they make prayers. Some families bring the mariachi to the cemetery to sing the songs that were the favorites to the person who died. The traditional Day of the Dead symbolizes the family union in the Mexican people who remembered with happiness and joyfulness all our ancestors who come to join us just for that special night and before the breaking down their souls going back to the place where they rest in peace. THINGS I MISS ABOUT MY COUNTRY By Fernando Griego Hello my name is Fernando and I am from Mexico, I live in U.S. for 22 years. When I came from my country I was young, I was 19 years old, but I remember some things. When I was a child, I played around with my friends all over the desert. We would play with birds, rabbits and squirrels. We ran everywhere, especially on weekends. It all ended when we grew up. I remember those things, but

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everything is over because we have to work. When we were children we did not worry about anything. As we grew, we took our own paths. I do not know where my friends are and they do not know where I am. We have to enjoy life, it passes in a flash. For that reason, we have to share our life with those around us and be good people helping others, because the life is passing and we do not realize. Let’s help others live in a better world. THINGS I MISS ABOUT MY COUNTRY By Viridiana Hilario Heredia What I miss about my country is the most important people in the world, my family. I haven’t seen them in twelve years. I see them in pictures, videos, etc. but in person it’s been twelve years and for a long time I haven’t held them. I miss them a lot, but what I miss the most is my immediate family: brothers, sisters, especially my mom and dad. I miss her food. She has a special seasoning when she cooks. I really miss my mom’s food. Some other things that I miss are places I used to visit when I was there. I miss my old friends. At Christmas time we celebrate Christmas totally different than here. I hope I can go back soon. I will visit places I used to visit when I was there. Of course, I will eat my mom’s food and other kinds of food we don’t have here. MEXICO CITY By Fernando Iglesias Sánchez In Mexico City the life is very fast. We live in stress all day. The city has big streets and historic buildings. For example the Palace of Chapultepec. In the palace lived Maximiliano and Carlota. The traditional sports are soccer and boxing. Mexico City has two big stadiums and a boxing place. The food is delicious and hot, and traditional for example pozole, menudo, migas, carnitas, tamales. In the night the historic center is under a thousand lights green, white, and red colors.

LEARNING ENGLISH By Benjamin Martinez My name is Benjamin Martinez. I was born and raised in Mexico. I’ve been living in the USA for fourteen years. I thank God for the opportunity of letting me come to this great country, where there are more opportunities to succeed financially and academically. Looking back at my first year in the United States, I remember when I didn’t speak any English at all, it was pretty scary, but I really had to push myself to learn it at any cost, because not speaking English wasn’t an option for me. In my opinion, people that move to this country should learn to speak English. Even though learning a new language can be hard and frustrating, the benefits are even greater, because it helps you to get a better job or a better position at work; it helps you socialize with people in a confident manner. By the way, once people find an easy way to learn English, it can be really fun. The way I learned most of my English was by watching my favorite TV show called “Smallville”, but of course there is nothing better than studying English in a real classroom and especially with a really good teacher like Heather Williams. COMING TO AMERICA By Damian Mendoza I am from Mexico. I came to the USA in 1999 when I was 19 years old. I was scared and sad because I missed my family. I lived in California for 4 years. I learned to work that made me feel more comfortable because I met new people. I have friends now, but I moved to WA and had to start all over again. I met my wife. She is an American. She helped me learn English. Now we share two cultures. She doesn’t speak Spanish. She cooks American and Mexican food for our family. We celebrate both Mexican and American holidays. My family likes to travel to California to visit Disneyland. We work very hard everyday so we can have a good life in America.

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HIDALGO By Isidro Mendoza Rojas In Hidalgo on holidays is New Year. My mom cooks posole, tamales and cakes. The music is romantic, mariachi, cumbia. All people dance in the discotec. In my family the birthday sometimes is very happy and beautiful. THE DAY OF THE VIRGIN OF GUADALUPE IN MEXICO By Laura Navarrete Since many years ago in my home country every year on December 12 is the day of Virgin of Guadalupe, Mother of God. Early morning exactly at 8:00 am, many people gather more or less 5 miles from the church. People singing and praying walk all the way until they get to the church. People keep singing in the church and the Mariachi sings the Mañanitas and several songs for the Virgin. When the Mañanitas ends, everybody celebrates with a mass. There are many masses throughout the day. They finish the day at 10:00 pm with the burning of castle where the image of the Virgen appears. Most people gather in the square to see the castle. When the castle finishes, the people go home. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MEXICO AND THE UNITED STATES By Eli Ortega Mexico and the United States have some differences. First, in Mexico when you go to put gas in your car you don’t need to get out of your car. There is somebody outside of the gas station a person who works for the company. But, here in the United States I have never seen a person outside of the gas station. Nobody helps to put gas into your car. Second, I lived in Mexico for over thirty‐three years and never saw snow fall. But here in the United States, every year I have seen snow fall. I also love Mexico for its weather it’s not hot not cold. I also love its food that is natural and you can eat one meal for $4 dollars.

LEARNING ENGLISH By Keyra Perez My name is Keyra Perez, I am from Mexico City. When I was a teenager I traveled from Mexico to California. But when I was 15 years old, my mom decided to stay in California and I started school in 9th grade at Santa Fe High school. We were in a special program called ESL which was for people don’t speak English and have special classes with bilingual teachers. Most of the classes were a nightmare because were not bilingual and some of the students were really cruel. I remember in one class we had a project in a group and nobody wanted to work with me because I was in ESL program. When I tried to ask students that I knew spoke Spanish, they looked at me like they didn’t understand me. It was hard sometimes. Students laughed at my pronunciation when I tried to say something. So, instead of wanting to learn, I started to hate it. My mom then got really sick and I had to drop the school because I had to start working to help mom. I started focus on working instead of continue learning English, now I realize that I was wrong on my thoughts because I decided to not speak English for many reason. I was totally wrong because I was ashamed or angry because mom brought to me to California, etc. It is not an excuse I realize that I blocked myself to not learn English Now I realize how important is to learn more than one language, to be able to communicate with different kind of people. In Mexico we used to say it’s never too late. That is why after a while I come back to school to finish my high school and of course learn English. THINGS THAT I MISS ABOUT MY COUNTRY By Guadalupe Perez‐Trejo The following things are what I miss about my country Mexico. I miss my many relatives that still live in Mexico, but I especially miss my sister and nephews. I also miss the delicious food of my country and my favorites are the little fruit stands because they always have fresh fruit. I lived in a very small town in Mexico so almost everybody knows each other and they’re very friendly people. I really miss my friends that I have known since kindergarten and we grew up together.

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I also miss Mexico’s weather because it is almost always warm and sunny. I hope my children love Mexico as much as their mother does. THE DAY OF THE DEAD By Benjamin Quevedo The Day if the Dead is considered very important for all Mexicanos. The first of November celebrate the soul of the child. The second of November for the soul of adults. People make altar and decorate it with many flowers and put favorite food, drinks, and the photos of the person who died. OAXACA By Dalia Ramirez My country is Mexico. The traditional food is mole, enchiladas, posole, tamales. The music is banda, mariachi. In my city Oaxaca, mole is traditional. Grasshopper is a little animal. It’s a snack. The grasshopper is a little spicy. For fruits, there are very good mangos, watermelon, bananas, coconuts, nanches, and pitayas. The animals are beef, pork, chicken, shrimp, and sheep. In Oaxaca there are many beaches. The water is so clear and warm and the sand is soft. The weather is very hot in Oaxaca. For me the weather is good. I like the people, they are nice. The people are short. This is my city. MY GOALS MADE ME STRONG By Anabey Salgado I left my parents’ house and my school when I was 16 years old. I moved to live with my boyfriend, and after a few months we came to the U.S. It was so hard for me because I was too faraway from my family in a different country with a different culture. The most people in the U.S. speak English, a language that I didn’t know, so my greatest wish became to go to college to learn English, but it was impossible for me because I didn’t have the support that I needed. I had a lot of personal problems that made it impossible to do my goal, but my goal was always on my mind. After 10 years living in California, I moved to Washington

State. By then, I had two daughters already, and I took them with me. I separated from my daughters’ father. After 2 years in WA state, I could get started my school. I was very happy, and when I sat in front of my teacher the first day I couldn’t believe I was doing my goal already. I said to myself, nothing is easy, but when you fight for what you want, you can do it. Now I’m single mother. I live with my daughters. I make my own decisions, and I have the opportunity to go to college. I feel sure about myself, and I have my family near me. I want to continue studying to achieve my goals. It is not easy, but I know I can do it. Everybody can do it. Always fight for what you want no matter how long it takes you. HARD DECISION By Francisco Santes When I made a decision to come to the USA it was very hard for me because all my family is in Mexico. When I arrived in Olympia Washington State I was learning and working. I had many difficulties because I need to learn English for communication. I only spoke Spanish and I want to learn English. Finally I couldn’t drive a car so I could go anywhere. I am comfortable in America like when I lived in my country but I miss my family. I want to come back to my country. SAN ISIDRO ANNIVERSARY By Xochitl E. Luna Sierra The celebration of a beautiful small town called San Isidro that is located in Oaxaca, state of Mexico is a big “fiesta” for people that live close to this town. They wait every year for this event that is from May 12 to May 14. You can go and see how the small church is decorated by the people from the town. You can have the opportunity to eat the food that the women prepared for everybody, to hear the music, see the dancers and just have a good time. Below I’m going to write about three important parts that make it possible. The first part of this celebration starts when the small church is dressed by people from the same town. The saint from this church is called “San Isidro” which is the reason for the name of the small town and is why this fiesta is in honor to him. Each year 3 or 4 people select a “Mayordamo” a person that is in

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charge of the decoration of the church. You can see flowers colorful paper, fabrics and materials that make it look beautiful. This event occurs one day before in May 12. The second part is food, of course. The women of San Isidro start the preparation of the meals many days before on May 13, really early in the morning everybody has this big breakfast and Mexican bread, hot chocolate and soup for lunch. They have pozole or mole for dinner or a different dish, and you always need to have coffee with it. Everybody is invited without telling them. One of things that I really like is that many people help, even the small kids, who are happy to do it. It is why this anniversary is so great. The third part is about a dance called “La Danza de los diablos” that means “The Devil’s Dance”. This traditional dance is a fake battle between good and bad. It is performed by 12 or more dancers. They wear red costumes that have shiny garments, masks and spades. When they are dancing, everybody gets around them to watch and to enjoy it. All of this happens in “The plaza” a space in front of the church because it is in honor of San Isidro Saint. We celebrate this saint and sometimes this celebration looks like a parade, but it is not. It doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy this fiesta and the process to make it possible, like the colors inside of the church, the food and the beautiful dance. I invite all of you to visit San Isidro, Oaxaca and have an amazing time in his anniversary. WHAT I MISS ABOUT MEXICO By Estrellita A. Villegas I miss México because all my family is there. I miss the food. I am from Guadalajara, Jalisco. The most traditional dish is tortas ahogadas. I miss so much the parks, where I can go walk for hours. There is a very big tree and falls. The parties there are so different than in the USA. The people can be outside making much noise and can dance in the streets when there are parties and nobody says anything. These are the things I miss the most from my country.

THE VILLAGE FAIR By Mode Zamora In my little town the name Cruz Grande from May 1st to 6th the village fair is held because May 3rd is the birthday of the town. This holiday there are rodeos, horse races, fireworks and a local beauty contest. The people make the typical foods. On May 3rd there is a baptism mass and each house has a party. It is the most awaited and important holiday for all the villagers. For the closing of the fair there are famous bands and people celebrate all night and the next day everyone will spend the day on the beach which is only ten minutes from the town. When the fair ends the people return to their daily work. MONGOLIA BEST FRIEND By Bobby Setevdorj My best friend name is Puujee. My friend and me neighbors. We was born 2 days apart. When we grew up before school always play together. Then we start same school but different class and we go to school get off school always together. 10 years finish school. After school me and him went to Mongolian army. Also me and him different army, and always keeping touch. When we finish army back to hometown. Then we moved to capital city Ulaanbaatar. We start university and different school. Then he married and I married. Then I left Mongolia over 10 years ago my friend he living Mongolia, and he have children and I have children. We still best friend always keeping touch talk on the phone, text message. We are still best friends. MOROCCO TO BE A MOROCCAN MUSICIAN IN THE US By Brahim Hikmi I came to the US on April 28th 2014. I have always loved music and I still do. I worked as a musician for almost six years. Music was my profession, and

MEXICO / MONGOLIA / MOROCCO / MYANMAR

even though I studied to be a graphic designer I followed my passion instead. I had a happy life. I could pay my rent and food and save up to travel once a year sometimes twice a year only from playing music. Music was everything to me; it kept me creative and happy. Even when I had hard times I would write a poem and turn it into a song and play it for my own joy. I remember many of my Moroccan and non‐Moroccan friends told me that I was lucky to have followed my passion and could make a living by playing music and that they wished they could do it in the countries where they lived. But I never really understood why they couldn’t do the same wherever they lived. But when I came to the US, I was shocked. I found a lot of musicians everywhere, and when I started talking to some local musicians and asked them about how it is to be a musician in the US I realized that I couldn’t have music as a job anymore. It is so hard to make a living out of playing music. But I liked the different kinds of music here in Washington. I am also enjoying learning new styles of music. And now I am studying to get a degree in graphic design so I can have a better job to be able to support my new little family. MYANMAR BEST PLACE TO VISIT IN MY HOME COUNTRY “BAGAN” By MuMu Hlaing There are many famous places in Myanmar. I would like to recommend that if you are planning to travel in Myanmar in the future time that you should visit the Bagan. The place is in the middle part of Myanmar. The area is 40 square miles (104 km2) in the Bagan plains. Bagan was founded in the middle of late 9th century by the Mrama (Burmans). The place is an ancient city and has 10,000 Buddhist temples and Pagodas. There are many attractive and you might see amazing architecture. Most of the pagodas and temples were built by bricks and concrete blocks. Many famous temples and Pagodas were built by the dynasty of Bagan kings. There are paintings about significant Buddhist stories inside the walls and ceilings of the buildings. Some temples were decorated by glazed plaques outside of the temples. Furthermore, you can ride a horse cart for sightseeing one temple to another. This is the way to visit interesting places

in Bagan. It is popular to ride a hot air balloon flying over a pagoda in Bagan. Most of tourists and Burmese people are interested to buy lacquer ware at the souvenir shops in Bagan. Because these are particularly designs that are handmade. You may take a bus, train, and airplane and river boat from Yangon to Bagan. It is about 450 miles away from Yangon. We are welcoming in Myanmar and we wish you visit to Bagan. NICARAGUA WHY I CAME TO THE UNITED STATES By Nelson Rodriguez I am from Nicaragua. In 1989 I came to the United States. I was running from all the problems we have in my country. The persecution was terrible. We were forced to belong to the army, in difficult moments because the country was in civil war. We also have a lot of political problem, and when I finished the military service, I decided to escape because I didn’t want to do bad things. When I left my country I had a lot of things on my mind, and I tried to focus on my dream. One dream was to buy a house in this country, and thank God, I did it. The other was to look for new opportunities and try to find a very good job. I wanted something I liked and that paid well. In addition, I wanted to help my family because I was there and I saw all the difficult situations they experienced. Now, I am here and I have all the things I had wished for. NICARAGUAN FOOD By Marlon Salamanca The gallopinto is one of the most famous traditional foods of Nicaragua. It is made with rice, beans, oil, and onion. It is one of the main dishes. Most people eat it every day. You can eat it for dinner or breakfast. Ninety percent of the population eat gallopinto more than once every day.

MYANMAR / NICARAGUA / PERU / PHILIPPINES

PERU FESTIVAL FOOD “MISTURA” By Ana María Rubina In Lima in the month of September of each year starts the festival. The festival is the most important of culinary arts in Latinoamerica. There are a lot of food of three regions of Peru, also has countries visit. A lot of people travel to Peru for this festival. The best restaurants serve food on the street. The typical food is “Pollo a la brasa”, “Anticuchos”, “Lomo sallado”, and ceviche. At night has concert, typical Peruvian music and the people drink “pisco sour” Peruvian drink. The festival is during one week. PHILIPPINES THE BEST PLACES TO VISIT IN MY HOME COUNTRY By Merra Nicolas The best tourist attractions are located in my home country, the Philippines. Three well known places are Bohol, Palawan, and Tagaytay. They are frequently visited by tourists because of their closeness to nature. In Bohol, an island which is a paradise for those who are seeking adventure, they can “zip line” through the air. Fascinating wild birds are flying freely in the air. Fine island foods are served on a river vessel with 100 people capacity. After the boat stops, a group of entertainers entertain the visitors with cultural singing and instrument playing. Next, is Palawan. It is an island separated from the main ones: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The weather in this part of the world is hot and summer the whole year round. It is surrounded by green forest and inviting beaches. Not a long ride from the airport is the “Underground River”, which has been voted as one of the Seven Wonders of the World and can be explored

using a small boat. Stalagmites and stalactites have naturally formed inside the long cave possibly millions of years ago. My husband and I toured these places in 2013. Tagaytay was one of them. It is a fascinating city located close to the top of a mountain. People’s simple living reminds me of General Santos City, my hometown. The fresh seafood was fantastic; anyone who visits should try them all. With its friendly atmosphere and improving economy, Tagaytay should not be overlooked by tourists, visiting this peaceful city on a mountainside. MY FAVORITE FOODS By Gundina Ramos I come from Cebu city. In the market I can buy mangoes, pineapple, watermelon, grapes, and strawberries. In my garden I grow apples. I like to eat chicken with rice for breakfast. I like to eat hot dog sandwich for lunch. I eat fish soup or fish and rice for dinner. Sometimes I eat hamburgers with vegetables for dinner. I like to drink water and orange juice. PUERTO RICO PUERTO RICAN TRADITIONAL DISHES By Glorymar Díaz The traditional dishes of my country at Christmas are rice and beans, roasted pork and fried pork. The desserts are tembleque and arroz con dulce. Tembleque is made with milk, coconut, and sugar. Arroz con dulce is made with rice, milk, cinnamon, coconut, and brown sugar. The typical drinks are sangria and pitorro. The sangria is made with fruits and different liquors. The pitorro is made with fruits, meat, raisins, and liquors. It is stored underground in a bottle for another year.

PHILIPPINES / PUERTO RICO / SOUTH KOREA

MY FAVORITES By Ashley C. Soto Vidal My favorite music in my country is the bachata. I like dance the music in the party with my family. The instrument guitar we use by the Christmas party. With the guitar we do music for dancing also. My favorite food in Puerto Rico is the traditional food which is rice with beans, sucking pig, macaroni, salad, etc. The beaches are very beautiful. The water is transparent and I can look at the fish with different colors. SOUTH KOREA MOVING TO THE UNITED STATES By Anonymous I will tell you about my decision to move to the U.S. I visited the U.S. with my family fifteen years ago. We rented a car and drove from L.A. to Seattle. We visited several National Parks, Disneyland, Universal Studios, etc. We had good trips. The places we visited were very beautiful, very clean, and quiet. We loved it here. When we went back to Korea, we missed the U.S. In Seoul, my children had to study hard every day. My husband had to work hard every day. I made a suggestion for my family that we should move to the U.S. Everyone agreed but made another promise to each other that we will go back to Korea after ten years. Now, my daughter graduated university and my son is studying in university. Sometimes, they tell me “Thank you, Mom. You gave us the opportunity to study in the U.S.” I am very happy because my family is happy and healthy. SEOLLAL By Hyeyon Faber Seollal is one of the biggest national holidays in Korea. It is the Lunar New Year Day: January 1st of the lunar calendar. People pray for family’s health throughout the upcoming year. Everyone gets together and eats the traditional food. The main dish of the days is tteokguk (made from rice) with mandu

(dumpling) soup. Koreans eating tteokguk means it adds a year to a person’s age. When I was little I told my mom, “I want one more tteokguk soup, because I can add a year or two more to my age.” After the meal, younger generations of the family give money to their elders with a deep bow of respect called sebae. Then elders offer their blessing and wishes and money to the younger generation. Many people live away from their home, but people get together with family to celebrate Seollal, Lunar New Year Day. KOREAN HOLIDAY CHU‐SEOK By Kyung Sook Kang Each country’s holiday reflects its history and tradition. Chu‐Seok is one of those holidays in Korea. It is on the fifteenth of August by the lunar calendar when the full moon lights up the night. On this special holiday, all of the family members who might be living in far places gather together at their parents’ house. To celebrate the holiday Chu‐Seok, people do several things such as holding an ancestor service, eating Song‐Pyeon, and wearing traditional clothes. On Chu‐Seok, there is plentiful harvest. In belief that their ancestors helped them on the harvest, people always thank their ancestors. So, in the evening before the holiday, all of the families prepare variety of foods. Among all the foods, they choose only the ones that were cooked first and that are best quality, and put them on a table for ancestors. After that, everyone holds an ancestor memorial service. Some people also visit their ancestors’ grave with some foods and hold an ancestor memorial service there. These services are done because they are customary, not for religious reasons. On the holiday Chu‐Seok, there is diversity of delicious foods that they wouldn’t usually eat. The biggest and most well‐known food for this holiday is Song‐Pyeon. Song‐Pyeon is type of rice cake. In order to make Song‐Pyeon, you first knead dough made of rice flour with hot water. Next, you take a piece out and flat out the dough and put in many kinds of harvest to the dough. Some of the harvests could be beans, chestnuts, or sesame with honey. Finally, you wrap the dough around the harvest and steam it with pine needles. Especially on Chu‐Seok, many people wear Han‐Bok, which are traditional Korean clothes. Han‐Bok is very colorful. The style of Han‐Bok is different for men, women, old people, and children. The special clothes bring out the festive

SOUTH KOREA

mood to people. Han‐Bok is not a costume that people could design themselves and be creative. This clothing is something that you wouldn’t normally wear in everyday life. It is just traditional Korean clothing. As it was explained above, the holiday Chu‐Seok is the most Korean‐like holiday. With all of the families gathered together, by thanking the ancestors, eating special foods, and wearing traditional Korean clothing, they enjoy the holiday. The holiday will always have the biggest and brightest full moon of the year on the sky. That bright full moon represents the abundance of harvests. Personally, I love the full moon on Chu‐Seok. Therefore, whenever I see a full moon in America, that moon reminds me of Chu‐Seok. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN KOREAN HOSPITAL AND U.S. HOSPITAL (OB/GYN) By Nara Kim I have been here almost 9 months. I and my husband adjust to U.S. new environment, and we like new life. By the way I am expecting a baby. We tried to have a baby, but we weren’t able to have a baby for years. We really happy about new life and baby. We had an appointment at the doctor’s after 10 weeks. I felt difference between OB/GYN in Korean hospital and in U.S. hospital. First, Korean hospitals don’t have an appointment, but U.S. hospitals must have an appointment. So Korean hospitals don’t have cancelation fee, but U.S. hospitals have cancelation fee. If I can’t go to hospital, I must call to hospital 24 hours in advance. If I don’t call, I will receive bill from hospital. This is cancelation fee. Second, Korean OB/GYN have many kinds of medical tests and most of them are compulsory. Although I have health insurance, my visit costs a lot of money each time. U.S. hospital also has many kinds of medical tests, but they aren’t compulsory. They only do necessary medical test. Last, emergency rooms are different. Korean E.R. was very fast and cost a lot of money, but U.S. E.R. I waited for a long time and they observed rules in handling patients. Although they have good bedside manner, I waited for a long time. Finally, I was satisfied in the U.S. hospital, and I felt comfortable. I thought Korean hospitals need improvement. Although I have to ask

interpreter, I like U.S. hospital. I and my husband are waiting for baby. Just the thought of it makes my heart flutter. BLACK DAY OF KOREA By Insook Lee Everyone knows Valentine’s Day and White Day are for couples and lovers. Then how about singles? Isn’t there any day for singles? There is a day for singles in Korea, which is called Black day on which singles do some stuff with black color. Why black? People can have a misconception with the name of Black. “Is it maybe for a day of Death?” No. It’s for singles. It’s not a traditional one. It’s a new custom that settled just about a decade ago. It’s said this day is for comforting singles who could not get any sweet things on Valentine’s Day (2‐14) or White day (3‐14). Black day is in the following month on the same 14th day. It’s April 14th (4‐14). On the day of Black, singles eat black food noodles called jja‐jjang myeon. For Black drinks, what they have is like black coffee, and they have dark chocolate instead of the sweet chocolate that symbolizes Valentine day. Black noodles are very popular food in Korea. Why this day is called Black is half relied on this food. It’s so fast to cook and cheap enough that people who don’t have money can still enjoy with their friends and family. There are several fast eating competitions in some Black noodle restaurants. In Korea, those restaurants are Chinese cuisine. So, Koreans say Black noodles are a Chinese food. However, it’s said that actually there is not such a food in China. It’s kind of Chinese, but Korean food that exits in Korea and with Koreans. Moreover, singles are supposed to wear black clothing and black shoes. It’s for exposing themselves as singles. Therefore singles recognize other singles with black clothing. Then what? Finally, the Black day’s purpose is here: after recognizing each other singles with black clothing, they can get along together. They could see each other eating black noodles at a restaurant. Maybe they could eat together. And they might go to a café to have black drink together. It’s said if someone spends good time on Black day, the person would get his or her new date SOON (!) for some sweet things on next Valentine’s Day or White Day. Furthermore, the 14th of the next month (5‐14) is Yellow day. For what? It’s a day of Yellow clothing and food like curry. What is it for? It’s for

SOUTH KOREA

singles who cannot find a date yet for a month after Black day. But for lovers, it’s the day of Roses. The lovers give a bunch of roses for their lover, just in Korea. RESIDENTIAL CULTURE By Kyung Ja Lee In South Korea there are many people living in apartments. In old times, they had lived with extended family. About four generations usually lived together. Because grandparents, parents and brothers and sisters and aunt and uncle and also grandchildren lived in the same house, they needed a big house. But nowadays, apartment is very convenient for smaller family. Because there is a dedicated administration office which takes care of monthly payment details, people just pays them and don’t need to worry about the payment detail. Living in an apartment in the city is very convenient and it also maintains the price of the property very well. MY BIRTHDAY PARTY By Moosin When I was in Korea, my son held a seventieth birthday party for me. The traditional custom of Korea is the birthday celebration is every ten years from sixty years of age. This probably seems the ancient traditional culture, created to celebrate the longevity of their parents. My birthday is in July by the lunar calendar. It’s about August by the solar calendar. So my birthday is very hot in summer, but it was not a problem because the party was held at the restaurant called 63 Building Buffet. 63 Building is famous in Korea like Empire State Building in New York. My son invited all my family and my best friends, about sixty people. Quiet classical music played by the Chamber Orchestra was sweet. All participants ate the food, laughed and had interesting conversations. It was the most unforgettable present I have ever received. KOREAN NATIONAL HOLIDAYS By Hye Ryeon Na I want to introduce Samil Independence Movement and Independence Day in Korea because I’m concerned about our country’s sovereignty and these

two holidays are related to Korea’s independence from Japan. First, the Samil Independence Movement occurred on March 1, 1919. Korea was colonized by Japan for 36 years. Japan took away our grain, ethnicity and freedom so our ancestors suffered from Japan’s persecution. Lots of people tried hard to take back our sovereignty. Koreans performed the movement to protest on March 1, 1919. The Korean government made the day a national holiday in 1949. Second, Korea was deprived of the country’s liberty and rights by Japan in 1910. The U.S. dropped nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August, 1945. When Japan surrendered, Korea was able to become independent and take back our freedom. To celebrate, the Korean government made Independence Day on October 1, 1949. Therefore, Independence Day of Korea is celebrated on August 15 every year because Japan surrendered on August 15, 1945, but on the same day, Korea because independent from Japan. BEST PLACE TO VISIT IN MY HOME COUNTRY By Heejin Park Hello, my name is Heejin Park. I’m from Korea. I was born in Seoul. I have been here since 2010, almost four and a half years. I would like to introduce a place in my country. I went to Jeju Island three times. It is the best, most beautiful island. They have fresh seafood and big trees. They dive into the deep sea for seafood near Jeju Island. And also, they have Chocolate Museum on Jeju Island. It is the best place in my country. MY COUNTRY By Young Su My country is so beautiful. We have four seasons, spring, summer, fall and winter. I love my country. I got marry and followed my husband to Washington 24 years ago. When I was young my dream was to be a doctor, or nurse. I like working the people with volunteer. But I didn’t study hard, I was young. Now I have a job. I am a hair dresser. Always I try hard work. I want to study more English, better for my future. I’m taking ESL class at SPSCC. I’m so happy. I got full time job and family. I am thinking of my future. Thank you so much this school and class. Thank you for my Teacher!!!

SOUTH KOREA / THAILAND

EPISODES AS AN ENGLISH LEARNER By Hyosun Um I have been here the United States just for one year and two weeks. I didn’t study English after graduating high school because my college major didn’t require English. So after a long interval, I see again my old friend English and in a short period of one year, I have had a couple of funny English situations. No Outlet: Perhaps after I was here less than one month, I saw this sign. In Korea, we have the name of “2001 OUTLET” and this is a kind of discount store and very famous big shopping center. There they always sell things on sale and also some kinds of markets use the name of “OUTLET”. So I think the sign is saying “there is no shopping mall.” But wherever I go, I see again this sign and I realized “oh, this is not about shopping center.” This sign means “This road is finished.” or “There is no more road.” Don’t be cheap: Our family is all Korean but my husband and two sons speak English as much as native, also they speak English at home for me. One day, my husband and older son were having a small talk. They were talking about money for buying some materials. My son said, “Dad, don’t bitch.” And I thought ‘what?’ I asked him “What did you say? Son?” He said, “Don’t be cheap. Because Daddy tried to bargain.” He said “don’t be cheap” but it sounds to me like me “don’t bitch”. So I explained to them how strange it was to me. THAILAND THAI FOOD By Suda Jensen Thai food is very spicy and everyone can cook too. I think people in America can eat too, but not everyone. Some people can’t eat spicy food because some people can be sick or have abdominal pain. When we have a big holiday we usually make a lot of food.

SOMTUM By Phra Kriangkai I like somtum food. Somtum, the food of Thailand, is popular to eat a lot. People can eat somtum any time but we like to eat it at lunch time. There are many recipes for somtum but there are three most popular: crab somtum, Thai somtum, and pickled fish somtum. Somtum is often eat with sticky rice, grilled chicken, and fresh vegetables. A lot of people everywhere in Thailand eat somtum. ADVENTURE IN THAILAND By Tanavouth Teamkitti My name is Tanavouth Teamkitti. I’m from Thailand. My family and I moved to the US when I was 18 years old. I love my home country so much. There are many places to travel and have fun. Traveling is a part of everyone’s adventure. The first place in Thailand you shouldn’t miss is the beaches. You will be touching with the sunshine, see the beautiful sunrise in the morning, swimming in the crystal clear sea water, lay down and sunbathe on the white sandy beaches, have more activities with doing water sports such as jet ski, parasailing, see the coral and marine animals by snorkeling and scuba diving, fill your stomach with the fresh seafood and see the romantic sunset in the evening at dinner time. The second place that I recommend is the National Park. You will appreciate the nature with the fresh air, camping and visiting the hill tribe in the morning. The botanical garden is amazing and the waterfall and natural spring are refreshing in the late morning and afternoon. You can go on a cruise, see along two sides of the impressive riverbank, and have some traditional food. You can feel more excited by going swimming, rafting, hiking, biking, and mountain climbing or you can go animal watching to see the wildlife before the sunset. The last one that I would like you to go visit is the Historical Park. We have a lot of ancient ruins such as temple, castle, and palace. You will be learning Thai history by traveling, taking many photos, learning, and understanding Thai tradition. You will see a lot of statues, pagodas, stupas and monuments. You can go to the market or floating market. Buy a lot of souvenirs at the boutique shop,

THAILAND

get some food or Thai massage. In the evening, you can go sightseeing to see the landmarks of Thailand. RUB BAU FESTIVAL OR LOTUS FESTIVAL By Tanawan Teamkitti Thailand has a of events; one of the interesting events is called Rub Bau Festival or Lotus Festival that is an exclusive in Samut Prakran, Thailand. It is the festival of throwing lotus blossoms that are connected to religion. It is celebrated annually on Awk Pansa Day which is the final day of the Buddhist lent. The date changes each year, but it is determined by the moon and takes place during September or October. Lotuses are traditional and also represent the cycle of life; Birth, Death and Rebirth. To celebrate Lotus Festival people do several things like having a fair, having contests and games, and watching and throwing lotus. Having a fair a week before Lotus Festival Day is the custom. There are a lot of fun things to do like riding a bumper car, ghost hunter house, ferris wheels and bingo etc. It has many kinds of food: grilled chicken with sticky rice, fried squid’s egg with spicy sauce and many kind of candy, etc. It has many shopping stuff: clothing, jewelry and decoration etc. It also has Thai folk dance free tickets. If you are interested in exciting things you should go see motorcycles and cars climbing on a big tank. It a fun fun time that you can’t miss ! Having contests for pretty boys and girls, race row boats and favorite sellers on the day before Lotus Festival Day is also traditional. In each area of Samut Prakran, they will send them to participate in a contest. For pretty boys and girls the contest is a highlight contest. They have to row a boat one lap to show umpires before them their talents. Furthermore, it has fun games like boxing in which you knock your enemy down into the water. Another game is catching eels and trying to put them into a bamboo stick. That game is fun to watch but if you don’t mind to get dirty, it is so fun to play. Watching boat parades and throwing lotuses, in the early morning of the Lotus Festival Day is a special part of this festival. Monks will row boats past the front of a house. You can offer them food. In late morning you will see a lot of people stand at both edges of the canal to see boat parades. You will see beauty boats, funny boats, idea boats and the first boat that most important is the boat

that carries the image of Buddha that a lot of people are waiting to see and trying to throw lotus blossoms in the boat as it passes it by. Landing flowers into the boat is believed to grant wishes and good fortune In summary, the Lotus Festival is about having a good time at the fair, having fun with contests and games, watching boat parades and throwing lotus wishes for good luck. I love the Lotus Festival because it brings local people closer together and helps each other to set up the festival. Even most of them have a busy life, but they can still share their time to make it happen. It brings many good memories back to me. I had great times with my family, my friends and my dog. I still remember that feeling and how happy I was until now. I hope I can get a chance to do it again someday soon. SONGKRAN FESTIVAL By Variya Tosti On Songkran day we have to go to the temple early. We pray with the monks while offering them food. We make a wish with the Buddha because we believe we will be lucky all year and can be protected from bad luck. We pour water on the monk’s hands. It means respect to them and they make a wish for us. That ceremony goes on in the morning, and next we will go back to our home. The second celebration is at our home. The people go to their homes to socialize. We prepare enough food for a lot of family members. The family comes to stay together. We are talking, eating, singing, etc., and we don’t forget to respect with the older family members. We pour water on their hands. During this they make a wish for us. It is good for us. I like to do this with the family. Next we go out and spend time with friends. This is for fun celebration because we throw water for everyone. The water is very important for Songkran Festival. Also that time of year is summer season in Thailand too. A lot of people stay on the street everywhere. We have a lot of water in big containers. When the people pass by they throw the water at them but the people are not mad. We have fun together. We play music very loud during dancing and singing everywhere. The celebration period starts on April 13 to April 15 every year. The people stop work and come to join with family and

THAILAND

friends to have a good time. I still have good memories with my family at Songkran Festival. It is harmony with family members and friends. Finally, Songkran Festival is a special day in my country. We wait every year for Songkran. Families come back home to meet. We make relationship in our family. We respect the older family members. They make a wish for us. It means to give power to us. The festival connects with religion to teach us to be a good person. THAI LOY KRATHONG FESTIVAL By Tatchapong Yimpan The Loy Krathong Festival is one of the most important festivals in Thailand. The Loy Krathong Festival occurs on the evening of the full moon on the 15th day of 12th month in the traditional Thai calendar. In the western calendar it usually falls in November. A lot of Thai people celebrate the Loy Krathong Festival because we honor water that we all use water. We believe floating Krathong can remove bad luck and another belief is to pay homage to Buddha. To celebrate the Loy Krathong Festival, people do several things, like making Krathong, floating Krathong, and watching Beauty Queen Contest. Before the Loy Krathong Festival begins, people prepare Krathong. Krathong is a basket that looks like a lotus. The traditional Krathongs are made from sliced banana tree trunk and banana leaves and decorated with flowers, incense sticks, and candles. The modern Krathongs are often made of bread or Styrofoam, but sometimes the Styrofoam Krathongs are banned. The family members all work together in preparing the Krathong. Then people go to the canals or rivers to float the Krathong that they are made. Some people like watching the beautiful candle light of a lot of the Krathongs along the river. Some people spend time with people who they love. Many people walk around to watch every thing. After people float the Krathongs, many people go watch the Beauty Queen Contest. We call it the Nopphamat Queen Contest. There are a lot of activities to do on the Loy Krathong Festival’s Day. There are many fireworks, Thai traditional dancing and a lot of shows.

The Loy Krathong Festival is the festival that we are happy and have fun. A lot of Thai people like the Loy Krathong festival because we can spend time with people who we love and do a lot of activities together. UKRAINE STATE SYMBOLS OF UKRAINE By Oksana Pryymak Ukraine is an independent state in the middle of Europe. Ukrainian independence day is celebrated in August 24. Ukraine is the largest country whose territory lies entirely in Europe. State symbols of Ukraine are the flag, emblem and anthem. Flag has two colors, blue and yellow. These colors symbolize the blue sky and golden wheat. People show respect for the flag. National symbol is a yellow trident on blue. From ancient times trident used as a magic sign or charm. Ukraine’s national anthem says “Ukraine has not yet died!” in the first verse and chorus. UNITED STATES CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL By Merutsuki Inuyoukai The Cherry Blossom Festival is a very important event that is celebrated internationally. In Seattle, it began in Seward Park on May 8, 1976. It became the Seattle Cherry Blossom and Japanese cultural Festival is 1978. It has grown to attract thousands of people in Seattle. In Seattle, the cherry trees were gifted by Japanese Prime Minister Takeo Miki in appreciation. A long time ago, Japanese people moved in Seattle so they brought Cherry Blossom Festival in the USA. To celebrate Cherry Blossom Festival, families and friends do various things, like view cherry blossom trees and enjoy activities, food and drinks, and wear kimonos. The people enjoy watching the cherry blossom trees and cultural activities. They can see every dance, visual arts, hands‐on activities, music,

UKRAINE / UNITED STATES / VENEZUELA

games, and performance etc. which are so fun. People buy from vendors selling handmade goods. Some vendors selling handmade have kimonos, items, art pictures and art with cherry blossom trees, and ceramic etc. The people eat special foods like bringing home cooked meals, BBQ, or buying take‐out food for hanami. You can go to neighborhood parks/ gardens or other quiet places. Some people are going to go to tea ceremony. Many people love being near Cherry Blossom trees while they enjoy eating and drinking with their family and friends. Cherry Blossom Festival has three days in Seattle. In Japan, they celebrate Cherry Blossoms between March to May. Some people wear special kimono for traditional culture. They wear traditional kimonos that are used for dance, parade, music, and customary cultures which are beautiful. Sometimes people wear traditional kimono and non‐traditional kimono which are good‐looking. Non–traditional kimono is not drawn or handmade art on fabric but made from print of picture from computer. The Seattle Cherry Blossom Japanese Cultural Festival says “long may it blossom in your heart.” I hope you can enjoy the Cherry Blossom Festival someday. VENEZUELA INDEPENDENCE DAY By Rosanna Bellaville Independence Day is a famous holiday in Venezuela. It’s celebrated on th July 5 . The reason of its importance is because Venezuelans recognize this day as the most important process of our history. Traditionally on July 5th people stay home making by themselves a special lunch with varied meals, spend time with family and watch a parade in the capital. The popular lunch is a delicious barbecue accompanied by salads and beverages like “Papelon con Limon”. On occasion we can make the traditional plate in Venezuela “Pabellon criollo”. It is simple dish consisting of rice, black sweet beans, plantains and beef with a special cut. We call this cut “carne

desmechada”. The special thing about this lunch is cook it with help of your family. Normally my family and I have a barbeque at home, making jokes or just spending time together. Normally the barbecue is work of fathers or in my case my older brother. Mothers make “easy things” like salads, organizing the table, taking care of kids and the most important thing, serving the food. When we finished eating, it starts a big funny discussion about who is going to wash the dishes. There are parades in honor of this day and we can sing our National Anthem “Gloria al Bravo Pueblo” However, it just happens in the Capital “Caracas”. Usually these parades are done by army people who normally wear traditional military uniforms. After 204 years of independence, Venezuelan’s culture shares with one another this symbol of our past as a good way to commemorate all those people who died to get our freedom. During this day, I like reading about our history. It makes me feel very proud about my country. VIETNAM COMING TO AMERICA By Anonymous I came to the United Sates on November 21, 2014 with my family. When we arrived here, the weather was cold. When I set foot in this country, I felt very happy and also very anxious. I was happy because I will be living, studying, working in a country whose economy is modern and most civilized that I always wanted since childhood. But I would have a lot of pressure because of the differences in culture, customs, language, religions, food… between the two countries. However, I told myself I will try to adapt to this new environment. And above all, I love the education and the way teachers teach here. Because when I study here, I feel very comfortable. In class I can freely say viewpoints, ideals of my own.

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THE REASON I CAME TO THE UNITED STATES Anonymous In my country the education was not good. And the life here is better than my country. If I go to college maybe my life is better than college in my country. Now, I think life here is good. The air is clean. Maybe people in the United States are very nice. TRAFFIC IN VIETNAM By Anonymous Vietnam is my country. If you want to know something which is special in Vietnam, I can tell you one of them. It’s traffic. You drive like you fight. That’s serious. You must focus very much, reflect very fast, and look all around you. If you can’t do that, you can’t avoid a lot of people who often suddenly turn left or right in front of you. You can’t see the trucks behind you—the big steel bulk can’t brake when the light’s red. That may be terrible with someone. But I’m very interested in that. Traffic in Vietnam helps me could drive in every country, by motorbike or car. SOUTH PUGET SOUND COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND MY LIFE By Phuong Dang With me and so many people in the world, the United States is known as the place of the wealth and happiness, where is a country that represents freedom. So everyone wants to come to this country to realize the dream, ambitions, or more than that: change their difficult life. And my family is no exception. With my aunt’s help, we came here. When I came here, my first emotion I really was not able to describe in words. This place is very different from Vietnam, where I was born and grew up in the grandparents’ arms, grew up in the joy of friends. Here, in America, I feel like I was born again. I had to start a new life when I was 19 years old. In the first days, I just stayed at home. I was not happy because my grandparents and my close friends were not here. I cried and cried, even requested to return to Vietnam, until… An acquaintance of my aunt introduced me to school, the South Puget Sound Community College. At this school I studied at ESL class and I have

classmates. Although not of the same age, we have the same purpose, that’s learning English. I have good friends, the nicest lessons and enthusiastic teachers, so I feel here is like a second family. I am lucky to be at SPSCC. Now that I have stayed here for two months, my life is beginning to get better. I will try to study hard and find a suitable job for myself. Thanks for giving me understanding, laughter and joy, more confidence and strength, so that I can step on the difficult road ahead. Many thanks SPSCC. MY EXPERIENCE OF LEARNING ENGLISH By Nam Do When I was young, I studied two languages, French and English, in high school. I thought English was more interesting than French, so it became my favorite second language. In my country, if you wanted to improve your English more, you had to pay a lot of money to study in bilingual language school because the knowledge of the high school wasn’t enough for you. In spite of my willingness to learn more this language, I struggled because of my poor family. We could not afford tutor for teaching English at home that time. When my family began our life in the United States, I still wanted to have any chance of studying English, but I had to work for a living. Soon after, I had to go back to my country to take care of my mother. After about one year, I was able to be together with my family in the U.S. again. I was happy because at least my life was stable for this time. My husband got a job, so I would be able to go to school. My daughter encouraged me to go to school to learn ESL. After about one month of studying at SPSCC, I feel satisfied and more skillful at my second language. Finally, I have chance to improve my English more. I hope in the future I will be more confident to communicate with others in English. THE PAST AND THE PRESENT By Happy Hi everyone, my name is Happy. My first day in the U.S. I felt everything here was different from my home country. Almost everything was bigger and

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more beautiful than in Viet Nam such as airplanes, traffic, roads, trees and houses. Houses, roads, and market buildings were beautiful and big in my eyes. The people were very pretty and friendly. There were cars, not motorcycles like in Viet Nam. After a month I felt I missed Viet Nam. I missed my grandmother, friends and food. I felt some things were too different, I felt homesick for Viet Nam. But now I feel better and happy because I can go to school, learn more English and I have good teachers. Most people are very friendly. I have freedom and safety. I love to live here. LUNAR NEW YEAR IN VIETNAM By Phuong Le I’m from Viet Nam. I want to share with you about my culture. I think some people will be surprised with this. The Vietnamese’s New Year is the biggest holiday. Lunar New Year is later than New Year in the world. In my country when it’s New Year everything is new. We buy something new, always paint or clean up our house, and prepare food about seven to ten days before New Year. The last day of old year we go to church or pagoda to pray at mid night. After that we watch fireworks and come back home. On New Year we don’t say or do anything that isn’t lucky. The first day of New Year is a day for family only. We wish together for health, happiness and success in the New Year. A Special thing is we do is give lucky money in a red packet to our family, children or friends on the New Year. The day after we go to visit friends and relatives or travel somewhere. That is our culture on the Lunar New Year. THINGS I MISS ABOUT MY HOME COUNTRY By Lina I was born and grew up in Viet Nam. Thus, there are things that I have never forgotten. I really miss my family very much though I always talk to my dad on the phone. His warm voice makes me happy. And I miss the holidays such as Christmas and Vietnamese New Year because in these holidays, I didn’t have work and I had so much fun with family and friends. I can’t forget the temple where I always went to visit and pray for peace and health for my family and myself.

When I see cornfields in Olympia they remind me of the small town where my home is and the smell of young rice, and riding to school in the mornings. I miss folk music with gentle melodies, especially of the talented musician, Van Phung. In addition, I still miss the different flavors of Vietnamese foods such as “pho” and “bun bo hue”. Another thing is on the rainy days in Olympia, I miss the cold winter in Hue, Vietnam. Besides these things, I also miss my best friends a lot. THINKING ABOUT MY FAMILY By Tokla Neang I have been in America for five months. My family is living in An Giang province. My family has nine people. I have two older sisters and four older brothers and then I am the youngest daughter. Everyone is married. My father works in the farm and mother is housewife. Everybody always meet together when there are holidays. My family is very lovely and friendly. I miss everybody all the time. I hope to see them. But I live in Lacey now. I can’t visit them. I will go to visit my family when I have a lot of money. Therefore, I will try to learn more English and I can have a good job. I work part time right now. I spend time to go to school for study English. I wish I can go back to my country to visit my family in the shortest time. I always think about my family so much. HUNG KINGS TEMPLE FESTIVAL By An Nguyen Vietnamese celebrate annually Hung Kings Temple Festival at the Hung Temple on March 10 of the lunar calendar to commemorate Hung Kings who built and became the first Kings of Vietnam. It is also called Hung Vuong Commemoration Day or Hung Vuong’s Death Anniversary, which became one of the biggest and the most important traditional holidays in Vietnam. According to legend, Vietnam had 18 Hung Kings lasted for 2.622 years. People celebrate this Festival with many customary activities to honor our ancestors. First of all is the parade which is performed around the Hung Temple. It starts from the foot of the mountain to Top Temple, where Hung Kings held region services. Thousands of people who wear costumes attend the procession

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with the colorful of flags, flowers, palanquins which are carried by four men to bring Hung Kings’ state. The parade looks like a dragon when you see from far away. The procession is held with formal atmosphere to commemorate the founders of our country. The cooking competition is a customary activity on Hung Vuong Commemoration Day. People make “Banh Chung” and “Banh Day”, which are considered the Earth and the Heaven, and are one of the traditional cakes in Vietnam to give to Hung Kings. According to legend, these cakes were created by a Hung King when he attended a competition between princes. Before the competition, he dreamed about how to cook these cakes. We give these two cakes to Hung Kings to express our honor. Packaging and cooking “Banh Chung” and “Banh Day” have become a habit of culture in Vietnam on this Festival. The most salient feature on Hung Vuong’s Death Anniversary is the kettle drum dance. This dance is performed by a group of people who practiced a long time before this Festival. They usually wear special clothes and feather hats. Kettle drums, which are a cultural feature of the ancient Vietnamese, are fabricated from the Bronze Age. Attaching a star in the center of the drum’s surface is considered a symbol of the sun. The kettle drum dance, which is recognized one of the world cultural heritage, is only performed on special days, especially on Hung Vuong’s Death Anniversary. Hung Kings Temple Festival, which is one of the cultural characters of my home country, is a Festival of the whole population. On this day, all hearts beat the same rhythm, all eyes look forward the same direction: the Hung Temple. I hope I can attend this customary festival in next year. BEST PLACE TO VISIT IN VIET NAM By Gam Nguyen In Viet Nam, there are many famous places to visit, but Hue is my favorite place. Hue is a compact city where there are still a lot of ancient monuments, old culture and cuisine. Nowadays, tourists can observe the seat of the Nguyen emperors, which ruled from 1802 to 1945. The Citadel is a sprawling complex of grand palaces, ornate temples, walls and gates; monuments of the war that occurred in Viet Nam; old styles of architecture. Especially, it’s easy to get around by walking, riding bicycle or scenic river cruise on the Perfume River and

see many ladies wear traditional purple “Ao Dai” with long, black hair. You can eat popular local dishes that are sold on the street side like “Bun Bo Hue”, “Banh Beo” (bloating fern‐shaped cake), “Nem Lui” (sweet pork grilled on bamboo sticks), “Banh Khoai” (a pancake of shrimp, pork and bean sprouts) and so on. DOAN NGO FESTIVAL By Lam Nguyen Besides Lunar New Year which is the most important holiday, Viet Nam still has the other occasion for family getting together which is Doan Ngo Festival. It is celebrated in May, about middle of lunar year when the first harvest is harvested and the plants begin to have fruit. This time is also a season that has the most fruit in Viet Nam. That’s the reason why Doan Ngo Festival is called with other names, such as Middle Year Holiday or Fruit Festival. People in my country make a special food, its name is Wine Rice, make food altar to thank to God and have many community activities to celebrate this event. A few days before Doan Ngo, Wine Rice is prepared by the woman. They mix steamed sticky rice together with rice wine and sugar. Then they serve it into a can about 3 days to ferment them. In the morning of Doan Ngo, before breakfast, Vietnamese eat this dish as a custom to kill the bacteria in their stomach. The time they celebrate Doan Ngo, it has the hottest weather in year when the bacteria is the strongest. Older Vietnamese people have believed that alcohol in Wine Rice will make the bacteria be weak and keep their health be healthier. In Vietnamese, “Doan Ngo” means beginning noon so at twelve o’clock on that day, the older persons in family make a food altar to thank for food that they were given. They wish good luck for family and next farming season. Certainly, fruits are the part that has never been missed. In further countryside, the farmers usually gather fruit in their garden to do that because according of their thinking, fruit in first season are the highest value goods to honor. Then they have a big lunch with their whole family. In parks, there are many activities which are more social community. They parade fruit and have cooking competitions. I am always attracted by the strange shapes that they prune on fruit and vegetable. They are very impressive! There, the farmers sell and introduce their products for visitors, too.

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Like Thanksgiving of American or Chu‐Seok of Korean, specially, Vietnamese celebrate Doan Ngo to thank for food and gathering in their culture. Anyway, I like Doan Ngo Festival, although it only has one day. It is really a meaningful and interesting time for people to meet each other with their family, remind them about gratefulness. MY FAMILY AND COUNTRY By Tinh Nguyen I have lived in America for six months. My family come here for reunion. My parents and one elder sister and one brother and eight other kids are here. I’m married. I have four children. My daughter is 34 years and three sons are 31, 28, and 24 years old. I live in Lacey now. I love my country. It is very nice. There are many beaches and tourism places. Saigon city is fun and amusing for young people. In Vietnam there are lines of infantry to view. Things are cheap. At night I go to parties with friends. I hope one day you can come and visit my country. MY MEMORIES By Yen Nguyen When I lived in Viet Nam, I had everything such as stable good job, friendly friends, and family. I lost it when I came to the U.S., leaving it all behind. That made me so sad. I felt hopeless, bored, and alone because I had to start my life again and it was difficult for me. I felt afraid of everything around me. Most people in the U.S. speak the same language, and I couldn’t understand what they said. It’s annoying when I have ears to hear and eyes to see but can’t understand what they say. I felt angry at myself and I just wanted to stay at home. I feared somewhat going outside, especially speaking with native speakers of English. I considered that I might go back to my home country where I was born and grew up, where everything belongs to me. But I couldn’t do that thing because I still had parents and younger sister. I had to be responsible as big sister in my family. Then I decided to register for a basic skills class in SPSCC. Up to now, English classes have helped me so much. I can be confident face to face with others and communicate with them. I have new friends. They come from various countries in the world. I think that we all have

a common purpose. I really like this country because people here always help those who don’t know English. They are friendly and kind. The U.S. seems not to be the same as I thought before. THING I LIKE TO GO TO IN MY COUNTRY By Thao Pham I like to go to vacation in my country and I meet my friend, my family and my dog. The first time I return to my country, I will meet my family and talk about my life in the United States, and I will go find my dog and he will go with me everywhere I go. Second, I will go to eat seafood with my friend. We will go party together and we will be tourists in VungTau. I will take a picture everywhere. So I love my country so much, I will go to my country next time. DA LAT FLOWER FESTIVAL By Dong Hoai Tran Flower festival is one of the biggest celebrations in my home country, Vietnam. It’s located in South West Vietnam and organized in Da lat city. The festival is operated 2 times per year, usually in the end of the year, and Da lat Flower Festival is a great tourist attraction. On festival day, people visit, walk on the street and see many kinds of flower, for example: golden everlasting which blossoms and lasts for a long time; furthermore sunflowers and lotus are special flowers in this city too. Next, people who visit this festival always take a lot of pictures, because that keeps your memories. In addition, in this city, there are many forests and it’s located in high land. That’s why the weather’s really cold, and comfortable so visiting people can take fresh breathes; in addition, people can visit many places in Da lat. Waterfalls are best choice for your trip. Tourists can enjoy fresh vegetables and fresh fruit which are the famous food in city. Mix salad, or egg mix salad, and anything fresh includes many vitamins. They can enjoy street food, which is famous culture in my country. During the festival, people love to see flowers everywhere in city. It brings them happiness and beauty of life. It makes people relaxed and reduces any stress in life and working.

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A NEW LIFE IN AMERICA By Khoa Tran I had an important decision to move from Viet Nam to America. It’s just a decision, but it made many changes for my life and my family also. We received a notice from American embassy for interview. My parents were so happy because we waited for this day for 12 years. I had to stop my work, stop playing soccer…stop all my habits. Time to go, I felt my throat was bitter and my heart was choked when I had to say goodbye to my family and friends because I left. That emotion wasn’t comfortable, but I couldn’t change it. The first time I came to America, I saw everything with strange eyes. Grandma’s house was the place we lived for a long time, but I didn’t know them. They left Viet Nam when I was a little kid. Feeling lonely almost filled my brain. The winter cold made me more and more bored. Moreover, I wanted to find some job to do, but I couldn’t communicate with everyone. I felt hopeless and I wanted to back to Viet Nam. Finally, I got a part‐time job at a restaurant. It wasn’t easy like I thought when I was in Viet Nam. I had to work like a machine. My life was deadlocked. However, the close relatives were always beside me and helped me feel better, especially my cousins. Step by step, I got a license and bought a used car. That car was a vehicle for me to find out many things about America, but I still couldn’t speak English. I took an ESL class at SPSCC where I learned to improve my English. Now, I have lived here for 5 months. Things become better when I know a little about culture, people, weather, traffic of America. I learned a lot about U.S. people. They looked simple, but they lived modernly, honestly, humanely and beautifully. I felt more confident than in the beginning. I loved this U.S. culture, and I wanted to become a citizen of America. I thought the difficulty was just a moment; if you try to do, you will be fine. MY GOD MY NEW LIFE By ThuyLinh Vo Hello everyone! My name is ThuyLinh. I am a Christian. I am from Viet Nam. My family and I moved to the United States 9 months ago.

For me, being able to come and live here, in a great nation such as the U.S., is the most wonderful to me. This is also a chance that God blessed me with to start a new life and a new future. I knew God when I was a child from my grandmother. She lived here long time ago. Every year, she came back to Vietnam to visit my family, and she brought the good news of God for my family and me, but I was lazy to go to the church when she came back here. I grew up without a purpose. I thought if I evaded God, God would not find me. When we moved to here and we lived in grandmother’s house, I could not avoid going to the church every Sunday. I learned the word of God again and I really was convinced because the word of God is the truth. God is always by my side although I evade God. Now I have been living in the U.S., a wealthy country with prosperity and belief in God. I promose to try to learn well. I like living here because everyone is very friendly, and I will have many chances to do good in my future. Thank God for bringing me here. I trust you. I will worship you all my days. Let’s open your heart and accept Jesus Christ. Definitely, you will be blessed by God abundantly in your life. MY FAMILY By Thuy Vu I am married and I have two children – my daughter and my son. Monday to Friday my children go to school and Saturday my mom takes my children to go swimming. On Sunday my children get up at 9:00. I take my children go out and eat and then take them to the temple. I work six days a week. My husband and I don’t work on Sunday. My family stays together on Sundays. We have a lot of fun.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS Aceves, Neyvi – Neyvi is from México. She likes to play the guitar and play soccer. She really likes living in Washington and she loves outdoor activities. Alsahli, Rema – Rema lives in Olympia. She likes hiking. Ata, Rachel – Rachel is from American Samoa and has been living here since 2004. She began studying English at SPSCC two months ago. Basal, Amal – Amal lives in Olympia and has been in the U.S. since February 14, 2014. She grew up in Amman, Jordan. She enjoys shopping and hiking. And she loves chocolate. Bellaville, Rosanna – Rosanna has been in the US for 7 months. She has been studying English for 7 months at SPSCC. She’s a civil engineer. She’d like to work in her career in the future. She likes dancing Salsa. Boswell, Ningsih – Ningsih lives in Olympia. She is a full‐time homemaker who likes traveling to other places and meeting new people. She has been studying ESL for seven months. Ningsih has lived in the United States for two and a half years. Cabral, Anselmo Samuel – Anselmo lives in Lacey and works in a restaurant. He would like to continue studying English and then study for his master’s degree in software engineering. He has lived in the United States for eight months. Cárcamo, Hardy – From Chile, he has a big and wonderful family in Olympia with his partner. He enjoys to learn about different things and loves to work with plants, vegetables, herbs at garden, read books about literature and picture books with children. Chen, Biying – Biying came to the United States from China almost ten years ago. She has studied English since 2013. She’s a homemaker who likes learning English and enjoys cooking, walking and hiking. She also likes spending time with her son.

Cornejo, Lucy – Lucy is from El Salvador. She has lived in Washington for six years. She works at KFC. She enjoys living here, and she has good friends and family. She also likes the weather here. Dang, Phuong – Phuong Dang moved from Vietnam when she was 19 years old. She has been studying at SPSCC for 2 months. She plans to study hard and find a good job. In her free time, Phuong likes playing games and chatting with her friends. Danpullo, Bako – Bako lives near Hawks Prairie and walks to his English class. He hopes to continue studying at the new Lacey campus. He and his wife enjoy taking care of their grandchildren. His children live in different areas of the U.S. and he stays in close touch with them. Díaz, Dalia – Dalia lives in Lacey and thinks it is beautiful here. She works in a Mexican restaurant and loves her job because her co‐workers are so nice. She likes music in both Spanish and English. She has lived here and studied English for more than a year and a half. Díaz, Glorymar – Glorymar believes that taking care of her body and her health is the most important thing for her. She tries to eat healthfully, gets a massage once a month, and goes to the gym regularly. For one hour every day she does Zumba, weights, and cardio training. Do, Nam – Nam comes from Vietnam and lives in Olympia. She works evenings cleaning a nail spa. She likes learning English for communication in the United States. She has lived in the U.S. for two years and has been studying English here for one month. El, Kry – Kry is from the biggest province of Cambodia called Kampong Cham. He was a mathematics teacher at Peus2 high school. He taught for four years. He enjoys playing sports, going fishing, and building the house. Elsobky, Nahed – Nahed has been a student for almost a year and she has lived in the U.S. almost 3 years. Ewonus, Daiane Piassini – Daiane is from Brazil and lives in Lacey with her husband of nine months. She likes living here and learning English. She loves to

cook and wants to study gastronomy after she finishes studying English. She has been a student at SPSCC for 3 quarters. Faber, Hyeyon – Hyeyon lives in Lacey. She has been a hairdresser since 1996. She likes playing golf and taking care of her flower garden. She has been in the United States since 1986 and has been studying English since last quarter. Fang, Chenlan – Chenglan lives in Olympia and has been in the United States since March, 2014. She began studying English in winter, 2015. Besides studying, she enjoys cooking, travelling, walking, and playing badminton. Fernández Salazar, Marcela – Marcela lives in Olympia. Her profession is psychomotor. She has been studying English for two months and moved to the United States three months ago. Flamenco, Ana – Ana lives in Lacey and works as a babysitter. In her free time, she likes cooking and playing soccer. She has been in the United States for ten years and is in her third quarter of studying English. Friend, Qin – Qin lives in Olympia and has a job taking care of older people. She likes to do exercises. She has lived here for four years and has been studying English for one year. Garcia Zavala, Maria Edilia – Edilia lives in Lacey and is not currently working. She enjoys swimming and cooking. She has been in the United States for almost ten years and is in her third quarter of ESL class. González Sánchez, Bertha Alicia – Bertha’s favorite activity is dancing to salsa music. She enjoys going dancing with friends and family. She also really likes singing Marc Anthony songs. Gordillo Balderrama, Luis Amado – Luis lives in Lacey and likes to spend time with his two sons and he loves soccer. He has been studying English for about one year. He has lived here in the United States more than 7 years. Griego Topete, Fernando – Fernando is from Mexico and has lived in Washington since 2008. He lives in Yelm and has been studying English for two quarters. He likes to walk when it’s a sunny day.

Hassan, Hanan – Hanan lives in Lacey and does not work. In her free time, she likes to read. She has been studying English for a year and has lived in the U.S. for five years. Huang, Wei Yu – Wei Yu lives in Olympia. She likes to play with her kids. She has been studying English for almost one year. She has lived in the United States for eighteen months. Happy – Happy is from Vietnam. Hikmi, Brahim – Brahim is from Casablanca, Morocco. He lives in Olympia with his wife and has a seven month old baby. He is an ESL student at SPSCC. Brahim is a musician who enjoys playing guitar and harmonica, reading and writing poetry and traveling. Hilario Heredia, Viridiana – Viridiana lives in Olympia. She has been studying English for almost one year and really likes the feeling of speaking two languages. She knows she has a lot to learn but she really likes taking ESL classes and will keep studying as long as necessary to learn English 100%! Hlaing, MuMu – MuMu comes from Myanmar. She worked Manpower business with her husband after she finished her University in her home country. She had traveled some Asia country and many states in the US for many years. She enjoys running, arranging flowers and reading Buddhist religious books. She likes living in Washington State because all of pine trees are ever green and mountains are covered with snow. Iglesias Sánchez, Fernando – Fernando lives in the USA and wants to be a professional soccer coach. Inuyoukai, Merutsuki – Meru lives in Olympia and has been studying ESL for three years. When Meru was growing up he didn’t learn a lot of English, but they taught him ASL (American Sign language) in school. He was born in Long Beach, California and is 3 races: Japanese, Native American (Navajo) and European American. Jensen, Suda – Suda is from Thailand. She lives in Olympia and is looking for a job. She would like to cook. She likes to learn new things about food. She has been here about one year and seven months. She likes learning English.

Kang, Kyung Sook – Kyung Sook has lived in Olympia since 2011. She has been studying English for three years. She likes to read books and travel to other places. Kim, Nara – Nara lives in Olympia. She came here 9 months ago, and she has been studying English for almost 8 months. She likes sewing and watching movies. Kriangkai, Phra – Kriangkai is a Buddhist monk, and he lives at the temple in Lacey. He likes meditation. Phra means monk in Thai. He has been in the United States for seven months and has been studying English for two quarters. Krone, Jianping – Ping came to America five years ago and lives in Olympia now. L., J. – J. is from China. He lives in Lacey. He is a waiter in an Asian restaurant. He loves to cook with his family. He has studied English at SPSCC for one month, and has lived in the US for four years. Le, Phuong Nguyen Hong – Phuong lives in Olympia. He doesn’t have a job. He likes to listen to music and play football. He has been studying English for two years. He has lived in the United States for one year. Lee, Insook – Insook lives in Tumwater. She enjoys cooking and she is interested in archeology. Lee, Kyung Ja – Kyung Ja is retired and lives in Lacey. She likes to travel. She has lived in the United States for five years and has studied English for three years. Lep, Lukman – Lukman lives in Lacey. He works at Taylor Shellfish. He likes listening to music, reading books, and playing soccer. He has been living the US and studying English for two years. Li, Jie – Jie lives in Tumwater. She has lived in the United States for four years. She likes to read and play cards. Lina – Lina lives in Olympia where she works at a nail salon. She likes to listen to music. She has been studying English off and on for three years and has lived in the United States for four years.

Liu, Yijun – Yijun moved to the U.S. from China eight months ago. She worked as a psychologist in China for eight years. She is a positive and open person who likes learning new things. Yijun started studying English in China two years after graduating from college. Loarca, Vilma – Vilma lives in Olympia and likes to go walking with her children when she isn’t working at her job at JC Penney. Los, Mary – Mary lives in Olympia, Washington. She likes to watch TV and play with her kids. She has been studying English for about one month. She has lived in the United States for almost eight years. Ma, Yan – Yan lives in Lacey and is not presently working. She enjoys cooking. She has lived here for ten years and just started studying English this quarter. Martinez, Benjamin – Benjamin lives in Lacey. He loves playing the guitar and piano. He’s been studying English for almost two months and has been living in the United States for fourteen years. Matanane, Sochantrea – Sochantrea lives in Olympia. Currently she does not have a job, but she stays home to take care of her house and family. She likes to study and learn new things. Sochantrea has studied English over three months. She has lived in the United States seven years. Mendoza, Damian – Damian lives in Olympia, WA. He likes to play and walk in the park. He has been studying English for two months and has been in the US for fifteen years. Mendoza Rojas, Isidro – Isidro lives in Washington. He’s a car and tractor mechanic and enjoys fixing cars. He has been studying English for two years and has lived in the United States for twenty‐three years. Mina, Tajuddin – Tajuddin lives in Lacey, Washington. He likes to travel, play football, and spend time with his family. He’s has been studying English for one month. He has lived in the United States for just three months. Mino, Susana – Susana came to the United States many years ago. Now she lives in Olympia with her two daughters and dog. She works in a beauty salon. She started coming to school to improve her English.

Moosin – Moosin is retired and lives in Lacey. He has been studying English for four years and has lived in the U.S. for five years. Na, Hye Ryeon – Hye Ryeon lives in Lacey. She doesn’t have a job but likes to cook and exercise. She has been studying English for five years and has lived in here since 2007. Navarrete, Laura – Laura has lived in Olympia for 12 years. She has been studying English for about 2 years. She likes spending time with her friends and her kids, and she likes playing basketball, too. Neang, Tokla – Tokla lives in Lacey and works at FedEx. Her goal is to study nursing. She has been in the United States for six months and is in her second quarter of ESL classes. Nellore, Venkata – Venkata came from India and works as a state employee. She is usually taking care of her kids, cleaning her house and cooking. In summer she started her gardening, going to parks and beaches with family and friends. She enjoys watching movies, attending parties for chit chat and listening to music. Nguyen, An – An just moved to Olympia about four and a half months ago with her family. The city makes her feel warm because people are so friendly. She thinks this city will be her second native country. Nguyen, Lam – Lam lives in Olympia. He is studying at SPSCC. He enjoys listening to music and traveling. He has lived in the United States since July 2014. He has studied English for 3 years. Nguyen, Gam – Gam is from the South of Viet Nam. She has been in the United States over one year and she is a manicurist now. Gam enjoys travelling, cooking traditional Vietnamese foods and listening to music. Nguyen, Tinh – Tinh lives in Lacey and comes from a large family. She is happy that she could come here to reunite with her parents, brothers, and sisters. Nguyen, Yen – Yen is from Vietnam and lives in Olympia. She has been studying English at SPSCC for 5 months. She has lived in the United States for 6 months. In her free time, she likes to cook Vietnamese food, listen to music and watch

movies. She plans to continue studying English in order to further her education in the future. Le, Phuong Nguyen Hong – Phuong lives in Olympia. He doesn’t have a job. He likes to listen to music and play football. He has been studying English for two years. He has lived in the United States for one year. Luna Sierra, Xochitl E. – Xochitl lives in Lacey WA. She likes to be with her family and has been in ESL class for two quarters and really likes it. She enjoys learning new things and sharing them with her kids. Nicolas, Merra – Merra lives in Olympia. She is a homemaker. Merra likes to study and this spring quarter is her very first time studying at the college. She has lived in the United States since October of last year. Ortega, Eli – Eli lives in Olympia. He works at a ranch with horses. He has lived in Olympia for five years. Park, Heejin – Heejin lives in Lacey. She works at a restaurant. She likes reading books and playing pool. Heejin has been studying English for one year and has lived in the United States for four and a half years. Perez, Keyra – Keyra lives in Yelm, Washington. She has been studying English for one year, and she has been living in the United States for almost 15 years. Perez‐Trejo, Guadalupe – Guadalupe is from Olympia, WA. She has three children and is learning English at South Puget Sound Community College. Guadalupe likes to cook, play with her children and travel. She also likes to watch movies. Pham, Thao – Thao lives in Olympia, Washington. She works in a nail salon. She likes to go shopping. She has been studying English for one year. She has been living in the United States for one year. Pryymak, Oksana – Oksana lives in Olympia and very much likes growing flowers. She is not working because she is raising twins. She has lived in the U.S. for almost a year and a half and she has been n ESL classes for a year. Quevedo, Benjamin – Benjamin lives in Olympia. He works at night cleaning different meat processing businesses. He likes taking care of his pets and

watching TV. He has lived in the U.S.A. for ten years and has been an English student for two years. Quick, Nathan – Nathan lives in Lacey Washington. He likes to play soccer and football with his friends. He’s been studying English in America since January 2015. He also studied English in Germany since 5th grade. He has been in the U.S. since October 2014. Ramirez, Dalia – Dalia is from Mexico. She loves her country’s food, fruit, and beaches. Ramos, Gundina – Gundina is retired and lives in Olympia with her daughter and her grandchildren . Rivas, Nelson – Nelson came to the United States about eight years ago. His first job was an Insulation Installer. It was very difficult for him because he did not understand English, so he decided to enroll at SPSCC to learn English and it will make it easier to communicate with his co‐workers and his boss. Rodriguez, Nelson – Nelson lives in Lacey, Washington. He works in road construction. He would like to speak English better. He has been studying English for one year. He has been living in the United States for 25 years. Rubina, Ana María – Ana is from Peru. She likes walking in the park. She has been studying English for six months and has lived in the US for one year. Salgado, Anabey – Anabey moved from Mexico to the U.S. when she was 16 years old. She likes dancing and spending time with her daughters. She has been studying English for almost two years, and she loves it. Salamanca, Marlon – Marlon lives in Shelton where he is pastor to the Hispanic ministry at the First Baptist Church. He came to the United States four years ago and began studying in ESL classes in September, 2014. Santes, Francisco – Francisco is from Mexico. He enjoys listening to music and playing soccer. Setevdorj, Bobby – Bobby lives in Olympia, WA. He works at the Japanese steakhouse as a chef. He would like to own his own restaurant. He has been living in the United States for 10 years and has been studying for 8 months.

Set, Sopra – Sopra came here when she got married. She has two children. She likes to cook, watch TV, and play with her children. Soto Vidal, Ashley C. – Ashley is from Puerto Rico. She likes playing in the park with her son and spending time with her family. Syphard, Yuriko – She moved to Olympia from Okinawa Japan in 2014. Her life changed a lot. Her first year has passed very quickly in the states. She is starting to enjoy living in Olympia with her family. Teamkitti, Tanavouth – Tanavouth is from Thailand. He is a student at South Puget Sound Community College. Tanavouth enjoys cooking, playing the guitar, doing the sports, traveling and studying. Teamkitti, Tanawan – Tanawan has lived in the United States about 3 years. She lives in Olympia. She likes nature and adventure. She loves animals, especially dogs. She enjoys taking pictures and listening to music. Thongthip, Sawine – Sawine is from Cambodia where she was a pediatric nurse. She likes playing with children. Sawine studied English for seven years in her country and has been in her ESL class in the United States for three weeks. She has lived in the U.S. for ten years. Tosti, Variya – Variya has continued this opportunity in her second language because it is necessary to live here. Consequently, she isn’t missing her opportunity to study. However, she likes all of her ESL teachers too. Towa, Tantavy – Tantavy lives in Lacey and works at Taylor Shellfish Farm He likes to read books, listen to music, and play soccer. He has been studying English for three years and moved to the US one year ago. Tran, Dong Hoai – Dong is living in Lacey, WA. He is working at Capital Mall and he likes to play sports. He has been studying English for 6 months and has been in the U.S. for 5 months. Tran, Khoa – Khoa is from Vietnam and has lived in the United States for 5 months. He lives in Lacey and works as a server at Basil Leaf restaurant. He likes to play sports, especially soccer. He has been studying English at SPSCC for 4 months.

Um, Hyosun – Hyosun has been here for one year. She has been learning English for seven months and is studying it for survival and for her future. She wants to live without English stress. Villegas, Estrellita A. – Estrellita lives in Olympia. She doesn’t have a job outside the home but takes care of her son. She has been studying English for four quarters and has been living in the USA for almost four years. Vo, ThuyLinh – ThuyLinh moved to Olympia from Vietnam 9 months ago with her family. She likes living here because people are very friendly and there are a lot of beautiful places. Her favorite things are going fishing and shopping. She has been studying ESL for 3 quarters. Vu, Thuy – Thuy lives in Lacey and works as a hair stylist. She likes to cook and go shopping. She came to America ten years ago and has studied English for nine months. Wang, Hui – Hui is from China. She has lived in the USA since 2010 and has studied English since 2005. She works for Safeway and enjoys her job. Xu, Serena – Serena is from China and now lives in Lacey. She has lived in the United States for four years. Yimpan, Tatchapong – Tatchapong is living in Lacey, Washington. He is a student at South Puget Sound Community College. He is studying in English as a Second Language level 5. Tatchapong enjoys watching movies, listening to music, exercising, and playing sports. Yunuff, Juwariah – Juwariah is from Cambodia and lives in Lacey. She has three children. She likes to cook, clean, take care of her children, and go shopping. She also likes picking berries at Spooner Farm. Zamora, Mode – Mode lives in Olympia. She has been in the United States since 2004. She has been studying English for three quarters. She likes to spend time with her kids and husband.