My Advice for a New Student

My advice for a new student in IIEP is to take every opportunity to use English. Although it is difficult, the student should not communicate in his or her native language. Learning a language includes understanding and producing. Understanding English—either spoken or written—is much easier than producing language—either spoken or written. Therefore, practicing speaking and writing as much as possible is the only way to get better at producing English. I had a Korean student once who resolved not to use Korean while she studied English. When a Korean friend would speak to her in Korean, she would respond in English. When she met a Korean, she started her conversation in English. Her commitment paid off—she was one of the best language learners I have ever had. She once told me that at the end of the semester some of her Korean friends were surprised to find that she spoke Korean! This example illustrates how my advice can benefit any new student. Therefore, I recommend that the new student use every chance to speak or write in English.

April 13, 2006

I thought you might like to see some of the pictures from the tornado that hit Iowa City two years ago. (NOTE: This is not the topic of your blog this week--go to ICON to find out what you are supposed to write about.)

Amazing Technology

I think that the personal computer in the most amazing invention that has been made in my lifetime. When I was young, I never imagined a personal computer. I remember when my father got his first electronic calculator. Prior to that, he had used a slide rule for calculations in his engineering job. However, with the calculator, he could quickly find square roots of any number. While the calculator was incredible, the personal computer is even more useful and marvelous. Typing anything is very easy. If I make a mistake, I can easily fix it, unlike with a typewriter where fixing errors was messy and sloppy. Printing is also easy. I can make as many copies of any document that I want. Besides just typing, I can use my personal computer to make eye-catching Power Point slide shows, send email, and surf the web. A computer is not only for work-related functions, but also for fun activities. In my opinion, the personal computer has revolutionalized life.

The Old Capitol Museum

Even though Iowa City is a small town, there are many places to visit, and I would recommend the Old Capitol Museum to a friend. I like the Old Capitol Museum for many reasons. The Old Capitol was the government building in Iowa when Iowa City was the capital city of Iowa. The museum has many rooms and artifacts that are original to the time the Old Capitol was the building that housed the government. I particularly like the House Chamber. It is fun to imagine what people did when they were setting up the foundational laws for Iowa to become a state. The second reason I like the Old Capitol is that the architecture is interesting. The reverse spiral staircase in the entry is unique. Not many of these types of staircases were ever built. The tall windows allow for sweeping views of the University of Iowa campus. The gold dome is beautiful. Finally, if my friend would like to know more about the Old Capitol, I would recommend that he or she visit the following website: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~iajohnso/old_capitol/oldcappage.htm.

Arizona--A Great Place to Visit

I have visited many places in the US, and many are wonderful: Hawaii, Disneyworld in Florida, Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota, Chicago, Washington, DC, just to name a few. However, I think the best place I have visited is Arizona. I went about 11 years ago in January, so it was cold in the Midwest, but warm in the Southwest. What I thought was most amazing was the variety of scenery. The Grand Canyon was awesome and beautiful. Thinking about how such a small river like the Colorado River could carve such a canyon was humbling. Cliff dwellings of ancient Indians were interesting. I climbed around the cliffs and walked into the dwellings. I could imagine some of their life and realize how difficult it was. Lava cones from extinct volcanoes were intriguing. While the land was quiet and cool, I could think about what it was like when the volcano had exploded. Cacti and the desert were different from anything I had seen before. The greens were not the same colors as in Iowa, but there was beauty in the uniqueness of the plants and mighty saguaro cacti. Eighty-degree weather was wonderful. It was fun to wear shorts and t-shirts in January. All in all, I thought Arizona had many unusual and fascinating things to see and experience.

My Favorite Movie Genre

My favorite movie genre is Romantic, and right now, I particularly like period dramas that are set in England during the 1800s. One reason I like Romantic movies is that I like to see how a romance develops between characters. Another reason is that I like to guess who will fall in love with whom, and then see if I am right. I prefer Romantic movies that have a happy ending. I also think it is fun to laugh in Romantic Comedies.

Recently, I watched “North and South,” which is a story about a young woman named Margaret who moves from the quiet south of England to the busy, industrial north. She goes through some culture shock as she has to adjust to the different customs and manners of people in the north. She meets a man who runs a cotton mill. His name is John. He instantly admires Margaret, but she really dislikes him. However, as Margaret gets to know John, she understands him more. The movie ends wonderfully.

Other Romantic movies I enjoy are “Pride and Prejudice,” “Persuasion,” “Sense and Sensibility,” “Emma,” “You’ve Got Mail,” “Ever After,” and “The Princess Bride.”

Keep going, don't quit

The best advice I have ever received is “Don’t give up.” “Don’t give up” can be applied to many situations: learning a language, being a mom, running a race, figuring out a difficult math problem, etc. Sometimes an activity seems very difficult, and I feel like quitting. However, if I continue and persevere to the end, I often find that when I finish, I have a great feeling of accomplishment. Also, I can be surprised that, when I look back to the beginning, I realize the activity wasn’t as hard as I had thought. I think that no matter how difficult a situation is, a person should always remember to keep going and “don’t give up.”