Writing contest: Spring - What It Means to Me

When days of damp and chilly winter wind gradually decline to be replaced by mornings with a bright and cloudless sky, we wake up one morning with the singing of birds and colorful flower petals which begin to open through the window. Spring is coming. In my tropical country, spring starts a new year. To me, spring this year commences a new life, a married life.

Before I arrived in the United States for spring semester 2009, I had a happy family life with my parents, siblings and my lovely nephews. I also had a job that I really loved and where I was respected. There I had close friends with whom I could have a cup of coffee in a café or a relaxing dinner in a restaurant by the river on weekends. That easy life was as familiar to me as my own breath, and I have always remembered it from the first time I came to the U.S. until the day I made a decision that I think was the most important one in my life – the decision to get married in the U.S.

When I decided to settle down here in the U.S., I understood that we would have to face many challenges in our new life. Although I did well in my roles as a daughter and a citizen in my previous family and society, my responsibility from now on will also be as a wife and a mother in a young family. Besides, I have to handle many other relationships with my husband’s family and his friends. I understand that every family has their own circumstances, but I believe my deep sincerity and lessons of family life from my parents will help me to get along with his family members.

If life is dominated by a search for happiness, I also long for a delightful family with a husband who loves me a lot and lovely children. Flowers are still blooming and birds are still singing outside. Spring of life will always stay with us.

Journal #20: I'll miss you all

Words sometimes cannot totally express our thought, especially to say goodbye our classmates because I remember someone said that: "Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born". It is hard to show my gratitude to every world of you just in a few words. Yet, I would like to thank the world of ALP for helping me to have chance to come back my school time and know the world of you all.

I really like Sean's words of farewell in this journal: "Your teacher for a semester, but friend for a lifetime". I hope we can learn from him one more time to be "classmates for a semester, but friends for a lifetime". Good luck to you all and wish you all the best.

If you have chances to visit my home country, Vietnam, I am willing to give you some advices and take you go a round. Keep in touch. My email address: vohoangmai09@gmail.com

Journal #19: Achievements

It is about time the spring semester comes to an end. It has been five months but I still think we have just started the course which is very useful for me. The American Language Program has actually helped me a lot, not only the knowledge of language but also experience of teaching.

Although I once wrote the whole minor thesis in English, honestly I have never learned how to write different types of essays academically before. Perhaps I cannot remember exact words used to describe techniques in theory of writing, I believe I could utilize approaches that I have learned at the course to improve my writing. I feel my writing becomes sharper. Therefore, I find it interesting and useful to gain a significant achievement although it is sometimes really challenging.

Besides, I have learned a lot of experience of teaching, from the approach that professors and students communicate freely in the class and the use of websites on the internet in the lectures to the way to give tests and quizzes effectively. I know that many challenges still wait me in the effort to find a job but I hope I will have chances again to put these tactics in practice in the future.