The Movie

Ying Ying asked me post a link to the movie Take the Lead.

Hope you have a great holiday!

New Writers Celebrate the Holidays

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Happy Holidays and a Prosperous New Year!

What Is Life?

Many people ask me, "What do you think of life?" In my own opinion, life is recycling everyday. Life is like a dream. Life is full of surprises and life is a learning experience. I will explain what I mean to you in the following paragraphs.

Life is recycling everyday. People die and new babies are born arrive every second. Some people are fortunate and born into a wealthy family with a platinum key and others have to struggle everyday to survive.

The world is changing everyday and, as for us, we have to make the change of living style. We don't know what to expect tomorrow. Maybe there will be terrorist attacks on San Francisco or maybe another plane will crash or be hijacked by terrorists.

Therefore, we need to prepare ourselves and protect ourselves from terrorists. It sounds funny or scary but it is happening now and this is the reality of life.

Life to me is like a dream. Why? I was born in China and wanted to come to the United States because I heard from the elders that America is a “golden mountain” and a free country.

When I first arrived in America, it was scary and frightening because I did not speak the language, didn’t know the laws, had no friends and felt so lost.

America is not the “golden mountain” but instead it is a tough mountain and I have to start my life from the bottom of this mountain.

Anyhow, I got through it and am able to speak the language now. Therefore, life is like a dream but you awaken back to reality.

Life is full of surprises. Many people from China or other countries do not know that there is a law called “conspiracy.” Something you did not do or something you overheard in a conversation might end causing you to end up in prison because of “conspiracy.”

For example, I heard this story about a doctor and his brother. The doctor was in tears when he told me the story. He was trying to be kind and trying to help out his younger brother by lending him some money for business. Unfortunately, his brother was doing something illegal and got caught. The doctor was charged with “conspiracy”, because he had lent his younger brother some money and it was use for illegal purposes. The doctor was sentenced to seven years for something he did not do.

In another example, a family was sleeping comfortably in bed at home when, in the middle of the night, Drug Enforcement Agents (DEA) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents knocked down the door of the house and charged the husband with conspiracy and arrested him. The house was searched upside down and left in a big mess. The children were there and wondered why this was happening.

I thought you could only see these situations on television. I felt sorry for the kids because they are innocent and didn’t know what was going on. Some people may think it is funny but to me it is not.

Even though a man does not know there is a law called “conspiracy”, it may put his life in jeopardy. He might end up in prison for life. I just hope people from other countries who plan on coming to America know or learn the laws in the United States.

Lastly, life is a learning experience. You can never stop learning until the day you die. Who would have expected me to be back in school after twenty years? Who would have guessed that I would be trying to get my GED?

I don’t believe that the guy who tells us a lot of stories about when he was young in the late sixties ever dreamed that today he would be teaching us in Room 101. I am telling you, we are going through changes and learning from new experiences and challenges everyday.

I didn’t read or write in the past, but, guess what, I am reading and writing today at this moment. Who would have guessed that?

I learn my rights and wrongs as each day goes by and realize that I need to better my education and knowledge. That's one big reason I am back to school.

I always tell jokes to my friends. When they asked me, “What you are up to lately?” I would tell them that I had a contract with the airport to equip all the planes with rear view mirrors.

Today, things have changed. When people ask me the same question, I tell them that I am back in school.

They laugh their hearts out and say "Hey, man, have you seen a female pig climb up a tree?" In other words, they think that it is impossible for me to accomplish what I am doing but I will prove that they are wrong.

I hope my friends are learning as life goes by everyday, like I did.

In conclusion, I don't expect much in life for myself, but I am hoping there's a better future for my children.

I also hope that people from other countries learn about the laws before coming to America. It might put their life in jeopardy or and up in life.

My Story

This week, our class talked about interviews. That made me remember this story.

My first job was as a secretary in a metal factory. My boss was from Taiwan. He was very old and he had never gotten married in his life. I still remember the first time he interviewed me.

He asked me this qusetion:"What do you think is most important in your life?"

I didn't know how to answer this question, but I said:"Now, I'm very young. I think my life will be very wonderful!"

He smiled and told me that I was like his old friend.

About three months later, on the last day of my probation period, my boss took me into his office. He asked me, "What did you think about your experience here?"

I said, "The job was easy for me and I thought that I could do a more challenging job even better!"

He asked, "Do you know why I employed you?"

I shook my head, no. He told me a story.

My boss said, "My father was very rich. He had three wives. My mother was the second, so my older brother bullied my mother and me. When I was a little boy, I studied very hard and my grades were very good. After the army, I went to the Universityon a scholarship. Before I graduated from the University, my mother died. That day was like the end of the world for me. The most important person in my life had left me. I felt very sad and I decided to study abroad in the USA.

Around that time, I fell in love with a girl and we decided that when we finished our studies, we would get married. We set the date on her birthday. I would wait for her under the 27th palm tree on the school street.

But on that day, I never saw her. I waited all day and all night. I was in a frenzy to find her, but I had no news of her. In the afternoon of the third day, I found her in the hospital. When I saw her, my tears couldn't stop!

The girl said, "Promise me that you won’t worry. Maybe one day we will meet again in the other place." Then she died.

She had been injured in a traffic accident on the day they had planned to meet.

Every day she went to work at a restaurant. On that day she had finished her work and hurried to meet her fiancé.

He couldn’t continue the story, but he showed me an old black and white picture of his girlfriend and him.

Oh My GOD! I could hardly believe it!

After one year, I left the company and went to HongKong. Sometimes I contacted him by phone call or Email. Occasionally, he visited me on a bussines trip. But, every year, on my birthday, he visited me and gave me a present.

In 2000, my husband came to China to marry me. We invited my old boss to our wedding party. He congratulated us and he promised that, if he had the time, he would join us. But on my wedding day, I have never saw him.

For a long time, I never received his phone call or Email and or any other news from him. One day, I received a phone call from a lawyer. Then, I learned that my old boss had died from heart disease. I was wordless for a long time. The lawyer told me that I was an heir in my boss’s will, but I didn't want to receive it.

I discussed this with my husband. Finally, using my boss's name, the legacy was donated to a benevolent organization and temple. I think that was the best choice for me. This taught me how important he was in my life.

Now, I live in the USA. Sometimes, I remember him and some things from the past. I think that one day, after I retire, I will become a social worker. That is my dream job because I will be able to help other people.

In this world, everyone has a different life and a different story. But the result is always the same. One day we will leave this world. I'm glad to share my story with you and I hope every one can learn to cherish. Cherish everyone. Cherish every chance and cherish every day.

Two friends and bear

I talk about this story---Two friends and Bear.
One day, two friends were traveling together through a forest. One man said, “If we meet any wild beast. I’ll help you and you’ll help me.” His friend said, “That’s fine.” They are continuing walked to forest. Suddenly, a big bear ran out from behind a tree. The man at once got up a tree and hid himself among the leaf. The other man couldn’t climb tree. So he threw himself on the ground. Closed his eyes and pretended to dead. Then the bear come up and sniffed at the man’s head and face. The man put his nose and mouth close, and stopped breath. Pass one minute, the bear was gone. His friend toward to the man and talked to the man. His friend said, “Why don’t you tell me about it. Next time, we will meet with bears. I will like to you pretend dead.” The man said, “Ok.” Then they walk to forest again.

Don’t you know, have many bears in Unite State. If you meet the bears next time. Will you pretend to dead? What will you do?

BEFORE, NOW AND FOREVER

When I studied in high school, there were 40 students in my class. We were very close. We often played together, bathed in the river, climbed on the mountain, and went under the rain and drank coffee together.

We were very united. If one student in my class was punished, all of the students would take it on the chin, too.

My class was very special because 30% of the students in my class were mountain people. They are Cham people. They have a different language, different writing and different culture. Specially, they have Champa history. It is older than Vietnamese history.

Usually, every New Year, some Cham friends often invited friends in the class to join in the Kate Holiday (a special holiday of the Cham people) and come to their house. On one day in the new year, the weather was very bad. Rained continued for many days, but my class never refused any plan. According to our plan, we grouped up 20 students and rode bicycles to the village of the Cham people.

We kept our trip a secret. We didn't ask our parents permission. We visited each house and said, "Happy New Year!" After that we ate, sang and danced together. In the afternoon we had to go back to our home. When we came to a bridge that connected two villages, the bridge was underwater because of a flood. Hand in hand, we tried to go across but we couldn't.

In front of us, some men also tried to cross over the flood. Suddenly, we heard, "Help! Help!" A man was swept by the water and disappeared completely. Everybody cried and screamed loudly.

Frightened, we returned to the village. The village didn't have electric power and telephone lines because they were destroyed by the flood. Everybody was even more frightened than before.

We thought about our family. Our parents didn't know where we were. Our parents must have been worried about us because of the bad weather. At midnight, we finally contacted our families and everybody began to calm down. We stayed at a friend’s house and slept any place we could lie down.

The next day, the principal of the local Cham people school called our principal to tell him about why my class stopped in that day.

By the afternoon, the water was slower and lower. It was only as high as my knee. We decided to go back home. We went hand in hand. We made a long line to cross the water.

Finally, we arrived back at our homes safely. This is a bad memory but full of interesting experiences.

Until now, on Teacher's Day, Christmas and New Years, my class often gets together, talking, eating ,singing and telling about the memories from high school.

Now I live in the USA and I can't get together with my family and my friends. I am really sad but I have new classes and new friends.

My new classes are special. My new friends and teachers come from many countries of the world. They have many languages and many cultures. My new classes had parties on Halloween Day, Thanksgiving and maybe we will have a party on Christmas. I really love my class. I hope that we will make more good memories together and we will remember them forever.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE!"

I am Very Happy

Many years ago, my family lived in China. When I was a little girl, my father went to work. At that time, he only could come back home every three months. But he often called and told us that, "We must be clever children." If we became bad children, he said that he would feel very sad.

My father said that to us again and again because he was worried that we would behave badly.

We knew that our parents had to endure much suffering in their lives.

When I grew up, I learned about this little by little. So now, I am very thankful.

Hello, Classmates

My name is Joyce.

I will write a story soon!

A sink

Last week my kitchen's sink wasn't working. Then my mother want I fix it, but I can't fix it. So, I called the manager at the afternoon. But the manager didn’t have free time at the afternoon, so he come my home at night. After dinner, the manager arrived my home and he brang the plumber and said, “Try to use it.” Then his hand hold the plumber buffing the sink, about 30minute, he felt tire. But the kitchen's sink still wasn't working. Then I talked to him, “maybe you can buy the Liquid plum, the debris soluble in Liquid plum.” He said, “OK, I buy it and give you. tomorrow,” Another day, the manager gave Liquid plum to me. I pour a bottle Liquid plum into kitchen's sink. Pass three hours, I looked the kitchen's sink still wasn't working. Then I called the manager again and talked to him. He said, “Ok, tomorrow I call the plumber.” Another day afternoon, the plumber was come my home, the plumber brang machine to fix it. First, the plumber was tear the plum and check the plum. Then he started fix it. Pass 20minute, the plumber talked to me, “Ok, the plum is unclog, but you must open the faucet, put the hot water pour into the sink everyday, because too much oil in the plum.” I said, “ Ok, next time, we will be careful, thank you.”

My Daughters

I have two daughters. My oldest daughter is called Josephine but we all call her Joey. My youngest daughter is called Jasmine. She is only four months old. Anyway, my oldest daughter is going to be six years old on December 12th and we have planned an early birthday party for her. I had planned to give her a surprise on her birthday. The party was going to be on Saturday. We invited all her friends and relatives to come and the most important people are my teacher and classmates.

Everyday I drive my daughter to school and we talk about many things. She is a very curious girl. Everyday she asks me, "What did you do today?" I always answer her "I went to school and then I took care of your grandfather, because he is sick."

Then she would ask me, "Can I go to visit you at your school and meet your teacher and friends." Another thing she will ask me, "Do you have friends like I do at school? I know all my friends’ names. What about you, Dad?"

We have this conversation almost everyday in the car while driving to and from school. She wanted to visit my school so I drove by the school and showed it to her.

Anyhow, I was very glad that my teacher, with his son, and my classmates showed up at my daughter’s party on Saturday.

My daughter was busy playing with her friends, but after the party was over, she came over to me and asked, "How come all your classmates and teachers are so big and old? All my friends are so small."

Then I had to explain to her, "People grow older everyday and one day you will be like me." I gave her an example. In the future, when you grow older and mature, you will go to college and meet different kinds of people, such as older and big people. I think she kind of understands what I say to her.

There's one thing I forgot to do. I forgot to buy her a present. Therefore, she wanted me to play with her the whole night. I had to pretend to be a horse because she wanted to ride a horse. We played Simon Said and we played Hide and Seek until she got tired. Before she went to bed, she wanted me to promise to spend the whole next day with her and her sister. She wanted me to make breakfast for her and watch cartoons with her. Of course, I promised her and then she went to bed.

I was very tired that night and went straight to bed and waited until tomorrow came.

The Diary of Honest

This article was written by a high school student in China. It was got full marks on a high school exam. I want to share it to you.

One day, Honest was thrown into the sea by Intelligent. Honest went all out swimming to land. Finally, he arrived on a desolate island. Honest lay down for a rest on the beach. He hoped that a boat would rescue him.

Suddenly, Honest heard relaxing music from a distant place. He stood up immediately. Honest saw a boat sailing toward him. The boat carried a flag and it had the word “Happy” on it. It was originally a Happy Boat.

Honest yelled, “Happy! Happy! I am Honest. Can I take your boat to go back to my home?”

Happy said, “No! No! If I have an honest, I will lose happy. If you look around, you will see many people to tell the truth and this causes them to lose happy. Sorry! I can not do anything to help.”

After a while, Honest saw a Status Boat come by there. Honest yelled, “Status! I am Honest. I want to take your boat to go home, can you help me?”

Status heard that, he rowed his boat immediately and kept a suitable distance from Honest. Status turned his head to said, “Honest! You can not take my boat because it is difficult to obtain my status. If I have an honest, I would get bad luck and I would not be able to keep my status for very long.”

Honest heard that. He was very disappointed and he was filled with confusion and doubt. He continued to wait.

Then, Honest saw a Competition Boat. Honest yelled, “Competition! Can I take your boat to go ashore? Competition asked, “Who are you? If I help you, can I get many advantages?”

Honest did not want to tell him his name. He was worried that if he told him his name, Competition would not to take notice of him. But Honest was an honest man after all. So, he said, “I am an Honest!” Competition said, “You are Honest? Oh! No! I will not let you give that trouble to me. Now, competition is so intense in the social. If I have an honest, I can not to get more business by improper devices.” Competition rowed away without looking back.

Honest felt despair. Suddenly, he heard a gentle sound from the distant place. Honest saw a white haired old man in a boat. He arrived in front of Hones.

The old man said, “I am a Time Old Man. Let’s go in my boat.”

Honest asked him, “Why you want to help me?” The Time Old Man smiled and said, “Only has the time knows that the honest is most important.”

When Time Old Man and Honest return on the shore, they saw the Happy, Status, and Competition. Their boats were all turned over.

Time Old Man told to them, “Without the Honest, Happy can not be kept for a long time. Status is false and Competition fails, too.”


What do you think about honesty? Is it important to you?

LIFE DOES NOT COME EASY

Last week, the teacher asked me,"Do you like beef ?"

My answer was sure, "I don't like it very much!"

My classmate told me :"Don’t you know , in America, beef is wonderful and it has abundant nutrition!" I just smiled and didn't answer him.

I still remember one day in the winter in 1999. I was reading a magazine. An essay in the magazine surprised me.
The story said, " One morning , a butcher did his work as usual. Every morning he had to killed a lot of cattle because that was his job. He pulled the cattle one by one into the slaughterhouse. But the last one was not willing to go in there. He felt very angry. He kicked and hit it unceasingly. But the cattle didn't move from beginning to end. The butcher felt amazed but he had to finish his job, so he took an electric shock stick and shocked the animal. Suddenly, the cow knelt down and shed tears. The butcher was panic stricken. The shock stick dropped to the floor from his hand. He couldn’t believe his eyes. The cow’s crying sound was so sorrowful. He knew what the cow was feeling.

But one was a person, the other one was an animal. They couldn't communicate. The butcher looked into the cows eyes and the tears of both couldn't stop!

The next day , the butcher remembered the cattle's number. He look up its record. When he read the file, he was alarmed. Originally, this cow and her baby calf had lived in the wild. One day, when they were crossing the road, the calf was killed in a traffic accident. The calf’s entire body was bloody. The mother cow had licked her baby and cried.

At this moment , a journalist passing by and he took some photos and published the story in the newspaper.

Finally, the mother cow was sent to an animal care farm . That was the story 's start.

At the end, the butcher realized and became a monk. He wrote a book. The magazine story said, "People and animals have emotions.” We live in this world together. If people want to eat an animal's meat will have to kill a lot of animals.

Don’t you know, when you or an animal confront death, the feeling is very scary! Life is not come to easy by!

I hope that someone will read this story and stop eating meat. I think it could save a lot of animals’ lives.

My Grandparents

When I was a child, I lived with my parents but I usually stay at home with my grandfather and grandmother because my parents had worked long hours in their business.

My grandparents love me very much because I'm their first grandchild. They taught me to walk and to talk. When I could say “Dad” and “Mom” we were very happy. They usually bought toys to give me but they didn't buy war toys and dangerous toys. I liked strong feeling toys but now I understand why they didn't give me those toys to play with.

When I was 8 years old, they took me to school every day and helped me do my homework. They took me go to the public park near my house every morning to run around the lake.

If I was a good student and had a diploma or good grades, they would give me a new toy. Sometimes I enjoyed myself with my friend outside. If I wasn’t careful and fell down, my grandparents wouldn’t scold me. They would explain why I should be more careful.

Now I'm grow up and understand everything. I love my grandparents very much and thank them for everything they did for me. But I can’t thank my grandfather because he is gone. I'm very sad, but I think I can make my grandmother feel happy everyday.

My Best Friend

My best friend’s name is Hung. When I was in high school I met him. He was my classmate and he helped me with everything I didn't know. Everyday he carried me to school on the back of his bicycle because we lived very far from school and it would have been impossible to walk to school.

In our mathematics class he learned better than me but he usually forgot about history, so we were helped one another learn everything.

Our teacher wanted each student to study English language, but I hadn’t studied English before. Hung said, "Don't worry about that. I can help you" because he had studied English for a long time.

The next day we cane to school and registered to study. On the first day in the English class I was very afraid because I didn't understand anything the teacher said, but Hung explained everything to me and helped me pronounce the English words correctly.

On last day before I left Vietnam to come to the USA, I invited him to a restaurant. We were happy and sad. We usually went there to drink some beer. We talked a long time about our life at school. I will never forget this friend -now or in the future.

Easy Come Easy Gone

Today I am going to write about my friend. This is a lesson for whoever wants to become a rich man.

My friend’s name is Long. He is 30 years old and he is a truck driver. When he was 20 years old, he got started a farm. His job was breeding and feeding baby shrimp. He worked very hard and he earned a lot of money.

After 2 years, He built up his farm. He got a very lucky opportunity and he earned a lot of money. He earned in a day what a man usually earned in a year. After 2 years, he became the youngest millionaire in my province. Secretary-General Manh Duc Nong visited his farm and my friend’s business became even more successful.

When Long was 26 years, he got married to a beautiful girl. One year later, he lost everything. He got divorced. Why? Because He spent too much money. He gambled and he had too many girlfriends. His farm was destroyed. He tried to do it again but He didn't get another lucky opportunity.

He became a poor man. Everybody kept away from him. Last year, he went to Vung Tau and became a truck driver.

Last week, he told me that he had lost $3,000 dollars of his boss’ money and he had to repay his boss. Every month,he could only save about $25 dollars. How long would it take for hime to save enough money pay to pay back his boss?

If you were young and you were successful and you was rich, what would you do?

My Pets

When i was a little girl, I loved pets very much. I liked to play with them and to bathe them everyday.

When I was 12 years old, my grandfather gave me a gift. I was very surprised. It was a chick. My grandfather said, "You need to feed it!" I loved my grandfather very much so I loved the chick, too. Every day I fed it and washed it. My chick lived and was free to go around in my house. I named my chick “Chick.”

Chick slept in a small coop. Chick was very friendly with everybody. Chick always followed me to go out. It often pecked on my foot. I thought that Chick imagined that I was his mother.

I was very happy because I had a strange chick. My mother didn't like Chick because it was too small. It often made a chick sound and ran around my house. Everybody was scared that they might step on it by accident.

One time I wanted to go out but I didn't want Chick to follow me. I put Chick into my house. When I closed the door, it had gone out. I tried four more times, but Chick ran faster than me. I was very upset. I finally closed the door so fast and so strong, and, I heard;"Bang....chick, chick....,chick". I looked at my chick. I cried, "Oh, ...my god!". Chick turned around and around, and around and fell down. All of Chick's body became black. I was scared. I held it in my hands and I tried to cut down pain for it but it still shook and breathed slowly.

All that day, I cried myself to sleep. When I woke up, I saw my chick. It had died. I cried a lot and my mom burried it in my garden. I never forgot the day that I killed my chick.

3 years later, my older brother gave me a baby bird. I was very happy. It was nice . Everyday I fed it and trained it to fly and speak, because this was a bird that could mimic the voice of man.

After one month, the bird could fly inside and outside my house. It twitted loudly and badly but it didn't sound like the voice of a person. Maybe in one more month it could speak. Everyday, when I came back from shool, my bird flew to my shoulder. I felt very happy about that.

One time, when I was arguing with my older brother, the bird stood on the table near me. Suddenly, it twittered loudly. My older brother was very angry. He slapped it and it fell down on the floor. It died right away. And I cried too much. I whispered to him, "You are a heartless man." After that I buried my bird next to my chick.

One year later, my mom brought home a puppy. It was wonderful. Everybody called him was Kynhac. Everyday my younger brother and I played with the puppy and bathed it. When I rode my bicycle it often followed me.

Day by day, Kynhac grew larger and more handsome and he was very intelligent. He could open the door to go out by himself and sometimes went to visit my relative alone. Every morning I woke up very early to exercise and play sports with my friends. My dog always followed and protected me. My dog liked to go out and eat grass in the morning. I didn't know why. My friends were surprised when they saw my dog eat grass.

Normally he never barked or bit anyone but whenever he heard the sound of my neighbor's motorcycle, he immediately barked loudly. I didn't know why. Later my neighbor told me that my dog had seem him kill a puppy to eat. My neighbor was the only person my dog hated.

When I was 18 years old, I lived and studied in Ho Chi Minh City. After about 2 months, I came back to visit my family. Every time I left from my house to the station, I always went alone, because I didn't want to see anybody crying or worrying about me. Only Kynhac followed me to station. He looked and waited for me to get onto the train and disappear completely, then he went back home. I don't remember exactly how many times my dog took care of me. Maybe ten times or twelve times. I was very grateful to him.

One day my mom informed me that Kynhac had been stolen. I cried all that day. Some friends gave me another puppy but I refused, because I felt hurt when I lost something I loved.

Until now, I never have dared to feed any pet. And I like to eat chickens, birds and dogs. I think maybe I don't still love pets.

A TRIP IN CHINA

Several years ago, four friends and I signed up for a tour with a travel agent. It was a 3 day trip to Guangzhou, China.

On first day morning, we needed to arrive at the ferry station at 6:45 a.m. When we arrived, we saw our tour guide. He gave us the ticket and told us that the ship would sail at 7:45 a.m. He would meet to us on the ship.

At about 7:10 a.m. we hurried to eat breakfast at a nearby restaurant. We arrived at the gate to the ferry at a little after 7:30 a.m, but the gate staff would not allow us to enter. She said that we were too late and that we had needed to be there 15 minutes before sailing time. We didn't know this rule and our tour guide didn't remind us of this important item. We tried to persuade the gate staff to let us enter but without success. Then, we tried to find our tour guide but we didn't see him. I thought he was already on the ship.

At the same time, I saw a man at another gate and heard him talk with the gate staff. We knew that the man had the same problem as us. He was a tour guide with another travel agent. He had a guest who forgot to bring his I.D. card and this caused him to be late to the ship.

We talked to the man and we learned that he was going to same destination as us. So, we joined together to try to catcht up with our tour groups.

We checked the next sailing schedule, but all the tickets were sold out. We decided to take a train and then we changed to a bus to get to our destination. Finally, after we spent about a half day, we caught up to our tour group.

When we arrived at the destination, we saw our tour guide. He looked t a little surprised to see us. He didn't seem concernd that we had missed the ship.

We told him, "You have the responsibility to remind your guests about everything and to take care of your guests' safety while they are traveling." But he ignored our comments and told us " I led you here but I can not guarantee everyone can safety get back." When we heard that we were very angry.

After two days, we took care ourselves, because we distrusted our tour guide.

I felt this trip was not so good, because I missed the sailing time. I needed to pay extra money to catch up with my tour group and I tour guide was the worst one I have ever met on any of my trips.

MY STORY AS A KID

When I was a little boy, I was very naughty. Even the neighbor called me a grasshopper. I went around the village and messed things up. I remember this one time, I went into the forest and saw a lot of clay pots. I didn't know what the clay pots contained. I was very curious, so I broke one and found a set of white bones. I thought it was dog bones. Later I found out it was human bones. People leave it in there for memories. I guess, back then in China, people were poor that they could not afford coffins. Therefore they replaced coffins with clay pots.

Anyhow, let me continue with my story. I was the kind of kid that was not afraid of anything, such as ghosts, tigers, or even dead human bones. Anyway, I broke the pot and left the bones on the ground and then I went straight home.

Later that night, I began to feel sick. I was hot for a moment and cold for a moment. Then I got a 103 degree fever. My parents gave me medicine and I fell asleep.

It was very scary around midnight. I had a dream of an old man telling me, "You broke my bones and you better return my bones." I suddenly woke up sweating all over. I told my mother and she said, "It was only a dream, baby." She comforted me back to sleep.

The next day came and it happened again. The old man's voice popped up in my head. He told me he was in the forest, cold and he had no where to go. He wanted me to return his bones. I was very scared and told my mother. She told me the same thing, “It was only a dream.”

I recall back then that I was sick for a whole month and had the same dreams. My parents realized that this situation was not getting better. Therefore, they started to ask the neighbors for advice. The neighbors told my parents that "your son has trashed a dead person's house and he better replace it with a new home for them."

My parents did not know what to do, but one of the neighbors told them that, in the village, there was a blind man who could have contact with dead people, such as ghosts. Our neighbors suggested to my parents that they should go see him. And we did. Right when we got in front of the blind man, he suddenly yelled out, "Yeah! Your son has broken a dead person's home and needs to replace it with a new home." The blind man was very nice and helped us.

First, we needed to find out the dead man’s name and where he lived. We went and looked for his family members and got some information. Secondly, we needed a new clay pot and I carved his name and birthday on it. Thirdly, I needed to apologize to the old man and hope that he would forgive me. Lastly, we needed to see if he accepted my apology.

I was lucky and everything went well. Ever since this incident, I learned my lesson and behaved myself. The one thing that I learned was that I will respect others and also dead people.

Now when I see funeral cars on the streets, I bow my head down and give them a farewell. However, because of this incident, I had a god-grandfather which is the blind man who helped me. He liked me and asked if I could be his god son. I guess it was faith that brought us together. Anyhow, my god-grandfather passed away three years ago and I went back to China and gave him honor.

This is a true story that happened to me. One benefit that I got from this experience was to be a good boy and not a naughty boy. You will pay for what you have done. Now that I am a father of two daughters, I always tell them to be good.

Thanksgiving 2006

Click here for more photos.

A night

When I studied in high school, I lived in a dormitory. One night, my roommates and I went to sleep early. Suddenly, I woke up at midnight. I was in a cold sweat. I had had a bad dream. When I woke up, I heard water leaking. I felt a cold wind. I saw a shadow on the wall. I looked outside and it was very quite but I felt scared.

Suddenly, I heard a man walking very slowly outside the window. Suddenly, I saw a face through the window. He looked like he was searching for something.

Then, my body was shivering. I thought this was a ghost.. I wanted to look, listen and touch thing but I couldn’t because I was afraid. Then I shouted to my roommates. They were woke up. They angrily asked me “What is going on!”

I said, “I saw a ghost outside the window.”

They answered “There is nothing over there.”

Then I talked to them and they all got up and sat around me. We began talking about ghosts. Someone said “If a ghost came back again, what should we do?” Someone said calm down,“ Don’t be afraid! There are no ghosts in the world. Maybe it was a robber.”

Someone said “O~~~ it’s very horrorible. We can put our underpants on the window. The ghost will be afraid of them.”

I said, “That’s a good idea.”

Then we went to the bathroom and got some dirty underpants and put them on the window.

I felt a little better and we went to sleep again.

Beautyfull Life

I have a friend, his name is Bi. He is 23 years old.

When he was 13 years old, he was sick and his feet couldn't move. He was very sad. He felt ashamed. He didn't want to go out and meet anybody. Everyone understood about that, they tried to help Bi to improve his life. After one year, he could help his parenst to do housework . He moved by wheelchair so his arms were very strong. He could go everywhere and doeverything he wanted. Bi looked like a normal boy. He didn't need to help from another person or his parenst. Bi could play volleyball, bida, ping pong and badminton with his neighbors. He had a good memory so he gambled and he won. He didn’t earn too much money but he could buy something for himself so he didn't need to beg from his parents.

And now, everyday he does housework, plays sports, goes to the coffee shop and philanders with girls. His life is very happy. All his friends feel happy, too.

The Land Of Peach Bllossoms

Have you ever heard about the Land of Peach Blossoms - Shangri-La? The famous writer James Hilton of England published the famous book, Lost Horizons, in 1933. The place the book described is called Shangri-La, the land of Peach Blossoms. Many people have wondered if there Shangri La really existed.

80 years ago, Joseph Rock, a botanist from America introduced this place to the world. In an essay in National Geographic Magazine he wrote, "There is heaven in this world. There is an old land of heaven and earth.”

Let me talk about the story to you. Naxi is the last nation in China. A special tribe lives there. The name of the tribe is Moshuo. It is very special because it is a primitive matriarchal society. We call it the Women's Country.

Men and women do not get married but they can have many different mates. Maybe you are amazed.

“How about their children?” you may ask. Rest assured, if a woman has baby, she will bring up the baby until he/she is grown up. When they are about thirteen years old, their mother will tell them who their father is. The child and its father are can them become acquainted.

If you have chance to travel to the Land of Peach Blossoms and if you are a man maybe you will fall in love with a girl. You will only be able to visit her you at midnight, and you will have to sneak into her room through the window. You will need to be very careful so no one catches you.

Don't forget to bring three things. A piece of pork, a cap and a knife.

Do you want to know why? I'll tell you next time.

A Benefit for Storm Victims in My Country

A Benefit for Storm Victims in My Country

Yesterday my family went to San Jose to see a sing song show outside of the Lion market. This show was free, because they needed a to raise lot of money to help people who had lost everything in the big storm in Viet Nam.

At the beginning of this show, some guys went around with a box. One guy came to us and said, "Please put money into box to help people in your native country." My mom put in $10 and continued to listen to the singer. After that, suddenly, another guy came back to my mom and said the same thing. My mom smiled and put in another $10.

At last my mom said, "We should go into the restaurant to eat lunch. If we continue watching we will miss lunch."

My brother said, "But this singer looks beautiful. I want to keep watching a moment."

My dad said, "But I am hungry now. Let's go.”

My parents went into the restaurant, but my brother and I stayed and watched the show.

Later my brother and I went into the restaurant. My dad asked us, "How much did you lose."

We said "$20, but that was OK because we saw a beautiful singer and heard good a nice song."

An Unforgettable Experience

When I was a child I lived in Hong Kong with my family. We lived in a small village. My father was a farmer. Not too many people lived in our neighborhood. .

One night, we heard my dog bark outside. My father took a flash light and went out to look around. He passed a little park and near the outside gate of the park, he shone the light around. He saw a man lying down near the gate. The man looked very tired and his back was hurt.

My father thought he may have been a stowaway because, at that time, many illegal immagrants from China were coming to Hong Kong. They often hid on the train and, if they were discovered, they would jump down from the train while it was traveling fast. My house was near the railway so sometimes we would meet stowaways.

My father asked the man, "Are you a stowaway?"

The man said, "Yes." He told my father that he had come here to find his brother. He asked my father to not call the police. He gave my father the phone number to contact his brother.

My father gave him some food and arranged for him to stay in the storeroom outside our house. The next morning his brother came to pick him up.

I was very proud of my father.

Friday's Homework, November 17th

Please choose an interesting topic and write a paragraph (or three) about that topic.

Write it on lined paper. Be prepared to read your story in class on Monday.

I will show you how to post your story on this blog.

Have a great weekend!

A Young Vietnamese Woman's Diary

Click here to read about this incredibly moving story about a young Vietnamese doctor's diary.

Homework, Wednesday November 15th

Leave me a message telling me what you would like our class to do on Wednesday, November 22nd.

Remember, November 22 is the day before Thanksgiving.

Explain why you think your idea is good.

Don't forget to introduce yourself and spell your name.

Your message should be between 1 and 2 minutes long.

Thanks!

Homework Wednesday, November 8

Call me and tell me five things that you are going to do on Friday. Remember, Friday is a school holiday. The school will not be open. You will be able to do what ever you want to do Friday afternoon!

Actually, Friday is not Veterans' Day. Saturday, November 11th, is officially Veterans' Day. Why do you think we are taking our holiday on Friday? Please tell me when you call.

Thanks,
Richard

Hacking Democracy

Click here to view the HBO video about problems with computerized voting systems.

Homework for Thursday, November 2

Call and tell me what you are going to do this weekend. Please tell about at least five activites you are planning for the weekend. Use the "going to" pattern that we practiced in class today.

Your message should be at least one minute long. Don't forget to give your name.

More Terror

East Oakland is a dangerous place on Halloween! 

If I wore a costume, I would be a ______________ .

The Grim Reaper

He came late.

But who wants the Grim Reaper to be on time?

Shiver My Timbers!

Avast mates!

Any landlubbers without costumes will be keelhauled.

Ok, don't worry.

Just tell me what you would be if you wore a costume on Halloween.

"If I wore a costume, I would be a ____________." 

Monday October 30th

Call me and tell me what you did on Sunday afternoon. Please leave a message that is one to two minutes long.

Also, don't forget to wear a costume to class tomorrow.

Happy Halloween!

Wednesday's Homework October 25th

The fourth game of the 2006 World Series is scheduled for later this afternoon.

What sport am I writing about?

If you guesssed "baseball", you are correct.

Many people say that baseball is the national sport of the United States.

Call and leave me a message. Tell me if baseball is popular in your country.

Then tell me about the national sport of your country.

Finally, tell me what sport you like the best. Give me several reasons why you like that sport.

Tuesday's Homework October 24th

In the story we are reading, there is a problem.

Tell me about the problem. How do you think Skiff, Walt and Madge will solve the problem.

Don't forget to tell me (and spell) your name. Your message should be between one and two minutes long.

Monday's Homework October 23rd

Call and tell me what you did on Sunday.

Remember to use the past tense.

Homework for Thursday, October 19

You don't have to call me today.

Instead, please read the first two sections of the story,"Wolf." Then, please complete the written exercises on Page 18,19,20 and 21.

Practice reading your answers out loud. I will ask you to read them to your classmates tomorrow.

Thanks,
Richard

Wednesday, October 18 Homework

Call me a tell me about an unforgettable experience that you have had.

Don't forget to leave your name. Your message should be between one and two minutes long.

Homework for Wednesday, October 18

Call me a tell me about an unforgettable experience that you have had.

Don't forget to leave your name. Your message should be between one and two minutes long.

Tuesday's Homework

We are studying the present perfect.

Call and ask me ten questions using the present perfect.

I hope you haven't forgotten to include your name and information about where and when you study.

Wednesday's Homework

Call me and tell me about your best friend.

Tell me why you like them. Describe them. What qualities make them special.

Please don't forget to identify yourself. Spell your name. Speak slowly and clearly. Your message should be between one and two minutes long.

Tuesday's Homework

Today we read the first part a Jack London short story. In the story, Walt and Madge find a lost dog on their front yard.

Do you think they like dogs?

How about you, do you like dogs?

If you like dogs, please tell me why.

If you don't like dogs, explain why you don't like them.


Your message should be longer than one minute and shorter than two minutes. Please don't forget to identify yourself.

Enjoy the first game of the American League Championship Series.

Go Oakland!

Monday's Homework

Call me and tell me an interesting story about something that happenned to you today. Use the past tense.

Talk for more than one minute.

Please remember to introduce yourself and tell me when and where you study.

Thanks!

Thursday's Homework

We are going to the Job Fair tomorrow. We are also planning to visit the Oakland Museum. The Oakland Museum is very close to the main branch of the Oakland Library. Bring your library registration form and two pieces of identification so that you can get a library card after the Job Fair.

At Job Fair you will have an opportunity to speak to many employers. What questions will you ask them.

Think about a job you would like to have this year. Call me and tell me what kind of job you would like to have. P

retend that I am an employer and that I am offering exactly the kind of job you want. Ask me ten questions about the job.

Don't forget to include your name and the other usual information (where you study, etc.)

Wednesday's Homework

Please call and tell me when you are going to get your library card.

Tell me why having a library card is important to you.

Did you use a library before you came to the United States? Tell me about it.

Don't forget to give me the usual information (your name, where you study, etc.)

Your message should be longer than one minute and shorter than two minutes.

Thanks

Tuesday's Homework Assignment

Call me and tell me ten thing that you do. They can be things that you always do or that you sometimes do or even things that you rarely do.

After you tell me what you do, ask me a question (use the simple present tense).

Remember, you will be telling me about ten things you do and you will be asking me ten questions to see if I also do those things.

Try to include what, where, when, why, how much, how many, how long, and how often questions. You can also ask some yes/no questions.

Remember to spell your name and tell me when and where you study.

Monday's Homework

It's about the weather.

Call me and tell me about today's weather. You can describe the weather and tell how it affected you. You will probably use the past tense in this part of the call.

Then, tell me what you think the weather will be like tomorrow. You will probably use the future or substitute future for this part of the call.

Please tell me where you got your information about the weather and if this is how you usually get weather information.

Don't forget to include the usual information about who you are, where you study, etc.

I'm waiting for your call.

Friday's Homework

Please leave a message telling me about your weekend. Include details. Your message should be between one and two minutes long.

Don't forget to include your name. Tell me where, when and what you study.

Have a great weekend,
Richard

Thursday's Homework

Call and leave a message telling me what you are doing in the afternoon on Friday, October 6th. Explain what you hope to accomplish there.

Spell your name. Tell me what you are studying at Neighborhood Centers Adult School.

Also, tell when and where you attend class.

Wednesday's Homework

Leave a phone message telling me about something you are doing outside of school. Please do not talk about learning English or attending the adult school.

After you tell me what you are doing( for example: "I am learning to drive"). share some details.
(For example, you might say: " I practice driving every afternoon after school with my husband. On Saturdays I take a class with a driving teacher."

Don't forget to include your name (spell it!) . Tell where, when and what you study at Neighborhood Centers Adult School.

Thanks,
Richard

Tuesday's Homework

Leave a message on my answering machine.

Tell me your #1 goal for this English class.

Remember to spell your name and tell me where, when and what you study.


Also, I think you will enjoy this quiz about animal idioms.

Tuesday's Homework

Leave a message on my answering machine.

Tell me your #1 goal for this English class.

Remember to spell your name and tell me where, when and what you study.


Also, I think you will enjoy this quiz about animal idioms.

Tuesday's Homework

Leave a message on my answering machine.

Tell me your #1 goal for this English class.

Remember to spell your name and tell me where, when and what you study.


Also, I think you will enjoy this quiz about animal idioms.

Tuesday's Homework

Leave a message on my answering machine.

Tell me your #1 goal for this English class.

Remember to spell your name and tell me where, when and what you study.


Also, I think you will enjoy this quiz about animal idioms.

Tuesday's Homework

Leave a message on my answering machine.

Tell me your #1 goal for this English class.

Remember to spell your name and tell me where, when and what you study.


Also, I think you will enjoy this quiz about animal idioms.

Tuesday's Homework

Leave a message on my answering machine.

Tell me your #1 goal for this English class.

Remember to spell your name and tell me where, when and what you study.


Also, I think you will enjoy this quiz about animal idioms.

Monday's Homework

Introduce Yourself

Tell us your name.

Spell your first name.

Tells us where you go to school. (I am a student in Room101 at Neighborhood Centers Adult Schools. I am in the afternoon class.)

Tell us where you are from.

Tell us your favorite color.

Tell us your favorite fruit.

Tell us your favorite vegetable.

Tell us your favorite holiday.

Tell us the name of your best friend.

Spell their first name.

Tell us why they are your best friend.

Monday's Homework

Introduce Yourself

Tell us your name.

Spell your first name.

Tells us where you go to school. (I am a student in Room101 at Neighborhood Centers Adult Schools. I am in the afternoon class.)

Tell us where you are from.

Tell us your favorite color.

Tell us your favorite fruit.

Tell us your favorite vegetable.

Tell us your favorite holiday.

Tell us the name of your best friend.

Spell their first name.

Tell us why they are your best friend.

Thursday's Homework

Tell me what you usually eat for breakfast.

Also, tell me what you ate for breakfast this morning.

For example, you might say something like this:

I usually eat cereal and milk for breakfast.
This morning I ate pancakes for breakfast.


Don't forget to tell me your name and spell it. Also, tell me when and where you study English.

Try this easy quiz. (34 Easy Questions)

Wednesday

Call me and tell me your favorite animal.

Don't forget to include your name and which class you are taking!

For example, Son Do likes bananas and green beans. He might say something like this:

Hello, teacher. My name is Son Do.

I study English in the afternoon in Room 101 at Neighborhood Centers Adult School.

Dogs are my favorite animals.

I wish I had a puppy right now.


Thank you, teacher. I'll see you in class tomorrow afternoon.

Bye.

Please choose an animal whose baby has a special name. For example, if your favorite animal is a pig, the babies are called piglets.

cats/kitten
goat/kid
sheep/lamb
horse/colt or filly
cow/calf
dog/puppy
chicken/chick
duck/duckling

Also, take a look at this quiz. Do you know many words that begin with the letter "B"?


Take the on, in or at quiz.

Tuesday's Homework

Call me and tell me your favorite fruit and favorite vegetable.

Don't forget to include your name and which class you are taking!

For example, Son Do likes bananas and green beans. He might say something like this:

Hello, teacher. My name is Son Do.

I study English in the afternoon in Room 101 at Neighborhood Centers Adult School.

Bananas are my favorite fruit.

I wish I had a banana right now.

Green beans are my favorite vegetavble.

I wish I had some green beans right now.


Thank you, teacher. I'll see you in class tomorrow afternoon.

Bye.


Take the on, in or at quiz.

Monday's Homework

Please call and leave a telephone message.

Tell me how you get to school. Also, tell me how long it takes for you to get to school.

Don't forget to tell me your name and which class you are taking.


Do this quiz.

Body Quiz

Click here for a quiz about your body.

Call Me Up!

Hi, Class,

Welcome to the Beginning Low English Class in Room 101.

Here is your first homework assignment:

Call me up (you have the telephone number) after you watch the Dr. Phil television program tonight. Tell me what you think about the show.

Dr. Phil is on channel 4 at 8:00 pm.

Please don't forget to include your name in the message. Also, please say that you are in the Room 101 afternoon class.

Thanks,
Richard

Photos

Hi, All,

Here is a link to the photos I promised.

Fixing a flat

IMG_1604
Originally uploaded by muypadre.

It is a good thing that we brought a patch kit and tools.

We were on our way to the largest national park in Holland.

It would have been a long walk!

There really are windmills in Holland!


Yesterday we bicycled to Volendam.

It is about 20 miles from where we are staying.

Volendam is a very cute village. The houses are small.

Kayak Polo Worlds 2006

IMG_1639
Originally uploaded by muypadre.

Alex and Sophia (my son and daughter) almost pose for a photo at the park in Amsterdam where the tournament is being held.

It is a beautiful place, but there has been a lot of rain.

Here is a photo of the Under 21 Men´s team.

Waaaz a matta U?

The morning class is posting. What is the problem with the afternoon folks?

Check out the morning blog.

Zidzne's Headbutt

Check out this article.


And this animation.

Ride Public Transportation for Free this Monday!

Monday is a "Spare the Air Day"!

You can ride BART, the busses or the ferrys for free all day.

Click here to learn more.

There may be many more "Spare the Air Days", but this may be the last time this year that public transportation is free.

Get out and enjoy it!

I suggest a ferry ride to San Francisco. Maybe another ferry to Sausalito? If you see me, wave. I'll be riding my bicycle

Photos from the 1st Annual Picnic and BBQ at Redwood Park

Click here to see yourself at the 1st Annual Picnic and BBQ in Redwood Park!

Update on Oaxaca

Here is an idiom for the situation in Oaxaca:

"It's not over until the fat lady sings."

Check out this link.

And another link.

Hello, Classmates

I just joined the blog.

I will write about my plans for Memorial Day tonight.

Viva Salsa!

Read about the Bay Area salsa scene in this San Francisco Chronicle article.

Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

Day Without an Immigrant

Teacher Jean and I joined the Day Without an Immigrant march in San Francisco.

Click here to see pictures of the march.

What do you think about today's Day Without an Immigrants events?

Please post your thoughts on the blog.

See you soon! 

Rebuilding Chinatown after the !906 Quake

Check out this interesting article about rebuilding Chinatown (San Francisco) after the 1906 earthquake. It was only a few years later that the immigration station on Angel Island opened.

You can read the article and then click on the "listen" at the top to hear it. The photos are also interesting.

Leave a comment (below) if you think I sould post more articles for you and your classmates to explore.

Angel Island Photos

Click here to see our Angel Island Photos.

http://flickr.com/photos/muypadre/sets/72057594104871977/

Click on "View as Slideshow" to watch our trip from beginning to end.

Don't forget to write a story about our field trip!

Thanks

You did the walk, now let's read the story

If you post a story about our field trip, I'll give you a disk of photographs!

What a deal!

Cafe Trieste

Some of us walked up to the Cafe Trieste in North Beach.

You may find this story in Saturday's San Francisco Chronicle interesting. 

Angel Island FAQ

Where do we meet on Thursday Morning?

Meet in Room101 or at the Lake Merritt BART station

What time do we meet on Thursday morning?

Meet at 7:45 in Room 101. We will leave promptly at 7:55 to walk to the Lake Merritt BART station.

You can also meet us at the Lake Merritt BART station at 8:25.

How much money should I bring?

Bring between $20 and $25 for transportation.

BART costs $2.75 each way.

The Angel Island Ferry group rate is $13.50.

The San Francisco to Oakland Ferry (optional at 5:20 p.m.) costs $5.50.

Bring extra money if you plan on buying snacks or drinks.

Who will buy our tickets?

You will. Each student will buy their own ticket.

Please bring exact change (or at least crisp dollar bills) for the BART ticket. We won’t have a lot of time to spend buying tickets at the Lake Merritt BART station.

We will purchase the Angel Island Ferry tickets at Pier 41.

What kind of weather do we expect?

Check with weather.com. The prediction is for partially cloudy with a high of 61 degrees. This is perfect weather for hiking, but be prepared for all weather conditions.

What clothes should I wear?

Be prepared for all kinds of weather. It may be windy. If you climb to the top of Mt. Livermore (the highest point of the island) you may feel warm. Dress in layers so that you can adjust your clothing to the conditions. I usually carry a couple of sweaters and a light jacket. Don’t forget a hat if you need protection from the sun.

Dress casually and wear comfortable shoes. We will be walking quite a bit.

What else can I bring?

Bring lunch for yourself and some snack or fruit to share with your classmates.

Bring a bottle of water, juice or soda.

Don’t bring alcohol or illegal substances.

Bring sunscreen and a hat if you, like me, need protection from the sun.

Bring a camera if you have one. Don’t forget spare batteries, etc.

Bring a notebook and pencil. We will be talking about everything we see. This could be an excellent opportunity to expand your vocabulary.

Bring a backpack to carry all of the above.

What will we do on the island?

Speak English, of course.

We will walk around the eastern end of the island and look at Chinese Cove where the Chinese immigrants were detained. I hope a park ranger or volunteer will give a talk.

We’ll eat lunch together. After that, students can choose how to spend their time. Some may want to explore the shore. Others may choose to go for a walk or climb Mr. Livermore. Some may just want to relax and talk.

Everyone should meet back at the dock by 3:20.

The ferry departs for San Francisco promptly at 3:40.

When does the field trip end?

Officially, the field trip ends at 4:00 p.m. on our return to Pier 41 in San Francisco. Students are free to leave from there. The BART runs a regular schedule from the Embarcadero to Oakland.

Unofficially, I will stay and wait for the Oakland ferry that leaves Pier 41 at 5:20. This will be a good time to talk casually or grab a bite to eat. The ferry (fare is $5.50) takes about an hour to reach Jack London Square in Oakland. We’ll (several students have decided on this option) take a bus back to Neighborhood Centers School.

Can I bring a relative or a friend?

Yes, if they can walk, they are welcome, but please tell me who you are bringing by Wednesday.

Sun Shines on Sunday

The sun shone.

As you can see, the sun shone on the Golden Gate Bridge, on Angel Island and on my head.

If you like, I can show you more photos on Monday.

Vilay's Story

When I was seven years old, I went swimming. The weather was windy and cloudy. I didn't know how to swim so I stayed near the shore. I tried to swim for about 15 mninutes. A piece of glass cut my foot. It hurt and bled. I put a leaf on my cut. The bleeding stopped. I went to my house.

My mother was very angry at me. She took me to the hospital. I told my mom that I would never go to the Mekong River again.

Who wrote "Hero"?

Click here to learn more about the author of "Hero".

Read some of his poems.

Learn CPR. Save a life!

Check out these news stories:

Girl saves mom with CPR

Singer uses Heimlich Maneuver to Save Stage Hand

Bring your pet to school!

This is Tran's dog, Storm.

Bring a picture of your pet to class. We'll make him (or her) famous.
We will add your pet to our blog. 

Hello all my room!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi anyone!! Do you remember me? I hope YES!!! Especially you, Teacher Richard. I am afraid, because I did not go to school for around 7 days because I am in LA. But I studied a lot about CPR and I watched the Academy Awards. It was very fantastic, I liked it too much, but the thing that I liked more than nothing, was:" The Best Motion Picture" of Paul Haggis and Cathy Schulman in CRASH. Talking about CPR, it is very important when we want to save lifes, and you have to call 911 if the victim do not response. We have to remember exercise "SOLID COMMON SENSE" when someone needs CPR help. There are 3 kinds of CPR: Adul CPR, Child CPR, and Infant CPR. Anyway, I learned a lot about it, and I will be in school next week teacher, because I want to go to the trip too. Don't forget me please!!! Wait for me!!! O.K. I love you everybody and pay attention to the teacher because he is "SO GREAT". I"ll see you soon.

Help Plan Our Field Trip

We are planning a trip to Angel Island on March 30th.

Please help with the planning!


How can we get to Angel Island?

What are the costs?

When will we have to leave and what time will we return? Check the schedules.

What kind of weather do you expect on March 30?

What should we bring with us?

Will we have to walk far?

What will we do on Angel Island?

Here are some resources to help answer these questions.

BART
Angel Island Ferry
San Francisco Ferry
San Francisco Transit Guide

Information about Angel Island
Angel Island Immigration Foundation
Angel Island State Park
Angel Island Tours
Angel Island Immigrant Journeys of Asian Americans
Angel Island Poetry
More about Angel Island Poetry

Can you answer these CPR questions?

How CPR Works

What happens when a person experiences cardiac arrest?

How effective is CPR?

What does CPR mean?

When was CPR invented?

Where does the oxygen we breathe go?

When to Dial 911

What may be the most important step that you can take to save a life?

If two people are present and CPR is needed, what should they do?

If you are the only one present and CPR is needed, what should you do?

What should we always do when faced with an emergency situation?

What should you be prepared to tell the 911 operator?

Adult CPR

According to the American Heart Association, Adult CPR should be performed on anyone over what age?

What is responsiveness?

What should you do before beginning any rescue effort?

When shouldn’t you shake the victim?

What should you do if the victim does not respond to gentle shaking and shouting?

Adult CPR Airway

What does the “A” in “ABC” mean?

What do you need to do if the victim is unconscious and unresponsive?

How do you check to see if the victim is breathing?

What is the most common airway obstruction in an unconscious victim?

How can you clear the airway of an unconscious victim when the tongue is blocking it?

Adult CPR Breathing

What does the “B” in breathing stand for?

How do you prepare to give rescue breathing?

What can happen if you over-inflate the victim’s lungs?

What should you do if the victim vomits?

How many breaths should you give?

What should you do after you give the first two breaths?

What should you do if the victim does not begin breathing, coughing or moving?

Adult CPR Circulation

What does the “C” stand for in “ABC”?

How can you determine if the victim’s heart is beating?

Where is the carotid artery?

What is a pulse?

What will you have to do if there is no pulse?

Adult CPR Compressions

Why is correct hand placement very important when performing chest compressions?

If you hear a cracking sound, should you stop performing chest compressions?

How many times should you compress before giving two more breaths?

How fast should you compress the victim’s chest?

Should you check the victim’s pulse again?

How long should you continue if there is no pulse?

What should you do if the victim has a pulse but is not breathing?