I promise you

I promised you to write 7 articles on the room101pm.blogspot.com before the New Year.

Every day I searched in my diary for some interesting things I had written before. Then I typed it two times on the computer. The first time I typed the story in the Microsoft Word. That checks spelling and grammar. Then I printed it to keep. The second time I typed it on the blog because I didn’t know how to cut and paste it from Microsoft Word to room101pm.blogspot.com. So, that was too much work. I am tired. My eyes hurt. Now I need lie down on the couch to relax, to watch TV, to read books, to dream and to rest.. I am sorry. That’s it for me!

After I laid down on the couch, my dog slept on my chest close to my head. Now that I more relaxed, I am writing this with my pencil. I hope you will correct it. I will be happy if you do. If you don’t, I will cry. Ha…ha… Later, maybe, I will write again. Now I am putting away my pencil and paper. I need to relax for the rest of the holidays.

Teacher, Happy New Year and best wishes for happiness now and in the New Year!

Irene
Dec.26.2007
Oakland

Merry Xmas to everybody!!! See you soon!

Driving License

Today I was very happy. I got first license in the USA---driving license. I thought this is god help me. So, I was lucky woman. Now I must go to college to learn English. It can help me to get nursing license.
Afternoon 1:25pm, druive's teacher picked me up to DMV. I asked him many questions. He said:" you have too many questions when you drive car. You must relaxed." So he hope me deep breath and don't be nervous. I remember it.
when we arrived at DMV, no body waited for. It was lunch time. later a Chinese examiner gave me to test. He was good man. He spoook slowly and cleanly. He asked me:" Do you have any questions?' I said:" First time, maybe I don't understand what dose he says" He friendly said:" if you don't understand, you can ask me. I repeat say again. But we must to keep safe." He still slow and cleanly gave me direction in all course of test. So I hadn't nervous, and rerelax whole test. When I finished the test, the examiner took to me: you are past! My drive's teacher and me were excited. When the examiner gave me temporary license I smiled at him friendly, and swayed my hand said: thank you, bye.
When the drive's teacher picked me up to go back home he took to me many about the USA good things for people. I knew he ever help many Chinese people. He was friendly and honest Chinese man. Thank teacher.

Irene

Acupuncture in Our Country

When I have been nurse in China. I saw some patients to use acupuncture to remedy their arthritis. Many patients used acupuncture in summer. It is very common. That can remedy their trouble ailments of pain. So each summer was busy season in acupuncture department.
Before I came to the USA I saw many overweight people need to lose their weights to try acupuncture. the acupuncturist used more needles to insert into different acupuncture points on people's abdomen, arms and legs. that stays in place for 30 minutes. three time a week. A course of treatment for one month, at same time, the ear's needles stay in place for a course of treatment. People usully pinch ear's needles by their selves. the result is good. So many people try to do.

Irene

My childhood

When I was child I visited my grandmother. She taught me evertthing and took care of me.
When I was 7 years old I got nephritis. My grandmother took me to see a Chinese doctor and a western doctor. The Chinese doctor gave me Chinese medicinal herbs. My grandmother mixed medicinal herbs with fish. It tasted very bad. Then she put some sugar in it. Then she fed me when I played. Every day I ate medicinal more than food for long time. Because I was ailing child. So she took care of me very hard.
Sometimes I think if my grandmother hadn't taken care of me when I was a child. I wouldn" have a healthy life now So I always remember her. Thank you my grandmother---from my heard.

Irene

What Do You Like in the USA?

My name is Irene. I come from China. My teacher asked us, "What do you like in the USA?"

Each student had a different answer. I thought for a long time. Now I really like teacher Richard and my classmates. My teacher is interesting. My classmates are not boring. We talk with each other.

At first, when I came to this class, I was apprehensive and sometimes I felt tired. I wanted to go home. Now, I don't want to go home because this class makes me happy. It is important to me. So, because of this course I like the USA.

Next month I shall go to Laney College. I hope I will keep this good feeling.

Thanks, teacher. Thanks, classmates. I will miss you very much.

Room101

In the afternoon, you can see, hear and share a lot of fun and funny in the room101! Don't believe it? Trust me! My tactful and humorous teacher -Richard Blum always say that.

I - Shanchang is from coast city South of China. I thought that I am a honest woman. I tell all of my opinions of English to my classmates Since I want to learn more English. But sometimes teacher would like to say: "Shanchang, Give me your opinion. You usually don't agree with anyone."Right now you agree with me. Teacher?

Alice, a really beautiful Italian young girl. She is a vegetarian and optimist. She likes dancing and likes to arrange activities for us. She is interested to do active things that she is like our good model in real life - to be or not to be. We avoid to say that I kill a chicken or I eat a big of steak in front of her. If you said like that, she would say:"Oh! My God! You?!" Then She stare at you and doesn't believe this. And you would feel guilty: "Oh! Alice, I am so sorry about that!"

Alex, a really handsome mexican young bachelor. He have taken classes in drawing and performance of his country. He likes to play guitar also. Sometimes he would like to show his skills of guitar in classroom if he wanted and felt excited. however, Alex and I usually have argument. "What are you doing? Shanchang?" He say to me. " I check my dictionary, I don't understand this word." "Don't do that! I would report to teacher. You don't pay attention to him." That sound is like kids. "Oh! Man! Please kill me!" Then next day, I say:"don't do that. Man!" "I don't care! I don't care!" "Oh! Kill me! Please!"

Anyway, I am going to tell you all of them in room101. But I don't have time right away. So, sorry! "Don't be sorry, be careful!" "Who is it?" Next time I will tell you!

Getting Help in School ... A ThankYou Letter

Today was a bad day, also, it was a good day. When class finished I wanted to go home but I couldn't open my car door. I tried again but it still wouldn't work. First, I hoped that teacher Richard could help me, so I went back to my classroom. When I talked to him about my problem, he immediately went out with me. He check out my car and said that I had forgotten to turn of the lights of my car so the battery wouldn't work.

Oh, my god! Today it had been raining and I had turned on the lights but I had forgotten to turn them off. So, I got in big trouble. I was worried. My battery needed a jump. It needed help to start. Richard looked at me and said, "Don't worry." He went back to the school's office and asked some teachers if they had jumper cables. They said that Burr Guthrie had some, but we couldn't find him. then one teacher said she had some cables and the school guard, Benjamin Ween went out to her car to look for her cables, but he didn't find them.

When Richard was helping to call my husband, Burr Guthrie came in and heard about my problem. Soon he and the guard, Benjamin Weems, helped me to jump the battery. Immediately my car started. I could go home. thanks, teacher Richard and Burr Guthrie. Thanks, guard Benjamin Weems. Thanks, school. I got help in the school. I am a lucky person!

Student,

Irene Tsai
December 19, 2007

A Letter

Dear Mr.Michal:

I am writing this letter to tell you about a problem I have with your airline. My husband and I came back home on Flight cx 872 on May 12, As I write this, I am still missing one large piece of luggage.

When we arrived in the airport of San Francisco, we wanted to take our luggage. But we couldn't find it. Then we asked about our luggage. They told me that it might be on other airline.

The luggage contains my husband's and my clothes, hats. Right now we don't have clothes to dress. Beacuse we are new immigrants. We don't have enough money to buy enough clothes. You must agree that it has been a rather costly mistake. I would appreciate it if you would look into this matter as soon as possible. I hope that you can resolve this matter.

sincerely yours.

Shan

My Diary <2> - to my best freind

Monday 5:00pm

It was nice to get your photos, I miss you very much. I miss talking to you. But I really studied hard in English.

Two months ago, I got a job. I was a food server. I worked very hard. I had to clean up tables, mopped the floor, ordered food for customers and counted money. In my "free" time, I had to prepare a lot of boxes. So, this job was different and difficult for me. I was naive to think that I could earn more money, but the boss wasn't very nice. She gave me a low salary. Then I decided to quit the job.

Right now I go to school Monday through Friday. Are you still busy with teaching? please write to me soon and tell me about your life as a teacher.

My Diary <1>

Friday 7:00Pm

I came to the United States that It was a very bad decision. I am not younger. I have to learn the second language; I have to adjust to life in a new culture; I have to work very hard. These factors are not easy in culture shock. Everything is unfamiliar. So, I produce a feeling of disorientation.

I feel terrible here. I am worried about my studying, my job, my life. I feel lonely when I come home from school.

But Oakland's weather is pleasant. Flowers are everywhere. These factors look similar my hometown. Other thing is better that it is : I can go to college by free, the government pay me. I am lucky I don't need to pay anything. SO, sometimes I feel like staying here. I could buy a car late. Beause a car is cheaper than China. I decided to solve the problem from the unfamiliar environment. I can't escape!

I'm back

This was a guy how went to Washington, but today.......... he back.

End of the story

LAS VEGAS

Hi guys! It's still me...sorry if I bother you! I was looking for some flights to Las Vegas and I found some good deal. Let's go!!!! The best think for me would be to go there on the first week of January before the beginning of the school. We can go there only for two or three days. I'm not so interested in gambling but I really want to visit that place.
Who wants to come? I swear: I'll be a pain in your a...neck until you say "Yes!"

Have you ever tried to go to the bathroom in the Oakland Public Library?

Have you ever tried to go to the bathroom in the Oakland Public Library?
If yes, it would be an experience that you won’t forget in your whole life!
Yesterday, I went to the library to print a discount that allows two persons to get into a salsa club at the price of one ticket. (Before I forget, I think that would be a very good idea to buy a printer for the students, so students could print. I don’t mean that we should have free prints, but you could sell print cards or you could establish a price for each copy…This is not a complaint letter, but only a suggestion!)
Anyway, while I was there I had to go to the bathroom…urgently!
When I reached the door it was locked and there was a sign that said to ask at the information desk for the key.
So I run to the desk and I asked the librarian for the key. At this point he showed me this very big and strange object that didn’t look like a key at all. It was like a sculpture of abstract art or a torture instrument. The object was a little black plastic thing tied with a big iron ring, tied to a heavy iron and big thing and on that thing there was a paper with the instruction to use the key. The instructions were incomprehensible for me, not because it was a difficult English to understand, but because I couldn’t believe that we could open a door waving something over a something else…
I mean, in all my life I have always opened and locked doors with a key, but, I was sure, I had never done something like that to open a door before. And the most important thing was that I couldn’t believe that I had to carry with me the whole big and heavy strange object. So I tried to dismantle the most little part from the other stuff, under the incredulous sight of the librarian. But the whole thing was tightly tied together! I surrendered and I asked the librarian if I had to bring the whole stuff with me. I think he couldn’t believe that I didn’t understand so he only repeated me for three times that I had to read the instructions and that the bathroom was upstairs.
I was really in a hurry so I decided to bring the object and that I would try to use it in some way when I would be in front of the door (maybe also by hitting the handle of the door with the iron part…It was an emergency!).
Finally, when I reached the door, I passed by chance the plastic part near the electronic device that opens the door. The door opens automatically and I could enter. It was like an enchanted door!
Very often it happens to me that I feel stupid in the US and it’s not only because I can’t understand the language, but because I find myself in strange and unbelievable situations!
I wanted to share with you this story so, thanks to my experience, everybody could go easily to the bathroom next Tuesday...

Thank you!

I don’t know if this post will count in the 10 posts to get a certificate, anyway I would like to tank you, teacher, for the chance that you gave me last Thursday…
I think that the thing that I like the most in the US is not a particular place, but is the warmth that I have found in my class, thanks to you and to my class mates.
I really enjoy my every day three hours of school. I will be here only for two more months and I am eager to learn and to share my “Americans days” with my class mates. You are the most important persons that I met here, that’s why it was so important to me to introduce you to my mom. I always talk about how I feel good in my class and I want to tank you because you gave me the opportunity to make this virtual meeting with my mom. She was very happy to see me and you all. She told me that I look happy and that she likes my class too. She wanted to know your names so she could associate the stories that I tell her with your faces (Don’t worry, only good stories). After that I felt very happy and she felt like that too.
It was amazing! I just wanted to tell you and to thank you, because I don’t like to take the good things of my life like expected thinks.
I think the persons in this class are simply wonderful. I feel very happy and lucky for meeting you in my life!

Am I A Thief?

Two week ago, my husband and I went to our aunt's house to join Thanksgiving party. When we arrived there,I saw a lot of fruit trees in her backyard. It is really like a small orchard. I climbed up a tree and sat on the limb. Orange, green were full of my eyes. This situation made me to remember other scene: when I was 11 years old.

In 1983, my parents were teachers. So they didn't have enough money to give an allowance to my brothers and me. We didn't have snacks, candies or fruit. A few of chance, my cousins stole fruit from a farmer's orchard when their parents didn't know it. They divided the fruit up little bit for me, since they wanted to copy my homework.

One day, my cousins told me, They had seen a lot of oranges in a farm when they cross there. They convinced me to steal fruit with them. I thought that I was longing to eat fruit at this time. So, we sneaked into an orchard outside my city. We climbed up a tree under avoiding a farmer. I felt scared and guilty. my legs were shivered. But when I saw a lot of oranges around me, I forgot that feeling. I only wanted to catch all of the oranges. I shared the smelling and catching. Suddenly, I heard a angry voice over there:"what are you doing there?" "Oh, my God! farmer!" A farmer ran fast to us with a long stick and yelling. "Jump down! Jump down! Run away at once!" My cousins shouted in a hurry.

We caught branches and swung down. Immediately, we broke into a run. When we ran to the attic of a home, we were frightened and excited. Fortunately, we held a few of the pieces of fruit in our hands tightly. However, I didn't want to do any more inmost my heart!

The Exploratorium

On Wednesday fifth, Francisco, Rodrigo and I went to San Francisco to visit the Exploratorium, a museum about sciences that is situated in a nice park near the Palace of Fine Arts.
What is great is that almost every museum, in San Francisco, has at least one free entrance day a month, so culture is available for anyone.
We went there on the free entrance day and it was full of children, but it was not too crowded, so we could enjoy it.
There were a lot of experiments to do, that help children to understand many physical phenomenons like the heat, the wind or the magnetism.
The fun thing was that in this place you can experience everything and it makes to learn more interesting.
We were very excited, even more than children, and we wanted to try almost every activity. For this reason we could only see a half part of the whole exhibit.
The more interesting exhibit, in my opinion, was the one about human mind and senses. They show how they can be tricked. There were many optical illusions. One of them was the Alice in Wonderland’s House, where the perspective created by the squares on the floor make you look like a giant in a corner and like a dwarf in the opposite corner of the house.
We had a really amazing time: we created hearth quick by jumping all together, we made water and smoke rings, we talked on the phone with a fish in a tank and we also drank water from a toilet!
I can’t wait to come back there and to finish the whole tour of the museum. Here are some pictures of us. We should have taken more than these, but we were too busy and concentrated in all the activities…

My first Thanksging Day

This year, on November 22, I had my first Thanksgiving Day. Actually we had one in Italy when my American sister was there, but it was not a typical Thanksgiving. First of all, because we were in Italy and second because we didn’t even have a turkey. Instead we had two little chickens that my mom passed off as dwarves turkeys.
Also my Thanksgiving Day in the US wasn’t exactly traditional. I spent the first part of the day in Oakland, helping my family to get ready for the dinner and setting up the restroom in a way that could host a lot of people. The second half of the day, the “eating part”, I was in Stockton with my sister, her brother and her sister in low. My sister and I were late so when we arrived, her brother, Alex, had already cooked almost everything. The only thing that we could do was to do the appetizers. The dinner was very quiet and intimate, without the family dramas that are supposed to happen on the Holiday days.
Alex spoiled us by doing everything we asked him: he coked, he set the table, he cleaned everything after dinner and let us watching all the movies that we wanted.
We watched a movie called “Home for Holidays”, with a very dysfunctional family and many funny and awkward situations.
On Friday, we didn’t go shopping at 4 for the big sales and we preferred to sleep until 11, we spent all day eating leftovers and using the computer.
In the evening we went to a hokey game between Thunder of Stockton and Ace from Alaska.
Alex works for the team so he gave us two cute hats and big foam rubber hands. Between the second and the third time there was a game called “Chuck the puck”. The audience had to throw foam puck into the ring and to try to reach the target at the center of the ring. After that game, my sister and I, with many little children, went into the ring to collect the pucks and clean the ring before the game restarted. I was a little scared and I felt very awkward because we were in front of the audience, sliding and everybody could stare at us, but it was fun!
On Saturday morning we went shopping and I finally bought speakers for my i-pod, so I can listen to the loud music. After the shopping we came back to Oakland and I spent the last two free days at home with my dog…I was very bored and a little sad. It’s weird but I was very happy to come back school!

Alex from Spokane

American yet not

This is a old history but I would like to write about that.

Like three weeks ago I went to San Francisco with Alice because like you know a big ship wrecked in the bay bridge spilling 58,000 gallons of oil.

So, We were trying to be voluntaries to help clean the beaches but we couldn't do it because we are not American citizens. But we are not illegals here, it was frustrating. we took the training in the auditorium at the golden gate park so we could help, but they told us that we should go back home.

However, we had a good time there in SF, we took the BART and before that the MUNI (train), it was nice and we ate in a very good restaurant, was like mediterranean food. Anyways, it was a new experience.

I feel that it is dumb, because they need help but they won't take it. And that wasn't the first time that I was rejected. One time I tried to volunteer at a foster home, asylums, etc. But I was treated the same.

Well, I suppose that I'm not able to help in America. Why??? stupid american rules. That's all.

Alex

hello from Spokane, WA

Hello Class

I could not write before because I am in Spokane, Washington now and it was impossible to find internet, but I want to get a certificate and wrote eight stories on the blog, so I am very close to getting it (right Richard?)

I came to visit my friends here (Seth and Annie) and I am spending a long time here with them. They are Americans and I met them in Mexico. I have not seen them for four years.

Here it is very cold and this was the first time I ever saw snow. I was impressed when I got down from the airplane. The weather is very chancing and it is always cold. Some days it is sunny and another days is raining or snowing. My friends have taken me many places like the woods, downtown, the River etc. This city reminds me my city in Mexico. I really like it. It is a city surrounded by pine trees and mountains. I would like you all to see it.

Maybe soon I will go to the mountains and snowboard. That sounds exciting.

See you guys soon.

How are you doing Richard?

Alex

What's going on??

I'm sorry,I don't know what happened,when I found that problem,the writing have already pissed...I don't know how to delete the first on...
I'm going to continue talk about my coworker.Today I felt better.I tried to find something that were good about my coworker.I will try to do that later on.Anyway,thanks for your suggest.
Take care!See you next week~~~

About my cowoker...

Hi teacher! How are you? Are you at school these days? Today, I'm not coming to school, but I'd like to know if you are better and if we are going to the movie this evening or next week. I hope I see you soon! Have a very good day!

Day of dead in Uruapan...

By
Alberto Ortega Servin

Let me explain this history…

In Uruapan, on November 2, people celebrate the Day of the Dead. Many people go to the cemetery. Florists sell flowers in the street near the cemetery. People put the flowers on the tombs of their dead relatives.

The most popular flower in this celebration is the "cempasuchitl." This flower is the symbol of the Day of the Dead. I don’t know if this flower is popular in other countries, but, in Mexico, it so popular that it is called the “Flor de Muertos.” This flower is yellow. Many people remember their dead relatives with affection.

The festive period begins on the night of October 31, and continues until the Day of All the Saints. People celebrate on November 1, and 2. Many people make altars in the church and school. They put photographs of their relatives on the altars and decorate them with flowers , vegetables and bread.

Many people say that the spirits of their relatives come to the altars to enjoy their favorite foods. Every altar is illuminated with many candles.

This celebration is one of the most colorful in Mexico. People from different parts of Mexico, and from all over the world, come to to see the Day of the Dead Celebrations in Uruapan, Michoacán.