Thanks for the E-card!

You make me smile.

I am getting stronger each day and smiling is the best medicine.

Thanks and Happy Holidays!

Richard

About of my Family Tree...

By
Alberto Ortega Servin

My name is Alberto. I was born in El Tecuán, municipality of the Penjamillo, Michoacán, Mexico. Where my family had grown and worked there. I am single.
In my family there are 6 members more I have had my mother and father also I have had two sisters and four brothers. My mother and father got married in 1965. Their names are Otilia and Alberto Ortega, how old is my family? My family is 43 years old. All members of my family were immigrated in different year because in my country the economic situation was terrible now this situation is more comfortable for families in Mexico because there are more jobs for the families.
Now I am studying English in ESL program, I need more English for my objectives in this wonderful country and the life for my family is good because whole family have worked in different areas.
My second brother his name is Ernesto, he have worked in the factory where he has put labels on cardboard boxes. He is got married with his wife Martina. She works in the Rainin company for long time also they have 3 children, one daughter and two sons. They have lived in Tracy, California.
My sister Maria Del Carmen is got married two time with first her husband, she have had one sons, now she is got married again with her husband Juan Quintero and they have had two children more Eduardo so he is other member their family. Her husband made a small company for cutting the trees and she takes care her children. They have lived in Riverbank, California now.
My other brother Guillermo is got married with his wife Maria Magdalena in this matrimony there are two children, one son and one daughter and he is working at Construction Company in different places the California, and she takes care the children, now they are living in Oakland, California.
My sister Maria Guadalupe is got married with her husband Marcos Garcia, also she works in Clothing Store and he works in other company to cut trees but they has two wonderful daughter and they live in Riverbank, California.
My brother Pablo is got married with his wife Gabriela, and then they have two children, one son and one daughter, he works Construction Company in different places the California, and he sometime works with my brother-in-law Juan Quintero in cutting the trees. His wife does not work and she takes care her children now they live in Salida, California.
Before whole family was living in El Tecuán, Michoacán, Mexico where we had cows, horses and we grew the crop if as sorghum, wheat, beans and corn. Corn is main crop for food in Mexico.

What Happen on Independence Day in the United States? …

By
Alberto Ortega Servin

On July 4, 1776 the United States of America became in an independent country; the leaders signed the declaration of independence from England also Independence Day is national holiday day but the States offices closed, banks, school, post offices and some stores are closed in this day too but special states workers 911, polices, emergency hospital and fire workers will be working on July 4th.
Is very important for people are remembering this day it is birthday of the U.S. but this day is free for a lot people in their jobs then that the big department stores have had big sale.
In the some streets the United States, or in some cities; there are parades as in Alameda, Piedmont, San Francisco bay area and other cities around the United States but I think so that the most important event is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; where were leaders signed the document the independency U.S. another important thing happen in this day is the people have carried the America flag.
The people celebrate with firecracker but it is illegal in the United States, maybe cities have given the special permission or maybe the government closed their eyes on independence day because this event happen only once time every year.
Some people have visit their families and friend at home in other cities around the Unites States; where the people have barbecues and drinking alcohol in different presentations as beers, wines, tequilas, whiskies and another presentation, and meanly in beers that is more popular beverage around the world.
Other people go to the parks and beaches where they have swum and played different games with their friends and relatives…

Community Words for the Friday, November 21st Quiz

Gas station

I go to the gas station once a week.

Network

The library offers a lot of information on the computer network.

Health club

You can exercise at a health club.

Beauty salon

I go to the beauty salon once a month to get my hair done.

Hospital

If you are suddenly sick you may have to go to the hospital emergency room.

School

I take my daughter to school every day.

Church

I go to church every Sunday.

Fire station

If you don’t like noise, don’t buy a house near a fire station.

Warehouse

They stored the boxes in the warehouse.

Library

I go to the library once a week and I usually check out at least two books.

Park

My children had fun playing in the park last week.

Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)

I took the driving test at the DMV on 51^st Street in Oakland.

Police station

My brother called the police station when he found two burglars in his house.

Phone booth

I was standing at the phone booth when the accident happened.

Community

I live in a safe community.

Store

I live next to the Oakland Liquor Store.

Restaurant

If you are hungry and you don’t have time to cook you can go to a restaurant.

Museum

There are many types of museums, for example, historical museums, art museums, natural history museums and technology museums.

Hotel

If you drive far away from your home you might stay in a hotel.

Parking garage

Do you know where the nearest parking garage is?

Resources

A community college has many resources for students.

Stadium

We can watch baseball games at a stadium.

Coffee shop

Do you know a good coffee shop around here?

Bank

You can open a savings account at the bank.

Movie theater

I am going to take my daughter to the movie theater in the Bayfair Shopping Center in San Leandro.

Studying English is a Good Experience for me …

By
Alberto Ortega Servin

My mane is Alberto Ortega Servin, and then Studying English is a good experience for me because I have never thought in this language. In 2000 I was coming to this county and I went to the Neighborhood Center Adult School, where I was the best experience for me to learning English and I came back my country, where I tried to learning English but in my country the people have not been interesting in this language and I forgot it.
Also in this time, I was working for 3 month in Mi Rancho Tortillas for 8 hours a day I left the company out 11:30 am and I had enough time to arrive at school. But now I have more interest to studying English because I have many problems in my life.
I have many tools to study English, the best way is go to school but there are other ways as watch English movies, listen to the radio, talk to English with speaking people and read English newspaper when I do not understand the word I will use dictionary And to practice in different pages internet read and write other kind exercises.
I have needed to work for pay my rent or other necessities as medicine, doctor and cable, utilities and other things but the most important thing is to study English and I will hope the teacher accepting me in his/her class.

Veterans Day Spelling Words

Celebration

Enemy

Army

Navy

Air force

Marines

Coast guard

Military

Submarine

Honor

Armistice

Treaty

Ceremony

Tanks

Spy

Ceasefire

Mobilize

Speeches

Parades

Revolution

Cemetery

Soldier

Retreat

Peace

veterans

The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe

Click here to listen to the story of the Tell-Tale Heart.

I hope you like it!

Click here for additional Edgar Allan Poe resources on the web.

Spelling Words for Thursday's Quiz

banking
library
circulation
recycle
errand
chore
ironing
directions
distance
registration
renew
replacement
invalid
overdue
fine
unlimited
reference
loan
transaction
permit
southwest
adverbial
clause
imperative
editing

A letter about Air Conditioning…

October 30, 2008

Alberto Ortega Servin
838 36TH AVE.
Oakland, CA 94601-3409

Bur Guthrie
Facilities manager
Neighborhood Center Adult School
750 International Blvd.
Oakland, CA 94606

Dear Mr. Guthrie;

I am an ESL student at Neighborhood Center Adult School. I have been at school for more that one year. I think, we have a few problems at our school the students don’t have air-conditioning in many rooms sometimes the weather is cold or hot.

If the school should look for a solution, there are many ways for resolving this problem such putting more portable fans and heater in the rooms. Another solution would be to install air conditioning.

Thank you, I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely;


Alberto Ortega Servin

Business Letter Assignment

Instructions:

You have recently changed your working hours. Now you need to enroll in a different class instead of this one. Write a formal letter to your teacher at your school's address explaining the situation. Ask what class you should enroll in and how to make the change. Be sure to thank your teacher for helping you and say something nice about the class you are leaving. Write a draft copy of your letter,, and then copy it on the form that your teacher will provide.

Spelling Words for Friday October 31

vote
ballot box
Democratic Party
Republican Party
election
candidate
absentee ballot
primary election
nominee
stump speech
campaign
congressman/congresswoman
senate
House of Representatives
President
voting booth
polling place
proposition
register
support
election results
electoral college
general election
political parties
debate

My Most Important Thing

Since I was a child, I have interesting in painting. The first day of elementary school, a teacher asked us to circle our fingers to make a picture. After I finished it, she showed my picture to the other students and said "Mei Mei drew it very well. " Maybe this words encouraged me to love painting class and to be a painting teacher when I grew up. On the other hand, design for fashion dress is also my the other favorite subject. Using my basic art skills , I could easy studied how to sew and design. So it has become the other career of mine. I was often to be fascinated on my careers, so let me sometimes forgot to take care of health.
About twenty-five years ago, because my job I loved looking around the department stores or some fashion stores and dressed up by myself. One day,I bought a pair of leather shoes that made in Italy having a new style. I wore it to go to work. but unfortunately I fell down on the stairs in the front of the gate at my school. At that time, I just felt a little pain on my butt. After few days, I felt more pain when sat on the chair or walk. Immediately, I went to see doctor and took some X-rays. After the checks ,doctor found the problems. It was a very serious accident that hurt my spine, so why I felt so pain. After that moment , I almost went to hospital every day for therapy during seven years. And using the other ways to help me get better for my spine-dancing, yogo, acupuncture and good medications. It was fortunate to cured my spine by the different ways.

Now, the most important thing for me is " Keeping health!" When you lose it, you just know it is so precious! If we have good health , we can do anything that we want. How to get good health? I need to have good diet, don't eat heavy meal. Keeping good mood and do exercises every day. In addition, I also can take care of my mother-a eighty years old woman. Thus, I have a good reason to let my painter dream to be true.

Spelling Words for Friday, October 24

closet
account
patio
cabinet
alarm
hunting
mirror
storage
bathtub
switch
curtain
refrigerator
cottage
mortgage
equity
fireplace
shelf
counter
attic
layout
electricity
finance
roommate
basement
furnace


Sample sentences:
Closet
I hung my clothes in the closet.

account
I had an account with Washington Mutual Bank.

Patio
My house has a big patio in the back.

cabinet
I bought a cabinet at Home Depot to install in my kitchen.

alarm
When the fire alarm rang, we all left the school.

hunting
I am hunting for a 2 bedroom, 2 bath house to rent for less than $1,000.

mirror
I have a mirror in the bathroom.

storage
My house has storage space in the basement.

bathtub
I take a bath in the bathtub.

Switch
I need to install another light switch in the bathroom.

curtain
I have a white shower curtain.

refrigerator
You shouldn’t keep the refrigerator door open very long if you want a low electricity bill.

cottage
Would you rather live in a large condominium in the city or a small cottage in the country?

mortgage
I pay my mortgage on time every month.

equity
If you have owned your home for a long time, you probably have quite a lot of equity.

fireplace
Put another log in the fireplace.

shelf
I put all my cookbooks on the shelf.

counter
I have a marble counter in the kitchen.

attic
I use my attic for storage.

layout
I didn’t like the layout of that house.

electricity
You can save money on your electricity bill if you dry your clothes outside on the line.

finance
My new house cost $300,000. I made a down payment of $50,000 and I financed the rest.

roommate
I don’t have a roommate.

basement
I keep my bicycle in the basement.

furnace
The landlord promised to repair the furnace next week.

Long Day at School…

By
Alberto Ortega Servin

I take my English class at school from 8:30 to 11:30. After class I have my lunch for about 15 minutes. For more of one year I had stayed in room 101 where I read a newspaper from my country from 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. I only read important news but I know the life from my country because I had live there for long time.
I have to take another class in the school from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. with a teacher Richard Blum, this class is more difficult also the teacher had said every student needs to write 10 stories for a diploma for this class.
I am having a very busy day at school.

My Good Study Habit…

By

Alberto Ortega Servin

.

.

My first good study habit is to watch TV in English with English subtitles this is for me it is more important habit also when have been movies I practices my reading, and listening English.
In a lot movies there are more a new vocabulary then I see movies also I had been written new words on a pace a paper.
But my surprise is it when I had watched TV at the movies all time to speak English basic so this English is very difficult for me to listen it.
I am thinking than the most important good study habit is to go to the school every day for taking the classes and making the homework and to study the classes after it.
Why it is the most impotent good study habit? Because when the people had received classes or instruction for long period it is most possible to learn, to speak, to write, to read and understand English.
I think these are good ways for practice English very day.

When I was Visiting the Museum...

By
Alberto Ortega Servin

On August 6, 2008, I went to visit the Museum with the teacher Linda Newman and my classmates. She explained that the exposition, it was about of the years 50’s and 60’s. In this tour in the museum, I saw “the show Birth of the cool” I saw old furniture.
I saw paintings that were large hard, edge and had lots of color and these kinds of the paintings are abstract.
The most interesting part of this explosion was the furniture in especially the chairs because I think that architects design this kind of chair also they had thought to building comfortable chair for the people. Other comfortable furniture is cushion. It is a strange material for me but it is very comfortable for sitting down in this cushion.
I think this cushion, architects made it also they thought in the student because when I was student and sit down in the hallway or aisle seat, it is very hard but with this material it is very comfortable…this furniture is the coolest…

Register to Vote!

Here is a link to the Alameda Registrar of Voters.

Why I Came to this Country…

By
Alberto Ortega Servin

My name is Alberto and I am came this country in November 2002, I was came in Mexico alone because my whole family have been living in the United States for a long time.
Now I live in Oakland, with my father, mother, sister, with her two daughters and my brother-in-law.
Also I am studying English in Neighborhood Center Adult School for about 1 year ago or more.
Sometime to study English is frustrated for me but I understand if I do not use it is too easy to forget this language. But I am looking for a job where I am practicing my English every day.
In conclusion, I came to this country alone then my whole family lives here for long time; also I was living alone in my country and I decided to come to the United States.

My Education Goals for 2008...

By
Alberto Ortega Servin

My first goal is to write English correctly with prepositions. My teacher said that I need to practice more with prepositions. My second goal is to talk English correctly . In this country, it is necessary to talk English well to have a successful life. My third goal is to finish this ESL program. If I practices writing, talking and reading English it will be possible to reach my goals.

Spelling Words for Friday's Test

classified
carport
balcony
condition
security
guard
hookup
utilities
decisions
spacious
ceiling
community
abbreviation
condominium
deposit
convenient
lease
contract
damages
increase
decrease
neighborhood
furniture
location
household