Category: 2019-20 Submissions

Submissions for academic year 2019-20

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A Flower Store for my Children

When our daughter became six years old, we decided to return to the United States so she could get an education in this country. When she started first grade in Portland, Oregon, she could not speak English at all.

When she came home from school one day, she said she would stop speaking Japanese. She studied hard to learn English. At the end of sixth grade, she said she wanted to go to a private junior high school because her best friend was going there. I told her that we could send her to a private junior high school, but if we did that, she might not be able to get into a good college. Then she decided to continue going to a public school. After she finished high school, she was able to get into a good college.

When I was working at a flower store, I could make any kind of flower arrangement. But I was earning minimum wage. (Minimum wage in 1983 was $3.35 an hour.) If I continued working at a flower store, I could not save much money. One day my husband told me to drive to a neighboring town where many wealthy people lived. Then we saw a “space for rent” sign in a small shopping center. I decided to open a flower store there.

I took care of the store by myself. Gradually, I gained more customers. During the first holiday season, I had to work all night. I took a nap on the floor. In the early morning, I went home to change my clothes, and then I went to the wholesale market to buy flowers. My son told my husband, “I want to see my mother,” but I was always too busy at my store.
After the first Thanksgiving, a lady came to my store and asked for a job. I was happy to hire her. My store grew busier, and after several years, I moved to a bigger space. I could save money for my two children’s education. Both of them were able to go to a good college.

When I began my store, I only thought about making money. But I found out that I could both save money and enjoy my work because I love flowers and could be around them all the time. This experience taught me that hard work, perseverance, and following your passion can lead to both personal fulfillment and a better future for your children.

Kumiko Jones

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From ESOL to Graduate School

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By Daniela Téllez

Ever since I can remember, I’ve wanted to develop advances and innovations so my country can improve its services and policies for children with disabilities. I was born and raised in a  small city in Mexico. I am the youngest of three siblings and one of them has intellectual disability. These two details about me, and many other experiences through my life, have influenced me in the pursuit of my ideals to thrive in order to help others. 

I have resigned myself to the idea that to accomplish my goals, I must persevere to obtain a higher level of education. It was my dad’s most repeated saying, “Education is the best investment someone can make,” which made me believe in it. I believe that if I invest in my preparation, I can contribute to my city, my country, and my world. 

 I was eighteen years old when I first moved away from home to pursue a degree in psychology. During that time, I also performed my first study abroad in Spain, searching for specialized, scientific, and evidence-based treatments for children with developmental disorders. The experience was inexplicably amazing. I came back home with tons of new ideas, an open mind, and motivation to keep on learning. 

A few months later, while I was doing research, I realized most of the updated papers were in English. At that point, I realized I needed to start my journey of learning the language. In fact, I started considering graduate school in the US. Even when the language was a challenge,  I ended up choosing the US because usually the papers I was interested in were written by authors from recognized universities in this country. Learning English started to become a very interesting and convenient option for my professional development. 

Finally, it took me a few months to find the perfect program I needed to boost my professional career, the Intensive English Program at Austin Community College, which is part of the ESOL program at ACC. I studied there for one year as an international student, and that was surprisingly efficient for me. Nevertheless, at the same time I faced many ups and downs such as economic and emotional instability during the pandemic of 2020. However, at the end of the day, the adversity encouraged me to keep working and finally apply for the second level: graduate school. 

This period was tougher than I imagined. Having no dominance of the new language, staying away from family and friends, not having permission to work because of the F-1 visa, experiencing a different culture, not having opportunities to socialize due to the pandemic, and facing difficulties to find real Mexican tacos made life challenging. However, it was my intrinsic motivation and my support system that helped me persevere. By the end of this struggle, I finally received four acceptance letters to study for a master’s degree in a few Texan universities. Although the journey is just about to start, I’d like to mention that preparation, dedication, and determination were key to filling up my tank. It wasn’t simply a miracle that happened from one day to another.

I strongly encourage every international or foreign student who may be struggling in the journey to study a foreign language, especially English, to persist, and always keep in mind the main motivation. Allow yourself to enjoy the journey, celebrate your small achievements, and ask for help if needed. 

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One Long Story about the Family “Reverse”

Some family stories are so dark that it takes more than one generation for them to come to light. I must have been about 25 years old when I first told this story to somebody outside my family. In fact, I didn’t think I could talk about it until I listened to my colleague’s story about her grandmother’s survival in the death camp. Then I decided that my family story should be told too.

At the beginning of the 20th century, my family peacefully lived in Poland. During WWI, their city was conquered by the Russian Empire. In 1925 my family was exiled to a labor camp in Siberia. The name of the camp was Krasnoturansk. You did not have to do something wrong in these times to be sent to a labor camp. It was a terrible time. My great-grandparents ought to have been paying more attention to politics, but they were good, hard-working people who didn’t think they needed to be afraid. My family should have run away to Paris or something, but they couldn’t organize it quickly with 12 kids.

All their property was taken away from them. They were called “Vrag Naroda” (the enemy of the nation). They were lucky not to be killed. After that, they were transported on farmer carts to Siberia. I don’t know exactly, but after my research, I suppose what happened next: When my family arrived at the camp, it was an uninhabited place with only a wild forest around. At first, my family might have slept on the ground. My great-grandfather, Mark, was supposed to build a house from the surrounding trees. Mark was tall (6’6”) and extremely strong. He was able to raise the trunk of a huge tree alone, put it on his shoulder, and go. Not everyone survived. They were in this hell for 25 long years.

After her release, my grandmother was banned from the possibility of learning in college and living in big cities, especially near Moscow. All of the babies of my grandmother died, except my mom. She grew up as a very vulnerable child and suffered from heart disease from her childhood. My mom spent her childhood nights listening to people being shot in Siberian city Abakan. It was very dangerous for her to have kids, but she believed that she should have a daughter. I was born in Siberia. My mom was an incredibly beautiful, intelligent, and talented person. She could have been a fashion designer or rocket scientist, but she died prematurely.

I am the first in my family who learned in college. I am the first who left Russia. I got my Ph.D. when I was 22 years old.  I gave birth to six kids. My kids don’t know the Russian language, but they know about the crimes against humanity that Russia has committed. It is my family’s “reverse:”  I reversed the destruction of my family. Now I am 46 years old. I am sitting and writing in English (that is hard and confusing) because I am not going to give up as my great-grandparents didn’t.

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To My Beloved Father – by Dan Hu

I know my father is still here.
Always here, like the wind.
I can not see him, but I can feel him.
He is feeling what I feel, seeing what I see.
He knows I am missing him on this special day.
You see, the wind brings his message to me.

From my wise father, I learned that the most important thing in life is to cherish the time you can spend with the one you love. Someone once asked my father, “Why did you spoil your daughter, whose destiny is to marry and leave your family?” I clearly remember my father’s answer: “Because I cherish the days that I can spend with her, not the days she would go to college, not the days she would leave home to go to other places to chase her dream, not the days she would marry someone she loves. I just cherish the present day when she is beside me.

My father was my best friend. I could tell my father anything, unlike other teenage girls. I once told my father that someone expressed his love to me. His answer was “I am so sure there will be someone who likes you, loves you, because my daughter is so beautiful, so sweet, so wonderful. Remember you are always worthy to be loved.”

My father always tried his best to get what I wanted, what was good for me. My father always cooked the best food for us. The best food I ever had was on a dark, cold, and windy winter night. I was a teenager and I could eat a horse. Just because I wanted to eat more vegetables, he, like a superhero, ran to the garden at night to get some. Vegetables are still my favorite.

There were a few words he wrote before he left this world:
“My daughter, I had never wished for you to become someone who is defined by wealth. What I can only give you is your life. My wish for you is to be someone who’s simply happy.
You don’t need to try to become someone who is special, because you are already special.
You don’t need to try to do everything perfectly, because you are perfect the way you are.
You don’t need to try to impress anyone. Just be yourself, love yourself, respect yourself, be confident, be strong, and be happy.“

Yes, father. That’s who I am.

My beloved father left the world 18 years ago. I still remember his words, his smiles, his love. He has never left me.
There are a lot of things I want to do with my father, but maybe in another world.

Can I make some suggestions? On this father’s day:

Please:
-visit your father if he is reachable;
-draw him a card if he is able to see;
-read him a book if he is able to hear;
-hold his hand to go for a walk if he can make it;
-take some fancy pictures with him if he’d like;
-take him to dinner, or make one with him if he enjoys it;
-watch a movie with him, or take him to get a massage;
-buy him a pair of good shoes or some nice clothes;
-sing a song, do a dance together, and make him laugh like a kid;
-tell him you love him, not just in written messages, but in words;
-give him a kiss on his hand, forehead, or silver hair;
-give him a bear hug, and tell him “You are the best!”
-make today special to him, and make today the best memory for him, just like he did when you were little.

Let him have these memories, and then the days won’t be so hard when you are not around – when he misses you.

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Persistence by Javid Entezar

  “A bundle of belongings is not the only thing a refugee brings to his new country” 

       Albert Einstein-

I am one of the million refugees in the United States. I was born and raised in Afghanistan,  attended high school in Kabul, and after passing the university entrance exam successfully, got a scholarship from the government of Pakistan to study at one of its prestigious and privileged universities. My bachelor’s is in computer science from the University of Engineering and Technology in Lahore, Pakistan (https://uet.edu.pk). As a new international student in Pakistan, I struggled with languages, subjects, and the new culture, but I eventually overcame my speech impediment by watching, reading, writing, and speaking in both languages.

In Pakistan, life had ups and downs. During my four years of university, I could not go back to Afghanistan to see my family because of the security situation. Thus, I had no choice other than to apply as an asylum seeker. I completed 12 interviews, and for every interview I had to travel from Lahore to Islamabad, sleep on the bus, and walk miles in cold weather. Sometimes I argued with police officers as they wanted money because I did not have a valid visa while I was a student, and I was busy with my immigration case. I waited five years, one month, and three days to get the U.S visa. It was a GREAT day for me; it was like a great dream come true.   

Long before reaching one of the great nations (the U.S.A), I lived in a small town where terrorism, crime, drugs, gang violence, and bomb explosions were on every corner. I am Hazara, and we have a long story of systematic persecution, facing violence at the hands of the Taliban, the Islamic State group (ISIS), and some other groups. For the last 15 years, I have lost my teachers and classmates right in front of my eyes, but I never gave up; I pursued my education with even more passion.  

I have been living, studying, and working away from my family, taking care of myself. I also have been self-financed in my education since high school until now, not troubling my family as they are not able to pay my education expenses, and it is what I intend to continue to do. Besides that, I contribute marginally to provide financial support to my family and a few other students whose parents are unable to provide their school and course expenses in Afghanistan. Additionally, even though there were always possibilities of attacks from the Taliban and ISIS, I voluntarily used to go from Kabul to my village during my summer vacation and winter break to teach English, math, and other subjects to students.

I plan to complete my higher education in one of the best universities in the United States, and I am working for it every waking hour. Let me say this: living in another country reminds you of how incredible life is. Besides all the ups and downs, you get used to a new routine and enjoy new comfort. It gives you an appreciation for everything, things that you would not usually  pay attention to or notice.

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Learning English Faster.

Learning English Faster

By Jazmin Echavarria

Would you like to learn English faster? I know that like me; you would like to wake up one morning, speaking, reading and writing English. I wish it was that easy, but it is not impossible, either . Definitely, this is a process that can take years, but surely it becomes more fun, motivational and accelerated if you learn to know its logic. I have been studying English for one year, and I really did not bring good foundations of English from my country. However, at some point, I realized that learning English was a matter of strategy. For this reason, in this article, I have decided to share with you three main tips that have helped me to advance significantly during my process to learn English which are strategy, dedication and practice.

First of all, being strategic when it comes to learning English can help you quickly to develop skills for learning English. I do not know if you have heard of color theory, but when you color your ideas, texts, etc., your brain captures with greater speed what you are seeing, reading or learning. For example,  when I learn verbs, gerunds, paraphrases and vocabulary in general, I used index cards of colors; then, I wrote the regular verbs on the green index cards, and the irregular verbs on the yellow ones. Moreover, I generally use highlighters of different colors to underline the words in books as I read them, so I like to use green for verbs, orange for nouns, yellow for unknown words, and blue for important ideas to highlight. All of the above helps me to have a better understanding of grammar, allows me to better understand texts and learn vocabulary faster.

Equally important, dedication before and after class allows your brain to open in a more assertive way to learning a new code. For this reason, I recommend that you investigate a little about the topic that you will see before attending your class. When you do this, you get your brain more ready for the teacher’s explanation. Therefore, you will not be lost in class; on the contrary, you will be relearning and recording in your memory important details that you did not know before. In the same way, it is important to study after your class. Reviewing what you have learned allows your brain to save the information more accurately. Furthermore, making mind maps or organizing your class notes are excellent techniques to pay attention to what you have learned after your class session.

The most important of all is practice as a means of putting your learning in real context. For this, I recommend you immersing yourself  in English. Watching TV, listening to music, reading books or magazines, making your market list and trying to take your class notes in English are the best ways to put English into practice in your daily life. Every time that you do this,  your brain adapts to the sound, the grammatical structure of the words and the correct use of them. On the other hand, it is very important to start thinking about your day to day activities in English. If you do not have someone to practice with  at home, I recommend that you have internal conversations in English with yourself; then,start building those self-thoughts that we have on a daily basis in English. For example, if you are planning to go to the gym this morning, ask yourself how you might say and plan it in English.

In conclusion, learning English depends on the methodology that you use to learn it, the time you spend on it, and the way you adapt it to your reality. Although it seems impossible to us, learning English is not an impossible mission. It is a mission of challenge and discipline. Now, what are you waiting for? Try these tips in your learning process!

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Amazing Things that I Have Seen in Texas

Amazing Things that I Have Seen in Texas.

For ten years, my family and I came to the U.S. one or two times a year to take vacations. We visited many states and cities in this country. However, I noticed many interesting things in Texas.
When I started to live in Texas there were many things that caught my attention. For example, Texans are people who really have a sense of identity and are proud of their state. You can see it in houses, cars ,clothing, and businesses; it is the flag of Texas, the lonestar or some symbol that shows their pride not only for their country but also especially for Texas. Another thing I noticed was the tea. I have tasted sweet tea in other places but in Texas, they really SWEET tea. I was also thinking that Texas was a desert, and I was nicely surprised when I noticed how much vegetation and rivers there were here in Austin and the surrounding cities. Another thing that surprised me was the chicken fried steak; it is not chicken!! OMG you can imagine my surprise when I ordered it and tasted beef!! I said, “ what!?” Why call it chicken if it doesn’t have chicken? Well, nobody has answered me yet. But, the BBQ is really “The BBQ.” It is one of the most delicious things that I have ever eaten in my life. It’s really good. However I have to say that I have one deception about Texas, I did not see authentic cowboys around. I was hoping to see some Clint Eastwood type cowboys (when he was 30-40 years of course). Well, I hope to stay here many years more to discover more interesting things about Texas and maybe some lucky day, I’ll find some handsome cowboy.

Lorena Guzman

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This Country Surprised Me – by Jazmin Echavarria Monsalve

Could being surprised be synonymous with being reborn? Being surprised is a sign that you are feeling, seeing, or perceiving a new experience. It is  something that you had not experienced before or something that takes you out of your comfort zone and calls you to feel alive. This is a phrase that I have been repeating frequently since I left my country, Colombia, and arrived in the United States. My arrival in this country was undoubtedly synonymous with joy and excitement, but at the same time, it was synonymous with a surprising cultural shock that would be evident in three main contexts of my life: communication, food, and weather.

In the first place, the culture shock that I felt was evident. I can define it in five words: I was starting life over. I felt as though I was being born again because of my communication skills. Somehow, this situation made me feel frustrated for different reasons. For example, at that time, I would have wanted to be able to write, communicate and understand what the people around me were saying, and to read and comprehend the newspaper, but my brain did not recognize this new communication code. I will never forget an occasion in a store where a person wrote something on a piece of paper in English, and I could not understand his message. That definitely made me feel like a little girl who was just beginning the process of exploring and understanding the world. 

Moreover, I began to live experiences very different from those that I was used to having  in my country. For example, the experience of adapting my palate to new food flavors was, without a doubt, a great shock. That will sound incredible, but the flavors of the fruits and vegetables were not the same as the flavors of the ones that I consumed in Colombia. In addition, the climate was a surprising change, too. 

My whole life, I had lived in the famous City of Eternal Spring in Medellín, where the climate does not exceed 77° Fahrenheit, and where there are no seasons. The whole year is always spring. I do not deny that it has been beautiful to be able to see each season go by in Austin; however, at first, the high temperatures gave me a headache, and the low temperatures gave me allergies. I could be sure that it was a new world full of challenges, but at the same time, a new place that I was beginning to enjoy with all its changes.

Starting to live  in the United States has been a surprise for me because the communication, food, and climate was a big challenge that gave me the opportunity to be reborn and grow personally.

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The Life of College Students in Two Different Countries

How is the life of a college student in one country similar or different to other countries? Students from Venezuela feel fortunate to live in an incredible environment that is one of the 17 most biodiverse countries on the planet. That is something different from Bangladeshi students, who must take precautions at home due to the environmental degradation that the country is experiencing. Venezuelan and Bangladeshi college students may appear to have the same type of college life, but their experiences are different in aspects like living near the university, spending free-time, and having formal relationships with professors.

Studying at a university in Venezuela is a very important experience for students because they begin to live for themselves and fulfill their goals. Depending on where the students in Venezuela go to college, they either live at home or rent an apartment in the city with other students or rent a room in a family’s house near to the university. For example, when they rent a room in a family’s house, they are required to follow many rules like getting home early. It is uncommon that they can invite friends or classmates. In addition, parents are responsible for paying expenses, and it is unusual for students to work while studying. Venezuelan students know how to enjoy their free time.

They are almost on the beach every weekend. After classes they like to exercise in the park, go biking, or go hiking in the mountains with friends. Students also like to go to the mall or go to the cinema to enjoy watching movies that are in season with their friends or family. At universities, students have formal relationships with their professors. While students spend time on campus, they keep in close communication with their professors to discuss assignments or participate in programs that are conducted at the university under the supervision and motivation of the professors. Overall, Venezuelan students enjoy their colleges, accumulating experiences before beginning their professional life.

In contrast, universities in Bangladesh are an important opportunity for students in which they can achieve experiences and dreams. In Bangladesh, students move to the city for a better education.  They also live close to the university just like the students from Venezuela. While they study, the government pays for their accommodation or housing. Unlike Venezuelan students, Bangladeshi students and their families do not have to worry about rent. In addition, Bangladeshi students who receive government help are more focused on completing their education and do not need to work. Students normally spend their free time with friends. Because Bangladesh has a different environment compared to Venezuela’s, Bangladeshi students only do indoor activities like movies and gatherings. They also like to study together at the library after school due to the fact that there they are more focused on their education and because of their environmental limitations at home. The relationship between students and professors is very formal.  They only communicate with professors for class work and are not socially similar to Venezuelans. Bangladeshi students are more dominated by their teachers. Unlike Venezuelan teachers, they are strict but teach their students autonomy.

In conclusion, Venezuelans and Bangladeshis during their lives as students seem to have a similar university lifestyle, but when the environment is compared with the activities of the student’s daily life, everything changes regarding their interests in how they use their free time. Between where the students live and how they make relationships with professors, their day to day lives are very different. Although when you look at the details, they all have one thing in common. All of the students are trying to better themselves and get an education to succeed in a diverse world.

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My First Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a celebration unknown to people who live outside the United States; those living outside the USA have only heard about it or seen it in movies, but they do not think about the real meaning of this celebration. The first Thanksgiving celebration that I had was when my sister who lives in San Diego invited us to visit her for Thanksgiving. However, I felt strange celebrating something that I did not understand, and I only viewed it as an opportunity to share an early Christmas celebration with my sister and her family.

Nevertheless, 4 years after that experience, all is different in my life. Now I live in the United States far away from my family, my country and all my family traditions, which I miss a lot. We are immigrants, and now more than ever I’ve started to understand the meaning of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a day to be grateful for all the blessings that we have in our lives, and it is different from other celebrations like Christmas, Hanukkah, or anything else because this is a celebration for everyone. It doesn’t matter if you’re religious or not. It is a celebration to say thanks for everything that we have and we’ve received in this country where I am an immigrant and where I found amazing people who gave me their support and help when I needed it to make me feel home. Thanksgiving is not a commercial celebration. It is more like a friendship celebration because, despite being far away from home, Thanksgiving makes us feel at home.

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