Interna national Inquirer Tunghai Issue A Publication of the English Language Institute, CCE-CSUS July/August 2007 Tunghai University at CSUS- Summer 2007 On Tuesday, July 21, 2007, 35 Tunghai University students arrived on the CSUS campus at Napa Hall following the long flight from Taiwan. Students moved into campus dormitories and two days later were tested and divided into Groups 1 and 2. Both groups had daily English classes on the CSUS campus. While mornings involved English study, the afternoons and weekends were for trips, activities and fun! This newsletter is a memory-book and opportunity for students to express themselves about a couple of questions pertinent to their visit with English Language Institute (ELI) of California State University, Sacramento from July 21 to August 6, 2007. IN THIS ISSUE: Notes of Appreciation See Page 2 Calendar See Page 3 Most Memorable Moment question See Page 4-7 Tunghai Student Responses to other questions See Pages 8-12 English Language Institute of CSUS CCE 3000 State University Drive East Sacramento, CA 95819 Tel: (916) 278-3628 www..cce.csus.edu
Notes of Appreciation Message to Tunghai Students (a few final words from ELI Staff) To my students from Tunghai in Group B: -I enjoyed the opportunity to teach you. You were interactive, responsive and willing to practice your English in class. You all worked hard and made good progress. I wish you continued success as you pursue your education at Tunghai University, and I hope that English language will be an on-going part of your curriculum. To the other students: -Even though I didn t teach you, I enjoyed observing your progress in a non-classroom environment. We all appreciated your energy. You had many opportunities to learn culture and language both in and outside the classroom. Hopefully this experience provided a good foundation for you and that you will be motivated to continue learning English. Good Luck. Bill Sharar Director of International Programs CSUS CCE Dear Tunghai Students, The time I spent with you was always exciting and fun. You had a lot of energy and enthusiasm that helped to have an enjoyable time in class and during activities. I enjoyed reading your journals, which were funny, witty, and well-written as well. I would like to thank the chaperones as well, Claire and Donna, for all their assistance and support. I hope you continue to have success in your studies, and hope that you can avoid causing professors any pet peeves, right Albert? (Just kidding!!!) Best of luck to you, Paulo Dear Tunghai University Students, Thank you for participating in our American Language and Culture program. Although our time together was relatively short, I felt that you were able to improve your English and become more acclimated to American culture. I hope this program has provided you a more worldly view as you enter into the next stage of your life college. Tunghai University has provided you a wonderful opportunity by allowing you to travel halfway around the world. Remember all of the places and activities you have visited and participated in: Peak Adventures Challenge course, the State Capitol, campus Scavenger Hunt (I heard you all did very well!), Old Sacramento, Raging Waters, Arden Fair Mall, dancing with Paulo, homemade ice cream, Folsom Outlets, Vacaville Outlets, River Cats baseball game, Railroad museum, and finally Lake Tahoe! I am sure you will have a lot of interesting anecdotes to share with your family and friends back in Taiwan. I also hope that the friendships that were formed and solidified here in Sacramento will grow even stronger as you head off to college at Tunghai. Participating and sharing experiences in such a program will help forge life-long friendships. So I bid you all a fond farewell and best wishes as you start your college studies. Margaret Hwang Thank you for spending part of your summer with us. I hope you had a great time; I know you have lots to tell when you go back home J. Enjoy the next part of your journey in America and best wishes always. Michael Gill It was great having you guys as a class. You are awesome. Best of luck in the future! Philip Choi Tunghai: The past couple of weeks have gone by extremely fast and I hope you have had a fun time here in California. I have enjoyed the time that I have spent with you and I hope I have been helpful answering your questions. Your English has really improved and I encourage you to keep practicing and visit again sometime soon. Trevor To the students form Tunghai, It has been a pleasure getting to know all of you over this short two weeks you have been here in Sacramento. You are definitely the most lively group of people I have come across this summer and are truly amazingly unique individuals. I hope we made your experience a good one and wish you the best of luck in college. I hope you have success and achieve all your dreams throughout your life. Josh Above: The Teacher s Assistants: Trevor, Josh, Erin, and Claire Dear Tunghai, I m so glad that you guys were able to come to America and experience Sacramento for the time that you were here. I had so much fun doing all the activities with you, especially the Peak Adventures course. I was surprised at how brave some of you were, and the games were fun too. I hope that you guys had a memorable experience, and that the other student assistants and I were able to make it even better. Have a safe trip back to Taiwan, and we will all miss you. Erin Hey there Tunghai students! Thanks so much for a great summer. You all had so much energy and always kept me entertained. I noticed that everyone s English seemed to improve a great deal and I think that is a direct result of all of your hard work in class. I know that I had a great time hanging out in the evenings playing Mahjong. It was so much fun! I hope you all enjoy the rest of your stay here in California. Best of luck in college- there will always be a few bumps in the road, but things will get easier over time. See you again soon! Claire p2
Welcome Party- July 23 in Napa Hall p3
A Question for all Tunghai students: What has been your most memorable moment in the US (so far)? Damon: Going to state Capitol! It looks very awesome small White House, beautiful environment, and smile people passing by. It s really an irreplaceable experience. Albert (No No): We go to the outlet and buy new shoes with my nice friends. Brad: My most memorable moment in the US is that I go to outlet to shopping. Because it s the first time I go to such a big mall to shop and the outlet mall is the place that my English teacher had told me in Taiwan. So I m really excited when I go shopping there. Lynne: My most memorable in the US is that the university is so big and beautiful. I like the weather too. Helen: The most memorable moment I have in the US is a game in which we have to make a circle and take a turkey doll to touch the other people s body. This is a funny game. I meet many new friends by the game. Duke (Superman): A night to see start with good friends at about three days ago. ET: We ran to class everyday and we have to run a lot of road. Anna: The most memorable moment in the US is dance with Paulo and some of Korean students. That made me a deep impression in the US. On the other hand, Paulo also teached us many symbolic songs in every period of the US history. Emily: We went to Old Sacramento. p4
A Question for all Tunghai students: What has been your most memorable moment in the US (so far)? Crystal: When I go out of the airport, I feel the cool weather, I see the strange bus and the clean road and the huge freeway. Rainy: My most memorable moment in the US was playing game with the foreigner and climbing up on the stone. It s so cool that haven t did that in Taiwan. Tina: This is the first time I been to Sacramento. I think this weather is good because the weather is dry and cool. It makes me feel comfortable. Patric: We went to the Raging Water. Alex: My memorable answer and photo would have been right here if only I had been at class on newsletter day! Miracle: The most memorable moment in the US is going to climbing. When I on the top of the tree, my legs even were trembling! That was so exciting! Winston: With some students went to downtown by ourselves. Because we have to ask people how to go and how to go back. Leo: When I saw the Capitol at the first sign, I was shocked. I feel a power and I told myself, This is America, the most powerful nation of the world. Siu Hah-Lin: When our airplane came down into airfield. I used big sound saying, We reach the US. And for the first time, I touched the US territory. p5
A Question for all Tunghai students: What has been your most memorable moment in the US (so far)? Marywezza: I think it must be the moment I saw Arnold! I did not expect to see him in his office. How lucky a thing! Neena: Meeting different country s people is the most memorable moment of mine. There are so many foreigners and when I talked to them, I could learn something from it and exchange our emails. In the future, I ll go on a trip to Russia to find Russian friends. I have met lots of nice friends, so I feel I am the luckiest girl. Lou: When I walked along Sacramento River, the surroundings were all so silent. Cindy: The most memorable for me in the US must be when I saw a very famous person Arnold. Arnold is the most famous person that I have ever seen. Yen Chen Lo : The blue sky and dark sky without cloud and rain only with lively bird and emerald green tree. Sophia: The game in the play ground and everybody screamed and laughed. Zoe: I thought the most memorable moment in the US was yesterday. All of us were making ice cream by ourselves and I learned how to make ice cream by only few materials. It tasted really delicious! Ann: We went to the State Capitol and saw Arnold Schwarzenegger. And I even shook hands with him. Deer: While we visited the government here, we met Arnold and shaked hands with him. This has been my most memorable moment in the US. p6
A Question for all Tunghai students: What has been your most memorable moment in the US (so far)? Tiffy: Sacramento State Capitol very impressed me. It is huge and beautiful, and we saw Arnold that day. He is the most famous person that I have ever seen. Kevin: I made ice cream by myself. It s very funny and I had never thought about doing ice cream by myself in Taiwan. Eric: My most memorable moment in the US is making many friends: Josh, Claire, Trevor and other of Tunghai students. And I like the weather, people, scenery, campus, and teachers who have taught me in the US. Ning: The most memorable moment was in the dorm with my loved friends. We chatted everything and played games. We assisted to each other when someone in trouble. It s the great moment. Mason: My most memorable moment in the US is the first time I tried to order the meal by myself. It s hard for while I did it. Fan: Yesterday afternoon, the Group 2 went to Napa Hall to learn how to dance in about 1970. And I showed break-dance to everyone in scene. It has been my most memorable moment. Kent: My most memorable moment in the US was man and girl wearing swimming suit and hair full with water, and the most thing they are Asian and cute. Eddy: I think it is the time when I was in Raging Waters, the exciting facilities, the hot girls all around, the fun that I had with my friends. It is really a place that I will never forget. p7
Briefly describe... Something that you experienced in the US that surprised you. What was it and why did it surprise you? I have an experience that surprised me and it is that the environment is beautiful. One day, I and my friends got up early to see the sunrise. I found that it was so comfortable and beautiful. This experience was what I never had in Taiwan. by Lynne When we went shopping in the mall there were no salesmen. In Taiwan, the salesmen always follow me. Sometimes I felt uncomfortable but if I have any questions, I can ask. by Emily The freedom of people that walk on street and that they do what they want to do. There is a sturdy government that makes great effort to care for people. Various people can grow what they want and nobody could say No. Americans are very lucky, although they don t often know. by Leo My experience in the US that surprised me is that almost every American people is so friendly. When American people see me, they always smile and say, How are you? to me. This not gonna happen in Taiwan, so it really surprised me. by Cindy Something that surprised me is American s passion. Every morning, when I am on walking on the way to my class, many Americans always say Hi to me. At first, I felt so shy but now I will say Hi to them. And when I get lost in this university, I will ask strangers and they always give me the answer to my question. Some of them took me to place where I want to go. Sometimes their passion surprised me, but I like their passion. by Helen The weather in the US really surprised me! I thought it would be as hot as Taiwan in advance because of global warming. But actually, it s very cold in morning; moreover, it s dry. In fact, I don t like this weather but I have already adapted to it. by Marywezza The dry and cool weather: in Taiwan usually hot and wet, but in USA it is opposite. The huge freeway: in Taiwan, the freeway usually has three lines on one side, but in USA it has four of five lines on a side. The big shopping mall: in Taiwan the department store usually have one building and is small, but in USA the building is more than one and bigger than Taiwan. by Crystal p8
Briefly describe... What kind of American food do you like? What kind do you dislike? Hamburger is my favorite American food. There is lots of meat in the hamburger. It s very delicious. I dislike the bread in the US because it s so stiff that I can t eat. by Albert (No No) I like burritos because it tastes better than the other food I eat in America. I don t like salad because it tastes like a grass. by Tina I very like the cutlet because it is delicious. I dislike food or anything having tomato paste because in US they use too much. by Siu Hah-Lin Burrito, ham, or bacon, or sausage all of them taste very nice. And salad in D.C. is nice. However, every day we eat dinner in D.C., there is a lot of food that I don t like such as Italy noodles, chicken it tastes not very good. by Damon I like Burger King because the food has king size. Just need one dollar. I dislike Chinese food in US. Why? Because the taste mix Chinese and US so it become not original land of Chinese. by Kent In fact, it s really hard for me to adapt to American food, but American food is delicious. What I like best is tacos (is it a American food? Mexico?) I don t like the beans it s terrible to me. by Miracle I like fast food like Denny s, Burger King, Mexican food. They re more delicious and bigger than in Taiwan. I don t like Chinese food in here; it s greasy and salty. And chicken salad cooked by D.C. is too tough to chew! by Eric p9
Briefly describe... Is there an American custom you like? An American custom you dislike? I like that everyone is friendly. I dislike every store closes so early; it is no fun. by Ann I like an American say hello to me even he/she does not know me, and I think they smile friendly. When we are really hot under the sun, we usually take an umbrella but an American won t do that. This is an American custom I dislike. by Sophia I like an American custom that is you can say hello to anyone when you meet in street. And I dislike a custom which is... maybe I hadn t been met. But I hope someday I can do some of American custom to let people like or dislike. by Kevin I liked an American custom very much because the people in America were friendly and hospitable. When I walked on the street, some of them smiled and said hello or hi to me. I felt so happy and really had a very great time in America. by Zoe I (very, very, very) like the American food very much. The hamburger, cheese, pizza, spaghetti, and so on. And the meeting of friends is also interesting me. People are all friendly! The efficiency of administration needs improving. by Neena One thing I like about the Americans is that they always say hi to strangers. One thing I don t like is to give tips. It only makes things much more complicated. by Eddy I like an American custom which is how to show they re friendly and politeness to us. Example, when you walk to class in the morning, you can see the most of people say How are you doing? or What s up? to me. It makes me comfortable and happy in beginning of day. And the most disliked one I think is food and prices in here. The food doesn t taste good and have high calories, like hamburger and french flies. The most important thing is have high prices in here for us. by Fan p10
Briefly describe... What do you like better in Taiwan than what you find in Sacramento? and What do you like better in Sacramento than you find in Taiwan? I think the food in Taiwan is better than Sacramento because the food in Taiwan is more delicious and cheap than Sacramento. I think the weather and environment are better than Taiwan. The Sacramento is dry and with a lot of trees it makes me feel comfortable. by Rainy The food in Taiwan is more cheaper than Sacramento. There are many stores open after 9 pm. Here, weather is comfortable to me (dry not wet. Here are many places to exercise (baseball, football...) by Winston Sacramento is better for the environment and sense of relaxation and sense of safety. Taiwan is better for convenience and excitement. by Duke (Superman) I think Taiwan is better than American food. American food always the same. Taiwan food has many kinds that I can eat. American weather is better than Taiwan. It s comfortable. by ET I like foods and weather better in Taiwan than in Sacramento. I like the streets and buildings in Sacramento better than in Taiwan. by Deer I love people with slow pace and a lot of trees in the campus. When I got up in the morning, I can breathe the fresh air and find energy squirrel in campus. Therefore, I have a wonderful day everyday in Sacramento. by Lo Yen Chen If I had been at class on newsletter day, my answer would have been the final word on this topic. I think you would have appreciated my insight. (I ll never miss another newsletter day!) by Alex s friend p11
Briefly describe... What is the best thing about taking a trip to another country? As far as I m concerned, I not only improve my English but know a totally different culture. So far, I ve known many people here and they are all friendly. by Mason The best thing about taking a trip to another country is meeting a lot of people and having a lot of friends. by Patric I think the best thing about taking a trip to another country is that I can learn more foreign language and the foreign culture will open my mind. Not only I can learn much more, but also I can know a lot of foreigners. by Brad To try to assimilate into another culture and taste foreign foods. by Lou ning I think the best thing about taking a trip to another country is that I can learn a lot of thing I never know in Taiwan. I can realize another country s culture, such as some western etiquette. I could learn when I visited Canada and US. I enjoyed in it. by Anna When I was a junior high school student, I went to Japan with my family. I saw their streets cleaning and neat. Their style was special. I liked to eat their beef in Japan. It was really delicious. by Ning I think the best thing about taking a trip to another country is learning a different culture. For example, I knew that Americans like to say hello to a stranger like me. I like it because it s very friendly. by Tiffy p12