a word from Charlie Brown

“In the book of life, the answers aren’t in the back.”

-Charlie Brown

summer break is just around the corner!

This semester is almost over!  Just several essays, in-class exams, and a project to do.  I’ll have to finish everything by the end of this week so I really got to be productive.  By next Tuesday, everything will be turned in and I’m done!  To celebrate the end of the semester, I think I will take my mom to Georgetown and shop ’til we drop!  And we’ll have lunch by the Potomac River at Nick’s Riverside Grille (great pasta here!) or maybe at Sequoia.  We can just relax, talk, and simply have a sweet mom-and-daughter time!  Before this happens, I have to start writing my essays.  And the time is now…

wasn’t official, after all!

I just found out this afternoon that my Guadalajara study abroad trip has been canceled! The Center for Global Education informed me that many applicants did not pay the first deposit by this past Wednesday. I guess everyone backed out at the last minute due to the increased price. I was very disappointed at first, but then I thought: there will be another opportunity–perhaps, maybe this winter break or spring break. And plus, I would have more time to save up money (I was planning to use some loans for this trip). I haven’t given up for Mexico!

Guadalajara, here i come!

So it’s official.  I’m going to Guadalajara for a study abroad program this summer! )  Because the number of applicants did not reach the minimum number, the price has skyrocketed.  Nonetheless, I’m still happy it’s not canceled.  I’m excited and scared at the same time.  I don’t know what to expect; it’ll be my first time to travel overseas ALONE.  Once I arrive, I will meet up with other students and our professor.  So I guess everything will be alright.  Summer 2008 is going to be a very memorable one filled with valuable and unforgettable life experiences!

i <3 pho (pronounced as fuh)

Today is so gloomyyyy…”rain, rain go away. come again some other day~” Its pouring really hard and my house is trapped in with yucky mud.  However, a delicious meal at a local Vietnamese restaurant chased all the gloominess away!  I’ve craved for pho (Vietnamese rice-noodle soup dish) today, and boy, was my stomach pleased!  I was full after one bowl, but it was so delicious that I had to ask for another side order of noodles!

I remember the first time I tried pho– It was disgusting.  It had a very strange taste and smell.  When my parents (who had already gotten used to it) dragged me to the restaurant for the second time, I still couldn’t bear it.  However, after the third visit, I liked it–no, I loved it! And now I crave for pho noodles at the most random times!

my dog decided to become a model…

touching the life of a child

“Whoever touches the life of a child touches the most sensitive point of a whole which has roots in the most distant past and climbs toward the infinite future.”

-Maria Montessori

communicating in Spanish

This Friday I subbed for a 2nd grade teacher at a nearby school in Alexandria.  I had one student named Debbie who came from El Salvador only two weeks ago.  She could not speak English- she knew only a few words, including yes and no.  While the children were doing their centers (rotations that involve reading, playing on computers, writing, and solving puzzles), I’ve noticed how Debbie seemed confused as to what to do.  I went over to her and told her in Spanish that it was time for her to write a letter.  She asked if she could write to a friend in El Salvador.  I then explained how she was not sending a letter overseas, but to someone within the school- a friend, a teacher, or another staff member.   She finally understood the instructions.  During this time of translating to Debbie, another student was watching me with a surprised look.  “You speak Spanish?” he asked.  “Yes, I do!” I happily replied.

I was so happy that I was able to communicate with Debbie in her native language, and in doing so, make her feel a little more comfortable in a foreign land.  I felt as though I could be a bridge between her and a successful educational experience.  My years of studying Spanish have finally paid off!  My ability to speak Spanish will continue to be useful in the classroom when I eventually become a teacher!

believe and achieve…

“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”

-Theodore Roosevelt

study abroad in Guadalajara

I recently applied to a study abroad program in Guadalajara, Mexico.  I have my fingers crossed- I really hope enough people have signed up (the minimum is 15, I believe).  The duration of the program is May 23 through June 10- almost a month of intensive experience of learning Spanish and being fully immersed in Mexican culture.  It’s going to be so exciting!  Can’t wait to indulge myself in delicious foods and browse around the little shops along the streets!  Hopefully, the program is not canceled.  If not, my trip to Mexico will be the highlight of summer 2008~