Thursday, November 19, 2015

Gathering of Peals

Kei Yasuda
Ms.Guarino
English II G Period
11/19/15


        "Gathering of Pearls" is my most favorite English book. This book is about a girl who name is Sookan. She is from Korea and she is going to college in the U.S. Sookan is really hard worker, little bit shy but she wants to make friends and her English is not good at beginning. In this book, it showed how Sookan grew up, she learned many thing in her college life. She learned from experience, culture, friends, teacher and family. I really liked this book because of two reasons and I want to recommend this book to my friends.

First thing is this novel is easy to understand more than other English book for me because I can understand really well about what kind of situation does Sookan in. I'm going to school in U.S and I'm international student. I couldn't speak any English first month. There are many similar experiences between Sookan and me. For example, in Japan, I'm really outgoing because Japanese is my first language and I like to talk to my friends. But when I came here, I became shy person because I couldn't speak any English. I understand Sookan's feel that when older people tole me to introduce myself front of many people. Sookan was very nervous every when she did that and her face was red. I was exactly same as Sookan. I wanted to say no but I thought I should listen what older people saidamd I should do it. So I introduced my self front of many people with my poor English. I was nervous and my face was red, after that, i breathed out and couldn't look at other people.

Next thing is when I read this book, this book makes me to think about Sookan's thought. I was comparing my thought and her thought. For example, hanging out with outgoing people. For Sookan, outgoing person is Ellen. I think Ellen is really kind girl and best friend of Sookan. But when I hang out with outgoing person, I sometimes felt tire because outgoing person is keep talking. Usually, talk to outgoing people is really fun because they say some jokes or talk about funny story but when I'm tired or sleepy, I wouldn't want to talk to outgoing people. I was thinking about have Sookan ever think that Ellen is annoying sometimes. She doesn't want to say bad thing to other people because Sookan is nice girl and she doesn't want to hurt people's feelings. But she might think that she doesn't want to talk to Ellen when she was sleepy or tired. I think she didn't want to talk to Ellen sometimes because she had to study and if Ellen talked to Sookan when she is studying, she she would feel tired. Like this example, I was thinking about her thought a lot. I don't know why I was thinking about her thought but this book makes me to do it.

In conclusion, I would like to recommend this book to my friends because I want to my American friends learn about how do international students feel in their daily life. I think Sookan told readers that the international students's perspective of U.S. This book tells readers about her experiences really detail. Also I would like to recommend to my friends from my hometown because they asked me about how is the U.S life many times and I can tell them about it but if they read "Gathering of Pearls" they would understand more about U.S. I think this is interesting book for people who didn't know about U.S culture and people. I want to readers focus on Sookan's feelings or thoughts in each situations, then I want to readers think about what do they think if they were in the situation.


Monday, November 16, 2015

My weekend

My weekend was not good at ending, we lost semifinal against South Kent. Whatever, the begging of this weekend was great. I had game on Friday night and it was first game after I healed my knee injure. Before the game, I was really nervous because last game was six weeks ago for me. Also we never win against the team, they are really good. I scored goal in the game and we won 4-0. When I scored goal I was really exciting. After I scored goal, spectators were making huge voice. It was unreal feeling for me. We won other games and we made the semifinal. But we lost 6-2, we could play better and we realized we need practice more to beat them. I played four games this weekend, so I'm really tired. I couldn't train long time because of injure so it made me tire more. Whatever, it was great weekend for me, ending wasn't good but I could come back on the ice, scored goal and we won two games. I can't wait till next game that against South Kent because we will practice more and we will beat them.

Thursday, November 12, 2015

Vocabulary #3

1. mannequin (noun)
A small, black velvet purse hung on the shoulder of the mannequin.
a styled and three-dimensional representation of the human form used in window displays, as of clothing; dummy.

2. second-hand (adj)
I had purchased second-hand textbooks from upperclassmen at a fraction of the original price,
Something that's not new, used by someone or something.

3. animatedly (adj.)
Many of our classmates were there,with drinks in hand, talking animatedly.
full of life, action, or spirit; lively; vigorous:

4. faltered (verb)
Flustered, I faltered, then hurriedly responded, "Yes, well, I had a good time, too. Good night." I pulled my hand from his, and ran inside.
to speak hesitatingly or brokenly.

5. impulsive (adj)
She would acknowledge that I had done something impulsive,
actuated or swayed by emotional or involuntary impulses :

6. constrained (adj)
I had always felt constrained there.
forced, compelled, or obliged:

7. Gregorian chant (noun)
A Gregorian chant program is scheduled for June,
chant of Gregorian

8. pearl (noun)
A string of cream-colored pearls with a platinum-and-diamond clasp lay gracefully draped in the box.
a smooth, rounded bead formed within the shells of certain mollusks and composed of the mineral aragonite or calcite in a matrix, deposited in concentric layers as a protective coating around an irritating foreign object: valued as a gem when lustrous and finely colored.

9. elope (verb)
We're going to elope.
to run off secretly to be married, usually without the consent or knowledge of one's parents.

10. taciturn (adj)
I would write to each of my taciturn brothers, even though they had never written to me.
dour, stern, and silent in expression and manner.

11. sobbed (verb)
I pulled the covers over my head, and sobbed until I fell asleep.
to weep with a convulsive catching of the breath.

12. pouch (noun)
I opened the little package. In a silk pouch that Mother had made was her thin, white gold wedding band.
a bag, sack, or similar receptacle, especially one for small articles or quantities:


13. listlessly (adj)
As I stared forward listlessly, little Sarah snuggled up against me, and whispered into my ear, "I love you, Sookan." She squeezed my hand.
having or showing little or no interest in anything; languid; spiritless; indifferent:

14. hymn (noun)
I was comforted by their high-pitched hymns reverberating in the domed chapel.
a song or ode in praise or honor of God, a deity, a nation, etc.


15. Fainted (verb)
Tomorrow, you will be fine. You fainted two days ago and you've been here ever since.
to lose consciousness temporarily.

Sunday, November 8, 2015

Artist talk



This is my most favorite photograph. There is three reasons why do I like this photograph. First thing is the blue brick and red bricks. If there was only one color bricks, I think the photograph would be boring and people don't think it is interesting. I also like that the blue paint is falling off at some parts. I like the paint is falling off because when I saw this, I tried to think about why the photographer did this. Next thing is the pipe. I like how the pipe broke and the I like the shape of the pipe. I think the pipe is the one of most important thing in the photograph because most of people look at this first so, this pipe should be interesting. Last thing is dusts on the pipe. I think dusts help pipe and bricks matching. Bricks are really old because of paint but if the pipe was clean the photograph would be weird. So I felt that dusts could be most important thing in this photograph. I looked at this photograph longer than other because of these reasons. This photograph was really interesting, I wanted to keep looking at it for find some other interesting things.








Thursday, November 5, 2015

500 words essay

Kei Yasuda
Ms.Guarino
English IS (ll) G Period
11/6/15

I'm reading "Gathering of Pearls" and I started to understand about Sookan who is the main character of the novel and she is Korean girl. She is going to a U.S college and this novel is about her college life. Now, I understand Sookan's personality, her family, relationships between friends and Sookan. She is really hard worker and nice to everyone but she is a shy girl too. She is missing her family and she cried about them lots of time. Whatever, I think she will graduate the college. Also I think lots of things happen to Sookan before her graduate.
First thing is relationships with her friends. Sookan loves her friends specially Marci and Ellen. They have great relationship right now but I think they will fight each other because they are really different person. Ellen is really outgoing and beautiful but Sookan and Marci is shy. Ellen loves Sookan but I think Ellen will get mad at Sookan or Sookan will get mad at Ellen. Sookan is really hard worker and she sometimes refuse when Ellen asked to go somewhere because she wants to spend time for study or earn money. Ellen doesn't like this when Sookan do this because she thinks Sookan needs to enjoy her college life. In page 54, Ellen said, "You're a college student and need to enjoy college life."
This tells us that Ellen wants to enjoy her life with Sookan but Sookan doesn't because she is busy. I think if Sookan kept refuse her offers, Ellen would say something to Sookan strongly or she wouldn't ask Sookan anymore. But I think they would understand each other's mind. So they will keep good relationship. I think Marci and Sookan will keep good relationship too because they are really similar and they can understand each other. But if Sookan stayed with Ellen too much or if she worked at lot and didn't stay with Marci, I think she will be sad or feel lonely. One time, Sookan couldn't go to lunch with Marci and Marci didn't go to dining hall and she just stayed somewhere by herself. She doesn't like to stay with other people. So if Marci saw Sookan having fun with other girls, she will be jealous. Sookan should care about Marci if she wanted to keep the relationship.

Next thing is family, Sookan loves her family but I think Sookan and her sister's relationship is weird. I think Sookan frustrated already because of sister. She said, "She had told me to share my feelings and experiences, and now she did not approve of the way I saw my new world. She did not like what I was becoming."
Her sister told Sookan that she should share her experience with her sister but after Sookan shared, her sister disappointed about her experience and Sookan confused about it. I think Sookan won't send letter to her anymore because if Sookan sent letter to sister again about her experiences, sister would complain about it and Sookan doesn't want to hear. Or I think Sookan will send letter to sister that about what her sister wants Sookan to do. Sookan still likes sister so she wants sister likes her. I think Sookan will miss her mother more than now because after she read a letter from her mother, she always cry because letters makes her feel warm. Mother's letter is really big thing for her, letters support her a lot. She will be homesick more than now but she will stay in U.S because she wants her mother proud of Sookan. She said, "I must make Mother proud of me."
So I think she will do great job at studying for make mother proud of Sookan.
I think she will graduate the college in the U.S. But lots of thing will happen to her and she will think that she wants to go home. Sookan is tough girl and she is hard worker so she can resolve all problems such as relationship with friends or family. I can't wait till read everything because I want to know what is going to happen and Sookan always learn something or grow up in each chapter, so I want to know how is she going to be. Those things are really hard to resolve, but I can imagine that Sookan is smiling with everyone at the last of the novel.