2010 Fall - Star Magazine

8/6/2019 2010 Fall - Star Magazine

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I I v g I h g g I I F 2 0 1 0

www.internat ional.unt .edu/iel i

Established in 1977,IELI is one of the

largest language

programs for learningacademic English in

the U.S.

An American RoadTrip /3

Cooking Classeswith IELI /4

Alumni Corner: IELIGraduates Share /5

Welcoming Fall with IELIIn the spirit of the American Thanksgiving

celebration, students in Level 4.5 and 4.6

Writing took a few minutes to think abou

what they are most thankful for. They wrote

sentences using grammar structures tha

they had recently learned.

Im thankful. . .. . . for my parents, who have raised me and

have worked very hard.

. . . for my God, who gives me a healthy

body.

. . . for my country, where I have civil rights.

. . . for IELI, where I can study English.

. . . for my room, where I can take a breakand rest.

. . . for books, which often give me

inspiration.

. . . for my clothes, which keep my body

warm.

. . . for the ability to see and feel the

beautiful things of this world.

. . . for my guitar, which I can play when I

want to relax.

. . . for the people whom I have met in

Denton.

. . . for my friends, who always help me

and make me laugh.

Students Celebrate

Thanksgiving

tudents in II celebrated two merican olidays

tis semester, halloween and anksiin. II teac-

ers and staf elped students care pumpkins in October

(see aboe) and make costumes or te Fall 2 halloween

Welcome Party (let). In oember, II students par-

ticipated in te merican anksiin Dinner, osted by

, W, and global Interact, a Denton oranization.


2/8


3/8www.international.unt.edu/ieli 3

Sharing Stories Across Cultures

Chasing Sunrises: An American Road TripBy Li Guang China Writing Level 6

In ones life, there is al-

ways something that

remains eternally in the

mind, and whenever one thinks

of it, a smile will be put on ones

face. Such a thing happened tome in the vacation between the

two fall terms. It was a short but

wonderful trip with my friends.

We drove to Austin, San Anto-

nio, Houston, and Galveston,

laughing all the way.

San Antonio and Galveston

are the most two unforgettable

places in our trip. Although we

just stayed in San Antonio for

one night, the beau-

tiful River Walk

is engraved in my

memory. The old,

serene river runs

through the lively,

modern citywhat

a wonderful mix-

ture of quiet and

noise! We enjoyed

seafood in an in-

teresting restau-

rant named Joes

Crab Shack by

the river. The crabs and cray-shes were served in big iron

pots, and drinks were served in

glass pots. Every 40 minutes,

the waiters and waitresses had

a special dance. It is a place

that not only supplies delicious

food but also provides joy.Galveston is a small town

with unique buildings and a

blue coastline. The sunrise in

Galveston was a pretty picture,

which I will never forget. To

wait for the sunrise, we stayed

up until 6 oclock in the morn-

ing and were sitting by the sea,

feeling the cool salty sea breeze

and listening to the sounds of

waves wash-

ing against the

shore. Gradu-

ally, the sky

went from black

to red. When

the aming sun

burned on the

horizon, the sky

and the earth

were ooded

with brightness,

and I felt the life

was full of hope.

In fact, little of our time wasspent on viewing sights, and

most of the time was spent in

our car on the road. It is a real

road trip! Before this trip,

I had not been able to under-

stand why Americans like this

kind of trip. A driving trip, I

had thought, would be a waste

of time. It would be tiring and

boring. Even worse, travellers

might miss lots of famous or

interesting scenery because of a

lack of time. After I enjoyed our

road trip, I realized that a trip is

not just for seeing some muse-

ums or landscapes. A trip is a

happy time shared with friends.

Even though the cities we vis-

ited were extremely attrac-

tive, the most memorable and

joyful part of our journey was

our time in our car. We talked

sang, joked, and laughed with

out worrying about what hap

pened outside the car. The ca

was just like our nal home

which could keep us out o

rain, danger, sadness and trepi

dation, and leave us friendship

and happiness.

Time is eeting, and a trip

always ends. No matter how

our life and our relations are

changing, this short but ever

lasting trip will be one of the

most indelible parts of my

memory at IELI, which is like a

box of chocolate candy that wil

always delight me whenever

open it.

By Eri Nitta Japan Writing Level 4

Story told by Zhang Yue (Yorke)

A long time ago, a boy lived in a small village. He was always

thinking about the way to surprise people. One day, he screamed

A wolf is coming! People were surprised and ran away from

the village. He laughed at these people and enjoyed doing it. In

addition, he did the same thing on another day. People got angry

at him, and nobody trusted him anymore. Several days later,

when he walked in a forest, he met a wolf. He cried to people to

help, but no one came. He regretted his behavior, but it was too

late.

By Aehyang Chung (Aika) Korea Writing Level 5

Story told by Sophia

I heard a Chinese story about a girl. Zhu was a rich girl who

went to a school for boys, wearing boys clothes. She had a good

friend whose name was Liang. He was a poor boy, and she liked

him. One day, Zhus father decided on a marriage for her. She did

not want to marry a man she did not like because she liked Liang

Zhu told Liang a lie that she had a sister, and she wanted to meet

him, and told him to come to her house. But, her father had al-

ready accepted her marriage to another, and Liang could not go to

Zhus house, so he became sick and died. On Zhus wedding day,

she went to Liangs grave and dove into it. Then she and Liang

became butteries and ew into the sky together.

gradually, te sky

went rom black to red.

... I elt te lie was ull

o ope.

For one o IIs weekly speakin callenes, students in gillian grants

eel 5 Communication class sared a olk story rom teir ome country wit

a classmate. eir partner listened to teir story and ten summarized wat

tey eard. here are two o te stories tey recorded.

Li Guang and her friends at Joes Crab Shack


4/84 II R I F 2010

Blueberry Mufns

Dry: 2 cups our, 1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. baking

soda

Wet: 1/3 cup oil (or butter), 1 cup water (or milk)

2 eggs, 1 tsp. vanilla

Mix: Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large

bowl.

Make a hole in the our mixture. Put the wetingredients in the hole. Mix wet ingredients

and then all the ingredients together.

Add 2 cups of blueberries (fresh or frozen).

Fill: Line a 12-cup mufn tin with paper liners. Fill each

tin about 3/4 full.

Bake: Bake mufns for about 15 minutes at 400 de-

grees Fahrenheit.

Mufns are done when a toothpick stuck in the

middle of a mufn comes out clean.

Cool mufns on a wire rack. Each recipe makes

12 mufns.

In the Kitchen With IELI

On Friday, November 19, 8 students (Amber, Fadel, Khalid, Hoang, Sarah,

Soyo, Wei and Zaki) and the brother of one student (Fadels brother, Mohamed)

went to Lisas house. They learned to cook three soups, which were butternut

squash soup, turkey chili, and lentil soup. They were helped by Lisa, Lisas moth-

er, Linda, and Lisas two children, Eden and Rowan. Soyo brought some snacks

to share with the group as they cooked. The other students brought chocolates to

eat after eating the soup. When the soups were done, everyone taste tested each

soup. Amber wanted to vote for all three soups, but Eden insisted that everyone

chose one soup that was best. The nal vote was: lentil soup, 6, butternut squash

soup, 4, and turkey chili, 3. Lentil soup won the competition. Please read below

for the award-winning recipe!

During the Fall 2 2010 term, IELI introduced elective classes.

Elective classes are one-time classes that students can sign up to

take for fun! There is no grade - just an opportunity for students

to learn something new about American culture and practice theirEnglish with other IELI students and teachers. This term, two IELI

teachers offered American cooking classes in their homes. Keep

reading to nd out what the students learned to make.

Winter Soups Class with Lisa Hollinger

Lentil Soup Recipe

Ingredients:

1- 15 ounce can of Tomato sauce

1 teaspoon (tsp) of dried basil

1 teaspoon (tsp) of dried oregano

1 small white onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 cup of lentil beans

4 cups of vegetable broth

1 Tablespoon (T) of Louisiana hot sauce

Saut one small white onion chopped nely and garlic invegetable oil for about 5 minutes over medium heat. Add 1 tsp

of Oregano and Basil. Add veggie broth (about 4 cups) and 1

cup of lentils.

Bring to boil, and then turn down to simmer for about 20

minutes stirring occasionally. If the lentils seem to soak up too

much liquid, you can add more veggie broth little by little, but

dont add too much or your soup with not be dense enough.

Add 1 can of tomato sauce and keep stirring. Add salt, pepper,

and Louisiana hot sauce to taste - let cook on low for 10 more

minutes and then serve. Serve with hot sauce on the side for

those who want it spicier.

American Quick Breads withChristine Fabiszewski

Cooking with Chris (above and below) and Lisa

(right).



Yesterday was a terrible day in my life. My house lled with

water. Also, all my things were swimming. Only my cell phonesurvived.

At that time, my cell phone rang. It was my boss. He wanted me

to bring his computer to him in ve minutes. However, his com-

puter was swimming. In addition, the computer had a lot of impor-

tant information about the company. On that day, the

company wanted to pay its taxes, and the accounting

was in the computer. I was not worrying about the

information because I had another copy in my car,

but I couldnt nd my car keys when I was going to

my car. After that, when I arrived at my garage, my

car was not there. Then, I ran to call my boss, but my

cell phones battery was dead. I wanted to recharge

the battery, but I got shocked, and my cell phone ex-

ploded. I started to walk while it was snowing. I was

very cold because all of my clothes were wet.

Finally, I got to the ofce. I was shaking because I

was so cold. The ofce had no electricity. As a result,

my boss lit many candles. When I went to talk with

him, I slipped with a candle in my hand and started a

big re. When I saw the re, I went to another building to get help.

While I was looking for help, I fell into a big hole. When I tried to

escape from this hole, the re truck arrived and parked right over

the hole. Therefore, I could not get out of the hole. I could not do

anything except wait. In the end, I lost my house, my car, my job,

and my money. It was the worst day of my life.

IELI Students No Good Very Bad Day

There are a lot of good and bad days in my life. I remember one

very bad day in my life. One day I woke up at 8 oclock. I went toschool, but my class starts at 7:30. I was late. My teacher punished

me and sent me out of the class for 30 minutes. Then I could enter

the class. Everybody laughed at me when I entered the class. Then

I opened my bag to get the books, but I forgot my books at home

Then my teacher punished me again for 20

minutes. After 20 minutes, I entered the class

again. It was a bad start for the day.

At break time, I went to the cafeteria and

ordered coffee for myself. After drinking

the coffee, I found that I had no money in

my pocket. The manager slapped me. After

that, I went back to my class, and my teacher

asked me for my homework, but I didnt do

my homework. My teacher slapped me again

After my class, I started to drive home in my

car. Halfway there, my car ran out of gas. I

couldnt put gas in because I didnt have any

money, so I parked my car and walked home,

which was 20 miles away. When I reached

my house, I couldnt get in. I forgot my key

in my car.

In conclusion, it was the worst day of my life. I got to school

late, I forgot my books, I forgot my wallet, and I forgot my keys.

By Wedad Alghamdi, Chen Chanjuan (Rain), Osama

Alhindi, Alejandro Bartolini, Faisal Basmer Writing 2.1

By Ash Aslam, Khaled Alkhenaini, I-Hsuan Lee (Karen)

Writing 2.2

Lauras Fall I Communication 3 classes studied TV. They

watched a show they had not seen before and then shared their

opinions about the TV shows in reviews.

By Erika Garcia Mexico Writing Level 3

Bones is a TV show about cases of crime. The category of

this TV show is drama. The principal characters are one man and

woman. They are like police. The most important thing in this TV

show is that they need to nd evidence about crimes. The storystarts when they nd a murdered body. They only nd her or his

bones. They always nd how to resolve it. In addition, this TV

shows main characters talk about their relationships and their life.

The chapter that I saw was about a young lady. They were look-

ing for some clues. They found evidence at the crime scene. She

was working at a factory. They needed to talk with some people.

The co-workers didnt talk about her. That was very strange. After

they were checking some evidence, they found who killed her. The

killer was an ex-boyfriend. He worked in the same factory, but the

company decided to dismiss him. He didnt want her to continue

to work there. He was jealous, and for this reason he killed her.

This TV show is interesting because you

really dont know about who was the offend-

er. You need to see the whole episode to nd

the answer with them. This TV show is 4 stars. I think

that if students like shows about police, investigation, crime, and

murder it is a great recommendation.

By Yu-Ruei Jang (Ray) Taiwan Writing Level 5

Glee is a good TV show. It is talking about a high schools

chorus club. This was a famous club in the past, but now it is not

famous. There is a teacher whose name is Will Schuester wanting

to lead the club to win a championship in a chorus competition

This is a very fun comedy because they do not have a professiona

singer, so they need to nd some good singers.

If students want to learn English, they can watch this TV show

because it is not just a drama. We can listen to music and enjoy

their songs. If students really like listening to music, I think that

this will be a good choice to learn English. I will give this show 4

stars. I think that I hope to watch better shows in the future, so I

cant give it 5 stars.

Homework Fun: earnin nlis rom eleision

DH Shreves Writing classes

Students in DH Shreves Level 2 Writing classes were assigned in groups to write a circle story (one person writes the rst sen-

tence and passes it to the next) about a really bad day. Then the students voted on the best ones. Here are the winning stories.


6/86 II R I F 2010

Dr. Jekyll Mr. Hydeby Robert ouis teensonBy Namhee Kim Korea Writing Level 5

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a very famous and popular novel, as most people already know. If some-

one had asked me if I knew about Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, I would have answered, Of course, I know

about it! However, ironically, I had never read this book or watched the movie although I knew all

about this story. I thought our class book club was a good opportunity to read the book, so I chose it.

This book was more interesting than I expected. Whenever I participated in the book club, my book

club members and I all said, I wonder what will happen next! The view of this story is told through

Mr. Utterson. Mr. Utterson observed every situation and gave clues about Mr. Hyde. Although everyone

knew Mr. Utterson is actually Dr. Jekyll, the development of this story was thrilling.

In the book club, members of our team asked questions to each other. My favorite question was, Would you like to be a person

like Mr. Hyde? Every person has a weakness which is difcult to overcome. In my case, I feel shy in strange situations. It is bet-ter than before, yet I still feel shy in some situations. If I got Dr. Jekylls medicine, I would use it in those situations. However, I

just wish my face would not change like Mr. Hyde.

Reading in English is really good to improve your English. However, as everyone knows, it can be boring for international

students. I recommend reading English novels. It is not only interesting but also good for development of English. Lets nd

another book!

Namhee Kim

I had a new experience when I reread the The Merchant of Venice last week. I read this novel in the

Chinese edition when I was a senior high school student, and I thought that the story was interesting,

and some characters in the story were smart and helped each other. For example, Antonio could save

his life because Portia found the trick in the agreement of the loan. Also, Antonio and his friends not

only offered money to each other but also gave a hand to each other. However, now I think that there

are many unfair events in the story.

First of all, the characters in the story had biases against Jewish people. For example, the main

character, Antonio, criticized Shylock about his dress, behavior, and the way of managing his business. On the other hand, when

the Jew, Shylock, had a chance to speak out about what he thought and take revenge, he was called cold-blooded or the devil by the

Christians. Secondly, Jewish people were seen as miserly with money. For instance, one of the reasons that Antonio hated Shylock

is that Shylock received the interest from the loan which he lent; however, Antonio always lent his money for no interest. This be-

havior must be seen as an abnormal action in modern society. Third, the Christians always were depicted to be generous or kind; onthe contrary, the Jews were described as misers. In the story, even Shylocks daughter hated to be Jewish because her father could

not offer good food or clothing to his servants. However, some Christian characters who gave their servants better treatment may

have not had enough money to maintain their lifestyle in the future. In my thought, this behavior is wasteful, and they just want to

keep their worthless reputation. Finally, the Christians were portrayed as brave people; however, the Jews were portrayed as being

afraid of death or losing their property. This was shown in the court scene.

In conclusion, I was attracted by Shakespeares depiction of each character, plot, and detail when I read the novel. However, I

am not able to accept those unfair viewpoints, especially in the race aspect. The reason why I have a new experience may because

of my improved English. Reading novels can not only help people have fun in a foreign language but also help people absorb many

new words using this method. Therefore, I thank Ms. Grant for giving us this special chance.

The Merchant of Veniceby William akespeare

By Hung Shuohui (Sophie) Taiwan Writing Level 4

Hung Shuo-Hui

tudents in gillian grants Fall 2 2010 eel 5 Communication classes ormed a book club, and eac cose

a book to read or un. here are some o teir touts on wat tey read.



The Hound of the Baskervillesby ir rtur Conan Doyle

I read a book called The Hound of the Baskervilles. Before I read this book, I was excited because I

had never read a story of Sherlock Holmes before, and I like this kind of genre. However, there are many

characters in this book, so it was a little confusing and was a little difcult for me to tell which characters

are which. What I thought of this book is that Watson, who was a great friend of Holmes, did a good

job. He sent messages to Holmes while Holmes was not with him and observed each persons behavior.

Without him, Holmes could not have solved this case. I am not that satised with this book, but if some-

one says he likes this type of genre and wants to read it, then I would recommend it because Sherlock

Holmess stories are quite famous.

By Aehyang Chung (Aika) Korea Writing Level 5

The Scarlet Letter by ataniel hawtorne

At rst, I was not interested in this book because I didnt know the old system of the scarlet letter

A. However, as I continued reading it, I gradually understood her situation. While reading, in my

mind, I sometimes encouraged her and Mr. Dimmesdale, who was a priest, and sympathized with them.

The main character, Hester, was a very strong and independent person. I can respect her because if I

were her, I would not stand the situation she had. She never gave up her desire, and she brought up

her child without any help. This book shows how in the past punishment was strict, and a womans life

severe. When I nished reading it, I felt happy because Im not living in such a cruel society.

By Eri Nitta Japan Writing Level 4

Gladiatorby Daid FranzoniBy Yang XuHao (Howe) China Writing Level 6

I think that Gladiator is a great book. It tells a story of an ancient Roman hero, Maximus, who suf-

fered great difculty and tribulation to achieve his goal. He experienced various identities in his life-

time, such as being a general, a prisoner, a slave, and a gladiator. It is unbelievable to imagine facing

so many big changes in a life, and the way was so tough, but he reached his goal nally. Thus, he is a

great man, and his story teaches us how to live strongly when we meet difcult situations.In addition to understanding the great life of Maximus, I still learned another truth from this story.

A man has options when he faces his difcult time; he can obey or ght fate. The former may be easy

to choose, but for the latter you must lead a hard life. However, the story of Maximus tell us that one

should struggle for his fate if he holds a dream or a goal, and that is what real life is all about.

Yang XuHao

Eri Nitta

Aehyang Chung

The Scarlet Letter by ataniel hawtorneBy Xia Ning China Writing Level 6

The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, tells a story set in 17th century Puritan Boston.

Hester, a major character, had a daughter with a man (Dimmesdale) outside of marriage. Because of

this, she was given a scarlet A to wear on her breast to remind her of her guilt and sin. She did not tell

anyone who her daughters father was because she wanted to protect her daughters father, who she loved,

even though she had to wear the scarlet A on her clothing for the sin she committed with him. She was

very brave and did not think that she was wrong. Dimmesdale did not tell anyone that he was the man who

made Hester pregnant, and he was very sad. Although he did not wear a scarlet Aon his breast, he had

a scarlet A in his heart. Finally, when he let people know his feelings, they sensed a scarlet A which

was branded in his heart. This is love. Love is unreasonable. Their daughter was the best gift for them.


8/88 II R I F 2010PS-A012649W-12/1

In 2000, Hide Kawada started IELI classes in Level 3

Communication, but after one week of school he asked to switch to

Level 2. He had difculty understanding what others were saying

and was frustrated with his ability to communicate. His teacher,

Lisa, wouldnt let him switch. Instead, she encouraged him that

overcoming the challenge would make him a better student. After

that, I promised myself that I would not complain or be negative

about the circumstances around me, and I studied hard, Kawada

said. He passed all of his classes at IELI and even gave the Level

6 speech at his graduation ceremony!

After graduating from UNT in 2005,

Kawada returned to his home country of

Japan. He now works for Avex Group,

one of the biggest music entertainment

companies in Japan. He works in the

music publishing department and

communicates with music publishers

and composers outside of Japan

and uses English frequently. In fact,

Kawada has had to learn many special

musical and legal words in order to negotiate with publishers. He

hopes to one day be involved in a GRAMMY-winning project and

to establish his own company and music production team in the

U.S. or Australia.

One of his most proud accomplishments is learning English.I am so lucky that I can communicate, do business, be in love,

and hang out with 18 times more people than when I spoke only

Japanese, he said.

Kawadas advice to IELI students is to work hard and not give

up on achieving your plans. All of the experiences I had at IELI

still help me now in terms of not being too afraid of speaking to

new people I meet from all over the world.

Raul Valdes is a successful full-

time musician, living and working

in Dallas. He is also a former IELI

student. When he rst arrived in Texas

in 1998 from Cuba, Valdes didnt

speak any English. He started classes

in Level 0 with teacher Sandy Stroo,

and continued in IELI through Level

6. He found out later that Sandy spoke

Spanish but had never told him so that he would be forced to

use English as much as possible.

The thing that stands out in his mind from his time in IELI

is the overall environment of the program. He remembers hi

teachers and classmates, welcome parties in the Union, Six

Flags trips, and visiting his teachers home. Valdes says that he

didnt just learn English in IELI. He learned about American

culture and history while improving his language skills. He

remembers reading Martin Luther King Jr.s I Have a Dream

speech for the rst time, in particular.

Your life changes after IELI. Without language, you can

do anything. Learning English is one of the most importan

things in my life. With English, I can work, teach, do clinics

and network.

Since leaving IELI in 2000, Valdes has played percussion

in music festivals around the country, including Austin CityLimits, and with blues musician Lucky Peterson. His advice to

current students is to learn as much as you can, enjoy your time

in IELI, and keep in touch with classmates.

If you are an IELI graduate, we would love to hear from

you. Please visit the UNT-International website, http://www.

international.unt.edu, to nd contact information for IELI

instructors and staff.

IELI students come from dierent countries, cultures, and backgrounds. Some need to y only a few hours to land in Texas, some, an entire day. All,

however, have gathered at IELI because mastering academic English is a common goal. Following are the stories of two graduates.

{ALUMnICORR}By Meghan Merchant IELI Student Counselor

Hide Kawada Japan Raul Valdes Cuba

holiday

PoemsBy Writin 5.1

A Christmas tree being displayed,

Santa Claus bringing presents,

Presents being put under the tree,

Snow falling to the ground:

Christmas

By Yumiko Nakagawa and

Hyunjun Cho People shopping in the malls,

Americans visiting families,

Students travelling everywhere,

Families eating turkey:

Thanksgiving.

By Saud Alsulaiman, Ren Muqing,

Hung-Jung Chen

Food smelling all over the house,

Turkey cooking in the oven,

Family talking in the house,People laughing in the living room:

Thanksgiving.

By ByungHoon Kang (Alex) and

Julian Jatem

Tam Taylors WR 5.1 Class

Raul Valdes

Hide Kawada

Documents

2010 Fall - Star Magazine