This item has the following downloads:

fall_Page ( PDF )

ELI STUDENT VOICES

Volume 13, Issue 3 Fall, 2009


What Love Is
Hung-Ju Chen
RW 4


(1 t Place)


As a Foreigner in the U.S.
Dasol Kim
R/W41


My grandparents had very different personalities, but
they had a successful marriage based on their mutual love,
appreciation and tolerance. My grandmother was a person who
was strict and tough while my grandfather was kind and easy
going. They met each other at work during World War II; she
was a typist and he was an accountant at that time. My
grandfather said that he was attracted by her beauty and ability.
Though I never heard my grandmother talk about this, I think
that she must have been fascinated by his handsomeness. They
had dated for a while before they got married. Not long after
their happy marriage had started, my grandmother became
pregnant with their first child. Therefore, she needed to quit her
job since pregnant women wouldn't be hired back then. They
had four lovely and healthy children together. However, it
wasn't easy to support a family of six with only one meager
salary. In spite of hardship, they lived a happy and substantial
life. She was very provident. As a result, by the time my
grandfather retired, they had bought a house and saved enough
money for the rest of their lives.
Even though my grandparents emotionally depended
on each other, they had disagreements over many things due to
their different characters. I remember that if they had a fight,
she was always the one who insisted on her opinions, but he
would usually mutter and try not to escalate it. When I had
grown older, I started to wonder about why my grandfather
could stand my grandmother's temper. So I asked him, "How
did you and grandma get to know each other?" And that's when
my grandfather told me about their romance. I asked him if he
would marry my grandmother were there an afterlife. I will
never forget that smile on his face as he replied, "Without a
doubt." He said, "I appreciate your grandma for being a frugal
housekeeper and for helping me bring up our four children.
Were it not for her, I wouldn't be what I am now."
My grandmother left the world before my grandfather.
She had a stroke one night, which became coma that lasted nine
months; during her stay in the hospital, he went to see her every
day regardless of weather changes. There, he would give her
massage and talk to her, in the hope of that she would wake up
one day. Unfortunately, she never did. My grandfather was full
of sorrow when my grandmother was gone. Although we were
there for him, we could feel that there was something missing
deep inside his heart. Years after she passed away, he still
carried her picture wherever he traveled, and he would put her
picture against the bus window, as if she could enjoy the view,
too.


I am taking my first step in America, the new continent
I have never been to, and I feel huge differences from my home
country. Then, I keep walking from the entrance of the small
airport and imagine that Americans surround me and are
looking at me strangely and curiously. Oops! Sorry for myself;
nobody is staring at me. (Oh, I got one, a small kid who is
jealous of the M&Ms in my hand) Yes, I am grown up enough
to wake up from that sweet-prince-who-thought-everyone-
cares-me dream, but at least someone should recognize me as a
foreigner who took a 14 hour flight, shouldn't they? Of course,
right after that disappointment they easily noticed my accent
and sheltered voice which shows I am the person coming from a
non-English nation. However, they were not seemingly
surprised about seeing a new visitor.
After that first little disappointment, I had to tour
Gainesville in order to live here for a while, and I soon got a
second shock at the mall. Americans do not eat Big Macs at all!
Instead of McDonald's, they enjoy tons of diverse foods from
Italy, Mexico and Asia with chopsticks or even burgers, not
with triple cheeses and beef patties, but with wheat bread and
chicken. Even though they always make a joke about their
meals and eating behavior, they seriously take care of it. Surely
Americans recognize what problems are and figure out the
solutions to decreasing obesity and other eating disorders. I can
tell that the man in the movie 'Super Size Me', which strongly
presented the topic of avoiding fast food, does not have to eat
Big Macs anymore in order to show how bad it is.
As I was getting involved in American culture, I found
that not only were my thoughts about my first impression and
foods were wrong, but also people's way of thinking here did
not exactly meet with my expectation. When I was an exchange
student in Finland a year before, my friends and I from other
European countries talked a lot about "Yes, we can," President
Obama's most famous catchphrase from the election. We
usually connected this phrase sarcastically with some nasty
reality shows or violent comics in American television
programming, presenting that U.S. culture allows inappropriate
images of sex or violence to be opened too much in public
without any discomfort. Making a joke and talking about taboos
and personal issues publically tended to look thoughtless and
unconscious to me at that time. But after 3 months in the U.S., I
found the Oprah show and I was so impressed. I had never
believed a TV show could move people's minds, but it was!
Talking a lot and expressing your own emotions works
tremendously in the U.S., and moreover it encourages people to


ELI Student Voices 1


(2d Place)








think deeper. Yeah, I still am suspicious of some crazy reality
shows but now, I believe that yes, they can and do change
society by opening minds and thoughtfulness.
Don't be disappointed that people do not recognize
who you are and what you expected in the U.S, instead, they
welcome and are open to whoever you are and whatever you
thought in the U.S.

A Day in Shela
Anfal Hathah
R/W31

"I will have to leave the village for the day. Kai will
look after you" said Dr. Miller. "Maybe you can learn
something from him one day" He added after a moment.
Twelve- year- old Molly was happy to hear that. She lived with
her father Dr. John Miller who was the only doctor in
Kipungani, the village they lived in. After her mother died a
year ago, her father devoted his life to his job. They moved a
month ago to Kenya and she did not have any friends other than
Kai who was her father's assistance. Kai was not really her
friend, he never answer her questions or talk to her.
Nevertheless, she would tell him about her hometown, how
pretty it is, and how different it is than Kenya. Therefore, she
was really surprised when Kai told her that he would take her to
his house in Shela. Consequently, they rode the donkies -which
were the only transportation there.
By the noon they reached an old cottage. Kai knocked
on the door and they heard footsteps rushing to open the door.
Two kids were standing by the door, a boy and a girl. Kai
introduced them as Kojo and Chika, his brother and sister. They
stared at her before Kai said something sharp in Swahili- the
official language in Kenya. She stepped into the house where
she found herself in the living/dining room. There was only one
old couch and an old wooden table. She stepped into the kitchen
which looked as old. She asked Chika and Kojo if they wanted
to play, but they giggled and Kojo said "We have to work. If we
want to have dinner we must get clean water from the well."
"Why?" asked Molly "What's wrong with the tap water?"
Kojo looked confused. "What do you mean 'tap water'?" he
asked "You cannot get clean water just like that. Do you want
to help me?"However, Molly did not want to carry water for a
couple of miles, so she refused. She asked Chika if she wanted
to play with her. But she said no because she was going to pick
up the vegetables.
Molly was very bored, so she went to the beach by
herself. The beach was quite different than what she expected,
nobody was laying down to get tanned, and there were no kids
playing and making castles from sand. Rather everybody
seemed busy. There were many women picking crabs or algae.
It seemed to Molly that nobody had time to relax.
Then she went back to the house. She found that Kojo
had brought the water, and Chica was preparing dinner; Molly
asked Chica why her parents did not do it. And Chica said "But
my parents are working in the field, they cannot make dinner."
Slowly she realized why Kai had brought her here; he did not
want her to play with just kids in her age. He wanted to show


her the way kids had to live here, and how they appreciate
everything. She thought about how she took everything for
granted. She never thought how hard it is to live in a poor
country or to have to participate in the community in such an
early age. She thought about the times she complained to him
about the hardship of this life, because they did not have cable
TV or video games. She was really ashamed of herself and she
never complained about her life again. Every time she thought
she was having a hard day, she thought about what Chika and
Kojo had to go through every day. And thus Molly learned to
appreciate every little thing in her life.

How to Spend the Perfect New Year in Sri
Lanka
Nadeeka Salaman Arachchige
R/W31

New Years is the most important holiday for the Sri
Lankan people. For Sri Lankan, New Year comes on the sun
changing from Pisces to Taurus, between April 13th and 14th
One week before New Year, you have to clean and paint your
house. Also, you have to go shopping with your mother
because you need to buy some decorations, bananas and
cooking pots. Another important thing is to buy new clothes for
New Year. It's important to start the New Year in new clothes
and a new house. During this time your grandmother and your
mother make many sweet foods. Furthermore you can smell
food in your neighborhood. You have to finish preparing the
day before. If you follow these steps you can enjoy the rest of
the New Year Day.
On New Year's Day, you have to get up early in the
morning. Then you need to shower, wear new clothes and get
together with the family and wait for the New Year to begin.
When you hear fireworks it's the start of the New Year. To
begin your mother opens the stove to boil the coconut
milk. You and your family gather around the stove waiting for
the coconut milk to boil over. It's good luck for the house and
the family. Second, your mother will start to cook special food
called milk rice. You have to help your mother cook this so you
grind the coconut to make coconut milk while your mother is
making the white rice. Then your mother mixes the coconut
milk with rice. After you cover the cutting board with coconut
oil your mother put milk rice on the cutting board and
cut diamond shapes to put on a big tray and make the New
Year's table. Put in a small brass lamp polished for the occasion
in the center of the table and new wicks and oil ready for
lighting at the auspicious time. Also your mother put next to the
lamp the big milk rice tray and you help her to arrange
the sweet meats around the tray of the milk rice. Now the New
Year table is ready.
In the morning between 10 o' clock to 12 o'clock you
have to go temple with your family then come home. Since 12
o' clock to 5 o'clock you and your family wait to eat.On New
Year all day you hear fireworks but when you hear many
fireworks, it's time to eat Your father lights the lamp and
he first feeds your mother, then your older brother, and your
older sister, then you and finally your three younger brothers.


ELI Student Voices 2








Your mother also feeds your father and everybody like your
father did. After that everybody starts to eat. This time you are
feeling so peaceful and happy. The New Year is an important
time for you and family. It's a tradition for you and your sister
and brothers to bow to and touch the ground with the forehead
in front of your mother and father. After that your mother and
father give you and your sister and brothers to gifts or money.
So this time you, your sister and brothers are so happy. In
addition you and your family play many games also visit the
neighbors' house and hang out with them
On New Year's evening you and your family get ready
and go see grandmother and grandfather. Don't go without a
gift. You have to bring something and visit with them. Also
you have to bow and give gifts for them. You can see their
happy faces and you can have a great feeling. You have a little
party and a great time with your family and grandparents.
Now your perfect New Year day is almost finished. So you will
probably come back home with the family and spend time
watching TV program about the New Year. The family enjoy it,
and talk about the beautiful day. Finally you go get a shower
after go lying down on bed and think about you had a
wonderful day. Eventually you will be fall asleep. You have to
hope next New Year also repeat these steps then you and your
family can have wonderful New Year in Sri Lanka.

Puerto La Cruz and Gainesville
Mariandreina Duran
R/W3
Puerto La Cruz and Gainesville are two beautiful
cities, but they also have many differences; let's get to know
these cities. Puerto La Cruz is in Venezuela, and is always hot
because we only have two seasons: summer and winter (drought
and rain), but Gainesville is in USA and is different because it
has four seasons: spring, summer, fall, and winter. The weather
turns hot and cold. In Puerto La Cruz, there are a lot of beautiful
beaches but in Gainesville there are no beaches. Gainesville is a
very safe place, but Puerto La Cruz is a really dangerous place.
Puerto La Cruz and Gainesville have beautiful and friendly
people. Both of these cities have a mix of cultures, races, and
religions. In conclusion, these cities are really good places to
visit and in any of these you can have a nice time.

The Differences Between Taiwan and
Gainesville
Li-wei Hsu (Jack)
RW 3

There are many differences between Taiwan and
Gainesville. First, the languages which the people speak in
Taiwan and in Gainesville are totally different. Second, the
weather in Gainesville is better than in Taiwan. Even though
there are many differences between Taiwan and Gainesville,
there are still some things that are alike. For example, there are
many delicious foods in both places and the people in Taiwan
and in Gainesville are all nice. Although most people are used
to living in their own countries, I think I can adapt to many


different environments because I hope I can see things that
startle me, feel things I never felt before, and meet people with
a different point of view.

Comparing Friendship, Family Structure,
and Education in Collectivist and
Individualist Cultures
Masafumi Imai
R/W50

Even though there are various kinds of cultures all over
the world, we can classify them all under two categories,
collectivism and individualism, based on many factors such as
personalization and synchronization. The former considers
individual dependability and aim to be a low priority whereas
the latter considers them to be a high priority. Collectivist
cultures, which account for about 70 percent of the world's
population in non-Western areas, such as, Asia, Africa, and the
Middle East, predominate more than the individualist cultures,
which exist in most northern and western European countries
and in North America. The differences between collectivist and
individualist cultures can be seen particularly in the areas of
friendship, family structure and education.
Making friends and keeping friendships are different
for collectivists and individualists. Collectivists tend to be good
at making friends with ingroupp" such as classmates, and tend
to trust them rather than "outgroup" such as strangers. In
addition, they are likely to hang out with ingroup to achieve
personal relationships, and keep in touch with them for a long
time. Individualists, on the other hand, tend to be good at
making friends with outgroup, and to trust them. However, their
relationships tend to be more shallow and weaker than
collectivist relationships, so they make and leave friends more
easily. In conclusion, collectivists take notice of the ideas and
aims for groups, while individualists concentrate on pursuing
individual benefits and aims.
Most families cannot be classified as completely
collectivist or individualist, but instead have a tendency to
dominate one of the two orientations. Families who are
predominately collectivist have a tendency to have close family
relationships and to respect keeping company with them,
whereas families who are prominently individualist tend to have
distant family relationships and have pessimistic outlooks of
their family. In terms of eldercare, collectivists totally take care
of their parents until they pass away because they are glad to
spend time with them, whereas individualists want their parents
to live in nursing homes and residential facilities, for they do
not want to waste time on family issue. Collectivists are more
likely than individualists to have a great esteem regarding elder
people, and use polite form in conversation. Hence, the values
of family and elder people in collectivist and individualist
societies are of high and low priorities, respectively.
Just as the way family and elder people are treated in
collectivist and individualist cultures is different, teaching and
learning styles are also different. The purpose of education in
collectivist and individualist cultures is to fit themselves into a


ELI Student Voices 3








communal environment as a member of society and expand the
new vision as a leader respectively. In school, collectivists feel
comfortable working in groups, studying demonstrations,
mentioning their opinions with only the teacher's permission,
and protecting egoism, while individualists feel comfortable
working individually, looking for approaches to solutions,
speaking their ideas without the teacher's permission, and
having flexibility. In brief, the education of individualists is
more aggressive than that of collectivists in school.
Since there are so many different cultures in the world,
it can be difficult to communicate with someone from a
different country. In order to, especially, adapt to foreign
cultures, we must do a lot of trial and error, and have much
culture shock. The problem can be made easier by roughly
dividing cultures by characteristics of the collectivist and the
individualist concepts. If we understand the traits these two
culture orientations, we can efficiently interact with people who
come from different cultures.

References
[1] Parks, C. and Vu, A. D. (1994), Social Dilemma Behavior
of People from Highly Individualist and Collectivist
Cultures, The Journal of Conflict Resolution, Vol. 38, No. 4,
pp. 708-718.
[2] Yi, J. (1990), Individualism-Collectivism: A Study of
College Students in Four Countries
[3] Goleman, D. (1990), The Group and the Self: New Focus on
a Cultural Rifts, The New York Times, Dec. 1990.
[4] Pyke, K. D. and Bengston, V. L. (1996), Systems of
Eldercare, Journal oj uA I S ,.. and Family, 58, pp. 379-392.
[5] Hall, B. T. (2008), Collectivist and individualist cultures,
The ELI School, Mar.

Gainesville and Seoul
Yunhui Kim
RW 3

Do you have the experience of moving your home to a
new place? If you have, you have experienced the same thing I
have. I come from Seoul in Korea. Now, I live in Gainesville.
Gainesville is very different from Seoul, although they have
some of the same things. First, Seoul has a lot of high
buildings, but in Gainesville's most of the buildings are one
floor. So I was excited because it is good for looking at the sky.
Seoul has a many buses or subways, but Gainesville has only
RTS bus system. It's little uncomfortable. Also Gainesville is
quiet and has fresh air. However, Seoul is noisy and has a
smoke in the air. Nevertheless, Gainesville and Seoul have
some of the same things. Almost all the people are nice and
kind in both of these two cities. Also Gainesville and Seoul
have a famous University in each city. Anyway, I like both
Seoul and Gainesville. The face of two cities are very charming
and this is only too true.

Eastern and Western: Not Only Divided
by Greenwich


Francisco Garrido
R/W50

It is logical to think that depending on where you were
born you will have different customs. But the fact is that the
differences go beyond customs and traditions, the differences
can also be appreciated in the way we think, and even the way
we interact with the rest of the society. These characteristics
that make each society unique can be summarized in
collectivism and individualism, and it can be seen in the day-to-
day life. For example, an American kid who doesn't want to eat
will be told by his parents that "you should finish your meal
because it is bad to waste it." On the other hand Japanese's kids
will be encouraged to eat it appealing to their sensitive side;
their parents will tell them that they should eat the food because
the farmer spends a lot of time and effort making it. The main
difference between those ways of living is that Individualism
sees "me" as center, while collectivism sees the group as center.
Individualism is often associated with western cultures and
individualism with eastern cultures. Individualism and
collectivism can be easily recognized in three fundamental
aspects of our daily life such as friendship, family structure, and
education.
You can easily identify an individualist or collectivist
society by the kind of relation they have with the ingroup and
the outgroup. For example, collectivists are not very skillful at
making new friends, but they spend much time building
relationships with other people of the group, and maintaining a
lifelong intimate relationship with them. They also pay more
attention to the views, needs and goals of their ingroup. On the
other hand, individualists are very good at entering and leaving
a group; therefore, you can conclude that they have skills in
making friends. But, often those friendships are relatively
superficial,l and they have nonintimate relationships with other
members of the group. Individualists also tend to trust more in
strangers and outsiders than collectivists. Consequently
individualists have more friends than collectivists, yet more
superficial ones. These characteristics in the way individualists
and collectivists treat their ingroup and outgroup can also be
founded in the families of each society.
Individualists and collectivists also differ in the
behavior of their families. Collectivists are more likely to see
everyone who shares blood with them as family; they are also
used to taking care of their elders, and talk with respect about
them, frequently honoring them. While Individualists see as
family only their wife, kids, and in some cases grandparents,
they also prefer that the eldercare process be done by some
professional institution like nursing homes, and finally they are
likely to see that eldercare process as a burden. For example,
individualists' grandchildren often criticize the care giving to
their grandparents by their parents, while collectivists
grandchildren tend to help their parents in that matter. This is
mainly because collectivist sees the groups as center, in contrast
to the individualist who sees the "me" as a center.

Inside the classroom is a place where you can easily
identify a collectivist or individualist society. For example,


ELI Student Voices 4








collectivist based classrooms tend to be bigger than
individualist. Also individualist environment is often more
dynamic while collectivist prefer to be more static.
Individualist teachers also encourage the students to be self-
reliant, and to pursue personal goals. On the other hand
collectivist will feel very uncomfortable if teachers impose this
kind of thinking on their classroom. As a result, collectivists'
classrooms are less likely to present a debating situation
because they don't like to be pointed out of the group. While
individualist do not have trouble in expressing their opinions.
I think that there are two mayor differences between
eastern and western societies: Individualism and Collectivism,
and that those differences can be extremely well expressed by
these two quotes: western societies are led by "The squeaky
wheel gets the grease" and eastern by "the nail that stands out
gets pounded down."

People
Megumi Ishikawa
R/W50

Nobody can make life alone, so people support each
other. In Chinese character, letter of person is made that two
lines support each other as This word may show that people
support each other. While I am staying in the US, I get a lot of
help from people who are friends, teachers and others. Even if
somebody didn't know me, they helped me. I received
tenderness, gratitude and grace in the US, and I didn't notice
them before I came here.
In the US, there are a lot of tender people. When I
came here, I felt alone because I didn't know any people and
couldn't speak English very well. For example, one time I was
standing at a roadside intersection and didn't know how to cross
the road. I waited for the walk signal to appear for 15 minutes
but unfortunately the "don't walk" signal appeared the entire
time. Fortunately, after 15 minutes of waiting, two people
arrived at the intersection and taught me how to use the
crosswalk indicator button. Afterwards, they directed me
towards Norman Hall. Even now, I don't know them, but I
know that they are really kind people. Also, one of my friends
dropped me off at a Fedex location in the northwestern part of
town. I needed a ride because there were no bus stops near the
Fedex building, but I didn't have any friends who had a car. One
of my classmates had a car and he dropped me off. At that time,
he told me international students had to support each other. I
felt grateful for his support. Before I came here, I didn't felt so,
because I didn't have the kind of these problems in Japan. I
thought that these were natural that people helped me, but these
were not natural, and I recognized their tender behaviors. I
really appreciate their hospitality. Also, I am a lucky person
because a lot of people helped me. I have not only the above
incidents but also many other events with my friends, teachers
and others. These are my treasures and it is difficult to get them
in Japan.
If I don't have any friends, teacher and others, I can't
make this life. I enjoyed staying here, because I have
relationships. They helped me and support me, and they made


my life. My life is splendid and I really appreciate people who
make up my life. I recognized people had to appreciate people's
hospitality by these incidents. So people make life by people's
hospitality.

Thank You
Megumi Ishikawa
R/W50

I always hear people say "Thank you" in the US.
While most people inherently think that Japanese culture
revolves around politeness, I have rarely heard people say
thanks when I lived in Japan. In Japanese culture, it is
considered polite to bow. But since bowing is a form of
nonverbal communication, it is sometimes difficult for people
to notice or understand the messages people are trying to imply
when they bow. In contrast, Americans habitually express
gratitude. They often express their gratefulness by saying
"Thank you." I think that "Thank you" is a polite expression
because most people feel comfortable when people verbally
thank them in a direct and soothing manner. If it is said "Thank
you" from somebody, nobody feels bad, for "Thank you" is
good meaning and the meaning includes positive. So, verbal
gestures, such as saying "Thank you" are better than nonverbal
cues like bowing, because saying "Thank you" is a simple and
lucid way to express gratitude. Words have power, so these
days I tell myself to say "Thank you" more frequently.

The People of Kuwait
Mohammad Buhamad
G/W

There are six billion people in the world, and there are
over two hundred countries, and there are millions of cultures;
every group of people has characteristics that make them who
they are. It has always amazed me how any group of people, no
matter how small their community is, creates their own values
and characteristics over time. I am from Kuwait, and even
thought Kuwait is a small country, the people there have their
own characteristics that make them Kuwaitis. Generosity, an
outgoing personality, and love for freedom are some of the
things Kuwaitis are famous for.
The first thing Kuwaitis are famous for is their
generosity. Hosting people is one way to comprehend Kuwaitis'
generosity. I remember when my father's friend, who was from
Europe, visited us. My father asked him to stay at our house, he
treated him to many restaurants and he let him join us for lunch
many times. He also gave him a tour around the city. After five
days my father's friend left Kuwait and he was very happy.
Another example of Kuwaitis' generosity is my personal
experience when I first came to the U.S.A. When I first came to
the USA, one of the Kuwaitis and his friends picked me up
from the airport and took me to their apartment, where I stayed
for over a week. They took me to restaurants, they gave me a
tour around the city, and they helped me find a good apartment.


ELI Student Voices 5








They treated me just like my father treated his friend; I was
very happy about that.
The second thing Kuwaitis are famous for is that they
are outgoing. If you visit Kuwait on the weekend, you would be
surprised by how Kuwaitis like to go out and have fun. You
would see a lot of people going shopping, you would see a lot
of people swimming in the sea and playing in the beach, you
would see a lot of people in restaurants and cinemas. Another
thing that shows how Kuwaitis are out going is that we like to
visit each other. Every weekend every family visits their
grandparent's house where families see each other every week.
Also, friends visit each other and thy watch TV, talk and play.
This is one of the things I like about Kuwaitis.
Finally, love for freedom is one of the important things
Kuwaitis are famous for. For example, Kuwait is one of the first
and the few countries in the region that has democracy.
Kuwaitis have been governing themselves since the 1960s.
Another example is the journalism freedom in Kuwait; Kuwait
has the best journalism freedom in the region. The journalist in
Kuwait does not get arrested because of his writing or his
beliefs. Democracy and journalism freedom is one of the things
that Kuwaitis are proud of, and they are in Kuwait because of
the Kuwaitis love of freedom.
It is amazing how a small population like Kuwaitis has
their own characteristics. Some of the characteristics that
Kuwaitis have are generosity, outgoing personality, and love for
freedom. Therefore when you finish reading this essay think
about the things that the people in your town are famous for;
you will be amazed how people in another towns in your
country do not have them.

Transition
Marco Pazmino
RW1

I come while I'm scary and afraid
I come while I'm whisper and shadow
I come while I'm remember my life and friends
I come while I'm a new world
I come while to ELI
I come and found classmates
I come and found friends
I come and found teachers

Tuesday with Morrie: A Book
Sein Jang
R/W50

Do you have any book which leads you whenever you
are in a trouble? I have one. The title of this book is "Tuesdays
with Morrie." It is a story about one professor who was dying
with terminal illness. When he was told that he would die, he
was frustrated at first. However, he didn't let the frustration get
him down. He changed his mind and decided to make his last
life as the last lesson. He was gradually dying, so he could
explain how he felt and what he thought. He also said a lot


about the meaning of life and the most important thing in life.
From his view, I could see the most important thing in life,
because his terminal illness make his eyes clear to see the truth.
From the book, I could learn that the relationship between
people is the most important thing in life. Money and nobility
are also important, but if you cannot make good relationships
with people, life does not have any meaning. In the last stage of
your life, you cannot be happy with your material thing such as
money, but you can be happy with the relationships which you
have had. The book gave me a lot of lessons like that. Therefore
I firmly recommend this book for you. If you read this book,
you can realize the meaning of life; you can find what is
important for life; you can be content with your life.

The Effects of Exercise
Chia-Chun Lin (Claire)
R/W50

For better health, people usually do exercise such as
simple walking for 20 or 30 minutes, playing different kinds of
sports, or doing weight-lifting exercise in the gym. After
exercise, they may expect to feel energized or relaxed.
Although exercise is not the panacea for everything, it indeed
has various effects on humans' health, particularly in the areas
of physical health, mental health, and brain health.
Current research reveals that the benefits of exercise
for weight loss, prevention of diseases, and the treatment of
diseases is not as significant as people once thought. Exercise
alone has not meant someone can continue losing his weight.
For example, Jack Wilmore, an exercise physiologist found that
after men gained an additional 2 kilograms from exercise, the
metabolic rate only increased by 24 calories a day. In fact, you
have to diet as well as exercise to attain weight loss efficiently.
In addition, exercise may reduce the risk of some diseases such
as cancer and heart diseases; however, people who exercise are
less likely to smoke or have unhealthy habits. Thus, we cannot
distinctly establish direct benefit of exercising in. Also, exercise
helps elderly people have better body balance, so it prevents
osteoporosis indirectly. People who go from being sedentary to
being moderately active lower their blood pressure and
cholesterol; however, there are only slightly greater benefits for
intense exercise. Therefore, exercise has undeniable benefits for
physical health, but its effect is neither direct nor
comprehensive.
Exercise can result in either beneficial or detrimental
changes in mental health, and the outcome appears to be largely
dependent on the 'dosage' employed. Generally, most long term
exercise benefits individuals with elevated anxiety more than
healthy people. For example, healthy individuals exercise for
prevention, but those suffering from mild to moderate
emotional illness do so for treatment. However, aerobic
activities are exceptional cases. Both kinds of people are
changed in mood and improved in state anxiety 3 to 4 hours
after the exercise. On the other hand, exercise to an excessive
degree may result in mood disturbance and worsened physical
health. Clearly, the benefits or damage is based on what
magnitude of exercise is done.


ELI Student Voices 6








In addition to physical health and mental health, brain
health is another area which has connection with exercise.
Although the effect of doing "brain exercise" to improve brain
performance is limited, brain health can benefit from physical
exercise. Elderly people improve certain skills by practicing a
challenging computer-based task; however, they only gain the
specific ability but not general mental fitness. Moreover, having
mentally challenging hobbies can help maintain cognitive
performance, but any single brain exercise late in life cannot
become a quick fix for general mental function. Actually,
physical exercise has been shown to maintain and improve
brain health. Even if inactive people start to exercise more in
their 70s, it still works. Also, exercise can reduce the risk of
dementia and Alzheimer's disease late in life. Therefore,
instead of spending time and money on doing brain exercise,
people should do physical exercise for their brain health.
In conclusion, exercise helps people maintain their
physical health, mental health, and brain health even if
sometimes it works the best accompanied by other factors or
effects health indirectly. We should do physical exercise
moderately to improve and maintain our health.

Jeddah and Gainesville
Mohammed Bayazid
RW 3

Do you know what the differences are between Jeddah
and Gainesville and what the things that are similar between
them? They both are beautiful places. First, the two things that
are similar between them are the weather and a lot of
international people. The weather in Jeddah is often hot and
warm, but sometimes it will be a little bit cold and the same
weather is in Gainesville too. In fact, they have crazy weather.
In Gainesville, there are a lot of international students from
different countries and the same thing is true in Jeddah, but not
all of them are students actually. Second, the two different
things between them are the size and the populous. The size of
Jeddah is bigger than the size of Gainesville because Jeddah is
the second city in size after the capital of Saudi Arabia. In
Gainesville, the populous is less than Jeddah because in Jeddah,
there are four million persons, but in Gainesville there are two
hundred thousand probably. Finally, both of these cities are
wonderful and lovely places and all the people who visited
them before have liked them.

Seoul and Gainesville
Youngha Park (Amos)
RW 3

Do you know Seoul? I'm going to explain Seoul by
comparing and contrasting it with Gainesville. First, Seoul is
the capital of Korea and the population is 12 million, but the
land is not big. So Seoul is not very crowed and complicated.
On the other hand, Gainesville is small town. So here it is
peaceful and a quiet place. I like Gainesville's vast green tracks
of land which Seoul doesn't have. Second, the two cities have


different weather. Seoul has very cold now like New York, but
here Gainesville is not cold, but warm. So I am enjoying the
warm weather. Third, there is good public transportation. I can
go everywhere using public transportation. So I don't need my
private car. But in Gainesville, I need private a car because if I
don't have my car, I can't hang out on weekends. In contrast,
there are also similar things. Fourth, Korea and Florida are
peninsula cities. So if you live in the two cities, you can go
three sides sea. There are blessed cities. In conclusion, I think
that all cities have their own attraction. So I can't say which city
is better. Every city can become a good city! It depends on
yourself!!!

The Differences and Similarities between
Women and Men as Consumers
Hojun Kim
R/W31

Women and men differ in many ways. They differ in
their thinking, habits, what they like, and in their consumer
practices. Women usually enjoy shopping more than men but
the internet may be changing that. The ease of internet shopping
is closing the gap between men and women as consumers.
Women often make their shopping trips into a social
activity. They will many times go shopping with friends and
spend hours together going to stores. Women enjoy buying
clothes, shoes, and accessories, even when they don't need
them. Women of 20-30 years old do more shopping than
women of other ages. Even though they do not have money,
they will go to the mall. Fashion is very important to many
women. When they watch TV programs or look at some
actress's clothes in a magazine, they will want to go and buy it.
Women also do a lot of window shopping. After they see
something they like, they will bring their friends to ask their
opinion first before buying it. Almost all women know the sale
periods so they might do window shopping before and then wait
for the sales to buy something. They will never buy at full price.
Many women also tend to look for coupons before they go
shopping and they like to compare the prices of items at many
stores before buying them. If a new store opens, they will also
go there to see what they sell. At supermarkets, women tend to
plan what they will buy by making lists before going.
Men, on the other hand, will often go shopping alone.
They do not like to spend a lot of time in stores. Men will just
buy what they need. They buy clothes and shoes only when
they need new ones. They do not care as much about fashion.
Unlike women, they do not go to check new stores to see what
they sell. They will not look for coupons in magazines before
they go shopping and they do not tend to spend time window
shopping. When buying food, men only go to the supermarket if
there is really nothing to eat at their home. They will not plan
ahead and make lists. They will buy some essential items and
then anything else that looks good. However, men do like some
stores. They like to look at sport and car shops and they will
buy sports equipment and accessories for their cars.
Men and women probably enjoy internet shopping
equally. It is very easy to search and compare prices online. It is


ELI Student Voices 7








also less time-consuming to shop online. You can buy almost
anything on the internet and women and men both like the
convenience of having things shipped to their houses. It is
easier for women and men to buy clothing, electronics, and
"window shop" for expensive items, such as TVs and cars,
before buying them. The internet may also be making both
women and men spend more money because it is easier to buy
what you want. Clicking to pay makes impulsive buying too
easy and happens more frequently.
Although men and women have many different
consumer practices, the internet has made them similar. Before
using the internet, women would shop more than men and
spend more time in stores. Men tended to spend less money and
only go to stores when they really needed something. But today,
men spend probably as much time as women buying products
on the internet because it is so easy and they do not have to
leave their home.

The Differences between Seoul and
Gainesville
Minsang Kim
RW3

How much do you know Seoul and Gainesville? Now I
wanna talk about Seoul and Gainesville. I think both cities have
the same things and different things. First, in Seoul and
Gainesville, many people live there. Many University of Florida
students live and study in Gainesville, so Gainesville has been
developed by many students for a long time. Also many people
live in Seoul, but Seoul has been developed not only students
but also many different people. Second, the cities have
important things each other. Seoul is the capital of Korea. So
Seoul is the kingpin town in Korea. Many different fields of
people work in Seoul, and it is a very busy city. I think,
Gainesville is not busier than Seoul, because Seoul is bigger
than Gainesville and Seoul is a commercial center for Korea.
Last, the cities are nice places. Seoul is very old city for over
1500 years. Before 500 years, Seoul is already the capital of
Korea. So when you visit Korea, you can see many good places.
I think Gainesville is also a good city. It is clean and not
noisy. Also, there is the University of Florida. So when you
visit Gainesville, you can see clean streets and the beautiful
University of Florida campus. Seoul and Gainesville have many
of the same things and many different things. My conclusion is
the cities are nice cities for you.







Comparison and Contrast between
the United Arab Emirates and
Gainesville
Hasan Alhammadi


RW 3

In this paragraph, I will write about the comparisons
and contrasts between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and
Gainesville. First, I will talk about the comparisons about the
locations and the education systems of UAE and Gainesville.
The location of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is in a
federation of seven independent states located in the
southeastern corner of the Arabian Peninsula. The total land
area of the United Arab Emirates, including its islands, is
83,600 sq km (32,300 sq mi) the capital city is Abu Dhabi, but
Gainesville is a city in Alachua, Florida, in the United States. It
is the county seat and the largest city in Alachua Country. It is
not the capital in Florida. The education system of my country
is similar to the education system of Gainesville. The weather in
my country is the same as in Gainesville. Second, I will talk
about the contrasts between my country and Gainesville. On the
other hand, in my country the language is also different. The
people of my country speak Arabic, but in Gainesville the
people speak English. Finally, these are some sentences about
the comparisons and the contrasts between my county and
Gainesville.

How to Become a Good Student
Wilfried Kassi
RW 3

Do you know how to be a good student? Let me give
you the secrets. First, you have to get motivated and confident
because that will allow you to always do your best and move
forward. Second, you have to pay attention, help your friends,
and participate in class because the teacher gives a lot of
information and explanations. Also when you help your friends
by giving them answer to their preoccupations according to the
class, it permits you to practice. Next, you have to do your
homework and a lot of research on your own. But all this will
have no effect if you don't behave well and are not humble
because this is the beginning of glory. Finally, being a good
student needs much effort and encouragement and parents must
help their children in that way to make these things happen.

Legalization of Drugs
Sila Marcos
RW 60

Although nowadays it is commonly accepted that
marijuana must be legal for medicinal purposes, legalization of
drugs continues being a hot button issue in all first world
countries. Often the people's position on this issue is based on
beliefs about the morality of drug use instead of on practical
approaches to the real problem. But now it is time to find the
way to reduce the harm and to control the supply and the
demand for drugs, it is time for legalizing drugs.
In my opinion, the first step to face the real problem would be
to recognize the war on drugs has failed. Despite the


ELI Student Voices 8








astronomical amounts of money that governments have spent in
fighting against the drug dealers and the successful busts, data
tell us that drugs are easily available wherever you are, and
their use is increasing. To give an example, the National
Household Survey on Drug Abuse data show that the
percentage of people aged 12 or older who had used illicit drugs
past month grew from 6.3 per cent in 1999 to 8 per cent in
2008. The point is, whenever some people are willing to use
drugs and to pay for them, there will be criminals ready to sell
them. Although police arrest many of them, there will always
be somebody ready to get the profits which can be made by
supplying drugs. This is the supply-demand market rule. So, let
us recognize it: This is not the way; the battle against the supply
has been completely unsuccessful.
Only regarding financial issues, if drugs were
legalized, the profits would not only be taken away from
criminals who are getting rich thanks to this business, but the
state could tax drugs and it would provide a source of additional
tax revenues. On the expenses side, in US the jail system costs
60 billion per year, and 20 per cent of the total 2.3 million
prisoners are in prison for drug offenses. By legalizing drugs
two birds would be killed with one stone: the money which is in
the criminals' hands now, would be in the state's, i.e. citizens',
hands, and this money along with the sum saved by not holding
people in jail for drug offense could be spent in prevention and
educational campaigns, programs in order to reduce the demand
for drugs.
Opponents of legalization argue, on the other hand,
that drugs are harmful and that they are very concerned about
the health damages caused by these substances. Naturally, there
is no doubt that drugs are very harmful, as other allowed s1in'
like tobacco, alcohol or sleeping aids are, or worse indeed.
However, this is not the point to debate, because when we talk
about legalizing drugs we are not talking about encouraging or
promoting them, of course. We are talking about using a more
effective way to fight against their consumption. Nevertheless,
it is worth mentioning that if drugs were legalized, the state
could control the quality and the safety of the product, and
adverse effects from impurities added by criminals to make
more money would be avoided.
In short, the war against drugs based on prohibition
and criminalization has not succeeded: drugs are a profitable
business for criminals nowadays, they are readily available, and
drug consumption is increasing year by year. Drugs are very
harmful and for that reason we should find the best path to
control them and to avoid criminals earning money with the
suffering of others. Let us legalize and the state will be able to
control the product and it will obtain additional resources from
taxes on drugs to focus the fight on drug demand trough
education and treatment.



References
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
(SAMHSA), 2009. Results from the 2008 National
Survey on Drug Use and Health: National Findings,


U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,
Rockville, MD.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
(SAMHSA), 2002. Results from the 2001 National
Household Survey on Drug Abuse. Summary of
National Findings, U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services, Rockville, MD.
http://www.ojp.gov/bjs/prisons.htm. Retrieved
December 6, 2009.

Compare and Contrast Between Riyadh
and Gainesville, FL
WaleedAlaskar
R/W3

Do you know the differences and similarities between
Riyadh and Gainesville? Well I will tell you some differences
and similarities between each one. First, Riyadh which is
located in the middle of my country is big and overcrowded. On
other hand, Gainesville which is located in the state of Florida
is small and quiet My city has a lot of activities and events
such as huge parks and entertainments. In contrast, Gainesville
seems to be a small town which does not have a lot of activities
like my city.
Second, on the other hand, there are some similarities
between each cities. They have the same weather and the people
who live in both cities are friendly and you can find many races
like here. In conclusion, if you want to write about any cities in
the world, you will find as many variations and similarities as
are found here.

Tarija and Gainesville
Paola Koski
R/W3

Tarija is the most beautiful city in the world. Tarija is a
small city like Gainesville. But, at the same time, both of them
are really different. I would like to start talking about the
people. All the Tarijenos (people from Tarija) are always
relaxed. Every day, they have time to spend with their families
and friends. During lunch time, they have time to go back to
their houses and eat lunch with their families. After work,
people try to get together with their friends. So, I think this
helps people to be more relaxed. On the other hand, people
from Gainesville are always in a hurry, they're always worrying
about the time. They don't have much time to spend with their
families or their friends. I think the people from Gainesville
have a lot of stress because they're always in a hurry. Also, the
people from Tarija eat healthy and fresh food, but the people
from Gainesville eat a lot of fast food. Finally, I can say that
both cities have different cultures and different customs. But,
both of them are beautiful.
How to Spend the Perfect Saturday in
Gainesville
Carolle Yehouenou


ELI Student Voices 9








RW 31

Gainesville is a small quiet town. There are not many
entertainment centers nor any beaches. But there are great
restaurants and some little places that can make your Saturday
wonderful. The day before, you have to stock your fridge. Do
not forget to tell your friends that you will have a little party
Saturday. You can try to finish your homework and everything
for school. You can clean your house and do laundry. Now, you
have all Saturday for yourself. There three ways to spend a
great Saturday at Gainesville. Stay home, party at the pool, and
go outside. Follow these suggestions to see how you can do it.
The first major step is on Saturday morning is to
wake up at 10 o'clock; eat breakfast in bed. For breakfast,
prepare 1 cup of hot milk and 2 slices bread with fried eggs plus
Icup of orange juice. You can watch your favorite channel
when you are eating your breakfast. You can go back to sleep
after breakfast. Go ahead. You can wake up when you want, but
do not stay in bed too long; you should not waste the rest of
day. After you wake up you can go to take shower. Put a lot of
warm water in the bathtub until it is almost full. Then put body
wash and bath salts. Light candles that smell nice in the
bathroom. Don't put the candle very close to the bathtub; you
could turn it off with drops of water when you are going to get
into bathtub. Put slow music on and turn off the bathroom light.
Now lying down in the bathtub close your eyes. If you have
neck pains, you can use a bath pillow. Do not think about
anything. Just relax. Stay about Ihour, dry your body and wear
light. Then, you can go to the kitchen, try to cook a new recipe
or make cake, whatever you want to cook with pleasure.
The second major step is to invite your friends to a
small party at the pool, and bring your new recipe or cake,
drinks and some pizza. Don't forget your sun glasses and sun
block. You can do swimming pool game that is very interesting.
Play a basketball game in the pool; teach each other a good
practice to swimming. Talk about your family, boyfriend or
girlfriend. You can tell also a funny story. Enjoy the pool. But
conserve your energy for shopping.
The third major step is to go to shopping at the Oaks
Mall with your friends. Visit all the stores you like and try
everything you want even if you do not have the money to buy
it. You can take pictures of each other in the fitting room. It's a
lot of fun and less boring this way. Take your time shopping
because you could miss something, some interesting detail if
you are in a hurry. When you are done, you can go to Ruby
Tuesday to rest and eat fresh food with great ice tea for dinner.
Then go home. Around 10 pm, you can go to a night club
downtown. Dress up as you want. You can wear a little black
dress with tall red shoes and good make up. Don't wear
anything tighter; you won't be able to move as you want to.
Dance, sing and drink as crazy but with moderation with your
friends. Enjoy until you get tired. Now come back home. Take a
quiet shower to remove the sweat from your body and go to
bed. Do not forget to give thanks to God for this perfect day.
Sleep like a new birth and have a wonderful dream about how
you will have a great life.
To sum up, even though Gainesville is a small town,
you can spend a perfect Saturday without being bored. Every


weekend there are a lot of fun parties down town which can
entertain you a lot. You can also make up something that you
will enjoy. You can try to see what pleasure you will have and
how fun it is. All your friends are going to thank you for the
perfect Saturday you give them.

Up (A movie review)
Diego Salazar
R/W50

Funny, original, and entertaining would be the three
words I pick to describe the movie, Up. As always Disney and
Pixar did an excellent job, bringing together a bunch of creative
ideas to create a must see for all the family. In the first minutes
of the film the audience grows an attachment to the main
character, Mr. Frederickson, in a way hardly seen in any other
movie, not even with two hours of film. Also, as the story
continues, the variety of secondary characters is just incredible.
Who could imagine a talking dog, a gigantic bird, and a boy
scout together could mean that much fun! But at the end, the
touching message of the movie is what takes most of the credit.
It says something is not heard very often, but it is something we
all need to hear at some point in our lives. Maybe your life and
dreams don't come up as you planned, but anyway you can have
a happy and fulfilled adventure.

TOEFL Test is Unfair
TradAbu-Onq
R/W 60

Most of the universities around the world have
requirements, so they can make sure that the students are
prepared for school. For example, most of the schools in Saudi
Arabia ask for the Qyas test which tests each student in
grammar, math, and general knowledge. Another example is the
SAT in the U.S.A., which is basically like the Qyas, but it's in
English. Also, there is another test called TOEFL, which is
required from the international students in most of the
universities in the U.S.A. that test supposed to test the students'
abilities, but it becomes a nightmare for those poor students
because of the time of the test, and the content.
The TOEFL test couldn't test most of the students
fairly because it's a time test more than anything else. The
TOEFL test takes more than four hours, and it has only ten-
minute break. So, there are some situations where the test could
be unfair for some students. For example, some students could
do well if they had more time, so they are well prepared to pass,
but they fail. Not because they don't know enough English it's
again the time. Moreover, there are special cases where the test
becomes unfair. For example, some students can't stay in front
of the computer more than three hours because they have some
medical reasons, which prevent them.
Not only the time but also the materials are not fair.
Most of the passages on the test are academic passages, and
most of the students are not familiar with them. In fact those
students haven't joined any university yet, so it's not fair to test


ELI Student Voices 10








them on those subjects. Furthermore, some of the passages
contain subjects about the history of the U.S.A., which is new
information to those international students. For example, if
those passages have subjects about general knowledge, the
students would answer faster than when it's about unknown
specific information.
In addition, those schools argue that TOEFL is the
only thing that shows the students ability in English. In contrast,
those same schools accept exchange students, for one semester
without the TOEFL. So, if those students can be successful for
one semester, the international students who are studying
English in the U.S.A can also pass more than one semester.
Moreover, some schools in the U.S.A have international
students who are successful in school without the TOEFL.
Those schools allow them to join their programs when they
finish the English program.
In conclusion, there is no doubt that the TOEFL can
test the students' abilities, but there is no doubt that it won't be
fair because it has some disadvantages like: the time of the test,
and the content. There are solutions for every problem. The
ETS can fix those points to make the test more reasonable, or
the school can be more flexible at least by accepting those who
have been studying English for more than one year in the
U.S.A.

How to Spend a Perfect Day in Seoul
Bum Keun Park
RW 31

Today I'm introducing how to spend perfect day in
Seoul. But maybe my story is not common because some
people don't agree my story.
My town is Itaewon-Dong in the city of Seoul. It is a
special town because there is a U.S ARMY base and famous
travel destination, so there are many people from other
countries. This is special district in Korea. If you want a special
day in Seoul, you will have to go Itaewon and follow these
seven steps.
The perfect day starts around 10 am. It is not early and
not late; it's important because it gives you have enough rest
that you feel happy and choose the best clothes and the nicest
shoes. Nice clothes can make you feel high and nice shoes can
lead you to have a good way.
Second, enjoy free time in your favorite coffee shop.
Call your girlfriend and make a lunch appointment and go out
early and waiting friend at the some coffee shop like Starbucks.
In Itaewon famous coffee shop is "Coffee Bean" which is
second floor and has big windows to see people in the street.
Many people like this time and this view.
Third, have a delicious food in good restaurant. Also,
delicious foods make people happy. Itaewon is a very famous
date course and famous travel destination and there are many
special restaurants for lunch. Perfect day need some special
food. I recommend India style or Mexican style restaurant
because in other Korea towns don't have these style restaurants.
Fourth, go shopping. In Itaewon, there are long
shopping street. I like spending time on there. There store very


cheap. You can buy something on cheap price. Especially hip-
hop style clothes are very cheap and a lot. In Itaewon has many
women's clothe store too. If you have girlfriend or boyfriend
buy some present for she or he. Present is makes feel happy.
When you give to someone.
Fifth, drink liquor. Around 6 P.M start drinking with
dinner. In Korea you must drink SoJu. It is Korean style liquor.
Almost all Koreans love this liquor. It makes perfect harmony
with Korean style B.B.Q.
Sixth, go to the club. Itaewon has many clubs. There
are very exciting. My favorite club's name is Volume. There's
music is good. Some time very famous DJ is come to Volume
and open party. It is very fun. Beer and good music make me
happy.
Seventh, go back home and rest. May be you are very
tired so go back home by taxi. In Korea taxi is cheap so you can
use taxi often. In home take a shower and go bed.
It is my perfect day in Itaewon. I always follow these
seven steps on every Fridays before came United State. It is my
how to spend Perfect day in Itaewon.
If you have a chance, come to Itaewon and spend
perfect day with me. I always wait for you at Itaewon.

Do You Know About Japan?
Megumi Ishikawa
R/W50

I was interested in how much foreigners know about
Japan. Japanese people think most foreigners know about Japan
because there are a lot of travelers from foreign countries in
Japan. The survey results showing how much foreigners knew
about Japan was very interesting because the knowledge of
Japan depends on geography or their relationship with Japan.
Asians are interested in Asia, for example, Korea, China and
Taiwan. However, Asians don't know about South America, the
Middle East and South Africa so much. Asians know some
Japanese culture and foods. On the other hand, other countries
except Asia don't know about Japan so much. However, it is
very interesting that everybody knows sushi. So, sushi is a
popular food in the world. In conclusion, although Asians know
about Japan and most people except Asians don't know about
Japan so much, everybody knows sushi. Therefore, the
foreigner knowledge to Japan depends on geography and their
relationship with Japan.

Visiting Hongik University in Seoul
Hye-Lin Lee
R/W31

Do you have a plan to visit Korea? There are many
cities in Korea, but you have to go to Seoul if this is your first
visit to Korea. Then you can go to my university which is
named Hongik when you stay in Seoul. If you visit there, this is
satisfying for you, because Hongik University is very famous to
foreigners who visit Korea. Follow these steps, and enjoy the
perfect experience in Hongik University.


ELI Student Voies 1








First, you need to go to HU to enjoy your perfect day.
Go to the subway station and buy the ticket toward Hongik
Univ. which is name of the station on the Green line. Riding the
subway is better than riding a bus or driving your car, because
the traffic in Seoul is very complex like New York, and parking
is very expensive. If you arrive at this station, find exit 5 and
walk upstairs. Can you see many people? Yes, this place is one
of the very famous places to meet in Seoul. After walking up,
go straight toward front until you are in front of a traffic light.
You don't have to cross the road. After at turn left, go straight
until you are in front of another traffic light. After you cross the
road in front of you, you will be at the starting point in HU.
You can look at HU in the morning time, because many
shops don't open in the morning. After you cross the road, you
can see a very big building with a big opening. This opening is
an entrance of HU. On the right side, you can find a small
flower shop. Go to the flower shop and stand toward it. After
that look at the left side; you can find a bakery which is named
Levain. This bakery is very small, but the price of bread and
drinks is cheaper than at other bakeries. In addition, their bread
is very fresh and unique. If you enjoy your breakfast in that
place, this is a good choice. Go back to the entrance and walk
up. While you are walking, you can see ground which is made
by sand on your right side and many trees on your left side.
When the uphill road finishes, you will see a small park with
two ponds. There are many statues which are made by students
here and there, because art is a very popular subject in HU.
After that if you want special food around HU, you have
to eat lunch in Ilpumjang. Go out of the campus, and go to
Ilpumjang for lunch. This restaurant sells Chinese food, but
Chinese food in Korea is different from Chinese food in the
US. If you don't hate spicy food, you should order Ojinguh-
mi,,, 1, ,ii-i,,,,,- This food is popular with the students of HU.
This food is kind of. ru', noodle with squid, and a little bit
spicy. So there are many Chinese food shops in Korea, and
they sell. r, i but this food has a unique taste.
In the afternoon, if you want to experience the clothing
culture of young people, go to a street which is named
Kutkoshippen. Kutkoshippen means that this street makes
people want to walk. There are many shops on the street, and
they sell clothes, shoes and accessories. Sometimes you can
find very unique clothes. Many people in Korea come here to
buy clothes and look at the newest trend. However, it is difficult
to find traditional Korean things on the street.
Finally, you should enjoy club culture in Korea. There
are twelve clubs in front of HU, because it is a very famous
place for clubs. You can enjoy dancing, many kinds of music
and beer. Furthermore, you can meet many foreigners, so you
can get some information about your trip. This place is good to
make friends because you will have a chance to speak Korean.
Don't worry about the time and enjoy, because the subway runs
until 1 am in Korea, but you need to check the subway time. If
you want to enjoy the club past 1 am, you need to take a taxi. A
taxi fee is more expensive than other rides, but we have many
taxes at night time, so you can go back home safely.
The best place in Korea to experience the youth culture
is around Hongik University, so you can have an interesting
adventure. There are many things which attract people's


interest. Moreover, many events happen around HU, so
sometimes you can see Korean stars like singers and actors. I
hope that this will be your best experience in Korea and my
advice helps your trip.

Marrying Someone from Another Culture:
A Korean Example
Heajin Lee
R/W42

While I would consider marrying someone from
another culture, for any couple there would be several problems
to resolve including communication in the marriage, raising the
children, and how to avoid divorce. In Korea, there are many
problems that result from mixed marriages where one of the
partners is from another culture including economic problems,
problems in education, and even crime and divorce. Recently
marriage of Koreans and non-Koreans has become a social
problem because there has been an increase in Korean farmers
marrying women from other countries. At first glance, this does
not seem to be a serious problem; however, closer scrutiny
reveals that it has made for big problems such as difficult
communication in married life, identity problems for the
children from such marriages and even problems for society in
terms of the inevitable divorces that occur and economic issues
because of such divorces.
First, in Korea there are instances where farmers and
women who are from other countries have not met many times
before marriage if at all. In many cases, these people decide to
get married after they see each other's faces, but without
enough time to really get to know each other. Besides this,
neither person knows the culture, personality or living
environment of the other. The result of these marriages is
trouble while they are together or try to stay together. Even
though such couples might complain to each other and try to
talk about their problems, neither person really understands the
feelings of the other. As we know, communication is the most
important thing in married life. So, such difficult
communication factors cause many problems including family
relationship problems and even divorce.
Secondly, after people from different cultures get
married, they usually have children, but when they grow up,
they face a lot of problems such as communication with their
friends, their educational experiences, cultural issues and
different languages. The parents of these children have a
different culture, language and way of thinking, so these
children become confused and even have doubts about their
identity. Also, they have different physical features compared to
their friends, and cannot speak the national language (such as
Korean in Korea) well. An additional factor is that they cannot
adapt in school. Unfortunately, the parents usually do not know
how to handle these problems for their children so the children
suffer.
Finally, in Korea studies have shown that marriages to
people from other cultures cause serious social problems in
terms of an increase in the rate of divorce and economic
problems that actually affect our national economy. When


ELI Student Voices 12








Korean farmers, for example, get married to foreign women,
they have to give money to the women's families. Yet,
sometimes the wives leave their husbands after the marriage or
ask for a divorce. This then becomes a problem due to the
money leaving Korea and sometimes even the need for
international diplomacy if children are involved.
Thus, as I mentioned above, marriage in Korea to
women from other countries has proven to cause a number of
problems including difficult communication in such marriages,
identity problems for the children, and societal problems like
divorce, and economic issues. If we want to reduce these
problems, we have to find solutions such as changing the
system to better deal with bicultural couples, education to
diminish culture shock and communication problems, and an
improved educational environment for the children of bicultural
marriages. This should be done as soon as possible. These
solutions are needed to allow everyone to be happy.

Chel Su and Young Hee
Hojun Kim
RW 31

Once, there were two people called Chel Su and
Young Hee who lived in Dae Gu, a city in the south part of
South Korea. Chel Su was from a very poor family who lived
in the city of Ul Jin. When Chel Su was fifteen years old, he
quit high school because his parents could not support him.
After he quit, he began working in a factory. He lived in a
small apartment alone near the factory. Young Hee came from
a rich family who lived in the city of Dae Gu. She was a
student at the university there. Her parents owned the factory
where Chel Su worked. When Chel Su had time off, he would
go to the downtown in Dae Gu with his friends to eat dinner.
He liked his free time because during that time he could do
anything he wanted. Young Hee would go to the downtown too
with her friends to go shopping. When they were walking
around there, he saw her and fell in love. He thought that she
was the most beautiful girl that he had ever seen. He really
wanted to talk to her but he was shy. He thought that he could
not meet her again. Finally, his friends encouraged him. He
talked with her. The next day, they met in the downtown again.
They ate dinner, watched a movie, and walked around the park
together. A few months later, they started dating.
Six months later, they wanted to go to his parents'
house to introduce her to them. His parents lived in a very
small village in Ul Jin, in the east part of South Korea which is
in the heart of a mountain. There were less than twenty houses
there. There was no transportation to get to his village so they
had to take the bus to a city nearby and walk to his parents'
house. His parents' house was really small. There were just two
rooms, one bathroom, and a kitchen. The trip took almost one
day. When they arrived at his parents' house, he introduced her
to them. His parents invited them into the house. He had two
brothers and two sisters. His older brother was working on the
family farm and his other brother was fishing. His two sisters
were cooking in the kitchen. They prepared a lot of food. They
ate dinner together that evening. It was really delicious. After


they ate, they drank a cup of coffee and talked together. They
had a good time there and his family really liked her. When
Chel Su and Young Hee left, they were so tired; however, she
was very happy because his family was so nice and kind to her.
She thought that even though he was poor, she would get
married to him.
A week later, they visited her house to introduce him
to her parents. To get to her house was very easy. It was just 10
minutes away by car. He was so excited to meet her parents. He
bought presents for them. When they arrived at her house, he
thought that it was a great house. Her house was actually the
biggest in Dae Gu. In front of her house, there was a large
garden and a small lake. People could fish there. Her house had
three floors. He had never seen a house like that until now.
They came into the house. When he saw her parents, he was
surprised and so were they. Her father owned the factory where
he worked. Her father was upset when he saw him. He didn't
like that his daughter was dating his employee. They did not
say anything for a few minutes. Then her parents told her
quietly that they wanted her to break up with him. When they
said that, she started crying. Later, they all drank alcohol
together and talked a lot. Her parents realized that he had
ambition and that he was a very hard worker. He was also very
kind. Although he was poor, it was not his fault. Because he
was nice, her parents agreed that they could get married.
So, the next spring they had a huge wedding party
with their whole family and friends. Many people
congratulated them. They were so happy. Many years later they
still remembered that day. They lived together their whole life.
They were happy until they died.

An Ant and a Grasshopper
Jong Seok Ko
RW 31

Once upon a time, an ant and a grasshopper lived in
the same village. They had been getting along as close friends
since they were very young. They were always together
drawing many flowers in the spring, swimming and fishing in
the summer, hiking to the hill in the autumn and reading many
books in the winter. But the ant's father was a servant of the
grasshopper's family. Often, the ant could see his father
working very hard and was mistreated by his friend's family.
He determined that he would not become a servant of someone
else and if he became a rich, he would help the poor. From that
time, ten years passed. The grasshopper became the master
because he inherited his father's estate. And the ant bought a
little land with a little money received from his father.
After becoming a master, the grasshopper tried to help
the poor and listen to their problems. People thought he was
considerate and an affectionate master. They really honored and
obeyed him. People worked hard and dedicated half of their
harvest to their master every year. They always kept their
master's house clean and prepared food for the festival of their
master's family. They devoted to serve their master. However,
their master, the grasshopper, was little by little accustomed to
commanding everyone except himself and started to be idle.


ELI Student Voices 13








Several years later, he was too lazy to do anything by himself.
He spent most time of the daily life drinking or playing games.
He gradually became indifferent to the poor; on the contrary, he
exploited them.
After buying small land, the ant worked hard and
thanked it. He would go to his field before sunrise and come
back home after sunset. He felt how beautiful the sky changed
at sunrise or sunset working in his field. When plowing the field
and sowing seed in spring, he saw the world in full bloom.
While working in the field in summer, he heard the singing of
the insects in the grass. After harvesting in autumn, he realized
labor's value and god's blessing. When the field was covered
white with snow, he learned silence. He gathered a little bit of
fortune as a result of working hard. Whenever he saw the poor,
he divided his food with them and encouraged them to become
independent.
Several years later, severe drought lasted for two years in
the village. The crops withered to death. People experienced
severe famine. Some people starved to death. But the
grasshopper's storehouses were full of rice, fruit, vegetable and
various kinds of nuts. So, people called him to divide the food
for them. However, the grasshopper rejected their request; on
the contrary, he confined some leaders to a cell. His behavior
made the people angry. People gathered together to consult how
to rise against him. They determined to make the ant their new
leader and asked him. However, he hesitated accepting the
proposal because he was a close friend with the grasshopper.
After a while, at last he accepted the proposal, attacked the
grasshopper with people and drove him out.
The endless wide estate which the grasshopper owned
was properly distributed to people. The ant constructed a big
irrigation reservoir for drought, taught people how to improve
the productivity and encouraged them to become independent.
He was always humble and sincerely worried about the pain of
their people. Many people liked him like their family and
honored him.
Another ten years later, people's life improved far more
than before and they became happy. People believed their
happiness came from their new leader. They felt gratitude to the
ant. They came think he should be their king to improve their
life. So, people went to the ant's house to ask him to be king.
However, the ant had already left somewhere for a long trip.
Maybe, he must have missed a drink with his friend, the
grasshopper. The end.

How to Spend the Perfect Day at the Beach
Daniel Mendez
R/W31

Having a perfect day at the beach is something that is
easy to do if you only complete the following steps. The first
step is to have a group of friends to spend the day and you must
find some cars to go to the beach. Also go to the supermarket to
buy food for the trip. It would be preferable to get canned food,
juices, snacks, sodas, and the most important thing, water. After
that, you have to go to the liquor store to buy some alcoholic
drinks but you must remember to be responsible when drinking.


Take a first aid kit for any unexpected event. When everything
is ready, put it inside the cars, including your bags, and put gas
in each car. You shouldn't be tired. If you feel like this, is prefer
that you take a little nap, but be sure to wake up for getting
entertainment and thus you can enjoy each second. Now you are
ready to spend the perfect day at the beach by following these
steps.
Second, you should go to a beach you know,
preferably your favorite location good water quality, security,
cleaning, restaurants and among others. When you arrive, you
should find a located in a safe area where you can set up camp
with everything that is necessary to have a lot entertainment.
This includes chairs, tents, food, tables, towels, etc.
At some point in the day, invite your friends to swim
in the beach. It might be cool and you could see lots of fish and
corals and it is better if you have a snorkeling mask. Make sure
to be in an area where swimming is permitted. Also, when you
leave the sea, it is advisable to play the typical games that you
can at the beach such as football, volleyball, soccer, or
something else you can think of to play on the shore or on the
dry sand. Also, see which teams are the best for everybody to
demonstrate their skills.
When the sun sets, it might be a good idea to make
some typical seafood such as: fried fish, fried plantains,
octopus, crabs, squid, and others things, and share it with your
friends. In addition, take your time eating it because is
something very pleasant and healthy. After that, listen to the
ocean waves and wind, and breathe fresh air. And observe each
element that is present, for example: the people, the bright blue
sky, the deep sea, the sand, the rocks, the stones, the shells, the
palms, and anything else that catches your attention. Next, go
with your friends to find a lot of twigs and sticks to build a
campfire, but remember that it has to be prepared in a safe
place. You can take some coconuts from the palms and eat them
as your dessert. Later, you can take a nap inside the tent, and
when you return home be sure to collect all the garbage and put
it in the trash can and extinguish the bonfire completely to keep
the beach in good condition.
Finally, you must take care of all your things and use
the time with your friends. If you want to have fun, then
following these steps is very important because you can save
time and not allow bad situations to happen. To sum up, it will
pay off in the end, if you do each step. It is better to be safe than
sorry in situations like these. All in all, remember to repeat
these steps, to improve your quality of your beach trip and to
keep a good relationship with your friends. Enjoy your
adventure.





How to Spend a Perfect Day at the Beach
Nina Tapsoba
RW 31

In order to spend the perfect day at beach, make sure
you have swimsuit, umbrella, sunglasses and sun block, have


ELI Student Voices 14








good songs in the radio in the car on the way. Don't forget to
invite many people to participate. You must be sure your
friends will be able to spend all day with you. So you will have
a blast together and to take advantage of good weather.
Remember you must bring a camera to take a lot of pictures. Go
shopping so you have plenty of fruits, juices and your favorite
dishes to eat at the beach. Finally, enjoy yourself, as if it was
your last day to live so, you will do all things you have in mind.
This day must start as soon as you feel ready to wake
up in the morning. This can be whatever moment in the day.
After you wake up, think about how lucky you are to have nice
and funny friends who want to spend time with you. Put on gym
clothes and go running to get fresh air. It is an opportunity for
you to see what the day is like outside and to relax yourself. So
you will feel well all day and you will feel able to lift
mountains. You might drink a lot of water to get strong. Also,
bring your iPod with you; like that, you will able to listen to
music and to run in the same time. Listen to your favorite songs
and think of your best days. You will believe you are able to
fly.
When you return at home, take a shower and put on a
comfortable dress for the beach without forgetting to wear
suitable shoes and put gloss on your lips. Take all your time for
to make yourself gorgeous. Also, make yourself some breakfast.
Be sure if you have all what you need, such as towels, CD,
food, juice. Yes, you must verify that you have not forgotten
things. Then, put everything in your car. When you go to pick
up your friends at their houses, thank them for going with you.
Make sure they know you have prepared this perfect day. They
must promise to be funny and pleasant people. Ride slowly;
contemplate the view from car. You will see how it's a sunny
day and how the weather turn warm, so you will know that it's
really a good idea to go to the beach.
When you arrive at the beach, make sure to find the
best place to put your things. Take a place where the sun is not
too hot. After that, put umbrella, ice cooler, beach chairs,
towels, etc. Take off your clothes and wear your bikini. Put CD
on the radio and listen to the music with your friends. Kiss them
and show them love, show them that you will be with them
forever and you will take care of them too. Do not forget to turn
off your cell phone, so nobody can disturb you. Sit down
together and tell them about your adventures and favorite
music. Remember that you went grocery shopping last day, so
you have popcorn and ice cream and other food. Eat sandwiches
and shrimp, and tuna fish. Take pictures while you eat and
appreciate every bite.
Go enjoy yourselves in the sea together. Swim with
your friends, play volleyball, handball, or soccer with them.
These are exciting games. You can play on the waves together.
That is fun. Take pictures with your friends in the sea. When
you will feel tired, get a rest to taste wine and drink juices, beer.
Take seashells of every color for a collection and to remind
yourself of this day later, and built a sand castle. After that, do
not forget to put on your sunglasses to protect your eyes and
because it is a sunny day, then to sunbathe yourself to have a
beautiful skin. Ask a friend to put a sun block on you and to
give you a massage. You will do each other. That evening, walk
together hand in hand and enjoy the sunset. Make a sprint in


the sand and take pictures of you while you run. While this
moment, show them plenty of affection. You will probably
spend a few minutes talking to your friends that you want
schedule another day soon because it was so great. Tell them
you appreciated every little moment spend with them.
Your perfect is almost ending. Go in the sea again with
your friends one last time. Swim at sunset. On this moment the
sea and waves are quiet, so you can play again on waves
without a danger. Your friends and you will be able to do all
that you want because there aren't many people like before.
You will feel free and will relax. Sing a great song together and
dance if you want. Bur fire and sit down around it. Remember
to repeat these steps at least once a month to insure optimum
health and a good relationship with your friends.

Marriage to Someone from a Different
Culture
Modibo Keita
RW 42

As we all know, marriage is one of the most important
things in life, so the choice of a husband or wife focuses mainly
on how much you love him or her and how comfortable you
feel about living the rest of your life with that person for better
or for worse. However, I would consider marrying someone
from another culture for three main reasons: learning about
another culture, contributing to understanding and cooperation
between people of two different cultures, and because children
from such a marriage would have an easier life because of their
ability to integrate into different cultures.
First of all, if you marry someone from another
culture, you will learn about his or her culture to avoid any kind
of misbehavior and to avoid embarrassment by your partner.
For example, in my culture eye contact is seen as impolite and
people do not mind talking to their friends or family about their
personal life. If I married an American, I would have to know
that eye contact is important while talking to people, and that
people do not always feel comfortable learning about your
personal life.
Second, an intercultural marriage contributes to
understanding and cooperation between two different families
with different beliefs in some cases. For example, your family
and your wife's family will be closer or may even be considered
as one big family with people from different cultures who
respect each other and cooperate together despite their
differences. In addition, your marriage will, in some cases, have
a positive impact on one of the two cultures. For example, in
my country, there is an ethnic group called "SARAKOLE". In
this ethnic group, people mary cousins and nieces in order to
keep the money in the family. They think that marrying
someone other than a cousin or niece would result in big
expenses like the building of houses, whereas they can stay in
their family when they marry a relative. Also, children from
such marriages drop out of school because they are taught that
money is more important than studies. However, if someone
from this ethnic group marries an American, he or she has to be
aware that studies for an American are more important than


ELI Student Voices 15








money because you can lose your money and be poor in this
life, but there is no way you can lose your knowledge until the
day you die. For this reason, he or she will keep his kids in
school and assure them a great future.
Finally, children from an intercultural marriage will
probably have an easier life because of their background. For
example, their integration in both societies will be easier
because they are part of both societies. Also, they will have
more respect for other people's values. For example, children
from a black and white marriage will never be racist. In the
same way, they will have the opportunity to complement some
things from one culture with things from the other culture. For
example, if I marry an American, our children will have the
choice of either staying or leaving home at the age of 18
because in American culture people usually leave home at the
age of 18, but in my culture they can stay home until they get
married or even forever if they want.
In conclusion, I would say that culture really does not
matter when marrying someone you love. As for an
intercultural marriage, however, I would consider marrying
someone from another culture because of the fact that
intercultural marriages bring people together, contribute to
understanding and cooperation between cultures, and provide a
good future to the children of such marriages.

How to Spend the Perfect Day at Home
Mohammed AlGarawi
R/W31

If you have a long disturbing week, choose the first
day of the weekend to rest. Call your favorite friend to share
this day with you then check your kitchen and go to the
supermarket to buy whatever you need then clean the bathroom
along with the living room. You have better to follow several
steps below to help you to enjoy your day at home.
The first time of the day is in the morning. After you
wake up take a perfect long shower until you feel refreshed then
check your email and Facebook with a cup of coffee. Go to the
kitchen to begin preparing breakfast, you can make a boiled or
fried egg; don't forget to put honey, cheese, olives and jam on
separate plates and make a small kettle of tea. After that, sit in
the living room and enjoy television programs while you are
eating. If you feel you are full, don't leave the food; you need to
clean the dishes immediately and return them back to the
refrigerator which you did not eat then finish watching the
television.
There are some activities to do it in the afternoon; you
can spend the first part of this time in preparing and cooking
lunch. In second part of it you can spend it by reading or
washing your car. If you want to cook rice with chicken for
instance, first cut the onion in small parts and roast it in the pot;
then put the chicken in the pot with the onion and roast them for
two minutes and pour water until it covers the chicken. Keep it
boiling for one hour, take the chicken out of the pot because it
is ready to eat but it needs toasting to be more tasty, put it on
the tray and keep it inside the oven. Then, put the rice in the
chicken pot, keep it until the water steamed and the grains


become fluffy, that means the rice is ready. For some people,
they cannot eat rice without salad so wash a piece of tomato,
cucumber, carrot and little lettuce cut them in a bowl and
pressed a lemon on them with pour a little vinegar. After that,
put rice in the plate above it the chicken next of it the salad
plate and something to drink and enjoy with tasty lunch time.
After you end your tasty meal, wash the dishes
immediately to prevent the stench then take a nap for one hour
and a half. After you wake up, make a cup of tea, next clean
your car in order to feel comfortable when you drive it. Do not
forget to clean the trunk and scour the light cover. Finally, you
can see favorite program on the television or read a magazine.
There are many things to do in the evening. The
quietness helps you to do what you prefer to do with relax
situation. For example, you can read, do your homework if you
are a student or prepare for a class if you are a teacher. Also you
can use the internet, read newspaper in the website, chat, or
download a movie. Some people like to drink a cup of hot milk
while reading a novel or while browsing websites. Evening is
the time that you can do things that the long work day prevents
you from doing.
At night, you need to get your body ready for sleeping.
For instance, watching movies stimulates some bodies to sleep;
on the other hand some bodies need classic music to feel
drowsy. Also, reading helps a lot to sleep. Thus, turn off all the
lights except the night light until the sleep close your eyes. Very
simple methods help your body to subside.
Therefore, the day which you spent at home help you
to take a break from daily routine and it gives you vigor for the
new week.

Would You Consider Marrying Someone
from Another Culture?
Gustavo Ruiz
R/W42

When I hear the word "marry" or "to get married", I
think of love. Love is a feeling that everybody has. In fact,
nobody can say that they do not feel love. When you are in
love, everything seems to be different around you. In my
opinion love can overcome cultural differences like customs,
religion and stereotypes.
In the world there are many cultures, and some are
different and some are similar. Sometimes when people travel
or go to live in another country, they share their own culture
with other people, and they usually enjoy it. When we talk
about marrying however, it is different because the person you
want to get married to might have a really different culture and
customs. If that is the case, then in the marriage relationship as
husband and wife, there might be some problems. Nevertheless,
I think a couple's love is stronger than any cultural differences.
Another difference to consider is religion. Religion is
probably one of the biggest problems between cultures. In fact,
religion can start a debate between a husband and wife because
if they want to have a baby, the conflict would come when they
have to decide which religion the baby should follow. Most of


ELI Student Voices 16








the time, however, couples find a good way to decide which
religion the baby should have.
When people fall in love and they are from different
cultures, many conflicts can happen between both families
because of stereotypes. There are many such stereotypes that
could become big obstacles. People should not pay attention to
these stereotypes when there is a relationship in the middle. In
addition, a couple in love can end up in a fight because of the
family. However, if a couple is really in love, it should not be a
big obstacle.
I would consider marrying someone from another
culture because love is a big feeling that everybody has. In my
opinion everybody should give himself or herself the
opportunity to meet a person from a different culture and put
away any stereotype that could affect the relationship. When
you love someone, there are no cultural differences.

How to Spend the Perfect Day in
Gainesville
Juseok Lim
RW 31

Have you ever been to Gainesville? Gainesville is a
clean, calm, and small city in which many retired men or
women prefer to spend their life to rest. You don't have to walk
fast and to do something quickly compared to the big city like
New York. In Gainesville, you can spend a perfect day if you
follow the steps. You should prepare something for a perfect
day. First, you have to go the Publix to buy some fresh
vegetables and meats for next breakfast, and then go to Walmart
to buy swimming pants, towels, sunscreen etc. You need these
things for swimming. Last, you could choose the restaurant for
dinner but you don't have to worry about it because following
instructions show the recommend restaurant for you. Now you
are ready to spend the perfect day in Gainesville by the
following these steps.
First, you get up in the morning when you want to do.
It will be 9 or 10 O'clock. Don't worry about the wake-up time
because today is your perfect day, and open your window for
breathing in fresh air. Now go to the bathroom and take a
shower. Then you feel happy emotion. It is recommended to
sing a song while showering. Then go to the kitchen to eat
breakfast. There is a toaster machine making bread soft. Put the
bread, which is soft and delicious, on the dish with milk. The
food makes you powerful. And put on comfortable clothes to go
to the outsides but you don't need to put heavy clothes because
the weather is good except for one or two months in winter.
When you are in the front of your house, your cleaned car is
waiting for you. Now you have to get the car only.
Second, you had better go shopping in the morning.
There are many places to enjoy your shopping like Oaksmall,
Sam's club, Target, Best buy, Walmart etc. If you want to eat
fresh vegetables and fruits, you can go to the farmer's market in
which there are many people to buy fresh food materials,
famers to show their own crops to the customs, and also singers
to sing a song to the people. If you have the membership, you
ought to go to the Sam's club, there also many goods and foods


in low price. There are various kinds of things to buy. But if
you are married, you should go to the Oaks mall because most
women like the luxury shop or complex market. There are also
playground with alligator statue where the children like to play.
It takes one or two hours. When you are hungry, you could go
to the food court in Oaks mall.
Third, you would better go to the swimming pool for
next pleasure. Because it is very hot in the daytime in
Gainesville, the water is good item. Also you are somewhat
tired with shopping. You can rest there. There many swimming
pools located in your apartments, located in Parks. If you are
tired, you could get the swimming pool in your apartment. Your
children play with themselves. They are energetic and dynamic.
So they splash water with pleasure. If you have a suntan under
the sunshine, put on the tanning cream on your body and lie on
the chair, if you want to read the books or surf in internet, do
yourself. Now go to the restaurant for dinner. After dinner, go
back home, and talk about what happened today with your
family.
To summarize, enjoy your life in Gainesville. It is
very easy and happy. First, feel great in the morning. Second,
go shopping and swimming. Last, talk to your family. If you
finish this process, you or your family will be happy, and
appreciate for a perfect day.

My Adventure in "El Avila" National Park
DanielMendez
R/W31

Three months ago, I went with my family to "El
Avila" National Park. It is located in the north central region of
Venezuela, specifically in the middle of Caracas and the
Caribbean Sea. My parents Douglas and Sonia, my twin brother
Ricardo and I (Daniel), had always wanted to go summering, so
we stayed a week camping at the highest tops called
"Naiguata". We had to walk for two days to get to this place
and we did that little by little because we had to eat, drink and
rest so we could have strength to continue to our goal.
On the first night, we had to set our campsite at
nightfall because I knew that we would stay longer. Our
camping equipment included tents, utensils, batteries, first aid
kit and a lot of food. The weather was cold and humid with no
stress or noise. Every night we could hear the sounds of nature,
it was very wonderful.
This place was beautiful and amazing. We felt so
lucky because we could see the sea and Caracas at the same
time. The sea looked blue and the city is in a valley with many
buildings, vehicles and people. I thought that some of these
houses could be mine. We were so happy because all the family
was together and we made coffee with milk, ate vegetables and
fried eggs, and we never thought about being on a diet. Also, no
one got hurt.
Every day, amazing things happened. Three times we
saw some beautiful waterfalls and some spectacular rainbows
twice. We swam in rivers and could see a variety of fish. Since
the spring water was clean and pure, we could drink it. We were


EL Student Voices 17








healthy because we were breathing clean air. We felt an
atmosphere of peace.
On other days, while we walked, we saw several
animals, such as crocodiles, alligators, monkeys, fish, birds,
rabbits, horses, squirrels, snakes, bears, bees, frogs, toads,
grasshoppers, ducks, fish, and many others.
After that, we read a sign saying that this area was
formerly occupied by Caracas Indians and its Indian name was
"Warairarrepano". The people still living in this location still
keep some culture.
After a while, we could see that it was a society within
Caracas, with wonderful things. On day, we were invited to a
traditional celebration, and we participated in their dances. It
was amazing just to listen to their music and watch them dance.
We ate "Hallacas", which is their typical food and it was
delicious. Its ingredients are cornmeal, meat, chicken, potato,
olives and onions. After it is prepared, it is covered with
plantain leaves. Indeed, we could learn many things from them.
Finally, we were very grateful and proud of our trip
because everything went well and as soon as we can go back,
we will repeat it instead of going to the beach. We would like to
repeat this journey because it meant something very big to us. It
was a safe trip, for there were no dangers and every day we
appreciate this National Park more.

The Challenge
Carolle Yehouenou
RW 31

Every day in the jungle, the turtle and the snail argued
with each other about the best runner. Every day it was the
same thing until one day they fought. The other animals of the
jungle told the jungle king that turtle and snail were fighting
because they didn't agree about who was the best runner among
them. On night, the king gathered all the animals of the jungle
around a fire in the yard of his palace. He told everyone that the
next day there would be a race at noon between the turtle and
the snail. He also promised he would give a big gift to the best
one.
On that night, the snail told his parents the news. He
also told them that he would have to win this challenge. So, he
would need their help. His parents accepted to do anything he
would ask them. Turtle's parents also were impatient and
trusting; because they knew that the turtle could run faster than
the snail.
It was time for the race; all the animals of the jungle
took their places under the biggest tree where they usually had
important parties and meetings. The king lion was dressed up
with his crown on his mane that made him the boss of the
jungle. He sat on the big chair placed on the red carpet in front
of the big tree. At his side were his wives, the lionesses and
their 4 kids, the lion cubs. All the animals of the jungle were
also dressed up. They seat around the king. They had in their
hands flags that had the color of each runner's T-shirt. This day
was the big day, which everyone wanted and waited for. There
was a group of folklorists, who entertained the audience before
the ceremony started. Both the turtle and the snail wore their


most wonderful clothes. The turtle wore green shorts and a
green T-shirt with his big shell in back. The snail also wore a
red T-shirt and red shorts with his small shell in back and his
stomach lying on the ground.
They took place for the departure. But a couple
minutes before the race started, the snail asked one of his
parents to stay at the halfway of way and another at the finish
line. All wore the same clothes. At the end of the distance, there
was a big flute. This flute was so big that everyone in the
jungle could hear when someone blew into it. The first to arrive
had to say his name into the flute. It was the hare who had to
signal the departure. He was the best runner of the entire jungle.
He was also the cleverest. He was dressed up with a big hat that
left his large ears out. When he whistled, they started to run.
They had one hour of race. After 10 minutes, the turtle outran
the snail although he couldn't see him behind. Then, the snail
went to the grass. In the middle of the race, when the second
snail saw the turtle so far ahead, he started to run. And once
again, the turtle outran him. He also went into the grass. Thirty
minutes later the third snail shouted in the flute and said "My
name is Snail! I am the first! When he said that, the real snail
that wasn't so far in the grass, appeared in front of the king. All
the animals started to cheer and to applaud him. They were all
surprised. The king shook his hand and they hugged each other.
The other animals congratulated him. The king gave him the
half of his wealth as a gift, as he has said. The turtle came back
shameful and sad. He was punished because of his vanity. He
was more embarrassed and nervous. He couldn't believe how
the snail was the first although he outran him during the race.
The turtle parents were ashamed and promised they would get
revenge on him because they knew something was wrong. But
for this moment, the snail enjoyed in the big party with his
parents and friends.
To this day, the king considers the snail the best
animal in the jungle. He also gave him a big place to live with
his family in his kingdom.
The snail was a cheater but was smart.

The Circus Life
Bernardo Pinzon
R/W31

This is the story of Michael. He wrote about how
wonderful his life was in the circus. This story happened in the
United States forty years ago. The circus was for him a fun
show where he lived unforgettable moments always
accompanied by family, friends and pets that were together
under the circus big top. Here begins this beautiful story. He
says.
I remember my father, his name was Andrew. He was
the owner of the circus. He was the protagonist in all the shows.
He was the most intelligent, and was responsible for organizing
the show, with a series of numbers that were always in the
classical repertoire of each role. He was an excellent master of
ceremonies and a true gentleman. He also was the magician,
tamer of elephants, lions and tigers. My mother, her name was
Emily. She was a great artist on the trapeze and acrobatics. She


ELI Student Voices 18








performed movements like rubber. She had a perfect balance on
the ropes. My mother was a beautiful woman; she loved her
family and the circus.
I remember my parents were wonderful people,
always had time for me, gave me lots of love, affection,
understanding, good examples and were always worried about
me getting a good education. We could not go to school like
other children. We had hours to study but we also had to work.
The organization of the circus was perfect; we had good food
for all the people, also for the animals. The diet for everyone
living in the circus was very strict. The health was very
important in the circus; they had an excellent doctor who was to
worry on each of the people living in the circus. A veterinarian
was responsible for animal health.
The animal shows were the most marvelous spectacle.
I had the privilege of having many pets, all very beautiful. I
remember when all the pups were beautiful but my favorite pet
was the elephant named Dumbo. It was very intelligent, every
calf from the elephant was trained by my father and then for
me. The elephant and I did a show that was admired by
everyone attending the circus, always had a role at three in the
afternoon and again at eight at evening, the show had a duration
of three hours. One of the saddest moments was when Dumbo's
mom was killed by an infection that killed her, but Dumbo
learned fast and together with me we became the stars of the
circus.
C oI\ ins wear pants and shirts of various colors and big
buttons. Many times the clowns were sick but the show must go
on, the clowns are an example of responsibility, and
commitment. Clowns personal problems never interfered with
work; we knew of the problems of each person, but the public
did not know, as the family came to the circus for fun.
I was fortunate to have many friends in the circus. I
had five families,and three children in each family. They all
were of different nationalities, such as Colombian, Mexican,
Italian, French and Japanese. They came to the United States as
illegal immigrants looking forjob opportunities. All the
children had time to play, study and work but it was great fun.
My favorite friends were Daniel, Anthony, Christopher, Joseph,
Emma and Samantha. My great love was Samantha. She was
always my friend and confidant; she was a beautiful girl, now a
beautiful woman is tall, thin, and tender. I was twenty years old
when I married Samantha, our marriage was in the circus. We
had two children Paula and Bernard. In the circus everyone
lived happily and everyone thought like me, was born in the
circus, and in the circus will die. The circus was our family
lifestyle.



Day in Zell am See
Nasser Alkhaili
R/W31

There are many places to travel in Austria. For
example, Zell am see is a nice place to visit snow covered
mountain, waterfall, Zell am See Lake and glider. Before your
trip, you must follow some steps. When you arrive in the Zell


am See, reserve a hotel on the lake. Be ready for tomorrow
morning at 6:00 to start. Before that, ask the hotel about the
direction of the mountain of ice, waterfall, Zell am See Lake
and glide.
The next day you are ready to visit snow covered
mountain for skiing. First, define your direction to the snow
covered mountain. The distance between the lake and the
mountain is 40 minutes. Second, expect rain on the way, so be
careful when you drive and drive slowly. When you arrive at the
mountain you must take a ticket for the cable car. Third, you
will take cable car three times to arrive to the top. Before you
go to skiing, you must rent a jacket and tools for skiing. After
that, you are ready to skiing. The skiing is wonderful, you must
try it. You will never forget this day. There are two slopes for
skiing. One is for professionals and the other for beginners, so I
advise you to go to the beginner. After you finish skiing there is
a restaurant you can eat there and get rested for your next step.
Next place to visit is waterfall. You will drive to the
waterfall between 50 to 70 minutes, so enjoy the nice view
when you drive your car. First stop your car in the parking and
you must to pay $ 5 for the parking. Second you must take
ticket to entrance. It is between $ 20 to 30 per person. Third you
should walk about 3 minutes to arrive at the waterfall. The
waterfall is very nice you will see more people there. You can
take pictures there, so don't miss this chance. When you finish
there is another restaurant you can eat and get rested for your
third step.
Next place to visit is Zell am See Lake. The distance
between the waterfall and Zell am See Lake is between 60 to 70
minutes, so drive carefully. When you arrive at the lake stop
your car in the parking and go walking to the lake. First you can
take a boat to make round the lake for one hour. Second when
you finish you can go to take a ticket for the ship the cost
between $ 110 to 150 over and above the meal. Eat your meal
on the ship and enjoy in the ship to see a nice view. When you
finish, you are ready to your last step.
Next place to visit is glider. The distance between Zell
am See Lake and the glider is between 15 to 20 minutes. The
glider is a small air plane only for three to four people. First,
when you arrive there you must get buy a ticket. The ticket
costs $50 for half an hour or $ 100 for one hour per person. You
should to wait your turn. When the glider takes off it is will take
you around the lake and the mountain. You will see the lake
from the glider after that the glider will get you to the mountain.
In the mountain you will see the people skiing, and you will see
the snow. You can speak to the pilot to drive the glider it is
amazing if you do it. Finally, you will get bake to the land.
When you finish get bake to the hotel and sleep you will arrive
tired.
In summary, this trip is very nice trip to see and
recognize Zell am See from the morning until the evening you
will see more things there, so do not miss any steps if you are
following this steps you will get a nice day in Zell am See.

Culture Shock
Modibo Keita
RW 42


ELI Student Voices 19









Culture shock is the feeling of surprise, disorientation,
uncertainty or confusion felt by people when they are in foreign
countries. It has three phases which are the honeymoon phase
when people are excited about the new environment and
meeting new people, the negotiation phase in which people
begin to notice the differences between their own culture and
the new one, and the adjustment phase in which people try to
get accustomed to the new culture. Most people go through
these phases, but more specifically, many people face culture
shock because all countries do not have the same culture,
weather, or time zones.
For example, when I first came to the USA, I was
really shocked to see girls in short shorts because in my country
and mainly in my religion women are supposed to hide all parts
of their body that can make men desire them. Another example
comes from Saudi Arabia where men kiss each other on the
cheek while they are greeting each other, but in the USA,
people would probably think that they were gay and would
certainly be shocked. Also, in my country, boys and girls study
together, but in Saudi Arabia, it is forbidden to put girls and
boys together. If someone from Saudi Arabia went to Mali, it
would probably be difficult for him to study with girls around.
Like culture, the weather can also be a factor in culture
shock. For example, when I came to Gainesville last summer, it
was hot with a lot of humidity. It was unbearable for me
because generally even though it gets hot in my country, there
is almost no humidity. Also, people from my country who live
in New York rarely go out in December when they first arrive
there because of the cold and the snow. This kind of weather
can only be seen on TV in my country.
The difference in time zones is also a factor in culture
shock. For example, when I first came to the USA, I went to
bed at 6pm and woke up at 3 or 4 a.m. in the morning because
there is a 4 hour time difference between my country and the
USA. Also, because of the time difference, I cannot call my
country after 7pm.
In conclusion, culture shock is faced by all of us when
we go to a foreign country because of culture differences,
differences in weather, and time differences. It is difficult to get
accustomed to new cultures and environments but it has its
advantages. The advantages include learning the differences
between your culture and other people's cultures and learning to
respect and accept others cultures despite those differences






Kuwait City vs. Gainesville City
Talal Thwaini
RW 3

Today I am going to write a compare and contrast
paragraph about the city of Gainesville and Kuwait City. The
first thing that everybody can easily notice is the differences in
the environment because the city of Gainesville is filled with


nature and rain as a result of its unique location. On the other
hand, Kuwait City is located in a desert area, so you can rarely
see nature such as plants, trees and also animals due to the lack
of rain during all four season of the year and the harsh weather
in summer and winter. The second thing is the history of the
two places. The city of Gainesville's history goes back more
than 150 years, but on the other hand, Kuwait City is roughly a
new city when you compare it to the city of Gainesville. The
third thing that anyone can easily spot is the difference in the
language that people speak in their daily lives and the main
religion of each of the two cities. In Kuwait City, almost
everybody speaks Arabic and most people are Muslims;
however, in the city of Gainesville the main language is English
and the key religion is Christianity. Even though there are many
differences between the city of Gainesville and Kuwait City,
there are many similarities such as the heat in summer because
both cities are extremely hot in summer and also people in both
cities are friendly and always welcome other people from other
countries and cultures. I think that both cities are beautiful; I
think that anyone can easily live in them without any troubles.

St. Augustine
Mahmoud Khedher Agha
R/W31

Have you been in a Hispanic Fort? Do you want to see
the Atlantic Ocean? Do you want to see the old lighthouse? If
you want to visit all these things and more, follow the steps
below. They are easy steps and you will enjoy a lot when you
go there. There is the oldest European city in the United States
which has a lot of places to visit. You can go there by a bus or
by car, but the best thing you can do to enjoy it is to take your
car. First of all choose the best weekend. Do you know there is
free parking on the weekend? Then check your car one or two
days before you go, check the oil, fuel, tires and filters. Also,
you can prepare a picnic by taking some food, drinks, a hat, sun
screen, swim suit, Frisbee, a ball, folding chair and don't forget
the most important thing which is a camera. You can go there
with your family and your friends; it's a very nice trip. The
second step is to go online to get the direction from your house
to this place you can also use the GPS to go there. Now you are
ready to spend the perfect day in St. Augustine by following
these steps.
The first step is to wake up early, wake up your family
and phone your friend. After that put your bags in the car and
make sure to drive the speed limit. When you get to St.
Augustine, you can go directly to the main street in St.
Augustine which is Florida A1A Street and go south until you
see the huge fort on the left before the bridge.
The first gorgeous place is St. Augustine Fort which
cold Castillo De San Marcos. When you get there, park your car
in the garage; make sure to bring your camera with you from
your car. After that, buy the tickets to enter the fort. While you
are entering the fort, don't forget to take picture in front of the
huge gate and buy a map of the fort to help you recognize all
the places you can go there. After you enter the fort, you will
see in the middle a nice plaza around the plaza there are


ELI Student Voices 20








different kinds of rooms, for examples, in the ground there are
the guard rooms, prison, bathrooms, chapel, British room,
storage rooms, a horse barn and a weapon room. In these
rooms, you will see a lot of old things like the Native American
tools, Hispanic swords and handguns, and the bed of a Hispanic
soldier. On the first deck of the fort there is a huge roof. In it
there are four watchtowers and a lot of old guns, also you can
see the Atlantic Ocean from the roof and a lot of old ships in it.
Around the fort there is a moat, a covered way, a shot furnace
and a narrow fence. You will really enjoy this fort a lot.
The second gorgeous place is St. Augustine
lighthouse. You can go there by crossing the bridge and go
south east for 1 mile then turn left on Busam Street. Then turn
right on Lighthouse Ave. You will see the beautiful light house
ahead. When you look at it, you will see tower painted with
white and black. While you enter in it you will see a nice, black
and round stair. If you look from the lighthouse you will see all
of St. Augustine like the fort, the beach, the bridge and the
Ocean. The upstairs of the watchtower is covered by glass and
the outside of the glass rounded by walkway with red iron
fence. You can walk on it and you can see what you want. It's
really an amazing lighthouse and the highest place in St.
Augustine.
The third gorgeous place is St. Augustine Beach. You
can go there by going back to the Florida A1A Street and go
south for 1.8 miles then turn left on Co Road A1A then turn
right onto Pope Road. You will see the beautiful beach ahead.
Park your car in the garage and change your clothes in the
restroom. Don't forget to take with you the sun screen, ball,
Frisbee, folding chair and some food. On the beach you can
swim, play with the ball or the Frisbee in the water or on the
shore. Also you can lie on the folding chair to rest, enjoy
looking at the Atlantic Ocean and you can eat some food. After
that you can enjoy building a sand castle. Don't forget to take
some pictures of the sand castle, the beach and your family. As
a result you will relish the time at the beach because it's a
relaxing place.
In short, you can enjoy seeing the fort, the lighthouse
and the beach all these different places in one day. All in all, it
is clear that you will get pleasure from the oldest fort,
lighthouse and the nice beach. You will never forget this trip at
all.






Sudan: Unique and Diverse
Ammal Eltigani
R/W50

Sudan is my country. It is the largest country in Africa;
about 1,000,000 square miles. Sudan has the longest river in the
world, the Nile River. It divides the land into South and North.
The Nile River has an amazing natural sights; it makes the area
beautiful and green all year around. Sudan is a big country, and
that is why it has different cultures and different tribes. This


mixture of people has given Sudan a unique type of tradition
and over 142 different local languages. Arabic is the official
language in Sudan, and then comes English in second place.
Besides that, we have different religions actually all type of
religions that you can think about, the reason is the great
mixture of these people that Sudan have.

Love and Detoxification
Tara N\hiAker
RW 41

I guess love is the first language around the world
because feelings are the only bridge between lovers, and there is
no age, no time, and no place for this gift. So, it is not
surprising to see people from different backgrounds fall in love.
But for me, LOVE has a different meaning. It is not between
female or male. It takes place far away from reality and is like
imagination, but it is for me. It is the best thing for a human
being. 1 can fall in love in small grape leaf because I alone
stopped in front of this tree, or 1 can fall in love in a simple ring
1 cannot ride of it. So, fall in love without borders; let us fly
without airplanes or visas. Close our eyes to be in Spain or
France whenever we want; let us hold the arms for humanity
and peace. Celebrate all of our days not just on Valentine's
Day. We can do it. It is not hard. We need to love each other
again, especially in these hard days. Let us buy wings to fly and
tell all the nations about love instead of buying unnecessary
gifts for Christmas and the happy New Year.
In this month we are going to celebrate Christmas and
enter 2010, some people have decided to travel or prepare for a
party. But, have you ever decided to make a resolution for the
next year? For me, I wrote down a good resolution for 2010,
and it is not about finding a job or traveling. No, it is far away
from these thoughts; I decided to take care of my health. Yes,
my health. All of us with the advantages of technology have
forgotten our health. Have you asked yourself if your body
contains toxins or if you eat healthy food? A few people can
answer 'yes,' but what about the rest of the people? Five years
ago, 1 started to think about my diet seriously. I kicked many
habits and lam enjoying eating healthy food that does not mean
"Rabbit Food." So, let's put forth this resolution about
"Detoxification." We can try it just for one week; just enjoy
eating raw vegetables and fruit, and after that I'm sure that you
will have another mood and I'm positive you are going to lose
weight. So, just do don't hesitate and make it the first thing for
the New Year.
The Strongest Weapon on Earth
Miguel Dempere
R/W41

Since the beginning of time, people have made ways to
entertain themselves. In times of suffering, hard work, and
searching for a new way to survive, they found a way to calm
the hardest minds, the wildest beings, and broken hearts. In fact,
they found the strongest weapon on Earth, but not everyone can
handle it. Only a few are born with the knowledge to use this


ELI Student Voices 21








weapon, but all people like it. Let me explain better, this
weapon is not for killing. One of the most important effects that
this weapon has on people is their heart rate starts to go up, the
muscles starts to constrict, and the bones start to move without
authorization from the brain. It is a weapon, but it was made for
change. People feel fear the first time they feel it, but after time
flows by we love it. People use it when they want to confront
the government without having war. In addition, this weapon
has many kinds of bullets, so the people around the world can
feel comfortable with it. In my opinion, this is the greatest
discovery of human kind, and I love it. Music.

To Have Fun in Universal
Anfal Hathah
R/W31

Do you have any plans for your vacations yet? Have
fun without spending a lot of money with Universal Orlando
Resort! Universal Orlando is the best place for people who like
dangerous riders and the pleasant rides for the children too.
Thus, if you are one of these people or planning to visit
Universal one day, this is your guide.
First of all, get your ticket by logging in online to the
Universal website (www.universalorlando.com). After you log
into that page, click on the BUY TICKET link. After that,
choose the park ticket on the left hand side of the screen. Then
select the ticket which has one day with two parks. The most
important step is to have express ticket! Do not forget to get the
express ticket which lets you skip the regular lines at
participating rides and attractions throughout the theme parks.
Finally, print out your ticket report and drive to spend the
perfect day at the Universal.
The second step after you get your ticket is to arrange
your trip and your time to get on all the rides. First, go to the
line to get your express ticket. After that, go to Universal's
Islands of Adventure to have an unforgettable journey as the
world's most cutting edge rides. Go to The Hulk Incredible
Coaster to feel the rage as the Hulk shoots you from zero to 40
miles per hour in two seconds. Do not worry about the waiting
line you already have the express ticket! So, it will take around
4 to 6 minutes to finish this ride. Then, go to Spider Man's
three-dimensional spider man's adventure. Many people love
Spider Man, so it will take a little bit longer around 10 minutes
to finish this ride. After Spider Man, go to the Dueling Dragon
to try the most dangerous ride in Universal's Islands of
Adventure and live the events of air duel between the fiery
dragon and ice dragon and it will take around 7 minutes. Now
you have finished the important rides in Universal's Islands of
Adventure theme park and you can ride the rest within 75
minutes. Finally, keep in mind to take as many commemorative
photos with Universal's Islands of Adventure heroes such as
Spider Man and Popeye and The Cat in The Hat as you can.
Then, rest and find something to eat.
The last step is to go to Universal Studios to continue
enjoying your fun time. First, go to see the moments of death
and see the cow flying as many Oklahoma residents saw at the
Twister. The Twister will take 7 minutes. Then go to the Shrek


to spend 5 minutes to help save Princess Fiona through the
miracle of Ogre Vision will see, hear, and feel the action. After
saving Princess Fiona, take your favorite music for a ride on the
Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit. On this ride, you choose your own
music and feel the real horror and enjoy listening to the music
within 15 minutes include the waiting line. Also, you can ride in
the rest of the other games within 60 minutes in Universal
Studios Florida. Finally, take the photos with your favorite
Universal's Studios characters like Scooby Doo, Shrek and
Snoopy.
By following these steps you would have enjoyed the
exciting adventures in Universal within just 185 minutes. Then,
you can go back home to share your photos and the experience
with your friends and tell them about your great adventure in
Universal.

Cultures Differences
Ammal Eltigani
R/W50

Societies have been divided into two basic beliefs:
Individualism and collectivism. Individualist cultures, such as
the United States, Western Europe and Canada, look after
themselves and their personal goals. In contrast collectivist
cultures, such as China, Korea, Japan, Africa and Middle East
they emphasize family and group work. These differences of
values reflect in their friendships, family structures and
educations.
Depending on how people interact with others in and
out of their group these two cultures modes differ significantly.
Individualists are very good at entering and leaving their
groups, they can establish these relations superficially, seeking
their own personal needs and interests. Some studies reveal that
individualists are more likely to trust strangers which makes
them very skilled in making new friends. In other words, they
are less social with people in their in group. In contrast,
collectivist are very loyal to their group, they have very intimate
relations with the member of their group, which is why they are
not very skilled at making new friends, but they can maintain
their relationships for a long time and pay more attention to the
needs and goals of their in group members. In conclusion,
individualists are more concerned with their relations depend on
their needs and personal goals, whereas collectivists have long
intimate relations looking after their groups needs.
Individualist and Collectivist value their family
relationships in different ways. Individualists are independent,
more voluntary in their family relations, and some have
discontinued contact with their family members because they
have no values or interests to share with them. But, collectivists
have strong relations with their family, close family ties and
loyalty. Moreover, they describe family contact as a pleasure.
An example of these differences is their care for the elderly.
Individualists do not usually provide care themselves they hire
someone else or send them to nursing homes. Their elderly do
not expect in home care from their children, because they have
a feeling it is more of an obligation. On the other hand,
collectivists take care of their elderly in person and describe it


ELI Student Voices 22








as more of an attachment towards their parents rather than
obligations. In conclusion, individualists provide less care for
their elderly; because they do not think it is their responsibility,
but collectivists honor this elder care and consider it as a high
level of commitment to their family members.
Besides differences in family structures, there are also
some changes in the way these cultures value educations.
According to some studies the purpose of education varies
between these two cultural modes .For instance, students in
individualist culture learn how to learn by being more
independent in their studies and continues throughout. This
learning would prepare the individual for the future and new
life situations, also students are encouraged to be self-reliant
and competitive to reach their personal goals. In collectivist
cultures the purpose of learning is to focus on the customs and
traditions of society to be a better group member. In other
words collectivists learn how to conform to society. The learner
in collectivist culture feels comfortable with traditions; they
work as a team and cooperate in their classroom, but they
cannot speak up unless asked a question by the teacher,
however individualists speak even if they are not personally
asked. Over all, individualists teacher let students search and
learn by themselves with some headed lines and that can help
them to be prepared to the future and be self reliant on the other
hand, Collectivists might feel uncomfortable if the teacher
practices this type of learning with them. Collectivists are
always comfortable with the traditional and team work.
In conclusion, values and cultures differ between these
two types of societies, individualist think more about "I" and
they focus on changing the environment to fit themselves, they
are more self reliant, independent and have more freedom. In
contrast a collectivist thinks more of "we" and they change
themselves to fit the group and their society's needs, so the
others are more important than the person. In the end culture is
responsible of the way we learn, how we relate to the people in
our lives, and cultures is starting step to understand our
behavior and how to live.

God and Aliens: What Do They Have in
Common?
Francisco Garrido
R/W50

Believe. What is to believe? Affirming that something
exists without having factual proof. Therefore, if someone
believes in life on other plants, he should believe in God too.
Because both questions come from the same concept of
thinking that something is there without actually knowing. But,
the fact is that we don't have the proof to either accept or reject
the existence of God or aliens. That takes us to a death point--
where the only way out is having faith.
Faith has been on the Earth since humans had a sense
of existence, and it was always used to explain things that our
science couldn't explain. For example, three thousand years ago
people had to be buried facing the east because they thought
that the sun would give them redemption. Two thousand years


ago, people thought that thunder was made by an angry God.
Five hundred years ago the whole civilization thought that the
Earth was flat. A hundred years ago, that flying was only for the
birds. Fifty years ago people actually though that men would
never be able to land on the moon. The point is that we have
always used faith to explain things that our science hasn't
reached yet. So, the next time you are asked if you believe in
aliens, think that is always better to say you don't know than to
make something up.


Male and Female Differences in
Communication
Philipp Baires Herrera
RW 60

Men and women have developed differently over the past
thousands of years. Nowadays, both sexes are distinguished by
a lot of differences which can sometimes cause
misunderstandings and dispute in workaday life.
Women often think that men don't take them seriously
and misbehave. Men, on the other hand, can't understand why
females trouble over men's behavior and why, from men's
point of view, they do some things in an unusual manner. These
conflicts and problems have always existed. Even if it's almost
impossible to explain why men and women posses such
different personalities and attitudes, it isn't a big difficulty to
recognize them. For this reason, many studies have been
conducted to discover all these contrasts of the male and female
nature. Experiments have demonstrated that they differ not only
physically but also mentally.
For example, men and women have diversities in
spending their money, working and especially communicating.
But what can you imagine if you hear this word?
Communication is defined as a "process whereby information is
enclosed in a package and is channeled and imparted by a
sender to a receiver via some medium. The receiver then
decodes the message and gives the sender a feedback"
(Communication, no year, no page). The communication
between men and women is mainly characterized by the pursuit
of intimacy and independence.
While women tend to share their plans with their
partners, men often make decisions on their own (Deborah
Tannen, 1991, no page). For example, they sometimes invite
guests to their homes without discussing the issue with their
wives so that they get really upset and react
uncomprehendingly. However, according to Deborah Tannen,
this attitude doesn't mean that they are ignorant and aren't
thinking of their wives, but they just want to have the feeling to
be free and independent and not be treated as children. Women
in contrast, assume that partners should talk about their plans
and consult each other before making their own decisions
(Deborah Tannen, 1990, no page). These are the main reasons
why sometimes conflicts arise between these two sexes and
why one side feels inferior, while the other side feels
neglected.


ELI Student Voices 23








In addition, women expect consensus. For them
conversation has nothing to do with pulling down the two
partners. Quite the opposite is the case; women want their
partners to be a new, better version of a very close friend. They
want their spouses to talk about their current situations and
emotions. That implies that their lives are involved with their
partner and that they talk about everything, both problems and
good experiences. In their opinion this represents the closeness
of a relationship. Men, however, associate this mental attitude
with control. It makes them feel that their spouses want to know
everything and that they have the duty to talk to their wifes first,
before making decisions. Because of that they think their
independence and freedom are alleviated (Deborah Tannen,
1991, no page).
Women and men also have differences in the way of
talking and listening to each other. According to a study by
Deborah Tannen, women spend much more time on a topic,
while men changed their conversation topics numerous times.
(Deborah Tannen, 1990, no page).
Additionally, as a comedian in a youtube video
comically demonstrated, women tend more to connect these
topics because of the fact that their brains are wired.
(Differences between the brain, male and female, Azores45 ,
2009) These two conversation styles could also be further
reasons why women have sometimes the impression that men
aren't listening to them.
In fact, the male sex pays attention with only half of
their brains. A study conducted by Lindsey Tanner showed that
men only use their right hemisphere of their brain when they are
listening to another person. Women in this experiment,
however, used not only their left side of the brain which is
mainly responsible for understanding and language, but they
also used their right hemisphere. Even if this study proofs that
the organization of the brains differ between the sexes, there is
no proves that women have better abilities to pay attention than
men. Quite the contrary could be the case; men could have the
ability of receiving the same information as women do by using
just one side of their brain (Lindsey Tanner, 2000, p. 4A).
Another conspicious difference of talking between men
and women ist the quantity of speaking. According to "Women
talk three times as much as men, says study," women are much
more talkative than men are. "In fact, women talk almost three
times as much as men, with the average woman chalking up
20,000 words in a day 13,000 more than the average man"
(Fiona Macrae, 2006, no page).
Nevertheless, women tend more to show the speaker
that they are paying attention and are also interested in its
topics. Lynette Hirschman, a linguist, examined these behaviors
and summarized them in a study. She found out "that women
make more listener-noise, such as 'mhm', 'uhuh', and 'yeah"'
(Deborah Tannen, 1990, no page ). This attitude might also be a
possible reason why women expect this kind of behavior from
men and why they feel uncomfortable when they are confronted
with a listener who doesn't give the speaker any of these
signals.
First and foremost, they want men to be conversational
partners who listen to the speaker, whereas the male sex prefers


the passive conversation because in their opinion too many
signals of attention symbolize "overreaction or impatience"
(Deborah Tannen, 1990, no page ). Another way of
conversation which women exhibit is finishing the sentences of
the opposite person and initializing the following sentence. Men
interpret these behaviors as "interruption, intrusion and lack of
attention" (Deborah Tannen, 1990, no page).
Another major difference of the communication
between men and women is the body language and the way
both sexes are listening to each other. A study made by the
psychologist Bruce Dorval who analyzed videos of men and
women showed that "at every age, the girls and women faced
each other directly, their eyes anchored on each other' faces. At
every age, the boys and men sat at angles to each other and
looked elsewhere in the room, periodically glancing at each
other" (Deborah Tannen, 1990, no page).
This difference how men and women behave
themselves can cause misunderstanding because sometimes
women get the impression that the men they're talking to aren't
listening and aren't interested in what they are saying. This
male behavior probably has its origins at the child age
(Deborah Tannen, 1990, no page).
All these differences which make out the male and
female sexes since its inception, influence human beings in our
society the whole time, sometimes without recognizing them.
People's attitudes act in accordance with whom they
are talking to. Their behaviors change when facing the opposite
sex and all of their differences become noticeable. Especially,
differences in their way of communicating show obviously and
there is no distinction if it's about simple conversations, their
body language or listening to other people.
On the other hand, how would the life of human beings
look like if there weren't any contrasts at all? These particular
characteristics just make men and women unique and complete
their personalities. Even if a lot of conflicts arise between both
sexes, neither of them could live a complete life without the
other part. In contrast, for some reason they depend and have to
get along with each other. Moreover, both should be open-
minded and tolerant instead of judging the other sex.

References

Azores45. (April 05, 2009). Differences between the brain,
male and female. In YouTube Retrieved November 6,
2009 from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8RAM8Lg80o&fe
ature=related Brain differences video
Communication. Wikipedia, Retrieved November 13, 2009
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communication
Macrae, F. (2006, November 28). Women talk three times as
much as men, says study. Retrieved November 10,
2009 from
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-
419040/Women-talk-times-men-says-study.html
Tannen, D. (1990, June 24). Sex, Lies and Conversation. The
Washington Post, Retrieved November 6, 2009 from
http://www9.georgetown.edu/faculty/tannend/sexlies.h
tm


ELI Student Voices 24








Tannen, D. (1990) Intimacy and Independence. You Just Don't
Understand.
Tanner, L. (2000, November 29). Study: Men listen with half of
brain. The Gainesville Sun, p. 4A. Retrieved
November 10, 2009

Gender Differences in the Workplace
Jie Xiang
RW 60

Introduction
Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus. That is true. Men
and women have so many differences. They have different
values, habits, communication styles, the way of thinking, even
different brains. They play by different rules. It is undeniable
that some differences between men and women are biological,
which are unchangeable. Have you heard a really common
saying from women: "I do not know what I can to do with him.
I seem to push them away. Maybe I'm too demanding, or not
demanding enough. Men are so confusing." Men, in contrast,
are complaining: "I never get women. I must be doing
something wrong. Women are so hard to understand." Men and
women are like attractive contradictions which are totally
different from each other. But, God made the world of men and
women. Even though they have been fighting all the time, they
have to live and work together.
Since women succeeded to earn the equal work rights
with men, the big differences between men and women have
come to the offices. Generally, men are more likely to pursue
achievement and success at work; in contrast, women focus on
relationships and communicative satisfactions at work. In the
workplace, men might be more aggressive, hard, direct,
controlling, and professional than women. On the other hand,
women are more likely to be moody, gossipy, catty, and
emotional. Results of the survey conducted by Elle and
MSNBC.com in 2007 showed that among 60,000 respondents,
41 percent of male respondents thought men do tend to be good
leaders, and 33 percent of women agreed (Tahmincioglu, 2007).
To analyze the differences between men and women in the
workplace it is meaningful to create a company's culture and to
diminish conflicts at workplace. Obvious differences include
communication style, work value, decision making and office
relationship between men and women as follows.

Communication style
When gender difference becomes a discussion topic, without
any surprise, communication is usually still the first thing
brought to the table. In the same way, when gender difference
in the workplace becomes our specific discussion topic this
time, there is no way to skip this very interesting part!
Communication, as most of other human natures, is conducted
in really different ways by men and women. The difference
exists obviously in family, school and social lives. And, after up
to years of professional training, after instilling all the concepts
of working equality in gender and after being restrained by all
the rules, duties and regulations, it is still there at the
workplace.


The typical and basic communication in the workplace
is of course something about work. It can be discussing
solutions, describing tasks or reporting situations. In these cases
men extremely need direct and clear words. They prefer exact
facts and numbers, clear commands and detailed allocation of
tasks. At the same time, they don't care much if the
conversation is very polite. Women, on the other hand, are more
sensitive and they have a more collaborative attitude, so they
tend to use many courtesy words in these cases. For instance,
when some emergency work is due at 5 pm today, women tell
you they would like it if it can be done by 5 pm today, while
men probably tell you directly it has to be done by 5 pm today.
When women think your idea is wrong, they may say, "Maybe,
we can try it in another way" or "If we do it in another way, it
may be better." In the same case, men will directly say, "No,
you are wrong, it won't work. We should do it in another way."
This difference always brings problems to people who don't
realize it. Men are confused about the polite women's
expression. They get the wrong message about exactly when,
what, and how the work should be done. By the same token,
women get offense from men's "bossy" expression.
In addition, men always like to talk to get information,
but women like to ask questions to get information and to come
up with answers. When women are asking questions about a
job, men are trying to think for themselves until they feel that
they can't fix them.

Work value and job preference
Work value is another relevant element to differentiate men and
women. People expect to achieve certain ideals from theirjobs,
employers, and careers. Work values differ across the board
depending on the work that is being done, the people that are
doing it and how they are being managed. According to
Marianne Legato, M.D., founder and director of the Partnership
for Gender-Based Medicine, Columbia University and one of
the study's lead advisers, the top three values at work to men
are pay and benefits; achievement and success; status and
authority. While those three values are also working with
women, the more important values to women are friendships
and relationships at work; recognition and respect; and
communication and collaboration (Valentine, 2009).
Generally, in the workplace, men are as aggressive as
on the battlefield. They emphasize how much they are making
and how much they are going to take. They are pursuing the
profits by all the ways. Promotion is considered as the biggest
motivation to strive harder. They are not willing to have real
friendship at work, just teammates. Success on the job might be
the only way to prove their personal values.
Meanwhile, as catty office ladies, achievement and
success are also the values they are looking forward to. But
there is something more important than promotion and benefits.
They care much more how do people think about them, and
how do the others treat them. They could be more excited to
have a good office friend than to have a potential client. They
are more likely to appreciate the satisfaction from good
relationships and communications at work rather than success
of achievements. They try to find who they are and where they
are exactly in workplace.


ELI Student Voices 25








The differences of job position at work show the
differences of work value. Based on the survey, most of the
respondents preferred men to be leaders (Valentine, 2009).
Generally, men always have the more important and
competitive seats at work which need more ambition and
power, such as managers, developers, and project leaders.
However, the stereotype for women is that they are supposed to
be able to do the tiny, communicative, and coordinate jobs. We
can see a lot of women being accountant, secretary, and
coordinator at work.
In addition, men and women show their different
preferences for kinds of job. A survey conducted by Pompa
mentioned that 59 percent of female respondents want to be an
elementary teacher which only has 7 percent male candidates;
41 percent of men preferred airline pilot, but only 6 percent of
women want to be; 29 percent of men tend to be a lawyer which
21 percent of women are also interested in (Pompa, 2006).
Because of differences of characteristics, men always choose
more challenging and risky jobs than women who prefer stable,
communicative and collaborative work.

Professional office relationship
Office relationship is considered part of a company's culture.
The atmosphere of the office influences employees'
performance and efficiency. How do we get along with
colleagues? Men and women have their different answers for
these questions.
Probably, men are likely to build up a simple and
direct relationship with all the colleagues. Actually, office
politics is more complicated than they thought. Men have a
good sense of teamwork, they will get along very well with
their teammates to achieve their goals, but they do not want to
keep a very close relationship with mates out of work. At this
point, men behave more defensively and self-protectively.
Back to women, they perform a different way for
working with other. Because of their emotional nature, women
always have a strong willingness to have a good and close
relationship with their surroundings. The best way to get others'
trust is sharing secrets. That is the reason why women always
are considered as the speaker of gossip. Women easily show
their preferences and unhappiness for other people which
sometimes will influence the team morale. According to the
survey, about 33 percent of respondents preferred to work for a
man; only 13 percent want to work for a woman (Tahmincioglu,
2007).
In addition, the romantic relationship is coming to be a
hot button issue in the workplace nowadays. As Anderson said,
the workplace is a natural environment for a romantic
relationship because men and women always work a long time
together in a relatively small space (Anderson & Fisher, 1991).
But men and women are looking for totally different attractions
from romantic relationships. Men are looking forward to the
excitement, ego satisfaction, and sexual advantage. Women,
though, are more likely to care about organizational rewards
(Quinn, 1977).

Decision making


Decision making is viewed as a socially desired response.
Jayson said, "Women tend to make more decisions in terms of
the home and taking care of the home and taking care of the
kids. Men make more decisions in terms of the finances and
around jobs" (2008, 2).This is a nature difference between
genders. As long as women have relatively equal work rights
with men, and women are supposed to be leader more and
more, it is necessary to find out differences of decision making
specifically between men and women more. These differences
determined totally different decision strategies for work and the
consequences. We can never forget the nature aspect for
women. That is emotion. Even though she is CEO of this
company, she is still supposed to be viewed as an emotional
decisive leader. When women come out with a decision, they
always are interrupted by many other things, even though some
of them are unrelated with the decision. Women also like to talk
with others to get more information and ideas when they are
thinking of the decision. "Here is an interesting idea in gender
differences in decision making. Women use other people's
opinions to help make their own decision. Men use other
people's decisions to help them form their own opinion"
("Gender Differences in .. ," 2009).
Moreover, men always make decisions in logical way.
They do not like to discuss with other people, some of them
refusing all the suggestions and help from others'. Usually, men
do a lot of research for making decisions appropriately. They do
not like women to come out the decision immediately. They are
more likely to think of it alone for a while. Men are focused on
more long-term results, instead of short-term for women. Men
are good at acting out their authority to make decision; women
prefer to work through people, even if they have the power to
act unilaterally.

Conclusion
Gender difference is such a broad topic which gets involved in
every area. The workplace is a typical sample to determine
these differences between men and women. Men are always
viewed as logical, rational, reasonable, and wise, so they are
supposed to take the decisive, responsible, supportive and
organized missions. Women are viewed as talkative, emotional,
sensitive and collaborative, so they are expected to be
competent for group work, and coordinative tasks. Men usually
like a relatively simple, direct but efficient way to
communicate, but women talk and share all the things with their
surroundings to show their friendliness and respect. Different
work values decide different performances in the workplace.
Some people may feel that a woman's emotionality and
difficulty making decisions is a professional weakness. These
characteristics might not be changed, but they can be improved.
Analyzing gender differences in the workplace may help us
know what the differences are exactly and then improve
performances by avoiding the weakness.

References

Anderson, C.J. and Fisher, C. Male-female relationships in the
workplace: Perceived


ELI Student Voices 26








motivations in office romance. August, 1991.
Netherland: Springer Nertherland. p. 165.
Gender differences in decision making. 2009. Retrieved
October 25, 2009, from
Ihlp \ \ \\ .decision-making-confidence.com/gender-
differences-in-decision-making.html
Jayson, S. At home women hold the power. September 26,
2008. Retrieved November 11, 2009,
F lonmlip \ \\ \ .usatoday.com/money/perfi/basics/20
08-09-25-gender-power-sideN.htm
Marino, Lisa. Communication clash: Gender gap in the
workplace. 2009. Retrieved October 21,
2009, from
http://www.kptv.com/education/11434884/detail.html
Office relationships. Indianetzone relationships. Retrieved
November 11, 2009, from
http://lifestyle.indianetzone.com/relationship/l/office_
relationships.htm
Pompa, F. His or hers careers? August, 2006. Retrieved
November 12, 2009, from
luIp \ \ \ .usatoday.com/money/perfi/basics/2008-
09-25-gender-power-sideN.htm
Quinn, R.E. Management or romantic relationships in
organizations. 1977. Administrative
Science Quarterly, 22, 30-45.
Tahmincioglu, E. Men rule at least in workplace attitudes.
March 8, 2007. Retrieved October
21, 2009, from
liup \\ \\ .msnbc.msn.com/id/17345308/
Valentine, M. Gender health risks & workplace stress. August
23, 2009. Retrieved October 24,
2009, from http://websitel01.com/health-
insurance/gender-health-risks-workplace-stress/

Differences Between Men and Women in
Communication: Do You Understand
What I Mean?
Alejandro J. Gonzalez
RW 60

Since the beginning of time, men and women have had
different ways to look at things, to think, to communicate.
These differences are the result of different ways in which
women and men are raised. Always, women are treated in a
different way. Since we were children, we can see that men and
women are separated in the games we play, the parties, the
people whom we share most of our time with. For example, it is
more likely that boys spend more time with their dads and
women spend more time with their mothers. On the other hand,
women not only are treated in a different way. Also they have a
different environment, where everything is girl-like. They
practice different sports, like ballet, gymnastics, and music,
among others. In fact, even if they had had the same
environment they act in a particular way. Women tend to be
friendlier, they gather in small groups where there are no
hierarchical positions, and only think about sharing feelings,


emotions, and thoughts. In contrast, men are tougher. Our
environment makes us like that. There are hierarchical
positions, we gather in big groups where there are challenges,
competition, and we do not care much about the other if we are
playing. That's why men and women also communicate in a
different way. We can see these common differences in the way
they communicate, use body language, listen, and which topics
are used in conversation.
Conversation has always been the most effective and
direct form of communication among humans. On the one
hand, women communicate in a particular way. They are
always looking for intimacy and creating connection with the
people they talk to; it does not matter if they are talking to
people of the same gender or people from the opposite gender.
According to Andra Stanton, "For women, an important part of
life consists of an effort to develop and preserve intimacy. And
conversations help to achieve this goal" (2001, p. 1). Also,
when they are talking women in general usually do not want an
opinion or suggestion; they are seeking a listener that helps
them to release their tension or stress about a certain topic or
situation. Moreover, women do not have or use status in a
conversation, and they can interact with more than one person
back and forth in one or more topics at the same time without
having any problem.
On the other hand, men use a different way to
communicate. Men in conversation are more concerned about
their independence. If they are talking to another person of the
same gender, they would be cautious because conversation in
men has hierarchical status. If someone interrupts another
person that would be a loss of control in the conversation, and
among men this is a huge deal. In addition, men in conversation
always will try to assume a position and stick to it without
hesitation. For example, if a man is having a conversation with
another person, and this person is giving him advice or saying
to him that he is wrong or maybe he has to change his mind,
this man would react with some kind of dislike because men
assume that they are totally independent and something like this
would be seen like the other person is trying to take control
over him. This is in line with Deborah Tannen's thought that
"independence is key, because a primary means of establishing
status is to tell other what to do, and taking orders is a marker of
low status" (1990, p. 1)
With this in mind, we can see the different styles that
men and women use to communicate and also the different
points of view that they have. This is why men and women have
issues communicating with each other. A proof of this will be
the divorce rate in America, which it is close to 50%, and in
most of the cases it is attributed to bad communication (Tannen,
1990, p. 1).
All these issues that men and women have with
communication are not a matter of coincidence or the age.
Studies have shown these patterns are present since they were
kids. "The beginnings of these differences can be seen in
childhood interactions. Boys and girls tend to play in same-sex
groups and, though some play-activities are similar, boys' and
girls' favorite games are different" (Stanton, 2001, p. 2). Boys
tend to play more in the outdoor, playing with animals, cars,
trucks, and also these games could always turn a little bit


EL[ Student Voices 27








aggressive. On the contrary, women play more inside the house.
Dolls, Barbies, family house are among the most popular games
for girls.
In addition, another difference in conversation between
men and women is that men tend to be more open to talk in
public rather than at home. This behavior could be the result of
men trying to assume the control of a situation in a speech,
lecture or workshop. They are likely to engage in "'report
speech"' (Stanton, 2001, p. 2). Women differed in this point.
They are not as confident as men in public. They prefer to leave
all the talking and expressing their feelings at home where they
feel safe and comfortable.
Another way that men and women communicate is
using body language, although most people act unconsciously
in this matter. Body language derives from the limbic system,
which is the oldest part of the brain and it is the one in charge
not only of feelings, emotions, hunger but also of the blood
pressure, pulse, and breathing in a certain situation (Rodriguez,
2005, 1).
The majority of the gestures that men and women use
in their body language has been studied for a long time, and
most of the time are compared with the same gestures that
animals do in the wild. For example, many people have seen
animals when they lick their lips. This happens when they are
about to hunt or kill prey, and it's compared to humans in the
way that men lick their lips when something appears desirable.
Another example is when men sway while they are talking.This
behavior is an unconscious reflection of a mother's moment
when they were babies; in addition, this means they are happy.
Yet another example is when a man runs his hand through his
hair. This means that he is trying to show his best potential and
also his look; this is compared to birds in the wild when the
birds spread their winds to show off to a potential mate (Men's
body language, decoded: What's he really telling you? 2005,
1,3,7).
In contrast, women use another kind of body language
to communicate and express what they are thinking and feeling.
In fact, studies have shown that women use more body
language than men, about five times more. This makes women
more familiar with body language, and yield them to become
experts in this subject, making it easier for them to read men's
body language (Women frequently send body language
messages to men, 2005, 1).
These results show that men and women use their body
language to express what they are thinking and feeling, but in
different ways. Women use more body language than men, and
they use it to flirt with people of the opposite sex. Thus, this is
why men make a great deal of mistakes trying to send the right
signals to women, and this facilitates women reading men's
body language.
Another subject that men and women differ is the way
in which they listen. On the one hand, men listen with one side
of their brain, the left part, which is the one to process the
information in a linear matter, logical thinking, mathematics,
and calculus. On the other hand, women use both sides of their
brain making them able to maintain more than one conversation
at a time. A woman can be listening and talking to more than


one person at the same time with different topics and perfectly
interact without losing track of any of the conversation.
In order to find more results studies have used FMRI
(functional magnetic resonance imaging) and the results clearly
showed "increased blood flow in the left lobes of men's brains,"
according to Lindsey Tanner. "In women, both lobes showed
activity" (2009, p. 1).
Also this study showed that women are the prime
beneficiaries of this phenomenon and according to Edgar
Kenton of the American Stroke Association, "'women might
recover language ability more quickly that men'" if they suffer
a stroke (2009, p. 2).
Yet another subject where men and women encounter
differences is the topics that they use in conversation. Generally
speaking is easy to assume that men and women talk about
different things, but goes beyond that. This behavior was first
studied by Henry Moore in 1992, where he found that this
tendency will "persist over time" (Bischopping, 1993, p.1).
Since then, many studies have supported this first statement that
these differences will persist over time.
The main reason is the back ground that men and
women have when they were children. For instance, men
mainly talk about sports, sex, business(money), cars because
this have been the environment that surrounds men or even
makes men feel more comfortable. On the other side, women
tend to be more susceptible about their topics. They rather talk
about relationships, feelings, gossips, food, among others. This
behavior occurs when they are talking with people of the same
gender.
However, through the years since the first study,
researchers have found that there are slight changes in the
topics of conversation for each gender. This is a natural process
because as the world change, people change as well. The
reasons of these changes are mostly related with education.
When people become more literate they start to talk about
deeper subjects. For example, history, arts, business, politics,
among others. This is nothing to be afraid of, on the contrary is
a good thing from my perspective. I could not imagine if both
sexes would talk about the same topics. It would be tedious and
strange.
In conclusion, men and women will always have
differences between them, it's just nature. The importance in
this matter is how to manage these differences because it has
been proved that one of the main reasons people have troubles
and get divorced is related to bad communication. It could
sound strange, but people do not know how to communicate
with the opposite sex. This is also why there are a great deal of
psychologist writing books and articles, and also that's why
they have become rich and famous. People should take a little
more time and patience when talking with the opposite sex
because the most effective way to understand and communicate
is through conversation.

References

Bischopping, K. Gender differences in conversation topics,
Decoded: Sex roles, vol. 28, Nos. /2, 1993. Retrieved
November 18, 2009, from


ELI Student Voices 28








http://www.springerlink.com/content/nl523q367h7233
3n/.
Intimacy and independence. Excerpt from Tannen,
D.(1990).You just don't understand. New York:
Harper Collins.
Miller, J. Men's Body Language, Decoded: What's He Really
Telling You? (2009). Glamour, sex, love & life.
Retrieved November 19, 2009, from
http://www.glamour.com/sex-love-life/2009/06/mens-
body-language-decoded#slide=7
Rodrigues, L. Women frequently send body language messages
to men. (2rr 1,). Retrieved November 18, 2009from
http://ww.learnbodylanguage.(,, j/, l, r1 l1.html
Stanton, A. Men and women in conversation Finding a way to
bridge the gap. (June 18, 2009). Health andAge.
Retrieved November 6, 2009, from
lhp "l u\ .healthandage.com/men-and-women-in-
conversation-finding-a-way-to-bridge-the-gap
Tannen, D. Sex, lies and conversation (June 24, 1990).
Retrieved October 22, 2009, from
hl p n\\ 'I.georgetown.edu/faculty/tanned/sexlies.ht
m

Gender Differences Regarding Financial
Aspects
Raeeun Kim
RW 60

Introduction

Men and women are very different. It is commonly
recognized that there are many differences between men and
women. In fact, there is a famous statement that shows these
differences obviously: "Men are from Mars, Women are from
Venus" (Gray, 1992, p. 1). Men and women are different in
many aspects, for example, way of thinking, abilities in certain
area, habits, communication way, having relationships, and so
on. Some researchers found the reasons in different way of
raising children depending on sex or being treated in society or
their friendship of same sex. However, it is very difficult to
define the exact reason because they are related with each other
complicatedly.
It is commonly known by the people in general that
men like playing sports, talking about women, gathering
together and drinking, but women prefer shopping, gossiping,
and reading magazines. Men are generally independent, strong,
tough, and outgoing. However, women are more likely to be
emotional, intimate, introverted, and talkative than men.
Because of those differences, men and women often argue with
each other. In terms of communication, according to Deborah
Tannen (1990, p. 1), "The different notions of communication
that women and men have can lead to conflict between them."
Besides the communication, there are so many differences that
we can think about. There have been a lot of studies about
gender differences over the decades, and we have seen some
general characteristics and abilities depending on sexes.


To study and find out gender differences between men
and women regarding certain aspects is very important because
it can help to make some guidelines in the way of understanding
the opposite gender's properties. Also, we can learn the general
and specific tendencies so that we avoid misunderstanding each
other. This research paper will focus on differences of financial
aspects, such as, investment, shopping habits, and salaries.
Moreover, I will show the reasons why these differences came
about, and what we can learn from these differences.

Investment

Earning a lot of money is every human's dream. Of
course, money cannot be the first objective, but money could be
an important manner to live successful lives. In modem
society, as life span is getting longer, it is emphasized that we
have to think about our old age while we are in the working
age. People should prepare their own lives for the time after
they retire. To have enough money, our salaries are very
important. Also, these days, not only just saving money but
also investing money in certain areas is considerably brought
into relief. Investment is one of the most necessary ways to
expand the amount of money that we have had.
As a matter of fact, there are several gender differences
in investment. A recent survey showed that "more women than
men describe themselves as 'bargain hunters' while more men
than women describe themselves, in terms of money style, as
'risk takers"' (Financial practicality vs..., 2001, 2). This
means that women usually use practical methodologies while
men hope for big success as they have many chances (Financial
practicality vs..., 2001, 2). In other words, women tend to
invest in an area with which they are more familiar, and men
are more likely to take risks than women. One of the reasons
that men take more risks is that men think they have more
knowledge in investment. According to Barrett (2007, 5),
"While just 19% of women felt they had a comprehensive
understanding of investments, this figure soars to 31% of men.
Additionally, 54% of men would be happy to put a significant
amount of their money into high-risk investments, compared
with 43% of women." It is substantially connected with the
percentage of market share depends on sex. Usually, the stock
market is dominated by men. Most fund managers are males,
and women are less likely to invest money. Because of this
trend, males can have more knowledge in investment, and feel
they have higher confidence. Those enable males to take high
risks, and these all factors are reflected in the stock market.
The reason why women want more security and
certainty than men is found in our early lives. The results of a
study conducted by Professor John Maule of the Leeds
University Business School showed that gender differences of
investment style came from women's status in society. "'In
traditional female roles they may not have the same amount of
money, so it's more to do with status than any fundamental
difference,"' said Maule. "'Women tend to look after the day-
to-day family finances, and don't look any further. They budget
within their allowance, pay all the bills and do all the shopping,
but they don't look ahead"' (Coles, 2009, 27). In addition,
there is another reason. Because women generally cannot work


ELI Student Voices 29








as long as men do, earn less money, and don't have enough
benefits, "it is important for women to know there are practical,
affordable, easy-to-use tools available that can help them
pinpoint and achieve their short- and long-term financial goals
and priorities" (Financial practicality vs..., 2001, 3).
However, these women's properties don't always
explain women's inferiorities in investment. Ironically, females
showed better achievement in stock market than males.
Research conducted in 2007 found that "while the FTSE All
Share Index had risen by 13%, the average male portfolio had
increased by 11% and the average female portfolio by 17%,"
said Barret. "While the stock market fell by 22% and the
average male portfolio by 26%, the average female portfolio
beat the lot by growing by 2%" (Barret, 2007, 2). Although
men have more ideas about investment, and trade five times
more than women, their returns are quite worse than women.
Women could gain more profits as they approached it
controlling risks.
Moreover, it could be helpful for men and women to
take advantage of each strategy. If they cover their weaknesses
in investment fields, returns can maximize in terms of
efficiency. Men should learn advantages from women, for
example, reconsidering risks, getting to know stocks in reality
rather than just on a paper (Coles, 2009, 34, 35). For women,
taking a risk is acceptable if they look at the market for the long
term. Indeed, do your own research about market tendency, and
try to learn a lot of things regarding investments (Coles, 2009,
736-38).

Shopping

In addition, if there is an obvious difference of view
between men and women, it is probably about shopping.
Shopping is usually an indispensable hobby for women, but it is
like a torture for men. Shopping is, for women, not only for
buying something necessary but also for relieving stress.
Women are really enjoying shopping. On the other hand, men
are struggling with shopping. A psychologist David Lewis
reported that in his research, "Every man in the survey
registered considerable increases in blood pressure and heart
rates while only 25 percent of women registered a significant
change" while shopping (Stacy, 2002, p. 5A). It means that
men have much more stress than women when they do
shopping. There is another expression that shows men's
behavior because of shopping stress. Most men said in the
survey that "the stress of Christmas shopping makes them
choose the first gift they see rather than spend time in crowded
stores" (Stacy, 2002, p. 5A). We can easily see the men who
are sitting on the bench in the shopping mall. While men are
waiting for their spouses, women go into the stores, and enjoy
shopping. Sometimes, men share their waiting strategies such
as reading a book, stacking bags neatly, catching a nap, and so
on. Mall patrons regard these men-in-waiting as ornaments in
the holiday scenery of Christmas trees (Men reveal shopping...,
2002, p. 19).
In recent studies, researchers have found this reason in
the "Hunter, Gatherer theory." They focused on this theory to
explain why women tend to enjoy shopping. According to


Jardine (2007, 13), "Perhaps women have developed shopping
skill from the days when they had to remember the right bush in
which to forage for berries while the men were out hunting." In
addition, new survey results showed that "women are
'gatherers', treating bargains as a 'discovery' while men are
'hunters' because they go with the intention of buying specific
items and tend to be incisive" (Vicky, 2003, 2). Women can
go shopping without a plan. They just enjoy wandering through
the clothing or accessory collection even though they didn't
plan to buy those things. However, for men, shopping is
designed work before they go. Men are likely to buy something
that has been already planned. When they finish buying that
item, they usually go out the store directly. Some males tend to
look for the fastest checkout line because they don't want to
spend extra time on shopping. The study titled "Men buy,
women shop" indicated men's and women's different shopping
tendencies obviously about what they think most important.
Researchers at Wharton's Jay H. Baker Retail Initiative and the
Verde Group, a Toronto consulting firm, found that "women
react more strongly than men to personal interaction with sales
associates. Men are more likely to respond to more utilitarian
aspects of the experience -- such as the availability of parking,
whether the item they came for is in stock, and the length of the
checkout line" (Men buy, women..., 2007, 3).

Salaries
These days, salary difference between men and women
is still a hot button issue. Though women have the same roles
and position as men, the earning that women get is less than
men. It has been regarded as sexual discrimination. In fact,
president Obama said in his campaign pledge he would remove
sexual wage discrimination when he was a president candidate.
From a 2004 study by the Census Bureau, which was actually a
comparison of median earnings of working men and women
who clocked in at least 35 hours per week, women make 77
percent of what men earn (Lee, 2007, 3, 4). Gender gap in
salaries causes social conflicts, and can be a big handicap for
women. However, there is a study which shows gender gap in
wage earning is not due to discrimination, but to their different
life style choice (Doughty, 2008, 2). It comes from individual
lifestyle preference rather than gender discrimination. Men
generally choose jobs offering higher salaries. Those jobs are
more dangerous, and have more difficulties such as
engineering, science. Women, on the contrary, are likely to
prefer comfortable work condition, flexible working time, and
less dangerous jobs. Because females usually do housework
more than males, they don't tend to have jobs requiring
spending a lot of time or traveling. Indeed, suchjobs don't
offer high income. Professor John Shackleton, of the
University of East London, said that "men work longer hours in
more dangerous jobs and face a greater risk of being sacked,
while women who take career breaks outnumber their male
equivalents by more than five to one" (Doughty, 2008, 10).
He added that "large numbers of women prefer part-time work
because of family responsibilities and so choose to accept lower
wages" (Doughty, 2008, 17).

Conclusion


ELI Student Voices 30









This paper introduced gender differences so far,
especially in financial aspects. Men and women have their own
characteristics in life. In terms of money, we have seen a lot of
differences between men and women, for example, investment,
shopping habits. As to the wage gap, there are some properties
which lead to making difference in salary. Sometimes, these
differences can cause conflicts or misunderstanding. However,
if we can treat differences in harmony, all of us could
complement the opposite sex. Also, it could make synergy.

References

Allan, V. A sting in the retail; So men go shopping with the
precision of a. (October 12, 2003). The Sunday herald.
Retrieved November 20, 2009, from
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/miqn4156/is_20031012/
ai_n12585845/?tag=content;coll
Barrett, S. Male v female investment styles. (April 17, 2007).
Moneywise. Retrieved November 20, 2009, from
http://www.iii.co.uk/articles/articledisplay.jsp?section=Pla
nning&article_id=6339415
Coles, S. Investment tips from the opposite sex. (April 20,
2009). Moneywise. Retrieved November 20, 2009, from
http://www.iii.co.uk/articles/articledisplay.j sp?article_id=
10010191 §ion=Planning
Doughty, S. Pay gap between men and women is not due to
discrimination, but to their lifestyle choice, says study.
(October 21, 2008). Mailonline. Retrieved November 20,
2009, filo Ilip \ \\ \ .dailymail.co.uk/news/article-
1079258/Pay-gap-men-women-discrimination-lifestyle-
choice-says-study.html
Financial practicality vs. risk: The battle of the sexes continues
(April 3, 2001). In Microsoft Press Pass. Retrieved
November 20, 2009, from
hlip \ \ .\ .microsoft.com/presspass/press/2001/Apr01
/04-03FFWSurveyPR.mspx
Gray, J. (1992). Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus.
New York: Harper Collins
Intimacy and Independence. Excerpt from Tannen, D.(1990).
You just don't understand. New York: Harper Collins.
Jardine, C. Sex and Shopping: the female perspective. (August
22, 2007). Telegraph. Retrieved November 20, 2009, from
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-
news/3304346/Sex-and-shopping-the-female-
perspective.html
Lee, A. Do Women and Men Earn Equal Pay in 2007?. (April
29, 2007). Salary facts and fun. Retrieved November 20,
2009, from
http://blogs.payscale.com/ask dr salary/2007/04/men vs
women sa.html
Men buy, Women shop: The Sexes Have Different Priorities
When Walking Down the Aisles. Knowledge Wharton,
(November 28, 2007). Retrieved November 20, 2009,
from
http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid
=1848


Men reveal shopping strategies. (December 11, 2002). The
Alligator, p. 19.
Stacy, M. Shopping too tough for men. (January 16, 2002). The
Gainesville Sun, p. 5A.

Saudi Woman Driving Her Car Freely in
Gainesville
Waleed Alrowsa
(ELI instructor)

(The following is a letter to the editor written by an ELI
instructor)

Dear Editor,
I would like to share an experience that happened
today to my wife, me, and the rest of my family. Although I
have spent six years in the US, still I would say that I, with my
family, went through a wonderful culture shock today. Today's
experience is one to remember. This letter is addressed to those
people who choose to be considerate to different people and
different cultures.
My wife, Tagreed S. Alasker, a Muslim Saudi woman,
who freely unreservedly decided to wear her traditional Niqab,
or face veil, was shown great respect by the Department of
Motor Vehicles (DMV) personnel here in Gainesville. The
respect and dignity that we all experienced today is highly
appreciated and we're thankful for it. So, let the history record
this experience to my two US citizen infants whom I addressed
by saying, "You should be very proud ofyour country."
Today, after I was done teaching at the English
Language Institute (ELI) at the University of Florida, my wife,
Tagreed, who enjoyed driving her own car for over five years,
was waiting for me to go to the DMV, where we can register for
a Florida drivers license.
With the usual courtesy and politeness that we
experienced in the previous DMVs, the lady who was at the
front disk told my wife that "with all the due respect to you and
your culture and privacy, in order for us to give you your
drivers license, we need you to unveil your face so that we can
a have photo of your face." And then she said, "This in no way
may offend you or violate your freedom of choice." We
understand standards and normal procedures. My wife said,
"That is fine."
Needless to say, the DMVis generally crowded, and
after we waited for 45 minutes, my willful wife decided that she
would ask if this is something that is normal. Immediately, her
number popped up on the screen. She went ahead and talked to
the nice lady who showed great affection to the cute, little angel
that we have in our three-month-old girl.
My wife and I noticed strange movement in the second
hall. At that time, I did not know what was going on. It turned
out that the DMV director or someone in charge had asked all
male personnel and male visitors to temporarily leave the hall
till my wife's picture was taken. I did not ask for this, nor did
my wife. Everybody, around 5-7 men, willingly and happily left
the room and waited in the corridor till my wife was
photographed, signed her license and put her niqab back on.


ELI Student Voices 31








This situation was remarkably and extraordinarily memorable.
Tagreed and I thanked everybody there and showed a deep
appreciation. The employees succeeded to apply what the
system allows taking into consideration people's freedom of
choice.
Actually, I was appreciative not only for the DMV
personnel, but also for everybody in that room at that moment. I
could not help it but I thanked with tears everybody at the DMV
and precipitously I grabbed a piece of paper and I jotted down a
letter of appreciation to the DMV and to the other people. I am
very thankful and appreciative for their acceptance of the other
'peoples', 'cultures' and ways of lives. If Muslim women in
some modernr and civilized' countries have difficulties wearing
niqab, I would assuredly say that Muslim women of Gainesville
are not only accepted but also warmly welcomed and highly
received. It is a fact that only in open and free countries, can
one enjoy the freedom of choice and expression.
In 2005, my wife decided that she wanted to go
beyond her two-year Fine Arts degree. She decided to do
something different. She determinedly learned the English
language fluently in less than two years while she was wearing
her niqab. Her niqab has never been an obstacle to her
education or normal life.
On her first day in an English language program at Salt
Lake City, the director approached Tagreed by asking if it's
possible for her to take off her niqab. The director said, "We
have a lot of Saudi girls who decided not to wear the full niqab.
Can I convince your husband to agree to that. "My wife replied
saying, "I don't wear my niqab because of my husband, I wear
it because it's my choice." After that everybody showed respect
for her freedom of choice.
Here, I am relating this story to tell the general public
and the respected readers that a full-time wife and mother is
indispensable for me. Definitely, my wife plays a very essential
role in my success, so I am very proud of her and proud of
being a helpful husband as well. I am here to say that there is a
human need for respect that should be satisfied inside each one
of us. Most of the time, we can avoid conflict if different
cultures are tolerated and understood.
One Muslim thinker traveled to Paris some 70 years
ago and when he was asked what he saw in France, he replied,
"I saw Islam without Muslims." Sadly, nowadays, Muslim
women are denied their French citizenship because of wearing
the niqab and the French are calling for a law to ban wearing
the niqab. So, I personally would say, in 2009, that I saw Islam
and Muslims in the United States of America.
I wish that this type of experience that we had today
will occur to every Muslim woman in the world who decided to
enjoy her freedom of choice by wearing niqab, or what have
you, namely at airports. I wish and hope as the president of the
Association of Saudi Arabian students, ASAS, that this level of
treatment that I have received today with my family will be
applied to all other Saudi students who have some cultural
differences that caused them further unpleasant predicament.
Definitely, I will talk to my students, friends, and
colleagues about this experience; I will write about it more. I
will encourage people to show more respect and admiration for
other different people. I am sure that this pleasant attitude will


fruit only love, compassion, and understanding. Today's
experience is a lesson of not assimilation but integration and
acculturation.
At the end of this happy day, I invited my family to a
very delicious and expensive dinner and we have pictures for
memory.




















Thanks from the Editor
Thank you for sharing your writing with everyone. I hope you
enjoy reading your fellow students' essays, paragraphs, and
poetry. Also thanks to Megan Forbes and the University of
Florida Bookstore for arranging the gift certificates, to Todd
Allen for publicizing this issue of Student Voices, to the
Reading/Writing instructors for supporting their students in
their writing, and to Todd Allen, Daryl Bish, Tom Ratican,
Melina Jimenez, and Fiona Llama for reading and evaluating
the entries.
Thanks everyone! Steve Flocks


jfu UNIVERSITY of
UF I FLORIDA

English Language Institute
PO Box 117051
315 Norman Hall
Gainesville, FL 32611-7051, USA
Phone: (352) 392-3354
Fax: (352) 392-3744
Email: StudvEn lish(deli.ufl.edu
Webpage: www.eli.ufl.edu


ELI Student Voices 32