Article #11 in the ESL Student Life Stories Project, by Amanda from China, age 20
There is something that makes me more mature than before. My mother is 48 years old, and in her life she has already had 3 operations in the hospital.
When I was 8 years old, my mother had her first operation, because she had an “Ectopic Pregnancy.” In this operation, my mother stayed in [...Read More!]
One reason Boston is so deep in my heart is because its buildings are so darn sexy. They’re sleek, tasteful, not overly huge… and a lot of them are nice and shiny!
This post is the start of a series of odes to Boston architecture, so it’s only right to start with the biggest and best: the Hancock Building.
The John Hancock Building, located right near the Copley stop on the Green Line and [...Read More!]
Article #10 in the ESL Student Life Story Project, by Faisal from Saudi Arabia, age 28
In July of 2009, I met President Obama.
The meeting was simple and very fast.
I simply introduced myself and asked Obama, “Could I sit in your chair in the Oval Office of the White House?”
Obama shook his head in humor, and, smiling, said, “OK!”
And then I was sitting in the chair of the President of the strongest [...Read More!]
Blogs are supposed to be honest, so after a bunch of weeks of trying to hide it, let’s be honest here: Things are weird.
I suppose it was to be expected, right?
You can’t just uproot your life and meander around the world for nine months, then come home and expect everything to be silky smooth.
Now, it’s not that things are bad: in fact, most things are lovely.
It’s all just… weird.
The best way [...Read More!]
Article #9 in the ESL Student Life Story Project, by Jeremy from China, age 20.
When I finished high school in China, I went to Singapore to keep studying because I felt there were too many high school graduates like me in China, and I wouldn’t get into a good school there.
Living in beautiful Singapore was a huge challenge for me because I wanted to learn English well, so [...Read More!]
First: today my info-packed article, “5 Facts About TEFL Courses and Teaching ESL” was published on The Expeditioner. Check it out for handy tips about teaching English to speakers of other languages!
Second, let us pause to celebrate a milestone.
Exactly 365 days ago on this date, I clicked a button labeled “Create New Blog,” trembling slightly with the nervousness that comes from embarking on something utterly foreign.
A blog? I had barely thought [...Read More!]
“I feel terrible for you!” sighed Sherry, watching me lug my suitcase through the sultry New York streets. ”I’m so sorry we have no place for you to sleep tonight!”
I chuckled. ”Literally,” I said, “this is the hundredth time I’ve showed up in a city and had nowhere to stay. And yet, miraculously, it always works out in the end.”
Sherry looked dubious and murmured, “I really hope you’ll be all right.”
As you likely know, I spent the nine months from August of 2009 to May of 2010 traveling around the world, and one of my favorite countries on the journey was Laos.
Now, by clicking on the link below, you can see the deliciousness that is Laos whittled into a colorful photo essay for Boston.com !
Exciting!
I hope you enjoy the piece, forward it far and wide, and then go back and read [...Read More!]
Article #9 in the ESL Student Life Story Project, by Maryam from Saudi Arabia, age 25.
Waiting, waiting, waiting… waiting for the new episode of the new season to be downloaded! So exited and so curious what will happen next!
I was in my pink “girl” room on my heavenly bed surrounded by pillows, freezing under my blanket, somehow unable to lower the air conditioning. Popcorn smell was all over the room [...Read More!]
I shall be brief, to-the-point, and righteously indignant. Here are the facts.
During the TBEX World Travel Blogger Conference last month, I was Vuvuzela-ed in the face. This is to say, I was brutally accosted by a Vuvuzela-wielding top travel blogger (pictured below). The experience was very loud. I still somewhat hear the (South African?) sea in one ear from the instrumental trauma.
That is fact one.
Fact two: This evening I was innocently attending a [...Read More!]