sevenup christmas tree

“I love my parents they make my life very colorful” or “my campus life is very colorful”

“having Chinese new year is very convenient” or “ having a lovely brother is very convenient”

No one speaks like this but I don’t want to burst their bubbles. Also, even students that speak very good English have an AWFUL time with distinguishing the sexes he/she, him/her ect. I don’t understand why it’s so difficult but they always say things like my brother, she is very interesting.

students and I at dinner

I have had terrible speeches and ones that were very detailed here are a few of the surprises I encountered:

Some students were super personal when talked about their families and I was about to start crying during their presentation. One student talked about how her sister died a year ago and how her father was having a very hard time coping with the situation and it was driving her mother crazy and she was scared for her family’s mental health.
Another student told me that her father died early on in her childhood but her father’s parents, her grandparents, thought it was their fault so they shunned her and then her mom had a really hard time taking care of her. Then another student told me that her father and mother divorced and her father got custody but then a year later threw her out of the house and she had to hunt down where her mother was and ask to live with her. Her mother accepted but died soon thereafter, and then she had to live with her grandparents. Yet another student told me her mother had cancer.
Another student was telling me about she was forced to start school when she was only 3 and is now in college at the age of 16 and she has no friends b/c she is so young. Most of the students are about 19 as freshman. =( GOD BLESS! All I could do was nod and try to cry listening to all these terrible stories, especially because I expected the usual speeches on their favorite hobbies or what basketball players they liked.

On a more upbeat note… One student was like I like American movies. My favorite is Pretty Woman and I like the actress whose name was Vivian and I know she’s a hooker but I chose Vivian as my English name after her, haha.

me and my ghotst pal

students and I at traditional hot pot dinner

lily was growing at me for some reason

christmas tree made of seven-up bottles

Example 1 – Fillet we say it like the French people do as in , fillet mignon. Well, they say it the way it is written fil-let. Makes them sound ignorant haha

Example 2- Parmesan we say it like parmejawn because it is once again a foreign word. The English dum dums say parme-sand

Example 3- Oregano they say it like or-i-gone-o its bizarre

Example 4 – they say piano the same way but not pianist; the way they say it sounds like penis with a t on the end. Pean-ist

I’m sure there are many more but these are the ones that have come up and me and Alison who is also American get into fights with the British on how to pronounce them

I’ll leave this entry on that note. It’s too long as it is and I need your full attention.

Sayonara suckers and

at dinner