Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Lost in Translation: My American Journey

My American Journey


            Many people dream of living on American soil, but I was not one of them. For me, it was more like I was forced. I grew up always being reminded that I should not get attached too much because we would soon migrate to America. I never took it seriously since we waited for almost nineteen years. My mother was on an immigration petition list even before I was born. I was just lucky enough to be included in her petition. The original plan was just to get a visitor’s visa to visit my grandmother, but we were too late. She already passed away before all the legal papers and visa were approved. Living now in America, particularly Chicago had me longing more for my old life back in the Philippines. At first, I thought it would be easy for me to cope with living here, but I was wrong. The communication between my family, relatives, and friends is different now. I feel detached, and not at ease.

            The minute I stepped into the United States, I immediately realized that everything would change. I could no longer live the life that I had gotten used to. Back in the Philippines, my family usually shared in preparing our meals and setting of the table every dinner to eat and to chat. Even though everyone in our family did have school and work, no one would forget to always eat together and interact with each of our family members every day even if everyone was busy. In my new life in Chicago, I mostly prepare my own food and eat my dinner alone since my mom comes home late and is already tired while my dad in the Philippines, which is fourteen hours ahead of Chicago.

            In addition since coming in Chicago, I left many people I cared about. I was close to my father’s side family since they were the ones I grew up with. We had a strong bond that I miss. My relatives were like my brothers and sisters since I don’t have any siblings. We usually went shopping and just hung out after my classes and their yoga sessions and work. When I came here, all of that was gone. I have relatives in Chicago but I don’t see them much. However, when we have family gatherings they mostly have different interests and mostly are always busy working. I cannot ask them to even join me for a snack or a little chat since they live far away from us. Observing how they live here, I wish in the future I do not end up like them. They are so driven in their work that they have forgotten the people around them.

            Besides being apart from my family and relatives I was also separated from my friends. I am a shy person, so finding friends is hard for me. Living here in Chicago did not just break my connection with my friends but also gave me a burden of many strong sudden migraine and headaches because I am not used to the weather. I did try making friends here in Chicago, but sadly I find some not friendly or approachable since almost all of them are so fond of their electronic devices. Back in the Philippines, I had the chance to meet many great people, and most of them became my friends. We all bonded and always helped each other out. That all changed when I flew to this country. It was really a hard transition for me since I don’t have any friends here anymore. I can’t talk to them all the time since there is a fourteen-hour time difference. When it’s daytime here, it’s night there. The only way we all communicate is by social media sites. My life has really changed a lot since coming here because I feel like my world turned upside down. The only people back in the Philippines that really find time for chats are my dad, my family, and my boyfriend.


            Living in Chicago has given me many challenges, and I know I will be facing a lot more in the future. It still frustrates me now that I am still not like the many people who dream of living on American soil. I am still adjusting and still accepting this new chapter of my life. Even if I can no longer live the life I had in the Philippines, I know in time I will be able to cope and maybe be able to combine my two lives again and be happier on my American journey.

Monday, February 27, 2017

Lost in Translation, Lina

A Magic Day in June

Swedish Midsummer is magical. It is my favorite holiday, I like it even more than I like Christmas. It is a wonderful holiday in the end of June. It brings friends and family of all ages together, and there is something for everyone. When I moved to Chicago, I heard that they celebrate Midsummer Fest every year in the Swedish area called Andersonville. I got so excited until I experienced it myself, and discovered how different it is from what I am used to back home in Sweden. Chicago made an interpretation of my beloved Midsummer and twisted it to something completely different.
Flowers play an important part in Swedish Midsummer. In the old days, the Swedes thought Midsummer was especially magic, and the herb powers were extra strong. This idea  lives on today, and every year, mostly women and young girls, but also some men, make  flower crowns to wear on their heads. When I celebrated Midsummer in Chicago, my friend and I were the only ones with flower crowns. The crowns are a big deal to me because they make me feel pretty, and it is the only time I can walk around with a large flower crown on my head without people thinking that I am weird. Another tradition that comes from the magic in flowers is to pick seven different types of flowers and put them under your pillow, it is said that you will dream of your one true love that night. I did not try this in Chicago, but from past experiences I can say that there is no guarantee to dream of true love.   
  After the flower crowns are made, it is a tradition to visit friends or family for a traditional Midsummer lunch. The Midsummer food is a meal I have learned to love. The traditional meal consists of new potatoes and pickled herring, served with sour cream and chives. For dessert, we have strawberries with cream. At home, I always went with my dad to the local strawberry field, and we picked the strawberries together. I never did a lot of things with my dad, so this is one thing I really missed here in Chicago, where there is no “self picking” of strawberries, unless you're willing to drive a bit outside the city to a berry farm. During lunch we drink schnapps, which is a special kind of liquor. In between bites, we sing a little drinking song and then we take a shot. In Sweden, the drinking age is 18, so I have gotten used to drinking the schnapps, but in the U.S it is 21, so last year I was not allowed to drink it at all.
  Before everyone leaves for the evening’s festivities people go to our local Maypole, which is where family and friends bond. The Maypole is built up like a cross with two rings hanging from the vertical pole, and it is decorated with leaves and flowers. Everyone goes to a Maypole, so they are set up all over to make sure everyone has somewhere to go. At the Maypole there is something for everyone. There are games to play, live music, and for the kids they have a candy rain where they try to catch as much candy as they can. When I was younger, I always used to go to the people throwing the candy, telling them I failed to catch any, so they would give me more. It worked every time. I love to go here because I get to spend time with my friends and family, and dance around the Maypole. I looked forward to this a lot when I got here only to discover that the Chicago Midsummer Fest is a three day long festival that has food, drinks, and a parade. There is no dancing around the pole, no candy rain, and the music was more DJ’s and bands than the easy singalong songs I am used to.

When I heard that Chicago had a Midsummer fest, I set my expectations way too high. I expected the warmth and togetherness I felt with my friends and family back in Sweden, but since they're not here, it can’t be the same. So much got lost in translation when Chicago made their own interpretation of the Swedish holiday, and most of the people attending the festival don’t even know what they are missing, or what they are celebrating. For this year’s Midsummer fest I think I will have to host it myself to make sure that it is the way I want it, and the way we do it in Sweden. In Chicago it is not as magical as it is back home, and I believe that I will just have to accept that and make the best of what I have. 

Taste in Your Mouth

Zhuorui Wu
ESL 100
February 27, 2017


Taste in Your Mouth


               Eating delicious food is one of life's best experience. I believe everyone likes to eat tasty food to enjoy it and relax with it. I love to eat, and I always spent a lot of time searching for many great appealing and dainty foods when I was in GuangZhou, but since I moved to Chicago, I felt despondent becasue I cannot find any palatable foods in Chicago. Food in Chicago is boring and common. I have tried to observe what people like to eat during the morning, lunch, and dinner in Chicago. However, there are many different kinds of amazing foods and appetizers that I haven't been able to find in Chicago. 

               Most people like to eat a fresh breakfast. When I was living in GuangZhou, I always looked forward to eating dimsum on a sunny morning. There are many fabulous Chinese dimsum, such as Xia Jiao and Shao Mai. Furthermore, Chinese dimsum can make me feel brightful and joyful because each dimsum has a different name and meaning. I felt I have a great time to eat dimsum as my breakfast. On the other hand, most Chicagoans like to eat toast and yogurt as their breakfast. For me, toast is very dry and tasteless, and yogurt is cold as an ice cream. 

               One of my favorite meals are noodles when I was in GuangZhou. People have to eat a healthy meal during the lunch time because working whole day will drain the energy from the body. In fact, most Chinese people think the lunch is very important because they need more energy for their jobs or studies. When I was in GuangZhou, I loved to eat noodles because there is a variety of different kinds of noodles. My favorite noodles are egg noodles and rice noodles which I ate all the time in GuangZhou, and it is very delicate and goluptious. Moreover, most of the noodles are always hot and fragrant. In contrast, many Chicagoans like to have a hasty lunch because they do not have enough time to finish their lunch, one of the most common lunch meals is a hamburger because it is very cheap and fatty. 

               Dinner has always been my favorite because the time of the day is last meal to eat and it is always abundant. Most Chinese people like to eat riches for their dinner because rice is the most important meal. There are variety rich dishes that come with chicken, beef, and shrimp. Rice is very special for Chinese people and delicious.  Since I moved to Chicago, I've noticed most Americans like to eat steak for dinner. Steaks are high class and have a romantic feeling that may like to eat with their partner. Most Americans just like to eat steaks for their dinner. Instead of rice dishes which are more joyful and cheerful, especially when people eat, sit and talk together. 

               Food in GuangZhou is always colorful and graceful. I will go back to GuangZhou after I get my Bachelor degree. I have realized that GuangZhou is a city with tasty foods. In addition, in my hometown, the smells delicious and wafts the ground of food through the whole entire street. I suggest you travel to GuangZhou and find your own tasty foods. Chicago is still strange to me. There are many great places to eat and relax and enjoy in GuangZhou. 


 





Friday, February 17, 2017

Selina Ansafoah Assan

                                          The Power of my name
           Selina Ansafoah Assan is my name, and the other names that my parents, friends, and family call me are Nana Yaa, Mommie, Selingle, and Abokomah. The last name is my hometown name. I was named after my grandmother who died ten years ago. Her name was Agnes Abokomah Assan. The meaning of Abokomah is humble. My grandmother was humble and I inherited that from her, so I'm also really humble. Yaa is also an Akan name meaning smart. This name has really had an impact on me, so I'm usually smart in anything that I do.
           In my country, Ghana, Nana means a queen or princess. My cousins mostly call me Nana Yaa, which means smart princess, and I really love it. I feel so proud if they call me that because it means a lot. In addition, Selina is a name that was given to me by my father, and it means from Heaven. This meaning is so wonderful. Thus, I'm from Heaven, I'm smart, and I'm a princess as well.
          A name is so powerful and I'm saying that because it has really had an impact on me. In addition to this, I made my own nickname, and that's Selingle. It is the combination of Selina and Angel. Because the meaning of Selina is from Heaven, so I admit I'm an Angel. I love my name so much because I'm a smart princess Angel from Heaven.

                                                Image result for smart princesses

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Hang Zhao

     My name is HANG ZHAO. I am from China. In China, my name is very special. "Hang" in Chinese means travel and moving forward. Though back, my first name was named by my grandparents. One of the funny thing about my name was when I didn't born yet, my parents thought that I will be a girl. And then they asked my grandparents to name me as a girl. So after I born' they still didn't change it. As a result' when people saw my name in Chinese' they all think I am a girl.

    After I move to US. I give myself a nickname called " John"'. Because it is really hard to pronounce my name as a English speaker. Once time I was trying to teach my foreign friend to pronounce my name correctly. But seem like they just can't do it. So I picked a simple and short English name as JOHN.
 
I love my name. It sound beautiful and look fancy in Chinese. I hope one day I can teach all my friend to pronounce  my name. Thanks to my grandparents to give me this fabulous name!

Monday, February 13, 2017

Lina Hansson

Misspelled and Mispronounced 



        My name is Lina, and it has no particular meaning. My name is a nickname for Karolina or Evelina or Axelina. It has been torn apart and assigned to me.
  No one outside Sweden can pronounce it, no matter how hard they try. They just can’t get that “i” right. I always end up being Lena, which is fine. I don't mind, except that it is the name of my least favorite aunt, who is always a bit rude and arrogant. When my grandmother moved to a retirement home, my mom and my other aunt helped her move in, and got everything in order. A few days later when they came back to visit, my rude aunt had moved all the furniture around the way she wanted it because, according to her, her way was better. It always is, so now the bed isn’t underneath the mechanism that can lift my grandmother up if she would die in her sleep or just needs to be lifted, but it’s “better this way”. 
I find it a bit funny that whenever I go to a restaurant or coffeeshop and they ask for my name, they usually get it wrong. I try to pronounce it as well as I can, but it doesn’t help. I’ve been Nina, Ninna, Dina and Linna. The last one is pretty close to the original, but not quite there yet. I make it sound like this is awful, but it’s not that bad, my Danish friend’s name is Rikke, and it is pronounced almost like “Reggae”. I can’t even pronounce her name correctly. She can’t say mine either, so we’re even. 
Despite all this, I like my name. We’ve been with each other quite a while now, and we get along just fine. 
       Axelina was my great-grandmother and her nickname became my name. My mom loved her and decided to give her name to me, even though my dad and her had already decided on Elin. I don’t know anything about my great-grandmother, but I do like the name I got and I have her to thank for it.

Monday, February 6, 2017

Special Gift

          My name is Jingqian Lei. I like my name, because it is a gift my parents gave to me. Lei is my family name, but it is not very common family name in China. The meaning of Lei in Chinese is thunder, and the Chinese Character of thunder "雷". It is two Chinese words put together, the upper part of thunder is rain "雨" and the lower part is field "田", because Chinese characters are pictographic characters.          
          Jingqian is my First name, "Jing" and 'Qian" are also two character. These two were chosen by my parents from a dictionary. They seem like random words, but my parents told me how they chose these words. My father said the page and number of the word in the dictionary, and then my mom opened that page and found that character. After that my mom said the second character's page and number of the dictionary, and then my father opened to that page finding the character. Fortunately these two words have very good meaning. "Jing" means woman has knowledge and talent. "Qian" means good looking.          
          I like my name. Not only the good meaning of my name, but also because it is a special name. These two words are both commonly used in writing, but almost never spoken. So very few people have same name as mine in China.
Me Myself and I
            My name is Cheuk Lam. Most of the people call me chuck or check because both of those names are almost the same as mine. I love this name because the first teacher that I had when I came to the United States gave it to me. When she saw my name the first time, she could not pronounce it right. My name in Hong Kong is Cheuk Lam, but this name in my land China was pronounced as Zhou Lin. It is different from Hong Kong. Most Americans can pronounce my Chinese name easily, but Hong Kong vowel is harder than my land vowels. That is why she could not say it correctly. She had searched the internet on the computer for few minutes and come up with the name Chuck. I like it because this name is very easy for people to remember.

            On the other hand, some people like to call me Check. When they see my name, they always change Cheuk to Check. I do not know why, but I like it. A check is a motivation for the worker. Every time when people call me Check, I feel like some kind of mysterious power keep pushing me to move on. That`s why I will not get angry if they call me Check. In addition, my name is very easy for people to remember. For the people who do not know me, if I gave hint relative to blackboard or paycheck, and my name will pop up on their head in five seconds. I am thankful for my teacher for giving me this name. I am so lucky that I met her when I moved to the United States. 
                   Image result for paycheck

Sunday, February 5, 2017

The name made me proud

     In Vietnam, every name always start with the last name first, so my full name is Do Gia Khanh. My parents gave that name to me because there is a special reason and meaning behind my name.
     My last name is Do. In Vietnam, there are two meanings for Do. The first is a kind of bean or to be successful, but my last name means success. However, my middle and first names are totally different. My parents thought about a whole week to give me these two. Gia Khanh is the name that I am always proud of because it means a happy family. My parents always believed that my family would be happy every single day. Also, they hope I will succeed in my life.
     I have never thought that I want to change my name. Furthermore, everybody always tell me that I have a beautiful name, and I feel very grateful what I got from my parents.

A NEW WORD

My name is Sara, and it goes with my last name, Gara. Yes, that is not a joke. It is a rhyme. 
There are times that I like to joke about it, and times that I don't. 
It is a word so it has to mean something. In fact it means princess, but I am really not a princess. I can be everything except that. My mother hoped that I would be a cute little girl but I am not. 
I am Sara, and the only thing that is important for me is the meaning that I give to this word. 
Sara means kindness and altruism. Sara means happiness. Sara means strength. Sara  
means travel, enjoyment and smiling. 
Sara can mean everything and nothing. 
Sara is also a person. 
If you really want to know the meaning of this word, you can't only look in a dictionary or  
in Google Translate. You must live with that word, and you have to be patient. 
My mother gave me this name with her meaning, and now it is my turn to take care of it. 
I will give it all the meanings that it requires.   
Sara is a dictionary, but is not done yet.

Friday, February 3, 2017

Yi Sun
January 24, 2017
ESL 100
One of Most
  In English, my name means sun. It means hope and light. In Chinese it means perseverance and willpower. The pronunciation of my name is as same as number one in Chinese, and Chinese people usually treat the number one as the beginning of something.
  My last name is the same as my father’s last name besause everyone’s last always follows father’s last name in China. My mother chose Yi as my first name. It is like a new fresh light in the morning, it will be brilliant all the time and a shine that never dies. It is a good wish from my parents, and let me know how much they love me.
  My name is easy to pronunce both in English and Chinese. Yi Sun. Before I had this name, my father got another name for me which was Ran Sun. It was also a good name, but Ran means a gentle fire burning. It also means like soft clouds in the sky. So Ran Sun was more suitable for a girl.

  Actually, meanings and pronunciation of a name influence a person’s characteristics sometimes. Some names have more than one meaning, pick one which is important and try to reach up. That might make you special and attractive.

Is that my name?

                Is That My Name?


       I was named by my grandpa. I had no idea what my name mean until I was

six years old. For me, it seems like a woman’s name because in Chinese it means

flourishing, beautiful and glorious. I don’t really like it, but it was the gift that my

grandpa gave me and I believe that my talent came from it.

      When I attended high school, my name was like a daily joy. My chemistry

teacher always pronounced it incorrectly and my classmates always called me like the

Female idol WanYu Zhang. However, sometimes I think my name has some important

meaning for me. I like drawing and painting, and I want to be a graphic designer. I

believe that because of my name. I just feel like that. For now, I have a chance to

choose my English name. I want it to be name that has some important meaning and

suitable me.

     A name is a special sign for each one. It directly affects our life. Even though

I don’t like my Chinese name, I won’t change it because I still cherish the gift that my

grandpa gave me. 






Thursday, February 2, 2017

Name Change for Life

LiRong Mei
January 30, 2017
ENGLISH 100
Name Change for Life
       What can I tell you about my name? I love this name because my name is unique and it means honors. For me honors means I will respect people I know or I don’t know whatever where I am. My name is LiRong Mei. Most of the people call me Liong or Leo because of my name is almost the same as mine. I was given this name by my grandfather when I was born. My names also have a connecting with my cousin’s name because of the Chinese tradition. My younger cousin’s name is LiHui Mei which means sample. Also, my older cousin’s name is LiYin Mei which means reposing. In Chinese tradition every family member must have one same character in their name and last word of the name have a great means by putting all embers last character together to make a great meaning out of it. My last words of the name with my cousin’s put together which means do not give up when I got in a predicament or if something is difficult for us.      Also, the name has a great impact on my life. When I moved to the United States and I went to high school. I had a lot of stress. I couldn’t communicate in English with students and teachers because English was my second language. Sometime I got billed for students who had the same class with me while they said some bad word to me and pushed me. In class, the teacher gave me the class assignment to finish, like newspaper or magazines to read. I had to write a paragraph about the main ideas. I couldn’t understand what the newspaper or magazines were about. After the end of the class, I was afraid and sad because English was difficult to learn, and I couldn’t understand how to do my homework by myself. However, do not give up is always appear in my mind when I got into a predicament.

Wishes Behind My Name

Jiaying Zhang (Catherine)
ESL 100
February 2, 2017
Wishes Behind My Name

The name that we have may sound special, general, or interesting, but I believe each of them has their special stories. My name is Jiaying. It was chosen by my grandfather. He spent a lot of time choosing my name and listed more than ten names to compare and ask for advice. He finally settled on Jiaying as my name because it means kindness, happiness, cleverness, and health in Chinese. This name shows wishes from him. He hoped that I would become a warm and outstanding person in the future. He also hoped that I would have a healthy body and a happy life. I didn’t like my name when I was a child because it was too hard to write for a child. Neither my classmates nor my teachers could spell it correctly. They usually wrote another Chinese word “yi” as “ying” because their spelling is very similar. It also took me a long time to practice writing my name. However, I love my name after I understood the meaning behind it, and I am trying my best to make its meaning come true. In addition, there is another interesting thing about my name. Although it’s hard to write, many people use Jiaying as their name. I have met more than five people called Jiaying in China, with the same character and same pronunciation. If someone on the street just calls Jiaying without the last name, many people will turn their heads.


The Perfect name


Jenel Moise
February 2, 2017
ESL 100

The Perfect name

My name is Jenel Moise and I really like this name. It is unique and easy to pronounce. It doesn't have a special meaning, but it has a sense of humor that is characterized by the ability to perceive feelings. I believe Jenel is a name for the one who is willing to take risk and progress
through discomfort to reach the finish line.

In some Haitian families, they have used the two last letters in a name all the time for many generations. For example, my dad's name is Miguel, so he called me Jenel and my two siblings names are Dounel and Fritznel.

Jenel is the perfect name, but sometimes people misspell it and they double the L (Jenelle) or they write it with a G (Genel). Anyhow, they all sound the same but have different spelling. Jenel could be a boy's or a girl's name. Some people call their kids Jenel just because they love when name start with a J.

Jenel is always uniting people. Jenel is the name of someone who always wants to share happiness and sadness with everyone, and Jenel is someone who is fighting until the end to realize things that he wants.
 

Zhuorui Wu
February 1, 2017
ESL 100
A wish and A Special Love Name

I will love my name forever. My name means thoughtful, bright, and graceful. Everyone has their own name, but mine is special and precious. My name was given to me by my grandfather when I was six years old, and he soon before passed away. My grandfather had stomach cancer, which is also called gastric cancer. I remember he told me to become an intelligent and enthusiastic woman when I get older. He was a strict, calm, and tough man, and he used to be an educational teacher. My name is always the last one on the list. However, I promised my grandfather I would not be the last one. I wish I could do that. My grandfather is like an angel to light up and protect me. I will never forget what he said and what he taught me when he told me that I said you need to take care of myself and make careful decisions on my own when I was sitting next to his bedside in the hospital. He gave me a sweet and a charming name. I will always love my name and keep thinking about my grandfather forever.

My Name

XiaoJun Wu
ESL, 100
February 2, 2017
An early Name
My name was given to me by my mom. When I was born, my mom chose my name from a dictionary. My dad loved my name because he knows my first name means born in the early morning. However, my name has different meanings. In Chinese, it means smart, and a king. Also, my name is very popular in my hometown Guangdong. When I went to primary school, I was excited.  In the classroom, there was one student who was also called XiaoJun, but he was a boy. I was amazed that my name could also be for a boy. I asked my mom why my name is very common. She just tells me my name expresses sunlight and allow family warmth. My mom also said that my name sound interesting, and it is easy to say. Anyway, I believe that my mom gave me this name is involved in my life, possibly my future will be getting better or another meaning. The only thing I do not like about my name is that many people have the same name as me. When I came to Chicago, I went to high school and there were two students that had the same name as me. I was confused every time my professor called XiaoJun. He shouted my name, and I thought he was shouting me. In fact, he did not call me. I always felt unhappy about my professor calling my name.
Finally, I am very grateful to my mom for giving me a perfect Chinese name. I love my name and pronunciation. My name is meaningful and kind.

Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Simply Misspelled

Rebbeca Kwan
January 18, 2017
ESL 100


Simply Misspelled

My name is Rebbeca. It sounds the same when it is spelled as Rebecca, but mine has a different spelling. My mom really didn’t plan my name because the one she wanted was “Richela”. My name was a result of a surprise and miscommunication. My mom said that it was supposed to be spelled “ Rehbeca”, but the nurse misread it as “Rebbeca”.  It was after printing out my birth certificate when they found out. So yes that’s why many people now always get confuse with the spelling of my name.

My whole name is Rebbeca Kwan. My last name is from my mother since I was born before my parents got married. It was just about two or three years ago that my parents got married. My mom and I didn’t change our last names since it was going to be a lot of of documents and bothersome. My mother has one hundred percent Chinese blood, and my father has half Filipino and half Chinese.

 I grew up in an environment not fully practicing Chinese culture since I was in the Philippines. I went to a Chinese school for my first grade school years, but because of health reasons and having our own house in the Philippines, I transferred to two other schools before I got to college. Then I went to another school and shifted from Bachelors of Accountancy to Media arts, Major in Computer Graphic Design. I still use and know some Chinese words and also numbers but not to the point that I can have a conversation in Chinese. However, my parents still speak Chinese especially if they are angry at something I’ve done. My parents want me to learn many languages. However, because I lack practice, focus and a real person to have conversation with I haven’t paid really much attention to those skills. The multiplication table in Chinese was the hardest and longest thing I’ve memorized and I still use it now.


At the moment, I’m discovering and improving English language since I think it would be a big help, especially now that this is going to be my second home or my new home in the future.