Twilight movie review

Here's another movie review from the intermediate students. Have you seen Twilight?  Leave a comment and tell us what you think!

Titanic movie review

The intermediate students created movie reviews this session.  Here are some of their video reviews.  Watch the videos, and let them know what you think.  Have you seen these movies too?  Leave a comment and give us your review of the movies, too!

Ice Age 2 movie review

The intermediate students created movie reviews this session.  Here are some of their video reviews.  Watch the videos, and let them know what you think.  Have you seen these movies too?  Leave a comment and give us your review of the movies, too!

The thanksgiving potluck

Last Monday was the event “The thanksgiving potluck”. It was in ODU Baptist Collegiate Ministry. Students and ELC staff attended this event. It started at 7:00pm and ended at 9:00pm.We began by setting the tables, decorating and putting the plates food. When the event began, we started eating food from different countries and turkey. There was also a part about the ELC Honors Program. Alex introduced the manes of students who had good grades in Fall 1. After that, we enjoyed eating the great food. Finally, we finished the event by cleaning the place.

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MacArthur Memorial

The MacArthur Memorial :

The MacArthur Memorial

Douglas MacArthur

Do you know who is MacArthur? Maybe yes, but if you don't know him, you  have probably heard the name of the Norfolk downton mall : "the MacArthur center". Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964) actually was an American general who has participated in the main historical events of the 20th century (WWI, WW2, Korean War...).

MacArthur and his wife are buried here

Japanese gifts

The MacArthur pipe and cap

After his death, he was buried in Norfolk,VA, more precisely in the old City Hall, according to his wife wishes. This museum is not big, but almost all his life is recounted on two stairs. The explanations are clear and not too long, visual and audio supports are good for a better understanding and immersion in his life and his time. Besides, we have liked the quantity of original artifacts coming from or linked to his living : Asians weapons such as guns or swords, gifts from Japan, China, etc, and many things coming directly from him like his decorations, his footlocker, some emblematic artifacts like his pipe and his cap, or historically important objects like one of the five the ''surrender pen''. Finally, this museum has to be visited to improve our knowledge on the American history, learning the incredible life of MacArthur, an out of the ordinary general who has left his mark on the history.


 Written by ''the Expert''

If you want to visit this museum :

You can visit the memorial online (www.macarthurmemorial.org) or

free entrance for the real museum.

MacArthur Memorial (close to the MacArthur center)

MacArthur Square,
Norfolk, Virginia 23510

Phone : (757) 441-2965

Hours :
Tuesday - Saturday
10 A.M. - 5 P.M.
Sunday
11 A.M. - 5 P.M.
Closed Mondays Starting July 5, 2010

Making paper airplanes

A few weeks ago, the Intermediate students had a paper airplane contest.  Here's a short video from that day. Let us know what you think!

We have discovered America!!

Discover America: Thanksgiving
On Tuesday November 15th, there was a event at the intercultural center, Webb center. The theme was "Discover America: Thanksgiving". Actually, there is no Thanksgiving in our culture. This is our first Thanksgiving we have here in America. We haven’t known much about Thanksgiving culture, so it was great opportunity to learn about American culture, especially, Thanksgiving. When we got there, there were various traditional food looked delicious. It attracted our attentions enough to get there. Jane really enjoyed the food. There were sweet mashed pumpkin, cranberry sauce, sliced turkey, and apple pie, etc. We met some international friends there. The presentation was started. I liked comfortable circumstances there.

We listened carefully what he said. It was interesting to know origins of Thanksgiving.
He said that the Thanksgiving started in 1607, when the Englishmen were giving thanks to God for safe arrival and continual survival. In 1610, supply ships arrived at Jamestown, Virginia. The Pilgrims celebrated Thanks giving for three days, and had a feast for good harvest. The presenter said that the Thanksgiving settles down deeply in American’s mind.

We were very happy to know the origins of Thanksgiving. As long as we stay here, the U.S., I am sure that it will help us to understand better American culture. It was great opportunity to have some traditional food, knowledge of Thanksgiving. We hope we can go some other events on this campus.

Haul for Hunger

Last Saturday, some of us went to the Haul for Hunger at ODU.  It was a great volunteer opportunity.  Here are some pictures from the event.  Marion, a student in Advanced I, wrote about her experience with this event.  If you were there, leave a comment and tell us what you thought about the experience!

So many apples to bag!

From Marion:
The last Saturday, the event « Haul for Hunger » gathered almost three hundred people to help families in need. Among the crowd were mixed families, single people, friends, young, old, etc., everybody working together to help anybody else. The symbol was strong, and the experience exciting. In a world too often selfish, I’m proud of the ODU’s community for this brand of generosity.

I think some students were eating more apples than they were putting in the bags :)

Look at our hard work!

Apples of all sizes!

Thanks for helping out!

Okay, come on, back to work

Working hard and looking good

Also working hard and looking good - thanks for your help!

If I won $5 million...

Today, we have a special post from Pierre, an Intermediate student here at the ELC.  He wrote this paragraph in his Intermediate Writing class with Jane.  Thanks for sharing your writing, Pierre!

If I won $5,000,000, I would buy an island and live there with my family.  I would have a big house at the top of the mountain, a farm in the grassland next to the river, and an animal reserve in the forest. 

In my house, I would like to have a swimming pool, a lot of bathrooms and bedrooms, and also a technological kitchen.  One of the living rooms, would have a big window to see the island and I would have a painting workshop in the top of a tower on my house.

Next, in the farm, I would have enough food production to eat without outside help.  In my animal reserve, there would be a lot of endangered animals and I would like to preserve them.

Ha, I almost forgot!  The beaches would be beautiful, and everything would be in perfect harmony with the nature.  This island would be called "Esperance."

Ashley's note: What would you do if you had $5 million?  Leave a comment below and tell us how you would spend your money!

How to meet other students at ODU

Today, we have a special post from Nurah, an Intermediate student here at the ELC.  She wrote this paragraph in her Intermediate Writing class with Jane.  Thanks for sharing your writing, Nurah!

When you study English language at the ELC, you have to meet other students at ODU to improve your language.  First, you can go to the ELC office and ask about conversation partners.  After that, you can get the application and sign your name and complete your information.  Make sure you write your phone number and your email address.  Then, you have to wait some time because some students from ODU sign in at the ELC, and the ELC will try to contact you with them.  Next, check your email everyday.  If you have a message from the ELC, you can call your partner and try to find free time to meet him.  In addition, you can choose the time and the place for your meeting.  After that, you can talk with your partner and learn more and more to improve your skills.  Finally, don't forget your friends - tell them about this way.

Ashley's note: If you're interested in a conversation partner, contact Jamie (though you will probably have to wait until next session to get a partner, sorry!).  It's a great way to improve your English and get to know an American student!  If you have a conversation partner, leave a comment on this post and tell us about your experience.  Where do you and your conversation partner like to meet? 

Chrysler Museum of Art

When I heard someone talk about Chrysler, I thought they were talking about cars. Because my country has brand of the car named Chrysler. Here I would like to talk to you about Chrysler Museum of Art. What do you know about Chrysler? My group went there on Sunday November 6th, 2011. The Chrysler Museum of Art divides into many different galleries, such as glass, painting, and sculpture, etc. This museum collects many things which I never see before. Everything is interesting to see and to learn at the same time. It seems like the place to study about history each country or continent, such as China, Africa, etc. Look at some examples from the museum.

One of pictures, Firescreen, is an example of glass gallery. It look like collecting shady color of glass.

Next picture, Portrait of a Woman in a Pergola with Wisteria, is one of glass gallery that is beauty and worth to imagine. I feel like this picture to present peace in life.

Then, Moonrise on the Loire at Briare, is painting gallery. It is atmospheric picture that is presented to being looked the sun from sky. I look at this picture, it makes me miss my country.

The last picture, sculpture and the drama, are the pictures of sculpture. There are some examples that are interesting in the collection of sculpture. Some of which are marvelous and elegant to learn history.

These galleries are some examples in Chrysler Museum of Art. Moreover, there are many galleries which we did not explain to you at here.

If you need to know more information about that go to http://www.chrysler.org . Come on take your time to learn something that you never know before, so it might make you amazing !!!

By members of The Wire Group: Lingjing, Abdullah, Khaled and Khemmanant

Fads from around the world

The Advanced I Reading students have been learning about fads.  According to the Longman Dictionary, a fad is something that people like or do for a short time, or that is fashionable for a short time.  For fun, we decided to share fads from our countries (from our childhood or from today).  Here are our fads:

Ashley: My favorite TV show as a young girl was Saved by the Bell.  Here is a video of the theme song.  It’s really cheesy, but I watched this show every afternoon.  

Marion: Around the year 2000, in France, we loved musicals. One of them was Romeo & Juliette. Every (little) girls, like me, was in love with Romeo. That's why we wanted to look like Juliette, who wore all the time, a really strange cap with pearl.

Maha: This is Sally. It is my favorite cartoon when I was young. I was love her hair, face, clothes, and her style. I hoped to get one of her dresses with the hat. I was crazy in Sally and I still love her.

Sukainah: This is my favorite cartoon when I was a child. Its name is Haidi. I imitated Haidi in everything: haircut, clothes (tank top), even her attitude or reaction. I also attached my photo to see how I was similar to Haidi :)

Romai: This fad started in the 1990s. The boys or teenagers caught this fad from the prisoners because they worn the same size for all of them. Then this fad transferred to the world’s countries. Now, this fad be type of the crimes in some states, for examples Chicago, Florida, and Georgia.

 Jean Rene: This is a picture of a mule that people used for transportation. Today, this would be considered old-fashioned in Haiti!!!! Is that funny guys????

We hope you enjoyed looking at our fads.  Please tell us what you think.  Do you remember any fads from your childhood?  What fads are popular in your country now?  Why do you think something becomes a fad?  Should people follow fads and trends?  Leave a comment below and let us know!

More Halloween pictures

Halloween was so much fun this year.  A lot of students (and a few of our teachers) dressed up, and we all went outside and carved pumpkins.  Check out some of the pictures from such a great day!

Halloween picture!

Scary!

He dances again!

And another short dancing video :)

More dancing!

Apparently, our students have got the moves.  Check out this video and leave some comments!

Interview with Bridge Students

We interviewed the Bridge students. Here are their answers.

[Nanami]

“If you can be born again, whom do you want to be?”

・Marco:

  He wants to be a best car driver because a driver has passion and controls the engine.

・Rosalio:

  She wants to be one of the most popular hockey players, “Luciani Aymar.” It is because Rosalio belongs to a hockey club at ODU. She admires her.

・Cristopher:

  He wants to be his father. He respects him so much, and he said that his father is best person for him. I want his father to see my note-taking. He will be happy.

・Gelareh:

  She wants to be born in U.S. and be a more successful person. I think she can be more confident.

・Alex:

  He wants to be Taiwanese again because Taiwan has freedom and many kinds of culture. Being Taiwanese has many advantages. He said Taiwanese food was so good. I want to try it someday.

・Musaad:

  His answer amazed me. He said he wanted to be himself. How confident he is! I like this answer.

[Juan]
“Have you been in love with your best friend? If you say yes, explain it!”

I asked a lot of guys, girls and boys, but they were a little bit afraid to answer at this question, and i understand it because its kind a personal question. Some people don’t like to share their privacy with anyone, anyways this is what people said.

I asked a girl called Cristina, and at the first moment she was a little bit afraid, but finally she answered to my question, she said that she was in love with her best friend, but she never told him. She was so close to him in her native country, she also said that her best friend was dating another girl i mean a lot of girls, and she never get mad at him, and she doesn’t know why, but everything went down when that guys started doing bad things and then she came to usa.

I also ask people from Senegal, his name is papa but he never pass through this.

I asked a guys from Puerto Rico, his name is Christopher, he is a soccer player at ODU. He told me everything, he was excited to answer me that question, he just came to the past on his brain and he started laughing. He told me that he was in high school before he came here to usa, he has the best friend ever, but one day they started liking each other and they started dating , he said it was really amazing he felt in the air but he found out that he was about to move to usa and everything went down. After he came to usa, they broke up, but they decided to be best friends again, it was last year and Christopher went to his native country to spend his summer with her father who lives in Puerto rico, they say each other and he said it was pretty amazing everything.

Also I went to another class where it was only 3 guys, kind of empty.
They were from Saudi Arabia and they just told me that in their country they respect the girls to much and they don’t usually do that .

As you can see in the world we have so many different cultures and not everyone is the same.

By Juan, Sultana, Nanami

The Help -Movie Review-

We want to recommend you one movie.

The name of the movie is “The Help.”

The director is Tate Taylor. This story is originally written as a novel whose writer is Kathryn Stockett.
Main stars are Emma Stone, Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer.

This movie is about discrimination against black people during 1960’s.
Then, one woman stands up to remove the movement of discrimination from this world.
Totally, the theme is serious and sad.
However, there are many scenes that you will laugh loudly.

We can’t tell you about the details because we want you to be excited about it.
But, we expect you to enjoy this movie. You can see the lifestyle at that time and differences from present one. For example, you’ll find out the fashion is different: cloth, hairstyle, and behavior.

Sometimes it is hard to understand what the actresses and actors say because they speak so fast. But the action is easy to understand, so you don’t have to worry about it.

You can find not only the difficulties of living in America for black people but also comical points of this story.

Therefore, we want to recommend it.

You can see it in Regal MacArthur Center that is near from here. It takes about 10 minutes by a car.

So, if you’re interested in our review, go to a theater!

By Juan, Sultana, and Nanami

Two Wild and Crazy Guys

Some of our intermediate students dancing for us.  Happy Friday, everyone!

La Herradura

 We went to the Mexican restaurant to eat dinner. It is La Herradura. We chose this restaurant because of the reasonable price, delicious food, and good atmosphere. As soon as we entered, we could see that the restaurant was in the Old Mexican style. In the restaurant, they provided us with some chips and salsa for free before we ordered our food. We ordered chicken quesadillas and steak quesadillas, which Osama preferred. We were satisfied with the food. As time went on, the restaurant changed into big bar. We enjoyed some drinks.

Interview Intermediate students

We interviewed the Intermediate students.  Here's what we learned:

Anne Song

Where are you from? Korea

Do you have a dream? What is it? Yes, I want to be a nurse.

Have you ever play tricks on classmate or teacher in this class? No.

MO

Where are you from? Saudi Arabic

Do you have a dream? What is it? Yes, I want have a sweet family.

Have you ever play tricks on classmate or teacher in this class? No.

Abdul

Where are you from? Saudi Arabic

Do you have a dream? What is it?  Yes, I want to be a professor.

Have you ever play tricks on classmate or teacher in this class? No,

Mert

Where are you from? Turkey

Do you have a dream? What is it?  Had a good job in the future.

Have you ever play tricks on classmate or teacher in this class? No.

Shahin

Where are you from? Iran

Do you have a dream? What is it? Yes, I want fly into the sky.

Have you ever play tricks on classmate or teacher in this class? No.

Muma

Where are you from? Russia

Do you have a dream? What is it? Yes, always do the best.

Have you ever play tricks on classmate or teacher in this class? No.

Minsang

Where are you from? Korea

Do you have a dream? What is it? Yes, to be a president.

Have you ever play tricks on classmate or teacher in this class? No.

Ahmad

Where are you from? Saudi Arabic

Do you have a dream? What is it? No.

Have you ever play tricks on classmate or teacher in this class? No.

Pierre

Where are you from? France

Do you have a dream? What is it? Yes, he want to be a painter.

Have you ever play tricks on classmate or teacher in this class? No.

Marion

Where are you from? France 

Do you have a dream? What is it? Yes, to be a air force.

Have you ever play tricks on classmate or teacher in this class? No.

Moshen

Where are you from? Saudi Arabic

Do you have a dream? What is it? Yes, I want have a biggest airlines.

Have you ever play tricks on classmate or teacher in this class? No.

Hanh

Where are you from? Vietnam

Do you have a dream? What is it? Yes, to be a best CPA.

Have you ever play tricks on classmate or teacher in this class? No.

Faris

Where are you from? Saudi Arabic

Do you have a dream? What is it? Yes, I want to graduate in university and get a good job.

Have you ever play tricks on classmate or teacher in this class? No.

Ammar

Where are you from? Jordan

Do you have a dream? What is it? Yes, want to graduate in ODU.

Have you ever play tricks on classmate or teacher in this class? No.

Bader

Where are you from? Saudi Arabic

Do you have a dream? What is it? Yes, I want major in business and finance and graduate.

Have you ever play tricks on classmate or teacher in this class? No.

Saqer

Where are you from? Saudi Arabic

Do you have a dream? What is it? Finish ELC, Go back and Get a job.

Have you ever play tricks on classmate or teacher in this class? No.

Abla

Where are you from? Morocco

Do you have a dream? What is it? I want to travel all around the world to meet people.

Have you ever play tricks on classmate or teacher in this class? No.

Majed

Where are you from? Saudi Arabic

Do you have a dream? What is it? Graduate as BHD (Math) 
Have you ever play tricks on classmate or teacher in this class? Yes(after presentation ask funny question)

Nurah

Where are you from? Saudi Arabic

Do you have a dream? What is it? Graduate as management

Have you ever play tricks on classmate or teacher in this class? No.