Encouragement found in Gathering of Pearls

Marinda Hsu

2015.11.17

English ll

Mrs. Guarino

                                          Encouragement found in Gathering of Pearls 

    Gathering of Pearls written by Choi Sook nyul is a great book that I really enjoyed reading. It is a story written based on the author, a Korean girl going to a foreign country to study alone and all her experiences, growth and emotions during those days therefore especially her first year in college. The main character Sookan is a tough girl that always tried her best to do everything perfect and tried to fulfill people's expectation on her. Her friends in the U.S.—Marcy and Ellen influenced her a lot and she also did influence and taught lessons to her friends, it was fun and interesting to see hoe Sookan found out their cultural differences. It is also fun to observe that Sookan had gradually changed her characteristics more outgoing comparing to the previous parts of the story. 

      In my opinion, this story really relates to my life and my experience within these days starting last year when I first came to the U.S. for high school. I felt just as nervous, lonely and excited like Sookna did in the beginning, I had really bad homesick and been crying, too. Another thing I felt related to the book was doubting my choice coming to the U.S., it is always difficult to adapt to a whole new place with new people and new cultural even if you heard of it a lot. I was doubting myself for making this decision and doubting myself if I'm not mature enough just like Sookan did, but latter on, I found that rather than questioning everything, I should just work hard make this decision a correction and turn this decision into a successful pathway. After reading Sookan's story, I felt fortunately that days like now we do not have to wait for a letter from home for so long, it is so much easier to get in touch with our family in a far country with technology. Sookan worked so hard and had became a writer, this encourages me to keep up my attitude on studying and a new life in the U.S.. 

     Moreover, I really liked Sookan's mother saying that too much pressure will only make an oyster turn into pearls, especially for girls. When I was reading the ending of the story last night knowing that Sookan's mother was sick and had died, I felt terrible and sad that such a great, open-minded mother, beloved woman died without seeing her daughter growing up into an adult. This was a part that made me felt depressed, but to be honest, this is a story having an abundant plot and was really interesting to read. 

     In conclusion, I will recommend this novel—Gathering of Pearls, to my friends and specifically to friends and people that are studying aboard for the first few years. I really liked it and I want to show people around me what I enjoyed reading. This is a helpful story for overseas students and people studying aboard, it is positive, inspiring and at the same time interesting to read.  

Ending of Peter Pan

   I think the ending of Peter Pan is sad if you see it deeply, not just because Peter and Wendy only got to see eachother once a year, but how Wendy kept growing up and Peter did not. Peter Pan also did not admit that he is in love with Wendy at the end because love sometimes might force people to grow up and be mature, so rather than going back to reality with Wendy, Peter chose to be free and live a adventurous life. Therefore, Peter Pan for most of the time will be lonely which is very sad I think. Another part about Peter Pan fighting Hook. In my opinion, villain Hook represesents all the bad parts about a grown up and Peter Pan is always struggling and fighting to not grow up. 

Never a grown up

Marinda Hsu

2015.11.15

English ll

Mrs. Guarino

                                                                Never a Grown Up 

    The Peter Pan drama last night was amazing and reminded me of my childhood. Disney channel was what I loved the most during childhood, my first time knowing the story of Peter Pan was throughout Disney. It had been a long time since I've listened and watched Peter Pan, I had almost forgotten the plot of the story and it was nice to see all these scenes again yesterday. The show was blended with different emotions and I liked it when a show is not only with a single emotion because this made me felt more interested and willing to pay attention to the show. Some parts are humor, some parts are sad, angry and some parts are so fulled of happiness. I especially love the pirate scene, the dark red lighting and background are authentic and have created a creepy and intense feeling exactl like how it might feel like to be on a pirate ship. There is one more thing in the play that grabbed my attention, a part of the music was played by a flute I think, it was attracting my hearing and was lovely, I really liked the rhythm and melody, moreover I also plays flute so this was also an interesting part of the Peter Pan play that day. 

    Peter Pan was described and being told as a boy that did not want to grow up and therefore did not grow up as time past by even Wendy had grew up. Wendy understood that her parents was caring and loving her so she decided to stay back at home; On the other hand, Peter Pan did not go back home neither did he wanted to grow up. Peter Pan and his friends on Neverland were boys that are lonely and abandoned with no mother taking care of them, I thought they were all innocenct and kind boys but knows only a few about the world outside of their Neverland. I actually thought that the ending was a little bit sad and made me felt a little bit melancholy. I tried to think deeply about the ending of Peter Pan that night. My thought was that Peter Pan represents the childish heart and playfulness deeply inside all of us, all grown up. Wendy will always remember Peter Pan even if she never saw him again, just like how every grown up tried to be mature and act in good manners, being responsible, doing what they are supposed to be doing, but deeply inside everyone there will always be a forgotten Peter Pan. 

Reborn of discard building

Marinda Hsu

2015.11.05

English IS ll

Mrs. Guarino 

                                                       The Reborn of discard buildings

     In this world today, people brings their smart phone everywhere for many different uses; for me, besides contacting, the most important and useful thing I considered on a phone is its' camera. I captured moments in daily life I found interesting and should be memorized. I take pictures of foods, natural views, outfits, people and different places as I travel and found special. Recently I was considering to have my own camera and capture more detailed images to memorize each special moments in my life, I really wanted to capture the night sky in Cheshire filled with shinny, bright stars that I don't usually see back in the cities in Taiwan. But I never thought about taking pictures of places that are abandoned and discarded. People always took picture directly whenever they see beautiful things but most of us never considered and found the beauty of these details and corners in an abandoned building as these photographer did. I was surprised on how these photos came out so beautifully and amazing from perspectives that I would never have found. 

    I was wondering how could these photographers found all their perspective unique and wonderful that normal people will normally not. I was thinking that they must have an extremely careful and attentive sights on discovering beauty that people do not usually pay attention to. This is one of the most impressive part I understood throughout the whole event tonight. 

My second home

Marinda Hsu

English IS ll

Mrs. Guarino 

2015.11.05

                                                         Sookan's second home 

    I think Sookan had adapted really well into the American lifestyle and the new environment she is living in. She have friends and is accepting openly to a whole different culture comparing to Korean culture, therefore this might made Sookan surprised but gradually likes the American ideas better since it is more open and equal between men and women. But Sookan's agreement and support on American culture might make her sister Theresa angry since Theresa already warned Sookan not be influenced by a foreign culture and forgotten her original Korean culture and rules. Over all, I think Sookan will eventually become a Korean girl with an American girl's heart inside but at the same time struggling between her own ideas and her family's feeling and expectation on her. 

     Her sister Theresa wishes Sookan to go back to Korea in the future and become a nun just like her and participate in charity. Sookan will definitely have a disagreement and divergent ideas towards her sister in the future, maybe for not going back to Korea and becoming a nun or even maybe decided to marry someone in the U.S.! Many things that might happen in the U.S. and many ideas Sookan liked were not ideas Theresa accepts and agrees to, so Sookan's future decision might cause a big conflict between her relationship between Theresa. Sookan might find herself enjoying writing a lot since she became a great writer today. Also, I think that Sookan might find out latter on in the book that she should not stressed herself out so much and work so hard so hard to meet others' expectation, she should not give herself so much pressure and carry so many responsibilities on herself for being the only Korean student in the school. 

     Sookan will definitely experience more homesick since she has been crying already for a few times because of it, but I think she will not want to go back to Korea for a few reasons. First of all, she will not want to go back to Korea because she might feel guilty for not working hard enough and not being tough, mature enough as she had first promised for coming to the U.S.. She might feel sorry for going back without any big success to pay back for her mother's hard work and her family's expectation on her. Another reason is her sister and Korean's traditional might be something that became uncomfortable and not as acceptable for her anymore since she understood the open-minded American culture and likes it better to have the freedom on relationships between people and also freedom to choose who she is and prove what she can do on her own as a girl, a female. Sookan might be more aggressive and open comparing to the start of the story after the influence from her roommate Ellen's personality. Sookan might be more brave and confident to tell her ideas and dreams instead of being humbled as taught in Korea. There might be change of her personality as the story go on I think. 

   In conclusion, I thinks that Sookan will be facing more challenges and struggles between cultural difference, relationship between friends, family and also on her own thoughts for doing the right thing. Even if her sister is angry at her, she might still follows her heart and dream with Ellen and Marci's support. I think her biggest struggle will be her mother, she might feel guilty and sorry for not supporting her mother back in Korea and feel that she herself is a selfish daughter considering to traditional Korean thinking. Therefore, Sookan might also feel that America is her second home since she likes the American lifestyle and fits really well into the environment. She felt warmth from her friends' family and professor Bennett's family that she felt like home in a foreign country.