English Improvement Plan

In Thailand where I came from, English is the second language that all students are required to learn. English is the language in the business world that is mainly use. I have been learning Basic English since I was eleven years old. Back then, English teachers in Thailand didn’t have enough skills to teach students correctly. When I was 20, I had met my first foreign friend and I had started to develop my listening and speaking skills. In my previous school I hadn’t learned grammar so I didn’t speak well. I still have many grammar errors that need to be improve and my writing and reading ability is even worse. My long-term goal is to work in global business and to be successful in the global market. I need to have perfect English so I can communicate with other international business men efficiently.

I find myself quite comfortable communicating face to face with others, but when it comes to writing, my ability of communication is very poor. This semester I attended ESL 3202 Academic and Composition. This course helped me to develop my writing skill that I found very useful and I enjoyed attending this class. I also attended ESL 3001 Integrated Skills for Academic English and UC 1005 Global Education Perspective which they are all Minnesota English Language Program (MELP) classes to help me improving my English skills. However, fifteen weeks of writing practice was not enough, there were still many areas of my English skills that need to be improve.

For more improvement of my English skills, this coming spring semester I again am taking mostly ESL classes with more focusing on grammars (ESL 3102) and public speaking and pronunciation (ESL 3602). Although, I am a little bit concerned about ESL 3102 because I have never learned proper basic grammar. With the higher level of grammar that will be taught I hope I can understand and be able to catch up with other classmates.

90 days in Minnesota

 

When I first talk to people about moving to Minnesota, more than ninety percent of people asked me why Minnesota? All I heard was only about Minnesota winter. Well…that didn’t stop me not to move to Minnesota because I personally like winter. Believe it or not? Ninety days in Minnesota has taken my breath away every single day with its beauty. I completely fell in love with Minnesota and it became my new favorite place in the whole wide world. It was the best decision of coming here.

Blue Sky Minnesota

I first arrived in Minnesota in mid-July which was about 90 days ago. I was amazed by the beauty of the summer here. The green field of grass and trees behind my apartment was just unexplainable beauty, the sky of Minnesota was so blue, the color that I have never seen before. I was visiting family who are living in Lake Minnetonka and I had a chance to see the sunset there. I could not put my phone down because I was constantly non-stop taking picture. Minnesota summer was the most beautiful summer time I have ever experienced in my life

When fall arrived 45 days ago in mid-October. I thought I was awakening to a painted picture. I could not believe my eyes how this could be real. Minnesota was full of colors. The mixed of trees turned into red, yellow, pink and some were still green that covered the whole city in an unbelievable stunning beauty. I took a bus to the University of Minnesota every morning and saw those trees from the bus window change every day. This just made my day. Many times on the way home from class, I decided to walk so I could absorb the beauty and put the images inside my head as a memory for my life that I have experienced the nature of Minnesota.

Minnesota Winter Wonderland

About three weeks ago, Minnesota started the winter season with a big first snow storm. I heard people complained that they are not ready yet for winter. The opposite again for myself, I was so excited for the first snow of the season. That night when snow storm arrived I was awake until 3 am just to see the first snow fall. It wasn’t my first snow I have seen in my life, but it seems like my first snow fall whenever snow is falling. I just love snow so much and I act like a kid who got a candy whenever I see snow fall from the sky. I have built 3 snow men so far and I am having fun with the freezing cold by making many colored ice balls. Minnesota is a winter wonderland to me and winter is and always will be my favorite season.

My Ice Ball

There is no place like Minnesota and I don’t understand why many people don’t love it here. Have those people ever been here? I guess not, because if they had been here they would know that Minnesota is much more than a cold winters. Ninety days were enough for me that this was one of the best decision I made.

Sunset at Minnetonka Lake

 

Feedback of Partner's Post

 

According to Kiyoi Shin's Blog, she introduced an article "Have a Coke and a Tax: The economic case against soda taxes” by the author Veronique de Rugy. Kiyoi agrees with Rugy’s article that soda tax would not be an efficient way to reduce the obesity rate because people would still find replacement of soda drink with other bad foods and drinks. In Kiyoi’s article her support gives an example of tax on beer. It mentions that after tax on beer was increased that the use of other substitutes like marijuana has increased. Kiyoi gave her opinion that government should focus on health education about obesity, not just focus only on increasing tax on sugary drinks.

I think Kiyoi’s support is not strong enough to convince me taxes won’t work. One sentence on her blog said “people will still find the foods or drinks which is equally bad and to replace the sugary drinks”. I think in this particular sentence that people did not want to be obese and people did not find any replacement of bad foods or drink to make them fat. I think people find other cheap food and drink to consume for survival because they have no choice of choosing other heathier foods or drink. Also, in the example of Kiyoi’s support about beer and marijuana I think it’s not relevant to obesity. People consume beer because they want the effect of it. We consume beer to get drunk. When the price of beer increase, people consume marijuana because marijuana is also makes people feel similar. When comparing to sugary drinks or food. People did not consume sugary drinks to get fat, we consume food and drink for survival. I think comparison between food and drugs are two different stories. However, I do agree with Kiyoi’s point that education would help in solving obesity problem.

Writing response: Essay 3- Argumentation

Research finds soda tax does little to decrease obesity

In article “Research finds soda tax does little to decrease obesity,” Karen Faster discusses about tax increases on soda and how they might not have a big impact on people’s health improvement. According to new research that found, increasing tax on soda would only reduce the consumption but not the total calories that people consume. The study reviews two states that have already implemented soda taxes. Both Ohio and Arkansas began implementing these soda taxes in the early 1990s. The study even showed that weight and body mass index increased in the states of Ohio after the tax took effect. This is likely caused because people instead of drinking the taxed soda they changed to other high calorie thing.

My Response…

I agree with the view that tax increases will not have a big effect on people’s health improvement in America. There are many factors that cause obesity in America such as increasing portion sizes in restaurant meals that cause people to consume more calories. Combined with the lack of daily physical activity or low quality activity this is caused people become more obese. Other factors that could cause obesity in America are genes and family history, health conditions, medicines, the stopping of smoking, age, pregnancy, and lack of sleep because of extended work schedule. Soda is just one cause of many and I think for the best result of solving obesity we should consider all factors, not just increasing soda tax.

Summary of "A Tax That Invest in Our Health"

In the essay “A Tax That Invest in Our Health”, Richard F. Daines, a Commissioner of Health for New York State discusses the problem about obesity in American people, especially New Yorker. He said sixty percent adults New Yorker are overweight. People consume much more calories per day up to 300 calories more than 30 years ago. He discusses that people are facing long life health problem with obesity and the cost of this problem is from the sweet-sugary drink. He said the government gives subsidies on corn syrup which makes the sweeten soda drinks available at a low price. The opposite, the fresh healthy food like vegetable and milk are more expensive. In New York alone, $7.6 billion dollar is spent on treatment that relate to obesity sickness. He suggests that the government should step in by raising tax on sweeten-sugary drink and he believe that raising a tax on sweet-sugary drink would make American people drink less sugar. He said that people die earlier because of drinking sugary beverages. He concludes that by raising tax on sweeten-sugary drink would protect people from obesity.

 

My response……

I think adding taxes on sugary beverages is a good idea for a start but I think if government is going to raising these taxes, they should raise them as high as needed in order to bring the prices of sugary drink close or equal to the price of other healthy drink choices. If only raises government taxes on soda by very little and those drinks were still cheaper than healthy drink, it would not change anything. People are sensitive to price would still choose to buy sugary drink if even with the added tax they are still cheaper than healthier choices. Bringing the prices close or equivalent then people will start thinking of buying product have that are healthier. I also think sugary drinks is not just the only factor of obesity problem, government should considers raising tax on all junk foods together in order to get more solution effective to solving obesity problem.

Summary of "Prisoner of Tehran"

In “Prisoner of Tehran”, Marina Namet mentioned that she had a life sentence because of her actions in high school against the Islamic Revolution. On the night of her execution, Ali, the revolutionary guard came to save her. He told her that her sentence had been reduced to life in prison. She didn’t know why Ali saved her. Marina was sent to section 246 the prison for females and that’s where she met Sarah her best friend from high school. She had heard that many of her friends had been executed. During her time in 246 she began to recover physically and mentally. Ali had disappeared for a few months to fight in the Iraq war. When he came back he went to Evin prison and asked Marina to marry him. At first, Marina rejected him but Ali threated her if she decided not to marry him he would hurt ones she love. Marina had no choice but to marry Ali. She had also converted her religion from Christian to Islam to be accepted by Ali’s family. Marina decided not to tell about her marriage to her family or Andre, an organist guy that she liked. She also didn’t want her family to be worry. Ali and his family treated Marina with respect, they bought a big house for her and she was allowed to live in the house instead of Evin prison. Marina started to fall for Ali and she was pregnant. Marina’s life sentence in prison reduced to 3 years because of Ali’s help. A few month later, Ali was killed by assassin and Marina also lost her child in the womb in the same incident. She went back in Evin prison to serve the rest of her sentence but Ali father had then came to help in her case. Finally, after two years, two months, and twelve days in prison, she was released in March 26, 1984.

 

My Response…

I respect and understand her decision about marrying Ali to save herself, her family, and her friends. She seems didn’t have any other choices to choose. Even this was the only choice she had, it was a good one. If I find myself in the same situation with her I will probably choose the same way she did. When I read to the part when Ali was killed and also she lost her baby at the same time, she must felt terrible. I could not imagine how horrible she had been through. It’s a very sad life story.

Writing/Reading Progress

Before coming to the U.S. to study, every international student is required to have an English test to check the skill level of communication. In my case it was TOFEL. I did quite okay in the exam on listening and speaking part but when it comes to writing and reading, especially writing, my brain was immediately shut down. I felt nervous, anxious, and my heart started to beat real fast. My hands started to sweat like crazy. An hour later, I was still sitting there with an empty page, nothing on my paper. I could not write anything and I hated to look at my results. Writing had always been my fear in academic study especially written exams. I have never been successful with it. Now it is a different story, my attitude toward writing and reading are very different.

I have been attending a class called Academic Reading and Composition (ESL 3202) with Professor Megan Rodriguez 3 times a week since the beginning of September, 2014 at the University of Minnesota. Professor Megan Rodriguez has taught me about processes of writing. It helps me organize my thoughts and construct my essay paper fasters. That makes writing easier for me. Many types of patterns of writing that I learned helps me to practice about critical reading. As the Professor Megan Rodriguez helps us to practice on reading essays and try to find what types of writing and what pattern that the Author uses in their essays. This types of critical reading that I have never learned before in the past and now makes my reading become more interesting. It make me think more about what I read rather than just reading the words. When I submit my homework, Professor Megan Rodriguez gives me feedback about my writing. She gives me directions to improve my writing such as grammar errors or how to use some nouns and verbs correctly. One feedback I have gotten from Professor Megan Rodriguez was the strength I have in my writing when I write about my personal experiences. These strengths I did not realize I had. I think about whenever I write anything about myself, sometimes it hard for me to stop writing, words are just pouring out of my head. I am so proud of myself that I can finally write something. I am feeling very good!

Today I am still nervous when I have to write something but those feelings are much less. The time that I need to write something has reduced to half. I still need to improve grammar and sentences structure. So far, just 2 months I have attended ESL 3202 class with Professor Megan Rodriguez, I can write much faster. I can finish my homework quicker. I am enjoy having ESL 3202 with Professor Megan Rodriguez and I am enjoying my study at the University of Minnesota.