An after-class reflection

Throughout the whole semester, I have written more than 18 essays for my ENG 101 class’s blog. Wow, I never imagined myself accomplish that much before. At my home university in Cambodia, I only had to write around 5 essays at most for my writing class. It is surprising that I can survive this semester. Looking back, I have exposed to a variety of writing topics, the one that I have never thought of before, and learnt a lot from those writing in term of writing process.

Most of our blog entries were narrative or reflective work. Each topic had its own theme and focus. Writing for those blog entries might have been a daunting task for me, but at the same time they encouraged me to think a lot especially about my past experience. They are like a memory tools, stimulating your brain to work, to think, and eventually some memories flashed back, the memories from childhood, high school, etc. For example, the assignment to produce a reflection on the article “Shame” leaded me to think of my experience at school. While trying to think what to write about, the image of my first day at school just popped in my mind. In fact, I almost forgot what happened, but this writing prompt helped me to get my memory back.

In fact, each topic prompted me to think, to invent. Because of the time limited to write, I did not have enough time to think much about what I was going to write. So I just made an outline in my mind, thought of what was the main idea and then started writing immediately. This is all against what I have been taught in school. Of course, we are taught that as part of the writing process, writer should spend some time produce a list, a map, a cluster of their ideas. But with this class, I only had 50 minutes to write maybe a 750-word paper. Given to the fact that English is not my native language, I just cannot devote some time jotting down ideas as I have always been taught. Nonetheless, brainstorm the ideas in my mind does work though I might forget occasionally.

After completing each entry, which was not yet to be posted, I browsed quickly to check if all my paragraphs were consistent, had topic sentence, match the thesis statement, so on and so forth. I checked if I needed any more details somewhere, or if there were digressions that I needed to cross out. My revising strategy was to find the topic sentence of each paragraph and see if each of them grouped together would complete the message in the thesis statement. Again, due to limited time, I did not read everything all over again and again like I did with other papers. I did all this revising stage very quickly. So the revision could only be limited to check the development and organization of ideas. I did not have time to check my grammar or word uses. But not having time to check on grammar or word uses were not a huge problem to me because even though I might have made some mistakes, that did not hinder my reader’s comprehension of my essay, at least this is what I think.

At first, I did not really like this class. I even thought of dropping it. But my friend convinced me not to because she knew that we could learn something from that class. Now I am glad that I did not do it; otherwise, I would have missed an opportunity to learn more about writing. My perspective on writing has changed now. At first, I do not appreciate it at all; in fact, I view it as a torturing activity especially when I had no idea what I should write about. Now, because I have been forced to write, my writing proficiency is improving and I can write pretty fast. Eventually, I view writing as a time when I decipher my ideas and thoughts into written words. I even keep my own journal of my life in America. I mean I have kept diary before but I was in my own language, now that I can write in English pretty well, I have switched to English.

Now that it is the end of the semester, I can see that my overall improvement in writing skills is quite impressive, I can write better and in a limited allocated time. This is partly because I have done it for ENG 101’s blog entry. It has taught me a different way of writing strategies from what I used to, and given me another view what writing is about.

My plans for the upcoming winter break

Final exams are approaching in less than three weeks. Everybody is working hard. Scary as it might sound, but the prospect of the long nice break after that is really worth fighting for. In less than three week, I will have my first winter break in the United States. Since I will only stay in the States till May, I want to make use of this break to its fullest potential and get as much as possible. In fact, there are many plans that I am looking forwards to do, right after the finals.

Right after my last exam on Thursday, I will dine out with my friends. Actually, their finals are not over until Friday, but because some of them, the exchange students, will leave the States on Saturday, we decide to make use of our last time together as well, even if it means to take our time from reviewing for the class. It is going to be their last days and their program is over, so they just say “whatever”. However, the party is not over yet on Thursday, we have another one on Friday and it is not going to be over until the next morning. Every international student from France, Finland, Mexico, Germany, Mongolia, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Taiwan, those we have met is going to be there. How exciting!


I will spend the rest of my break with my best friend in. She is a medical student at college over there. We have known each other for more than 5 years already and the last time I met her was just before I came to Evansville this fall. Though it has just been like four months but I miss her already. So the prospect of spending my entire break with her is thrilling, I cannot wait to talk to her again. We also have plans to visit different places in Boston and the surrounding cities. Especially, we are going to countdown for the arriving of 2010 in New York City! I heard that it would be crazy out there, but I do not care because it would be the highlight of my stay here in the States. We will also go to some museums It has always been my dream to see the famous New York City. However, at some point, I am scared of the madness here as well and the thing is that I am quite small compared to the average American people. There are some interesting museums in New York, especially the Imperial Palace. So
those places are sure on my travel agenda as well. Another two closed friends are also joining us later. So this meeting will even lighten all of us up.

Probably, I am also seeing my relatives in the course of this winter. They are living in Washington D.C and it seems like years since I last saw them. If I do have chance to go there, I hope to visit various places of interest in this well-known city. However, I am still not sure about the plan because I will still go there again next March for my program workshop. So I think I can put it off until March and take time going to other places instead.

Having come from a tropical hot country, I am also looking forward to see snowfall. It would be the first time in my life to see snow and I am just super excited about it. Probably, skiing is a good idea as I have obviously never done that before. I have yet to find out where I can do the sports. But if it is too costly, I would need a second thought on the plan.


My flight back arrives in St. Louis several days before spring semester starts, so chances are I might spend few days traveling and visiting places there. Though it wouldn’t be my first time in that city, there are still many more places I have not got the opportunities to see yet. Nevertheless, I am all by myself. Hence, I am not really sure if I can do it or not. I still need to get information beforehand or I will get lost in the city.

In a nutshell, I am looking forward to enjoy winter break after few months of studying. There are some plans which I am sure of, and there are others which I still have to think about it. Nevertheless, just the prospect of the vacation alone leaves me with excitement. No doubt that I will have the best winter break ever.

Preparations for the final weeks of fall semester

Probably, the last 2 or 3 weeks at the end of the semester are both stressful and exciting moment in any college, stressful in that students are preparing for exams while the thought of the long holiday after that makes make them excited. Like no other, I am feeling the same combination of stress and excitement. No matter what, to be a successful student, one needs to be well-prepared. Now that the semester is nearly finished, there are some major assignments and some reviews to be done before I really can enjoy the after “end-of-the-semester chaos” moment.


Of course, there is a final portfolio for this ENG 101 class waited to be finished. There is not very much work to do, but I need to fill in more words and ideas to fulfill the word requirement for each blog posts as well as there are some mechanical problems I need to take care of before finally submit the final portfolio for evaluation. I plan to put up some pictures and make it more interesting. Moreover, I missed 2 blog posts, so I have to fill them in as well. I think it is not a really difficult task but I have to be careful and put effort in refining it as well.

Class presentation and research project assignment for ENG 490 class is one of my major concerns this semester. Just the fact that it accounts for 50% of my final grade already makes me nervous, not to mention the course’s demand for student’s critical and analytical thinking in the final exam. But no matter how hard it is, it is my favourite class; thus, I want to end it with glory. So I am now working hard on it, trying to grasp all the ideas and theories discussed in class and in students’ blogs. Hopefully, I am on the right track.

Now come to class that is outside my current major, ANTH 262. Preparation for this class exam requires lots of reading reviews and as part of my plan I am going to do it very soon. What is hard for me is to write a 6-page paper analyzing archaeological sites. It is a little bit challenging for me because some of the readings are not really technical and complex in its nature. I am working on it now; luckily there is no presentation accompanied the project, if not I would be in a very tight schedule.

Introduction to International Studies is probably my easiest class because there is not much workload and the level of difficulty is fine for me. Of course, given to the nature of this class with lots presentation of fact and information, there are a vast amount of information I need to study and remember in order to do well in the exam. Since it is not so difficult, this presents little challenge for me, fortunately. However, what I really need to work on is the upcoming class debate. It is difficult due to the fact that I am not a native speaker of the language itself, and I am not really good at debating, that is presenting with viewpoints, arguments, and examples, such and such. It is not talent. Still, I have to do it well. So what I am doing now is to be well-prepared for that debate by reading and planning my speech/argument.

After all the assignments and presentations finished, it is time to think about exam preparation. Fortunately, I only have to take two exams so the workload would not be that bad, hopefully. Actually, I think those exams will not be very difficult if I read and prepare well. They are not memory-based question and consist merely of multiple choice questions. Compared to the dreadful exams back home, I feel better here.

A tiring semester must be ended with a happy cherish moment. But how can I get that? I think I have to try my best in the exam, so that I will be able enjoy the last moment without fear of failing. Moreover, we the international students are going to have a farewell party for those who are leaving home after the fall semester. It is sad to say goodbye but it is a must to party. It is exactly how I hope my first semester at USI as well as in the States ends. But like it is generally well said “no pain, no gain”, to have fun I have to sacrifice my energy, trying to work hard for all the classes.

My friends in America

The definition of friend varies from context to context, country to country. In my country, friend is someone who is closed to me, who spend lots of time with me, who accompany me everywhere, and vice versa. In American context, however, anyone can be called friend. The American is quite easy in making friendship, but the relationship between the acquaintances is not closed. Having been told about this upon my arrival, I was little bit scared, scared that I would be lonely because I usually had friends beside me in my country while I totally by myself here. In fact, I think I am very lucky to have formed friendship with three wonderful girls, a Mongolian, a Mexican and an American, 2 of which are my suite-mates. There are several activities that we do together every day and week.

On normal weekdays, all of us would plan our mealtime together. Though we cannot always group together, the four of us, because of different class schedule, none of us ever eat lunch or dinner alone. It is funny that right after lunch, one would ask “So when is dinner?” Then another would joke that “How come? We just finish lunch, now you already think about dinner?”

Similarly, we do our self-study together even if we are not doing the same classes. After lunch, some of us would go to the library and do homework together until the appointed mealtime in the evening. Given to our talkative nature, we always try to find a study room so as not to bother other students, or rather so that we can talk. After dinner, we would go back to our dorm, chat a little bit, and start doing our homework again. The girl who lives across the hall would bring all her study material to our common room and then study time begins. It is good to study together like this, but sometimes we find ourselves talking more than studying. Nevertheless, we can be very serious in our study when any of us has test or quiz the next day.

In addition, we have what we called “addiction time” some time during our study time in the evening. It is done when we want to take a break from our study. Each of us has our own favourite snack, 2 of us like cigarettes, the American girl like peanut butter, and I like coke. They are our addictions, but we do not have them in our common room because the two girls have to smoke outside. So we have our regular place which we called “the smoker’s club” because it is where all smokers in our dorm spend time with their cigarettes. Once in a while, I call it “creeper’s club” for their lots of creepy people hanging out there.

Furthermore, when all of us are free from study, usually at the weekend, we have our family time. We call it “family time” because we view our group as a family rather than just normal friend. This is when we, the family members, spend time hanging out in our common room, chatting. Other international friends who know us say we are one of the most talkative people they have ever met. Yes, they are right. We can talk for hours on endless time. But there are also times when we just group together and have “Ramen noodle party”. Occasionally, one of us would try to find a good movie from the library to watch together for our family time.

Last but not least, we like to go off campus at the weekend. Almost every weekend, we are invited to join some parties of other international students from Saudi Arabia or Europe. We talk, play games, and dance in those parties. One of my friends from Mexico would demonstrate her dancing talent from Latin America. She dances beautifully. If we do not go to any party, we like to go the movies in a stadium near campus or eat out in a Mexican or Japanese restaurant somewhere in Evansville.

People who know us comment on our strong bond of friendship in spite of our differences in nationalities and cultures. We are also proud of this bond. Sadly, two of us will have to go back home after this fall semester. It is sad but that’s life. At least, in the time being, we are trying our best to enjoy each other companion as much as possible.

What will I do in the future?

I am a planning type of person. I make plan for everything, from my daily activities to my annual goals. Facebook application “What will you be in the next 5 years” said I’d be just doing the same thing, isn’t it funny? But in fact I already have plan for myself. If according to what I have planned, in the next five year, I will be finishing my graduate study somewhere outside Cambodia, either in the United States, Australia, or somewhere in Europe.

By 2014, I hope to get a scholarship, preferably Fulbright Scholarship, for a graduate school. In fact, there are lots of scholarships available for students in Cambodia. Though competitive it might be, I believe I stand the chance, given to my academic performance and qualifications. I prefer Fulbright Scholarship because it is the most prestigious scholarship in my country, in probably in many other countries. Also, I want it because I want to come back to the United States again. Moreover, I will be graduating with a master degree in International Development. I choose this subject area because I hope to help develop my community, society and country. It is important that my country has human resource in development, so that she can rebuild and bring up herself to the international stage. Definitely, I am aspired to be part of it. Indeed, I was inspired by a professor of mine in my home university. He encouraged me to pursue my pursuit in life, that is to work to help others.

Then come to a question: what will I be after graduate school? What will I do in the next 10 years from now? Indeed, I will be working as a community developer, occasionally trekking somewhere in rural communities in my country. I hope to work in any international agency such as the United Nations Development Fund (UNDP), World Bank or United States Agency for International Development (USAID). I will be involving in large-scale operation across the country. I will have project of my own working in the field of education, to make education accessible to those living far from populated areas. I will be able to apply all the knowledge I learn from schools to my working field. I want to do it because I believe that it fits my personality. I like to travel, see different people and help others. At the same time, I do not want to spend most of my time away from my family. So I just want short-term missions outside my place.

A job in any of these agencies is financially benefited. What I mean is those who work for them cannot expect to be rich or receive huge sum of wages. Nevertheless, they do make a high standard living, at least in Cambodian society. Thus, finance will not be an issue for me if I am able to get a job from any of those organizations. I do not have the ambition to among the high-class people with lots of money and luxurious lifestyle, what I want is just a job that makes me satisfied and proud of myself. Plus, I want to travel to places where people not normally go. Thus, community developer sounds like a good job.

Actually, I have formed my own philosophy of good life. For me, a life that worth living is the one that involves outsiders of our family being happy along way with us. It might sound like a missionary work, trying to help other reach god, but in my case I want to help other reach the standard of living that the majority of people in my society consider as good and healthy. I have been raised in a middle-class family; however, in my country I have witnessed a lot of misfortunes happening to people in my society. I feel that as a patriot I should help them to reach the level I am now as well, to help them live like human as others.

A plan that is not yet active is still a plan. Now that I have a definite plan, I am trying to implement it into action. I am trying to build my qualifications as many as possible. As a result, in the next 5 years, I will be graduating with my desired area of expertise, and in the next 10 years, I will be somewhere in the working world trying to transform theories into fieldwork.

Changes I have made in my studying habits

Compared to my home university, professors here at USI give lots of workloads to student; as a result, I have to stay up late every night to complete the tasks, most of which are due on the next day because I am a procrastinating-type of person. Every week, I have around a hundred pages of reading and at least two written essays. Moreover, I have to spend at least 5 hours a week tutoring at the Writing Center as part of my ENG 490 class’s fulfillment. I have never ever given this much workloads before, never before I came to USI. To comply with the changes of school work, I attended the Academic Skill’s Success Series Workshop to get some useful study tips. Eventually, I have devised my own plan of study strategies.

First, I start to use daily planner. Back home, it never occurred to me that daily planner was a useful tool to keep track of our study habits since I did not have lots of stuffs to record. At that time, I was so disorganized. I felt that I spent each of my days with no realistic goals and tasks. I rarely planned what tasks to be achieved that day. That was partly because I did not have lots homework back then, so I spent most of my outside-class time doing other stuffs like reading books, not textbooks, watching tv show, or listening to music. But here, I have to be very cautious with what I am doing; otherwise I would end up staying up late completing my homework, sometimes until 2 or 3 in the morning. Usually, my daily plan list exceeds the available space, so I have to stick in extra sheet. There are just too many things to do in a day. Thus, it is necessary that I use the daily planner to record my daily school work; otherwise, I would get side-track for sure.

In addition, in every class, I have to be very cautious and focused. Part of the reason is because English is not my first language and professors do talk fast since they are native speakers. Oftentimes, I find myself missing some information from the lectures no matter how attentive I am. In one particular class, which is mainly lectured-typed, which I am not so much used to, I always need to have coffee by my side during the whole class or I will pass out. Actually, the class is interesting but still do not know why I cannot stay awake in that class. When I was at my school in Cambodia, I did not usually pay that much attention; still I could do well in class. But it is not the case here at USI.

Furthermore, here I am pressured to read before class. I feel like I have to be well prepared before class if I want to succeed at USI. It is not the same in Cambodia. Then, though I did not usually do class reading, I was still be able to keep up with what my instructor was saying. Here if I just miss even one class reading, I feel like I am in the middle of nowhere, do not understand, at least to some extent, to topic being lectured or discussed in class.

Another similar change I have made to adapt student life here is writing. In some classes, I have to write a lot and only in limited time. Thus, I have to think and writer faster and much more than ever. I feel like a writing machine sometimes though. Writing is particularly difficult for ESL student like me. Usually, I cannot find the right words to express my ideas or that I could complete the number of essay requirement in the limited time because I could not write fast enough. In contrast, I can write up to 2 or 3 pages in just an hour if it is in my native language. Nevertheless, my writing is getting better and faster now, thanks to all the school work I have been given in class.

In a nutshell, after almost 3 months of studying at USI, I can see that my studying habit has changed tremendously. It is more organized and effective. I will bring this habit back home so as to better improve my study.

My future career path

Having grown up in a developing country like Cambodia, I cannot always choose any type of career like people here in America. In our country, there are certain needs for some types of skills and specialists that would help develop the country such as doctors, teachers, bankers, economists, engineers…, etc. Career in astronomy, for example, is out of the spot. Thus, my choice of future career is somehow shaped by social demand as well. Nevertheless, I love what I am doing in college; that is getting a degree in Teaching English, but my career choice extend beyond more that as an English teacher.

Few forces have driven me to my present major—TESOL. In Cambodia, especially in the city, it is important to learn English. Not that because it is part of the school curriculum but because the language would help in any future career one is pursuing. Understanding this, my mother always pushed me to learn the language since middle school, when I was quite a lazy student back then. However, my interest in the language started to form up when I was finally able to read books and listen to music in English. I would say my curiosity in learning about western cultures through books and music also partly inspired me to love English. I was fortunate enough to secure a scholarship at college that was well-known for its English teaching. That college was full of great professors whose English were fluent. Having them as my instructors, I aspired to be like them one day. It was not until then that I decided that I wanted to be an English professor so as to inspire others to love the language as I do.

Love as I may, Teaching English is not the type of work I want to do for the rest of my professional career. There is more I want to contribute to my country other than teaching English. Indeed, I love to work with rural poor communities in my country. I am aspired to help lift them out of poverty. That is why I also hope to work in the field of community development. It may sound unlikely that a student in Teaching English as a Foreign Languages like me would choose a career path in development. However, I believe that a community developer definitely needs the skills which, to some extent, relate to teaching because development’s worker needs to conduct training, research, evaluation…, etc. Plus, by working in the field of development, I hope to promote awareness of the importance of education as a powerful weapon in fighting against poverty in rural villages, where a large proportion of school-aged children do not have access to primary or secondary education.

Nonetheless, I know that I need more specialties other than English Education to make my career pursuit realistic. Hence, I plan to pursue in graduate school in a field of international development. It might be hard for an English major student to change her study course to development. But I am building my background in this field right now. I am now in an exchange program in the United States to learn more about American community; I am taking course in International Studies in addition to the ones in English major; in the upcoming spring semester, I am going to take class in communication as I believe it would help me when I directly work with the community.

People who have heard me talking about my professional plan might have thought that it is unrealistic because I am doing two things at a time—teaching English and working in community development. In fact, it is common in my country to do this especially when one of your works is teaching English. Once I complete my graduate study in development, I will work for an organization, hopefully the United Nation Development Program, in helping rebuilding Cambodia. I want to initiate program that benefit the poor, that help them rebuilding their lives. Additionally, I would also work as a part-time English professor like my instructors who have inspired me.

My Passion in Community Service

“I believe that a better and more peaceful world is not too far ahead of us, if each and every one of us stand up and fight for it. I also believe that we are like snowflakes, unique, and thus have a special gift that we can offer to our community, society, and country.” These are words of my favourite teacher. They are short and simple, yet they have a profound effect on me. Since then, I started to have interest in community service; that is to volunteer in helping the community. My passion is to help, in whatever might I have, rebuild communities and work to encourage other youth to follow suit. In fact, there were two organizations that I were involved with when I was still in Cambodia.


The first one, the Initiatives of Change Association, is an organization that helps to rebuild poor communities and to promote peace in the region. I participate in its monthly “Food Program” in which many youth volunteer to cook food for the poor. I also helped organize youth camping programs for the organization as well. Moreover, at the weekends or on holidays, I would meet with other friends to work on various existing projects in addition to our bi-weekly follow-up meeting at the organization. We try to exchange ideas on how to further improve our existing projects and what else we can do to help our community.

Furthermore, I see education as a tool to ignite personal growth and can be attained beyond classroom activities. Thus I spend lots of time working with some of my friends to initiate project to help promote education. The group is our own independent group, just a group of around 15 students who strive to help Cambodian society. Because of small number of people volunteer, each and every one of us has to sacrifice lots of our time when project is coming. So far, we had done with 3 projects in a period of 18 months. We collected books and distribute to children in a poor community; we brought around 50 teenagers to volunteer in a local orphanage organization; we initiated a workshop that aimed to provide high school graduate with necessary information about college and scholarship.

Actually, the two afore-mentioned organizations, though on voluntarily basis, has given me more than I have given them. Not only do they teach me many good skills such as communication, leadership, advocacy, but also guide me to form my own value of life. Also, it is because of these two amazing places that I have chances to experience many things and meet many wonderful people, from whom I find something special, from time to time. Without these experiences, I believe I would not be what I am today, a person with goals in life, a person, to some extent, has success in life.

Because of this passion, I have to sacrifice lots of my time, even when I was in college in Cambodia. The work, though voluntarily, involved a lot of meetings and commitment. On some weekends, my friends and I met from 8 in the morning until 8 at night to discuss and work on our projects. Nevertheless, it was the passion that was worth sacrificing for. It enriched my personal growth. It gave me challenges that strengthen my spirit to work harder and fight for what I believed the right thing to do. Now that I am studying in the States, I have to leave my team members in Cambodia. I heard they are doing very fine; nevertheless, I somehow miss doing that kind of work, though I receive no payment from it.

Looking back to all those time, I really appreciate everything the Initiatives of Change and own volunteer team has given me. They have changed me to be a better person, a person who cares for others. Now that I am away from those places I feel that I start to miss people over there already. I am definitely going to work with them once I get back to Cambodia.

Siem Reap: where to go and what to do?

Siem Reap, a city about 300km north of Phnom Penh, is the most popular tourist destination of Cambodia. The city is home to various local and world heritages. Each year, millions of tourists flood to this city to capture the sight of this more-than-a thousand-year-old Angkor city as well as today modern Siem Reap town.

Angkor was once the capital city of Khmer Empire in which civilization of Southeast Asia flourished. Tourists who bear interest in learning about ancient culture, tradition and architecture of Cambodia can visit many of the hundreds of archaeological sites. However, Angkor Wat and Bayon are a must if one happens to go to Siem Reap. Angkor Wat is the world heritage site with its construction dated back to the 12th century. Angkor Wat also has her own image in Cambodia's national flag. Bayon, a younger temple by few hundred years, is a center of wall-inscriptions about life during that era. Bayon Temple is also famous for her 54 Brahman-faced towers, which resembled the 54 territories of Khmer Empire at that time. Besides, tourists can also go to many other ancient temples such as Banteay Srey, Preah Khan, Ta Phrom, etc, each has her own uniqueness and beauty.

There is no exhaust of entertainment once the sun goes down. In the city, you can taste many types of cuisine, exotic, Asian, or western meals from our selections of hundred restaurants in the city. Moreover, clubbing is also a popular activity amongst tourists. Visitors can also just relax and enjoy drink from bars as well. A wide selection of alcohol is available and there is no age restriction, so even if you are under 21, you can also enjoy. Various shows that depict the culture and tradition of Angkor Empire are available in almost every major hotel and theatre. Tourists can enjoy dance performances, comedy shows, soap opera, etc.

If you are just tired of sightseeing and want to bring back some memories, shopping at Siem Reap night market is the best. There are lots of local hand-made products such as bags, clothes, jewelry, scarves, and many others. Tourists can also order sculpture made from wood, stone, or metal. In short, whatever you want, Siem Reap can provide you.

My favourite TV show from childhood

When I was a kid, I loved to watch television. There are many shows designed especially for kids only so as to deprive them from inappropriate “adult-show” as my mum put it. One of the TV shows that I particularly liked as a young child was “Smart Kid”. The show last around 60 minutes was divided into two sessions. In the first session, which lasted around 30 to 40 minutes, various cartoons were broadcasted. The show then proceeded to talk discuss about that cartoon in the second session. The aim of the show was to educate young children by using various model characters from the cartoons. True to its aim, there were three important lessons that I got from this TV show, each was main theme from different Disney movies.

First, I learnt from that show was to be positive which I learnt when watching A Little Princess. In fact, it was not a cartoon, yet it was one of my most favourite movies that broadcasted in that show. In whatever circumstance, Sara, the little girl, remained positive all the time, even when she was left alone, cold, hungry, etc. She was positive when she transformed from being a “princess” to a maid of that boarding school. After the movie finished, in the second session the host said such a good kid like Sara rarely existed in this world, but you kids could be the “real Sara”. Till now I don’t think I can be like her, but at least I try to remain positive as much as possible.

Also from the story “A Little Princess”, I learnt to be obedient, at least to some extent, from watching “A little Princess”. At first, I as a kid thought to myself that there was no such thing as obedience. Then, I was a stubborn little 10-year-old girl who just liked to go against her mum’s will. This movie taught me that if we were obedient, eventually there would be good thing happen to us and the devil would go away. Like the character Sarah, she obeyed the mistress of that boarding school, no matter how bad she was treated after the mistress found out about her father’s bankruptcy. As a result, other kids loved her and took her side. At the same time, we could be too obedient or people would try to get advantages from us, just like Cinderella. So we needed to learn when to be or not to be obedient.

In addition, I loved the adventurous spirit of Alice in Alice of Wonderland. When I was watching that movie, I told myself that I would be brave as her. I would try to be away from my mother some time and take the adventure. I remembered the host of the show saying it that Alice’s brave nature helped her scare the queen card. So when we were brave, the evil would be scared off. As a result, I tried to be as brave and adventurous as Alice, but there was time when my adventurous spirit was too strong that I ended up getting lost from my way back home from school. I am now happy because at some moment I think that I am now like Alice, living in this adventurous land of America.


This show was rated as one of the best in my country. It was good because it taught its young viewers many things. One might not realize that until he/she grow up and think by him/herself, just like me. After every cartoon show, there were always discussions about the good and bad things from each important character. Back then, I did not pay attention much to that after cartoon show but my mom always got me to watch it. Looking at myself now, I know that the show has shaped me as a strong individual in my community.

1. Description
As soon as I opened the door to the apartment, I knew that my roommate had played party host all weekend long. The first thing I noticed was the smell of cigarette and beer. At the right hand side of the door, empty bottles were lying everywhere, under the couch, on the couch, under the table and on the table. Food was also spilled over the couch, leaving some stains. The beer pong table was still there, with empty and half-empty glasses on top. It was even more obvious when I saw my roommate lying on the floor next to the bathroom’s door. No doubt that it has been a crazy weekend party.

2. Narration
When it was all said and done, I was just glad to call it a day. Since early in the morning, I barely had time to eat or sleep. The wedding ceremony started at around 7 in the morning. I had to run back and forth to host guest as if I was the bride myself. My mother would occasionally call me in to help taking care the bride, since she herself was also tired with all these traditional rituals. Evening came, I was even busier. For there was not many people to help with the reception, I had to run errands, talk with the cook, and the list was endless. At that time, I just wished this wedding party was over. I did not have the energy to celebrate my brother’s big day; all I could think of was the warm bath and soft bed that were waiting for me back home.

3. Illustration
There are many ways that the university bookstore takes advantage of students. First and foremost, the books are so expensive, somewhat more expensive that purchasing them elsewhere. The same thing happens with used books. With Amazon, students can purchase the same used books at a much lower price than that at our school bookstore. Not only does the bookstore take advantage of student with books but also other stuffs ranging from sweater to a bottle of coke. The price is just unreasonable. For example, a bottle of around 500mL coke costs around $1 while one can buy a big 2L from Wal-Mart at around $ 1.5 only.

4. Narration
My roommate has a very peculiar morning ritual. She wakes up very early in the morning. Then she would say some prayer in a very strange language I can’t detect. Her prayer ends with three bows, which she touches her head with the floor. After that, she would drink a cup of milk.

Starting college

Starting college in America is a no easy task, everyone says. There are courses and books prepared just to help student successfully adapted to the new way of life in college. Many people believe that college in just another place to study and get a degree. There is no significant difference from high school and college life. I always wondered if it was true, and I did not get the answer until I have the chance to study at USI that I know starting college is tiring and stressful. However, it is a rewarding experience ever that has a big impact on my academic and personal life. I know I will never be the same person eight week ago again.

At the start of the semester, I was an unconfident and stressful person. Given to my worrywart nature, I was always complaining about the demands and challenges in each and every class. With my friends, I was a talkative person, but I was a totally different person in class. I would sit at the farthest row from the professor, afraid that s/he might notice and ask me questions. This is probably due to the linguistic and cultural barriers I am confronting in American classroom. Nevertheless, thing started to go on smoothly by the start of the third week. I got high grade in almost every test and assignment. My confidence has built up. I am, at least, less afraid in speaking in class. My command of English is gradually improving. I can now understand the difference between American and Cambodian college system, making it easier for me to adjust to college life here.

Furthermore, my attitude toward writing has also changed. First, I viewed writing as a haunting task. I did not like writing at all. In my high school classroom, we were rarely given written assignment. Thus, it was a huge change when I am assigned with at least 2 writing tasks a week. The experience was especially unpleasant with my ENG 490 class. I had to read and analyze tutoring theories practiced in the writing center. They were all the pain in the neck. Gradually, I started to appreciate those written assignment. I noticed that I was able to write faster, but with more accuracy. Moreover, I could effectively blend my reading and experience in real life into my writing, or at least that what my professor told me. Recently, I got a full 100% for my paper which made me extremely delighted. The achievement I have had in that class motivates me to write. Now I’m beginning to like writing. I view it as another way to express my opinion in addition to talking.

Still, there is a long way to go for this semester. I firmly believe that by the end of Fall semester, I would be a different student, a student who believes in the positive transformation college made in students, a person who appreciates the joy of acquiring new experience in college.

"Cash Flow"

When I was in Cambodia, I was totally dependent on my family to support my study and living. It is not our culture to leave home, unless our college is too far to get to. However, usually, teenagers are financially dependent on their parents until they are employed after graduates. I find it totally different from students here in the United States. They are financially independent, at least to some extent. Because I am at USI on a scholarship exchange program sponsored by the US Department of States, my life style hasn’t changed much with the financial matters.

I am here on a J-1 visa, thus I am not allowed to do any paid-job. Yet, I have to study hard to ensure my monthly allowance. I also have to write Bi-weekly report, answer monitoring phone call so on and so forth. I also have to volunteer with the community at least 10 hours for Fall semester. Literally, I am required to do it, but I am more than happy to get involved with Evansville community as I regularly did volunteer work back home. Plus, it is good for me to contribute something to American society since they have already given a lot to my country.

Also, I have all my meal plans and munch money for everyday meals and other necessity in campus. So there is not much stuffs I have to get with my pocket money from my program.

Nevertheless, I am still cautious with the budget when shopping off campus. In my country, goods are cheap; in contrast, almost everything is expensive. In Cambodia, I usually went out to eat or shop with my friends twice a week. For I am totally by myself here, I need to be exceptionally thrifty especially with eating out and buying stuffs. Goods at Wal-Mart are cheap, but in my country they are even cheaper. Still, no matter how economical I try with my budget, my cash still flows easily like river.

Also, there are some other times which I have to spend money. I am the socialized-type of person, spending my free time dining out with friends or going to the movies. During break like Thanksgiving or other long breaks, I would go out of Evansville to visit other cities. It would the time when I spend the most money. Last time in Chicago, I spent almost 30o dollars just for 4 days. The sum might not be that much for American, but for a student like me, it is definitely a huge sum. In the near future, that is for Winter break, I am going to spend like 3 weeks in Boston and New York and I am sure that I will spend a lot of money on that as well. If I am not careful, I bet that I will be in a huge financial trouble.

My study at USI is financially supported, so does my living. My allowance is not that much, but just enough for me if I am cautious with my budget. Hence, my lifestyle does not change much before coming to USI because I was also financially dependent on my family. The difference is that I have to be careful enough not to let my socializing activities cost too much that I would end up do not have enough money to spend on everyday living.

Behaviors that get on my nerve

Having spent some time living in America, there are aspects which I like and others I do not really like. The ones that I do not really like range from that during my interaction with people from other culture to the living habits of the Americans.

In Cambodia, girl and boy are not to suppose to touch one another. Even couples can show their affection toward one another in public only at some level, at certain time, and in certain places only. The sight of people hugging, needless to say kissing, is rare in public places in Cambodia. It is just our culture not to show physical affection in public. People who do it to me just get on my nerve sometimes.

Living in the Global Community Floor at Ruston Hall allows me to come into contact with people from many culture. There is one particular boy who is from Central America which is especially “touchy”. Whenever he meets other people, he would stretch his hand and say “Come on, give me a hug”. And the way that boy hug is also different from others. His way is particularly closed and more like a couple hugging rather than simple acquaintances, I think. To my relief, he does not treat me with his “touchy” habits like others, at least not until I talked about it in our global community class.

Another physical contact that get me frustrate here is when people do that Latino dance to me. Dance looks horrible. People would just move their hip in a sexy way, at least they consider it sexy and hot. But to me, as a Cambodian girl, I feel offended. I am open and respectful of other culture, but I just do not like people doing that to me. Whenever people try to dance like that with me, I would just politely tell me that Asian girls don’t do that. Usually, they understand and respect me.

Another behavior that I do not like to see is kissing in the public. Well, it is not something that I get frustrated about because I know that people from other countries love that. But I just do not like to see it; it is just uncomfortable for me. There are lots of times when I walk from my dorm to USI and have to ignore couples displaying their love. In my country, couples would never do like that because it is strongly frowned upon.

I also have problems with other behaviors that do not necessarily related to me directly. Probably, one of the most annoying of all is American overconsumption habit. I notice people take shower more than they should. Moreover, they use it too carelessly. The same goes with food. What I mean is that some students at the Loft take a lot of food and they do not finish it all. And this troubles me a lot because as someone from developing country though not poor myself, I have seen a lot of people who do not have enough food to eat or water to drink. But here people just live like the world has everything to support them. No doubt that people say “if others live just like the Americans, even two more planet earth would not be able to support the world.”

I know that this type of people mean no harm or offense to me, but I just can’t help getting frustrated when seeing them doing or acting like that. They should have known that there are others who are from a totally different culture, and that people might not show any physical affection in public, or that they should have been more conservative in the way they consume resource. However, living in American multicultural society, I guess I need to adjust myself more to fit in.

Some Tips for Freshman

College is something that many high school graduates are excited about. They dream of an independent living, away from the watchful eyes of their parents. They dream of the day when they will no longer be forced to study thing they don’t want to. However, things just do not go smoothly as they have thought. Some college students get side-track with the overwhelming change of college life. Thus, as someone of has also experienced the transition from high school to college life, there are some important aspects of college life that I hope to mention about.

Of course, first and foremost is taking class. Many students want to rush in grabbing more credits than they can afford, so that they can finish off faster than normal student. 5 classes a week might be fine, but it would be too overwhelming for some students who cannot adjust themselves to class workloads in time. Hence, I would suggest not rushing in grabbing everything you can get. 4 classes sound perfect. Sure, you want your first experience of college life a happy one, so why not just relax a bit and enjoy.

Some students have to be away from their long-term friends to get to college. They would feel lonely and isolated if they don’t make any new friends soon enough. If it is the case, it might be because you don’t give yourselves chance to socialize with others. So try to talk to your classmates in any class, join any campus activity such as student club of your interest, volunteer service, etc, that bring you to interact with others.

Many students complain that they are not in a good relationship with their roommates. “They are too immature, lazy. I don’t like them watching TV late at night”, they might say. In fact, it is unavoidable for human being to have clash with one another, needless to say those who are living together. What you should do is try to be honest and straight with them, should you not like anything they have done. Remember to be polite and open. Maintain a good communication with roommates in order to prevent any misunderstandings between you and them. If possible, spend some time hanging out or doing something together. Probably you would find your roommates nice companions. However, if thing still does not go well, I would say you and your roommates are not made to be with each other, then it is time for you to make a more harsh action: go and talk to your Resident Assistant for help. But bear mind that you are not always right, though you might think you are.

College life should be one of the happiest experiences in anyone’s life. It is when we learn to be independent, adapt to a different way of living, and learn to interact with new people. The transition from high school to college might be overwhelming at first, but with right actions, you will find yourselves having one of the best times in your life.

The Exotic Food of Cambodia

Last weekend, I went to the Fall Festival with other International students of the International Club. I heard lots of people talking about different types of food. Probably, one that arouses the most interest is the so-called “Brain Sandwich”. Just the name of it makes my friends cringe. I just shrugged and said “What is it about brain sandwich?” And so I bought one just to see what it tasted like. My decision to buy that sandwich was met with many kinds of reaction: “You’re gross”, “You’re so brave”, “Are you sure?” Well, what was the big deal about it? It’s not my first time to eat pig’s brain. In fact, many types of food that is considered gross, or not common in the States, make tasty snacks and meal in my homeland, Cambodia.

Cambodian people believe that pig’s brain is particularly healthy for human. We believe that it helps lessen migraine headache and stimulate intellectual development of children. The mother would make her child who has limited intelligent eat pig’s brains for seven consecutive days. In whatever form it takes, I have to admit that the brain tastes incredibly good, I mean the one cooked in Cambodia, not here in America. The brain is wrapped in the pig’s gut, and then steamed for around 2 or 3 hours.

Another typical Cambodian food that might taste weird to the American is frying cricket as well as other types of insect. It is also my favourite snack. Crickets are deeply fried using vegetable oil. It is eaten with a special sauce, made up of pepper, salt, and lemon juice. Just the thought of it makes my mouth water. Similar insects that make mouth-watery deep-fried snack includes deep-fried “a-ping” (tarantulas which we believe to stop breathlessness), fried “kantes-long” (a black beetle), deep-fried “kantea-touk” (a menthol tasting beetle), fried “mea phleang” (winged termites), fried pupas, dried clams, “lies” (freshwater clams), “kchorng” and “kchav” (types of snails). They are found everywhere and available throughout the year. For Cambodian people who know the flavours of those insect, they are mouth-watering, but for foreigners, they might be grimacing with disbelief.

Another exotic animal is snake. People ferment it rice and other fruits to make alcohol. It is believed to additional strong flavor to the drink. People who are sick might also drink that alcohol as medicine. Other than that, snake is roasted and eaten with beer or wine by some men. I have never tasted that before but heard that it is not bad.

Nonetheless, we also have delicacies that foreigners considered “normal” in Cambodia. An ordinary meal would consist of a bowl of hot watery soup which is made of meat and vegetable, a plate of stirred-fried vegetable, and a bowl of rice. There are dozen types of soup in Cambodia. It varies according to the ingredients used, such as meat, vegetable, or special flavours. Cambodia also has an abundant amount of freshwater fish. That is why we eat fish almost in every meal. One rarely finds such food sold here in America except in some major cities where a large population of Cambodian people can be found, for example, Boston and Long Beach.

In a nutshell, if you have chance to travel to Cambodia, don't forget to give a shot of Cambodian typical food. It might not taste delicious for you, but it’s really worth a try. Trying different types of food do not only add new variety to your meal but it also allows you to experience different cultures.

My ambition

“You are very ambitious. If I were you, I wouldn’t do it”, one of my friends told me. It was in January two years ago when I told my friend about my decision to apply for an exchange program to Australia namely “Peace Scholarship”. Given to the limited seats available, that program was very competitive, only the best of the best had the chance. And I was not.

Applying for the Peace Scholarship Program was a long complicated tiring process. First, I had to take the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). I spent like a month to prepare for that English test; however, the result was very low, at least low to my expectation, though it met the program requirement. Filling in the application also took another month to do so. I had to do research so as to write essay that sound more appealing than others. The application form itself was around ten pages long and many of them were essay-format questions.

To others, the application process, but to me it did. Probably because I wanted the scholarship too much that I gave away all my attention to make myself one of the outstanding candidates. I also worked hard in getting that scholarship also because everybody was counting on me. Since I was one of the only 9 students to receive the most outstanding student award of the year, people thought I would definitely get that scholarship. This put even a heavier pressure on me.

Nevertheless, no matter how hard I worked, I was not successful. I felt down upon hearing about the result. Everyone pitied me because they knew I had been preparing to apply for that program for months. I felt totally lost. After some time of thinking and looking back at what I had done, I felt better. Better because though I wasn’t selected to go to Australia, there were a lot I had learnt during the application process. I was able to identify my strength and weakness. I learnt to look at and describe my good personalities. More importantly, I learnt to appreciate the process not the result itself. I mean, getting to study abroad was good. But even if we are not successful, it is not a total a waste of time, because along the way to get the application done, it prompts us to think of many things. And that many things wouldn’t come to our mind if we were not asked in the application form. By the time I finished with the application form, I knew more about myself.

Knowing about myself also helped me to consider why I was not successful. Despite my strong academic background, I didn’t have enough experience in social work, which was one of the most important criteria for successful candidate. Moreover, we needed to demonstrate extensive knowledge of our society in our, but mine was just what I learnt from books, not from hand-on experience like those successful candidates. Thus, they were selected and I was not.

Though I couldn’t get to the Peace Scholarship Program, I am happy for taking the opportunity to go for that. At least, I have done my best and learnt something during the selecting process. Actually, those knowledge and strength have helped me to be even more successful in my academic and social life ever since.

First Day at School

All my cousins who were at my same age were ready. Everyone but me was ready. The night before, one might have noticed my sensational mood for the next day. I would tell everyone at my house that I would no longer be a baby, and that I would go to school and learn to read and write and draw. However, standing in front of the school gate the next morning, the sight of so many kids running, screaming, and crying just scared me off. I realized that I was not ready. "No, I won't go to school. I want to go home", I mumbled, tear in my eyes. "It's going to be fine, sweetie. You will love it. You will have lots of fun with your new playmates", my mum soothed me. Still that did not calm me; I kept crying like I always did, begging to go back home, though this time without success. This was on my very first day starting school.

Since I was the only new pupil, who also was constantly crying, I attracted many attentions froonm my fellow classmates. Throughout the class period, my classmates occasionally stared at my teary face. But I was not embarrassed at all. Surprisingly, no matter how much I cried, as long as I didn’t make any disturbing sound, my teacher paid no attention to me. She just let me be on my own self. The outsiders might have viewed this as a harsh treatment a four-year-old kid like me, but if she bothered talking sweet words to me, I swear I would cry even louder; it’s just my personality, I guess.

I had no idea what we had been doing in class because I was crying and tear blurring my eyes throughout the first class period. Then, when the bell rang, every kid just burst out of the classroom to the playground. They were forming into different groups and playing games. Look like they were having a great time. Having seen all the merriness, I stopped crying. I wanted to join them; however, I was reluctant because I knew none of those kids. Fortunately, out of nowhere, a cute chubby little girl came and talked to me: “don’t be like a baby, crying all the time. Stop it, come and play with us”. Thus, there I was, playing with my new playmates and laughing incessantly. I spent the rest of my first school day playing, drawing, singing, doing all the stuffs that other kids were doing. Given my sobbing nature, I cried again, but this time for a totally opposite reason. I refused to go back home when my mum picked me up. “Mummy, I don’t want to go home, I want to play with my friends.” My mum just laughed hysterically and let me be with my new friends for another 30 minutes till most of them got picked up by their family too.

What seemed like a teary morning on my first day at school ended up to be one of my most joyous days of my childhood life. Thinking back about those days, I just burst out laughing. Children’s nature is so pure and uncorrupted. They laugh when they are happy, and cry when they are upset.