Monthly Archives: October 2011

I wrote my own monologue last Monday morning on the train before I got the assignment.  It may off-topic a little bit, but that is all I want to say.

Sometimes I do think I am alone.  And I hate being lonely.  This may sounds a little stagy, I always tend to be a little more emotional than I usually am in all the Monday mornings when the sky is still dark like nights and I am alone by myself.

About two years ago I figured out my own way to relieve stress.  walk.  Just walk, with my make-ups on and with my high heels.  With my headphones and with my camera.  With nobody, but myself.  I can walk by myself for eight hours with nearly no rest.  And then I can repack up my confidence and my broken heart, start a brand new day once again.

So there was one day, I walked in the city again, I mistakenly went into a dead end, when I turned back, there was a sign said, one way.  Black background, white fonts.  I walked out to the cross again and I saw different people: two Caucasian girls on their way back to home, a couple of Korean brought their kid in the carriage.  Some African American guys were carrying their basketball to the playground, and across the street, there is a Spanish Cafe and a Chinese restaurant.  all of a sudden, I started to wonder who I am, what am I doing here.  And so, and so.

Four years ago, my parents brought me here without any notification.  I thought my life would be ruined since I would no longer be able to hang out with my friends in my hometown.  But now, I am still fine and I have friends.

I think I am a walking contradiction.

Because whenever I see the sceneries changing outside of the window, I promise myself that one day I will leave and travel, to Paris, to Provence, to Berlin, to Tokyo.  All I need is my passport and my camera, I will walk over the world by myself.  I know this is unrealistic.

But sometimes I am a coward, because that’s all the reason for me to stay.  I am that kind of person that always keep every old memories in mind.  That was the reason why I rather stay in China than to come to a foreign country.

So, I chose to stay, in this cold city where I can still find people who I loved and people who loved me.  Maybe I am not lonely as I thought I am.

There is a song from Karen Ann, I love it:

I always try to not remember rather than forget, this is why I always whisper, when pagabonds are passing by, I’d like to hear but not to listen, like to say but not to tell.  This is why I always wonder, there’s nothing new under the sun, I’d like to hear but not to listen, like to say but not to tell.  I tend to keep myself away from their goodbyes.

Tide will rise and fall along the bay, and I’m not going anywhere, I am not going anywhere.

People come and go and walk away, but I’m not going anywhere, I am not going anywhere.

Hi. My name is Taeyong Lee. I came from Korea about 3 years ago. I want to improve myself for this semester.

The first of the three concerns about my freshman year at Baruch College is improving my english skill. I think my english for conversation with other people is not good. I’d like to have conversation with other classmates to improve my english skill. Second is keeping GPA up. I think I don’t need to explain about this. Last thing is about communication. Most of my friend are Koreans. I think that’s not helpful to improve my english skill. I want to  make more foreigner friends at the Baruch college.

I could see difference with high school at the College. All class are more difficult than high school. It is hard to follow for me. and College has less class days and more class hours than high school.

I think first year at baruch college will teach me how to spend my time for whole college year. After I go to college I could feel how managing my time is important for my plan and future

A. Tell us who you think YOU are
Hi, my name is Joo Hyun Lee, but since there are some confusion about pronunciation, i decided to name myself as Jenny. Who am I? I am a coke (soda, no drug) loving bright Asian girl who likes to talk a lot.
Well I used to be very shy and anti-social, but one day, I had a revelation that I have to start telling others what I want, or I won't get anywhere in my life.
I actually have a passion for entrepreneurship and I will definitely start up a company later in my life. I would like to major in Finance in Baruch to establish foundation for my career!
I love to go watch a movie during my free time, and my favorite animal is penguin!

B. Share your top 3 concerns about your freshman year at Baruch College and explain why (these issues concern you)
My three concerns are Anthropology class, internship and scholarship. Well I am pretty sure most of LC04 students will understand this one. I really dont have any understanding toward the material, and since 
I am so far behind, I don't know how to study for the test. Hopefully, it won't be too late. Since I am an international student, I can't have a job here. So only way to make money and build my career is to get
an internship here. I am constantly researching for how to get these opportunities, and I am little worried about how I will develop my career in the U.S. Lastly, I am worried about my scholarship. Since I am a 
Dean's Scholar, I need to keep up GPA 3.5, or I will loose all my benefits. So I am very worried about my grades.
 
C. So far, what do you think will make your Baruch College experience different from your high school experience?
First of all, people in the campus are very different. Most of the people that I met are wide-accepting and willing to listen to others instead of forming their own group or discriminating others. You can walk
up to any person in the lobby, and they are willing to have a conversation with you. Also I feel like professors are more passionate about what they teach then high school teachers. Materials are interesting,
and it feels great to learn new things all the time. Lastly, the fact that you have to take care of yourself is very different from high school. In my high school, teachers used to remind students all the time
on what we have to do. But in college, I have to keep up with all the readings and tests without anyone helping me. This makes me feel independent but also, little frightened.
 
D. How do you think your first year at College will change you?
I think it will change me into a even more outgoing person. I have been meeting so many people, and I am learning great information on how to keep up with a conversation and how to be professional in front of
people who are in a higher position then me. I think first year of college will make me more mature and give me some experience on how the real world is going to be like. Also, I am trying to get involved in many 
clubs to get to know many different types of people. This will equip me as a better person in both business and social world, and I will be able to be exposed to many different cultures which will help me a lot
to do business in the U.S.

They say the only opinions that matter are the ones of your own. Well, I guess it could be true when it comes to explaining who we are. I’m someone who never stops talking if I get comfortable around my surroundings. I’m who makes everyone around me laugh because of the silly things I say. I’m also a student with long-term goals, a sister and a daughter with responsibility, and a girlfriend with tolerance. I’m a scary tutor who makes the kindergartners and first graders run the opposite way whenever they see me.  I’m also many other things except a genius, super model, comedian, and the rest of the list of my impossibilities. It’s not easy to define myself when I’m still on the path of searching self identity.

Being a freshman isn’t easy because of adjustment. I’m concerned about my GPA, future classes, and my future friends. My GPA obviously ranks first because I must keep it up to maintain my scholarship. There are classes, such as Anthropology, that I do not work well in. If my GPA is below a certain number, then it would become a big matter that would affect me on the long term. My future classes are also one of my concerns because they’re my building block to success. I’m not sure which class to take first and if they’re suitable for my major. Lastly, who would be influencing me in the future? Friends are important because they take part in shaping who you become, I hope I won’t make the wrong choice by joining a wrong crowd.

Many things about Baruch sets itself apart from high school. In high school, I was surrounded with the same faces and activities from September to June. In Baruch, there are fresh faces everyday for me to look at, and I love the amount of events that different clubs host. My first year of college would definitely help shape me into a more independent person. Also, college would also change me physically because of the innumerable places to eat around!

Hello, my name is Donghan Kim. It hasn’t been that long time since I came abroad from Korea. So I am unfamiliar with America now. I want to study English. I want to know more about America. I want to achieve my ultimate goal in USA. My goal is to become a successful businessman. I am an active person so I like to get close to people. I also like sports and listening to music. I want to do lots of activities in college.

There are three concerns at Baruch college. The first one is my GPA. I heard that GPA is very important. I am not that good in English so I am very worried if I can keep up with the classes. The second one is about the communication with people. With my English skill, I can’t easily talk to the people other than Koreans. My last one is about my future. I am worried if I can get a good job after I graduate college. I hope that I can resolve these concerns.

I think there are differences between in high school and in college. There were ESL classes in high school so I could follow the classes easily. However, there are no ESL classes in the college. In Baruch college has less class days than in high school but the subjects in college are harder than the ones in high school.

I think the first year at Baruch college will change me into a better student. The reason is that I have to focus more on studying so I can improve my English skills. To get the job in the future, the stuff learning in college is very important to me. So I feel that studying in college will make me into a good person.

Hi, everyone, my name is Juntao Jiang. Im from queens. In class, i dont talk much because i dont like to talk in class. it might depend on my personality. Actually, im a outgoing boy but it depends on how deep i know you, if i dont know you well, i might not talk to you that much. when i get to know you, you will find out i really can talk.

First of all, i think the level of learning knowledge is harder than before. the word of what teachers taught is totally harder. sometimes i even dont understand what teachers talking about. Secondly, the earliest class starts at 7.45. that means i have to get up at 5.30 and take bus and train to get to school. It is too hard for me to get up that early. Last one which is my grade, depending on my silly knowledge, it is so hard to improve my grade. it is a terrible thing if you fail in the first term.

The differernt between college and high school i think is the way of teaching. In high school, teachers will teach you carefully and patiently. he will use his free time or class time to let you understand what exactly he taught, but in college,teachers will not. they just finish the lesson and leave, thats their jobs. and they only have like half and hour to see you. and there is not only you that wants to see the prof.

i think the first year of college will change me a lot. because it is a brand-new start. it will totally change my life because a good start will have a good end. even in the beginning of this year, i have to overcome many problems that i have never met it.  and i really need to focus on my lesson, i believe i will be successful in the end of this year.

Hey guys, I’m Vivian. I’m 20 years old, female, as you may know.

Ummm…I really like the first question Farzana asked, “who you think you are”. I like it because it is one of those questions that would make you feel like “what kind of question is that?”, but then you start to think about it. And eventually you will come up with a lot of answers. I think my answer would be…I’m just a creature on the earth? Just kidding. Physically, I’m a female, and I believe I mentioned it before; racially, I’m Asian; however, meanwhile, I’m Asian-American culturally. So it is hard to tell who I really am. I came to theUnited States4 years ago, but I’ve been sick since May, 2008.Therefore, I went back toChinaand had been stayed there for 2 years. I came back last year and finished my high school. Although I’m a freshman, I guess I’m the “oldest” one in class. (Sucks, doesn’t it?) I’ve been through a lot since I was sick and you can’t imagine how desperate I was at the beginning. However, after staying in different hospitals and seeing different kinds of patients, I changed a lot and became stronger and stronger. Since this is my life and I couldn’t do anything to change it anyway, why not just take it easy and enjoy everyday when I’m alive? That’s me, an extremely optimistic girl.

I do have some issues to concern at this moment. The first and also my biggest problem is my major. I have no idea what to choose right now. And it makes me feel worse when almost all my friends already have their goals and some of them are even making their efforts to achieve the goals. I’ve been thinking about it all the time but never really figured it out. My second concern is about the balance between my health and my study. I need to sleep before 10pm every night in principle, but it is almost impossible for every college student. I’m one of those people that can only concentrate at night, so it means when I’m at my best condition I have to go to sleep. I still have no idea how to solve this problem. Besides that, I am also worried about transferring out. Since my major is undecided yet and also I don’t really like business, I’m thinking about transferring to another school. However, just because I have no idea about my major, I don’t know where should I transfer to. All those things always make me feel like I’m standing at a crossroads and don’t know where to go. I’m so confused.

Up till now, I think I really love my college life. It is completely different from my high school life. Maybe it is because I went to high school after I just came here. For me, the whole environment was so unfamiliar so basically I had no friends. I went to school, sat in the class, took notes, and went back home everyday. My life was boring and meaningless. After I came to college, I felt everything changed. I made a lot of friends, we spent time together, joined the same club. My life had never been so busy before. “Busy as hell”, that’s the way I used to put it. But anyway, I really like being busy, and the most important thing is I do love my friends. (Can’t tag you guys here. J) So I really think my college life changed me, or is changing me. Before I came here, I was a very outgoing and sociable person; but then I just became quiet. Right now, I feel like I am the person who I really am. And being myself just feels so good. Hope that this kind of life could last longer and my friends and I could always be together.

Hello, my name is Xing Lan Mei. I always get called lazy by my friends because all I like to do is eat, sleep, shop, watch movies, and hangout with my friends. I like to do things that do not require too much thinking and concentration, that’s why I really dislike studying and reading books.

My first concern is time management; homework and textbook readings are piling up day by day, and I always wait till the last second to finish them. I always end up not getting enough sleep but have to wake up real early the next day for the morning classes. My second concern is to pass all my classes with a good grade. I am really scared of failing anthropology because for like almost 6 weeks, I still have no idea what the class is about. My third concern is to make more new friends because they are the ones that keep college life exciting and fun.

My Baruch College experience is different from my high school experience because in Baruch, we’re actually treated like adults. You don’t have to worry about getting caught by deans because you’re using your cell phone and laptop in class; teachers won’t force you to copy notes and do homework; you don’t have to ask for permission to use to bathroom. I think my first year in College will change me to a more mature person who takes more responsibilities for myself and others.

First of all, who I think I am. I am a 19-year-old teen and attending to Baruch College. I like basketball and play guitar which I just fall with. My hometown is Wenzhou, China and I love her. I hope I can graduate from college in four years.

First thing I concern about is how to improve my grade. If I fail I can’t graduate on time and waste a lot of money. The low grade is not good for the graduation. The second thing is I hope I can make more friends. Now I only get a few friends in the college. The last thing is how to choose class next term. The program I have right now is so damn hard. I am afraid I am going to fail the political science and antropology class.

The biggest different between the college and high school is the break time. In high school I only got 4 mins break. In college I get 25 mins between classes and 2 hours for lunch. No one can have a 2-hour lunch. So the most of time, I am blanking out. And the liberary is weird, every time I come out the alarm will alarm. That embarrass me.

After the first year at college, I believe I will become stronger and wiser. Because of the reading my short-sight eyes may being worse. I will become mature. During the first year at college I will learn to adapting college life. I hope the liberary will stop against me!!

            Hello, my name is Taemin Hwang. I never really thought about who I am, but I would define myself as someone very easy going with basically everything. There are only few things that would anger me or make me serious. I can be very outgoing if I choose to be but in school, I try to act serious because I would like to focus on my studies.

            My first concern is to keep my GPA up, it is already almost two months into college life and I felt that it is going to be difficult to keep up with the materials in each class just because there are so many things to memorize. My second concern is to break my lazy habits that I always had. I know I kept making promise to myself every year to not be lazy but it is difficult to break my habbit. I always tend to do things last second. My third concern is to make good friends. I don’t want to make many fake friends but make few true friends in college. Since my closest friends left NY for college, I would like to make good friends in Baruch.

            Baruch experience is different from my high school because of its freedom. I started living by myself, starting the college year and there is so much freedom that I can enjoy. Even in college, there are freedoms, unlike high school classes where teachers try to make you work, in college, it is upto you to follow up with the classes by reading privately. At first, I was only excited about having these freedom but now, I’ve realized that the freedom comes with great responsibility.

           My first year at college will change me to someone who can manage time and be more responsible. I’ve realized that in order to survive in college, I need to manage my time in orderly fashion. I need to do things until the due dates and read materials by the due dates. In college, it is all about time management.