2011 Fall - Star Magazine

I N T E N S I V E E N G L I S H L A N G U AG E I N S T I T U T E FA L L 2011

w w w.internat ional.unt.edu/iel i

Established in 1977, IELI is one of the

largest language programs for learning academic English in

the U.S.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra /9

Make a Diff erence Day with IELI /4

Alumni Corner: IELI Graduate Shares /12

IELI students visited Austin, Texas, this September. The group visited the Texas

State Capitol (see above) and explored downtown Austin during the annual

Pecan Street Festival. IELI students also explored the Inner Space Caverns (right).

See story p/3.

IELI Visits Austin

2 IELI STAR I FALL 2011

The Intensive English Language Institute is a division of UNT-International.

Editor-in-ChiefAmber Hallberg

Logo DesignDani NicholsonPhotographersHamza Al JawiAmber Hallberg

Karina PeakeThirachai Phothisombati

ProofreadersKristen BrooksDani NicholsonTamara TaylorIELI Director

Fernando FleurquinIELI Interim Associate Director

Sabine ThepautIELI Assistant Director

Carol Ogden IELI Assistant Director for Student Success

Kristen BrooksWriting Curriculum Coordinator

Chris Fabiszewski Communication Curriculum Coordinator

Donna ObendaLab/ASC Coordinator

Anna EddyStudent CounselorAmber Hallberg

Lab AdvisorEvan Arnold

Offi ce ManagerShana Savoie

Admissions AdvisorMegumi Leali

Thank you to all the students, teachers, and staff who contributed their time and talents to making this semester’s IELI STAR, particularly:

CONTENTSAustin Road Trip/3

Make a Diff erence Day/4

Painting Elephants/5

Infl uential People/6-7

The Good Comes With the Bad/7

Selecting an American University/8

Social Communication/8

Dallas Symphony Orchestra/9

First Thanksgiving/9

Most Important/10

My Favorite Holiday/11

Abstract Drawing/11

Alumni Corner/12

Guess Who?/12

IELI STAR magazine is a semesterly publication

showcasing IELI students’ writing.

Intensive English Language Institute1155 Union Circle #311067

Denton, TX 76203-5017University of North Texas

Sycamore Hall, 211307 S. Ave B

Denton, TX 76203http://www.international.unt.edu/ieli

Hamza Al JawiKatie Carnahan

Jean FloydGillian Grant

Barbara Hefka Lindy HeidlerKarina Peake

Thirachai Phothisombati

Laura RiosSandy Stroo

Tamara Taylor

www.international.unt.edu/ieli 3

Austin Road Trip

By Yu Han Chuang (Doris) • Taiwan • Level 5 Writing

What was the road trip in Texas? In fact, I knew nothing about it. However, it was free, and I thought I could make new friends on the trip. When I arrived in Austin, I only knew that Austin is the capital of Texas. Moreover, we had a perfect guide in the city hall. She had a lot of knowledge and passion about the history of Texas. That helped us to discover a part of the history of America. I learned a lot of things there. Of course, we took a lot of funny photos in front of city hall. Do not be shy!! We are tourists from IELI. Later, we would walk on the sidewalks of Austin. There is a beautiful long street. The most important thing is we found super yummy hamburgers. I really wanted to show the evidence to everyone. However, it was too delicious. When I fi nished the big meal, I remembered I should have taken a picture fi rst!! What a perfect road trip with IELI.


Make a Difference Day

By Hoi Mei Kan (Maggie) • Hong Kong • Level 5 Writing

We participated in UNT’s Make a Difference Day on October 29. It was my fi rst time doing volunteer work in the USA. It was a day of volunteering with other students from UNT and IELI. We assisted in setting up a Halloween carnival and playing carnival games with the senior citizens, children, and their guests at Carriage House Assisted Living in Denton. It was a very good experience.

The Halloween carnival included a lot of booths; for example, there was guessing pumpkins’ weight, pumpkin bowling, and bucket toss. I handled one of the booths with my partner; it was named Bulls Eye. When the children got the tickets, they were very happy. Also, most of the children wore different kinds of costumes, such as Spiderman, Cinderella, witches, and ghosts. They looked so cute. Apart from the interesting booths, one of our IELI students, Ricardo, performed music for us. Not only the participants who were enjoying the carnival games but also our volunteers had fun.

We really enjoyed this volunteer experience, and we can’t wait to volunteer in the Denton community again!

During the Fall 2 2011 term, several IELI students participated in UNT’s Make a Difference Day. IELI students volunteered with a Halloween carnival at Carriage House Assisted Living. Keep reading to fi nd out how the students impacted their community.

By Sandrine Rudie Wognin (Rudie) • Cote d’Ivoire • Level 4 Writing

On October 29, 2011, which was two days before Halloween, I participated in an activity called “Make a Difference Day” with other IELI students. This activity consisted of playing Halloween carnival games with the senior citizens and their guests. The place in which this activity took place was “The Carriage House Assisted Living” in Denton.

This Saturday was particularly cold, and we met in the Union at 8:00 a.m. with Amber, our counselor. First of all, she gave us t-shirts, and then at 9:30, she took us in a white and comfortable UNT van to the Carriage House Assisted Living. When we reached the place, Amber announced us as volunteers, and we started to help the other people fi ll balloons that we hung/attached to the outside and the inside of the center. At the other side of the center, there were lot of games, such as pumpkin bowling, bucket toss, and many others. Each of us ran a game stand. Mine consisted of knocking down cans with tennis balls. I was very happy because I had many children who came to play with me, and even if they didn’t knock down all the cans, they got 5 tickets. Before leaving at 12:00 p.m., we had a big turkey leg as lunch, and I really enjoyed it. I really appreciate that day because it was very exciting. If you go on IELI’s profi le on Facebook, you can see some pictures.

Mutsuko Takeda, Ying Jin, and Rudie Wognin infl ating balloons for the carnival (above).

Maggie Kan (above), Alex Yoo (right), and

Ricardo Martinez Barrera and Rudie

Wognin (below) entertain carnival

guests.


IELI students study hard, but they also like to have fun! Many have participated in a variety of activities and events this fall. Here are a few examples:

Clockwise from top: Photos with Scrappy, UNT’s Homecoming

Parade, World Cultures Tour during International Education Week, Pumpkin

Carving, and Celina Balloon Festival

Painting ElephantsBy Mohammad Almahel • Saudi Arabia • Level 6 Writing

A ccording to “ P a i n t i n g E l e p h a n t s

Get Online Gallery” by Hillary Mayell in National Geographic News (2002), some elephants are found to

be artists in the art of painting. Elephants’ paintings have their own show places; for example, their paintings are shown in museums and are, also, presented in online galleries. In addition, many people have been interested in training elephants how to paint. Vitaly Komar and Alex Melamid are teaching elephants and their trainers the painting art; in fact, Komar and Melamid were part of a project of the art of painting at the Toledo Zoo, which is located in Ohio. Also, there are many places that take care

of teaching elephants the art of painting. The artists Komar and Melamid have established an art academy for elephants in Thailand. Moreover, Novica represents more than 14 academies of elephants that paint. The way that elephants are trained is interesting. In Southeast Asia, trainers train the elephants to be able to grasp a painting brush in their trunks, and they bring their trunks to the painting place. Elephants are different from each other when it comes to the process of painting. According to Fineman, most elephants don`t take much time in a day to be taught; however, an elephant has to have the desire to paint. For example, some elephants can choose their own colors; on the other hand, some elephants are not even interested in painting.

One might wonder, “Should elephant paintings be considered art?” and “Is it right to use

elephants’ art to make money?” Paintings by animals should be called art. Art means someone or something is creative at a certain thing. It is really surprising to know that an elephant can paint. For example, an Asian elephant’s paintings were bought for nearly fi ve thousand dollars (P7), which means it is even successful art. It’s really surprising that people pay such an amount of money; however, no one, almost, can deny it is a kind of art. To conclude, painting elephants are artists by their creativity.


My Grandmother

My grandmother is 86 years old now. I lived with my grandmother for more than 20 years, so she infl uenced me a lot. She likes planting fl owers, she likes listening to the radio, and she likes doing research on health issues. When I was kid, I was living with my grandmother because my mother was very busy and my father divorced my mother. Therefore, my grandmother became one of the most important family members of mine. She is an educated lady, so she taught me a lot, such as English, math, and Mandarin. I didn’t go to kindergarten because my grandmother took care of me when I was a kid. We have a good relationship with each other and took care of each other when we lived together. We love each other very much.

By Jin Li • China • Level 4 Writing

My Uncle MajeedBy Mala Alfashkhi • Saudi Arabia • Level 6 Writing

Every Thursday at 8 o’clock in the morning, there was a knock on the door, and when I asked who was behind the door, my mother told me, “It is uncle Majeed.” I will not forget Uncle Majeed as long as I live. Abdul-Majeed was my mother’s uncle. He was the greatest man that I have ever known because of his high morals. He was 69 years old when he died. Despite his age, he visited our home every week. In fact, at each visit he brought with him some fresh food, such as almonds, which were my favorite, and dates from his farm. While he was sitting in our home talking with my mother and family, I sat and listened to him. Not only did he visit my mother, but also he visited my other aunts and uncles. When I was 5 years old, I started to recognize how good he was. He knew that every one of his family members was busy doing something else, so they could not visit him. Therefore, he didn’t want to cut the ties of kinship. I always remember what he said, “If you don’t have time to visit me, I will visit you.” After a while, my mother and other family members started to visit him, which made me surprised. I asked my mother, “Why do you visit uncle instead of him coming to our house?” She told me that he was not able to come to our home. He suffered from old age, so he stayed at home because he couldn’t move from his bed. After 5 months of being bedridden, he died. All of the family was sad because they lost such a great person. We really miss the knocks at the door on Thursday mornings, we miss his words, his smile, and also his nice food. However, we don’t miss his lesson of visiting each other and loving each other because we learned the lesson and now do it regularly. He taught us well! When we remember him, we say, “Uncle Majeed, God bless you.”

Jin Li

SuccessBy Mohammad Al-Fraih • Saudi Arabia • Level 5 Writing

It has been said and studied that older brothers are the most successful ones in life. I totally agree with this statement because I have witnessed it throughout my life. My brother, or my other half, has been infl uencing me since I was a little child. Throughout this period, I realized that I’m proud that I have the most astonishing brother that anyone could ever have dreamed of.

Faisal is my older brother, and he is currently working as a vice president to one of the most successful companies in Saudi Arabia. Being the youngest kid in my family has helped me a lot by seeing my elder brother and sisters’ experiences and getting the best out of them. It has also affected my behavior because in most communities, being the youngest means that you serve everybody and you’re the one expected to take care of your parents when elders leave

the house. Therefore, I was able to learn responsibility from an early age. Moreover, I was able to supervise my family and help them.

Moving out of the house and coming to America has been one of the major shifts that has impacted my personality and shaped it out, and it was also advised by my brother. I became independent while dealing with my new lifestyle in another language; different customs and new friends have changed me a lot since I have been in America. My brother has also helped me in seeing the other part of me.

My brother once told me, “Mohammed, you’re smart and hiding your intelligence, and not using it will affect you, so use it for the sake of your future.” I felt sad about this and blamed myself for not using it and keeping it inside. Because of what my brother has taught me, I have worked and achieved a lot while using my knowledge and my intelligence. I try to learn even from other people’s elder brothers because they may have a younger person they are wanting to share their experiences with.

Mohammad Al-Fraih

Mala Alfashkhi

Students in Gillian Grant’s Fall 2 2011 Level 5 Communication classes refl ected on the most infl uential

person in their lives. Here are some of their thoughts.


Everyone has some characteristics that come from some important people in his life.People grow up trying to be similar with them in some ways because they like their role model’s personality, and

they have a big infl uence in their daily life. I am one of these persons; I have my special characteristics that were nurtured by some beautiful things from my grandfather.

I learned how to be patient, optimistic, and ambitious to achieve my target from my grandfather. He is a great person in my eyes. He built himself from nothing, suffered many hardships, and faced a lot of diffi culties to achieve success in a different era. He was from a poor family with many children, so he worked hard to help his family. He traveled to another country to get a good job, and he stayed there for eight years without any communication with his family; this was hard, but he didn’t give up. On the contrary, he worked in the morning and night until he got enough money. After that, he came back to his family and put his money in a small company; he got a lot of money in a short period.

My grandfather died two years ago with a lot of respect from others and with love and a kiss from us on his forehead. I am really proud of being a grandchild to this man.

My GrandfatherBy Mdhaoui Ali Alhusain • Saudi Arabia • Level 4 Writing

Mdhaoui Ali Alhusain

By Jaeyoul Yoo (Alex) • South Korea • Level 5 Writing

I had a hard time when I was staying in Korea because I failed to get a TOEFL score to apply to the exchange student program. I was one of many students who wanted to take a major course at a U.S. university. From spring to summer 2011, I was not able to enjoy daily life although I tried to overcome my depression. There were no exits for avoiding my gloomy life, but I eventually got

an admission from UNT, and a lot of things have changed since I began studying at IELI at the end of August. Every moment has become positive and brilliant, and I have had many memorable experiences.

First of all, I have studied with teachers and good friends who came from various countries like Japan, China, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. Sometimes it is diffi cult for me to understand the teachers’ lectures and various friends’ pronunciations because I am not a native speaker. Nevertheless, every class during the eight weeks has always been enjoyable for me and us. This is because my teachers have always energetically tried to let every students participate in class; furthermore, many friends who have a sense of humor actively have responded to the teachers’ instruction, which makes me love my classes and enjoy American life. Thanks to everyone, not only has my English improved slowly, but also I have enjoyed learning about various cultures. Could you invite me to your countries someday?

Next, experiencing various activities at UNT has made me positive and active. If someone asks me what I want to recommend to new IELI students, I will say that they should participate in various IELI activities. I have been able to enjoy various activities such as a Rodeo trip, bowling game, and an Austin trip for a small amount of money. In addition, I can feel American culture and

meet other students in my classes. One of my activities at UNT is playing baseball at Mac park, which is located near the Denton station. Since I began my IELI classes, I have participated in the UNT club baseball team because baseball is my favorite sport. Although I rarely have opportunities to play in games due to the fact that there are many players who are better than me, playing baseball with many friends itself gives me energy for my positive outlook. Just join and enjoy it! You don’t have to be scared before facing new experiences.

Last but not least, living in Texas provides me with the chance to recall trivial things in Korea, my country. People are usually able to realize the value of daily life that we consider natural when they are apart from it. Likewise, I was also able to feel the value of trivial stuff at the moment when I began living here. For example, having dinner with family, chatting with my friends, and eating delicious Korean food are my priceless pleasures. Even though I already adjusted to American environment, food, and people, my life in Korea is an unchangeable part of me because my nationality is Korean and I have already spent 25 years in Korea. Of course, I don’t want to return to my country right now. However, while I am studying at UNT, I can know what is crucial in my life, including the experiences which made me depressed. For these reasons, I am one of the happiest students in UNT.

That the good comes with the bad is the saying which I have thought about since a few weeks ago. Despite the fact that sometimes everything seems to be miserable and unhappy, other bright events wait for us on the back of unfortunate situations. No one likes hard times, yet we have got to know anyone can choose their glasses’ color to watch the world and their life. Still I am not good at English, especially speaking and listening. However, I am really happy at the present. If there are some friends who have diffi culty staying here or are depressed, why don’t you keep the saying “the good comes with the bad” in your heart?

Jaeyoul Yoo

The Good Comes With the Bad


How to Select a UniversityBy Paola Baza Sandoval, Linghao Meng, and Waleed Alabdulrazaq • Level 3 Writing, Fall I

Every year thousands of people attend universities around the world. It is a big step for everyone. Achieving a better educational level is a challenge for most people because an excellent education is one of the most important tools that people can use to face their lives. There are several universities where you can go if you want to obtain an academic degree. Selecting the best university has three important factors that must be considered.

First, you should know whether the university offers your major. This is an important thing that you need to fi nd out when you select a university because you don’t want to change your major. There are some sources that can help you: the book, “How to Choose that College”, a website which is http://www.a2zcolleges.com/Majors/. You can also talk to the Offi ce of Enrollment Management in the university. Then you can fi nd which universities offer your major, and you can continue to narrow your choice.

The second step is to evaluate the quality of the department and the faculty members. Look for a good department. You should read a book called “College Choices of Academically Able Students”. It helps students get information. Also, you can visit this website: http://www.usnews.com/education/world-best-universities. When you visit this website, you will fi nd information about many departments. In addition, you can fi nd more information about your department at the Student Services Offi ce or Undergraduate Student Advising.

Finally, you should consider the cost of attending a university. In the U.S.A., the average price of attending a traditional or public university was $14,000 last year (National Center for Education Statistics). Knowing in detail the price that you must pay to attend a particular university is fundamental to making an excellent choice. There are several sources where you can fi nd this information. For example, if you want to use the Internet, you can visit http://cgi.money.cnn.com. If you prefer books, look for information in, “How to Choose that College”, written by Clarence Clifford Dunsmoor, 1951. Another possibility is to visit the Student Service Center or Offi ce of Student Financial Aid and Scholarship in the university selected.

In summary, if you want to be successful in fi nding the best university for you, look for your fi eld of interest, distinctive professors, and affordable tuition. These steps are very important for all new students. Remember that it is your future that is in play and your success depends in large part on making the right decision. The more information you have, the better the decision. Good luck!

Paola Baza Sandoval

During the Fall 1 2011 term, Jean Floyd’s Level 3 Writing classes collaborated on research essays. Each class voted on their favorite essay, and one was selected for publication in the IELI Star. Congratulations to the winning essay!

Linghao Meng

Waleed Alabdulrazaq

Social CommunicationDuring the Fall 1 2011 term, Sandra Stroo’s Level 2.5 Communication class discussed social media use.

They surveyed a variety of people and discovered several trends. Keep reading to fi nd out what they learned.

By Abdullah Alamri, Hussam Alanazi, Mohammed Albasha (Moe), Faisal Almomen, Abdulaziz Alsarami (Eizo), Catherine Fresneda Ortiz, Shahad Ghoth, and Kana Shimonaka

This term our Level 2 Communication class did a study about the popularity of social communication. We compared young people with older people. We asked them some questions. We guessed that young people used social communication more than older people. Our results supported that prediction.

We found that 100 % of people are using email. Older people spent more time on email than young people. In fact, older people spent double the time. This may be true because they use email at work. Facebook is more popular with young people. Our survey shows that 100 % of the young people use Facebook. However, only 67 % of the older people use it. This shows that Facebook will be more popular in the future. International students are likely to use Skype.

We were surprised by the number of people who use video games. About 50 % of all old people played video games online, but 60 % of young people.

In summary, both young and old people use social communication to connect at work and play. That will probably increase in the future. According to our study, we will not have to buy newspapers because we can read them online.

Standing: Almomen, Hussam, Catherine, and Kana

Sitting: Abdullah, Eizo, Moe, and Shahad


By Saad AlQahtani • Saudi Arabia • Writing Level 3

What distinguishes classical music is that it has no language, no grammar to worry about, or vocabulary. It connects east with west; furthermore, listening to music is an effective way to get relief from life pressure. However, attending an orchestra performing Mozart’s work in front of you is more amusing than just listening to it. On November 12, IELI went to attend a spectacular concert by Sir James Galway, the famous fl utist, along with the great and young conductor Jakub Hrusa at Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Fortunately, our seats were in the front, which means extra amusement of closely seeing the orchestra playing in their instruments. It was amazing seeing

how Sir James plays his golden fl ute to produce such great melodies as well as how the the conductor Jakub directs the orchestra. The orchestra performed what many musicians believe to be the greatest orchestral compositions of Mendelssohn, Mozart, Smetana, and Janacek in a spectacular performance. A lot of appreciation goes to the IELI staff for offering great activities such as this one for students.

By Hadeel Al-Shaikh • United States • Writing Level 6

Dallas Symphony Orchestra

I had a wonderful experience going to an American family’s house for Thanksgiving. I tried all the food that I have been hearing about the last two years. For example, I tried turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, and pecan pie. It was really good, and I liked the way that they prayed over the food. They were thanking God for a lot of things that he gave them, such as thank-ing him for the food that he gave them and the health of the family. Although the wife could not get pregnant, they adopted a daughter, and they thanked God for her. The way they prayed to God affected me very much. Even though I am a Muslim and Islam does not believe in Jesus like Christians do, I was emotionally touched by what they said. I recommend people to try Thanksgiving day with real Americans because they will have a good experience like I did.

My First Thanksgiving

Saad AlQahtani


The Most Important...Students in Barbara Hefka’s Fall 2 Level 1.5 Writing class refl ected on the most important places and things in their home countries. Here are a few of their opinions.

My country has three important cities. In my opinion, fi rst, I think that Beijing is the most important city in China. Also, Beijing is the capitol of China. Beijing has some good views. For example, it has Tian An Men, the Great Wall, and the Palace Museum. The Great Wall looks like a Chinese dragon. Second, Shang Hai is an important city because Shang Hai is an international city. It has the Oriental Pearl TV Tower. Right now, it’s building Disneyland. Finally Hong Kong is an important city. It is a famous city. Also, it is a shopping city. Some Chinese like to go shopping in Hong Kong. Also, Hong Kong has a Disneyland, but it is small. I don’t like Hong Kong’s Disneyland, so I hope Shang Hai’s Disneyland is bigger than Hong Kong’s Disneyland. In conclusion, these three cities are very important in my country. If I have enough time, I will go there.

By Jiahao Cao • China • Level 1 Writing

By Ahmed Al Mandhari • Oman • Level 1 Writing

My country has three important cities. My country is Oman. Oman has a lot of famous cities. First, Muscat is the capitol of Oman. It is an amazing city in Oman, so many tourists come to Muscat every year. Second, Salalah is in the south of Oman, and it has great weather. It looks like a paradise in our world. Finally, Sohar is in the north of Oman. It is next to Muscat. It has a lot of buildings and other beautiful things. In conclusion, I like these cities because they have a lot of great places.

I live in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It has three resources. First, it has oil. There are big companies for oil. There is a big company. Its name is Aramco. Aramco is beautiful. Aramco has intelligent people. When I get a job in Aramco, I will take a test. When I pass, I will study in Aramco for two or three years. Second, Mecca and Medina are big cities for mosque. Mecca has Alqabah. Many Muslim people come to Mecca. It is a beautiful place, and Medina has the same thing. Finally, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has a big fi sh market in Qatif. Qatif has a big beach. In conclusion, my country has a good company for oil, it has a good city for the mosque, and it has a big fi sh market.

By Jongkyu Kim (Jerry) • South Korea • Level 1 Writing

By Ali Alhassar • Saudi Arabia • Level 1 Writing

By Abdulaziz Alsalman (Aziz) • Saudi Arabia • Level 1 Writing

I live in Korea. My country has three healthy foods. First, my country has kimchi. Kimchi is very healthy. Kimchi has many vegetables. It has carrots, lettuce, hot peppers, and garlic. I love to eat it. It is not fat. Second, a brown seaweed is good. It has a lot of vitamin C. I like to eat it with soy sauce. Third, the staple food is rice. I always eat it every day. When I eat it, I feel happy. In conclusion, I love kimchi, brown seaweed, and rice. Now, I keep a healthy body.

Saudi Arabia has three important cities. First, Riyadh is the capitol city. It has two beautiful buildings. Also, it has the most beautiful streets, especially at night. When it gets dark and quiet, the streets look like an orange river of light. Second, Jubail is where the big oil companies are, so it’s very organized. Also, the people there are polite and respectful. Finally, as you expected, Mecca is the most important, interesting, beautiful city in Saudi Arabia. As you know, it has the holy mosque. But did you know that the holy Ka’aba - the centre of the mosque - is more than 1,400 years old? In fact, it’s older than that, but they had to rebuild it. In short, Saudi Arabia has many impor-tant cities, but I think Riyadh, Jubail, and Mecca are the most important.


Kelly: Why do you like to draw?Mala: Actually, I don’t usually enjoy talking with people, so I manifest my feelings through my drawings. Also, I can get comfortable by drawing something whenever I feel happy or bad, and my paintings refl ect my current state. Nowdays, I draw abstract drawings in my free time because I am sick for my family and my country. When many people see me drawing pictures, it is a burden for me. However, I also expect to hear their praise and reaction. I want them to be surprised and to guess about my drawings. This can make me happy.

Kelly: What do you think before you start to draw something?Mala: I don’t think about the concept of drawings before I draw. I just pick some tools which are used in drawing, such as a pencil, a crayon, clay, or a computer programs. Then I start to draw something that comes from my mind. Since I have a lot of ideas, I can draw and draw continually.

Kelly: What picture do you like the best?Mala: An abstract drawing. It indicates the woman’s and man’s face in the drawing entirely. You can fi nd my present feeling in many parts of the picture. When you see the right side of it, you can see someone who is jumping down. Since I came here, I have sometimes felt sad and homesick for my hometown, so I want to hide behind the door. By drawing a person who commits suicide, I hope to show my desperate mood. Also, I think there are numerous people who need some medicine, so I drew the injection in the middle of the picture. My picture includes a number of implied meanings.

Why don’t you fi nd some of these hints?

IELI students have many hobbies and interests. Some play music, some play sports, some cook, and some like art. For Mala Alfashkhi, art helps alleviate her homesickness and stress. One of her classmates, Hye sun Yang (Kelly), asked her about her drawings.

There are three interesting things about Halloween. First, everyone dresses in a costume. For example, people dress like a monster or a famous person. Second, we always cut up a pumpkin. The face can be funny or frightening. Also, I like to see all of the pumpkins with candles inside them. Finally, on Halloween you can eat a lot of chocolate and candy. For example, in school teachers bring us chocolate. In conclusion, people love everything about Halloween. The costumes, the pumpkins, and all of the chocolate and candy are wonderful.

My Favorite Holiday

My favorite holiday is Eid. Eid is a holiday for all the Muslims in the world. I like Eid for three reasons. First, all Muslims celebrate Eid. They feel happy, they have a good time with their family and friends, and they share candy with them. Also, adult Muslims give children some money as a gift. Second, rich Muslims give charity to poor Muslims. Generally, poor Muslims feel happy on Eid because they know rich Muslims think about them. Third, Muslims wear beautiful clothes, so they look very neat. In conclusion, Eid is my favorite holiday because it’s a celebration, people help others, and it’s a good time to look beautiful.

By Rashed Abdulwahed • Saudi Arabia • Level 1 Writing By Zulikha Almaimani • Saudi Arabia • Writing 1

Students in Katie Carnahan’s Level 1 Writing classes wrote about their favorite holidays. Here are the winning essays.

Abstract Drawing


I would like to say thank you to all of IELI’s team. This experience was a very hard challenge to my life; however, you will be in my heart because I learned a lot of things here.

I can still remember my fi rst day (Level 0); I could just write two lines in English. Wow! IELI is really intensive, but it is the best program which can help us learn a lot. I have already fi nished Level 6, and I can’t still believe it.

Learning a new language will not just open opportunities like fi nding a better job or getting a university degree; I think that I am learning more than those things. International students can fi nd a new way to communicate and understand the difference between their customs and those of other countries, and I am able to realize that we can work together even being from other cultures. That is amazing!

I know the best way to keep going is having a positive attitude. My experience here has been incredible even when I sometimes felt down about my results. IELI has a lot of ways to learn so that every student can improve their skills. I am very glad to know all of my teachers and to have learned from them all their knowledge. Thank you again. I realize that time fl ies and if we have the opportunity to learn another language, we have to do it earlier. If you do your best, everything is going to be ok. Live this experience and share it with your friends, teachers, and classmates. What we do is amazing; that is what you should know every morning before you go to your classes. Now, new challenges are coming, and we have to be ready. Thus, our goals will be coming soon.

IELI, which caused me to have a lot of stress, is the best program that I could have had.

Thank you so much.

If you are an IELI graduate, we would love to hear from you. Please contact [email protected] to share your stories and to join the IELI Alumni Association. You can also fi nd us on Facebook.

IELI students come from diff erent countries, cultures, and backgrounds. Some need to fl y only a few hours to land in Texas; some, an entire day. All, however, have gathered at IELI because mastering academic English is a common goal. Following is the story of one graduate.

{ALUMNI CORNER}By Amber Hallberg • IELI Student Counselor

Erika Garcia • Mexico

1. I am a handsome blond man.I have multi-national children.My wife is an actress with big lips.One of my movies is “Mr. & Mrs. Smith.”I, too, am an actor.Who am I?

2. I was beautiful and blond.I used to help people, and many people loved me.I used to be very fashionable.My country is the U.K.I died in a car accident.My ex-husband’s name is Charles.Who am I?

3. I am beautiful, tall, and smart.I went to Harvard University.I now have my own talk show.I retired from the runway in 1997.

My last fashion show was for Victoria’s Secret.Who am I?

4. I am blond and cute.I am divorced with two children.I’m not a very good mother.The paparazzi follows me, and they always have a lot of gossip about me.I can sing and dance well.One of my songs is “Oops! I Did It Again,” and another is “Toxic.”Who am I?

5. I am small and thin and very HOT!I gave birth to a baby when I was 19 even though I am not married.I like “Hello, Kitty”.I am from Japan, but my father is Spanish.I am a famous singer.Who am I?

6. I like my job, but I am not a rich man.I’m Hindu.My wife and I are from India, and we have 8 twins.You can see me in The Simpsons on TV.I work in a small market called “Quick-E-Mart.”Who am I?

Key:1. Brad Pitt, 2. Lady Diana, 3. Tyra Banks, 4. Britney Spears, 5. Amuro Namiae, 6. Apu Nahasapi Mapitilon.

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Guess Who?By Sandy Stroo’s Level 2 Writing Class, Fall I

Documents

2011 Fall - Star Magazine