AUGUST 2011 C A P S T O N E C L A S S

Loud noises around you, people running to their classes, shouting in Arabic and loud laughing everywhere. You can hear different languages like Chinese, Korean or Arabic....this is the typical picture that you can see every day when you go to Mercer University and visit one of the building where the ELI program is located.. Many students from all over the world and from different age groups are a part of the Eli program at Mercer. So different the people are, so different are the reason why people chose Mercer Atlanta Campus. Why did you decide to go to Atlanta or to Mercer? What were your reasons? Where are you from? This are questions we

asks different students from different cultures.

Yun sung Lee is from South Korea and ELI student at Mercer University in level 4. His name means big star in Korean. He heard that ELI program at Mercer is very organized and proper to prepare to go to a university in Atlanta. He just wants to learn English; after he finishes the ELI program, he will go back to Korea. He likes Mary Louise's class because she teaches English very well. When he first came to Mercer, he was surprised, because at Mercer are a lot of Saudis. Before he came to the US, he expected to make

American friends. But he has problems to make friends because of his English skills. He likes the Atlanta weather, and he is crazy about sports; he likes to play soccer with Saudi friends every weekend.

ELI at Mercer University

QUAG TRAN, BEOM SOO KIM (KAI), HAN YI ZHENG (HENRY), XIN WANG, ISEUL BANG, MUTEB SAUD BIN NAFISAH, WALEED BIN AWAD, HUSSAIN HALABI, MUSHAL ALHARBI, MUHANNAD ALHAMAD, PATRICIA MANOVACIA, MOHAMMED ALSULAIMAN, VU DO, KALED ABU-ATTEEYAH HAITHAM ALSHERI, HANNAH HOFMANN

NEWSLETTER 2011

His name is Haitham, and he is from Saudi Arabia. The reason why he chose to go to the United States was that he thinks that the best Universities in the world are located here, such as Harvard. He knows that if you have a good education and earned your degree in Amerika, you will have it easier to find a good job in his home country. He always wanted to go to Georgia, whereas he never wanted to go to Alabama; some of his friends were facing racism problems there. The most difficult thing for him, that he is facing with learning English, is the TOEFL test reading section.His favorite class is Heather's, advanced writing class. Hi loves Brazilian food, so he loves the restaurant Fogo De Chao.

Mushal is a Eli student at Mercer, and he came to the US because he thinks that it has the best 500 Universities in the world. He wants to study in California, and never in Alabama, because of its tornadoes. Most difficult things he faced in English language were the writing. His favorite classes were Heather's core 4 class and Jenney's, research skills class. The place he likes the most in Atlanta is the Lake Lanier Islands Resort. Just like Haitham, he likes Brazilian food, and his favorite restaurant is Fogo De Chao; he also likes American food, so another favorite restaurant is Long Horn.

Hoang Tuan Tu is a level 5 student from Vietnam. His name means “handsome” in his native Vietnamese language. He chose the ELI program at Mercer University because he found it on the internet. He lives in Georgia where there are a lot of Vietnamese people, which is why his life in the U.S is similar to life in his home country. The hardest thing for him is that he must take care of himself. This means he lives independently whereas his parents did everything for him when he was at home. He faced a communication problem when he ordered wrong food in the airport, when he arrived. The most difficult things that he is having trouble understanding in English, is listening and speaking. He likes the Atlanta weather because that weather is similar to the weather in his home country. Six Flags is the most interesting place for him because he wants to play extreme games; he really enjoys them.

HAITHAM

MUSHAL

HOANG TUAN TU

My name is Kawthar Jawad Alkhalifah, and it has a specific meaning

in my native language; it means a river. Well, I heard about some advantages about the Eli program from my husband, like that the amount of students in a class is 12 to 17 students. Also, I heard about another advantage, that the teachers are friendly and have experience in their fields. My native language is Arabic, but I also speak English. I am from the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I

am in core 2.I have not had any particular favorite teacher in my mind, but

Miss Barber, Jenny, Mary and Marcha are all nice.The Atlanta climate is so hot; but even in my home country is it hotter than in

Atlanta. So, I do not like it at all. To be honest with you, I like normal

weather, not too cold neither too hot.Unfortunately, In Atlanta there are no interesting places for me. I like

Disneyland in Florida and Chattanooga in Tennessee. But here, sorry…

Two days visit Ha Long Bay

If it is the first time you come to Ha Long, but you go on a tour, my experience below will get you a free trip to relax and explore the interesting sides of Halong Bay.

Day 1: 6 Am., from Hanoi you can take a high quality bus to go to: Cam Pha, Ha Long, and Bai Chay, bus station My Dinh, Luong Yen or Gia Lam (2.75 dollars / ticket /person). Around 10 am, you will be dropped at the foot of Bai Chay Bridge, and then you can take a taxi to go into the Peach garden, also known as the Post Office Place. Peach Garden is focused a lot on mini-hotels and motels, with an affordable price between 7.5 – 12.5 dollars/room. The surrounding restaurants are also plentiful and varied. You can comfortably select hotels and restaurants, review and bargaining about cost. Along the coastline there are many 3 star hotels, price from 40 dollars and up, near the sea is the Park Royal. The cafes along the way have sight of Ha Long Bay, and it is very beautiful and romantic. The space of the sea creates a feeling of relaxation for you. You can wander along the beach or sit for hours in cafes halfway up to the hill to see the natural heritage for which it is world famous. You also can pass a bridge to come to Hon Gai if you want to go to the seafood market or climb Bai Tho Mountain. Around 3-4pm, you should take the bus (red - yellow) in the Tuan Chau tourist to visit and go to the beach. From 7 pm, you can participate in organized arts programs for tourists, such as the water music park or the dolphin performances. If you are interested in exploring the freedom and liberality of the sea, you should catch a bus or taxi to come pile 5, pile 6 or to the other side of the Bai Chay Bridge (towards Hon Gai) to enjoy a great dinner at "Nha Be" restaurants. "Nha Be" is seafood restaurants, located on the sea, where the food is fresh, and where you can choose and order food processes of your request. It is affordable and feels very impressive.

Day 2: In the morning, you take the car hugging to go to the pier, far from the Peach Garden around 2 km. Saturday and Sunday morning, there are many visitors that you can buy tickets to visit Ha Long Bay coupled with a larger group (cost about 5 dollars/person). You can also rent boats to visit Ha Long Bay, costs about 7.5 – 10 dollars/hour. The pier often has two main tours: one of the tours is four hours long and goes to the Thien Cung cave, Dau Go cave, Trong Mai Island, Dinh Huong Island, Ga Choi Island, and then back to the pier. The other tour is seven hours long and goes, like the four hour tour, but it also visits Ti Top Island, Sung Sot cave and Bo Nau Cave. You can have lunch on board by buying fresh food from the hawkers on the beach and also by buying dishes that the chef will cook for you on board. You also can return to Bai Chay lunch or dinner. It takes about 3 - 4 h with the high-quality bus go back to Hanoi.

TaekwondoSince I was 10years old, I have played Taekwondo. Taekwondo is one of the most popular martial arts in Korea. The name Taekwondo is made up of several different words; Tae means to strike or to kick, Kwon means fists, and Do means a way of art. Taekwondo means the art of kicking and striking. Taekwondo, which is an art of self-defense without weapons, requires both mental and physical training. Because of it, most people in Korea like to practice it, and half of the people in Korea are advanced Taekwondo learners. Advanced learners are able to break a board with only a fist. So do I; I am an advanced learner. Highly skilled students of taekwondo use their hands and fists to keep their attackers from attacking them. Not all Taekwondo training is physical. Highly skilled students spend a lot of time in quiet thinking to train their minds; they spend a lot of time to find inner piece. There are many places where you can learn Taekwondo in US. If you want to learn Taekwondo or if you are interested in Teakwondo, Please contact me. I can teach you

The History of Tom and JerryTom and Jerry are well-known cartoon characters that almost every child on the earth knows. The stories of Tom and jerry were written and directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. The first short of Tom and Jerry was named "Puss Gets the Boot", and it was released on Feb. 10, 1940. Nobody knew that the show becomes so famous. Tom and Jerry's shorts were nominated thirteen times for the Academy Award for Best Short shows in the cartoons category, and it won the award seven times. Tom and Jerry's shorts have won more Academy Awards than any other animated show. The shorts, which were the winners of the Academy Awards, are “Yankee Doodle Mouse” (1943), “Quiet, Please”(1945), “The Cat Concerto” (1947), “Mouse Cleaning” (1948), “Two Mouseketeers” (1952), and “Johann Mouse” (1953).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4IxGQiek3E&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Hurricane Season

A Hurricane is a combination of wind and water. The combination is not normally, and hurricanes can destroy nature, and humans ...... Hurricanes have the potential to cause widespread damage. The best way you survive during a hurricane is by staying informed. There are several tips which assist you to survive during a nature disaster.

1. Take crucial documents such as hurricane Insurance policy, Identification, Social security card and certificates; the hurricane might destroy everything. So be sure to include an important paper, you will need them.

2.Gather pets in a safe area out of the path of the hurricane.

3. Make sure that your gas tank is full. Occasionally, you should leave your house and travel to a secure area.

4. Carrying small money for rent with you is important, because you might not be able to take money from your bank account.

5. Don’t use electronic devices such as an elevator. This means, if the wind is hitting, It will ruin the electricity and you could be inside of the elevator.

6. Don’t light candles in order to avoid any fires. Ensure that you have several flashlights with plenty of extra batteries on hand.

7. Purchase supplies such as non-perishable food, water, flashlights, a portable radio, batteries, and a first-aid kit.