Globe

Presley had a versatile voice and unusually wide success in many genres, including rock and roll, gospel, blues, country, ballads and pop. To date, he is the only entertainer that has been inducted into four music halls of fame. In his career, he set records for concert attendance, television ratings and recordings sales. He is one of the best-selling and most influential artists in the history of music, selling over one billion records.

ELVIS SIGHTED BY ESLers Touring Icon’s Graceland

Summer 2009

The

What accent? Page 3.

Jane's dream, Page 2.

Jongsik's Australia, Page 7.

Doe's gadgets and gizmos, Page 6.

Inside this issue:

On July 29th the ESL students took a grand tour of Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee where everything—everything—is about Elvis. What?!!! You never heard of Elvis? Here is a little information about him:

Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) middle name (sometimes spelled Aron) was an American singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, and actor. A cultural icon, he is commonly known simply as Elvis and is also sometimes referred to as The King of Rock 'n' Roll or The King. Presley began his career in 1953 as one of the first performers of rockabilly, an up tempo fusion of country and rhythm and blues with a strong back beat. His novel versions of existing songs, mixing "black" and "white" sounds, made him popular.

ESL The

A publication of the

ESL Institute University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

.

The Director advised me to come back to UTC

and start a similar program. So when I came

back to UTC, I talked to the Provost and my

department head and they were very eager for

me to start the program and they gave me their

blessings and they said “Start the program!”

The very next summer, in 1995, I started the

program. I had one other teacher and together

she and I taught all the classes—everything. It

was a lot of work, but it was very rewarding,

very exciting and I just knew that it was going to

grow and be a wonderful program. And it is!

Are you pleased with the growth of the ESL

Institute?

I am very pleased. I would like for [the program]

to grow and be even bigger and I still think that

will happen. We’ve had over 400 students go

through the program, and I feel very blessed to

have met all 400 students. Students bring their

country to us and we learn so much from you,

from the students.

by Jose Ruiz

The ESL Institute has been helping hundreds of people to learn

English as a second language since 1995. Many of them have

returned to their countries and a few of them have started

studying at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Others

have started studying in different universities around the USA, and

still others continue to study English to continue their lives in the

USA.

We asked our wonderful director Jane Womack more about the

history of the ESL Institute and she gave us a lot of useful

information about it.

Why and how did you start the ESL Institute?

I started the ESL institute because I felt like there was a need for ESL

on this campus. In the summer of 1994, I went to the University of

Texas in Arlington to get an ESL endorsement and while I was there

I saw this program on their campus and I had an opportunity to

talk to the teachers, observe some classes, and meet the director.

We have heard about a new International House at

UTC. Please, tell me about this.

Several years ago the university approved a plan to

start an International House on campus and along

the way we’ve hit some bumps and snags and it

hasn’t materialized but just this spring. I want it to

happen immediately, because, with the house

we’re going to move the ESL program into the

house and we’ll have a permanent home. We’ll

have classes there. Won’t that be nice?

It will be used for more than just classes. It will be

used for parties and lectures and a place for

students just to hang out. It’s not just for the

international students—it’s for American students to

come by after classes in the afternoon and just talk,

just meet some students from other countries.

What do you hope for the future of the ESL Institute at

UTC?

Well I hope it continues to be as wonderful as it is.

And I hope it brings a lot of joy to the students and

to be a family. I feel a real sense of a family with our

students and I hope it always stays that way, even

after I retire.

“I feel a real sense of a family with our students and I hope it always stays that way.”

Summer 2009 ● Volume 1, Issue 2 ● ESL Globe ● UTC ESL Institute ● http://www.utc.edu/Academic/ESL/

Page 2

Jane Womack founded the ESL Institute.

A Dream Come True: The ESL International House

What’s in an accent?

by Beth Neely

Did you know that no matter where

you’re from or what language you speak,

you have an accent? What is an accent?

Webster’s Dictionary (2001) defines an

accent as “A stress of voice on a particular

syllable in pronouncing a word” (p. 7).

Everyone has some kind of accent. Sometimes it’s hard to adjust to our accent in another

language. How do you feel about your accent? Here’s what some of the students in our ESL program

told me about their accents:

Benny, China ~ Benny says that his accent is weird, interesting, and funny all at the same time, yet he

feels that he is well understood and would not change his accent. He likes (and even prefers) the

American accent, for to him it comes across as relaxed and easy (as opposed to the British accent).

Jose, Ecuador ~ He has a bit of a negative attitude toward his accent because he feels that

it sometimes keeps him from expressing his thoughts and being understood. He is aware of pronunciation issues that he has and knows that he will have the same accent his

whole life but would like to improve it through practice, correcting his mistakes, and through vocal

exercises. Jose is going to try his best to maintain “proper English pronunciation.”

Blake, Korea ~ He thinks his accent is “bad” or “weird.” He thinks his accent sounds strange because

of the difference in the Korean language (which has little intonation) and the English language (which

has much intonation). He tries to sound like a North American and likes the southern accent.

Calixsto, Nicaragua ~ He likes his accent and wouldn’t change it.

Beth, U.S. ~ As an assignment for a class I took recently, I surveyed middle school teachers from an

urban (city) school and a rural (countryside) school about their accents (they all spoke English as a first

language). The urban teachers were more likely to say that they had a “standard” English accent

and the rural teachers were more likely to say that they had a “non-standard” English accent and

didn’t like their accent much. The map below shows where people in the U.S. have different accents,

but even in these big areas there are differing accents (www.uwm.edu/Course/350-192/region.html). Do

people from rural and urban areas in other countries have differing accents?

Do You Know What Tom Yum Goong Is ? by Kevin Panichsathaporn

Have you ever heard “Tom Yum Goong?” Tom Yum Goong , is a very famous soup in Thailand. It’s a soup that everybody in Thailand knows and likes. You can also call Hot and Sour Soup. It’s very healthy soup that I have often eaten. In Thailand, you can choose what kind of meats you want to put in this soup, though usually it is prepared with shrimp. Tom Yum Goong is made by Thai and Laos People. It’s very easy to make. The basic soup is made of fresh ingredients such as lemon grass, lime leaves, fish sauce, slices of ginger and crushed of fresh chili peppers and mushrooms. If you want to have it a little bit sweet, you can add coconut milk. After you have mixed everything together in the hot soup, it’s ready to serve on the table. Yummy soup!!!

Ingredients: 4 cups water; 1 cup shrimp; 5 mushrooms 1-2 limes; 1 lemon grass; 3 kaffir lime leaves; 2 tablespoon fish sauce; 5 sprigs cilantro; 3 chili peppers

Bring the chicken stock to a boil, add the lemongrass, galangal, kaffirlime leaves and mushrooms and boil for approximately three minutes.

Add chilli paste, chillies, tomatoes and prawns and simmer on low heat.

Then season with fish sauce and lime juice to your liking. Sprinkle coriander on top and serve with steamed rice.

Summer 2009 ● Volume 1, Issue 2 ● ESL Globe ● UTC ESL Institute ● http://www.utc.edu/Academic/ESL/

Page 3

Phillip’s favorite:

My First American Concert by Charles Jeong

I had been playing the French horn with a

professional orchestra in Korea for 3 years.

By the time I came here, I had been

conducting with an amateur orchestra at a

university for 2 years.

Music is one of the important parts in my life.

Especially I had my heart set on seeing a

major concert like the New York

Philharmonic orchestra.

Eventually I went to the Woodruff Arts

Center where the Atlanta Symphony

Orchestra had a concert.

Whatever happened to…

Some

body

save

me!

Grace Sarinya Supasalingkarn has

just completed her first year in UTC’s

prestigious MBA Program. All signs are

that Grace will succeed in business. She

recently tried to exchange a dead

goldfish for a live one at Walmart.

Oscar & Maria are now studying at

Richland College in Dallas, Texas. They

attended a luncheon at Anne

Rittenberry’s house on July 1st to say

farewell to all their UTC ESL friends. We

wish them all the best in their lives.

Dayanne Kadosh from Uruguay and

Tania Cabrales from Colombia still stay

in touch on Facebook. Dayanne has

started a catering business with sushi as a

specialty. Tania is a newlywed and is, we

hope, thoroughly enjoying marital bliss.

Miseon Kim has returned home to South

Korea where she hopes to study nursing.

She really misses Chattanooga and she is

keeping up with many of her friends

online. Miseon is enjoying spending time

with her family and with old friends. She

sends greetings to her ESL friends and,

especially, to her favorite teachers, Dee

and Anne.

It is very nice building with a

contemporary feel, and was crowded

with lots of people.

The ASO’s repertoires were great, and

included Tchaikovsky’s Capriccio Italian,

Prokofiev’s Piano concerto No.3 and

Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7.

The sound was awesome. and the

conductor, Nicola Luisotti, who is Italian,

was superb. His conducting in the

Capriccio Italian was impressive. I felt

honored to see such concert.

After the concert, I had no choice but to

stand up and applaud the first music I

listened to since I came to the U.S.A. It

was amazing and I won’t ever forget

hearing this music.

Summer 2009 ● Volume 1, Issue 2 ● ESL Globe ● UTC ESL Institute ● http://www.utc.edu/Academic/ESL/

Page 4

Anne’s Treasures Article & Photos by Jongsik Lee On July 1, 2009 all the ESL students visited Ann’s house after morning classes. She lives on Signal Mountain and has a beautiful house with a peaceful back yard.

Ann is so interesting. First of all, she has a sense of humor and likes to make a joke, so it’s very easy for anybody to get along with her well. Visiting her house, we realized that she is not only mischievous, but also has a good hobby: collecting antiques. Many of her things were heirlooms. She has a lot of treasures that she inherited from her

parents and grandparents. When I walked into her house, I was pretty surprised with all those things. Her house looked very neat and arranged well like a small museum. There were several big portraits of her family members in frames and

some accessories going around the walls. When I sat on a rocking chair in the living room, I felt a connection to her mind and how much she has put into her collections. Actually, even though it must be hard work to clean the dust off the heirlooms, she must love having them. Everybody knows that we are always interested in this

kind of person like Ann who is into collecting something precious. Second, she likes animals like dogs. This fact tells us she has a lot of affection to give. When she sees a dog which she has never seen before, she generously gives the dog

water. Nobody can say how lovely she is. For lunch time, we had various foods from Korea, Thailand, China, and the USA. After that, we had a pretty good time in the front yard of her house. We sat around on the soft and cushiony grass. It was like a picnic with family. We talked about everything whenever we wanted. I bet that it must be the

best day of the week. And now I really appreciate her because she made me feel peaceful and she showed me her precious heirlooms.

Anne’s treasures are arrayed about her lovely home. Above you can see family portraits and, to the right, displayed on the wall, an antique music box that her father brought from Europe early in the last century.

Dee, Jane, & Anne

We went to Anne’s house to

celebrate 4th of July,

Independence Day in the

United States. We had a lot of

food from different countries

and cultures--food like jabchae,

peach pie, tom-ka-gai, choco

browny, sushi, many fruits, and

salad. Especially, the tomkagai

was A+ number one in my

opinion. That was a good

chance to know about different

cultures according to their food.

And also that social gathering

provided us a good time to get

along with each other deeply

and more closely. Especially,

international students need this

kind of place to improve their

English. After lunch, we sat on

chairs in the back yard and

talked a lot about

Independence Day, July 4th.

We could hear that the day

means a lot to Americans. They

love the day and spend their

time with family setting off

fireworks at night to celebrate

freedom from England. —

Jongsik Lee

Summer 2009 ● Volume 1, Issue 2 ● ESL Globe ● UTC ESL Institute ● http://www.utc.edu/Academic/ESL/

Page 5

Summer 2009 ● Volume 1, Issue 2 ● ESL Globe ● UTC ESL Institute ● http://www.utc.edu/Academic/ESL/

A Cup o’ Tea

with the Boys

The English Rose Authentic British Tearoom & Shop

which Level 5 students visited on Thursday, July 23rd is

located on Market Street. It’s a very gorgeous place

that we’d love to recommend to everyone. This

tearoom is so traditional and beautiful. The place is

decorated with roses and tea paraphernalia in a

British style.

The seven men in Level 5 felt privileged to have tea

there and to receive a lesson in etiquette. We visited

The English Rose Authentic British Tearoom & Shop

with our teacher and with the ESL Director, Jane

Womack. We met Angela Becksvoort, who is the

owner of this place. She was so attractive in and

magnetic in her personality. We listened to her talk

about general etiquette. Most of the things that

made us feel so impressed was the afternoon tea, a

Victorian tea with an assortment of sandwiches,

cheeses and biscuits. Scones were served with Devon

cream, jam and lemon curd, along with various

English biscuits. Then, we had a wonderful lunch.

English porcelain, British groceries, tea paraphernalia

and candies fill the front parlor with other various

specialty imports from England. Queen Anne furniture

and tables topped with exquisite tablecloths and

roses set the dining room.

1On their best behaviour:

On their best behaviour: Blake, Jose, Kevin, Khang, Phillip, Tak,

and Jongsik with Jane and David.

Etiquette has to do with good manners.

It's not so much our own good

manners, but making other people feel

comfortable by the way we behave.

Tea and roses.

Summer 2009 ● Volume 1, Issue 2 ● ESL Globe ● UTC ESL Institute ● http://www.utc.edu/Academic/ESL/

Page 6

Summer 2009 ● Volume 1, Issue 2 ● ESL Globe ● UTC ESL Institute ● http://www.utc.edu/Academic/ESL/

Page 6

Page 4

Article & Photographs by Jongsik Lee

Have you ever been to Australia? This country

has not only a lot of famous places, but also

claims a variety of animals. When I went to

Australia on my last vacation, I saw some

differences between USA and Australia. First, all

directions for cars were totally opposite, like the

driver seat and the way to drive. I mean,

Australian people have the steering wheel on

the right side of cars. Second, I found out that

Australia doesn’t issue a dollar bill, or even a two

dollar bill. The lowest currency denomination is a

five dollar bill. So when you want to buy

something in a store, you had better consider the

change you get back. If you do not, you might

have to carry a lot of coins in your pocket. Third,

the Australian accent is quite different from the

American or even the British accents. In addition,

when they speak, you will feel like that the sound

came from their stomachs, not throats. So you

might not be able to understand what they are

saying easily.

While I was traveling around Sydney, I felt like the

Australian people never hurry up and they always

enjoy their moments even though they are in

some trouble. They seem to know how to get

relaxed and feel peaceful. I never saw any dirty

looks on their faces while I was in Australia. They

always try to look on the bright side of everything.

Sometimes they might look too easy-going and

relaxed. In other words, they might be lazy.

Surprisingly some people never work on weekends

and also if you need to travel on weekends you

might have to hurry up, because public

transportation in Australia rarely works in the

afternoons on weekends. That situation looks

unusual for big cities like Sydney. However, I think

Australian people deserve good rest, because

they always put their best in everything that they

do all week long. During their spare time, if there

are any parties or some entertainment to enjoy,

they never miss them. That means they exactly

know how to have fun and when to concentrate

on their duties. Therefore I think most Australian

people are the most passionate people who I

have ever met. If you want to burn out your

passion and learn how to enjoy life or get relaxed

and peaceful, go right now to Australia without

hesitating!

GGGEEETTTTTTIIINNNGGG TTTOOO KKKNNNOOOWWW TTTHHHEEE LLLAAANNNDDD DDDOOOWWWNNN UUUNNNDDDEEERRR

Page 7 Spring 2009 ● Volume 1, Issue 2 ● ESL Globe ● UTC ESL Institute ● http://www.utc.edu/Academic/ESL/

Page 7

turn on the Text Box toolbar. To do

this, on the View menu, point to

Toolbars, and then clic

k Text Box.

When you start writing your story, we

recommend that you do most of

your writing and editing before you

copy the text into the empty linked

text boxes. To move among linked

text boxes in a story, select a text

box that is part of a story. On the

Text Box toolbar, click Next Text Box

or Previous Text Box.

To copy or move linked text boxes,

select the first text box in the story.

Hold down SHIFT and select each

additional text box you want to

copy or move. On the Edit menu,

click Copy or Cut. Click where you

want to copy or move the text

boxes. On the Edit menu, click

Paste.

You can also break a link between

any two linked text boxes in a story.

To do this, select the text box. On

the Text Box toolbar, click Break

Forward Link.

The text boxes in this newsletter are

linked, so text from one column

flows into the other column and you

can easily include more than one

story on a page.

When you are working

with linked text boxes, you should

Ca

ptio

n

des

crib

ing

pict

ure

or

gra

phi

c.

Spring 2009 ● Volume 1, Issue 2 ● ESL Globe ● UTC ESL Institute ● http://www.utc.edu/Academic/ESL/

Gadgets & Gizmos

by Phillip Choi

Doe Hyun, who started to study in the ESL Institute this semester, has a lot of gadgets and gizmos. He has a cell phone, a translator, a PDA, a photo viewer, a photo printer, a film scanner, a blue tooth, a memory card reader, a laptop, a PS2 (Play Station 2), a PSP (Play Station Portable), and a fantastic camera. He has a lot of gadgets and gizmos which are hard for ordinary people to get because they are expensive.

He said, “My favorite is absolutely my Nikon camera. I have all these devices because of the Nikon camera.”

Doe Hyun’s gadgets & gizmos.

Doe Hyun has a Bachelor’s Degree in computer science and a Master’s Degree in industrial engineering. When he studied his major, he used all kinds of electronic devices naturally. The most interesting thing in his character is he doesn’t mind being the first person who uses a brand new product. He is an early adopter. “When I recognize that a brand new gizmo has come out, I can’t wait to buy it,” he said, “even though I sometimes spend a lot of money because of this kind of impatience, I’m happy to get a new device.”

Doe’s gadgets and gizmos allow him to pursue a favorite hobby, photography.

Page 8

He is an excellent and a professional photographer. He has taken pictures for five years. Of course, taking pictures is one of his hobbies, but he used to do that as a part time job in Korea. He said, “I started to take pictures as my hobby, but it was so interesting that I fell into the world of photography. Then, one of my friends who saw my pictures asked me to taking his wedding ceremony photos. That was my first part time job using my camera.”

Gadget- An often small mechanical or electronic device with a practical use but often thought of as a novelty.

Gizmo- A mechanical device or part whose name is forgotten or unknown; a gadget.

Doe’s gadgets and gizmos allow him to pursue a favorite hobby, photography.

Once the ESL program has finished, we shouldn‟t stop our learning English. The Internet could be a good

option to continue learning English. You can google the words ESL or EFL and you will have a lot of links

to learn English, but let us recommend some interesting websites which could be helpful to you to learn

English and also to have some tools.

This website is perfect for beginning ESL students. You will find

some vocabulary and basic grammar links. LanguageGuide.org has

13 languages to choose for translation and one of the most important

things is you can hear the pronunciation, watch an image related to a

word, and read a correct spelling.

Do you like to listen to and watch video musicals, TV

advertisements, or movie trailers? If your answer is “yes”,

you will really enjoy this website. It has a feature in which

you can listen to, watch, and read the script of a video.

ManyThings.org is a website with different options to learn

English, such as: Vocabulary, Reading, Listening, Grammar,

Quizzes, and Proverbs.

Esl.about.com has many options as ManyThings.org has, but something

interesting is that you have some exercises for the TOEFL test. If you are

thinking about taking the TOEFL test, this website could help you a lot.

Who said we shouldn't listen to children's stories while we are

learning English? When you start learning a new

language, listening to children's stories could be a good idea to

begin on our way in a new language. Storyplace.org gives you

an opportunity to watch, listen to, and read a story.

Pbskids.org has many options to learn English. You could learn the different

sounds in vowels and consonants.

Translation2.paralink.com is an efficient online translator recommended for

any ESL student level. It has an option to read text that you want to translate.

Wikspeak.sourceforge.net is a tool that allows non-native English

speakers to analyze the correlation between the pronunciation and

spelling of English words. WikSpeak is a highly recommended tool

for anyone from the beginner to the advanced non-native English

speaker.

Soziety.com is a social network based on Skype. You need to

register in it and you will be able to learn English while you meet

new people.

Spring 2009 ● Volume 1, Issue 2 ● ESL Globe ● UTC ESL Institute ● http://www.utc.edu/Academic/ESL/

Page 9

After ESL Class: Learn Online

by Jose Ruiz

Guys & Dolls by Khang Nguyen

On Thursday, July 9, the ESL students were invited to Candace

Long’s house to have dinner together. For the second time this

summer we got to have dinner together. The first time was at

Anne Rittenberry’s house a week before. We had great fun

both times!

We arrived at Candace’s house at 5:30, which is a perfect time

to have dinner. We prepared food which we had brought with

us. After having a superb supper, we helped clean up and

then got ready to go to see an extraordinary musical play,

Guys & Dolls. This musical was written by Frank Loesser and has

been playing for years and years on Broadway. Broadway is a

very famous place for shows and plays in New York.

We got to see Guys & Dolls because of Anne and her

involvement in the Signal Mountain Playhouse. Anne is our well-

known Level Four ESL teacher and she was involved in this

production and thought it would be a very good experience

for the students to go and see the play. Thank you, Anne!

The special thing about the event was that the play took place

in an outdoor theatre. Though it was kind of hot, nobody

seemed to mind. The performances were excellent, and

everybody gave his or her attention to the play. Afterwards, we

had a chance to talk to the cast members. They were very

friendly, funny, and absolutely beautiful. We took a picture

together.

We talked, listened, laughed—and of course learned—which is

the purpose for us having such activities. All the activities the

teachers plan for us are meant to help us learn, experience,

and better understand America’s language and culture.

Above all, we students like the chance to hang out together

outside of school; get to know each other better; and have

unforgettable moments that we all can look back on when we

are not together anymore.

Greetings Around the World

The handshake.

The kiss.

Thai greetings.

The bow.

Ancient Tibetan greeting.

Summer 2009 ● Volume 1, Issue 2 ● ESL Globe ● UTC ESL Institute ● http://www.utc.edu/Academic/ESL/

Page 10

My Experience in ESL By Olga Lucia Correa

This summer, we started new classes in the ESL program. This course was very interesting.

The teachers were Dee, Dawn, and Eileen. Dee was the grammar teacher, Dawn was the

vocabulary teacher, Eileen was the writing teacher. I went to classes from Monday to Friday.

I was happy because I learned a lot.

Dee was a wonderful teacher. She always was taking care of the students. All courses

in this summer were important for me. My purpose was to learn more and more

because it is very necessary for my professional development.

Thank you, teachers, for giving me the opportunity to lean English and know good

people.

ESL This Summer By Doe Hyun

I remember when I was in orientation for this summer semester I

was surprised that there were so many Korean students. I didn‟t

want to speak in Korean, but I had to speak Korean in my living

environment. I have tried to speak in English, but it is not that easy.

Every Wednesday, I joined the dinner party which is very

helpful to speak in English, but I think that‟s not enough. Next

semester, I wish to be in a program which would give me a

chance to speak with native English speakers.

I would like to join communities or hobby clubs. I‟m looking

for any photographers or dancers who can dance „swing‟ with

me. If I find someone who enjoys a hobby with me, my

English will get better.

In the U.S. This Summer

by Tong Meesungnoen

I have been here for four months. First, I lived with my sister in

Murfreesboro for two months, than I came to live with my mother in

Chattanooga. I don‟t feel homesick because my family has lived here and

my mother cooks Thai food for me every day. I usually come to class

every day to study English but when I go back home, I speak Thai with

my mother because she can‟t speak English very well.

I have some American friends but they are busy. I try to speak

with them when I have time. It was difficult to speak with American

people because I don‟t know a lot of vocabulary. Now I‟m studying

English at ESL in Chattanooga. I have many friends in ESL. They are

very friendly and helpful. They are from different country. Most of the

students are from Korea. Sometimes, I study Korean language with them.

All of the teachers at ESL are very helpful and kind. They have

many activities in class and after class. They have a party every week. I

came to the party sometimes. I enjoyed them. My teacher explains every

question to me. I think, ESL makes my English better than it was two

months ago.

I was surprised I met a Thai student, Kevin. He was very kind

and helpful. He gave his English books to me. I hope he will pass the next

month and succeed in his goal. I hope to take a TOEFL next time.

ESL Voices:

Summer 2009 ● Volume 1, Issue 2 ● ESL Globe ● UTC ESL Institute ● http://www.utc.edu/Academic/ESL/

Page 11

The ESL Globe Staff

Philip Choi – Editor in Chief

Jongsik Lee – Assistant Editor

Kevin Panichsathaporn – Copy Editor

Khang Nguyen – Graphic Editor

Benny Yu– Reporter

Martha Marrufo – Student Advisor

Jose Ruiz– Student Advisor

Beth Neely – Volunteer Advisor

David Van Ingram – Editorial Advisor

More ESL Voices

Studying ESL by Calixto Jose Covnavaca Diaz

I started to study in ESL program because I need to speak, write, and understand English well, before I take the USMLE test to be a professionl hee in United States. I was in four different classes; grammar class, vocabulary class, listening class, and writing class. The grammar class helped me to catch a lot of knowledge about English structure and expression. The vocabulary class was perfect because the book was a good instrument for combining new words and figures. The writing class was the most exquisite class because it was a combining of grammar listening, and writing. I think that it was the most important class for discovering my weaknesses.

The listening class was perfect, but the book was a little different in comparison with the grammar and vocabulary books. I think that this class needed to give more time to the students. I appreciate teachers for giving us their efforts, love, knowledge, and respect for our culture.

Hello~ Every ESL Friend!!!

I thought about a topic for my second article for the

ESL Globe and I have chosen it as „My life here.‟

It has been almost six months since I came to this

lovely city, Chattanooga. During this time, I had

many valuable experiences, studying English and

meeting many friends. Most of my time here, I have

used for English studying. I came here for studying

English like you, and I was satisfied with my ESL

Institute and my great teachers. I have learned many

English skills that I didn‟t know before from them

after I came to the USA and I hope to get more and

more.

On every Wednesday, I go to the First Friends dinner party which is offered by Dee Lapahuska for our chance to meet with native

students. There, I meet many friends from USA and other countries. It

was a very helpful time to speak with them who have diverse cultural

backgrounds for practicing my English and understanding another

culture. I really like that time but I'm very sad because I won't go there

for a while.

Summer 2009 ● Volume 1, Issue 2 ● ESL Globe ● UTC ESL Institute ● http://www.utc.edu/Academic/ESL/

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