Writing II – MidTest for Friday, October 30th 2009, 07.30 am – 09.10 am
or
Notes:
a. The outline should be prepared before the test and developed during the test.
b. The outline should be attached on the answer sheet.
c. Students may not consult the dictionary and should work individually
First of all I’d like to apologize to all of my writing class students, for not keeping my promise checking their blogs on wednesday,.I was kinda occupied at that time. I hope you all guys can understand *wink*
So.. I have read all the blogs, but unfortunately I cannot give comments on some blogs, and don’t ask me why, cuz frankly speaking, I have no idea, maybe you can ask Wen about it. So for those whose blog hasn’t been commented yet by me, please, do something with your blog okay?
Well… it’s been a long holiday, but a dull one for me. I don’t really like holiday when it comes with no activity. Boring. No memorable stories. Just want to get rid of it soon.
So, can’t hardly wait to get back to campus and meet you again guys! hahaha… (which i believe that you don’t agree with me, I know how students love holidays.. especially a long one ^_^)
Enjoy the rest of your holiday, cuz your next assignments are on the way…. fufufufufu… ^_^
I’ve read my all of my students’ blog and I find it interesting. Some write because they have to do that cuz I put that as an assignment. Some have already had a blog before, so writing a blog ain’t that strange anymore for them. Some are forced at the beginning, then they realize that they can enjoy writing in a blog.
Anyway, whatever reason they have in mind for writing the blog is fine for me. I know, it’s a little bit unpleasant when you have to do something that you don’t like. But, what’s good about being a lecturer like now is that I am allowed to make my students to do something unpleasant for them. Hahaha.. *devilish laugh*
But hey, guys… trust me, maybe you feel like you hate writing now. But someday you’ll find out that it’s something that you won’t regret.
I know for some people writing is like tormenting, evenmore in the language that you don’t speak everyday. But if we want to master a certain language, we should practice a lot. Cuz language is simply about adaptation. It’s not really related to one’s intelligence. Well… frankly, I make this statement without any reference, but I can utter this statement outloud simply because I’ve learnt from the experience.
Let’s not talk about learning English spesifically. I’m talking about any language in general. When I was in Bandung for my bachelor degree, I am surrounded by people who mostly talk in Sundanese. I don’t even speak Sundanese! I felt like alienated at that time. But then if I want to survive there, I have to be able to understand the language. Cuz, most of the time people tend to speak Sundanese even to strangers. All people, the drivers, my landlord, shopkeepers, my friends, including my lecturer at that time. After that I learned Sundanese bit by bit, I seldom ask the meaning of few words that I heard, I just listen to them when they talk, and try to figure out the meaning from the context. (Doesn’t it sound familiar? defining some words from the context hahaha you find it a lot in Reading Comprehension and SEE you can apply that to your everyday’s life! Isn’t that awesome?!)
Back to my story.. And in 2 years, I could speak Sundanese.. though not a very fluent one. But it proves that language is actually a matter of adaptation. You have to get used to the language. You gotta be familiar with that language (That’s why homestay program is very effective).
And what happened when you don’t make your self familiar with the language anymore? Just like me after 3 years leaving Bandung, I can’t speak Sundanese anymore. Only a very few words that I still remember. And for your information, once my native friend from the States, who stayed in our country for about 6 months to teach English in a local vocational Senior High school, said that her English is getting lower, she sometimes forget some words in English, can you imagine that? She was born speaking English! It’s simply because most of the time she had to use easy English to teach the children and to communicate with people. And she couldn’t find many people talk in English here. And when she can find some, she wasn’t able to talk with those people all the time.
Now if we speak about English, we’re not that lucky to have many native speakers around. So all we can do is finding our people who can speak English and try to practice with them frequently. Find a sparing partner. But, somehow, it’s not that easy. People sometimes are too lazy or to embarrassed to use English as one of their daily language. Cuz they’re afraid of being teased by others or maybe being considered as an arrogant freak. (Thanks to Cinta Laura for this! She’s so lame.. hehehe). But hey, I talk in English with my friends (who also speak English) everytime we’re together, and if people stare at us like we’re a bunch of freak, I’ll say… “What? Anything wrong with speaking in English? I’m not doing something immoral or anything… (>_<) Doh! )
Well now if you can’t practice that much, the only thing you can count on is WRITING. Cuz when you’re writing, you have a moment with yourself without any interruption from others. You don’t have to mind people teasing by comparing you with Cinta Laura. You’re free. Writing is your private and intimate moment. (overwhealming heheh)
So what are you waiting for? start chatting, watching western movies, listening to western songs, and writing your journal in English now!
p.s: feel free to leave some comments!
Well. It’s been a while since I wrote on my last blog. Well, to be honest I miss writing. Some say that you can try to analyze yourself through writing. But, some also say that it’s just a waste of time. But, hey… who cares ’bout what people say? (Well, I do, sometimes…) ^^
I told my students to write in a blog few days ago. I tried to encourage them to write a journal frequently. Not that I want to force them but I think it’s good for them to improve their skills related to English. But not only that, I find that writing can sharpen your mind and help you to cope with your personal problem. If you don’t buy it, that’s fine. But once you do it, you’ll see that it works well. Just let the words come out. Pour the thought out of the pot. Unleash your imagination.
Gee… Guess I’m getting overwhelming now. \(^^)/
Just write. And you can see who you really are and what you really want.
