International Voices
ENGLISH LANGUAGE INSTITUTE, GEORGE FOX UNIVERSITY
Read all about it!
To read more International
Voices essays look for the
other editions.
International Voices is an annual
publication of the English
Language Institute of George
Fox University.
The mission of the English Language Institute (ELI) at George Fox University is to develop the
language and academic skills of students whose native language is not English and to raise
ENGLISH LANGUAGE INSTITUTE, GEORGE FOX UNIVERSITY
Volume 20, Edition B
Fall 2011
their level of cultural and spiritual awareness in order to prepare them for academic and social
success at George Fox University.
Am I Chinese? No! I’m Korean
We hope that the
Check out the International Club on campus for fun activities and opportunities to broaden
your worldview! Contact Dianna McIntyre, Advisor, dmcintyr@georgefox.edu
A Meaningful Day at George Fox
By Qianjun Wu
Serve Day is an annual day at
GFU; perhaps most students may think
it makes them tired and it’s not useful
for them to participate in, but I think
Serve Day is a meaningful day at GFU.
Because GFU is a Christian school, most
of the people are Christians. By participating in Serve Day, international students, especially, may experience the
basic spirit of Jesus; sharing your love
with others and helping the weak. All in
all, I think Serve Day is a valuable day
for all GFU students and staff. In addition to helping the weak, we also can
help people get to know each other
well while working together.
Sharing your love with others is
meaningful. I have participated in Serve
Day for two years. I remembered the
first year I participated; I served in a
place that helped parents take care of
their children, and processed donations. On that day, our group not only
cleaned all the toys that children would
play with, but we also cleaned the garden the children often played in. Also,
we helped the staff sort out the dona-
tions and pack clothes in boxes. Then
later, the staff delivered clothes to the
weak. When I saw the staff put all the
boxes in the car, it seemed like they also
put my love in the car and delivered my
love to the weak.
Getting to know each other well
during Serve Day is also meaningful. On
Serve Day last year, we worked in a big
group; this was a great chance for me to
get to know people deeply. I worked
with my floor mates. I was new in America, so I was very afraid to talk with any
strangers, especially Americans. But during the time we worked together, I began to know my floor mates well. All of
them were very nice; they gave me tips
on how I should interact. They also encouraged me talk with anyone bravely
and to share my experiences or ideas
frequently. That helped me make more
friends in America more easily.
Above all, it is clear to see that
Serve Day is valuable. As far as I am concerned, people should not think Serve
Day is tiring and meaningless because it
can help us to understand a lot.
by Sang Hoon Chang
It happened when I was trying
to get my lunch in the Bon. One of the
students who worked in the Bon said
“Hi” to me, but I didn’t know whether
he said it to me or not. So, I didn’t answer him and then he said “Ni hao,”
which is “Hi” in Chinese. Looking
around, I realized that I was the only
Asian at the food court. I told him “I’m
from Korea not China” and he said
“Sorry” to me.
Since living at George Fox University, the question that I have been
asked the most from Americans, both
GFU students and faculty members, is
“What part of China do you come
from?” I’ve been studying here about
eight months and now I understand
that GFU people ask a question like this
because the vast majority of the international students here are Chinese.
People at GFU are friendly and
might want to give a good impression
to international students, so they ask
about China. (You guys are right because more than 90% of the interna-
tional students at the college are Chinese.) Well, if you were to ask this
question of a Chinese student then
congratulations! You will have succeeded in giving a good impression to
the Chinese student. However, if you
were to ask this of other ethnic
groups, then you will have failed to
give a good impression. Even worse,
other people might think you are indifferent and have no idea about other
cultures.
I’m not sure about other people from different countries, but I’m
pretty sure that most Koreans have
strong ethnic identities because Korea
is considered to be one of the oldest
countries in the world. For this reason,
we don’t want to be called by other
nationalities. Also, I think other people
don’t want to be called by other nationalities, as well.
If you are reading this article
right now, I want to ask you to please
not assume all international students
are Chinese. Remember, minority
groups always exist. If you are not sure
about the nationalities of others, I recommend that you ask “Where do you
come from?”
students’ writing in
International Voices
will inspire you to
reach out to
international students
at George Fox
University and seek
friendship
and understanding.
Inside this issue:
XUEQI JIANG
2
HOWEN YUAN
3
ZHENG WANG
4
CE WANG
5
XIANG TING WANG
6
HAIDONG WANG
7
QIANJUN WU
8
Volume 20, Edition B
International Voices
Enjoy Life in America
Religion
by Haidong Wang
by Xueqi Jiang
...MAKING
FRIENDS IS
ALWAYS ONE OF
THE MOST
SIGNIFICANT
THINGS FOR US.
WE SPEND A BIG
PART OF OUR
LIFETIMES WITH
FRIENDS.
Everybody wishes to live a
happy and enriched life. For our international students, coming to America
is a wonderful chance to start a new
life. We feel excited at first by a lot of
wishes and hopes. But things might not
always go well. Problems are always
there. What we international students
need to do is to fix the
problems and enjoy
our life in America.
Making friends
is always one of the
most significant things
for us. We spend a big
part of our lifetimes
with friends. Now we
are in America. Making
friends with Americans
can not only be a good
opportunity to practice
our English speaking, but also an enjoyable way to learn about the American culture. Every time I spend time
with my American friends, they tell me
something about American cultures
and show me their life styles. We join
in different activities such as the 80’s
party and a barbecue. That makes my
life lively. So if Americans ask you to
hang out with them, do not refuse. We
should make ourselves become a
member of American groups.
Travel makes us feel relaxed.
Travel helps us forget about our bad
Since I came to America, I
memories. Travel allows us to release
stress and to be ready to get a new
start. So travel around America! We
will see many differences in cultural
styles between America and our own
country. I have been to some big cities
such as Seattle and LA. Those cities
are really different from Newberg.
Travel helps me get to
know the real America. It is the best way
to enjoy our lives in
America. Travel brings
us new experiences
that make us feel excited. It is a way for us
to take time to think
about our future. Then
we will finally find the
most beneficial place
for us to stay.
In the end I have to say don’t
forget that study is the main reason
why we came to America. Sometimes,
we’re so busy wishing for what we
want that we forget the vital thing we
need to do now. Study is also a part of
our life in America. It might be a little
bit boring, but we should find a way
to enjoy it. A day without laughter is a
day wasted. So let us enjoy our life in
America.
found one thing that gives me deep
ness and blessing. They will kneel on the
thought, religion. I am studying at a
mat and listen to the bell tone in front of
Christian university and there are
Buddha. They find peace in that situa-
many churches around the town
tion. And this is the way that the monks
where my university is located. This is
believe the person will get closer with
why I am thinking about religion. Ac-
our god.
cording to the data from Wikipedia,
What I had seen were small
84.9 percent of Americans are reli-
parts of both cultures. Do we have some
similar things in
...ON SUNDAY
I found a
the two cultures?
MORNING, THERE
fact that on Sun-
Perhaps we are
ARE ONLY A FEW
day
both
gious.
morning,
seeking
peace
few American stu-
minds.
dents on campus.
we are searching
Most of them go
for a noble per-
OF THEM GO TO
to
sonality. We have
CHURCH. THIS
really shocked me.
different
REALLY SHOCKED
I couldn't imagine
backgrounds. Even
church.
This
in
our
Perhaps
cultural
why they were so conscientious. So I
though we come from different parts of
went to the church with my curiosity.
this earth, we have the same value
During those two hours, the congrega-
about how to make a wonderful life. At
tion sang the praises of Jesus. Then
the beginning of this essay, I tried to fig-
the pastor told a story from the Bible.
ure out the difference between the two
Some of the congregation couldn't
religions, but when I look deeper, I know
help themselves from getting on their
we actually have the same dream.
knees.
Things are totally different in
my hometown. People who are not
monks go to temple to seek forgive-
Page 2
AMERICAN
there are only a
Page 7
STUDENTS ON
CAMPUS. MOST
ME.
Volume 20, Edition B
International Voices
My Experience at the Lantern Festival
Sports
by Haowen Yuan
by Xiang Ting Wang
...THE GLUTINOUS
RICE BALL IS A
FOOD MADE WITH
STICKY RICE AND
PEANUTS, OR
SOMETHING
SWEET. I AM CRAZY
ABOUT IT BECAUSE
IT TASTES SO SOFT
AND SWEET.
The Lantern Festival is a Chinese traditional festival. I prefer this
festival because my family often gets
together and eats Tangyuan, which is
also called glutinous rice balls. The glutinous rice ball is a food made with
sticky rice and peanuts, or something
sweet. I am crazy about it because it
tastes so soft and sweet. Every year, I
celebrate the Lantern Festival with my
family. The deepest impression of a
Lantern Festival I have was when I was
a middle school student.
On that day, I remember there
was a heavy snow and the weather
was pretty cold. Even though the
weather was terrible, I went shopping
with my friends because there was a
discount at the mall; we could also
guess the lantern riddles and maybe
win some prizes. The mall was decorated very beautifully. There were
some lanterns hanging from the ceiling, and on every lantern there was a
piece of colorful paper, which was the
lantern riddle. After we bought some
clothes, we thought, “Why don’t we
guess some lantern riddles and win the
prizes?”
We felt so excited because
guessing a lantern riddle is a part of
the traditional celebration during the
Lantern Festival, and the riddles are
always interesting. We walked through
the mall and looked at the riddles, but
we found we had no idea how to answer any of the riddles. After about 20
minutes of seeking, we finally found an
Page 6
easy one. The question was: “how
many months have 28 days?” The answer was that every month has a 28th
day.
We got the prize, which was a
soft plastic bag of rice balls; however,
when we went back home, something
shocked me. I had lost my phone! I
was so careful at guessing the riddles
that I did not realize someone had
stolen my phone. We thought that it
would be impossible to find out
where it went, or who stole it, because there were so many people in
the mall. When I got home, I told my
mother. My mother said, “Oh! Put
that bag of rice balls in the fridge
quickly; it is so expensive because it is
worth a phone.”
This was my memorable experience of the Lantern Festival. We
didn’t eat the rice balls. It was not
because they were “expensive,” but
because we did not think they would
taste delicious. After several months,
my mother threw them away.
Before I came to the United
States, I celebrated the Lantern Festival with my family every year. Now, I
really miss the Lantern Festival because I cannot get together with my
family on that day.
Different people have different hobbies. Different areas have different sports, which are their favorites. Also there are many differences
between Chinese and Americans, including the different physical attributes and the sports we usually play.
First of all, I think the reason
why we have different favorite sports
is decided by our physical attributes,
which are very different. Americans
are stronger and more powerful so
that they are good at powerful sports
including basketball, baseball, and
American football. As for American
football, if you are not very strong and
do not run fast, you will fail the game,
because you must have speed to avoid
your opponents. I observed that all
American football players are very
strong or fast. Also I can’t find a good
player who is Asian. In contrast, Chinese are good at skillful sports, such as
table tennis, badminton and so on.
We use skills to play with opponents.
Badminton is a good example. Even
though you are strong, you still can’t
control the birdie to where you want
to play.
I like to play badminton and
basketball. Also, I’m good at badminton; I don’t care about whether opponents are strong because I only need
to control my badminton birdie to
control opponents. Basketball is different, because you need to have a
strong body to protect and get the
ball. I’m not tall and I can’t jump high,
so I’m not good at basketball even
though I love it and I love to watch
NBA games. So we have different
physical attributes which decide our
different favorite sports.
Secondly, the sports we usually
play are another reason which makes us
have different favorite sports. Both
China and America are very large nations. But because of the Chinese population problem, China is very crowded.
So we usually do sports which do not
need much space. Table tennis or badminton is a good choice. As you play table tennis, there is only a little space but
you can play with 2 or 3 people at the
same time. Americans can do sports
such as baseball which need a lot of
space. You need a lot of space to run or
play baseball if you want to get a home
run. That’s a big difference compared
with China. Even though I want to try to
play baseball, I can’t. Even our study
space is not enough, so there is just not
enough space to play baseball. That is
another reason that makes Chinese and
American favorite sports different.
In conclusion, many reasons
make different favorite sports between
China and America, including the different physical attributes and the sports we
usually play. Even though we have many
differences between China and America,
our purpose is the same: to exercise, to
keep healthy and to enjoy our lives.
Page 3
...CHINA IS VERY
CROWDED. SO
WE USUALLY DO
SPORTS WHICH
DO NOT NEED
MUCH SPACE.
Volume 20, Edition B
International Voices
Liberty and Truth
by Ce Wang
by Zheng Wang
...THE FUNCTION
OF THE MEDIA IS
DISSEMINATING
INFORMATION TO
PEOPLE, SO THE
INFORMATION
HAS TO BE
RELIABLE AND
JUSTIFIED.
The media are quite important methods to disseminate information. Television, newspaper, magazines, and radio are all classified as media. Nowadays, because our countries,
societies, and lives have an intense
connection with media, all aspects of
our lives are strongly affected. Undoubtedly, media are very essential
and important for a country. Hence, I
am interested in talking about the differences in media between China and
America.
In China, the foremost media
are usually under the control of the
government. If the agency of media
wants to publicize some significant and
serious information, such as some major accidents, the deaths of famous
people, or some disastrous phenomena, first it has to get the broadcasting
permission from the government.
Hence, Chinese media do not have
enough liberty to disseminate what
they really desire to. On the other
hand, some reports in Chinese media
are definitely unreliable. Sometimes
media can’t publicize the truth by itself. For instance, on May 23, 2011,
there was a serious event: a
train derailment that happened in Jiangxi province. According to the media, there were about 30 people dead
and over 150 people injured by the
accident. Actually, there were at least
60 people dead. I got this real information from the blog which belonged
to a soldier, and this soldier was one of
the people who were rescuing the injured at that scene. Because the government does not want to create panic
among the people, the government
Page 4
The Differences in Daily Life in America and China
always uses its power to control the
reporting of the media.
In comparison, American
media has a higher degree of freedom
than Chinese, and it can deliver most
kinds of information. It is not controlled by the government, and it has
a great autonomy. The only requirement of its dissemination is that it
must be true. For example, there was
a terrible tragedy that happened in
2001 in America—the 911 event.
When the tragedy happened, the
American media immediately reported what was happening to all
American people, and even all over
the world. I remember that I was
watching a TV show with my mother
at home at that time. Suddenly, the
TV show was interrupted, and the reporting of the terrible tragedy was
shown on TV. It not only reported the
number of the dead but also the process of the tragedy. It did not try to
hinder anything at all. It delivered
that information because it wanted
everyone in America, and even all
over the world, to know what was
occurring. It only wanted people to
know the truth.
In conclusion, in spite of the
fact that Chinese media have less liberty than American, the function of
the media is disseminating information to people, so the information has
to be reliable and justified. The essences of media are to tell the truth
to people. Hence, Chinese media
have to enhance the accuracy and
truth of their dissemination as American media do.
I have lived in the United
States for a year already. I have totally
enjoyed my life during this year. During this time, I have been attracted by
some of the differences of life style
between American people and Chinese people. There are three main
aspects of those differences that I will
mention that will allow people to understand what the exact dissimilarities
are.
The first distinction between
American people and Chinese people
is their own distinct etiquettes. To be
more particular, most people always
say something when they meet each
other somewhere. It is a way to show
politeness and to make other people
feel comfortable. You might be curious
what those words are. When American people want to show politeness,
they like to say, “How are you today?”
when they meet each other. However,
Chinese people usually say, “Have you
eaten?” instead of, “How are you?” I
do not know how to explain why people use different words to say “hi!”
Another thing that is curious
to me is the different routines of these
two kinds of people. For instance,
American people and Chinese people
have different schedules. I have discovered that American people and
Chinese people take showers at different times. Most American people love
to shower in the morning. How do I
know this fact? Because the bathroom
is occupied in the morning, and I listen
to the sounds of showering. On the
other hand, Chinese people like to
shower at night, and then they sleep
more comfortably.
The last huge difference is in the
area of food. In the US, people are crazy
about sweet stuff. They love it. They eat
sweet food every day. If there is not super sweet food available, they might not
keep their life going. But Chinese do not
like super sweet food so much, they like
salty food. If you allow me to choose
one food to symbolize Chinese food, I
would have to select “Fire Noodles” to
represent Chinese food. Also American
people and Chinese people use different
tableware to enjoy their food. One of my
American friends asked me, “How can
you eat soup without a spoon? Using
Chopsticks?” I had to explain that I also
use a spoon to eat soup, but I use Chopsticks to eat other food. Most Chinese
use Chopsticks to eat except for liquids.
However American people like to finish
their food with a spoon, a fork, and a
knife.
In my experience and analysis,
these three aspects of Chinese culture
and American culture are obviously different—etiquettes, routines, and food.
There are also other differences between American people and Chinese
people that I did not mention yet. As
international students, we all have to
become accustomed to differences even
though we encounter some problems
Page 5
WHEN THEY
MEET EACH
OTHER… CHINESE
PEOPLE USUALLY
SAY, “HAVE YOU
EATEN?” INSTEAD
OF, “HOW ARE
YOU?”