Not Just Food

I always take a quick glance around the food court of Arundel Mills Mall as I pass by for work each time. From my observations, the food court is not even half full most of the time on weekdays because everyone has to either work or go to school. However, the food court is always full on Saturday noon to night and more than half full on Sundays; many eat while gathering with friends and families, some just sit to wait for friends and families to come join them. The food court is a great public place because people can gather and hang out while surrounded by food. 

Word Count: 108

This I Believe Draft- If I Can, You Can

            When difficult issues occur in life, some people will just give up in the process or not even try to solve the problem; others will try hard to get through the difficulty. I faced a major problem when I first come to the United States, but I choose to work hard and try my best to overcome the obstacle. At the age of ten, my family immigrated to the America. Being a child born in China, moving to the other side of the world was like starting a new life because everything is different. I had to adapt to the culture, living style, and the environment, however, the biggest problem I have is speaking English. I have been speaking Chinese even since I was born, and never learned English; so I had to learn a whole new language that has nothing in common with Chinese at all, which is very hard.

            In my first year of school in the U.S., English is a major issue for me. I cannot understand stand anything that’s taught in class and I didn't know how to do any of the homework just because I didn't know any English. For this reason, I was the only student in my class that’s allowed to openly copy answers from other classmates. The only subject I was confident in was math because it didn't require much English. Due to my situation, I was put into ESOL for two years; I start from learning the basic rules and structures of English, then move onto harder English skills as I go longer in ESOL. After a year of ESOL, I was able to adapt to the living style and the educational system of U.S., but I still had to work on more elevated English and the fluency of it, so I practice and practice as I’m in the program. After my second year of ESOL, I was able to speak fluent English, so I graduated from the program and was able to take the same classes as everyone else. Taking two years to learn a language fluently could seem long or short, but I put in a lot of work and practiced a lot to come to where I am now, so I believe that there’s nothing you cannot overcome as long as you work hard and try your best.

Belief: I believe that working hard and trying the best can help one achieve his or her goal and overcome obstacles in life.

Word Count: 390

Outside Cultural Event- Human Interaction with the Landscape

                Taxonomy of a Landscape is an exhibition held in the UMBC library; it shows photos from Victoria Sambunaris’ traveling across the landscapes of America over the years. The photos show the unique landscapes of America and the human interactions with the landscapes. The exhibition is very meaningful because the photos demonstrate human actions on the landscapes; we modify and change the landscape for our industrial needs and personal wants, and neglect it when we no longer use the landscape. Sambunaris wants to bring out the point that we have beautiful landscapes all around us, and yet, we are not preserving these nice places, but instead we use them and change them to accommodate our wants and needs, which could possibly ruin the natural beauty of our landscapes.
                I feel that this exhibition can really make us reflect on what we have done to our landscape. Humans are using the landscapes for their own benefits when possibly bringing negative effects to the environment. One example I remember is that because of the insufficient spaces in Hong Kong, they do land reclamation, which is to create new land from oceans or lakes. Land reclamation creates more land for human use; therefore, many other countries have also done land reclamation to expand spaces. However, these human activities to the landscape bring negative impacts to our environment and other living organisms. For example, when constructions are in progress, the chemicals can contaminate the surrounding water, which affects the living condition of water dependent species. Also, when reclamation is occurring, the living space and living environment will be affected, which can cause extinction of certain species. We should appreciate our unique landscapes and preserve the natural beauty of them to reserve a natural living environment for all organisms.

Word Count: 293