blog 12

                                                      The epilogue to the novel
It's been seven years since I stepped on this unpredictable land called United States of America.

   My name is Sookan, I came here for college at the beginning, and I've graduated for five years. I look back, look back at my path, wonder how I've come here, but never get an exact answer from it. Everything seemed happen so quick that I can't catch up. Well, who is able to?

   I've been in love with a man, and we got merry. However, things didn't go the way we expected, they just always don't. Life is complicated, yet easy to see through after all. I wish I have the power to go back then and stop being naive and ignorant, but I can't. 

   We argued, we fight, standing on different side of road staring at each other uncomfortably, neither dares to step closer. Divorce comes after all. It's hard to say goodbye to someone you got used to and live with for that many moments. Even harder to recognize the stranger who seems so familiar, but you don't the courage to talk to. That's how it feels like after all these. I wonder.

   Yep, I have lost everything I had. Mom has gone to another world. And my only sister has married to a man and became someone who seems doesn't care about me at all. What else has left in my life, endless energy of young blood? Which just the unacceptable excuse for irresponsibility and fatuous.

   I unpacked the letters written by my family when I was still in college, the letters full of hope, full of the love from another side of the world, and those don't exist anymore. It was the best part of my life, picking up and putting back a lot of treasure there. I met Marci, Kyle, Mr. Bennett and some many other wonderful people. Those people just show up and disappear in your life, probably been forgotten after ten years, but still makes a great memory.

   It's time to start a new journey, it will be full of challenge, danger, everything will be unexpected. But that's how we keep our last breath in this world, to survive, to live. I have learnt how to love myself, and make the right decisions from this path, and never regret.

Group work

Sookan came back the school. Sookan wrote a letter about her life for her all family members. Sister Reed gives Sookan a pearl necklace from her aunt, because she thinks Sookan is extraordinary enough to have this necklace. Ellen is engaged with Kyle, and Sookan had an argument with her. Because Ellen thinks she can decide her own life. However Sookan thinks that she should care more about her parents' opinions. 

Important: She gets argument with one of her best friends. Because it is about her relationship with her best friends. Different thinking. It is really important to find the reason and study it. 

1. Why does Sookan get into argument with Ellen?

2. How would people in the dinning hall feel when they heard Ellen gets engaged? What if it happens at Korea?

3. If you were Ellen, what would you say to Sookan? Would you agree with her after the argument? 

  

Chapter 13-18

Chapter 13
1. They are not that close, we can tell by their reactions during diner.
2. She suggests her thrown the letters out and do not think about them.
3. I don't think so, because she is a calm thinker.

Chapter 14
1. A red velvet box, with a necklace inside, because she thinks Sookan is a extraordinary woman.
2. She was invited to a lunch.
3.They missed her a lot.
4. I agree, because that's respect that Sookan needed.

Chapter 15
1. Because those are experiences that never happen to her before in Korea.
2. I wouldn't do the things she did.

Chapter 16
1. She has completed her work, and the relationship with friends improved.
2. She has became more and more American, including thoughts about family and other relationship.

Chapter 17
1. It was the news that her mom was dead.
2. It was incredible for her, but she didn't show much sadness either.

Chapter 18
1. She realized she was being silly.
2. Just be herself, but don't follow the trend too much.

blog 11

  In my opinion, the book seems pretty interesting to me so far. I have learnt a bunch of things from it.
  Sookan is still my favorite character. I am a boarding student as she is, thus we have a lot of same experiences. She is intelligence, patient and hard working. A lot of details in the story impressed me a lot. Such as she keeps trying to involve in the environment around her. I understand that America is a whole new place for her and she had a hard time understanding other friends' culture and communicate with them, but she still did it. She is really warm hearted, an example from page 32: " Marci had left Friday afternoon to go home to Scarsdale. I wished I could have joined her; she looked lonesome" We can tell by this quote that Sookan consider her friends' feeling. Another quote from page 57: "Everything is so different here, I said slowly. In Korea, such a thing would not be possible. Even married couples do not show such affection in public." She is trying to compare the two different cultures together to show her friend her thoughts. It's been tough for her to improve the friendship, but since she is willing to open her mind and try to communicate, I bet she is going to be successful later.
  I have noticed that Sookan is kind of shy though she works so hard. A quote from page 61" Sookan Bak, they called. I was stunned. I could not believe someone had nominated me. My heart started to pound. I wanted to accept the nomination. I would have loved to serve on the student council, and I was sure I could do a good job." This paragraph really show her mind. It happened to me too, when I was competing for the group leader in my Biology class, it's really excited to competing in a unfamiliar environment, but when I actually did it, I just couldn't believe myself.
  This book has motivated me a lot. First, Sookan is a only international student in her school, and she tried to talk with her classmates. I also is a international student, but sometimes I feel a little bit scared to talk in class or some places. I need to speak more in class. Second, Sookan studied very hard. She always sick because of study, but it is not good to study that hard. I need to focus on study, and also learn from Sookan's skills.

Questions

1 Why Sookan's sister wanted her to write journal for her?

2 Why Sookan didn't go to meeting?

chapter 6-12 study guide

Chapter 6
1. Sookan's sister wanted her write about her school life, and write it everyday. Sookan has lots of work to do, so she can not write everything for her sister. That is problem between Sookan and her sister.

Chapter 7
1. Quote from page 55-56: (Ellen said." It's important for you to check out the social scene.)
2. The gap between their culture makes her have new understandings on independence and making choices.
3. I think she should follow her new understanding because she is in a new environment.

Chapter 8
1. Because she was absent.
2. No, because it's always good to face the problem.
3. It was a letter to her mother, telling about her current situation.

Chapter 9
1. It's good because she can understand new environment and the trip can improve her friendship with Ellen, but it's also bad that she will trouble Ellen's family.

Chapter 10
1. It's the shower room.
2. her stomach felt like twisted knots.
3. Quote from page 76: " You are all right and the only thing you have to do now is get plenty of sleep"

Chapter 11
1. Her mother's main focus is on her health, and her sister just want her to face her life full of challenges.

Chapter 12
1. She wanted to prepare Korean dinner.
2. Marci baked some brownies and Ellen, Kyle bought come poinsettia and cut flowers.
3. Sister Reed, Sarah and Mrs Bennett.
4. She is all alone away from home, she needs people to support her, and take care of her. The gathering can improve the relationship between her and the people around her, especially friends.

Letter from Sucan

Good afternoon, sister. 

My travel was safely, and I went to school before 2 weeks. I took a long time in the travel, but I enjoyed that. I'm the only international student in my school, and I'm trying to talk with American students. But I can not play with them very well. Marci is my roommate, she has bad relationship with her sister. 

I love you!