Memorise just like pearls
Everyone have their own memories, and sometimes they want to review them or think about them. Sookan who is a Korean international student and studied in America. She also has her own memories, and she collected them together. The college life changed her life, just like pearls. Sookan was an only international student in her collage.When she was in the school, she felt uncomfortable, because she is Korean, and she has very different culture and life habits. After a few month, she got some friends, and her life got better. She studied very hard, and she got sick because of studying hard. Marci was Sookan’s best friend, and she did not listen to her parents’ advices, so she has bad relationship with them. She had some good memories, but she also has a few bad memories. As the cover image shows us, Sookan is picking up one of the pearls, and looking at it. The pearls are just like her collage memaries. She want to review them. This book talks about Sookan's 2 years life in college. These 2 years are very important to her, because it changed her life. The cover shows how important these pearls are to Sookan, just like her experiences.
First, Sookan changed her minds when she came to college. She was an only international student in her school. There were a lot of differences between Korean culture and American culture. For example, she always obeyed her sister, and she wrote lots of letters to her family. But her best friend Marci did't listen to her parents, and she always had quarrel between her parents and herself. Then, Marci advise Sookan did not need to follow her sister, and told her something that is everyone has their own life. So, Sookan followed herself, and she became a independent person.
Second, Sookan had difficult life when she came to America first time. Because of cultures different, Sookan felt strange and a little bit scared. When she get off the plane, she saw a couple people were kissing. The girl can shake hands with the stranger. When she went to school, she tried get together with American, but she failed. Then, her roommate who named Ellen helped her to make friends and adapt new envirement. She got lots of experience from her roommate. At last, she blend in the new envirement, and got together with American friends. She also was used to enjoy American life. Sookan not only overcome the difficults, but also used American life.
Third, Sookan studied very hard, and she became a students leader from a bashful student. When she started the school, she studied exceeding and got sick. Because of cultures and habits are differences, she did not like talk too much when she started the school. But she did not keep quiet, she made some friends to help each other. She was very nice to her friends, and she also cooked Korean food for them. Sometimes, she took part in school activities. Then, she enjoyed living in America, studing. At the end, she became a students leader in the collage.
At the last of the book, Sookan’s mother told her “Though times are the times when one gathers one’s pearls” (Choi 163). I think it means life’s difficulty is not a bad experience, sometimes it might like pearls. Even though her mom was died, she still face to fact, and became to a tough personSookan had a difficult life when she came to the collage, but she got success by herself. As an international student in America, I have lots of things that can learn from Sookan’s experience. Her collage’s life changed her life forever. At last, she review her college, just like she is picking up one of precious pearls.
Citation:
Choi, Sook Nyul., and Sook Nyul. Choi. Gathering of Pearls. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1994. Print.
