Yun+Zhon

__**Reflection on the Story of Stuff**__ The movie impressed me when it showed how the material economy today is ruining everybody’s life. The material economy is a system that stuff moves through, from extraction to production, to distribution, to consumption, and to disposal. However, it is a linear system. On the finite planet we live, a linear system will run out of resources in the future. Nowadays, there already are some resources in the third world have been used beyond capacity. What is worse, in the production process, synthetic and toxics chemicals are put into good which will badly affect the health of workers and consumers. Even the system is harmful to human beings and the environment, government and big corporations still encourage the process by a variety of promotions in order to guarantee themselves a large continuing income. In my real life experience, I also victim things happen exactly like Annie described in the video. When I came to America, I saw a lot of products in stores and supermarkets were made in China, sold in a very low price. While I knew back in China, people were struggling to survive with the low incomes paid by the international companies. At the same time, rivers, forests, and the air in China are all badly polluted. It is not only a problem for China or the third world countries; it is a problem for the whole world. Pollution will not stay in one country; it spread around and will finally destroy the planet we depend on. That is why ate the end, Annie calls for new ideas from everyone to protect the world. Economic growth can only bring about short-time enjoyment; we need a long-term protection of our home land.
 * Final final exam topic:** **Based on consensus reached by the EN 1313 class members, we have decided to read an article on the Wiki (copies were distributed on Thursday) and write a detailed summar to present in class on the final examination!**

__**Tolerating the Intolerance**__ The story is about a college teacher uses a silence and tolerating reaction against one of her student when he shows racist in class. When being asked to write an essay about their interests, William, one of the students chose a topic on religion and races. Struggling of whether to prohibit him from choosing the inflammatory topic, the teacher finally chose a tolerating way. The student got the chance to learn more deeply into the subject due to the preparation of his paper. At the end of the story, when William stand in front of the class and present his paper, everyone in the class get a better understanding of race and religion. After reading the story, I felt touched by the teacher’s patience. No one was born to be right and perfect. That is why we have to learn and need a teacher. Interrupt or even restraint a student whenever there is a misunderstanding or a mistake may confuse the student. Being patient and give student a chance to discover the real answer by him will sometimes lead to a better outcome. The job of a teacher should be guide not indoctrination.

__**Faith**__ The movie My Name is Khan talked about a story of an Muslin Asperger syndrome suffer Khan, who try to see the president of America and pass on massages to him. Life is not easy for Khan as he is unable to communicate with people fluently. However, he will always find a way to move on with his Attic faith.

For example, when Khan was young, the rain submerged the road and yard before his teacher’s house. People were stuck by the rain and the water in the way, but Khan didn’t give up. He modified a bicycle draw out the ponding in the rain. Everyone thought it was impossible for a boy’s own made tool, bit in fact, he made it. He made it possible as he believed he can, and never gave up. Even all wet in the big rain, Khan treaded hard and finally got rid of the water. After that, his intelligence of fixing stuff was discovered and he got acceptation from his neighbor.

After Khan grew up, he met his beloved woman Mandira when trying to promote some lotions in her salon. This time his constancy moved Mandira and her son. At first, Mandira was kind to Khan, but not any emotions inside. Maybe it was because Khan’s poor communication ability or, maybe it was because he didn’t know to go backwards; Khan kept showing his love to Mandira. He showed up in her salon, companied her son and finally one day morning, after Khan took Mandira to see the beautiful sunrise in the city, he got her love. Disable to describe his inside feelings, he used his persevere to move his love. The tragedy of their son Sam was totally a crush for their little happy family. The family experienced the post 9-11 prejudice in their community and Sam was killed by the fellow students in his school. Mandira blame Khan for his Muslin last name. After a big fight, Mandira told Khan not to come back until he told the President “My name is Khan, and I’m not a terrorist.” It was only some angry words, but Khan took it seriously. As he remembered how his mother taught him: Khan always keeps his word. The journey was not easy for him for his illness, but his faith support him the whole way. Even ran out of money, Khan used his intelligence of fixing stuff to move on. Finally arrived Washington, Khan was arrested when he was trying to reach the President, as he was Muslin. Maltreated in the prison, Khan still kept his faith. The moment he stood with the President, the world was moved.

Not able to communicate with people normally, Khan kept his beliefs inside his heart. When everyone wondered, hesitated or even retreated as soon as facing an obstacle, Khan kept going on. Khan may not be considered a normal people, but the disability never in his way. After watching the movie, I was so touched by Khan’s determined look whenever meeting any difficulties.

__**Reflection on Class Division**__ Racism exists for years since the European countries conquered Africa and the American countries. Judge someone only because they are different is unfair and unwise. Before I watched this record I thought it was only because the historical reason that the black people were conquered and controlled by the white people that they were looked down upon. Through the film I found that discrimination exists whenever the differences were emphasized. When people are in a better position and believe in their superior, they tend to discriminate the inferior ones. On the other hand, when people are put into a lower position, they will feel bad even angry but few of them will stand out and fight back. Being in a lower status makes other people judge them in a perverted way, for example, in the film when some people don’t take their notes they were criticized not for their behavior only but for their eye color. By distinguishing the group not the people’s own behavior or character, people in the lower position have no chance to defend themselves. That is the point the film surprised me, no matter the third-grade children or the adults in the workshop, they accept the distinction easily and filled in their position quickly. When feeling superior, people don’t consider the inferior ones’ feelings even they were friends. This tells us that, discrimination exists not because one group is better, but because they believe they are better. More importantly, they make the other group believe or have to believe they are lower one.


 * Brochure**


 * Classification Essay**

__**Chinese Tea**__

Tea is not only a famous beverage in China but is also considered a symbol of Chinese culture. Tea is both a refreshing and anti-aging beverage. However the word “tea” itself is just a general name. There are many types of teas in China depending on their origin and fermentation technique. Chinese teas are generally divided into six classes according to the different tea leaves, habitat, and fermentation process. Moreover, each classification has its subclasses within which there are even more variety. The general classifications are green, black, oolong, yellow, dark, and white.

Green tea is the most natural and common tea in China. Among the numerous tea types, almost half is classified as green. It is called green tea not only because the tea leaves are green, but also the tea water coming out of them is green as well. The green tea leaves are picked, naturally dried, and then fried briefly without any fermentation process. As a result, the flavor tastes comparatively light and contains less caffeine but more natural aromas. For example, Dragon Well is one of the most famous green teas.

Contrary to green tea, Chinese black tea requires a longer process of fermentation until it is completely oxidized. The leaves and water are all red or amber when brewed. Black tea has a robust taste with a mild aroma. It contains the highest amount of caffeine in all Chinese tea classes.

Oolong tea leaves are green in the middle and red on the edges because they are taken off half-way through the fermentation process compared to the black tea. It's said to be the serious Chinese tea drinker's tea since the taste is strong with medium amount of aromas. It has the merits of both green tea and black tea: natural aromas and strong tastes.

Beside the above three types, there are also few kinds of tea that although originate in China, are not so well-known. They are yellow, dark and white teas. Yellow tea is a unique class that was developed specifically in China and continued to be common only in this area. Similarly to green tea, the name comes from the color of both the leaves and the tea water. Its distinct feature is the very short fermentation process. This classification of tea is also not common in China either. Dark tea is popular in Yunnan Province and some other border area of China. It originated from some smaller ethnic groups, which are referred as Minorities in China. It is produced with old leaves and they turn dark brown after processed. There is one famous variety of dark tea called Puerh which is one of the top ten favored tea in China. White Tea is sometimes considered a subclass of green tea. It is only simply processed. It gets its name from the white color on the reverse side of the leaf buds. It has very low caffeine content which makes it more health-friendly than the other types.

In conclusion, in different areas of China, teas grow differently depending on the climate and the soil condition. Moreover, people use various processing techniques after the leaves are picked up. As a result, Chinese tea has a wide spectrum of caffeine content, aromas and tastes. Tea continues to be a famous healthy beverage and is a favorite choice among Chinese people. Because of the rich abundance of tea to choose from, drinking tea is a part of Chinese culture.

__**College Eating and Fitness**__ Leaving home and living on campus can make it challenging for college students to stay fit. This is because eating in the café students will not have many choices on healthy food. Moreover, lack of exercises and irregular daily routines can also make college student unable to stay health. However, inability to stay fit not only can harm the students’ health but also make them less energetic or efficient during studies. Here are several steps of everyday routine for young adults who want to be more healthy and fit.
 * Process Analysis**

Morning exercises

It all starts in the morning. Instead of hitting the snooze button, get up ten minutes earlier and go for a brisk walk or do some easy stretch exercises. A few minutes’ walk or some easy exercise can help people wake up more quickly. What is more, it can bring energy for the whole day after having a good beginning.

Eating habits

There is a misunderstanding that eating less meals can keep us away from getting overweight. In fact, three meals a day plays a very important role for staying fit, especially breakfast. However, peopleoften skip breakfast for not having enough time or not willing to get up early. After an 8 or more hours’ sleep, the body will get hungry and need nutrition. Therefore, protein and water absorption can be vital and necessary for people. Without a proper breakfast, students can be sluggish and not concentrate well by mid-morning (Morries, D & Johnson, P. 2005).Moreover, lunch and dinner cannot be neglected either. However, students should keep in mind and avoid eating too much unhealthy food. Choose more vegetables and fruits instead of high calories food. Replace fried food with baked and grilled ones if there are not many choices in the café. In addition, drink more water rather than soda, sugary juice, or coffee. These beverages contain large amount of sugar which can make people easily tired. On the contrast, drinking water can detoxify the body, and maintain healthy skin (Parrot, K. 2005)

Aerobics exercises

Get to know the gym! Regardless of age, weight or athletic ability, aerobic activity is good for people in all aspects. For example, according to the Mayo Clinic, aerobic activities can increase your stamina while and reduce your health risks as well(2011). As a result, doing aerobics activities regularly can help students get rid of the study stress and hence stay fit.

Sleep pattern

Getting enough rests is the most important requirement for students to stay fit. Without enough sleep, one will have no energy for exercise, study, work or anything. What is else, while people are sleeping, the body keeps working to make sure every organ functions well. Every day, adults will need 8 to 10 hours of sleep time for staying healthy.

The steps mentioned above are not one day process but long term habits that one should develop. Sleep enough and get up early, eat healthily and exercise regularly. By keeping these habits as an everyday regular routine, college students will find the campus life healthier and less stressful.

//References// //Parrot, K. (2005).// Why water? Healthy drinking that is crystal clear. //Faith & Fitness Magazine.// Retrieved from http://www.cbn.com/health/ExerciseAndNutrition/FF_water.aspx Morries, D & Johnson, P. (2005). Healthy living on campus: how college students can stay fit. //Faith & Fitness Magazine.// Retrieved from http://www.cbn.com/family/Youth/FF_coolegehealth.aspx //Mayo Clinic. (2011)// Aerobic exercise: top 10 reasons to get physical. //Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.// Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/aerobic-exercise/EP00002

__**Reading Summary of the Depressed Person**__

This is a story of a depressed person who was in terrible and unceasing emotional pain. The depressed person wants to be able to express something of the despairing itself- its shape and texture. However, it is not possible, which makes her even more painful.

Firstly hurt by her divorced parents, the depressed person was used as a pawn by her parents to score petty points off each other. She had to go to an Inner-Child-Focus Experiential Therapy Retreat Weekend since then and met one of her therapist. The therapist died suddenly before the depressed person concerning the therapeutic process. She also has a few friends as her Supportive System. Whenever the depressed person feels like to be support she called them in the late evening. However, she feels shame and inadequacy as she burdens them with her clumsy attempts to describe the contextual texture of her emotional agony. She confesses that she can image the impatience while talking to her on the phone. As she abandons all defenses and shares her deepest feelings with what is possibly the single most trusted and indispensable member of her Supportive System, the depressed person says that she is frightened by herself following the sudden death of the therapist. She feels herself such a solipsistic, self-consumed, bottomless emotional vacuum and sponge as she appeared to herself.

__**My Writing Process**__ When I am writing an essay, I always think and plan before I actually start writing. Firstly, I read the topic and the instructor’s requirements for a few times to make sure I understand it. Then, I brainstorm about five relevant points according to the topic. Thirdly, I will look for information and materials related to my points and decide which three points will make sense and can easily find supportive ideas. After decide three main points, I will write a thesis statement and then an outline. With the outline, it is easy to start writing. After I finish my first draft, I will edit it by reading through. I will edit it for a few times and give the draft to someone else to read so they can give me suggestions as well. I always backup my work in case in any incident I lost my paper.


 * Narrowtive Essay**

__**An Independent Journey**__ When I was 19 years old as a freshman in college, I decided to go out for a trip to Hangzhou, a most famous tourist attraction in China. It was in June, all my friends had plans so I could not find company. However, I was longing for Hangzhou City since I heard about its wonderful scenery and history at a young age. Therefore, I decided that there was no reason for me to change my own plan according to others; I was old enough to travel alone. Although the trip was not that easy for a girl who had never travelled alone before, it turned out to be a precious experience for me because for the first time I was able to do things independently.

As soon as I made my decision, I started my journey early in the morning. The moment I arrived in Hangzhou, I found myself lost. Even though I collected enough information and got a map before I took off, the city streets were not as clear as they appeared on the map. What was worse, without my own transportation I had to discover the route completely on foot. I hated taking taxis when travelling as I thought it was too direct and quick going to the destination to enjoy the journey; as a result, I had to find an appropriate bus route going to the motel I booked. It took me nearly half a day to find the way and it was dark when I finally arrived on the narrow and deep alley where the motel located; I was so afraid to go into in such a dark night. I even felt regret going on the trip all alone at that moment. However, it was lucky that one of the security personnel of the motel came out and showed me the way inside. Finally lying on the bed, I was still not sure whether it was a wise decision just coming without a fine plan.

The next morning, I felt confident again after a good sleep. The weather was nice, warm but not too much sunshine, which was just perfect for travelling. Having learned from the last day’s experience, I rented a bike form the motel. Xihu Lake is the most famous view spot in Hangzhou, which was also the main reason I desired to visit this city. As a result, I planned to use the whole day riding around the lake to enjoy the fascinating scene. It was much easier to get around with a bike than walking. I went to view the lotus in the lake, the famous Leifeng Tower with a long history as well as the bridges across the lake. I found myself totally lost into the breathtaking scene. In the evening, I even ran into a music fountain performance on the way back in a square near the lake. I hardly remembered the difficulties I went through the day before. It was really enjoyable and I thought the journey was really worthy.

The third day was short because I had to take a train in the afternoon. I only walked to the lake to see it for the last time and say goodbye. It was really a rushed trip; however, I was so thankful I made that decision. The landscape I viewed paid off for the effort I made. What was more important was that, I am the only one who determined everything for the whole three days. It was the first time for me to get out of home and be the decision maker as an adult. From that moment, I could prove that I was really an independent individual and that also became the reason that my parents trusted my capacity to go abroad to finish my education. Despite the fact that, going all alone can be difficult at the first time, it was also a priceless experience that I will appreciate for the rest of my life.

__**Name Game**__ Dora Ybarra, the director in the business office, comes from San Antonio, Texas. She was given her first name by her mother who it was a beautiful name. Moreover, it is the name of the nurse that brought her into the world. The last name Ybarra comes from Dora’s husband. It is a tradition for both Chinese people and Americans that children inherent their surname from their dad when they are born; however, unlike Chinese people will keep their last name the whole life; American women can change their last name into the husbands’ after marriage. Ybarra originally came from a name of a Spanish rive- the Ibarragh River. There was a community residing around the river, thus everybody was named after it. However, as time went by, people moved around and the name also transformed into different versions. For example, Ibarra and Ybarra are both common ones.

Dora used to use Hernandez as surname after her father. It stands for a Spanish patronymic from the personal name Hernando. Similarly to the name Ybarra, it changes into different pronunciations and spellings. It is a pity that she does not remember the original meaning of the name Hernando.

Although Dora does not have a middle name, she told me that unlike Americans, who have a choice to use their middle name or not, real Mexicans hold a tradition to use their mother’s last names as their middle ones.

Before the interview, I always took my name for grantee and never really thought about its meaning. After hearing Dora Ybarra’s story I realized that, each name has a big history behind it, and the names will always remind us of our ancestors.

__** Reading Summary 1 **__ --Introduction The story tells about a taxi ride the writer took in New York. The author had a conversation with the taxi driver while went to the airport before leaving the city. During the whole riding, the driver asked three times “Are you OK?” to make sure the writer feels safe and secure, which is also the reason why the author give her book the name. In this chapter, the author also recall that she used to think a lot about what happened on the way and some other taxi ride experience she ever had. This book, according to the introduction, is talking about different ridings the author had and the ideas she got from the driver during the journeys.

__** Reading Summary 2 **__ --Fabric Thrown over the City The tale happened in New York City at six thirty A.M. on a Saturday morning. The writer was in a taxi on the way to Columbia University to see teachers on a conference. The street is empty and quiet in the morning, the light is not strong like a fabric thrown the city. The driver told to the writer that, although there are things that cannot image or predict happens, don’t reject them. People can never plan all things out, but just let them come through when they’re ready. Because, there will never be another same day. Just like the driver said, even meeting unpredictable problems, we should not reject or get away from them. Accept what is coming, no matter good or not, is a process of growing as well as the real meaning of life.

__** Reading Summary 3 **__ --Way to Go   Different from the two stories before, this is a story about Peace Pilgrim other than the author herself. Peace Pilgrim is a woman who walked back and forth across the US many times. She does not call taxis, nor carries any money. She sometimes let her friends drive her across the city, and live in their houses. However, she always walks between cities. She just lives the way she believes, even sometimes she has to sleep in a card board box under an overpass. The story tells how important it is to find one’s own inner peace rather than staying comfortably. What is more, it is normal and will happen millions of times that we will put our lives in the hand of people you don’t know. **__Reading Summary 4__** -- Shopping for Nothing This is a story of Grandma Marie who likes to ride downtown in buses. When once companying with her grandma, the author enjoyed the way grandma shopping—window shopping. Since grandma is too shy to talk with others, she never takes a taxi or goes into a shop asking the price. However, she still enjoys the shopping as she staring into the window, she feels owning the product. From the story, the writer tries to tell readers that, having something inside head is also another way to own it. Keep what you want in mind when it is difficult to really own one sometimes can be a smart choice to keep the feeling of fulfilled. Do not desire for too much is a way to keep happy, that is what I learned. __**Reading Summary 5**__ --Take Me with You Different ridings the author tells in this chapter are memories of her childhood. When only three year old, the writer was taken by a thirteen year old boy on his bike, they pedaled wherever she want and had a lot fun. Also, the writer recalls stories that her father drove her into an accident, drove around with her mother’s friend Irma, a taxi ride when in second grad as well as after mother got a license they drove on the freeway and had a small accident. By telling these, the author shows her enthusiasm in travelling around. Not necessarily being rich, but have the passion and opportunity to go far away is the very important point of having a Big Life. In the journey of life, it seems similar; you don’t need many things, just the passion of going on. A large package can be a encumber, the process is the most important.

__**Reading Summary 6**__ --Dangerous Taxis This chapter is about several dangerous rides the author had ever taken before she met a truck driver who warn her not to any more. Not the crush she got into, nor the dangerous driver she met but the kind truck drivers’ words changed the author’s mind that she’d never hitchhike anymore. This is not only because she find it dangerous to get on strangers’ cars, but also feel guilty and regret when thinking about the truck driver’s altitude when she easily tell someone she never saw before about another person’s tragedy. Even cannot feel as painful as the sufferer, it is wrong to tell stories about the tragedy to strangers that met the first time. Being thoughtful for the victims can not only bring warm feelings to them but also good ones for inner field of us.