"The Field Trip at The Oviedo Marketplace" by Eva (Taiwan)

It was my first time playing in a scavenger hunt. This was last Wednesday with my classmates in the Art of Blogging class. We went to the Oviedo Marketplace and formed three groups to complete the assignments that Mr. Bushong gave. The group that finished first would get a package of chocolate for the reward. My team member was Viyan, who comes from Iran and is a friendly woman. We walked around the mall to find the answers to the directions on the sheet of paper. For example, directions were buying a gumball or taking a picture of a Christmas tree. We finished step by step, but eventually we could not find Julia and the wishing well, two directions on the lists. We checked the mall map to search for the well, but there was no sign of it. Finally, we asked a saleswoman in a store. When we went to the well, we saw Julia in the distance. We ran quickly to catch Julia for her initials on the sheet. Then we walked to the dining area and found the well, making a wish and throwing a coin into the water. Though we were the second group to finish, I enjoyed the entire process. This was a wonderful field trip because I had a new experience and made a new friend.

"The First Friend I Made at CMMS" by Eva (Taiwan)

Channy, a sweet college sophomore from Korea, was the first friend I made at CMMS. In her hometown of Seoul, she majors in both English Literature and Traditional Chinese. Since I come from Taiwan, where we use traditional Chinese, Channy likes practicing her Chinese with me. She also showed me pictures of her playing a traditional Korean instrument and of her dancing. How versatile she is! We often share about our ideas about learning English, our careers, and our lives in our hometowns. Channy was surprised with how popular Korean TV shows, singers, and food are in Taiwan. I think the similarities between our cultures are because both Taiwan and Korea have been affected by the Chinese culture for thousands of years. There are, however, some differences, such as job opportunities for women. I learned that in Korean society, if a woman hadn't gotten her first job before age 25, then it would become harder to find a job as she got older. When women are beyond 30 years old, there are fewer job opportunities. It's so different from my country. In Taiwan, women have equal chances to compete against men in the work force, despite age or background. Nevertheless, it's interesting to learn about the diversity of different cultures, and that's why I always enjoy my time at CMMS.

"Experiencing a Space Shuttle Launch" by Ching-I (Taiwan)

On November 14, my husband and I went to see the space shuttle "Endeavour" launch. This was my first time, and I had been looking forward to the event. We arrived there around 3 PM, and there were already a lot of people. Unfortunately, it was too late to find a small space to sit and to wait for the launch, which was scheduled at 7:55 PM. Regardless, it was a sunny and comfortable day. People spent time talking, eating, reading, and even watching DVDs. Eventually, the time came for the launch. We prepared our camera and DVD recorder, holding our breath to count the seconds. It was like a fireball growing and lifting gradually in the dark sky. Then it veered left and became smaller in our sight. It was a pity that I didn't see the shuttle disappear because of the trees in front of us blocking our sight. However, it was still an amazing experience. I won't forget the marvelous scenery as the fireball brightened the dark sky and the water for a couple of seconds.