MY FIRST IMPRESSION OF AMERICA.
AMERICA, LAND OF OPPORTUNITY, THE BEST PLACE TO LIVE A PROGRAMMED LIFE, WHERE PEOPLE ARE LIVING CONSIDERATE AND
WITHOUT PREJUDICE. FROM WHAT I HEARD IT IS A LAND OF HARMONY
AND INTELLECTUAL PARADISE. THIS WAS THE INCREDIBLE PICTURE I
HAD BEFORE I CAME TO AMERICA.
LAST TWO YEARS, WHEN I FIRST COME TO THIS LAND THE SITUA-
TIONS I MET WERE FAR FROM WHAT I EXPECTED IT TO BE. EVERYTHING
SEEMS MOVING. PEOPLE ARE CONTINEOUSLY RUNNING. RUSHING AGAINST TIME ? THAT I DON'T KNOW. FOR SOME REASON IT IMPRESSED ME SO
MUCH , THAT I EVEN WENT TO MANHATTAN TO WATCH THIS FLOCK OF PEOPLE COMING AND GOING, RUNNING, WALKING WITH SPEED. THEY
EVEN DON'T HAVE TIME TO LOOK AROUND AND SEE WHAT IS GOING ON.
IF YOU ARE HAPPEN TO BE A NEW COMER LIKE ME OR A TOURIST, THEY
WON'T STOP BY FOR A JIFFY AND TELL YOU DIRECTION OR WHAT TIME OF
THE DAY IT IS. A FRACTION OF SECOND IS LIKE A GOLDTO AMERICANS.
AT LEAST THAT WAS WHAT I THOUGHT AT THAT TIME.
IN THIS LAND OF OPPORTUNITY , I SEE SOME PEOPLE WANDERING
AIMLESSLY, TALKING TO THEMSELVES AND PHILOSOPHIZING ABOUT LIFE.
THEY DRESSED DOWN VERY LOW AND WITH IRRITATING SMELL,WHICH IS
CAUSED BY LACK OF SHOWER. THEY ARE HUSTLING TO SURVIVE. MOST OF
THESE PEOPLE ARE BLAMING THE SYSTEM. AS THEY SAY THE SYSTEM
STUCK.
LIFE IN THE STREET AS HARD AS IT SEEMS, ANYBODY MIGHT
EXPERIECE IT. THE MEDIA ADDRESS THESE PEOPLE, WHO LIVE IN THE
TUNNELS, AS "THE MOLE PEOPLE". THEY SEEM TO LOST IN TOUCH WITH
TIME AND PLACE. TO MY SURPRISE SOME OF THESE MOLE PEOPLE ARE
EXTREMLY BRILLIENT, REMIND ME OF DIOGAN "THE MAD PHILOSOPHER"
OF ANCIENT GREEK . DIOGAN IN HIS OWN REASONING PREFERS THE SIM-
PLE THINGS IN LIFE. HE ONLY HAD CONTAINER FOR WATER MADE OUT OF
BAMBO. BUT AFTER HE SAW ONE MAN DRINKING WATER WITH THE PALM
OF HIS HAND, DIOGAN THROW AWAY THE ONE AND ONLY PROPERTY HE
OWNED.
SURVIVING AS ONE OF THE MOLE PEOPLE IN REALITY IS TOUGHER
THAN ANY SITUATION. YOUR PRIDE, DIGINITY, AND PATIENCE ARE
TESTED BY THE UGLY SIDE OF LIFE'S CRUELITY. I THOUGHT AMERICA
WAS THE LAST PLACE ON EARTH TO FIND THE HARSH SIDE OF LIFE.
UNFORTUNATELY, I FOUND MY SELF WRONG.
I AM IMPRESSED BY AMERICANS. ALTHOUGH, I SEE ALOT OF
PEOPLE WITH CONTORTED FACE ON THE TRAIN, ON THE STREET and
EVERYWHERE, THEY ARE APPRECIATIVE PEOPLE. THE MOST USED WORDS I
HEARD ARE "EXCUSE ME" AND "THANK YOU". IT IS A VERY NICE THING
TO BE GRATEFUL AND EXPRESS IT. APART FROM THIS I DON'T SEE MANY
PEOPLE SMILING. THEY SEEM THAT THEY DON'T HAVE ANY INTERESTING
GOING ON THEIR LIFE. SMILING IS NOT CONSIDERED SMART. WHAT A
REASONING! JUST THINKING ABOUT IT MAKES ME SMILE. I CAN'T HELP
IT. MAY BE I AM NOT SMART ENOUGH ?
BESIDE THESE IMPRESSIONS I LEARNED SOME THING MORE , THAT AMERICANS ARE ORDINARY PEOPLE LIKE ANY OTHER PEOPLE,WHO CAN LAUGH , OR WHO CAN CRY ,WHO CAN GET ANGRY , OR WHO CAN GET
SURPRISED. BUT MOST OF ALL, THE PEOPLE, ARE LIVING ONE DAY AT A
TIME AND THE LAND AMERICA IS BEAUTYFUL AND GREAT. I HAVE A
FEELING IF SOMEBODY WANTS TO MAKE IT IN THIS COUNTRY, I THINK HE
CAN MAKE IT. OF COURSE LADY LUCK MUST SMILE FOR HIM. GOD BLESS
AMERICA!
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The pros and contras of watching t.v.
07/08/97
Television is one of the perceivable medias on our planet. Since it is supported by graphics picture and sound transmissionis easier. Some people believe watching t.v is educational informative and entertaining. But others
mentions the disadvantage we get from watching it : Like violence, explicit
pictures and immorality, which affects the children of the future.
The first group claim that through news they connected to therest of the
world. Watching films especially drama, acted by world reknown actors and
actresses they relief the tension of working hard for eight long hours.
They
are saying that they are learning from other peoples mistakes and gain experience of life. So that they don't have to do those mistakes. they even go
further philosophyzing. In the real world you don't see much justice.
The motto of this planet is ' The survival of the fittest '.In the movies at least
some justice is done for innocent victims. They found this so interesting.
They say they might not get the chance to see the Amazon jungle. Thanks to
their t.v it brought Amazon jungle in to their bedroom.
The other group is against watching t.v. For this group the whole
world is out there for experience. They only have to go out of their house to get it.
According to this group watching t.v is to be alone. To be passive.
No chance for questioning events. There is no argument. Only recieving information what
the media give them. Infact even the films they see on their t.v is
of one man's interpretetion of life for some purpose. It is like to see the side view of a
mansion. In this case they prefer to go outside of their apartment and
walk on any avenue trying to see the live action of that avenue and
asking their manipulative mind every question which comes through it. And then they are refreshed for the day.
By going out for a walk they do good for the metabolism , it's
like excercise ,and getting fresh air. Critisizing the t.v fanatics , they add
statements like' Every problems seems to be decided by hurting other people. The violence ,
crime and graphically explicit pictures and immorality will affect the future
generations. Experience from life view will help everybody to know the world
around us. So the t.v fanatics must think twice.'
The arguements goes on. Watching t.v can be exciting , educational and
informative , but not selectingwhat we watch will affect us negatively. Next
time we sit infront of the t.v , let's just be picky. In that case ,
we can never go wrong.
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"CLEAN ACTION"
Clean action is the new laundromat, which is opened one
block away from my apartment. it is a very good timing,since
the laundromat in my building is under construction and the only
one around my neibourhood. who ever did the buisness research
should be appreciated.
The laundromat is located right on broadway between a ladies shoes store and a barber shop. The laundromat is narrow in width and wider in length. The washing machines on the left and
dryers on the right side functions non stop twenty four to seven. The front side of the laundromat is made out of transparent
glass. So anybody who sat inside can view the live theatre on
that part of broadway avenue.
A t.v. set hanging on the upper corner section of the laun-
dromat shows some kind of film any time you get in this place.
But you can't be able to listen and follow the story. Because
it is dominated by a louder spanish song, which is coming from the radio.
Most of the customers are women with babies or little kids.
These little kids are running around. Mothers are shouting their
name and reminding about discipline. One beautyful girl is folding the dry clothes on the folding table. Another man talking
to himself is dancing salsa following the steps of the song on the radio. The lady who is working in the laundromat is eating her lunch concentrating on her daydreaming. A girl who is decorating herself with golden earings , braclet and chains measuring detergents and pouring into the machines looks like a professional cook who is sorting spices. A girl with a barbed wire tatoo on her right arm seems lost in her thoughts. The noise of the washing machines and the dryers added to the movement of the laundromat makes everything lively.
And all this people are sharing this laundromat only for today. After this day they might not see eachother through out their life. people come to this laundromat with dirty cloths and
going out with cleaned rags. Contineous flow of people twenty four hours a day and seven days a week will have effect on this
shiny and clean laundromat. After time takes its toll on it, the
clean action will be worn out and reconstructed like the one in
my building now. But at the moment it is providing a very good
service. It is in the best shape of its years living up to the
standard of its name "CLEAN ACTION".
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'Different folks different strokes'
The saying always amaze me. It is absolutely valid in the world we live in. Let alone from nationality , opinions on the same subject differs from one person to another. In some occassions , we might meet people with similar tastes. In this case you might have been just close to be lucky. But most of the time as the saying goes 'when it comes to tastes we have no friends.'
I remember a saying in french , which goes like this. "With tastes and colours we don't have to argue.' This sounds proper, because everybody is entitled to his opinion or tastes.Different people with different tastes makes harmony. If we were a crowd in uniform tastes and colours , we would have been bored to death. A
uniformed society and coordination is interestingto watch only for a limited period of time.
Different background , culture and way of reasoning makes us a mile apart from one another. The strife to understand one another makes life worthwhile. At times it is a little bit difficult to get along with people around us , but if we have patience , we have a lot of interesting things to find out and to deal with. So discussing our differences help us to understand each other better.
If a friends of four sat down in the park and exchanged their opinion about a familiar lady , one of them will dwscribe her asthe goddess of love. The second one will address her as the hunter. To him she strolls and hunts men. We might heard from friend number three as a victim of gigollos. For the fourth one she is only the lady with a dog. The point is our background itself gives us different
ways of reasoning. So however all humans look alike , we all are totally different in our own way.
In America the degree of individuality is way far ahead of where i come from. As i have observed in the two years i have been in New York , every single person is his own self. The hair style , dresses , matching items seems to be different from one onother But one thing is true. There is always originality to some degree If it is hundred persent original ,then it is going to be an antique. A conservative look might categorize you as a misfit.And if you think that you are original in some aspects , be prepared for the rude comments around you. Nobody cares what kind of soul you have from inside. Outside look is much easier to
see. Or else like the
wise man once said it ' Hear no evil , See no evil ' and you are on the way to build your spirit. Good luck!
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' Expensive Loss '
Jimmy is a senior year colledge music major student. He was exhausted by the long tiresome day , lying down and smoking , he kept thinking how he lost the most precious propertyhe ever preserved. His box guitar was given to him by his mother at his twelvth birthday. After considerable amount of thinking , things are piercing together. Everything is sequentially coming back to him.
It was a sunny day. He woke up late and rush his every morning chores and went out to his lecture. He even didn't get the timeto put the tea-urn in its place.So he left it hanging onthe handle of the refrigerator. The breakfast plate and the tea cup and jar were left untouched.
When the lady who cleans his roomcame in , she suspected that he had no time this morning even to arrange the sheets and the bed cloth properly. She washed the plate , the cup and the jar and set it in the wooden compartment. Then she wipes the table ,arranged the book shelf ,vaccumed the carpet and left for the day. It was lunch time , when Jimmy take a break from reading in the library and went to the cantine.
While eating , his classmate Amy joined him. As she sat down , said to him ; "Mr cool , your room is on fire and you are here calm and peaceful , having your lunch. " Most of the time she likes to tease him. He wanted to ignore her like usual , but something in her eyes told him that this is not a joke. He asked her about it and listened how his neighbours smelled the smoke and call the fire warden of the building. After that he reported to the superintendant and took the blame. He agreed to pay for the property , which has been damaged. The superintendent promised him a new room with in two days. But for now he asked him a favour to stay by his friends and now he is lying down beside his girlfriend.
He turn on his side and see his girlfriend. She looked so beautyful even when she is sleeping. She used to tell him not to put the tea-urn on the refrigerator's handle. He always brush off her suggession with sentences like " I am not Albert Einshtein. My mind is not that occupied to forget things like this. " She hates to argue. That's why she always take the tea-urn and put it in its proper place. But today she is not around to do that , therefore his negligence costs him his lovely room for five years , his money and all afternoon. But most of all he lost his precious guitar and felt a deep grief. He sensed that some part of him died and buried inside him forever. Will he ever be negligent again? Only time can answer this question.
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THE DRUNKARD
Barry is my CO-worker, who loves to get drunk every night. After work he goes to
a bar as he excused himself "socializing". The first thing he does, when he gets in the
bar, keeping his head high and confident greets everybody, nodding to those who are
across the bar, or waving to them.
He always order salad with scotch on the rocks. Sitting on the bar stool and smiling
at the hostess, quietly sips his scotch. In this kind of occasions, he likes to talk about his girlfriends,his job and his hobbies.
Around 8 o'clock, he will start to raise his voice and curse about somebody, who made
him angry. This time the bartender will call the Barry's wife and tell her it's time to get her husband.
When his wife arrives at the bar , he starts to sing "here comes the bride."
Everybody around him will follow with the rhythm. Then he will get back to cursing. His wife
will pat his hair in a backward motion and give him a kiss. This routine amazingly calms
him down. It is like every other day thing. So the customers of the bar are used to this
situation. He tries to kneel down and address his wife as princess. He will say " Your
highness , your unfaithful slave broke his promise again and he is ready for his punishment.
Gina, his wife will help him to sit back on the stool and rub his face with both hands.
Takes off his tie and unbutton his shirt ,she put the tie in her bag and wink at the hostess
as usual. The hostess scribbled on the pad, tore one paper ,laid it on a silver tray
and pushed it to Barry's wife. Barry forbids his wife and at the same time reached to his
wallet. His wife helped him taking the money out of his wallet and paid the bill leaving a fat tip for the loyal hostess.
By the time they left the bar Barry didn't bother to say goodnight. His wife on his
behalf says thank you. He looked pretty tired stepping here and there , making a terrible
x , while walking on the street. The people at the bar started to talk about him. Life goes on!!
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