My China :: Personal Narrative Essay

My China I had lived in Beijing for a year and a half at the age of four, and had attended Chinese nursery school. I had also grown up speaking Mandarin at home. However, I was not at all prepared for what met me the year we spent in Beijing when my father headed an international program for a small group of American students. At the time, though I spoke Mandarin without a foreign accent, my vocabulary did not extend far beyond a grade-school level, and I was next to illiterate. Well aware of that, my parents, fond followers of the "sink or swim" theory, dropped me off at the local Chinese school the first day of classes and promptly disappeared. In thinking back, I can honestly say that during the first few months I was completely in the dark both socially and academically. There were so many intricacies of the classroom that no one had prepared me for. I was shocked by the power that the Chinese teacher held over the students: the volume with which she scolded them even after they had been reduced to muted sobbing and her unceasing rhetoric about their duties to the ancestral land. I was shocked at the same time, however, by her extreme involvement in and dedication to the lives of the students. The relationships shared among the students were foreign to me as well: I had to get used to girls holding hands with girls and boys likewise with boys. Arguments were settled in the open, often with loud screaming and eventually crying. Nothing was suppressed. I made all sorts of blunders, such as wearing my hair down, crossing my legs when speaking to the principal, or forgetting to stand when answering a question in class. Actually, the students greeted everything I did with laughter, giggling, and stolen glances in my direction. It took me so long to understand and accept the nature of that laughter. Gym class (or rather, military marching drills class) provided me with the ultimate chance to be a blundering fool. Though the students assured me that the teacher was speaking Mandarin, I could hear only a garbled shout of "Fragrance," followed by some vowelless consonants, while the others somehow heard "Face right and march." Of course, my being run into was not beneficial to the appearance of the drill.

Life is full of mystery Essay

Life is full of mystery that will lead us to one experience to another. There are hurtful experiences that we may want to forget but there are happy moments that will surely linger on our thoughts for many years. Allow me to narrate some of the many valuable experiences in my life. The succeeding pages will tell you how blessed and lucky I am as a person in this world. Through the years of my life, I came to know about various people who provided a great impact on my personality and beliefs. It narrates of my experiences about school, family, friendship, acquaintances and discoveries in life. The journey towards one’s success can be measured about the priceless moments that will always remain in mind, heart and soul. I can say that my personal and professional experience made me a better person who is willing to accept more memorable experience to come. Gaze upon the following pages of this booklet and be enchanted about my rollercoaster kind of life. It made me the person that I am now and an individual that will face the future with full optimist. At the end of the day, I always contemplate on things that have happened and ask myself what I have done so far. The contentment that I feel each time I remember gives me enough courage to move on and seek for more adventure in the future. One will never find his/her way forward if he/she never knows how to look back. Yesterday will always be a part of our personality and I can say that life will be meaningless if I was not given the chance to experience the following stories. Memories with Mother Life is best shared with people whom you trust most. As I look back and recall my childhood days, I cannot help but compare the love and care that I receive from my beloved mother. She is one of the most precious gift that God has given me. From the day I was born until I learn how to walk and talk, she is always by my side and never gets tired of giving me the attention and patience that I need most. There was a point in my life that I always get bruised and injured from playing outside. I end up running home with tears on my eyes. But as the door opens for me, Mother is always there giving me the best hug and warm kisses that will cast all my pains away. She reminds me that I should never be depressed from getting those bruises since it will make me a stronger and better person when I grew up. At first I though that I should take that word literally since wound are healed as days goes by and I cannot feel any pain from it. As I grow up and experience having problems about life, school and many more, I came to realize that there is a deeper meaning behind those bruises and it effect on my personality. I clearly remember how I gain problems more serious that getting injured. I get depressed and frustrated by getting low grades but I eventually learn from my mistakes and studies harder than before. Mother’s words of wisdom are priceless because it speaks of courage and confidence about my personality. My perception about bruises and being stronger are changed because as I mature, I realize that life is full of problems that may cause wounds to people but once they recover they will be more stronger and confident than before. As days goes by I will always remember the bountiful encouragements that mother always told me.

The Archetypal Quest - Comparing The Epic of Gilgamesh...

The Archetypal Quest In almost every book you read, you will find that someone always has to go on some sort of journey or quest (Rice). If you examine each quest closely, you will notice that they are all very similar (Rice). When things are used repeatedly like that, they are said to have an archetypal pattern (Rice). The quest on which all these heroes go on is referred to as the archetypal quest (Rice). â€Å"The Wizard of Oz† focuses on a small-town girl living in Kansas. â€Å"The Epic of Gilgamesh† focuses on an arrogant king who rules the city of Uruk. The Wizard of Oz and The Epic of Gilgamesh were written 5000 years apart, but they both contain the elements that make them archetypal quests. One of the stages in the hero’s quest is when†¦show more content†¦This big section of the story can be categorized as tests and obstacles (Rice). Gilgamesh encounters various mental and physical tests and obstacles. He must travel the long journey to see Utnapishtim. He also must travel to the bottom of the ocean to retrieve the sacred plant. He encounters a mental obstacle when he finds out that he cannot gain immortality the way Utnapishtim did. He is also tested with the loaves of bread by Utnapishtim’s wife. Dorothy is constantly tested by the Wicked Witch of the West. The witch kidnaps her and uses poppies to try to prevent Dorothy from reaching Emerald City (The Wizard†¦). Dorothy is also tested when she gets to Emerald City because she has to kill the witch and she finds out the wizard is only a con artist (The Wizard†¦). Dorothy gains three main allies on her journey: The Lion, The Tin Man, and The Scarecrow (The Wizard†¦). They help Dor othy get to Emerald City and eventually kill the witch (The Wizard†¦). These tests and obstacles that the heroes must encounter are all part of the archetypal pattern (Rice). One of the most devastating parts of the story is during the phase commonly referred to as the supreme ordeal (Rice). This is when the hero touches rock bottom and faces the possibility of death (Rice). The hero may be losing an epic battle or may be trapped in the enemy’s evil lair (Rice). Gilgamesh touches rock bottom when he realizes that he cannot gain immortality the way Utnapishtim