Teacher: Lowrie

This summer I went to America through an English academy. My mom thought it would be a very good experience. During the departure, I missed home a little bit and I was nervous. But after I arrived in America I felt excited.

In the first few days, I had to get used to new surroundings. I went to Fairmont Private School, and the students there were kind and good. There were students from China, Australia, and many other different countries. I studied mathematics, reading, and writing with them for two weeks. Every day after school, we (students from the academy) studied mathematics in Korean.

We moved to a different campus after 2 weeks. Half of the students, including me, went to the Anaheim Campus, and the building seemed to be very old. Its structure was similar to a maze. The first time I arrived there, the students were singing and dancing along with a video. I didn't like it, but I had to dance.

I think sports were the best thing I did there. We played sports such as kickball and dodgeball. Every time I kicked the ball, it was a home run. I was also good at defense, so I was the centerfielder. Also, we had an art class, and the teacher's first name was the same as mine. Everyone said that I was good at sketching. We had a good time at the school.

Every day, we studied mathematics. It’s very interesting to learn new things. I enjoyed mathematics. One thing I didn't like was the homework. So, I finished it right away.

On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays in the dormitory, we had English class with one Korean teacher and one American teacher. We studied vocabulary and reading. On Fridays, we went out and studied English by playing board games. Also, every Saturday, we went to the swimming pool that was near the dormitory where we stayed. We had a barbecue party beside the swimming pool, and the many types of meat served were very delicious. After having the barbecue party, we went swimming again.

There were some people that I didn’t like: two teachers and two students. The two teachers went to the swimming pool every day together, even though they had work to do. The two students acted up and annoyed the older students (including me), and it quite bothered everyone in school. The rest of the trip to America was good, but the behavior of the four people I wrote about earlier ruined our trip. Next time if I have a chance to go to America, I'll never go through an academy, or with people I don’t know. I will go to America with my family or close friends.

Discussion questions:

Retell the story.

1. Where did he go and with whom?

2. What did he study in the US?

3. What were the best things he did?

4. There were some people he didn't like. Why not?

5. Who will he go with if he visits the USA again? Why?

6. Have you ever been to the USA? With whom? What was your experience like?