Lee Jae Ryoung / Revised Reaction Essay / Thursday 11:00-13:00













(Revised)

 

Being a Satisfying Vacation Planner

 

To me, vacation has always been like freedom since I was in elementary school, but also an anxiety. The reason is that I feel very happy when the vacation starts but then I begin to worry about how I'm going to spend the vacation wisely. I don't want to waste my precious time just doing nothing but sleeping and eating. I think it is the wonderful opportunity when we can take enough rest and do whatever we wanted to do but had not enough time to do it. As a college student, I believe there are three ways to spend satisfying vacation for students like me: studying, going abroad, and doing volunteer work.

 

First option is studying. We can't only think about having fun during vacation. College students need to prepare for their career, their future and vacation is the excellent time to do it. We may study subjects that we are not good at but are necessary for our future career. For instance, I need to master economics to work in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade but I'm especially weak in this subject. Therefore, I'm planning to study it during upcoming summer vacation by reading books and news papers. Moreover, we can review what we learned in last semester or study the subjects that we like or want to learn. For example, history has always been my favorite subject but I had not really studied it after I graduated high school. I decided to start studying it and I'm planning to take a Korean history exam in August. Studying hard during vacation may sound boring. However, it's a good way to gain new knowledge and spend time profitably.

 

Next thing we can do during vacation is going abroad. We may go abroad to study in foreign schools or to just travel. I prefer to travel rather than to study abroad. Instead of just moving around within our country, I think it's better to go outside of the country. It's good to go with our family or friends or just alone. Last winter vacation, I went to Turkey, Greece, and Italy with my grandmother and some of my church members. I stayed in these countries for 11 days. Although the weather was cold, I had a really great time. It was my first time going to Europe. I especially liked Italy, since my first major is Italian, and more specifically, I really liked Firenze. I loved the streets, the medieval buildings, the elegant ambience, and the gentility of the city. I still think of that time and smile through the photos that I took. I believe overseas travel will be a valuable experience to know about other countries and their cultures. There's no doubt that it's better to actually go overseas than to just read books about foreign countries.

 

Finally, doing volunteer work is recommended during vacation. It's not easy to do such thing during semester because we are busy going to school, doing assignments, and studying for exams. I think doing volunteer works during vacation is a refreshing and new experience. Through this, we can learn about taking responsibility and joy of helping others and sharing feelings with others. In fact, many students, including not only college students but also middle school and high school students, do volunteer works during vacation these days. I also have a special volunteering experience. When I was in high school, my friend and I visited the school for the disabled and did volunteering work which was teaching English and math to disabled kids. At first, I felt awkward and uncomfortable but as I talked more and spent more time with them, I realized that they were not different from others. Even though they couldn't speak well or move freely, they thought and felt like everybody else. We become good friends and we still keep in touch with each other. Consequently, doing volunteer activities is a fine way to help others and learn to build relationship with them. In this way, we can even look back at ourselves.

 

In conclusion, to spend a fulfilling vacation, it's good to study fields that we are not good at or things that we like. Going abroad during vacation is another way and moreover, performing volunteer works can be a great vacation plan. We should not waste our vacation time when we can recharge ourselves and enjoy new experiences. It's a fascinating chance to do what you really want to do so we shouldn't let the time slide by, doing nothing. I hope all of you plan a meaningful summer vacation which is only a month away.

 

 

Lee Shinhye/ reaction essay/ thurs 3-4

Although people in these days prefer to use iPhone camera instead of bringing a big and heavy one, it is unchangeable truth that people want to capture their daily lives in photographs. So, there is no exaggeration that photograph is still everlasting a work of art, furthermore people who love artistic photographs enjoy to compare several images which contain similar subject or interesting points to compare. Here are two photographs of similar subject: children. First photograph is "Village School" by Margaret Bourke-White, and the other one is "Children's Puppet Theater" by Alfred Eisentadt. Both images contain similarities and dissimilarities in three criteria: characters, texture and composition, which can bring some specific atmosphere to viewers, as a result.

First of all, as we can find it easily, the main objects of two photographs are boys and girls. So, both images share similarities in terms of main characters. However, at the same time, two images have differences as well. Although the main characters of the two pictures are both children, each composition is little bit different. For example, when you look at "Village School", there is no girl with a long hair rather all boys and girls have very short hair, which create truly monotonous feeling, but girls in another picture have long hair and wear hair-band or scarf, moreover, we can fine one boy is wearing a cute hat, which make a vivid and free atmosphere.

The second point we need to consider is the texture of objects. This texture does not mean the surface of photograph itself. It means the texture of clothes that people in the photographs are wearing or color of furniture, buildings or something in the images. In terms of textures, those two pictures have totally different traits. For example, the overall atmosphere that texture of "Village School" gives is strict,boring and somewhat fearful. Children's clothes are generally all black. On the other hand, as we can find from children's clothes and hats, the texture of those elements are really soft, cozy and warm, and their colors are little bit more bright even though the picture was taken in black-and-white. Of course these elements produce more comfortable atmosphere.

Lastly, the painter of "Village School" chose very strict and strong composition style such as triangular composition. So it makes us think of children's heads as the figure of bowling pins. They are seating on the chairs in perfect order, but this figure creates very strict atmosphere. On the other hand, Alfred Eisentadt, the painter of "Children's Puppet Theater" did not choose an absolute structure. So he captured children's disorder ,in positive meaning, which gives us very exciting expression. For this reason, we can assume each picture's atmosphere and painter's intension with each image's composition.

To sum up, there are many elements that determine the overall mood of photographs, and three parts of those elements, characters, texture of objects and composition were mentioned above. Even those three elements are not the absolute things to create a certain feeling that a photograph expresses, but it is true that we need to focus on those parts at least when we analyze an image or try to understand photographer's intension. However, the most important thing to concern when we analyze photographs is the photograph itself rather than small details and elements.


나의 iPhone에서 보냄

Dajeong Choi / unit 6. reaction essay / thur 34

Emotions in Portrait Photography                Have you ever seen photos in magazines or on the web and wondered how they achieved that look. Portrait photography is the capture of a person, in which the face and expression is predominant. So the focus of this photograph is the person's face, although the entire body and the background may be included. Here are great examples of photograph that capturing facial expression of people mainly. One is "Village School" by Margaret Bourke-White and the other one is called "Children's Puppet Theatre" by Alfred Eisenstadt.              "Village School" is a photograph that captured children in 1934. Without any background, you can feel the dark atmosphere of that age by this one photo. Children are sitting in the room which is very dark and confined. Seeing that the boy sitting in the end only illuminates by the light, it seems like there's only one window in the right corner of background. Most of the children have no signs of emotion on their faces and this makes the photo solemn and static. The two children in the second row appear confused, not knowing where to direct their gazes. However, the boy in the foreground is only straightly gazing front with a mischievous smile on his face. This arrangement draws our attention to this boy and makes us have a slight feeling of hope in this gloomy room.              "Children's Puppet Theatre" is a photograph of another group of children which were published in 1963. You can see at a glance that this is a very dynamic photo. Children are in the outside and responding to the puppet play in very different ways. It is very funny to observe their faces. One boy has his head in his hands and frowns as if he got shocked, while the girl next to him is screaming with scared face. On the center, one child has his arms raised pointing toward and also screaming with his mouth open. The two boys in the lower right corner are gazing in awe. We can recognize children are all fully concentrating on the play and expressing emotions exactly as they feel.              "Village School" and "Children's Puppet Theatre" both are portrait photograph that captured children as a main focus, but the mood is whole different. Children in the first photograph hardly show their emotions, while children in the second photo released their feeling freely. First one is dark, gloomy and solemn, while the second is bright, fun and loud. So the children, the main character of the photo, determined the overall atmosphere: either movement or stillness. Like this, portrait photography conveys its vision usually by using facial expression of the main figure. Divers emotions can be suggested in one photograph and they play important rule to decide our feeling to it. So if we pay attention to those subtle different signs of emotion to figure out what is the photographer's attention.

Hanul Park / Reaction essays / Thu 11-13

Differences by facial emotions and backgrounds

 

There are two images. Both are depicting children, the same ages. The first photograph is "Village School" by Margaret Bourke-White. It is included in her book, Eyes on Russia. Second one is named by "Children`s Puppet Theatre, Paris 1963" by Alfred Eisenstadt. When you look at these photos at first, you can find out the differences between both images. What makes it much more different, and which part of photograph makes the mood so differently?

In the first photograph, it takes a dark room and some children. They are sitting on the table, and each of them has no emotional expressions. They seem to watch somewhere in front of them. Their eyes focused on that point, and it`s compared with the periphery because their faces are much lighter than backgrounds. The situation in the image seems to be strict and quiet. None of them are laughing, talking, and even doing another thing. Their short hairs make its mood tougher, because it symbolizes a discipline between them. We can only feel the sense of strict rules among them.

Next photograph, "Children`s Puppet Theatre", shows children`s face mainly. They seems to enjoy the situation, because their facial emotions is various. Some children are yelling, and other seem to be surprised. One child even covers his ears. As the photo`s title, they`re watching a puppet show and enjoying it. Children wear various clothes, even a hat and hood. In their background, there are filled with children, too. Most of them in area, which is out-focused, are also give concentrations to show, and they seem to be happy, too. Because they`re standing in fields, the periphery is bright. There is no shade in the image.

The main difference between these two photographs is facial emotions of children. In "Village School", no one shows their feelings, so they seem to be dummies with no emotions. Due to their similar appearances, especially hairs and dark-colored clothes, makes its mood heavier, and it is the main reason why we feel closeness in the image. However, in the image "Puppet Theatre", children`s face are fully filled with their emotions. They shows their feelings directly, so it makes the feeling of movement, and finally, the whole photograph seems to be bright and shining. There is another factor making differences between two photographs. It`s the place. In the first image, children are in the dark building, which represents a sense of alienation to outside. But the place of second one is a field, so the children`s faces gain lighter and it makes its mood like their emotions.

These two images show different moods to us. One represents darkness, alienation and heavy moods by showing short-haired children with no emotions in dark building. Another symbolizes enjoyment, pleasure and happiness by taking children who shows their feelings on field. Both photographs depict the same content, children, but it makes absolutely different moods by making a focus different.

Siho Yang/ reaction essay/ Thu 11~1

Children are ingenuous and playful. They are always curious about everything that exists in the world. Also, they are very honest in their feelings. They laugh and smile when they feel happy but when they feel scared or sad, they burst into tears. Even sometimes they walk on eggshells not to be scolded. These two photographs are showing this feature very well. One is taken by Margaret Bourke-White and is named "Village School". The other one is "Children's Puppet Theatre, Paris 1963" taken by Alfred Eisenstadt. Children in these two photographs are different in that they are under different circumstances which make children hide or reveal their emotions.

 

 Let's take a look at "Village School" first. The room is dark and boys are sitting in rows. There is nothing special in there but only simple dark-colored desks. Some of the boys are staring at the photographer maybe because they feel nervous about the stranger or just they were asked to do that for taking that photograph. Most of them look very serious due to rigid facial expressions. However, one boy in the front seems to slightly smile. He might think being a subject of photograph is interesting. Meanwhile, some of other boys are looking at another point. There might be their strict teacher ordering them to stay calm. But all of them have something in common. They hide their emotions and try to be patient. They might think about what to do after school such as playing soccer or eating.

 

 Now, what about "Children's Puppet Theatre"? Children look surprised, excited and funny. The photograph looks bright and clear so that children's faces and actions are well seen. Each child expresses exactly what he or she wants. For example, the boy in the center is pointing his finger up high and screaming. He may be shouting enthusiastically "Go! Go!" for what he is watching now. The girl in front of that boy also seems excited just as much as the boy feels. The girl has her mouth open widely and shakes her left hand which is blurred due to its motion. The boy on the left blocks his ears because the sound is too loud for him. The girl behind that boy is covering her mouth shutting eyes tight in order to not to watch. The children in this photograph do reveal their emotions directly unlike those in the former photograph.

 

 These two photographs are similar in that they both focus on children but very different in many factors. First, the atmosphere of the former one is dark, calm and bit suppressed but in the latter one, it is active, bright and exciting. This is because of the difference in lights and positions of children. Regular rows in the first photograph describe strict and harsh orders, but irregular positions in the second photograph show freedom. Moreover, angle is also a big difference. In the former photograph, it is taken at high angle looking down on children. It seems like the photographer overlooks and monitors on them. On the other hand, the latter one is taken at the children's standing eye level. In my opinion, it is a more friendly approach for children taking at children's height.

 

 Although the topic of both photographs is children but they show different moods of them. In "Village School", children seem to be forced to sit still and not to do anything but in "Children's Puppet Theatre", children have no restriction to express their feelings. The contrast of mood, pressures and freedom, is depicted through children's faces and actions. But it is clear that they are all children who want to run outside and play with their friends.

Hanul Park / Reaction essay / THU 11-13

Similar, but not similar (page 173)

 

Sometimes people are impressed on nature. A photograph, depicting a landscape, sometimes makes us to feel more beautiful than any pictures. These two photographs also depict nature with fog. In first photograph, there is the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Next picture takes a landscape nearby the Niagara Falls, which is the biggest fall in North America, and a ship under the waterfall. Each photos uses a wet fog as its matter, however, gives perfectly different feelings to us.

When you look at the photo depict a bridge at first, you may see a magnificent view of bridge crossing it. There are silhouettes of two people in front of the misty bridge, being surrounded by a dense fog. They are standing side by side and watching one side, and black ground is under their feet. Above the bridge, you can see cloudy sky, being dyed gray color. Overall, the photo has an absolute contrast of colors, and it looks like a photo depicting a feeling of silhouettes, not taking an aim to the bridges.

The thing filling up the second photograph is a huge waterfall and lake. Streams falls into lake are showing its powerful energy. Rocks around the falls soar sharply against dynamic streams. The lake is also shaking due to powerful waterfall. And there are many people on a passenger ship, floating above the lake. At a glance, the ship seems to be turned over because of streams. Water in the periphery makes the photo much lighter than first one.

The main point of difference between two photographs is a presence of human. In 'Golden Gate Bridge', humans and their architectures are seen across the nature. Of course, you can see and feel the beauty of scenery, but the bridge, which represents civilization, exceeds it. Features of the sharp tower of the Golden Gate Bridge and humans beneath it symbolize the human being, overcoming the nature. These features are emphasized by the contrast of black and white. However, a photo of waterfall shows the greatness of mighty nature. The ship, symbolized the civilization, and passengers are overwhelmed with grand nature and looks instable, as if the ship capsize soon. And the waterfall looks as an immense wall, cutting off people`s way. Due to these features, it shows human frailty by comparing it with nature.

We can find easily the features of human and nature. One photo represents the great human being, overcoming the mighty nature. Another symbolizes people whom be blocked up by forces of nature. Like this, the two foggy photographs contain differences. In spite of taking similar scenes, photographers` intentions make it much more different.

Dasom Yoo/reaction essay/Thur34

The Mood Created by Two Photographs        When you look at these two photos, you will find something very different. There is also one thing they share together. The first photograph is "Village School" photographed by Margaret Bourke-White. The other one is "Children's Puppet Theatre" photographed by Alfred Eisenstadt. In both photographs, there are children facing toward you. But location and the mood of each photo are contrary to each other.        In "Village School", the place where the photograph was taken is in a room. It is a dark room filled with boys sitting in 4 rows, facing straight ahead. We can feel tense in their faces, and they all look gloomy. Not one of them is smiling in the picture. They are all just sitting straight in some kind of wooden chair. We also sense isolation because they are in a dark room where there is not much light. This isolated lightless room makes the photograph more depressed and blue.        The location where "Children's Puppet Theatre" was taken is outside. The children are outdoor, somewhere open and it is daytime. You can tell by watching the background. There are trees and also you can see the sunlight. It looks like there is enough light to brighten children, and it shows children's face with details and more vividly. It makes the photograph lively. And they show some actions like covering their ears or pointing at something or covering one's mouth.        They each create different mood in the photographs, but they have one thing in common. They focus on children, to be more specific they focus on their emotions. In "Village School", all young boys look like they do not feel joy at all. They are sitting still leaving space to one another. They look down like tensed, rigid, and stiff.  In "Children's Puppet Theatre", you can see a lot of children with various emotions. They each express in different ways when watching the puppet show. Some looks like they are shocked or surprised, and some are screaming at the puppet show. This photograph contains more emotion than the former.        The moods that two photographs create are distinct from each other. One is dark, still, and stiff. You can tell by its place, the children's face, and position how children are seated. The other is bright, active, and energetic. You know by looking at the light shining in the background, emotion of children's face, and how they are gathered together. Like these they have differences but still they have one thing in common. Both have same main focus, and they are the children and their emotions.

Cho, Hyun / Reaction Essay / Thurs34

          

 

           Two photos, “Village School” and “Children’s Puppet Theatre”, arouse dramatically contrasted feeling for viewers in several aspects. Differences can be mainly summarized as three factors : postures, facial expressions, and backgrounds.

 

           First of all, viewers can easily notice the huge difference on postures that children from separated photos take. In “Village School”, children are displayed in substantially organized manner. They are neatly seated on chair with their back straight, directly facing the front. No exception can be found for this common posture, reminding viewers of sense of order. In contrast with the mentioned photo, the characters of “Children’s Puppet Theatre” are all bunched together. Each individuals of the photo takes different action: screaming, curiously watching, covering years and so on. Unlike boys in the first photo seats orderly and quietly heads for front, the children of “Puppet Theatre” messily stand and watch over something in enthusiastic manner.

 

           Second, facial expressions presented in the former photo look greatly contrasting against the latter. The boys in “Village School” look restricted by unknown reasons, and hardly reveal their emotions through their faces. However, the boys and girls enjoying puppet theatre are fully displaying their personalities, as if proving that all of them have unique emotions distinguished with others. They are fully expressive and not hesitate to react on play which is shown in front of their eyes.

 

           Lastly, backgrounds are the one of the main reasons, which are responsible for provoking entirely compared feeling for viewers of photos. The background of “Village School” is dark and confined space, which arouse tranquil and ordered atmosphere. At the same time viewer can sense tension from the photo. In contrast to the former photo, the place where “Children’s Puppet Theatre” held is opened and bright outside, which induces vibrant and active feeling. The sunshine brightens whole bodies of children, which is compared with the fact that the bodies of boys in “Village school” are partly covered with dark.

 

           As it is mentioned in previous three paragraphs, two photos are noticeably distinguished with each others, by three main features: postures, facial expressions, and backgrounds. The first photo is displaying sense of “order” in placid and dark atmosphere, while the other is expressing bright and lively mood.  

Lee Jae Ryoung / Reaction Essay / Thursday 11:00-13:00

Catching through Photographs

 

Photographs are honest and influential about the expressions of the subjects. In fact, we can see various kinds of feelings through them; happiness, sadness, frustrations, satisfaction, and so on. Seeing these emotions expressed in the faces of subjects can bring powerful responses from the viewer. They may touch us deeply or make us happy. Here are two photographs of children. First one is called "Village School" by Margaret Bourke-White and the other one is called "Children's Puppet Theatre" by Alfred Eisenstadt. In both photographs, the body language and facial expressions of the children, who are the subjects, display different moods and emotions.

 

In "Village School," the group of boys are all seated on benches that look like church pews, staring at something. In fact, they are sitting up straight in four rows, one behind the other. The periphery is dark, and we can't see the object or person they are looking at. In a dark room, the only light we can notice is shining on the faces of the boys. Their hair is short and few of them are wearing light shirts while others are in dark colors. We can barely see their upper torsos except few. The overall mood of this photograph is serious and somber since the boys seem to remain passive without having any emotion on their faces and there are large gaps between them. So there appears to be no communication and they are isolated from each other. The boy in the foreground seem to be especially isolated from his peers, alone in his row. In this picture, it seems as if the children are under pressure and afraid of something.

 

The children in the "Children's Puppet Theatre" are all gathered together. The five faces in the foreground are easily noticeable that we can see them completely. In the background, only the tops of the children's heads are visible with endless rows of children. The special thing about this picture is that boys and girls are not posed but moving freely and enjoying their happy moment. A boy in the center has his mouth wide open and his right hand raised, pointing at something in front of him. The other boy on the left is covering his ears as if he is disturbed by loud sound. Also, the children are touching each other. In fact, little girls on the right are holding on to each other, one resting her head on the other. Moreover, we can find diverse expressions on the faces of them children. Some of them are screaming and others look surprised. A few are laughing out loud and some put their hands on their faces as though they are shocked.

 

Both photographs portrays children of about the same age, who are looking at something or someone that the viewer can't see. Therefore, they give us chance to guess what that is. While there are only boys in the "Village School," "Children's Puppet Theater" includes both boys and girls. Having only boys makes the atmosphere more strict and this is emphasized by the way the boys are positioned formally. Unlike them, who are sitting in neat rows with brusque look on the faces, the boys and girls in the second picture are full of motions as well as emotions. They are shouting, leaning, laughing, and moving their hands. In fact, they are revealing their emotions openly and freely, showing exactly how they feel. However, there appears to be signs of hope in the first photograph. The light is shining on the children's faces and the boy in the front row looks like he's smiling slightly. Moreover, in contrast with "Village School," "Children's Puppet Theatre" has many tones from white to black and different textures in the children's clothes.

 

In conclusion, there are two photographs of children. One depicts the silent and somber mood while the other one shows bright and happy mood. In one, children are positioned stiffly and in the other one, children are free with their motions. Both focuses on the children's faces but one captures no emotion while the other features many diverse expressions. By just looking at these photographs, we can not only see how the children react but also feel their emotions. As the viewer, we are drawn by their gestures and expressions and finally end up drawn into their reality.

Jimin Baik/ Reaction essay in response to the two photographs on page 152/ Thursday 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Jimin Baik/ Reaction essay in response to the two photographs on page 152/ Thursday 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.   Two comparative pictures on children's emotions        There are many pictures that show children's emotions, but these two pictures express them very clearly. One is "Village School" by Margaret Bourke-White. The other one is called "Children's Puppet Theatre" by Alfred Eisenstadt. These two contrastive pictures, although both of them are about children's emotions, have many differences. Among them, the major three differences are: the backgrounds, the facial expressions, and the postures.        First of all, the background of "Village School" is dark and confined, while that of "Children's Puppet Theatre" is bright and open. In "Village School", the children are sitting in a confined area. Behind the children, there is a wooden wall. There is nothing to bright the room, and consequently, the room is very dark. This suggests that the children in the photo are in the situation which is comparatively less free and suppressed. On the contrary, in "Children's Puppet Theatre", the children are in the open area. Behind the children, one can see trees and a roof of the outdoor theatre. Through the tree leaves, the sunshine is penetrating. In conclusion, the children are in an opened, bright area, on a sunny day. This means that the children are free, without any controlling force.        Next, the facial expressions in "Village School" are controlled, while those in "Children's Puppet Theatre" are lively and free. In "Village School", most of the children are not expressing their emotions freely. On the right side, the boy who is in the first row definitely shows some curiosity toward the camera. On the other hand, the two boys who are sitting in the second row seem like they are afraid. Behind the two boys, five boys look emotionless, while showing a bit of hostility and curiosity toward the camera. On the left side, the boy in the first row and another boy on the left side of the second row seem indifferent, because they are not looking at the camera but somewhere. The three boys behind the two look like that they have some curiosity and hostility toward the camera but cannot express their feeling. In "Children's Puppet Theatre", the facial expressions are much livelier. At the very front, on the right side, the girl who is leaning her body against another girl's shoulder looks sleepy. Behind her, the girl with black hair and glasses look like she is almost panicked. On the left of the sleepy girl, the girl with the very same hairstyle and clothes with the sleepy girl looks a bit afraid and astonished. At the center of the picture, the boy is yelling out loud putting his hands up in the sky. Beneath his arm, a blond girl is also screaming covering her mouth with her both hands. Below her face, there is also a girl with hair band and earrings who is also screaming. And at the left corner of the photo, there is a poor boy with a hat covering his ears to protect them from noises.        Last but not least, the postures in "Village School" are still, while those in "Children's Puppet Theatre" are free. In "Village School", the children are all in a neat row. There are many dark, wooden chairs in the photo. Even though the chairs seem to be broad enough to accommodate 3 children per one chair, only two children at maximum are sitting per one chair. Also, the children are sitting still and not touching each other. They are not even looking at each other. This means that there is no personal touch between them. On the contrary, in "Children's Puppet Theatre", the chairs are invisible, and it seems like children are sitting on the ground without row. The boy on the center is even half-standing. On the right side of the photo, the girl is leaning against another girl's shoulder, and that girl is putting her hand on the shoulder of the leaned girl. Although they are all looking at the front, one can clearly see that there are lots of personal touches between them by their postures.        To sum up, "Village School" has much more controlled, confined, and dark atmosphere compared to "Children's Puppet Theatre". In "Children's Puppet Theatre", the atmosphere is much more expressive and free. This difference comes from three major differences. First, "Village School" suggests confined, dark background while "Children's Puppet Theatre" shows open, bright background. Also, the first photo shows the children with vague facial expressions, while the second picture contains the children full of expressions. Lastly, the children are in a row and sitting still in the first photo, while the children are gathered freely in the second one. Each of the two pictures depicts children's emotions, but they show definite contrast with each other.

Seung Ah Lee/Options for Vacation Planning (FINAL)/ Thur 34

<Final Draft>

Various Options for Vacation Planning

     "Koreans are workaholic!" says most of the non-Koreans who visit Korea. Yes, it is true that Koreans hardly stop working. They are extremely stressed out and as a result feel exhausted. They desperately long for a break once in a while. Considering the hours of work of Koreans, vacation is not a luxury but a necessity. However, even when given a vacation, a great number people do not know how to get the best out of it, failing to recognize the purpose of the vacation in most cases. There are numerous types of enjoyable and meaningful options for holidays. Here is a suggestion for vacation planning categorized into three: traveling, doing an internship, and self-developing. 

      First and foremost, one of the best ways to spend the vacation is to travel. Break is meant to fun, relaxing and challenging. Depending on your preference, you could choose to go outside the country or move around within the country. For example, you can visit your cousins or friends living abroad. Last summer, I went to New York for a month to visit my cousin and she took me to many good places like Broadway, Empire States Building, 5th Avenue and Lincoln Center. Although I heard a lot about American culture, it was just amazing to actually go there and experience a new culture, meet new people and learn different perspectives. Also, visiting famous places in your own country is a wonderful way to spend your vacation because it gives you a chance to relax or refresh yourself as well as knowing more about your own culture. For instance, going to Jeju Island for family trip was a good opportunity for me to realize how great the nature of our country was. In the beautiful nature, my family had a good time there and made precious memories, away from the routine. Likewise, traveling is one good option for spending a vacation efficiently.

      Moreover, doing an internship could be another option for vacation. It might sound like working, but it could be a perfect chance for a new experience that is helpful for your future career. As many companies recruit interns during summer or winter season, you should grab the chance. Doing an internship could be beneficial for the companies but more importantly for those who are planning to get a job in the field. By working as an intern, you can explore much more closely about the job area. A friend of mine applied for an internship in a city bank. Before she did not have much information about the job itself and was not that much interested in being a bank accountant for her entire life. Yet, she spent two full months at the bank as an intern and eventually decided to go for the job. Likewise, using vacation as a chance to virtually have a glimpse at the field you are interested in can be a huge help for you in making a right decision on your future career. Therefore, doing an internship is one way to spend your holidays to have some field experience. 

      Last but not least, self-developing is the other way to spend the vacation meaningfully. Nowadays, people in their 20s or 30s are known to have the highest level of stress due to social pressure. They continuously need to develop themselves in this competitive society. What I mean by self-development as an option for vacation planning is not simply to prepare for TOEIC or acquire certificates and licenses, because then, it is no longer a break anymore. They are essential part of becoming a more intellectual, educated and knowledgeable human being. Self-developing includes reading books, doing voluntary works or meeting people from other countries for language exchange in addition to studying for particular tests. There are so many activities out there that help you improve yourself in diverse fields. Being professional and knowledgeable in your field is crucial but life experience through books and real experiences are often times much more useful and worthwhile. Vacation is a perfect chance to get away from daily life and try something new for self-development.

      To sum up, there are a variety of options to spend your vacation: going on a trip, getting a work experience and self-developing. There is a saying that goes "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." As such, having a break is prerequisite and what is more important is to plan well for the break. You should remember that whatever your preference is, vacation planning's main priority should be to enjoy and rest, not work!

Seongyool Myung /Thu 34 / Reaction essay

Photography can create a tension

 

How do you feel when you look at these pictures? You will think the upper one has a dark atmosphere and the bottom one is more blithe and bright. You may think the children in the dark are in somewhat bad situation, and those in the bright one are in happiness. But I suggest here that what is seen in the photo is not only about the situation they are in but also about photography itself. From now on I'll explain it to you by comparing these two pictures.

 

What we need to do first is to see where the children's attention is. In the photo called "Village School", we can tell that most of the children are staring at the camera. However, in "Children's Puppet Theatre", we see that the children are astonished by other things since they are not looking at the camera. That's why they are not looking at the camera.

 

Then we need to think about is where the pictures were taken. The upper one was taken in a classroom, and the other one outdoors. Of course people have more things to look at when they're out. But in a closed area, there are fewer things to watch, so in the first picture the children are mainly looking at the camera.

 

The last thing to consider is the time in which the photos are taken. "Village School" was taken in 1934 and around that time cameras are not common products, which means cameras could draw people's attention and at the same time could create a tension, since people are curious about and scared of what they don't often see. In contrast, cameras became more common in 1960's, when the other picture was taken, which means cameras drew less attention.

 

These three factors can create the atmosphere of the pictures, regardless of what the subjects really feel. When we see a picture, we're inclined to believe that the image was made only by the subjects' feelings but we should consider photography can create a tension on its own. If you think about the time you take a picture in a photo studio, you'll understand this. So next time you appreciate a photo, you also need to consider it.

Nam Alexander/201001065/RESPONSE TO THE TWO PHOTOS,p 163/

The Photographs are Alive

   The only human beings who are really sincere and in whom we can clearly see honesty are for sure children. In the past time when the people did not have the high technologies to make photographs, the only way to see that characteristics was having a direct look into the eyes. As the old and wisdom people say: "If you look into the eyes, you can see the soul of the individual". But today the high technologies century has come, where everyone is able to feel the atmosphere and feelings even through the photographs. I would like to consider two photographs which are the evidence of that fact. One is called "Village School" that was taken by the Margaret Bourke-White, who included this picture in her book Eyes on Russia, published in 1934 and another is called "Children's Puppet Theatre, Paris 1963" by Alfred Eisenstadt. I would like to show how the photograph can show atmosphere, emotions and other feelings by considering them from my point.

   In the "Village School" children are sitting in the dark and obscure room where the light spot like an uninvited, unexpected guest who hardly found place on the last table and trying not to show itself too much. The spot light is very essential thing on the photograph because it plays a role of the bright future and that the dream will become the true very soon, if you look at the children's eyes. The eyes clearly show how the children are exhausted and a little bit afraid of something. The way they are located in the room makes feel that there is an atmosphere of the discipline and lack of the dignity. They look like robots who are ready to execute whatever the person in charge tell them. They also seem to be like robots by the reason that their clothing is almost similar to each other. The room is very gloomy and dark by itself, but the clothing makes it more obscure that can even hide the sparking childish souls, but it is not able to hide the spark in the eyes. Therefore it full of the feeling that if the atmosphere will not change that hardly surviving spark in the eyes will be suppressed. The boy who is sitting in the foreground is a good representative of the rest class, the representative of the feelings and emotions that they have to hide and suppress because of the atmosphere created by the force. But what we can feel if we look at the "Children's Puppet Theatre" photography.

   Here I could clearly see the totally opposite atmosphere, where the light spot is everywhere which creates the bright and sunny emotions. The faces of the children are full of the crazy smiles and laugh. The evidence of that is the boy who is covering his ears because the surroundings is too noisy by the screaming and excited rest of the children. The open mouths represents that the children are fully free to express their emotions the way they want without any suppression and pressure. They are not robots, but the individuals with sparkling and burning at some kind eyes, soul and body by itself. These children can feel the love, heart – lighted and carefree environment where even the uncountable amounts of the light spots are ready to share their bright "love" toward those children. In addition the various styles of clothing show that each of them is individual.

   The "Village School" shows the gloomy atmosphere very well. It is difficult to believe that that children experienced happiness and individuality. All of the like one body of the human being. They look too much similar that it makes me feel; they behave and make actions in the same time and in the same way. The most excited thing in the photography is the eyes of everyone and especially of the boy who is sitting alone in the front. It creates the feeling of the lost hope and suppressed spark of the hope in the eyes and the feeling of the loneliness despite the fact that they look similar.  The "Children's Puppet Theatre" expresses the atmosphere where the spot light is the superstar which has already collected a lot of fans in the face of the children, because the photography is so bright and the children's faces are almost burned by the brightness and spark of happiness and excitement. This photography makes me feel that these children are happy and carefree and do not have any idea what the loneliness or suppression means. 

   So there are two pictures I have told about from my personal point of view. In the first picture I felt the loneliness and dying spark of life. This photo is focused not just on the faces of the children, but on their eyes. Another photo is also concentrated on the faces of the children, but shows each individual's facial expression. This approach makes me feel that these each child-individual does not know what is the suppression and dark rainy days. And yet the both clearly show how the eyes are important even on the picture.

Dajeong Choi / Unit 5. Clssfication essay / thur 34

Food Color and Nutrition                How do you get your plate colorful every day? Nutrition provided by many food items depend on their color. It means we can use color of food to identify the nutrition that they provide. Since different colors provide various kind of nutrition it is healthier to consume a colorful variety of food items and keep a balanced diet. 3 main color groups; orange or yellow, blue or purple and red are identified for food and nutrition              Some orange or yellow vegetables, such as pumpkin and summer squash, contain the phytonutrient, lutein, which helps protect against degeneration of eye structure with aging. Citrus fruits like oranges are not a good source of vitamin A. They are an excellent source of vitamin C and folate, a B vitamin that helps reduce risk of birth defects. These color group foods are usually colored by natural plant pigments called carotenoids. Scientists have reported that carotenoid-rich foods can help in strengthening the immune system that may prevent heart diseases and improve the visual functions of a human body.              Anthocyanins in the blue or purple colored food items help maintaining the health of the urinary tracts and are good for healthier functioning of kidneys. These food items are also good for preventing chances of certain forms of cancer, stroke and heart disease. Other studies have shown that eating more blueberries is linked with improved memory function and healthy aging. Examples would be blueberries, black currents, dried plums, purple grapes etc. Red color contains lycopene and anthocyanins. This color group includes cranberries, red apples, blood oranges, red onions and red potatoes etc. The functions performed by red foods are similar to the blue group as they support a healthy memory, improve the urinary tract health and prevent certain cancers. Lycopene in tomatoes, watermelon and pink grapefruit, for example, may help reduce risk of several types of cancer, especially prostate cancer. Anthocyanins in strawberries, raspberries, red grapes and other fruits and vegetables act as powerful antioxidants that protect cells from damage. Antioxidants are linked with keeping our hearts healthy, too.              Now you now have a good idea about how healthy your diet is and thus you must begin to improve your intake of nutrients by adjusting the color balance of your food intake and maintain a healthier and more balanced life. The trick is to include as many plant-based colors in your daily diet as possible. So, try to avoid peeling fruits like an apple again and again and fill your plate with orange, yellow, blue, purple and red colored fruits and vegetables.

Lee Seunghyun / Options for vacation / Thursday 3,4

 We, students, are tired of studying for whole semester. Papers, Exams, Quizes are bullying us. We need time to be refreshed. 

So students always expect vacation. Spending time far away from routine life vigors us and gives us special memories. 

There are only options for my vacation. Doing my own work, Meeting old friends, Going yearly family trip.

The first one, Doing my own work, account for more than 80 percent of my vacation. I'm a pre-Entomologist but I'm not majoring in Entomology.

So, I spend my vacation studying it all day. Not only just sitting down in front of desk and reading papers like "Taxonomic Review of...."

but also going outside and studying in the nature. For example, I went Jeju island for a month in summer vacation of 2009. I found some wild insects I'm interested in, take pictures of them.

This is the most important option of my vacation.

The second priority of my vacation is meeting my old friends. The favorite friends of mine are high school classmates. 

We do not have to meet in vacation few years ago. However, things have changed. All of them became busier as time roll on.

Just like me, they are all college students, except some serving military duty. We don't have enough time to get along with each other in the semester.

So I and my friends need special time to gather in vacation.

My family goes family trip every year. This is the third one of my vacation. Just as my friends, my family members are busy too. 

My parents work for a company, my younger sister is college student, and my younger brother is studying abroad. So our yearly family trip is almost the only way chance for one week long family gathering.

We usually go to mountain or valley rather than beach. Our family trip have given us tremendous special memories and this is and will be the important vacation planning option for our family.

So in short, my vacation options are to spend time for my own work, to get along with friends, to go somewhere with my family. These are all important to me for happy and meaningful vacation.

As this semester is almost end, I am looking forward to enjoy my vacation with those things.

Cho, Hyun / Vacation Planning / Thurs34

 

 

September 15th 2008, Lehman Brothers, one of the world’s leading financial enterprises, filed for bankruptcy. The failure is regarded as the biggest and worst bankruptcy in U.S history, consequently provoking financial crisis of Euro-zone which remains unsettled until today. Due to globally-spread financial difficulty, many countries are suffering from high unemployment rate and especially youth unemployment is considered the most serious issue, accordingly. In this context, multitude of young Koreans, who are in their 20s or in early 30s, have been struggling with finding jobs, starting to concern about their future career in their early 20s. This recent trend dramatically contrasts with relaxing and leisurely campus life of 1990s Korea, which was common in that period.

 

           In response to harsh competition in job market, caused by recent financially emergent circumstance, numerous young Korean students are spending their time to develop their career, which later might be advantageous for their employment. For this reasons, internships at major companies and taking language program abroad are becoming popular activities for Korean university students during their vacation time. However, I believe option for vacation planning should not be limited on career development. There are other interesting activities, which also can be beneficial for one’s future career.

 

           First, studying liberal arts can be favorable experience, which nourish one’s intellectual maturity and remarkably broaden his perspectives. These days, Korean students often confine themselves on studying popular majors, such as business administration or engineering. Some might say learning those spotlighted studies is demanded for finding desirable jobs in recent severely competitive period. However, liberal art can help one grow profound insight, which later become the great asset of one’s life. Person who is highly perceptive is more likely to overcome his or her difficulty, compared with one who have just experienced common and average events.

 

           Second, traveling is another desirable option for vacation planning. Traveling can broaden one’s perspective toward the world by visiting many different areas and experiencing various kinds of activities. In addition, it enables one to appreciate differences between unfamiliar civilization and people, which promotes raising open mindedness and cooperative behavior. These acquired virtues will help one successfully acclimate to rapidly changing environment and new organizational group. Furthermore, he would show greater performance on his job by effectively joining with his coworkers.

 

           Last but not the least, volunteering is recommended for student’s vacation time. These days, many young people tend to focus on their academic goals or developing their careers. However, person without morals can neither be respected, nor successful. By appreciating difficulties of social minorities, one can step toward the true genuine leader, which our society necessitates for. In this context, vacation is very suitable time for students to experience volunteering work before going back to their schools.       

Siho Yang/ Transportation/ THU 11~1

 People living in a big city use transportation everyday to go to work, school and so on. Thanks to the development of modern transportation system, areas that we are able to reach have been so much expanded. There are about 3 types of transportation that help people move around in cities – Bus and Metro, Taxi and automobile. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages.

 

 The most frequently used transportation here in cities is buses and metro thanks to its relatively cheap fares. It helps people arrive at destinations on time. Because there is no traffic jam on metro and buses – bus has its own driveway -, there is less possibility of being late. However, taking buses and metro brings people a lot of stress. Because there are too many people in there, it's easy to be pushed around in a crowded space. I'm the one who uses metro everyday to get to school. I don't like taking metro because it's terrible standing in the middle of crowded metro! Sometimes someone steps on my foot and pushes me. What's more, it's hard to breathe when surrounded by tall people because I'm short!

 

 Another type of transportation is a taxi. Taking a taxi is very convenient. We can go almost everywhere even though we don't know how to get there thanks to a taxi driver. In addition, it's very fast and comfortable. There is only 'me' in a taxi so I don't need to struggle the crowdedness. Despite these advantages, I hesitate to take a taxi because of its expensive fare. When I was in hurry for school, I took a taxi to save my time. Unfortunately it was a rush-hour, I got stuck at traffic jam. Not only I was late for school but also I spent much money to pay its expensive fare.

 

 Lastly, there is 'an automobile'. Although it's only for people who posses his own car, it is the most convenient transportation. We can go anywhere we want and we can take a break anytime we want. However, there is a big trouble in riding a car – 'traffic jam'. People who drive their own cars usually get stressed often because they spend a long time on the road being stuck in a traffic jam. There are too many cars in cities. In addition, car owners need to spend a lot of money on their cars because of high oil prices and costs for the maintenance. My father always gets stressed when he heard some news about rising oil prices. It is really costly to keep a car.

 

 There are a variety of transportations in cities – bus, metro, taxi and private car. We can choose what to take considering their good and bad aspects. As for me, I usually take a bus and metro because I'm a student who doesn't have enough money. Although it's very stressful taking public transportation every day, this is the only way for me to get to school.

Lee, Shinhye/ Vacation planning/ Thurs 3-4

How would you categorize options for vacation planning?

  

 How do you feel when you hear the word: vacation? Needless to say, people must be excited when they imagine vacations. However, unfortunately, without specific plans for vacations, people tend to lose their all opportunities to enjoy their vacations. This is why we need to focus on how to categorize options for our better vacation planning. To find the best fit plan for our upcoming vacation, three main criteria need to be concerned: a period of vacation, a purpose of vacation, and costs.

   First of all, the vacation plan can be differ depending on the period of vacation. The period can be divided into two options; whether it is a long-term or short-term vacation. If you have a long vacation, your vacation plan can be more wide and various. For example, you are able to put a trip abroad option in your plan. Also, even you want domestic trip, more cities to visit and more flexible time management are possible. You do not need to worry about the punctual schedule, which may cause you some stress during your vacation. On the other hand, if your trip is for short-term vacation, you need to choose a few options rather than experiencing many things in a few days. For example, it is better to choose just one city, stay in a certain hotel and avoid from travel every single tourist destination.

   Next, people who concern great vacations need to consider their goals of vacations. Mostly, vacations' goals can be divided into two, which one is for a rest and the other one is for sightseeing. If you are supposed to take a rest during your vacation, it is highly recommendable to find a peaceful and silent recreation area or a resort. For example, if you choose Paris or New York for your mental and physical relaxation rather than Maldives, you must be irritated from lots of tourists, noise and traffic jam. Or if you want to visit many museums and to do sightseeing as many as possible, you need to choose Paris and New York rather than Maldives.

   Lastly, depending on your budget, your vacation plan can be altered. It is very crucial to make an estimated budget when you consider vacation option because there are various kinds of inns from 5 star hotels to inexpensive hostels. So, calculate how much money you want to put in your budget, and find the best place to stay, the finest restaurant to have meals and most appropriate means of transportation. It is really crucial criterion because some people have in trouble during the vacation because of insufficient preparation for their financial parts.

   To sum up, we need to look up several options to prepare satisfactory vacations, which criteria contain the period, goal of vacation and amount of budget. However, we should not forget that the expensive hotels, fancy restaurants, and comfortable transportations do not always guarantee the best vacation. It is important to keep in mind that most successful vacation comes from your sufficient preparation in advance and unexpected experiences during the trip at the same time. 

Dasom Yoo/vacation/Thur34

How would you categorize options for vacation planning?    In July and August, a lot of people plan for their vacation. Some people just stay at homes, other go travel and experience something. And there are so many options when planning for vacation. Among them there are three main important things that you should care when you are planning your vacation; the length of vacation; whom you are going with ; the purpose of your vacation.   The length of your vacation is very important. It depends where you should go. You have to consider the time you will spend to get to destination, the time you are going to actually spend there, and also time to adjust like jet legs. If you want to go overseas, you have to have at least 5 days for vacation. You can visit nearest country Japan and China to USA with longer vacation.  If you do not have enough time to go abroad then you can just stay at your place, visit your parents in your hometown, or go somewhere near your city. You do not want to waste your precious time on the plane, do you?   The second important thing is whom you are spending your vacation with. If you are preparing family vacation, you have to find right package including various activities for your family. For example, if you have children your package must have activities that your kids would like such as scuba diving, or riding ATV. However, if you are with your boyfriend or girlfriend, you can have some romantic time. For instance, having a walk near the shore, getting couple massage, or having lovely dinner at fine local restaurant. Like these there are different things you can do depending on person you are going with.   The last one is whether the purpose of your vacation is to relax or to experience something new. If you want to spend your vacation just to relax and restore your body, you should focus on doing nothing but to make your body feel loose, comfortable, and at peace. Instead of participating in various activities that require you to use your body, you should go spa, get massages, and relax in hot spring. But if you want to experience something different something extreme, you can try things like bungee jumping, waterskiing, or rock climbing. Or you can other foreign countries to feel culture. For example, you can fly to Germany and try famous food like sausages, bier, or you can enjoy festivals like carnival or Oktoberfest.   You always find troubles when you are organizing for your vacation. But if you have enough time, have right person to go with, and already know what you want to do during the break, you do not need to worry about planning. All you need to do is forget about everything and just enjoy the moment you have right now, because soon you have to get back to your real life.

Jimin Baik/ 9th Assignment/ Categorize Food According to Its Nutritional Benefits/ Thursday 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Jimin Baik/ 9th Assignment/ Categorize Food According to Its Nutritional Benefits/ Thursday 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.   Three Food Categories by Calories        People eat various kinds of food daily, but they are not really aware of the calories they eat. To help people better know the calories they eat, Korea Food Research Institute devised a new criterion to divide foods in three categories. According to Korea Food Research Institute, food can be categorized into three parts of green, yellow, and red, by a criterion of calorie. The researchers scored each kind of food according to its calories, and divided the kinds of food into three categories according to their scores.   If the food scores 8 to 10 out of 10, the food is categorized in green zone. The researchers of KFRI say that people can eat the food in the green zone as much as they want. Green tea, vegetable soup, fruits, raw seafood, kimchi, mushrooms, raw vegetables, beans, steamed vegetables, and tofu are all included in the green zone.         Similarly, if the food's score is 5 to 7 out of 10, the food is in yellow zone. The researchers recommend people not to overeat the food in the yellow zone. Milk, yogurts, salad of seafood, drinks, juice, steamed/ hard-boiled with soy sauce/ fried seafood, tea, coffee, seafood soup, nuts, sesame and edible oil, food preserved with salt, fruits, eggs of fishes or chickens, fried mushrooms, beans and tofu with low fat, sliced vegetables preserved/ hard-boiled in soy sauce, rice with whole grains, vegetable soup, grains except rice, seafood soup/ bake/ fry, noodles with low fat, meat, breads with low fat, and porridges are all in yellow zone.         Lastly, if the score is in between 0 to 4 out of 10, the food is put in red zone. The researchers warn that people should avoid the food in the red zone as much as they can. Cheese, fried seafood, ice-cream, meat soup, sugar, fried dishes, chocolate, eggs of fishes and chickens with high fat, alcohol, beans with high fat, instant mixed coffee, noodles with high fat, soda, rice cakes, butter/mayonnaise, grains with high fat, fruits preserved with sugar, bread with high fat, fried meat, rice, and snacks.        To sum up, there are three categories of food according to its benefits in calories. The food in the green zone boasts the lowest calories, while the food in yellow zone has a bit more calories than the food in the green zone. Lastly, the food in the red zone has the highest calorie. These criteria would be really helpful for people who want to manage/lose/gain their weight.

Lee Jae Ryoung / Options for Vacation Planning / Thursday 11:00-13:00

Being a Satisfying Vacation Planner

 

To me, vacation has always been like a freedom since I was in elementary school, but also an anxiety. The reason is that I feel very happy when the vacation starts but then I begin to worry about how I'm going to spend the vacation wisely. I don't want to waste my precious time just doing nothing but sleeping and eating. I think it is the wonderful opportunity when we can take enough rest and do whatever we wanted to do but had not enough time to do it. As a college student, I believe there are three ways to spend satisfying vacation for students like me: studying, going abroad, and doing volunteer work.

 

First option is studying. We can't only think about having fun during vacation. College students need to prepare for their career, their future and vacation is the excellent time to do it. We may study subjects that we are not good at but are necessary for our future career. For instance, I need to master economics to work in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade but I'm especially weak in this subject. Therefore, I'm planning to study it during upcoming summer vacation by reading books and news papers. Moreover, we can review what we learned in last semester or study the subjects that we like or want to learn. For example, history has always been my favorite subject but I had not really studied it after I graduated high school. I decided to start studying it and I'm planning to take a Korean history exam in August. Also, I'm going to begin studying Spanish which I learned for 3 years in high school but almost forgot all. Studying hard during vacation may sound boring. However, it's a good way to gain knowledge and spend time profitably.

 

Next thing we can do during vacation is going abroad. We may go abroad to study in foreign schools or to just travel. I prefer to travel rather than to study abroad. Instead of just moving around within our country, I think it's better to go outside of the country. It's good to go with our family or friends or just alone. Last winter vacation, I went to Turkey, Greece, and Italy with my grandmother and some of my church members. I stayed in Turkey for only one day, in Greece for three days, and in Italy for 5 days. Although the weather was cold, I had a really great time. It was my first time going to Europe. I especially liked Italy, since my first major is Italian, and more specifically, I really liked Firenze. I loved the streets, the medieval buildings, the elegant ambience, and the gentility of the city. I still think of that time and smile through the photos that I took. I believe overseas travel will be a valuable experience to know about other countries and their cultures. There's no doubt that it's better to actually go overseas than to just read books about foreign countries.

 

Finally, doing volunteer work is recommended during vacation. It's not easy to do such thing during semester because we are busy going to school, doing assignments, and studying for exams. I think doing volunteer works during vacation is a refreshing and new experience. Through this, we can learn about taking responsibility and joy of helping others and sharing feelings with others. When I was a high school student, I had a special volunteering experience. A friend of mine asked me if I want to join him and I said yes. Almost every Saturday for 5 months, we visited a school for the disabled and did volunteering work which was teaching English and math to disabled kids. At first, I felt awkward and uncomfortable but as I talked more and spent more time with them, I realized that they were not different from others. Even though they couldn't speak well or move freely, they thought and felt like everybody else. We become good friends and we still keep in touch with each other. Consequently, doing volunteer activities is a fine way to help others and learn to build relationship with them. In this way, we can even look back at ourselves.

 

In conclusion, to spend a fulfilling vacation, it's good to study fields that we are not good at or things that we like. Going abroad during vacation is another way and moreover, performing volunteer works can be a great vacation plan. We should not waste our vacation time when we can recharge ourselves and enjoy new experiences. It's a fascinating chance to do what you really want to do so we shouldn't let the time slide by, doing nothing. I hope all of you plan a meaningful summer vacation which is only a month away.