JB is still a student of English

I see

What is "heads up"? Is that like "attention"?

Hi I am back again.

During the past two weeks I was preparing for my Toefl test. I took the test last year. Although the test satisfied the requirements of many other colleges, it went below the that of University of Chicago, my dream school. Uchicago requires every applicant to reach an overall score no less than 104, with individual test score all over 26. My reading and listening were perfect last time. But my speaking and writing crippled me. This time during the test I feel very good for the intensive preparation I made before the test. Now, I am waiting for the news that I am qualified to apply for uchicago.

J.B.

Now a new question.

What is a "flip side" of something?

And btw, just what does the picture of "crossing fingers" look like ?

Thanks

I failed to successfully socialize this time. That does not mean I was excluded from people. It's just that I didn't experienced that American-type socialization. I seldom went to bars, cafes or to the downtown with a bunch of people. Around the dining table I was usually a passive listener. So, after 1 month of the program, I still hadn't known more than 10 names.

This certainly had its advantages. Because I mostly kept to myself, I had ample time to feel the real sense of academia. I was the frequent visitor to bookstores, libraries and museums. During the evenings I inhabited in the Joseph Regenstein Library so late that I might stay over night, if there was no time restraint. During the summer I read a number of books which I had long wanted to read, yet not permitted by time. Hence, my program result was not surprising. A- for Critical Perspective, a literature class; A for Contemporary Human Rights. I don't think it's easy for a purely foreign student (By saying this I refer to those who are born and complete brought up in an country foreign to the U.S. In fact, I am the only such kind of student among all in the program.)

The chief reason that I always remained passive on the dining table was that, I sometimes missed what they were talking of. This was understandable. Since we were raised in different cultural context, they had many stories, slang, TV programs, celebrities, sports etc. that I had never learned of. My trouble was, I didn't want to learn. Though I didn't understand them completely, I could roughly feel what they were talking of were only gossips and other trivial things. What they discussed and even debated over were only insubstantial issues. Those are things which I didn't wish to drag my unwilling self into.

But this kind of haughtiness must pay a price, especially in the long run. People may be always kind to me. But they may only be kind. If I don't integrate well, people may just habitually forget to add me up into activities as well as opportunities. I am not a bookworm kind of person. I need social interaction. I need real life. I was bookwormish this time only because this was the first time for me to expose myself to a rigorous academic life, and I wanted to taste well what kind of life it was.

However, these thoughts may serve as a good lesson when I really study in the States someday. I have to integrate as soon as possible if I ever have at least 4 years ahead of me. To integrate is easy. It's just a matter of will to show, or even pretend a strong curiosity of the daily life around. It's just a matter of asking questions about what this is, what that is. Yet to realize the need of integration takes time. In Chinese slang, "it demands a tuition fee". Probably I have waived this tuition by what I have seen this summer.

J-B wrote:

I think my chief problem in English is that I cannot use very daily, very slang-like and very idiomatic language very easily. As a result, my language is sometimes awkward and ineffective. I may use a whole series of logical twists to express what a common English idiom can neatly take care of.

One approach to solve the problem is to read comtemporary books and watch comtemporary movies. For example, last night, I was actually fast taking notes when I watched The Sin City. This ridiculous thing did happen only because that I found the language in the movie fascinating and freshly original.

Another approach is try to find alternative, as well as more native ways to replace what I have already written before. During this process, I may gain a conscious feeling of which can substitute which, which is better than which.

For example, here is an essay I once wrote in my "Sketches in U.S." thread:

JB, I like the way you write - in that I find it interesting in some of it's differences, but I'll rewrite what you wrote using common American English idiom.

Quote:

During this time, I felt I was not particularly successful when it came to socializing. This doesn't mean I was excluded or excluded myself. It's just that I didn't experience what I perceived as being the model of typical American socialization.
I seldom went to bars, cafes or to the downtown with a bunch of people. At the dining table I was usually a passive listener. So, after a month of the program, I still didn't know the names of more than ten people.

This certainly had its advantages. Because I kept to myself so much, I had ample time to experience the academic environment. I was a frequent visitor to bookstores, libraries and museums. During the evenings I stayed at the Joseph Regenstein Library so late that I might as well have stayed over night, and maybe I would have if it hadn't closed. During the summer I read a number of books which I had always wanted to read, yet had never had the time too. So, my program result was not surprising. A- for Critical Perspective, a literature class; A for Contemporary Human Rights. I don't think this was an easy accomplishment for a foreign student (someone born and raised in a country other than the U.S.-and,in fact, I was the only foreign student in the program).

(This paragraph-below- might have fit better earlier in the piece- when you were talking about not socializing at the table).
The main reason I remained quiet at the dining table was that I sometimes had no understanding of what everyone was talking about. This, of course, was understandable since we were raised in different cultural contexts-they used slang, and told stories about tv programs, celebrities, and/or sports figures I had never heard of or become familiar with. My trouble was, I didn't want to become familiar with them.
Though I didn't understand , I could vaguely ascertain that they were focusing on what was no more than gossip-truly trivial things. What they discussed and sometimes even debated, was insubstantial and unimportant to me, and I wasn't interested in involving myself in their conversations.

But I know if I indulge in this kind of haughtiness, I will pay a price in the long run. People might always be kind to me, but that may be all that they'll be. If I fail to integrate socially, people may habitually forget to include me. I would find this frustrating and disappointing. I'm not a bookworm. I need social interaction. I need real life. I was bookwormish this time because this was the first time I'd exposed myself to a rigorous academic life, and I wanted to focus my efforts in that particular direction and experience fully what kind of life it was.

I think this experience has prepared me for full-time study in the US someday. I know that I'll have to integrate as fully and as quickly as possible when or if I ever have four years of foreign study in front of me. Acclimation will be more important.
To integrate is easy. It's just a matter of being willing to show- even if I have to pretend -a sense of interest in and curiousity about everyday life. It's just a matter of asking questions.
It's actual acclimation that takes time. In Chinese slang, it (true acclimation) ' demands a tuition fee". I think I paid part of my tuition this summer.


JB - one of the nuances about the 'flip side' is that it connotes looking at something from different angles- and maybe seeing pros and cons. In your essay, you could have used the term 'the flip side' when you were talking about not socializing successfully, but obtaining good grades. You might have said something like, 'I didn't make very many friends, but the flip slide of that was that I studied my ass off and got straight A's...

Another term that is similar is 'on the other hand' or sometimes people say, 'the flip-side of that coin is....blah, blah,blah'.

*But I'm a terrible editor. That's why I teach math instead of English or writing. I know how I would write it, but I have a hard time changing anyone else's writing because I'm always afraid I'll inflict too much of my own style and make it too much my own, so I err on the other side in an effort not to change it too much, and I tend to try to change it very little - and sometimes that's not enough to make any real difference.

'blah, blah,blah', just means 'etc.' or....'and so on and so on' allowing the listener or reader to insert whatever they feel is appropriate.

I loved it and I just read they plan on doing 2 sequels. As for the violence, I've watched alot of Asian Horror flicks so I might be used to it. It really didn't bother me that much and that it was in black and white probably took the edge off.

I loved it being in black and white. I gave a real feel to the movie which made it different than the many cookie cutter movies being released this day in age.

now, a new one.

somewhere else, A2K member thiefoflight says:

Quote:

I loved it and I just read they plan on doing 2 sequels. As for the violence, I've watched alot of Asian Horror flicks so I might be used to it. It really didn't bother me that much and that it was in black and white probably took the edge off.

what is a "flick"? I thought it meant some kind of slash, or cut, a quick movement of hand. Something like that. Does it have anything to do with a movie-like thing?

Besides, I find the possible idiom involving the word "edge" very interesting....

Thank you

J.B.

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somewhere else, A2K member quiksilver111 said:

Quote:

I loved it being in black and white. I gave a real feel to the movie which made it different than the many cookie cutter movies being released this day in age.

what is a "cookie cutter movie"?