Welcome back!

About family style in the U.S. (Yuki)

In the class, we discussed American family styles. American students insisted there are many different styles such as adoption and binuclear family. Also, America is one of higer rate of devorce countries. One of American students said that it is not good for children. Moreover, we talked about the U.S. universities. They asked CESL students the difference between our country and the U.S. one. Some students told us there are no exams to enter the university in her country. On the contrast, In Korea, China, and Japan, they have to take exams. In other words, they don't focus on students' high school class works, such as GPA. In addition, American students mentioned, "There are many students who can't graduate because of finance problems ,even though there are a lot of scholarship systems in the U.S." I knew that to graduate university is so harder than in Japan.

Nour

More interesting things kept coming during the discussion in the culture through media class. We have discussed many important subjects, such as women`s right. All of us have agreed about that a woman and man should be equal, but according to our daily life they are not. I surprised when my classmate Alyssa who is American young woman confirmed the same opinion about woman and man because we in eastern believe that woman and man in western countries are almost equal. This subject led us to talk about increasing rate of divorce. No one has said any reason for increasing rate of divorce, but all of us noted this increase. About this subject, I have mentioned that after revolutionary satellite television, television and movies keep presenting beautiful people which makes many people look for getting married to people exactly like that they have seen in movies or television. My classmate disagreed with this idea. Interesting subject was religion; the question that has been asked is if you have son or girl who decided to believe in religion which is different from what you believe, will you allow him? All of us thought it will be difficult situation. This agreement taught me that there is no difference between people around the world. It does not matter where you are from or from where descended. The great thing that I taught in this class we have same feelings and ideas.

Baker Alotaibi, EAP2b Second Post

A lot of different interesting issues grabbed the group’s attention in the gathering. We talked about how Americans deal with different religions and how they respect them. Another interesting subject is that US citizens don't like to talk about policy. Instead, they care more about jobs and their lives. However, the thing that we liked most is abortion, we discussed the evil side of humanity al of the members of my group were astonished of some people's action regarding abortion and how they look at this issue. We all agreed that abortion is immoral and people should be aware that they have no control over the lives. A lot of different interesting issues grabbed the group’s attention in the gathering. We talked about how Americans deal with different religions and how they respect them. Another interesting subject is that US citizens don't like to talk about policy. Instead, they care more about jobs and their lives. However, the thing that we liked most is abortion, we discussed the evil side of humanity al of the members of my group were astonished of some people's action regarding abortion and how they look at this issue. We all agreed that abortion is immoral and people should be aware that they have no control over the lives.

Haitao's report from Media Class 2

during the meeting, we were talking about what kind of city do you like in the United States. Two American partners had not gone to east and west part of the U.S. but my other group members who are CESL students, they traveled a lot. they had been to California, New York City and Florida. For me, I also had been to many cities, such as New York City, Boston, Washington DC and Chicago.but I never went to the east part of the U.S. Also, we are talking about the holiday in our country. In China, the Chinese new year is a really important holiday.It just look like Christmas in the U.S. during the Chinese new year. all the family members would get together. the children really like it because they can receive lots of gifts. On the other hand, I learned most of their holidays are related to the religion but Chinese holidays are not.

Haitao's report from Media class

In this time, We talked about how will we celebrate Halloween because the Halloween is coming soon. The Americans, who are from the SIU, said they will dress up and go to the party, and also talked about when they was children, they would go around their neighbor to get some candy. In China, we do not have Halloween this kind of holiday. so I am really interested about that. When I asked them are you guys interested going to haunted house? they were really excited, they really wanted to go, but they felt scard. For me, Halloween this kind of holiday is from western countries, we do not celebrate it except Hong Kong and Macau, I hope I can look like them to dress up and go to the party to have fun. And maybe I will go to haunted house in St.Louis with my friends.I think that will be a lot of fun.

Ahmed Alsalman Culture through Media, Last Report

The meeting with American students and people from other country was very useful. We were seven members in this group. We met seven times, and we talked about different topics. Therefore I learned many things regarding the culture and society.
The most interesting subject was about the holidays in the United States, and how the holidays are different from my country. For example there are several holidays in the last for three months. Halloween holyday is masquerade and how American people celebrate in this day by wearing strange dresses. In addition to that there is Thanks giving holyday in November and in the mid of December to the mid of January, there are Christmas holiday. People in Christmas holiday also celebrate in New Year and prepare and eat special meals. Also we talked about the relationship between the families and their relatives. Some people live with their relative in same region, while other live alone, also there are interesting thing regarding the kinds, when they grew up they separate, and far from their parents.
In addition to that we talked about the women in American society, how they work in different fields and share the men in all jobs. Also women can employ in a high position in the government. Also we talked about the pets, because most American people have pets in their home. Some people prefer to have dogs while the other likes cats. So now I feel that I know more about American society also I got much information about American people life.

Culture through Media, Last Discussion Report, (Ahmed Fadhil)

I learned many things from the meeting with American students this course. There are 8 members in my group, 6 CESL students and 2 American students. We spend six interesting weeks talking about several things and comparing between American cultures and other cultures.
There are five interesting things I learned which I considered the most interesting things. First, the types of food in America are different from the types of food in Middle East and China. The Pizza and fast food are the common foods in U.S. while there are different foods like rice, Chinese food, and Spicy foods. Second, the Weeding and its preparations are different. In America both families share the money spend in the weeding while in Middle East and china the man should pay every thing. Third, getting the visa of America is hard in some countries like Venezuela, while it's easy in some other countries. Fourth, Holidays in America is more than holidays in other countries. Some of these holidays are Thanksgiving Day, Easter day, Halloween, Memorial Day, and Christmas. Fifth, the family members in America are sometimes consisted from a single dad or a single mom or both of them, but this situation is rarely found in other countries.
In addition, we spend the last week talking about travelling, Funny movies, Religious things. It was very interested to know each members idea about these things.
In conclusion, The Culture through Media class is helped me to meet Americans and learn from them, also it is important to mention that I learned some of these things from other CESL members who are from different countries.

Mars EAP2B the final report about culture media

This week, our group had 6 people; we talked in the classroom. In this final lesson, I had learnt more about Arabic culture. In the past, I didn’t know why the women had to wear the scarf. More importantly, some of them will cover their face, but some are not. Therefore, I asked Sultar about these questions.
As she said, wearing scarf is an old custom in Arabic country. The women are not allowed to show their body. Such as face. Expect for the women’s family and other women can see their face, other people can’t see. However, it made me to come up a question: how can they cut their hair or swim in the pool? I made a mistake because in Arabic country, male and female are separated in two different schools. In addition, there were many haircut shops for women. Obviously, I had learnt the Arabic people are very serious about sexuality. Then I got another question, how can they choose their love one? Sultar told me that it depended on different families; some male’s family will introduce their son to female’s family. However, only the female had power to decide if the marriage is suitable or not.
In addition, some guys in my group asked me who is the most popular star in Chinese eyes? I would say: Bruce Li. He is the most famous GongFu star in Chinese eyes because in the past, many foreigners looked down upon us. Bruce Li used his power to confirm that Chinese are not weak. He not only encouraged Chinese people, but also changed the view of Chinese people.
In conclusion, in culture media class, it provides an opportunity for me to talk to foreign people, to know their countries and cultures, and to learn more things. I really appreciate that I take this lesson because it is helpful for me. Thanks！

Ahmed Altaleb. EAP2b Culture & Media

Yesterday was the best hour ever. We discussed different subjects such as Halloween, UFOs, taxes, government corruption, some hand signs, deer hunting, and others. However, the subject that grabbed our attention was different of what I stated. Have you heard of scientology? Probably not, it is a new religion and some celebrities believe it like Tom Cruise. They believe that aliens originated us humans. As they believe that aliens came to earth and created us long time ago. Xenu is the name the alien who created us along with other lives. The most interesting thing about their story is that we were so corrupted and they gathered us in a volcano. Then, they killed all humans by bombs and took the spirits of the people with them to their place to do reformation to their souls. After the aliens reformed their spirits by watching movies, they brought back to earth. Someday they will come back to take us, as they think. Another interesting thing about them is that they do not pay taxes, may be just because they are poor. That was really interesting to know for us, and all of the members were astonished.

Different discussion style (Yuki)

We talked about "discussion style" each country. Compared to Japan, most Americans eager to speak during the class. If the person talks a lot in the discussion, an other person will be annoyed with him/her because they can't have enough time to speak. On the contrust, most people don't want to speak in Japan, so we don't be angry with people who talk a lot in the discussion, because other people don't need to talk. Also, there aren't a lot of oppotunities to talk in front of people. Therefore Japanese aren't used to that. Moreover, through the difference, I knew the differeces of personality between American and Japanese.

Ahmed Alsalman

This class was very useful; it offers a good opportunity for us to talk with American people. We spend most the time in this class by talking about different topics. So I have learned many things, especially about American society, the relationships between the family and the relatives and how the young boys become independent after the age 18 and he can live alone , also about the relationship between the boys and the girls especially in the school. We talked about the education in the United States, and the student should pay for their school or sometimes they can get student’s loans. Also we talked the hobbies and the sport games, and I learned that Football game and Basketball are so popular among Americans people and that completely different comparing to my country.

AHMED ALSALMAN

Nour

This class was a great opportunity for me to know more not only about Americans, but also about other cultures. Such as, Chinese, Koreans, and Japanese. First thing that I have learned is that there are not big differences between people around the world. When I compare between my culture and what people believe in my country and what my classmates mentioned, I find people are almost similar. For example, we have discussed the possibility for getting married to someone who has different culture and religion, and I discovered every one of my classmates has his won opinion which does not based on his culture but based on what he believes
I was surprising when I had known that American students do not study for many hours per the day which means they are so smart. I have learned does not matter what you believe the matter is who you are. I think this seems a little different from Arabic culture; the religion is very important for Arabic.

Mesfer Alwadai

I get many benefits from speech class that discuss the American culture such as the US holidays, laws, communication styles, families, and education style.
The US has many religious and culture holidays such as Independence Day, Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas. For example, Christmas is a religious holiday. It is a holiday observed mostly on December 25 to commemorate the birth of Jesus. Christens celebrate during this holidays and give their children gifts. Another most important holiday is the Independence Day, commonly known as of the fourth July, is the national day of the United States. It is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. It is commonly associated with fireworks, picnics, concerts, family reunions, political speeches. Another holiday is Labor Day which is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September. Also, the first Labor Day in the United States was observed on September 5, 1878, in Boston, by the Central Labor Union of New York. Another one is, Halloween is an annual holiday observed on October 31. The common Halloween activities include treating, wearing costumes , visiting haunted houses, and watching horror movies. Another holiday is Thanksgiving Day which is a harvest festival celebrated primarily in the United States . Traditionally, it is a time to give thanks for the harvest and express gratitude in general. People always meet their families and eat the Turkey, which is the famous meal in this holiday.
The most interesting thing about the US laws is that each state has different laws because states are considered like countries. Also, nationals pay different taxes and how much they pay which depend on the state loans from the governments. Moreover, each one has special staff that controls it such as mayor.
Another topic is the American communication styles. They are very different from other cultures. For example, in the American communication styles, people must keep specific distance and a man can shake hands with a woman. Also, they always focus on the main ideas and some important details that help them to understand the others. Also, they depend on facts and support them by much evidence.
Another topic is the types of families. The US, as other more develop countries, has many types of family such as nuclear family, single parent family, extended family, and childless family. The nuclear consists of a mother and father. It is the most common in the US because it can be a nurturing environment to raise children if there is love, devoted time to children, emotional support, low stress, and stable economic environment. In nuclear families, both parents are the biological or adoptive parents of their children. Moreover, there are three types of married nuclear families depending on employment status of the woman and man, for example, the husband works outside home while his wife works inside the home caring for the children. Also, in the second type of married nuclear family, wife works outside home and her husband cares for the children. Moreover, the third kind of married nuclear family, both wife and husband work outside the home or are income providers. In some situations, the woman might have a home-based business, such as a day care center. However, in Saudi Arabia, extended family is the most common .It may include parents, children, cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. Also, I told my American partners who tend to be extended families and they think it is very useful for many reasons. It helps raise children, supports for an ill relative, or helps with financial problems. Sometimes children are cared by their grandparents when their biological parents died or no longer can take care of them. Many grandparents take some primary responsibility for child care, particularly when both parents work.
Another topic is the difference between the US and Saudi Arabia in the education system. The education system in the US is more different from that in Saudi education system for many reasons. The education system in US cares for many things such as students, teachers, environment, technology, knowledge, and experience. Also, parents, students, community members, governments always evaluate it. Moreover, it focuses on the information that related to the student lives. In addition, the most important thing is that every school is provided with many recreation facilities such as gams, playgrounds, and trips. However, the Saudi education system depends on the knowledge as the primary way to evaluate students without any relation to their lives. In conclusion, the Culture Media provides me good information about American culture.

Culture Midia

Baker Alotaibi

Last week, I asked my group many questions that I really do not know the answers. The American students helped me to answer these questions. I n addition, they gave my many examples to support their idea about my questions.In fact, they are easier to talk to, I also consider them open minded people. on the other hand, I would say that they are just like my friends back home. I really want to know more about American culture, and make new American friends.

Culture through Media - Ahmed Fadhil (EAP2 B)

We talked about different topics this week. There are 8 members in our group. The meeting with Americans students was very interesting this week. We first talked about foods. The American students said that most of the foods seen in movies are not the favorite foods for people living in the U.S. No one likes the fast food except the Pizza that most students prefer to eat while studying. We spent most of the time talking about American and other countries relationshipes and families. The most important thing that must be changed in U.S. is the amount of taxes taken from workers. Also it will be best idea if the education became free.

Ahmed Altaleb. EAP2b

My group consists of seven respectable, intelligent, educated, and funny members. We usually spend the hour with Derreck and Elizabeth in the classroom. Due to the huge differences in cultures, we find social issues grabs and education grabs our attention. Two social differences we enjoyed talking about were the most shocking to me. One is that Americans do not get married to any of their relatives. Group members showed surprise expression when they know that and so did I. Relatives in the US are like friends and no more. We are not like that in Saudi Arabia and that what makes us surprised. The other thing is that living with your parents after the age of eighteenth is considered to be shameful. I noticed that actually before coming to USA through the movies, but I wanted to see if it is confined to some people or not.

Culture Media EAP2 Mars

In this week, there are 7 people in our group. We talked about American family, Chinese food, and Arabic’s marriage interview in the classroom. In my opinion, I think these three topics would be interesting to others. First, Samantha told us something about American family. For example, most children don’t like to live with their parents after they grow up. Also the female and male are equal, which means they have same right in every area. However, it is different in China. As my family, my grandfather doesn’t need to anything in the house. His duty is only “eat,” drink, and watch the News. My father is the same. Besides. I told my group members a situation: Nowadays, some young Chinese girl watch too much Korean love move, we called “soap movie.” All of these movies talk about how a poor girl meets a rich guy. Poor girl does not need to do anything, because she will “buy” many servants for her.
In addition, we discuss about Arabic’s marriage interview. As Ahmed said: when two families have marriage interview, the man do not have right to decide marriage, but his mother or sister has. If they are married, it will have three wedding parties: to invite woman or man’s family, and to invite their important friends and a few family members.
Finally, I know some of our group members really like Chinese food, so I simply introduce some famous food to them. For example, Chicken is one of popular food in China. Every festival, most of us will cook the chicken in different tastes: soy sauce, salted, roasted, stewing, and fry. All of these are basic. If you go to the restaurant, you may have more tastes. Canton not only is an economic city, but also is a “food” city. The real Chinese food is much better than here. If people visit China for eat, I suggest they go to Canton, southern of China. It will surprise you.