Who Am I?

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　--By Marika Maeda



　　 I am an American of Japanese and English descent. My different cultural backgrounds have always given me pride, but I have recently discovered they are also a source of sadness.



　　I have three separate people living inside me. The first is English, like my mother, but since I've never lived in England, I have no idea what being English means. The second person is Japanese, like my father. Though I was born in Japan, I left before my Japanese side could establish its own identity. When my family moved to America, the Japanese child was forced into my subconscious. The self that picked up where my Japanese spirit left off is American which has dominated my personality ever since. When traveling overseas I am judged to be American. In England, I look Asian and speak like an American. In Japan, I don't look Asian enough and can't speak the language or understand the culture. Even in America, the country I have called home for most of my life, I am still taken to be a foreigner because I look Asian. No one is willing to say, "She belongs here; she is one of us!" Though seeminglyforsaken by everyone, I still want to be part of all three countries: England, Japan and America. Each of my three identities still takes great pride in its heritage.



　　At the same time this causes some sadness at not belonging, it also has empowered me. I will try to feel a part of all peoples and serve as a bridge ? an example of how different cultures can connect. I take comfort in knowing there are others who live as I do ?between worlds ? sharing my torn sense of identity. We draw upon our multicultural diversity, which gives us the freedom of open minds. I am a free spirit and I am not alone.



　　单词: (descent v.下降; cultural adj.文化的; background n.背景; pride a.骄傲的; separate v.分开，隔离;

　　　　　 identity n.一致; subconscious adj.第二意识的; belong v.属于; heritage v.继承; empower v.授予权;

　　　　　 connect v.连接; comfort v.使舒服; multicultural adj.多文化的; diversity n.多样性; freedom n.自由;

　　　　　 spirit n.精神)











When I am Bored and Lonely

　　When I am bored and lonely, what do I do? Call up Johnny. It's not much fun though, because he complains too much about the politics in school. Drive up to the north? No, it's too quiet and cold up there. Play with my "Play Station"? No, it's not good for my eyes. How can I go to college with poor eye sight? Yeah, I know, I'll create my own comics strips. It's fun and it's a way to develop creativity. When I write the strips, there's lots of laughter when I made the scene happy and interesting. I also feel rewarded when I finish a scene of the comic strip. Comics are for the middle aged people to help release their pressures and also for kids to learn about life.



　　单词: (lonely adj.孤独的; complain n.抱怨; college n.学院; create v.创造; comic n.戏剧; strip n.系列;

　　　　　 develop v.发展; creativity n.创造力; laughter n.哈哈大笑的人; scene n.情景; release v.释放;

　　　　　 pressure n.压力)













Wheel of Fortune

　　Do you like a puzzle? I don't mean problems that are puzzling you, but something that is puzzling you. Wheel of Fortune is a game show where the contestants have to guess words, phrases, famous quotes, and idioms. The contestant has to spin the wheel to get a price times the letters they guessed that appeared on the board. The final round contestant can win; a car, cash, and all other prizes. This game show is on T.V every night at 7 p.m. ? 8 p.m. People use the opportunity to practice their spelling skills. Teens watch this show to improve their spelling in order not to lose marks on their English essays.



　　单词: (puzzle n.迷; phrases n.段落; quotes v;引用; idioms n.习语; contestant n.竞争者 ; opportunity n.机会;

　　　　　 improve v 改进; essays n.短文)



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