THE GLOBE

September - October 2011

Student Writings from IEI

WRITING TWO
My Best Friend By Abdihafid (Somalia) My best friend is Ibrahim. He is a good man, and he is cute. He finished college with a master in Accounting. Now, he works in Saudi Arabia as an accountant. He was born in 1980, and he lives in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He likes watching TV (movies and football). He has a car and a home. He is single. Every day, he wakes up at 7:00 A.M. and goes to work. Also, he finishes his work at 3:00 P.M. He loves his mother, brother, and neighbor. My Favorite Experience at IEI By Aziz (Saudi Arabia) I went camping with IEI. I liked the trip. We went camping Saturday morning at 9:00 A.M. There were two cars and 22 people. At 1:00 P.M., we stopped at a restaurant and ate lunch. After that, we stopped at a gas station. We drove on back streets because we went camping. In the car with Beth, we listened to music and talked. It was a good time. We stopped to play and talk. After that, we went to a waterfall. We went back and ate hotdogs and slept. In the morning at 9:00 A.M., we went rafting. It was a very good time. I like camping. A Trip By Eissa (Saudi Arabia) My best trip was Panama Beach. I remember the swimming, fishing, jet ski, banana boat, and playing football. I woke up in the morning, and after breakfast I went to the beach and barbecue. In the afternoon, I went to the Jacuzzi because I wanted to relax. I was sore and tired. All the people were happy and friendly. They thought, he came to the United States. He is funny and sometimes crazy. I wont forget this trip because there was no plan for this trip, but it was a very fantastic trip. This trip was good practice for me. All the guys came with a girlfriend or were a boy and a girl, but my group was three boys. When I went to the restaurant, I think on old woman was teasing my friends speech. She asked what language he was speaking. My friend answered that it was Israeli. She asked, You liar. Are you gay? 1 A Trip By Ekab (Saudi Arabia) I went to France two years ago with my wife. This one was a good trip for me because we went to Paris. I saw the buildings. They were beautiful and fantastic sights. Also, the population was friendly. I liked to go anywhere. In the Champs-lyses there are many coffee shops. I drank hot chocolate and went shopping. We went to the garden for three days. This was a special month for my wife and me. I think we will go in the year 2012. My Favorite Experience at IEI By Mohammad (Saudi Arabia) Last weekend, I went camping at rafting with IEI. They were very happy and fun. First, we met at IEI in the morning. On Saturday at 9:00 A.M., we left by two cars from IEI. I was with Duane and Elise. After 4 hours, we arrived at the campsite. First, I put my bags and my sleeping bag in the tents. After that, we went to the waterfall. Then we went back. We found Duane cooking for us. After that, we ate hotdogs and soup. Then we sat beside the fire, and a lot of the time we were talking and singing. I think it was a happy time. On Sunday, we went rafting. For a lot of students, it was the first time trying rafting. All the students were happy and fun. I dont think any student will forget this camping and rafting trip. A Trip By Mohammed (Saudi Arabia) In the past, I took a trip with my friends to the desert. We took the tools for the trip and went to the desert. We had fun in Saudi Arabia. We made rice in the desert. We stayed two days in the desert. We cooked, and after we ate, we made a fire. We stayed up all night and told stories.

A Trip By Rakan (Saudi Arabia) I took a trip in my country. On Sunday, I went to the zoo with my family. We enjoyed the trip. We laughed and ate some snacks. On Monday, I went to the sea with some friends. We played football. After we finished, we ate pizza and rice with meat for dinner. On Tuesday, we watched the big game between Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Saudi Arabia won. On Wednesday, I stayed at home because I played with my sisters and I gave them some advice about life. On Friday, I went to the mosque with my brother. I went to the mall and I bought a shirt.

My Favorite Experience at IEI By Saleh (Saudi Arabia) My favorite experience was the zoo. I went to the zoo maybe 3 weeks ago or something like that. I went with my teachers and my friends. Also, we paid the school $5 before the zoo. When we went to the zoo, we saw the forest with maybe a monkey. After that, we saw all the animals like camels, sheep, crocodiles and tigers. Also, we took pictures. Linda took pictures of the animals. We stayed at the zoo for 2 hours. After, we watched the animals eat and drink something. I like the zoo. It is very good, and I like the animals. My favorite animal is a tiger. Also, I like the crocodile. The zoo is big and beautiful and has all the animals, but I didnt see a lion. The lion is a special animal. I like it, but I didnt see him. After the zoo, I came back to my house and told my family what I saw.

WRITING THREE
Important Things in my Life By Abdulelah (Saudi Arabia) It was important for me to finish high school. I like more success in my life. It will be important for me when I finish learning the English language. This is the best for me because I will be able to study in my university. When I study hard, I can get anything I want. This is a situation for success. My business in Saudi Arabia is important for me because I can help myself in the future. This is successful for me. I want to help myself in the future. Most people have a good job in my country. This is the best success. If I start to study hard or work hard in the future, I will be happy because I will have a good job and more money. If I have a good job and more money, all of my family will be happy for me. This is important and the most successful thing in my life. If I have a good job, I can get married. When I have children, I can give them money. I like my children in the future. They are happy. I dont want any person to help my children. This is important to me. This is all of my success in my life. Thank you God for helping me. A Good Friend By Abdullah (Saudi Arabia) My dream friend is helpful. He is from the K.S.A. He is kind, smart, and fast when he wants to do anything. I like to travel with him everywhere. I like to see when my friend is unselfish. If he has something, he gives it to anyone. When my friend sees old people, he helps them anytime. 2 A good friend gives money to poor people because poor people dont have money or houses. Sometimes they sleep on the street. A lot of people in the world dont have jobs. I like to see my smart friend in school or the university doing well. In short, when I want to make a good friend, I will do good things with people, and I will be helpful anytime because when I walk around any city, I hope I dont see poor people. A Good Friend Abdullah (Saudi Arabia) I like three things about my friend. The three things that I like are being friendly, kind, and helpful. The person who has these things is my best friend. First, I like my friend to be friendly. If he is friendly, people like him. Then he has a lot of friends. Then I like my friend to be kind. I think people talk about a person who is kind. He is a very good friend. Next, I like my friend to be helpful. If I have a problem, he helps me. He is a very good friend. Finally, these should be the good things my friend has. Important Success By Ahmed (Saudi Arabia) People have a lot of success that is different from person to person. Some people say, My success is to have a job, and I say I dont agree with them. I want to have a business. Nobody can control me. My second kind of success is to complete my

studies so I will be a professional in my business. Its my dream in the future. I want to have a lot of money, a house, and a family, so to complete my dream, I hope to get married. Before I get married, I need everything. It will be perfect and exactly what I want. I will wait before I get married just in case. In the future, I will open stores. One of these stores will be for clothes because I like fashion and new things. The clothes always have new models and look new. The second store is for cars. Its for selling cars. Its a good business all over the world. I will open a store or office for my education. So, at this time, I will work for something I own. Success By Ali (Saudi Arabia) Each person in this life has many things that he sees as success for him or important for him. Some people think money is everything. Some of them think a good job or a good car and big house is a success and important. I see three kinds of success that are important in my life. First, I think it is very important to be successful in your job or in your school, like when you do something new to make the job more important or help your friend who works with you to make it easy. Also, it is important to be successful with your wife and get a good marriage. That is very important to me. I cant see myself alone or without a family. You should understand each other. When you want to make a decision, you should decide together because you are partners. The third thing is a kind of success that is important in my life. How can you be successful with your relationships with other people? You should be a nice and helpful person. For example, all people are the same. There is no difference between the black and white skin and no difference between who has money or not. Also, it is important to be helpful to everyone, like who you know and who you dont know. So, this is the success and the important things in my life. I hope to do it well. A Good Friend By Fahad (Saudi Arabia) I want my friend to respect me and give me help if I need it. I want him to be honest with me and remember me in his words and his work. I have a friend. His name is Abdullah. I dont know how to start because I like everything about him and respect him so much, really. This is his description. He does not like lying and is loved by people. He likes to play pranks and laugh. He is handsome. I visit his home all day. I talk with him. He has a mole on his neck. He likes optimism. He does not despair. He has a powerful memory. He can remember maybe 2 or 3 years ago. He likes to venture and is not afraid. He 3

likes to swim, ride horseback, and run because he loves to take care of his health. He has 3 brothers and 4 sisters. He loves to be surprised by his brother with gifts. My Favorite Activities By Faris (Saudi Arabia) In my free time, my three favorite activities are playing cards, shopping, and swimming. First, swimming is special for me. I like it so much. I swim every week in my city. After swimming, I go fishing with my friend. When Im in the sea, I feel great. Then I like to play cards with my friends or brothers. I like to play with somebody. He plays very well. If my team in the game is very good, I feel great. I like to play at midnight because all my friends have to work. We can only play at midnight. It is very exciting between my team and the other team. Also, I like shopping with my best friend because my other friends go to the mall and they dont want to buy anything. A Good Place By Hesham (Saudi Arabia) I like three characteristics of a good place to live. These are shopping, soccer, and my grandmother. First, I need shopping because I like to go every week. I buy clothes and shoes. Sometimes I just walk and see people. Also, I like to have a soccer stadium because they always have fun and fans for my team. My favorite team, Al-Ahli, is always there at night. Third, I like to go to my grandmothers house because I usually visit her home. I stay and have fun with my relatives and play soccer. Finally, those are my favorite things about a good place because they make me happy. I will do those things all my life. Characteristics of a Good Friend By Majed (Saudi Arabia) The first characteristic of a good friend is that I need a smart friend. If you have any problem, he will be there to help you. Second, I want someone funny so we will have a nice time together and laugh all the time. In this world, you will see a lot of people who have different personalities. You will see the good people and the bad people, so you can choose what you want. My advice to you is take the first one. In Saudi Arabia, people say an important thing which is, If I know your friend, I will know your personality. The last characteristic I need is an honest friend who never lies to you. He will tell you the truth. Finally, I want to thank God that I have good friends, and Im happy to be with them.

The Difference Between the Past and Now By Muhammed (Saudi Arabia) Life now is very different from my grandparents lives because there are cell phones and computers. Also, it was very hard for anyone to get cars because cars were expensive. They walked anywhere to buy their things. Now, I can order anything I want by telephone. They did not know anything about all countries. Now, I can read about any country on the computer and Internet. Also, education in the past was not important and positive. Now, education is an important thing. There are many differences between them and us. Their life was very hard. Also, there were not many restaurants. I think they ate at home. Now, I can order from any restaurant by phone or the Internet, and they bring it to my home. I dont want to live their life. Do You Want Success? By Selin (Turkey) People have several kinds of success that are important in life. I am telling you about 3 kinds now. First, you should have good relationships. For example, you should have a good marriage, a good family, and good friends. Regular emotions are most important for success in life. You have strong communication and different choices in your life. For example, other people say, Good man/Good woman about you. They listen to the good about you. Second, you should have a good job. You like your job because you have an easy life. You

dont feel like you are working. You feel like you are doing a hobby. This is when you always have a happy life. Also, you take a lot of time to choose your job. The third thing is the most important. You should know your habits. What do you want in your life? You should know what makes you happy because a different person is happy with different things. That asks the question, Who am I? This is the most important question. You have to know. Dont forget, it is not an easy life. You ask many questions to yourself. After, you are happy, and success comes to your life. A Good Friend By Yu Jin (South Korea) I have many good friends. They make me happy, comfortable, and give me energy! They have common characteristics. It is a very good feeling for me. First, the listen to me talk whenever very well. Generally, people share their problems with friends. I also speak about my matters with my best friends. The we find a solution during the conversation, and my condition is also better. Second, a good friend has emotional control. When people are angry, sad, and happy, most people dont have emotional control, but when they are in an angry situation, good friends do not express their anger. They try to talk. Why are you angry? What are you angry about? Then relationships are maintained between my friend and me. Finally, belief is a characteristic of a good friend. Belief is the most important thing in friendships.

WRITING FOUR
Differences in Education By Abdulrahman Alqahtani (Saudi Arabia) Have you studied out of your country? It will be a different experience for you. Every country in this world has different education or rules for study. Also, a different environment to study in. I think the important thing to make a good decision about education for some countries are faculty and curriculum. Now, Im studying in the United State of America, and I can compare between the education in Saudi Arabia and U.S.A. although I have not started my study in the university. First of all, every one likes his or her country and likes to study in it. Sometimes you might face some problems maybe with some doctors, curriculum, and environment to study. In my country, the doctors teach very well and you can get the information easily, but some of them try make their courses more complex and I do not know why! Some times they want to make all the students have the same grade or close! I do not know why? The courses in every county are close to each other. In my country, I think the courses are easier than America and Canada. We took many courses from other countries which have a lot of knowledge, and they got first rank in this major. In addition, the important thing for education is the environment to study. In my country, the university gives the students many places to study like the library, labs, forums online, and some books to help them in their studies. On the other hand, the United States of America ranks as the best country in the world in education, and 4

the U.S. has a lot of universities and majors. When I was a child, I heard about Stanford, Cornell, Vanderbilt. and many universities here. I saw many students in college who studied in Nashville, Cookeville and Knoxville.These students had a good environment to study and they have labs, a library, a private tutor, and some official hours for their teacher to help them with their courses. Also, the faculty who teaches students have good experience in how they can teach and a nice mood for their students to help them. The curriculum for the U.S. universities has a lot of information that helps students to get jobs or complete their studies. I think the U.S. universities are important and better universities than others in the world. Finally, every country in this world has good and bad things in their universities, and many countries have advantages in some majors or college. Canada ranks first in the world in medicine, and the United States of America ranks first in the world in business , agriculture, and art. We have to think about what the best education we should get is and from where? Also, we need some advice from our friends to choose the best majors. Coke And Pepsi By Lei He (China) Which is the most popular cola in the world? I think there are two answers, Coke and Pepsi. They are both the most popular cola in the world. They have a similar color, taste, and feeling because they were both invented by pharmacists who invent potions. Some people only drink Coke or Pepsi, but some people drink both of them. Although in most peoples opinion, they are the same thing. So, lets talk about some differences between them such as their age, logo, and flavor. First, lets talk about their age. Who is the older one? I think everyone knows this answer. At the same time, maybe many people think Pepsi is very young, or maybe it was invented in 20th century. The truth is they were both invented in 19th century. Coke was invented in 1886, and Pepsi was invented in 1898. They are both more than 100 years old, and Coca is the older one. Second, lets look at their logo. Their logos are not exactly the same. Cokes logo has a red background with a white name, and Pepsis logo is red, white, and blue, but in the early few years when they were first invented, their logos looked the same. They both used a red color to print their logos which were just their names that had the same font. However, the following 100 plus years, Coke has never changed the font of its logo, but Pepsi has changed the font of its logo many times to make its logo look more popular. Finally, lets taste their flavor. Although Coke and Pepsi are called cola, in my opinion, their tastes have some differences between each other. I think Coke is a little more bitter than Pepsi. After you drink a cup of Coke, you will taste a little bitterness in your mouth. On the other hand, Pepsi is a little more sweet than Coke. After you drink Pepsi, you will have a sweet after taste in your mouth. Maybe Coca has more caffeine, and Pepsi has more sugar. I just guessed about that, because that is the trade secret, we will never know. Although they have many differences like age, logo and flavor, those things cant stop me from liking both of them. Which one do you like better? Do you know any more differences between them? Tell me, please! Traveling by Plane or by Car By Ibrahim (Saudi Arabia) Which is the best method to travel, by plane or car? Often, this question is repeated among family members or friends when planning to travel to spend a holiday together. Each of the parties provides several factors to convince the other parties. I would like to highlight a comparison to illustrate the differences between traveling by plane or by car in time, cost, and safety. Time is an important factor in travel, especially if the travel is a long distance, and you only have a short period. For example, you live in Nashville, Tennessee, and you want to spend the weekend in Miami, Florida. Traveling by plane in this case will take between four to five hours. On the other hand, the travel by car will take between sixteen to twenty hours. That means a car is not the appropriate option. Therefore, the time factor made us choose the plane. We know that the cost of air travel is more than the cost of traveling by car. However, the car may be more expensive than air travel. For example, the cost of air travel for two passengers starts at $ 380. In contrast, traveling by car increases the cost of gas, car maintenance, and the cost of eating and drinking. In addition, any other money for renting a motel to rest. All this may be more than the cost of plane ticket. A traveler by car may face many dangers in the road, and it may spoil the fun to travel or might subject him to danger. An example of this is car crashes or accidents. Also, traveling for long hours may cause the driver boredom or sleepiness, which raises the rate of road accidents. These are linked to the person who drove the car. In contrast, with air travel you don't need to worry about the accident and the risks with the passengers, this is linked to the pilot. Often, the captain is full of activity and support from the cockpit in the airport as well as the navigator of the accompanying pilot. 5

Now, to answer the question which is the best method to travel: plane or car? We can say a plane is the best for long distances, and a car is the best for short distances. In addition, there are important factors in determining the appropriate means of transportation for travel including, time, cost, and safety. I think if you put these factors into account, you will be able to choose the means of transportation appropriate for you. Going Vacation by Car or by Train By Jeung Hye (South Korea) How nice it is to go on vacation with your family or your friends! When I think about a vacation, I feel fantastic. Where is good place? Who will go with me? How much money do I need? Is there nice weather? Which clothes do I bring? What kind of food is there? During the planning of the vacation I have wonderful dreams. When I plan a vacation, sometimes I consider which transportation to use? Which one is the best way to travel? Should I use a car or a train? In my country, Korea, it is convenient to use public transportation. I like to travel by car, but traveling by train attracts me. For a better vacation, I should compare a car with a train regarding convenience, duration, and expense. To begin with, to travel using a car gives me lots of comfort. First of all, when I drive a car, I can stop anytime. For example, when I am hungry, or when I see a nice looking restaurant, I can eat some food at a restaurant. Most times I went on a vacation to the country side, there was wonderful scenery. That time I parked anywhere, and I felt free there. Otherwise, on the train, if I wanted something to eat, they just sold some snacks, not food. As you know, driving a car is hard work. Have you ever driven a car at night? Some bad drivers don`t turn down their headlights, and it might blind me. Especially because my husband and I have bad vision. We feel tired when we drive for a long time. Unlike the car, to travel by a train we don`t need to drive. In addition, we can eat some food that we brought, talk together, read good books, and watch the nice view. Second, almost every time I think about the duration to the destinations. Fortunately, my daughter likes to travel. During the travel, she usually watches a DVD or reads some books even though the long trip makes us tired and bored. In Korea, there are so many cars these days. Every weekend and holiday, the traffic is terrible. Big parades of cars are there. A crowd of people are in the rest area. One summer day, we went to the beach. Normally, it took three hours, but that day we spent ten hours on the road. The bad traffic ruined our whole plan. On the contrary, the train is very fast. There is no traffic, no accidents, and no crowds. A few years ago, my country imported trains from France like the TGV. Wow, it was fantastic! Finally, I will compare the expense. In my opinion, it depends on the distance, and the number of the people traveling. The price of gas is so high. Also, we have to pay a fair when we drive in the highway. If we go to the vacation with a friend, we have to pay lots of money to buy gas and highway fair. But with five or more friends or family, traveling together is different. In that case, a car is cheaper than a train. We might pay fairs for the train individually. For less than three, the train is cheaper. I should think about one more thing. When we go on vacation by car, we can bring our favorite food, unlike the train where we can`t. Mostly every meal we have to eat at the restaurant. If we eat out every time, the cost will be high. Thus, when we have a vacation, I usually try to find differences between the bus and train. It needs a variety view points. Which one is more convenient, which one is faster, and which one is cheaper than the other one. Sometimes, it is very complicated and confusing. It gives me a headache. My husband gave me good advice, Don`t worry about that. Everything has both sides. No matter which one I chose, of course, travel is a wonderful present for me. Pitcher and Batter By Juntae Hwang (South Korea) Warren Spahn is a famous baseball player. He said, Batting is timing, and pitching is upsetting timing. Batting and pitching are the most basic elements of baseball. The baseball game starts when the pitcher throws the first ball to the batter. The batters goal is hitting that ball and making a score. The team is winning when they have more points than the other team. As you can see, they are the start and the end of the baseball game. So then, whats the difference between the pitcher and the batter? The pitcher is the person who throws the ball. The pitcher needs some action before they pitch. First, the pitcher takes the mound and puts his food on the pitchers plate. Next, he exchanges a sign with the catcher. The pitcher holds on to the ball with two hands and raises his hands to chest level. Finally, he flings out a ball to the batter! How does he look? He just wears a glove. Its good for defense, but a pitchers glove has another use as well. The trace of the ball can vary with the ball grip. If the batter can see this, he can be ready for the ball. Thats why the pitcher needs a glove. The pitcher can hide a grip and mouth (in meeting on mound) by his glove. In addition, the pitcher has special training. Its the ball control. Every time the pitcher practices throwing the ball wherever he wants, it gives confusion and off count for the batter. 6

On the other hand, the batter is the person who hits the ball. He is at the batters box, and he stands looking toward the pitcher and takes a batting stance. Each player has a different batting stance. Lastly, the batter hits the ball flying toward him! By the way, when he goes to bat, he wears equipment. Those are a bat, helmet, and many pads because the pitchers ball is very fast. If the ball hits a batters head, he can die. Additionally, the batter has different training from the pitcher. They hit many flying balls to come at them, and shake off their fear. As referred to earlier, the pitchers ball is very fast. So, a hitter has a natural scare. If the batter doesnt throw out the scare, he will never hit a big homerun. Now, the pitcher and batter (who finished training and wearing) are making baseball by each action. th Baseball is like a small life. If you are losing the game, dont worry. You should keep trying for your goal. In the 9 inning with two outs, you have a change to hit a grand slam to win a losing game. Just remember, It aint over till its over. -Lawrence Peter Berra A traditional class and an online class By Abdullatif Alanazi (Saudi Arabia) Which is the best and most beneficial: traditional class or online class? Traditional classes are the common way of studying these days. On the other hand, there are new classes that have appeared in the last ten years which are called online classes. In fact, there are a lot of different things between traditional classes and online classes such as the way of studying, cost, and which has more benefits. Traditional class is the old way of study. Students come to school, and there is a teacher standing in front of the students and gives them lectures. In fact, this way of class is considered as the best way of studying until today. This kind of class makes a student feel an atmosphere of studying with students sitting on the chairs, listening to the teacher, and writing down what the teacher says and writes on the board. For example, as what we are doing now, we are coming to the IEI every day and taking classes such as grammar, writing, and listening. Actually, traditional classes cost more money and take more time. For example, my uncle is studying at a university, and he is going to the university every day. He needs to pay three thousand dollars each semester for the university and around two thousand dollars for living and eating. This situation costs more money. In fact, this kind of class is more beneficial and helpful for students because they are going to pay more attention to studying. Moreover, in traditional classes you have opportunity to discuss what you study with your classmates which helps you to understand the lecture. Online class is a new way of studying which is more helpful for people who cant be away from their job or home. In addition, online class is the way that we use the Internet to get classes. For example, two years ago, I was taking an English course online with an institute which was located in London. I used the Internet to communicate with them three times a week for one hour each time. There was a teacher from London and many other students from different countries. The teacher was giving us lessons through the Internet and we were listening to him and writing down whatever he said. I was taking this online class because I was working for a company in my country, and I had no time to take traditional classes to improve my English language. Also, it didnt cost me a lot of money. I just paid around two hundred a month. Moreover, online classes are cheaper than traditional classes because you only need to pay for the course you are taking. Also, you can take online classes any time you like, and you think you are able to take it. In my opinion, online classes are not as useful as traditional classes because you just sit in a chair and listen to a lecture. This position never makes you feel an atmosphere of studying. You are just sitting alone instead of sitting with classmates. In my opinion, online classes are more helpful for the people who cant take traditional classes. In conclusion, traditional classes and online classes are both ways of getting education. Traditional classes you have to be in class with your classmates, but online classes you dont. Also, traditional classes are more expansive than online classes, but traditional classes are more beneficial. I suggest everyone to complete his education with traditional classes but if you cant, dont miss the other choice. Success By Mohammed Almutairi (Saudi Arabia) What is success in your opinion? This is a question that may be hard to answer for some people. Success is The achievement of something desired, planned, or attempted (The Free Dictionary). Can you be successful in all matters of your life? You could have a good degree and had studied all of your life, but you couldnt succeed in finding a good job. Or perhaps you have good relationship with your family and your friends, but youre not successful in your job or in your education. Success is important and can be measured by many types like financial, academic, and social success. First, financial success can be different from person to person. For some people its to have a good job, enough salary, no debts, and no need for outside assistance. For others, financial success is having millions of dollars and a big company. In my opinion, the best financial success is to start from the beginning. For example, 7

Googles founders Larry Page and Sergey Brine left their studies at Stanford to work on their project and they succeeded financially. Second, someone who has a good education has academic success. Academic success can be achieved for two reasons first, to learn new things and second, to have a strong education and compete to have a good job. For example, someone who has a bachelor degree, his degree cant really help him find a good job. On the other hand, someone who has a Masters and PhD can find jobs easily. So, it's very important to be successful with your education. Finally, social success is having honest and strong relationships with people who you love like your family and your friends. For example, someone who's got a family that loves him and friends who appreciate him is socially successful. For others, the only thing that matters to them is their friends, and they don't care about their family. That kind of person thinks he is socially successful, but he is not. So it's important to combine family and friends to be socially successful. In conclusion, success could be different in some peoples opinion. It can be measured by a lot of types like financial, academic, and social success. Whats important is to set a goal to achieve and try to be happy about it because you succeed. Who knows, maybe in the future you will do something great and you will be a successful person. Happiness By Nadi (Jordan) Are you happy? Happiness is a feeling that makes you love life. It also makes you feel more comfortable, and in our life we find a lot of things that make people more or less happy than others. There are many kinds of happiness that will fit in my paper. For me, being happy is to be with your family, your friends, and to have lot of money. First of all, some people feel happy when they spend their time with their familiy. As we see on vacations and holidays, families gather and they have fun with each other. Also, some people find themselves more comfortable with their families that make them happier, or they feel more relaxed when they talk to each other. For example, when you talk to your brother, sister, mother or any family member you feel he or she is closer to you. When you share your feelings with them, you will feel more relaxed and as a result, you will feel happier. Second, some other people feel happy when they spend their time with their friends. Sometimes friends are closer than our family members to our hearts. For example, when you live with your friend, and you share the house with him or her, you spend almost all of the day time with him or her which means you like him or you trust him. Sometimes you see your friends more than others. For example, I live far away from my family, and I spend time with my friends which makes me happy too. As we see, people hang out with friends on weekends, and they spend the whole night with each other to have fun or to feel happy. Third, some people find happiness in money or being wealthy. So if you are a rich person and you have a lot of money that means you enjoy your life and youre happy because you can get everything you wish. For example, you can go everywhere to enjoy your vacations. The cost does not matter for you so you can stay in fivestar hotels, buy a first-class flight ticket, and have dinner in fine restaurants. Or you can take your breakfast in Paris, your lunch in Luxemburg, and your dinner in Los Angeles! In conclusion, I want to say that happiness is a small concept, but it has a huge positive meaning that helps people stay alive because medicine has proved that a happy person can live longer than sad person. Happiness is different from one to another, and it depends on peoples perspectives. Some of them define it in way that he or she believes. In my opinion, happiness is easy to find if you have a sense of satisfaction. So live the life with your family, your friends, or make sure to spend your money to have fun. Why we need friends By Natalia (Russia) Obviously friendship is the start of our childhood. Friendship is one of the most beautiful of all relations. Friendship gives you the moment of laughter, joy, sorrow, and uncountable moments of fun. Friendship keeps us healthy and happier. You benefit a lot by having good cooperation with friends than you might have thought. Friends help to cultivate our soul by sharing both spiritual aspiration and an emotional bond. Friends make you healthier. Friends can help improve your health by encouraging you to eat healthy food and adopt healthy lifestyle habits. However, just be cautious as friends also reinforce the bad habits of each other. A good gym partner is a perfect gift. Of course, the gym is an extremely dull place, but the presence of your good companion can make it be a pleasant place. When you are working out with your mate, there is always the spirit of healthy competition. Friends are always good partners to share your sorrows and well being. When you are going for major surgery and you need support, your good friends will always be there for you. According to some studies, survival chances of women having breast cancer increases more when they have close friends. 8

Friends provide us with a shoulder when we need help. A person has many-sided needs and various goals. The person searches for cooperation and interactions to reach the personal purposes. In certain cases, the purposes can be reached interaction with coworkers, and in other cases they can be reached cooperation with friends. You can always count on your friends, whether you need any advice or any help. They will shy away from none. Friends will help find work and can make a fair recommendation. They will help if you move out. They will come "to rescue" you when you repair your apartment or you need to move furniture. They can bring your children to school if your car has broken down. Friends can make one thousand different things to help you, but you should be ready to help them at any time also. Friends share both our spiritual aspiration and emotional bond. There is a question: why do you call your friends day before an exam? The answer is to reduce your stress levels. All you need is a cup of coffee and some random topic to talk about with your friend to get relief from those stress levels. Conversations about the literature, music and poetry, sharing of dreams, and aspiration to harmony and beauty are extremely important for the person. In some quite certain and empirical sense, a person needs to live in beauty, instead of in ugliness, just as the food is necessary for a hungry stomach or rest for a tired body. Often, the soul can blossom just with friends, then a person realizes the beauty of the world and experiences the high moments of bliss. Friends love you and care for you. They always make you feel special and never expect anything in return other than your love and friendship. "A friend is one who believes in you when you have ceased to believe in yourself". This quote aptly describes the role that a friend plays in your life. Friends serve as one of the biggest supports in our life. They make us healthy. They make us strong when helping us to achieve the goals. Friends share both our spiritual aspiration and emotional bond and, they make our heart warm. Antoine de Saint-Exupery in "The Little Prince" said "We are responsible for those whom we have tamed". So if you protect and value friendship, it will bring to you the unforgettable moments of happiness and will make you feel that there is somebody who still cares for you. What is Real Beauty? By Su Joung Sue (South Korea) When you look at a pretty woman, what do you feel? Almost all people think, Wow, shes so beautiful! I feel like that too. So, women desire to be more beautiful, sexy, and have a good body shape. Then, should we pursue only looks? Women must be judged by only by the looks? Ill tell about the problems of an appearanceoriented society. First, we have a serious appearance-oriented society. When we see a young girl, we compliment her pretty face. She is so pretty! She looks like a pretty doll! When that girl grows up, she will think about the importance of looks. She wants to hear those nice words. She is almost not interested in knowledge, to be more smart and more intelligent. Of course, all women dont think like that. But, these thoughts are based on our mind and our culture. Second, these thoughts cause side effects. All beauty contests have a test of swimsuit. Why does the participant wear a swimsuit? Why do they need to expose their body shape? People dont have any interest in her inner beauty at all. Some advertisers use commercials. Each advertisment shows a sexy woman. They believe that if a sexy woman plays that ad, they can sell mush more. Its a big problem Finally, how can we change this bad culture? All beauty contests must be discontinued. Each broadcast and advertiser should stop the apperarance of sexy women! Many smart, intelligent, normal but diligent women should appear on T.V., magazines, or ads very often. They should tell about a smart womans life. We need to focus on the inner beauty. In conclusion, appearance-oriented society must be ended. Also, many problems connected with that have disappeared too. Of course, its not easy to change. All women must love themselves. They must respect each other. We can find womans dignity. Feelings By Sultan (Saudi Arabia) How do you feel about anything you like ? This may be a hard question you can't answer. Feelings are everywhere in the world, and everybody likes to feel what he likes to. The feelings have many ways to make you feel like what you want. You can describe these feelings to others too. The most famous feeling is love. Almost anybody likes to live love because love makes our life very simple. If people agree on the rules of love that will be very fantastic. Also, feeling about other people. A lot of people take care of things not important more than sick people, homeless, and orphans. I think this is a bad thing in our life and also a big problem we always do: think about ourselves. The love makes everyone feel good or makes everyone feel comfortable. Everyone has to live the love because anybody loves now. What we see in movies is a good way to walk to the love want you. If the woman and 9

the man don't have betrayal in their relationship and agree in their decision, their relationship will be good, and it will keep to death. The big example for love was the Titanic story. Their love was kept to until he died. A big problem we live now isn't taking care of some people wherever he is sick, homeless, and or an orphan. We are supposed to protect and respect them because nobody can help them if we say is not my business or something like that. For example, for sick people you should give him some money or take him to hospital. An example for the homeless would be if someone comes to talk to you, don't bother him. Just give him a little money, so he can do whatever he wants. An example for orphans is to talk to him without heat, because if you dont he will feel angry. Maybe that may cause some problems with him. We are supposed to protect or respect people because God will love us more if we take care of orphans. Some times you can say things are a problem, and sometimes they arent a problem. You are a big gift from our God. Because of that, you must be take care of yourself. The soul only comes one time in our life. If you lose it, that it will be a big problem, so you can't return your soul if you didn't save it or take care of it. The God will be sad if we do that. For example, if you want to save your soul, you have to not have disasters. Also, clean your body always because if you don't, a bad smell will come from you, so people won't want to talk with you. I hope always people want to hear everybody loves without cheating , betrayal, and lying.You have to be frank. Take care of people, small, big, orphan, homeless or not homeless. Protect yourself from anything that will be dangerous for you. Saudi Arabia vs. the USA By Yazeed (Saudi Arabia) Saudi Arabia and the United States share many common life styles in many areas such as business and educational sectors. Although there are geographic and traditional differences between Saudi Arabia and the US, the two countries have many similarities. There are many similarities between universities and fast food in the U.S. and KSA. However, there are many differences between them as well. The first similarity between both KSA universities and the USA universities is that students must pass specific English Language requirements. First, KSA students must pass specific English Language requirements in Saudi Arabia. Similarly, in the USA, international students must pass specific English Language requirements. For example, when I was in my country, I could not study at King Saud University because I did not get a good result in English requirements. Similarly, the second instance is that I pass the English requirements to study at TENNESSEE TECH UNIVERSITY . I have been studying at the IEI for 10 months because I want to study at TTU. I have to pass their specific tests of the English Language. English is the most important requirement in both KSA and U.S. universities. The first difference in both KSA universities and US universities are the gender relations. The first point is the women in the United States can teach men. However, the women in Saudi Arabia cannot teach men. For instance, from my experience when I was studying in my country, I have never had classes with women teachers. Since I came to Nashville, I have been studying with women teachers. Although gender relations are one difference in both KSA and the U.S. universities, there are still several other differences. Second, marriage has some differences between these two countries. In fact,in KSA the man can see his wife just when he goes to engagement day. After that, he will marry her maybe in two months from the engagement day, so the whole matter will be done around two or three months. In contrast, in the US the couple will build their relationship for about six months to one year. After that, they will get married. So this is one of the differences between each country. The second similarity in both KSA and the USA is that they have the same fast food. First, KSA and USA have the same type of restaurants. For instance, when I was in my country, I ate at McDonalds many times. Moreover, I eat at the McDonalds many times in America. In addition, it is the same size and taste. I like fast food because it's flavors are delicious. The government in KSA and USA limit nutrition in their food. In my country, the government gives the restaurant a limit of fat and calories. However, the U.S restaurants do not give any limits of the fat or calories. For example, when I went to Riyadh, I saw in the menu a list of fat or calories for any meal. In contrast, I did not see any menu in the U.S. that has the fat or calories listed for the meal, except Subway. This is one difference in fast food between KSA and the USA. In short, there are some similarities between universities and fast food in the USA and KSA. Moreover, there are some differences. Schools should not allow fast food companies to sell their product at the schools. There are some people who recommend avoiding eating fast food as a whole, but if people know the contents of the food that they eat and try to limit them, they will be fine.

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WRITING FIVE
Video games are what?! By Ahmed Aladamawi (Saudi Arabia) Video games are a really huge issue these days and people are divided between two sides. The group who is against video games says that video games are a waste of time and that there is no benefit that comes from them. Moreover, they say that they are harmful for children, that they have a lot of violence, that the people who are addicted to them are not social, and that siting in the front of the screen is bad for the persons body because he or she doesnt do something other than sitting. However, these people dont notice that in the past maybe that was right, but now, I dont think so! I will explain the reasons in this argument essay. The first argument people have is that it is a waste of time and that there are no benefits from playing video games. But that is completely wrong! Therere a lot of types of video games which are really helpful for everyone, especially for children. One of those types is educational games which care about everything thats good for children to learn. Some of them teach children how to calculate and some teach them the letters and numbers in an easy and fun way. Even adults can learn languages through these games. What make it even better is that the game companies are interested in making new games of this type because they see how much people like to play those games so we can expect more from them. The second argument is that video games are harmful for children and contain a lot of violence. I acknowledge that maybe it is right, but everything in this life has a good side and a bad side. Thats the case for games as well, but that doesnt acknowledge the fact they are useful and good in most cases. The game companies have assessed the games before releasing the game to the stores to an age range. So every game has a recommended age. They choose higher ages for the games which have a lot of violence because they assume that adults wont be affected by that violence. Even if they didnt see the violence in the games, they will see it in their daily life. The last argument against video games is that people who play them are not social and will face problems with their bodies because they do nothing other than sit and play. Every time I hear this argument, I laugh out loud and say in what age are you living in? At this time, this is not a problem anymore, but I agree that it used to be a valid argument. But that is not true anymore. Why it is not? Now, we have the ability to play online with people from all over the world and talk and chat with them anytime we want. We can make friendships over online networks and make a strong friendship without neglecting the difficulty of making it because its known that its hard to deal with someone who is not in the front of you or someone you cant see. But the interesting part is that online players dont face this problem. And to the people who say computer players sit all the time, I would say: video game devices are not what they used to be. Today, video game devices are getting better and better, which helps the players to move their body if they want to play. Xbox 360s Kinect, PlayStation 3s Move Motion (Navigation) controller and Wii, all these are devices force the player to move all his body to play or I could say convince the player to move his body because its really fun to play through it other that its a great sport, we can play basketball, baseball, Olympic games and a lot of other games most people are interested in. So, it is healthy and you can play without any fear of getting dirty or hurt outside. Moreover, it is be the best choice for families to get together and have fun. In conclusion, video games can be a waste of time, harmful, they can have a lot of violence and be bad for the players body, but at the same time, it can be good a thing to spend your time on, healthy and the best choice you can pick. It is up to us how we use it and whether to make it good or bad. Just like a knife: we can use it the cut the vegetable and eat with it or use it to kill people. Now, after you read my essay, are you for or against video games and why? And the most importing thing: Did I convince you to get a video game device? Why university should not be free By Daniel (Chile) Saying that education in university should not be for free is a very unpopular statement that someone can say. People love to get things for free, especially if it is something very valuable. On the other hand, the cost of education is going up very fast and the access to it for people without enough resources is limited. However, there are still very powerful reasons to state that education in university needs to be paid by each individual that attends it and not by someone else. In the actual society more and more people think that everybody should have free access to universities and they would do anything to get this. In several countries there have been people protesting against the government so they can have free secondary education. This has been the case in Chile, where university students have been on strike for several months, demanding among other things, having to stop paying for their studies. They have an interesting point because not everybody has the necessary resources to pay for their studies and they argue that lots 11

of people dont go to university only because they cant afford it. However, there are many grants and scholarships for the students with enough merits and capacities to obtain a degree that they can apply for. The goal of this financial aid is to prevent that someone with good grades cant attend school just because they dont have the money, and it has been used by a lot of students for many years. Another thing that people have been criticizing is that those who cant access these grants must take out big loans to pay for the tuition and, once they graduate, have to pay all this money back. As a matter of fact, the loans that students are given access to have one of the lowest interest rates in Chile, and that is because they are subsidized by the government so they dont have to pay all the interest rate by themselves. However, there are several important issues that the protesters are not considering when they talk about this topic. To name a few, they should consider the better opportunities that graduates will have when they go look for a job. They will be better trained and will have access to better salaries that are going to be very helpful to pay for their loans, in case that they have some. Another argument that they havent considered is that they will be the beneficiaries from the studies, because they will be paid more than the people who didnt go to study at the university. It does not make any sense that the people who dont go to college have to pay for the education of others. How is this possible? If we have people going to university for free, it means that someone else is paying for it, and in this case the government will be the one who pays. The government gets its money from the taxes that everybody that lives in the country pays - even the citizens that didnt go to school. This means that they, the people who didnt go to college, will be indirectly financing the studies of others. Now, if we consider that the people that have universities studies make much more money than the people that havent, this will create a big problem in society and an enormous inequality. The students that attend university not only benefit from the knowledge that they will acquire, but also from the connections and life experience that you get when go to college. This benefit is immeasurable but can it be even more important that any other that you can obtain in university. Finally, it is important to mention that if people go to universities for free, it is going to be more likely that they will not focus and commit to the studies and even pause them or not finish at all. This is because they wont have any obligation to do it. On the other hand, if we have someone who is paying tuition, he or she is going to be much more concentrated and focused on obtaining the degree. It sounds very attractive and populist to ask for free education, but reviewing the arguments, it doesnt make much sense to agree with it. It seems that the drawbacks are much more than the benefits, without mentioning the bigger inequalities that this will cause. Palestine deserves the land of Israel By Ali Alawi (Saudi Arabia) The Palestinian and Israel conflict is one of the oldest and the longest in human history. It began more than 3000 years ago and is still continuing to the present time. During that time hundreds of thousands of people from both sides have died, each claiming the right of the Holy Land. This has led to conflict, and instability in the region and the focus turned to violence and hatred, murder, displacement and destruction. Israelis believe they deserve the land more than Palestinians due to history, the British Mandate, and The Palestinian attacks. But who is more deserving of the Holy Land, Palestinians or Israelis? As we know, the first question comes to mind on any issue is who is the most entitled historically? The website menorah.org says about THE STAR OF DAVID that the Jewish star, is composed of two conceptual "triads," which together form the basis of Jewish belief: Creation, Revelation, and Redemption; God, Israel, and World. History tells us that the Canaanites and the Amorites who had emigrated to Sham since the fourth millennium BC and settled in the land of Palestine that was called the land of Kanaan. So these are the owners of the land and its history deserves it. Why? Because it was called the land Canaan about 2500 BC and then called Palestine, after the invasion of Cretan tribes. Quds became the capital of the kingdom of Israel by order of the Prophet David and was then divided in time of the Prophet Solomon into two kingdoms: Judah and Israel. After Alexander conquered the land, it was occupied by the Romans in the first century AD and then Islam came and liberated it from their hands. Given the importance of Palestine religious wherein the first Qiblah of Muslims, being the Promised Land the Jews and the center of civilizations, empires of old, being a transit point between three continents Asia, Africa, Europe, and the point where making all of them with, the land has been fought for by different world powers in the past and present (adapted from Al-shirazi.com, Who are the Jews? Who is Israel?). The British Mandate began after 1917 (the Balfour Declaration) and served as a compensation to the Jews after the Holocaust, and in 1948, hours before the end of the Mandate and the support of the United States, the Jews declared that they established the State of Israel. At the same time nearly 900,000 of Palestinians, were displaced either in camps in Jordan and Egypt according to estimates by the Palestinian Liberation Organization. I think it's unfair for the British to make promises to the Jewish people, that they have not property to all of them. According to Esaf Beld, author of A Lesson on Civilizations, Yedioth Ahronoth decided to leave Israel for California with his family and some people blame him while some support him. He says "I think there is no man who 12

lives for the sake of nationalism, and sacrificing my son is considered to be a great sacrifice for me. I want to ask all who commented on my post: Which is more important: To be Israeli or to be alive? Nobody planned for his nationality, which he was born with without his will, but we have the will in the decision to live our lives with maximum happiness and minimum risk. All I want is to protect my wife and give the chance to my child to grow peacefully and happily like other children in other parts of the world. I will start to respond terms of ended and agree with him in it, but you answer me why the massacre of Sabra and Shatila, Deir Yassin, ..etc which the number of victims are children, women and the elderly, more than 5,300 Palestinians according to BBC report. I hope to find an answer from anyone, even if that person is crazy, of the most dangerous: Who is building rockets from simple household materials, blowing himself up? And who has the world's most powerful weapons of destruction, weapons that are internationally banned, such as cluster bombs that were used in Gaza in the last year? In conclusion, just close your eyes and imagine with me two children aged five years lying down on the ground and left of life, and I ask you to determine who is Israeli and who is Palestinian? I think that will be hard and sad. Why? Because they have the right to live, therefore if everyone for live peacefully, then can Britain or the United States - if they were interested in begin to search land for Jews, but not the Holy Land (Palestine). Some people think we can find a compromise, but will it ever be possible? What do you think? Sharing your house after it was entered by force and without consent from you? Is it still possible or not? Car accidents By Ahmed Alamri (Saudi Arabia) Cars are a very useful way to travel from one place to another on the road in our life. Also, cars can be dangerous if people use them the wrong way and make a lot of disorder for other people and it create a lot of accidents. Also, we will lose so many things form people are driving without focus and speed. I would like to write about car accidents in Saudi. The first cause is speed and the second cause is a lack of Focus. Also, I would like to write about general effect of car accidents. First of all, speeding is the most common cause of accidents. People who like to drive fast are feeling bored to wait or drive slow like other people. They think speeding is the solution to arriving early. The accident are very dangerous all over the world but in my country is the most because drivers especially the young people think for wrong way, and they don't have driving tips. Also, some people use cars for speeding to drift. Also, the old people who speed driving were speeding when they was young. They must be given a perfect guidelines to drive safely. Second, we have a major development in the field of technology in our life, and they are the worst things if people use them when they drive at the same time. Also, these things will engage people. For example, we have now Black Berry Messenger and IPhone which make people drive without focus. They cause so many accidents. For example, a soccer player, his name is Theyab Awana, died last month because he used cell phone while he was driving. It is a big problem for people who like to use the cell phone, but it wrong time to use it at the same time you driving a car. I think both texting and calling make the driver busy for focus on driving. Finally, car accidents have many effects on drivers or others and the hardest effects for car accidents is the dead driver. In my country we have a huge percentage of people who have died because of car accidents in the year, and it will be up every year. Also, we will lose money for fixing the car, buying a new car or giving the other person who made accident with him if you made this accident. But now we have insurances that will be helpful, but not all the people have a good insurance and that is still a big problem. In the conclusion, we must hold this accident when we driving because we don't lose anyone in our life by accidents. That is very important in our community. We must take care and focus when we drive a car. We want to save our life and make it safety and happiness. Also, we must use the new things at the correct time and places, and we must to talk about it and give instructions and advice to each other. Why digital eBooks are better than printed books By Fadwa (Saudi Arabia) An eBook is a book in electrical format. Its downloaded to a computer, PC and an iPad. According to Amazon: Over the past three months, for every 100 hardcover books Amazon.com has sold, it has sold 143 Kindle books. Ebooks present many benefits and are proofing to take over the number of printed books. Ebooks take up virtually no room, which allows you to literally- carry your whole library in one portable device. One might argue that we only carry one book at a time and an electronic device might be heavier that a paper printed book. However, that its not true for most students or book lovers during a vacation. Therefore, ebooks are easier to carry around, even if it is a 700-page textbook. Another advantage is that buying an electronic book is cheaper than buying a new printed book or even a second hand book. Although buying the device might seem expensive, if you look at the long-term cost, you will 13

notice that it is significantly cheaper. According to Newsweek the average production cost for a $26 printed hardcover is $4.05 while the average cost for $9.99 e-book is around 50. The consumer probably pays that difference. Ebooks offer readers even more benefits over traditional paper books. It can be read in a variety of lighting situations and due to the backlighted screens, you can read an ebook in most low or no light situations. Lighting conditions essentially become meaningless. Many readers incorporate display lighting allowing you to read whenever and wherever the like. Promoters and publishers of paper printed books often think that ebooks consume a lot of energy, which is not true. You cannot read a paper printed book without lighting, which consumes more energy. In conclusion, there are pros and cons for both printed books and eBooks. However, we now learned that ebooks are a viable alternative. Due to its portability, cost effectiveness and energy efficiency ebook is far superior to traditional paper book. Halloween story By Abdullah Almarwani (Saudi Arabia) The real estate agent was pale ghostly pale. Are you sure you would really like to do this? he asked. I should have known better, but the house was such a bargain. It was selling at such a low price and I just couldnt refuse the offer. I had heard rumors that it was haunted, but I didnt believe in ghosts. But just to be sure, I wanted to spend one night in the house to see if the rumors were true. I put my equipment in a box and headed over to the house. If there was really a ghost, I would find it. As I arrived at the house a storm was brewing outside and it was raining for two hours I didnt see anything of the ghosts. I went to the second floor and it was even scarier than the ground floor. And there was a TV in one room and next to the TV there was a video tape. I played it and it was Tom and Jerry (cat and mouse). After that, the TV went off and I left this room to go to the other room. In the other room, I saw a group of small black cats and they looked at me with their red eyes. I closed the door very fast. And I went back to the TV room and the TV wasnt there. I started to hear wolves howl, but I knew there were no wolves in my city. I went to the kitchen to find something to protect myself with. I opened the refrigerator and I didnt see anything but pickles. I opened every drawer to find a knife and all I found in the kitchen was pickles. I looked from the kitchen window into the backyard and I saw a group of wolves attacking someone and this guy was protecting himself with a sickle. I went to help him. When I went to the backyard there were no wolves, but I saw the guy with the sickle and he was wearing a hat. I thought he was the gardener of the backyard, but when he turned his face and he had a scary face when he stood up, I discovered he was a scarecrow. He smelled like pickles and he started to run after me. I just ran away from him and this scary house and when I left, the weather just got better After that day, I called the house the pickle house. Should the Drinking Age Stay at 21 in the United States? By Abdullah Alghamdi (Saudi Arabia) Since human lives have been begun, there are laws for whatever people are allowed to do. In addition, these laws might be strict for some people, and might be fair for others. Strict rules in our lives, religions, countries, or families separate us from animals. However, nobody as a president or ruler comes and tells us that we need to restrict or not to do something until turning some limited ages; presidents or rulers have to show some studies or facts that let us understand the reason or the wisdom for it. There are experts and scientists who have studied these rules and decided they will be beneficial for everybody. According to the laws in the United States of America, in most states a person must be 16 years old to start driving a car, 18 years old to marry without parental consent and to be allowed to buy cigarettes, 21 years old to be able to drink alcohol, and 35 years old to become a president. According to an article on Coolteensdontdrink.com by Ben Reiser, " in 1919, the 18th Amendment of the United States Constitution was ratified, banning the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol in the United Statesa practice known as prohibition. Being a dry country became increasingly unpopular among citizens, however, and the amendment was eventually repealed by the 21st Amendment in 1933". Also according to this website, "Shortly after the law was repealed, most states set their legal drinking ages to 21, since that was the age of majority at the time. Most of these limits remained until the early 1970s, when the 26th Amendment was adopted, lowering the voting age from 21 to 18". Following, car accidents and the death of innocent people are big reasons that show that the drinking age does not have to be lowered in any case. A lot of people have been asking me why I disagree with the idea that the drinking age does not need to be lowered even though I do not drink alcohol. First of all, I would tell everyone that God has given us our souls to take care of. Drinking is one of the biggest reasons that affect us. Some young people who just turned 21 years get killed by drinking large amounts of alcohol and driving while being drunk is one of the reasons. At first, I would tell a short story of one of my best friends died this way because sometimes stories serve the purpose better than some 14

other ways of reaching goals. My friend drank too much at a bar, and then he started driving his car. He was killed and caused another big car accident on the highway, which made a family, who was traveling from state to another lose their child. Nowadays, a lot of adults are driving while they are drunk and they do not care at all about what might happen if they cause a car accident. Some people may not care that much about what might happen to them if they drive drunk, even to the people who are not responsible at all of any disaster that happens to them while they are driving. That is why I do not drink and I disagree with lowering the drinking age. Another reason I do not drink, is that I do not want to be a reason of the death of innocent instead of having fun by drinking for a certain period, which is totally unfair. In my opinion, every wise person who has a conscience still awake will agree with me on the last point. On the other hand, a group of college presidents wants to lower the legal drinking age from 21 to 18 in an attempt to fight binge drinking on their campuses. Some people say the drinking age should be 18 because it is a personal choice. Additionally, people should be treated as adults when they turn 18 years old. So, they need kind of freedom in this situation, and if they are treating as adults they also need to get permitted to drink alcohol. However, these people might have seen how drunk people can turn into animals when they drink too much, and they do not even know what are they doing. They might kill someone, destroy or steal something or even pee on their pants. While people are drunk, they will not even trust themselves what they are going to do and losing control is one big effect that drinking causes. To summarize, drinking age has been an argument topic since it has come a law in the 50 states. Indeed, some people might not believe in the law until seeing a big damage happened to them or to their family members or friends. So, why are we waiting to see this damage?! We have to believe in some others experience. Therefore, do not try if some people tried and there are no benefits of their tries. Teens are reckless By Abdulrahman Alhemidy (Saudi Arabia) In the eyes of the average teenagers, they have very high energy which means most teenagers think they are invincible, and that harm, pain and tragedy only happens to other people like those over the age of 21. Teens are doing a lot of reckless action and crazy behavior, trying to discover the limits of their abilities, or trying to be like a famous person or an actor. Teens usually have no responsibility because they are still minors, which means that they are under 21 years old. They like to show off of their ability in front of people or their friends and thus they might be exposed to risky situations . One of the major reasons why teens are reckless is because they have no prior responsibility to worry about. They just want to be what they are looking for, no matter what's going to happen later. That's because most parents of teens never give children any responsibility, and they don't think about giving any chance to their teens to teach them how to handle problems and responses that they will face in their future life. Another one of the major reasons why teens are reckless is that teens are still under 21, which also means they might not have yet prior experience with severe injury or lingering illness. It is because of this lack of life experience that they are careless. They have no idea that they are made of flesh and bones, flesh that can bleed and bones that can break. So, parents must take care of their children and educate them. According to some people, a teenager has no idea of the personal suffering that accompanies any serious injury. In short, teens have the highest energy which makes them always do risky actions. They love to show off their abilities and as everyone knows teens have no responsibility. Teens hardly ever change, and no one can change what the teenagers do. But people who responsible for them should take care of them and take them to the right way. Fast food By Ali Alnemer (Saudi Arabia) Many food experts, health associations, and specialists are calling upon people to stop eating fast food by showing how bad it is. Although their effort is very big, people don't respond. According to the website Health Food Guide, all this results in piling up of unused empty calories in the body, which get stored as body fat till one day you look in the mirror and realize that your great figure has been replaced by this creature in the mirror. They try to use funny facts to stimulate a real response, but they dont succeed. So what makes people not care about all the bad effects of fast food? Fast food restaurants are saving time and money, they meet peoples expectations, and are available whenever and almost wherever. Today, the way of life is fast and expensive, and the fast cheap food seems to be the best choice. Companies employees who are paid by the hour have limited time to eat. As much as companies employees can save time, they can make more money. Fast food restaurants are almost the only choice for people whose time equals money. Some people have enough time for lunch, but the cheap fast food still seems the best choice to not 15

spend much money. In case of saving money or saving time, the employees will still have food, which is the main goal in this case. Eating time is one of the most important times to relax for the modern human. Many people prefer to eat in a fast food restaurant to relax, although it doesn't make sense. Logically something fast is not relaxing. So, what makes people feel relaxed in a fast food restaurant? Simply, you dont have to think a lot. When you decide to eat a fast meal, you have to select one of the fast food restaurants around. Fast food restaurant menus don't offer more than 10 to 15 items, although they serve more than 30 kinds of food, but they make their menus brief. So when you decided to eat in a particular restaurant you have almost memorized their menu. Having memorized the menu when you decide to go eat gives you a good idea about what are you going to eat, how much are you going to pay, and what service quality you are going to have. This way, people don't think a lot and feel relaxed where they are not supposed to be relaxed. If you get hungry, certainly there will be a fast food restaurant five minutes away from where you are. According to the website Numberof.net, there [were] ~300,000 fast food (limited service) restaurants in the US in 2009, and the number is still growing. If we divide this number on the whole area of the U.S, we will find a fast food restaurant in each 12 square miles. However, most of these restaurants work 24/7. Being widespread is one of the most important elements that make people addicted to fast food. The presence of fast food restaurants simulates the human laziness. The modern human is too lazy and with all of these features, the cheap fast food restaurants, people dont care about how bad it is. Fast food saves money and time, meets people expectation, and available all the time and almost everywhere. Why students have problems choosing a writing topic By Chiaki (Japan) In U.S. education, students have lot of writing assignments. Students are required to complete a variety of compositions, like summaries, essays and research or report papers. Some students have no problem choosing the topic and can write very fast, but other students cannot choose a topic for their writing assignments. What is the difference between students who can chose a topic and others who cannot. Sometimes it is not a matter of their academic attitude, ability and intelligence. Students with difficulties choosing topic can write a great paper at last, but there are reasons why the student cannot choose the topic in the beginning. The first cause is that students who cannot chose a topic might not have a specific idea about the assignment yet or students might not have specific opinion about the assignment. These students are totally lost and have no idea about what they have to do. If student have lot of knowledge and opinion about the outside issue, this might not happen to them. Students need to more research about topic of the assignment and being aware of the world news or having an opinion helps them a lot. So students who have no topic idea in the beginning could work well when they finally understand what exactly they have to do, and when they are aware of the meaning assignment or after the research about topic. For writing we need to have some spontaneous motivation or passion for a topic. Especially for a cause and effect paper it is difficult to choose the topic. In my case, I find it easier to decide the topic of an argument paper topic, but not cause and effect paper. Because I have a passion to argue, I have more motivation to write the paper, but for the cause and effect paper I do not. There is more potential attitude in my mind, so I do not lose focus about topic. But a cause and effect paper is too plain. It feels like just describing some kind of view and looking from the very outside. The Second reason is that the students are thinking too much about the paper and the topic. Students are very concerned about their paper. They try their best for the paper, so they cannot decide the topic so easily. They think about so many things in their mind before deciding the writing topic. Furthermore, students have not much confidence to write about a complicated issue, so before they write they try to make sure, whether it is possible to write about it or not. They also predict lot of difficulty of the process of the writing. If the idea is way too much for the students, they try to look for another topic again. Students want to find the perfect topic for themselves, but usually it doesnt really work well. The perfect topic does not exist so much for them before writing about it. Students have lot of ideas, but they are not useful for the real writing that they have to do. A fourth reason might be a lack of decision-making ability. Students have to give up some situation that is not perfect for them, or have to deal with some inconvenient situation. If they just try it, they must be handling any topic. But students use too much time to decide what they are going to write about. They have to realize that the topic is not the big deal about writing. The writing process is more important and also needs more time. But a student who cannot decide on the topic must be late to understand about taking too much time to think the topic. Sometime just starting to write is the best solution. There is some difficulty of choosing topic, especially in an unknown field of study. But students have to think about what is the main purpose of the issue and if the student understands what they have to do, it might 16

solve the problem of choosing a topic. Staying focused and understanding subject are great improvements to the decision making of the topic. American people should be allowed to attend college even if they can't pay By Mohammed Fallata (Saudi Arabia) Everyone knows that studying in college is a dream for a lot of people. Why is this? Because after graduating from college there are a lot of jobs that will be available, which is the best way to get money. In some countries, studying in college is free for the citizens. In others, you have to pay for university studies. In this paper, I will write about the American system which is that most Americans have to pay to attend college. In this system there are some good points, but there are others that need some changes. So therefore, in this essay I want to explain that American people should be allowed to attend college even if they can't afford to pay for it. The American government should pay for those who want attend college. The American government should pay for the people who want to attend college. The first reason I'm going to write about is the economic situation. Every society that we live in has a different kind of economic situation, which means that on the one hand, there are rich people who can pay for the college they want, and on the other hand, there are poor people who don't have enough money to get in the college they want. Some people say that if the government paid for all people to study at college, the country would be bankrupt after a short time. Others say that the government is building schools and universities which is enough to help the education. The answer for these will be that if the government paid for that, people could own their own business and grow the economy of the country. So, this is the first argument I wanted to explain. The second reason why all American people should be allowed to attend college is their intelligence. I mean that there are smart people and some got good grades in high school. Some of these people who want attend college cannot do it because of the money. But if the government paid for that, the community would be educated, which would reduce the crime. People who are against that may say that people should work, save money, and then start university. If we say that, we will not have skills to grow the country which mean no business. That's why the government should pay for all the people who want to attend college. There are some people who don't have parents to support them and others who do not want their kids to go to college. These people may have to borrow money from the government, which is hard to pay back. So, if people are not educated, we will see the crimes coming up from these people who do not have jobs. Education is the most important thing to get rid of bad things and create great things. As you see, there is more than one reason to make attending college free for the citizens. So, because the education is important, we should make it free not in all the colleges but at least in some of them. And we should exploitation these people to help improve the country. In the end, this is my opinion and I hope I explained it clearly. Why are people religious? By Sunhwa (South Korea) There are different religions like Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity and many more in the world. In my case, I am not religious but my family is. There are three reasons why I think people are religious. It depends on peoples emotion, problems, a sense of belonging and tradition. By being religious, people may feel peaceful and comfortable, and especially when people are in trouble they might pursue it. In this essay, I will present some reasons why people believe in God. It is often said that having a belief in God helps people relieve their problems when they encounter some difficulties. For instance, people who are religious pray to God and although they have friends and family members in their daily life, they rely on religion. This is because people make sure that God will help them, which makes them more comfortable than if they were not religious. By being religious, people may feel peaceful and especially when people are in trouble they pursue it. Moreover, people learn what is wrong and right through the religion, as there is a wide range of lessons in books such as the Bible, which may affect their whole life. In addition, parents who are religious usually teach their children the lessons like Do love others and Help people who encounter serious problems or Do not lie, which have effects on their whole life. Another reason why people are religious is that people want a sense of belonging. People cannot live without culture and society as they have always lived interacting with others. Furthermore, an individual wants to get along well with others. As a result, religions enable people have interests in common with each other as well as they make people cooperate whether they like or not, which have an effect on their life. The effect cheers people up who have belief to be strong themselves. That is why people are religious. Finally, religions have been related to culture for a long time ago. According to their customs, families and the members of community might have chosen their religions what they want. For example, immigrants who are 17

Jews do not change their religion because of their old-tradition, which makes them unite. Another example is that if parents are Christians, their children may be the same religious due to the custom. In conclusion, I think that being religion plays an import role and influences humans in various aspects, such as education and their daily life. In contrast, people sometimes change to another one when they do not want to believe in God anymore since they are disappointed in the God that they used to believe in. People should be allowed to choose the religion that they want. The high divorce rate in the United States By Hussain (Saudi Arabia) Sadly, the divorce rate in the U.S is over 50% which means that every second marriage is divorced and confidence in marriage is not very high. There are three causes that make the divorce rate that high, and those are being in a relationship as a boyfriend and a girlfriend, parents' principles and being disappointed in their partner. Being in a relationship as a boyfriend and a girlfriend is actually one of the reasons that leads to an increase of the divorce rate and most people don't realize that. However, a few people realize that for example, a man is dating a girl for the purpose of love or knowing each other and getting married. In fact, this rarely occurs because that kind of relationship is very weak, also whenever the two persons get married, any misunderstanding between this relationship, can lead to divorce . Another reason is that this kind of relationships has many options, such as, a man can say Why I should be with this girl forever, I'm just going to have fun and get what I need from her and leave her and find another girl? But if this relationship is based on marriage, the options will be removed to have a successful marriage. The second reason of divorce is parents' principles which have a huge impact on children. Parents can teach their children mostly everything, such as, love, hate, and hope. So if we assume that children have been taught that love never exists without the idea that marriage is the right love and that it is the one and only possible, of course, children love and want the parent's wisdom, so they will agree and follow them. Disappointment with their partner can be very complex if the relationship has no patience, no respect for each other and no understanding or discussing of any issues. If the relationship doesn't have these factors which are necessary in life, the relationship is going to be complicated and hard to solve. For example, if a woman is complaining about cleaning the dishes which is not really a big deal, comparing how value love is to cleaning dishes which is not worth it, also, if a man is blaming the woman about some ridiculous stuff, the relationship won't last forever. In short, relationships should be based on marriage and parents have the power to change their children' idea of love. Relationships should have wisdoms and know how valuable love is. The obstacles that prevent tolerance between religions By Mazen (Saudi Arabia) It is part of being a human being that we have differences that define who we are and what makes our life. It is difficult to make humans agree on one thing, especially the controversial matters. Having these differences works well for normal people. It is what makes the life have that touch of beauty. Although having those differences does not mean that we should attack or judge the others which sometimes lead us to hate. Life has a bigger meaning than fighting each other for choices that we are free to make. One of the major matters that create a lot of disagreement is faith. The majority of humans are believers, which sometimes causes issues for those who treat people according to their personality not their religion. From my perspective three factors prevent tolerance between religions and they are positions, ego and greed. First, political systems are always responsible for most of our problems because often it is a system based on individuals benefits, and not for the public interest as they claim. So, they would do whatever it takes to get what they looking for. Since the majority of people are believers, people in power use religions for their purposes to propagandize in order to reach their goals. Which make people moved by their ways and that against the instructions that have been told to the followers. Second, being human means disliking to be wrong and each individual has a different level of egotism. Some have enough courage to admit that they are mistaken and the others do otherwise. According to in an article published by The Tennessean called Tolerance by putting on Islam, Bob Smietana mentions a speech in which he said that believers shouldnt consider themself superior to other believers and that all of those groups should learn to get along. Third, some people dont seek for right or wrong, they just want to prove to others that they are right despite knowing they are wrong. But they did it anyway because their position on the community and what they benefit from it. They become greedier which blinds their sight. In the end it is a sad thing when some of our own use the religion as leverage to their interest. If we really follow our religions as it say we would live in happiness instead of sorrow and sadness. 18