A B on the midterm exam of American history

I got a B on the midterm exam of American history. It is much better than I have imagined. Before I received the grade, I almost believed than I was going to fail this course and planed to drop it. I know B is not a good grade to be proud, but since this course is so difficult for me, a B implies that I don’t fall into a worst situation yet. I am glad about that.

I finished the writing exercise for Archaeology 103 during last weekend and discussed it with a writing tutor this noon. I will hand it in in tomorrow class. This night, I may go to swimming with Taotao in the college swimming pool. I bought a nice swimsuit a few days ago with Candy. I am looking forward to swimming. I have never been to swimming in America though it is my favorite sport. If the swimming is not too crowded, I may go to swimming everyday during the break between summer and fall sessions.

I have a two page paper about the Civil Rights movement that due tomorrow. I have to work on it right now.

Visited Jinsha site, but not me

I am going to shift to study Archaeology this week, I love it far more that the American history. I like history because it involves all the social aspects. History is vivid in my eyes. However, in our American history course, the studying is focusing on politics and economy and mentions little culture and art. I am disappointed by the design. The other problem is I am absolutely unfamiliar about American polities. In contrast, many of my American classmates know a lot of their own history. I feel bad for myself.

However, on the Archaeology course, at least, everybody on the seam level, no one has especial knowledge about Archaeology before go to this class. I think that is the reason I am easier to catch up my classmates than on the American history course.

My parents and my husband went Jinsha, an Archaeology site in Chengdu, last Sunday. I wish I could go with them. I have many interests in common with my father. It is pity that I could not always stay with my family.

Three and a half days may less than ten minutes

The midterm exam of the American history was done in this morning. I didn’t do well on it. In fact, my exam was terrible. We had to finished five identifications and two essay questions within one and half hours. Because we got the certain questions in class rather than before exam, for me, the time was very limited to think carefully. I was unable to organize it well but just wrote down what I knew. I believe I did well on one essay, but for another, I have no confidence on it. Unlike the professor of the first session of this summer, who gave us questions before exam, this professor’s review sheet included everything that we have discussed in class. I through his review sheet was meaningless; everything means nothing.

It was indeed a bitter experience when I recalled how the recent a couple of days were. After I received the review sheet last Thursday, I employed all my time and energy to work on it except necessary eating and sleeping. I used eight hours from 12-8 that Thursday to find out the answers of those fifty-seven potential identifications; used the Friday to find out the answers of those four essay questions; I didn’t do all the nine because the time didn’t allow me to do that. Even though I had the answers on my hand the Friday night by my rush works, I was unsatisfied by them; obviously, they were too simple to win a good grade for me. However, at that particular moment, I could require too much.

On last Saturday, I started to study on those IDs. I tried to memorize the contexts, names, places, times, and the spellings of many new vocabularies. Yesterday, the last day, I studied on the essay questions, same job as working on the IDs, trying to memorize everything. I was not specific dislike the task, but the problem was time. I guessed I needed two more days to make my answers looks nice. Unfortunately, I was forced to involve into a poor situation because of my undesirable English ability.

I went bed at 12 am and got up at five am to do the last minute study. I felt so tired and wanted to give up, but I knew I had no choice. I went the class at 8 am, writing down what I knew regardless what the professor wanted. This was the whole story. I didn’t do well on the exam but I would never complain myself.

After the exam, I talked with one of my classmates. She said she didn’t study at all. She arrived to the class at 8:05, and she glanced at the class notes ten minutes outside the classroom and rushed into the exam. I knew she went to the church every weekend, but I wondered why she studied not a little at night. She said she went to dinner with friends yesterday night and returned home at 11 pm. Also, she said, “I learned a lot from the lectures.”

What I am doing is to use three and half days to compete with ten minutes. I may still lose. On a pervious exam, she got an A+, and I got an A. the realist is ruthless. Nevertheless, I fully understand the fact. Many years ago, while I was reading Chinese novels in SanTai, she was studying English.

I believe I will do better on the final exam because I gained experience from the midterm and also figured out the style of this professor. I wish I can pass this course with a not too ugly grade. However, even not, it is still ok.

An impossible exam

I am accessing the Internet in my home now after a couple months I could not do that.
I have the mid-term exam of the American history. There are 57 potential identification terms and 9 essay questions from our professor that I have to study within the weekend. I just don’t have enough time to prepare them well. The only thing I can do is to try my best, and then I will never blame myself even though I may receive a C on the exam.

an A on the first quiz

I got an A on the first quiz on my Archaeology course. I make 7 wrong out of 30 questions. A few mistakes are due to my poor English abilities; I regretted about that. If I spent more time on the exams or read those questions more carefully, some of those mistakes would be avoided. One of my classmates, whom I often talk to, works in a church every night and the whole of Sunday. She always looks sleepy, and every time when I ask how her study goes on, her answers are always like, “No time to read,”, “Don’t study for exams,” However, she got an A+ on this quiz. Form that, I am aware I have to spend even more time to study in order to reach an average level in college.

The mid-term exam of American history will take place on next Monday. I have no clue about it at all. I am waiting for the review list from the professor and planning to study it during this weekend. Anyway, I need use today and tomorrow to complete this week’s reading for the Archaeology course.

Two weeks passed of the second summer session, I spent two days to hang out with friends. I will study only until end of this session.

Antony made a CD for me and put the pictures he took on it. Two of them are very good. He also copied a lot of English songs on the CD, I like all of them. All the songs in my computer are from my friends.

Ting and me Visited Emma

I will go to the Flushing library to see Candy and Barry. I love to talk with them. Both of them are very friendly. I wish I can have them as my friends in my whole life.

Ting came to see me this noon. We ate lunch together in the school cafeteria. This was my first time buying food here after I have attended this school two and half years. When I entered into the cafeteria, Joseph was sitting here and said hello to me. He said the cafeteria was his home, seam as I consider the library is my home.

After lunch we went the library and visited Emma in her office. Emma was very happy that we came to see her. She showed some postcards that one of her students gave to her. Those postcards were from QingDao, a medium-size city located on the northern coast of China. The view of QingDao is so beautiful. it is just as a well-developed European city rather than a city from China. After all, China is a developing country since recent twenty years. Emma said her opinion about it was in common with me.

Meet Candy in the tomorrow

I will meet Candy in the tomorrow afternoon. She is working in Texas and returned to New York last weekend. She is going to stay here a week. She asked if I could meet her today also, but I refused. I really cannot spend two half days without study. I feel sorry about that. Candy is my best friend, and she is only staying NY a short time, but I couldn’t give her more time. I wish she can understand me.

I will meet Taotao this Friday to eat lunch together and watch Harry Potter V. We made this date two weeks ago, and I feel it is difficult to tell her that I want to cancel it. I think studying at Friday night and the weekend days should be ok.

The first quiz of Archaeology will take place next Monday. I am not worried it too much. The textbook is easy to understand and very interesting. I have read it twice, and I will do the further study during the weekend. The professor will give the review tomorrow though I expect nothing from her.

Instead of it, I have no confidence of the course of the American history. For this course, the professor emphasizes analyzing rather than simply list of events. The professor is knowledgeable and his lecture is very logical and clear. However, although I agree his requirement is reasonable, I am unable to fulfill it well. I still have serious problems of English reading. Especially, when I try to speed up, the book is going to be very difficult to understand. In fact, I have to do it when sometimes I really lack of time to complete the reading assignment. If I could not well understand the text, how can I analyze the history?

Tea's Sina blog
http://blog.sina.com.cn/u/1236034884

A website about the paper

http://www.mnh.si.edu/anthro/humanorigins/ha/a_tree.html

Disappointed by the Archaeology teacher

I am deeply disappointed by my Archaeology teacher. She put outlines, which summarized from the textbook, on her PowerPoint and read it as the class lecture. She runs the material so fast. When students couldn’t take note and complained, she said that all the material was available in your textbook. She discourages questions, and claimed questions would interrupt her lecture. However, I guess the real reason is she is anxious about questions. She emphasizes the importance of reading the textbook, “Reading the textbook is even more important than going to class.” If all the stuff is exactly following by the text book and she couldn’t give us anything new, why don’t we self-study at home? All she did shows that she is completely no confidence of this course and her teaching.

Today, we encountered “Zhoukoudian”, a very famous Archaeological site and any introduction course of Archaeology cannot avoid mentioning it. The teacher didn’t know how to pronounce it, but said, “This is a site of Peking Man.” It is fine for common people don’t know that. But how can a college level Archaeology teacher don’t know it.

I love Archaeology and have expected to study it in a long time. But I’m so unlucky to meet an unknowledgeable teacher as her. We will have the first quiz next Monday. She told us there were 25 questions on it. That means one question weights four points. If you make two questions wrong, you grade drops to A-, and it is hard to keep all question correct or make only one mistake. I don’t think it’s a good arrangement for a test.

Nevertheless, I understand we have to use to do any kind of situation. I will spend more time to read the textbook. By the way, the book is very interesting and easy to understand. I still expect an A on this course.

A trip on July 4

The second session of the summer courses started on this Monday. There are a lot of materials that I have to read. Basically, I need to read around six pages, two chapters for Archaeology and one chapter for American history, per day. Both of those courses are very interesting. For this reason, I never feel bad about the readings. The only problem is I will have little time to write journals.

For American history, the professor emphasizes the class participation and may require in class writing. I know his requirement is reasonable. Asking or answering questions in class means you are thinking. But I am too shy to speak in front of all the students. I am also worried about the writing. Without a preparation, I don’t what I can write in a short time in the class. I could not reach a high level on history study.

In contrast, the professor of the Archaeology is a new teacher. She doesn’t like questions. This is my first time encounters a teacher who dislikes questions. She said, asking question would interrupt her lecture, and that also means you didn’t read the textbook well. Her class is easier, and I should like her although I know she couldn’t be considered a good teacher.

Yesterday was July 4, the Independent Day. I went to climbing with my friends. The whole trip was good, and the half hour of climbing rocks was particularly exciting. We spent majority hours on the way and got refreshed in a friend’s apartment after the climbing, but spending only three hours on hiking and climbing. I was not exhausted at all. Three hours walking was a piece of cake for me. I wish I can have a trip that makes me very tired. Living cities is not easy to find a way to make yourself very tired.

All the friends on the trip were natural English speakers. They spoke very fast. I understood them mostly, but I couldn’t join into their conversation at all despite they were very nice to me. I was so embarrassed and wanted to go home badly. I believed my friend would not invite me other trips any more because I was so silly and seams knowing nothing. However, I understand the first step to involve a new circle is very difficult, but I have to use to it. If there is another chance to go with them in the future, I will go and will encourage myself speak more and feel more comfortable.