Endings – GED Class – and new beginnings – HSK

Today was my last day of going to my GED class. Summer term is over and I’ll start taking my tests next week, starting with the orientation session on Tuesday then the math on Wednesday. After that I’ll take two tests per week; one on Monday, and one on Wednesday, for two weeks after that, my last test being on August 20th.

After that I’ll call Rosa, the lady who runs the ABE/GED program here at the Rock Creek campus, and get signed off on the 12 free credits for completing the testing and having over 50 hours of participation in the class. Then it’s off to see an adviser and start planning what I’ll do with those free credits. I’m planning on using them to take the most basic prerequisite courses that need to be taken for any and all majors.

I plan on dually enrolling here at PCC and at PSU and doing a double major in English and Chinese. Apparently, so says Sam, the YES Program guy, PSU’s Chinese department is excelent. He’s actually going to China at the end of August… he’ll be living my dream as I prepare for it I guess.

*sigh*

Speaking of preparation, Chinese, and PSU, I’m going to start studying for the HSK Basic in August. I’m not 100% sure when I’ll actually take the test yet but I figure now is as good a time to start as any. They have a flashcard set at Powells Books for $15 or $16 that is specifically for people studying for the HSK; they should have self-study course books and those nifty book-and-cd sets full of practice tests as well. If they don’t have them I can always go to Amazon.com and get everything I’ll need.

I also want to get a good Simplified dictionary as well. I have a very good dictionary already, don’t get me wrong, but it only has Traditional characters and I want one for both types, because I’m learning both. And any Chinese learner will tell you that having more then one Chi-Eng dictionary is a good thing anyways. Maybe I’ll get one that’s Chi-Eng and Eng-Chi together in one book, but I hear those aren’t as good as the ones that are just one or the other, so I might have to get THREE new dictionaries… or a palm pilot and Plecodict; it would be a more expensive option but I wouldn’t have to buy a new paper dictionary OR flashcards, so it might just be the way to go.

Anyways, I’m looking forward to the things to come but I will miss the people from my GED class; I told Jan, my teacher, that she is officially my favorite teacher ever, and as she is the first person to ever successfully teach me math that is seriously no joke. The fact that she’s an awesome person in general doesn’t hurt her case either.

Happy Independence Day!!~

I’m very fortunate to live where I do; America, of course, but I’m talking a little bit more specific then that. Every year my town, St. Helens, Oregon puts on a firework show down on Sand Island, which is on the Columbia River.

I just so happen to live on a hill about two blocks away from the park on the waterfront which is where most of the town – not to mention people who travel out here to see our show each year – congregate. But from my hill we get a great view of the show so we just watch it from our deck; no dealing with crowds or traffic or any other stressful things of a like nature.

True, the house across the street from mine blocks the view of some of the fireworks that don’t get up too high, but I figure that’s a small price to pay for getting to see the show from my own house.

I can’t post pictures or anything because I don’t own a camera so yeah… but, fireworks are fireworks; I’m sure it’s an easy picture to imagine in one’s mind

Thinking about this day always makes me feel fortunate that I’m an American, not everyone in the world has some of the freedoms I take for granted most of the time… Choice, Expression, Speech, and so many others…

There are even some places in the world fighting to even be a free Nation in their own right! I feel for those places and those peoples; let’s face it, oppression sucks. It’s a nasty, nasty thing and I genuinely feel for those who are oppressed. I hope their tides turn for the better, I really do… I can’t imagine what it would be like to live in a place ruled (or at leased claimed) by oppressors. It would be horrible indeed…

Bleh… depressing thoughts… today is supposed to be a happy day!! So no more dark thoughts!

Happy Independence Day all!~~