055 students WELCOME new students

good bye and good luck ae2 055 students!

What is below this post was done by ae2 students in 055- August to October 2005. It will be available in vol. 62 of CESL Today, the CESL program newsletter.

Interesting Halloween-By Selina

According to Halloween, which can be called Halloween E'en in Ireland, means the night before the "All Saints", observed on November 1. In an old English the word “Halloween” meant "sanctify". Roman Catholics, Episcopalians and Lutherians used to observe All Halloween Day to honor all Saints in heaven. Participants made sacrifices, offered up prayers for the dead. During Halloween, children dress in special clothes to try to look frightening, for example, as ghosts or witches. People cut the pumpkins to make it look like faces and put a light inside. Children go to door to door and say "trick or treat". Then people will give them some candies.

Some Americans told me that they wore costumes on that day. If people want to give the children candies, they will put the light in front of their door. There are some "haunted houses", which are open on that day. People can walk in them, and some strange things will come out. Our hall will hold a Pumpkin Carving Party. We can enjoy apple cider, cookies, and see a Halloween Movie while carving pumpkins. The person who is good at carving will win a special prize. Our hall will hold a pumpkin chucking contest some days later. We can come throw pumpkins for distance. Ten years ago, if someone wanted to go to downtown by car, his or her car will be broken by stone or set on fire . People broke the windows and fought in the street. So bars are shut down since then.

By Selina

Reference:History of Halloween Retrieved from:Halloween.com

Staying Single

Staying single is one of the alternative life styles in the USA; in recent years the numbers of Americans who like to stay single has been increasing. Discovery Health Online has interviewed Dorian Solot, who is a director of The Alternatives to Marriage Projects, to figure out some information about the unmarried movement among Americans at and she gave the percentages of people who are unmarried, but she said these numbers are not true for staying single because you must like to be together without being married. Also she talked about some reasons for staying single and how this is not big problem for having good children.

For knowing more about the staying single style I asked a 37-year-old American male about his opinion; he is single and he doesn't plan to live with someone together. He thinks to have your freedom even in very tiny things is important; he told me "the best thing in the world is to come down from your bed from which site that you want, to have your dinner when and where! As you like without a lot of questions and stories during the meal time……….To have your freedom, stay single". He thinks there are some disadvantages of staying single and they are not that bad, but he didn't name them for me. When I asked him about his life when he getting very old, if he doesn't have someone to take care of him, he said this not a problem, because he can go to the nursing home, and in this point he thinks to be single is good for him, that he can make a lot of savings so he can go to the best nursing home and get much better care, but if he chooses to be with someone, his partner will get old, so she can't take care of him, and if he has children they will be busy about their life and they may send him to a nursing home anyway. Also I asked a 22-year-old American lady who is single, but she postpones having a husband or boyfriend till she is in her 30s. She believes she can get her freedom if she is with someone that she loves and they understand each other very well, and she think it is not important which alternative life style you are in to be successful in your life.

These are just very personal opinions; I don't think they are telling us why some American people have been chosen the single-hood life style; they may be reasonable or not, but the fact is to be single has become very normal in American society.

Widad

Carbondale's halloween festival

"Haroween is just a pleasant festival," I had thought until I studied about it. I knew only that originatlly had an image of driving out the evil which tries to possess someone, but recently it was given new image by some people. I studied about Halloween history in Carbondale by the articleDairy Egyptian: Back to campus August 1996: halloween still haust SIUC, Carbondale, and had conversations with two Americanpeople. In the article, the riots continued from 1989 to 1994 until "fall break was created." "overturned cars, indecent exposure, slam-dancing and crowd-driving are allevents...," I can understand how awful it was when I just read the article.

I asked two American people why that riot happened and they answered with some reasons:"Carbondale is near Chicago; Carbondale's bar fee is less expensive than Chicago's, Atmosphere, stress or some other things. By creating "fall break,: which got studects to haveCarbondale to keep them from rioting, some of the riots have not happened lately. However this has caused a decrease in bar owcer's profits from Halloween. I understood they have so many problems, but I don't know whether it is better to select that "fall break" or not.

Sosuke Uematsu

Stepfamilies

A stepfamily is a family in which one or both of the adult partners bring children from a previous relationship, in other words when the father or mother of a child remarried. People use the term "Stepfamily" because this term means "working together with the expanded family memebers." Being in a stepfamily could have problems and the biggest problem is the relationship between the stepson and the stepmother or stepfather and especially te discipline. Although ther are some tips taht can help to make a good relationship with the stepchild and be succesful: communication, spend alone time together, be honest and open, all members of the stepfamily need to get to know each other well before a remarrege take place.

According to my survey about how American people think concerning stepfamilies, people in the US are more open minded about being in a stepfamily than International people; Americans think that the main problem is focused in the relationship with the stepmother or stepfather and the stepson, mostly with discipline; Americans people think that to be in a a stepfamily and to be successful the adult and the stepchild need to have a good communication as a friends, and explain to the kid that he or she is not taking he place of his/her mom or dad, and the members of the famil need to have activities where all of them can participate and fell like a real family again. I you are thinking of remariage and you need help there is a group named Stepfamily Association of America (SAA).

Hoi Lin

MASK OF THE DRUNKEN

I was surprised at reading the terrible story of "Halloween in Carbondale" -http://www.dailyegption.com/fall100/10-27-00/hupdate.html. It was 1994 when there was the last celebration on the Strip involving Halloween in Carbondale. The young drunken groups were violent to the society. There were riots! The policeman used tear-gas to arrest them. After 1994 the policemen strongly controlled the young drunken groups in Halloween.

Around 10 years ago, what happened in Carbondale? The young opened a big party and enjoyed their party with alcohol. Even though they know most students should have a good time and be responsible, what made them becomed violent? Some American said, "I don't know!" "They are young, drunken!!" "Stay at home with candies on Halloween."

What made Carbondale young people become violent at Halloween? Some Americans pointed that a number of young people who couldn't get good grades and didn't belong in school live in Carbondale with alcohol. It's inevitable for them to get angry. Maybe they resolve their anger through drinking alcohol like the other cities of young people. Every weekend they enjoy alcohol, making trial problems individually. Alcohol makes them be free, be happy. Futhermore they got mask of the drunken who are violent, uncontrolled, unacceptable to society. They reveal their hidden animal instinct which has been controlled to be good by socialization. They enjoy some bad activity for fun itself together in Halloween. The group with the drunken masks, after hiding their faces behind masks are very dangerous to society. Alcohol brings up a drunken mask in deep heart in Halloween. Drunken people are more likely to cause violence as a group. They are rebellious, defiant against society. So we try to find out the way for young people to solve their problem. We have to be more interested in young people.

SOONY

Carbondale Halloween

I read some websites about Halloween violence and Carbondale Halloween. According to websites, there are a lot of violent things that happened. For instance, people broke some windows, trees, and cars. Moreover, some people fought with the police. The people also throw beer at the people downtown. I think that happened because the police always were not serious at Halloween.

I talked with American students about the violence in Halloween. They told me that all the violence came from people who live out of town, for example, Saint Louis, Marion, Edwardsville, Champaign, even Chicago. In their opinion, the people did the violent behavior because they drank too much. However, I think the main reason is the history of Carbondale Halloween and the crowd.

By Mohammed Ali

Staying Single

In America, half of people choose staying songle now. More women are unmarried (48%) than men (44%). In the 1950s and 1960s, men were marrying at 23, and women at 20. In 1998, it was only slightly higher, 27 for men and 25 for women. The reason for staying single is women no longer need husbands to support them, and men no longer need wives to cook and clean. Divorce rate is 50%. In Japan, 25-29 year old women's unmarried percentage is 54% and 25-29 year old men's is 69.5%. Unmarried-for-life women are 5.8% and men are 12.4%. The reason for staying single is the same reason for men and women. They think, act, and live freely. The divorce rate is 30%. Staying single and divorce rate will increase. Most of my classmates said staying single is freedom. They can save money, they don't have to worry about anyone and it's not necessary to pay attention etc. But they think staying single is lonely and they can't speak to anyone. My opinion for staying single is the same opinion as my classmates. In America, 50% of people choose staying single and 50% of the married people divorce. It is interesting for me to look at these result.

I asked 2 Americans, Kim and Melissa. They had similar opinions. Kim said permanently single people don't know anyone who they would like to have a romantic relationship with and they can be content by themselves, but they are lonely. Melissa said permanently single people don't want to have trouble and they can live more easily, but they are lonely. Both of them think staying single is lonely, and my classmates had the same reason too. In America half of people want to be unmarried, but Kim and Melissa seem to want marriage. I think 2 Americans and my classmates had similar answers and I think so too. My class is international, so opinion of staying single is common worldwide, I thought. I was interested in these reasons.

Chiemi Fukunaga

Halloween itself

People usually cut a pumpkin, called "Jack-O-Lanterns", and make a face at Halloween. Children go door to door and say "trick or treat" which means that they will do something bad for people if people don`t give children candies. They also play the game, "bobbing for apples". Why did Halloween start? People thought dead people came back to get a new body so that they could continue to live at Halloween. So, they offered foods to keep ghosts away from them. It`s interesting that children disguise and go door to door because there is no holiday like Halloween in Japan.

I asked three Americans about violence in Holloween. They said people broke windows and turned cars over three years ago. They think alcohol leads to violence since drinkers feel that they can do anything. One guy said that people wear masks and costumes, so nobody knows who they are. It easily brings violence. Another said Halloween is more negative than other holidays because symbols of Halloween are witches, skeltons and so on. So, people become more violent at Halloween. But these years, police are around the Strip, so violence has decreased, said another guy. I think wearing masks helps people do bad things and the fact that Halloween is based on scary things is also an important factor.

By Wakako

Staying single

I read the website Unmarried America: Equal Benefits For Singles. According to the website, there are 87 million unmarried and single adults. Some of them have complaints against penalties for them. For example, there is the pension. If a married worker dies before starting to recieve the benefit, a surviving spouse can inherit them. But, for singles, their money goes back into the pot. Some classmates said people stay single because they can avoid problems of husband and children and enjoy their single life. The biggest benefit is to have free time for themselves and the hardest part is being lonely.

I asked two Americans these four questions.1.Do you know anyone who plans to stay single forever? 2.Why do they prefer that option? 3.What do you think are the biggest benefits of staying single? 4.What is the hardest part of staying single? Neither of them know anyone who plans to stay single forever. John said people stay single because they don't want to dedicate themselves to one person. The biggest benefit is they have more freedom for themselves and the hardest part is being lonely. Brandon said people stay single because they can save money. The biggest benefit is they can't get a broken heart. And the hardest part is they have to cook. Their answers were similar to that of classmates. I think most young American people want to get married, because they were puzzled to find answers for these questions. Both of them said questions were very difficlt to answer. I think they haven't thought about staying single.

Saori Tabuchi

Halloween Itself

I learned some things about Halloween, so I want to tell you about them. Halloween is celebrated here in the U.S.A with a variety of activities on October 30. It is traditionally observed by children who dress up in costumes and go door to door saying "Trick or Treat" so that the residents will give them candy. The original idea is this:Ancient Celtics believed that the evil spirit and the witch appeared on October 30, the day before of All Saints' Day (Hallowmas). The Celtics made Halloween to repulse the evil spirit and the witch. And the culture has spread to the West. The custom of Halloween was brought to the U.S.A in the 1840Åfs by Irish immigrants. The purpose of wearing the costume which is symbol of scary things, is to drive away the evil spirits, who see the appearance and are surprised.

I interviewed some Americans and learned many things from it. First, Americans usually buy a few bags or candy treats such as small chocolate bars etc. and pass these out on the designated "trick or treat" night in their town. Unfortunately, the woman I talked to also eats quite a few of these herself. Second, many college students will decorate their dorm rooms like a Haunted Houses with pumpkins, lights and many symbols of scary things. Traditionally chidlren of high school age and below go to those places to be scared or be brave, depending on your perspective. Many houses and dorms will have costume parties also. Finally, about two years ago, there was violence in Carbondale Halloween. Students got into trouble over the Halloween weekend on the "strip" or on north 51 that goes by KAYA and the other bars and restaurants. There were incidents of fights and an attempt to block the street for outdoor party, for example, overturned cars and broken windows etc. These incidents were made by heavy drinking crowds.

Hiroto

Communes

Twinoaks

100 People Sharing Our Lives •

"Twin Oaks is an intentional community in rural central Virginia, made up of around 85 adult members and 15 children. Since the community's beginning in 1967, our way of life has reflected our values of cooperation, sharing, nonviolence, equality, and ecology.
We do not have a group religion; our beliefs are diverse. We do not have a central leader; we govern ourselves by a form of democracy with responsibility shared among various managers, planners, and committees. We are self-supporting economically, and partly self-sufficient. We are income-sharing. Each member works 42 hours a week in the community's business and domestic areas. Each member receives housing, food, healthcare, and personal spending money from the community." (using "www.twinoaks.org")

Why do they prefer to choose such closed life style? Such different lifestyle has reflected what questions are in our life. There are two features in current society- busy and isolated, even though our life is more convenient and that communication is more improvable. For this reason, some people want to search or establish a new society which is ordinary and relative, Twin Oaks Intention Community just as well. However, if you want to get such a quality life that you need to lost something. For example, you won’t own more individual money and private housing if you want to live here. So the system doesn’t fit for anybody. Most my classmates have no intention to live in communes even though this life will improve their spiritual life. Especially, Privacy seems to be the strongest why they refuse. Thus it can be seen, privacy is the most important requirement to housing so a good commune should put in time and effort to privacy. When you are pleasure with giving up your privacy and sharing lots of something, and you can try to live in Twin Oaks Intentional Community. Maybe it will be your Utopia.
In my interview for living in communes, the one said, “The biggest disadvantage is separation of the world.” “The biggest advantage is closed with people.” another said, “The biggest disadvantage is too much strict.” “The biggest advantage is nothing because it is evil.” There is a common opinion between them- People who live in this community are controlled, no real freedom. Really, many regulations put on these residents so that they could own cooperation, sharing, nonviolence, equality, and ecology. It’s very interesting that the community is giving us a picture filled with peace, love, health but you also lost freedom. Can we command the best life losing freedom? At least, I’m seeing “100 people” who think so. In my opinion, it seems to practice Marxism, and these people can fit and enjoy this life. Eventually, I think that there is no system can make the best life for everyone but different systems fit different people. As some people like to live at Carbondale, others don’t. So It’s the most important to seek this lifestyle fitting you.