:(good memories

I am feeling very sad right now…can you guess what is happening to me? Yes…I have to leave in a few days. I can’t believe my time here has passed so quickly. When I first realized that there were not many days left here, I was so sad. I am still sad now. The first thing that I thought of was probably, I mean, definitely, I will miss my new friends from my school and more than anything, I will miss my family, I am going to miss them so much. Maybe I will miss them as much as I would my real family.

 When I was thinking about what I did here, I thought that I have learned and done a lot of different things. I thought about how I felt when I first came here to meet my new family, and when I had to go to school for first day. I got nervous. But now, there wasn’t the word ‘nervous’ in my heart or in my mind. The words that are in my mind and heart are “fun and happy”.

 While I was staying here, I learned a lot of things about Sierra Leone. Even though it was HISTORY, it was fun, even though I had to study, It was fun. When I play sports, I had a lot of fun here.  Vacation was wonderful too; you can’t even imagine how wonderful it was, exciting and interesting. It was the most beautiful thing and wonderful thing I had ever seen.

 I can’t believe that soon I am not going to do many things that I am used to doing here. Like eating here, and playing here. And it was fun to write blogs about what I did, what I saw, what I ate, and what I felt.  I am going to miss every single thing here. Food. Of course my mom’s cooking was the best. Friends. They were the reason why I had so much fun here, and knew many things, they helped me. If my friends were the reason why I had fun, the family was the reason why I stayed here, had so much fun and didn’t get worried about anything.

  But I think my sisters and my new mom are sad too. My little sister, Vera is crying right now. Also my baby sister, Miatta is so sad. And my older sister keeps saying be careful when I go back, and she is going to miss me. Me too. I am going to miss them so much too!! Mom is asking me what I want to eat on my last day. Just normal food. Just like I am not going anywhere. Just like I am going to do my home work after I eat dinner, like a normal day. Just like we are going to live together forever. Even though it was only a year, they gave me everything and made me happy! Are you guys sad too that I am not going to write blogs anymore? That is the one part of why I am sad! I can’t write blogs anymore. But these blogs are the most important thing to me, they have all my memories, and stories with them.

 I am packing right now. I felt very weird. But I feel the same as I did when I was packing to come here, my heart is bumping and I am nervous, but this time, I am nervous about leaving all of my wonderful experiences behind. All the things that I packed when I came here were ready. My rain boots for the rain, my camera for the memories, summer clothes for the hot weather. All my things were just there. But things were different, they weren’t new. They smell like my family, my new home, my new school, Sierra Leone.

 I am busy right now. There are many things to do for packing and going back to m own country. Can I say ‘see you! ’ just like we are going to meet again? Don’t be sad and see you!!!

« :DFUN FUN! the best Vacation!:D

:DFUN FUN! the best Vacation!:D

It was so excited! Oh! Didn’t I tell you? I went to vacation with my new family! I went to a national park called, Outamba-Kilimi National Park. There were many things to see and many places to go; now I will tell you some things that I saw and did.

 It is located in the northwestern part of Sierra Leone, near the border with the Republic of Guinea. Also there are many animals.

When I went to the Outamba-kilimi national park, I saw many interesting things. When I was walking in the park, I saw one monkey called a Mona Monkey.  It has some white hair and is brown. And it has very big eyes. It was looking at me with its big eyes. It was very cute so I took a picture of it!

 One thing that I got interested in before I went there was that they have a high population of Chimpanzees. My family and I met one man who has a Chimpanzee called Pan Zee. The chimpanzee was very big and smart. We spent a lot of time with them. The man was very nice. Also he taught us how to row a canoe.

 I wanted to visit a beautiful lake, and I heard that it’s very big so we can ride a canoe. So we did ride a canoe with the man’s help! It was so fun to ride a canoe.

The one thing that made me sad and feel bad for them was, that many thing had been destroyed because of the civil war. And some of them got hurt from the civil war so they had scars on their shoulder or other parts of their bodies. The land was destroyed a lot too. Some parts that used to have river, had none… So it was dry. And the grasses in some parts were destroyed so it wasn’t growing again.

The next place that I went was the beach in Sierra Leone called Lakka Beach. It takes 20 minutes to get there from Freetown. Also, there are many cafés; there are many popular drinks and food there too.

  I was so excited to eat FRESH sea food!! I love sea food. When I was in Korea and America, I used to eat sea food a lot, but not as fresh as Lakka Beach’s. The good thing was, the weather was hot and It was good to go to beach and tan my skin while swimming. It wasn’t cold at all!

 I was having so much fun. I couldn’t even write all of my stories here because they were too many to tell you about. You should come to Sierra Leone someday!

 See!i am having so much fun here…but I can’t believe that there aren’t many days to spend time here…L but still! It was great…now I have to take a nap!i didn’t take a nap at all during the vacation because I was too busy to play and eat something!bye!

:(good memories »« HAVING FUN!the most inportant thing to me!:)

HAVING FUN!the most inportant thing to me!:)

What do I do for fun?? There are many things that we do for fun in school, or with my friends when we are bored.

 Now I will tell you what the people do here for fun!  Many boys like to play football. I believe that you know what football is! (Soccer)

Also, the best thing that I like to do with my friends is play board games. There are many board games in our classroom, so we can play them during the break time. They are so much fun!

 Sometimes we learn traditional dance in Sierra Leone during history class. And we like to learn traditional songs in too, and sing together in classes.

 There are some games that we play in school while studying.

-Bo Train: they express reactions to art, print and discuss similarities.

-Games around the World: they draw and write down the directions to a favorite game. They also compare toys from different countries and how they are made.

-Music around the World: they brainstorm various kinds of instruments that they could create out of common household materials.

-You’re finished: they review what they have learned.

In school, it is so much fun to study by playing games. For example, we always play ‘you are finished’ before we take a test to review the things that we learn. And it is easier to study and remember things that we have to.

 Besides this, there are a lot of other games to do like street game,

and most of the children cannot buy what they want, and they create their own games with everything. For example “bo train” is the game that from Sierra Leone children created.

   I am not really bored when I get back home after school or on weekends, because it is so fun to play with my sisters and my new friends from my new school! I am having so much fun here!!

:DFUN FUN! the best Vacation!:D »« Learning and having FUN!!!!!!!!!!!

Learning and having FUN!!!!!!!!!!!

When I was learning many things about Sierra Leone, I found out that its history was very interesting! Now, I am going to talk about it. I think you will like it because it is very very interesting!

 Sierra Leone, Free Town, was founded in 1792.The government type is Republic with a democratically elected president and unicameral parliament.

Civil war: There is still a civil war going on in Sierra Leone, although it was said to be over in 2002, the rebuilding of the country has been very slow. Since 1991, the country has suffered war, terror and incredible violence. Around 20,000 to 75,000 people have been killed during this civil war. Also, there were the rebels called, Revolutionary United Front (RUF) by Foday Sankoh.

There are some important people to Sierra Leone’s history. Milton Margai, who had led the independence, he became the country’s first prime minister. He died in 1964, and was succeeded by his half brother, Albert Margai. In 1971, Sierra Leone became a republic headed by a president, General Joseph Momoh who was succeeded by Stevens in 1985.  

When I was looking to learn about Sierra Leone’s history, I found some interesting things.

Sierra Leone means Lion Mountain. At first they called Sierra Leone, Serra de Leão. Sierra Leone was under British control from 1787 until 1961, when it became independent. The similar thing with Korea is, Korea had to work for Japan too, like Sierra Leone and Britain. We couldn’t do anything and we had to do everything that Japan told us to do. But now, we got freedom, like Sierra Leone.

 I didn’t know that learning the history of a new culture would be interesting and so much fun! I had many fun times learning about Sierra Leone’s history. But still, it was hard to learn it because there were a lot of differences with Korean history. But also, there were similar things with Korea. It was very fun to find differences and similarities between Korea and Sierra Leone. I had a lot if fun!!

HAVING FUN!the most inportant thing to me!:) »« My new school and Friends:)

My new school and Friends:)

American International School Freetown

A few days ago, I started to go to my new school!! There were many international students like me.  The school was so fun. I made many friends.

My school has PreK- 8th grade. Now, I am in 7 grade. In the main school building there is a library center, a computer laboratory, the music and art room and administrative offices.

The teachers are very nice and kind to me. Every single subject is very fun and interesting. My favorite class is Art. The teacher was nice too. His name is Mr. Alpha. I liked art when I was in America and Korea too, so I still like to draw, and make things.

 Math wasn’t that hard. I had some vocabulary problem when I was in America too, but exept for that, it isn’t that hard. Mr. Gembeh is very nice and he also teaches Health.

Science is very interesting. I didn’t learn science before in America, so it was pretty hard bcut it was also interesting and it was fun. The teacher whose name is Mr. Alhaji is very funny.

Music, it is also my favorite class. I like to sing, so when I sing it is so fun to learn. And I also like my teacher’s voice. Her voice is very clear and pretty. Her name is Ms. Johnson. She is my favorite teacher. She always is nice to me and she smiles when we sing together.

 I am very excited because I still have a lot of time to play and study in this school. After school, we play the sports. There are many sports in here, and we can enjoy all the sports. It is very fun to play, and study with other people who are come other countries.

Learning and having FUN!!!!!!!!!!! »« Food and the First impression :)

Food and the First impression :)

This time, I want to talk about the food in sierra leone and my frist impression about Sierra Leone.

When I first got to my new house, I was so hungry because of my long flight. I hoped my new mom, Sombo, made something for me; she had and it was so delicious.

 Groundnut stew- seasoned beef with cayenne pepper, cumin, and turmeric. Brown meat in oil.  Serve with rice or boiled sweet potatoes.

Fried plantains- also known as cooking with banana, plantains are members of the banana family.

When I first got here, I got nervous to live in another culture that I was not used to. When I was in the America, the houses were so big and clean, the water was very clean and also the food was very good and there was everything that I needed. I was very nervous to live in another country that is not as clean, the water is dirty and foods are not familiar. But when I got here and lived here for few days, it wasn’t that hard to live here. The water is dirty but I can buy one and there is water in my house, the food is very delicious, my family is kind and nice to me. Everything is very good and comfortable. The school is very fun too. There are many international students and the teachers were all nice; I made many friends. And it is fun to learn Sierra Leone’s story and traditional things about Sierra Leone. (I will blog more about school later!)For me, now everything is good and I have a feeling that it will be more exciting. It will be like home in no time. I am going to enjoy the rest of the year.

My new school and Friends:) »« home and family :)

home and family :)

My new home and new family

It has been a few days living with new family in my new home! When I first got there by car, my new family was waiting for me in front of our house. I got out of the car and I said hi and introduced myself. It was their turn to introduce themselves. There are 3 girls, and a mom. There is one girl who looked like 17 years old.  Her name is Marianma Conteh. There is a girl who is 10 years old. I think she was shy. I was very shy too. She introduced herself very quietly. Her name is Vera.  And also there is one baby. Her name is Miatta.  She seems like she is only 1 year old. The mother’s name is Sombo. It was hard to remember it because those names are not common names where I come from. But now I can remember their names and I am getting used to them. It was pretty easy to introduce myself in English, because I was used to it. When I first got there I wanted to know what they wear and I saw their clothing and they were wearing regular clothing, nothing fancy; that is what I wear now too! I didn’t forget to take a picture of my new family. I was thinking about putting that picture on my blog. !

 I like food in here!! My new mom is very good at cooking, so when it is time to eat lunch or dinner I am so happy that I can eat food from my new mom! I also made many friends in my new country. There were many international students too. I could make friends easier because they are learning a new culture too, like me!! I am so tired right now because I played with my family. I have to get ready for school tomorrow! See you soon!!

Food and the First impression :) »« stepping off the plane

stepping off the plane

Now I am here! I am in my new country. I can see many colorful flowers and trees. I can see red flowers and pink flowers and big trees like baobab tree, Shea-butter, bread fruit, corkwood and other kinds of trees.

 I am in Freetown right now. It’s not too far away from my new home, because my new home is in Freetown too. I will be able to watch and see many kinds of flowers and trees, and also animals.

There are many people on the street too. There are many stores and not many cars. Many people are selling fish or vegetables. And there is a river. I heard that I can’t drink this water because it is too dirty to drink. But the river is  beautiful with the buildings and many flowers around it. Many people are riding bicycles or they are just walking. The buildings are not as good as they are in the United States and Korea. Also, houses are not as big as in Korea or the US. Some of places are very clean and the buildings are very nice, but some of the places are not. . Now, I am going to find a way to go to my new home! There’s not many taxies. It will be hard to find the way to get to my new home.  But it is exciting and interesting to learn different cultures from my own. Now I am going to my new home! See you soon:)

home and family :) »« My big problem, Language!

My big problem, Language!

Language

I don’t have to worry about language because in Sierra Leone people speak English. But I have a problem, when I go to Sierra Leone, I have two layovers.  The second layover is in Dakar, Senegal. It’s important to learn about Senegal because I am going to stay in Senegal for 11 hours. Because I stay there for 11 hours, I have to learn simple phrases in the language. They speak French.  I am going to learn simple French, such as:

 Hi-Bonjour

Where is the bathroom?-où est la salle de bains?

How are you? – omcment allez-vous?

 How much is this?- combien est ce que c’est?

 Where is hotel/restaurant/etc? -  où est salle de bains/ restaurant/etc?

  Goodbye – au revoir

  I am Eyoung-Je suis Eyoung

 I don’t need to learn many of them because I am not going to stay there for a long time. I am staying for just 11 hours. Now I am done with my language problem!

stepping off the plane »« my last party before my voyage!

my last party before my voyage!

My last party before my travel:)

Today is 2 days before my trip to Africa. I am planning my last party before my trip.

I have to say goodbye to my friends and my family. It is sad to go and live without my family, but I am excited about my new home, my new family, and my long voyage. I don’t have to be really sad because I am going to meet new friends in Sierra Leone.

First, I am going to invite my Korean friend to my party. My Korean friend who was in the same elementary school with me. Next, I am going to invite my best friends at Fay and we are going to have a big party. We are going to have Korean food and other types of food too!! I am so excited about my party! I am going to take a lot of pictures to look at in Sierra Leone when I miss my friends and family. I am going to miss all my friends and family, but we are going to have fun at the party! Tonight we are going to play a lot of fun games and we are going to have to a lot of delicious food. Now, I am going to get ready for my last party before my long trip!!

My big problem, Language! »« Flight to go to Sierra Leone