My American Dream Comes True

Hi Jade , Justin and Joel .

For almost a decade we have planned to visit America. It was on 4th June 2010 that we joined a tour group to the South Western coastal tour of America. We landed at San Francisco and went along the western coastal area, visiting California, Las Vegas, Black Canyon, Pebble Beach, Hollywood and the Disney in Los Angeles. The whole tour ended on 16th June

From Angeles where our package tour ended we took an internal flight by Atlanta Airlines to Boise, Idaho. Granduncle Don and Grandaunt Suan were there to meet us. We stayed with them in Cascade, a small town, about 2hours drive from Boise where Granduncle Don's children are staying.

We had a wonderful time at Cascade, feasting our eyes to the beautiful scenery around it. Granduncle Don drove us up the hills and mountains in his 4-wheel drive where we had the opportunity not only to see the beautiful landscape that spread below it but also to inhale in the fresh invigorating air around us. He also took us out on his motorboat out in the lakes and ponds. It was our first experience fishing in a motorboat . It;s beginner's luck and Ah Ma caught a few trouts for dinner that night. We stayed with them till 30thJune .

Why turn to Australia for English language teachers?

Jaydee The Star Publication Date : 07-04-2010

I refer to Hussaini Abdul Karim’s letter “Get it right, it’ll speak volumes for our English” (The Star, April 6) in which he says, “The best, practical and cheapest way to teach or re-teach our students the English language at primary and secondary schools, colleges and universities is to bring back retired British-trained English teachers.” What about British-trained Malaysian teachers or even Malaysian students who have been trained in Britain or those who have been trained by the British-trained Malaysian teachers? There is a plethora of English language expertise that the Government can tap on. It is difficult to comprehend why the Government is turning to Australia for help with the English language in Malaysia. The Australians speak English with an accent which is difficult to understand. They use slang and idiomatic expressions which are not commonly heard of in the rest of the world. Can you imagine how a person from China would sound if he had learnt English from a Frenchman? That is exactly how out-of-place our Malaysians would feel if they learnt English from the Australians. English has become a foreign language in Malaysia. To learn English in Malaysia, however, Malaysians are fortunate to have an abundance of resources for all ages, especially in the form of entertainment. Our local English language teachers should make use of all these resources like websites, TV shows, radio, newspapers and magazines, and not depend fully on the textbook and workbook with the sole aim of getting students to score As in the examination. Making use of the listening skill is imperative, too. Give students practice so that they are aware of how words are strung together and pronounced. I think that getting British trainers to teach the trainee teachers to use these resources will see better results in the long run than getting a few Australian teachers to teach a handful of students on a short-term basis.