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University Settlement's Writing Class of ESL Program at  175 Eldridge Street,  New York, NY  10002   (212) 533-6306

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Important  Place To Live              Contents

Links ChineseInfo. English Info. Spanish Info, Contents of ESL Yu Zhen Chan David Chen Lisa Lee Wah You Lee Marisa Leung Winnie Leung Wen Fei Liang Pak Ping Ng Elena Tang Sau Mei To Man Ying Wong Pauline Yau Muhammed Gunsel Yildirim Faraguna

I remember many years ago, I was talking with my wife; I was looking for a place to settle my family and me. The place in my mind was quiet, harmonions, made no distinctions of race, color or area of origin. People were knowledgeable, peace-loving, obey the law, and respected and helped one each another. When my wife heard I was saying that, she said, “you can’t find that place. It is impossible that our planet has such a beautiful perfect place for us. It is only in the Bible you can see it. Don’t be a fool! If everybody as I were say, none all of us need any more laws and police. That is just your dream”

Since I was moved to the U.S. I found out this country is very similar to and even better than my dream. Effectively, people in this country have freedom of speech, press, religion, as I s imagined. When I learned this I felt I was too late in coming to this country. If I came here earlier, I would have had the opportunity to do something. This country is so attractive and challenging, especially for the people who are wishing that, here is the best place to realize their dream. Here you can continue to develop your knowledge or skill, without any affect by the political or personal matters.

If you came from a dictatorship country, you can compare the past with the present, and I’m sure you’d agree with me. I’m telling the truth.

Although I’m little senior, I’m still having a lot of desire to pick up my English speaking and writing skill and take the advantage of this opportunity to develop my English as soon as possible. I love my country, and thank God for giving me the opportunity to find such a beautiful place to live.

Advice To My Sister                       Contents

The question you asked me last year, I have been thinking about for a long time. I will tell the truth. In my opinion, you should consult with your husband, sons and daughters, because these matters are not just own your own business Maybe they have their own point of view. Your children are adults. They have their own families; they know what to do in their lives. Furthermore they are growing up and receive- their education in Panama. They are used to their lifestyle in Panama It’s very difficult for people who to settle in a new country again. I think. you think it over and over. Your family and you work so hard to establish the success as today. You said Panama business situation very badly. But you should understand. The economic crisis has affected everywhere in the world. You should keep as cool as a cucumber and keep your shirt on. I know you love them a lot, but you have to respect their decision.

The life in U.S. is not as you imagine for a newcomer. If they come here, they will face a lot of the difficulties. For an example: they will have the language barrier, the different weather, customs, and lifestyle, and miss their friends… I have a good idea: Why don’t you send your youngest daughter to study in The U.S? You can help her to finish her college studies in The U.S. I think she will appreciate your kindness and this opportunity.

You might say if moving to the U.S. has such problems, why did I move here? I‘ll frank with you. My situation and your situation are very different. I had my plans for many years. We don’t have a dream to make a lot of money. We know who we are. We are very ordinary people. So, we live as anybody else. We wanted our children to have a better education and future. When they graduated from high school in Panama I sent them to study at colleges in the U.S. I also taught them at a very young age; how to focus on their studies and future. So, they learned how to defend themselves and how independent. It was very hard for them, but they have done it .I was think they will understand me when they grow up. It was heartbreaking when they were far way from me. Thank GOD for protect! All of them have finished their college educations and got their degrees. They have good jobs, two of them have married, and they have their child. They have a wonderful life in The U.S

Your daughter Cristina is okay in every way; she works at a big company in Manhattan; and she also has a big salary. Her company has promised to handle her immigration status soon. So you don’t have to worry at all about her. When you have time, come to visit us. Happy NEW YEAR for everybody and a good night This is my writing exercise. It’s. Not so good I hope you will understand it. When you have time, drop me a line.

My  Interests                                    Contents

Since I was very young, I was interested in Chinese martial arts. I read a lot of books about Chinese martial arts and warrior stories. I even wanted to practice martial arts. But I did not have money to pay for classes until I returned to Panama when I got a job. But in Panama, nobody taught the arts I wanted to study. As I could not find someone who could teach me, I went to practice Judo, Aikido, and Karate for five years. All those arts were effective. They helped me a lot in my field of martial arts.

On one occasion, I met my master Chufu in Hong Kong in 1970. He was a very nice older man. He taught a lot of martial arts—Dragon and Pak Mei forms—to me. He liked me very much and he said I was his favorite disciple. Because I was a disciplined student I practiced very hard when I took classes with him. He also knew I was a lover of martial arts. We had this interest in common, so we got along well. He also invested his whole lifetime in martial arts. He wanted his arts to grow everywhere in the world. He expected me to continue to develop his arts in the world. I feel a great shame because I could not realize my teacher’s dream. I hope one day I can do it in the U.S.

Although my teacher no longer exists in this world, his spirit is still living in my heart. He not only taught me martial arts, he also taught me morality and his valuable experiences of teaching. He treated his students like his daughters and sons. He was an active person in society when he was alive. He always brought his students to participate in different activities in his community. He had many students who are now giving classes in different countries of the world.

When I lived in Panama, I gave Chinese martial arts classes to my friends. I was the first person who introduced the Chinese martial arts to Panamanian people. I was very happy I could realize this part of my teacher’s dream. From the class I knew a lot of people who were not only Panamanian children and adults; some of them came from other countries. Through the class I realized that martial arts have no borders or race differences; they are also a tool to communicate. We can learn from each other.

By Ofelio Chen My First Female Friend: Alice -my  love story will be  on the next page!          Contents