Studying alone in an unfamiliar place

According to the book Gathering of Pearls, which is written by Sook Nyul Choi, it tells a story about the experience of a North Korean girl, calls Sookan, go to college in the US. She meets the differences between Korean culture and American culture. Leaving home and going to a totally different place, she fixes the problem of hard courses, finding friends and moving from tons of works to do to her college life. I like the book by showing me the feelings when I came to CA along, highlighting the personality, the changes and the emotion of a living person, and comparing different cultures in chapters.

Sookan’s experience is not exactly the same as my experience when I came aboard along. She’s the only international student at her school and it’s even sealed at that time in North Korea. It’s much more easier for me to settle in Cheshire Academy than her experience. However, it’s the same for me to feel lonely by leaving my mother country, my family members and my good friends. It’s still hard for me to totally get in to that American culture and I even cannot completely understand it now. It’s interesting because reading the book is like reading the experience of myself in other’s perspective.

In the meantime, the delicate descriptions make Sookan a vivid person. I see her changes in chapters. I know that she has been a shy girl who’s hardly speaking or stating her feelings. It seems like she has been kind of inflexible and a little bit clumsy in the first few chapters. Then, Sookan does change to be more outgoing; she gets more friends and starts having her own life that she wanted to have. I like the way that the author change her mind and moving her to a brighter person. It makes me to see the changes that her friends, and the new condition give her.

Then, in the book, the author shows lots of differences between North Korea and America. For example, men could do housework for their family and people can talk to each other in any ages. Sookan seems so surprised that people can recommend each other by themselves. There are many surprising things happened since she has been to America. These things are also factors to change her. For example, her sister wants her to be a nun and she has chosen to obey her before but she changes her mind after going to America. Even though she might already know what she wants to do in the future, studying aboard encourages her to catch her dream. I like the conflict in her mind so much. Also, I like to see the culture it shows in the letters to her mother, and sister. These factors attract me to read further more.

To conclude, I haven’t finished the whole book yet and I would continue reading. I would recommend my friends in China to read it by understanding our lives; I would also recommend my friends who already study abroad to read it by comparing the lives.

Discussion question

1 Why doesn't Sister Reed want Sookan to bring books to Marci's house?
2 What does Sookan feel when she made traditional Korean food during the winter break

Gathering of Pearls Study Guide: Chapters 6-12

Chapter 6

1.     Reflect on the letter that Sookan receives from her sister. Describe the conflict between the two women. Also discuss the internal conflict (with herself) that Sookan has. Why is this important to the novel and to Sookan’s identity?

Sookan’s sister blamed her by not writing any journals to her. She said how great her job as being a nun was and she said she thought it was bad for Sookan not writing anything to her. For Sookan, she knew that she needed to obey her sister but the first thing came up to her mind was she thought her sister didn’t understand her. She found that the only thing her sister care about is her work instead of Sookan. However, by the habit that she must obey and listen to her sister, she still started to write a journal. It’s important because Sookan, at that point of time, start to think by herself instead of implicitly follow her sister.

Chapter 7

1.     What does Ellen think is important in college (and in life)?

Ellen thinks the activities, such as parties, the mixers and social scenes are important.

2.     How does her friendship with Ellen make Sookan reconsider her future?

They think Sookan doesn’t need to obey her sister to be a nun, she should do whatever she wanted to.

3.     Do you think that Sookan is right to listen to Ellen or should she follow the model of her sister instead?

I think she should listen to Ellen that everybody has their own life experience. A road that others gave to you might not be the one you can settle in or the one you like. Each person is lived on their own, not for others. Sookan should live her own life.

Chapter 8

1.     Why does Sookan get in trouble and receive demerits in Ch. 8?

It’s because she missed the afternoon attendance.

2.     Do you think she made the right decision in sneaking out?

Yes. Even though it’s bad to miss the attendance, she was extremely busy to find even another minute to write to her sister. And her sister would get much mad if she doesn’t reply the sister’s letter.

3.     What is the letter that she writes about?

She writes about her life in America and she explained the reason that she has no time to write a journal.

4.     How do you think her sister will react to this letter?

I think her sister would still feel angry because Sookan still didn’t listen to her completely. She would say something more aggressive to force Sookan write to her everyday.

Chapter 9

1.     Thanksgiving with Ellen’s family is both good and bad for Sookan. Why? Gice at least two reasons for each.

It’s good for her. Firstly, she knew a different kind of family that seemed to be so nice to each other and seemed to be equal. Then, she had a great time their and she knew Ellen and her family better.

Chapter 10

1.     What is Sookan’s secret study spot?

The shower room, which is the only room that would have light after lights out, is her secret study spot.

2.     What happened to her while she was studying for her final exam?

She fell down and got a fever.

3.     What are Sister Reed’s instructions for Sookan over winter break?

Marci would take her and Ellen to her house without any books and bring, and they would talk about the schedule after break.

Chapter 11

1.     Compare the two letters from home: how is the one from her mother different from the one from her sister? What does this show about these two women and their different viewpoints about life and about Sookan?

According to mother’s letter, she’s proud of Sookan and she told her that every simple thing happened to her. I found her love by Sookan’s missing her and the language she used when she taught. She mentioned small things to comfort Sookan’s heart of home missing. However, for what the sister said, she didn’t know that Sookan’s perspective of a new world, which called America. She’s just show up her work and say how great she was. She’s controlling Sookan and never cared about her sister.

Chapter 12

1.     What food does Sookan prepare for her guests?

She prepared Korean food

2.     What do Marci and Ellen add to the celebration?

Ellen made cookies while Marci made brownies.

3.     Who joins them?

Sister Reed does.

4.     Why do you think this gathering is so important to Sookan?

It made her relax, and realized her life in Korea. It made her came out from her own world of the worries and problems to get a peaceful time to enjoy the party and remind her hometown.

Letter

Dear sister,

Sorry for not writing you so long. I'm so sorry that I was too busy to write a daily journal. However, my heart was not apart, and I'm always with you and our family.

America is a nice country even though the culture is different. Can you believe that my friend Marci didn't obey what her sister say at all? Can you believe that Ellen, my friend also, can have a boy friend depends on her own? I'm sure I would never do the same thing even though we are close friends. But what would you think about them?

Just as what I said before, I was busy everyday to learn history and doing many extra works. Wish to write you again soon.

Yours,
Sookan

The repeating life

What would happen if a person died hundreds of times? How did he feel? I can never image a life that people die at “tomorrow” and come back to “today” repeat and repeat. From the fiction movie Edge of Tomorrow, people can see a repeating life. If I can have a repeating life in normal days, I would think it’s great that I can improve from knowing my mistakes and change them. However, for the main character major William Cage who was in a time period of war, it wasn’t that lucky to be killed and waken up a day before in every single day of his life that he could never go to “tomorrow” and he even cannot choose to die.

Edge of tomorrow was talking about a war between the aliens called Mimics and humans. Cage was accidently sent to the war and kill a different Mimic who has a strange control of time. Each time he has been killed can start a reset of time and he would be sent back to a day before. After the third time he died, he met a woman called Rita, known as the Angel of Verdun. She has the same experience during another big fight with the Mimics and her ability lost after a transfusion of blood. She taught Cage how to win the war and find a knowledgeable person to help them. Then, Cage started his repeating life and beat many difficulties to win the war. During his experience, he saw Rita died hundreds of times and he died hundreds of times. However lastly, they found the omega, which is the most important thing for the Mimics, and destroy it to win the war.

Cage, the main character, seemed to be a tough person. He didn’t want to go to the war and his weak in the very beginning of the film. However, when he known his importance, he started training himself everyday and every time after his death. In the meantime, he remembered all the reason of his death that made his life got better and last longer. It meant he already get used to his death, but is still courage for somebody to kill himself again and again. People has a fear of death and if I can choose, I would never want to die many times.

I like the movie, not just because of the fantastic plot, also the emotion I saw from the movie. The plot was great and new that it mixed up many good points of other movies. However what’s more attractive for me was the emotion of Cage and Rita. Cage saw Rita died over three hundred times. Even though it was the first time for Rita to meet Cage every time he woke up, she’s the most familiar person in his life. He always wished that she could survive first then they would find the way to win the war together. He loved Rita, because of her perseverant, her hard working and even her heartlessly. It was too attractive for me to find the humanity to love in a hard time for human.

To conclude, it was a great movie with an unusual topic and it made me to see the life of a life repeating people. I wish people would go to see the movie to understand more about the humanity and learn from the movie.

sook nyul choi

1. Sook Nyul Choi is a Korean American children's storybook author.

   She's from North Korea.

   She has written 6 books.

   She has graduated from Manhattanville College.

   She fled to South Korea during the Korean War.