Hadline

EAP III FEEDBACK

2008-04-12T17:46:00.000-07:00

Well, it is the end of EAP III! Congratulations to everyone because we survived! I had an amazing semester, during which I learned a lot of things. I am glad that I met so intelligent and open minded classmates. It was also an honour for me to be taught by Scott. Honestly, he is the best teacher I have ever had in my life, because he is so professional, and I never get bored during his classes. I also think that he is one of the rare teachers that really care about students, and do his job because it is his passion. What else, I think that EAP III experience allowed me to grow as a student, and also as a person. I learned a lot about different studying methods, and also about human behaviour. The only negative point for me was my final presentation, because I was nervous and I just forgot everything about the topic. But it is a constructive experience for me because I learned something about myself: I never thought that I could miss a presentation and that I could be nervous in front of my classmates. But I was happy to have my sister’s encouragements when I came back home and told her that it wasn’t good. I am so fortunate to have my sister by my side. I can’ even imagine how would be the life in Calgary without her. What else, I officially have English proficiency. I took the CAEL, and I got the score I need to enter to university. I was very happy because I was so scared about the results. I think that the CAEL is a little bit similar to what we do in EAP. It is really an academic-oriented exam. But there are no questions with multiple choices as in the TOEFL. Each question must be answered in the students’ words.
Besides, I remember when I moved in Calgary a few months ago. I was completely disoriented because I missed my family and friends. I still miss them, but now I am so much stronger, and I can cope with that.

GLADIATOR

2008-03-15T22:18:00.000-07:00

I watched a movie named Gladiator on TV. Gladiators are men that are chosen according to their physical strength to fight in an arena. They have to fight against each other in order to kill each other. The survivor is the winner. Sometimes wild animals like lions are included in the fight. Those cruel fights are set up in order to entertain people. At that time, the nation was very fond of violent battles and gladiators were popular in Roma. It takes place in grandiose theatre called the coliseum of Roma. The emperor, Commode or Cesar, they call him both, is a character with a disturbed personality. He killed his father in order to succeed him and it seems that he wants to have an intimate relation with his sister. Since their father died, she has been living in fear of her brother. Russel Crowe is the main gladiator. His name is Maximus, and he also is called The Spanish. He was a successful general in an army, before being forced to be a slave and a gladiator. It is a very deep movie with such themes as death, bravery, slavery, relationships, loyalty and political power. It portrays the culture and the traditions of the nation of Roma at this time. This movie made me feel a little nostalgic about Niger and my life before leaving Niger, because we discussed this movie in Latin class in Niger. It was part of the course. My teacher’s name was Assemat. She came from Italia I think. She is an outstanding teacher, very passionate. I wonder if she still teaches in Niger. It was an option that I took because my parents wanted to. On the long run, I learned to like it. But Latin is a dead language. It means that people don’t speak Latin. They just study it. At that time, I did not see the importance of learning Latin. Later, when I passed my Baccalaureat in Paris, I was happy that I studied Latin because it allowed me to have extra credit. Words in Latin look like amicus, amicae, amicum, bella, nostrum ect.. Lots of words in French come from Latin. Sometimes I miss those classes because it was so interesting to decipher the meaning of Latin words and because my classmates and my teachers were amazing. I wish I could take this course again.

To go back to the main point, gladiator is really a good movie. The complexity of the character of Cesar is very surprising and interesting in this movie. Also, gladiators really existed in the history of Roma. It is not a fiction.

2008-03-14T13:36:00.000-07:00

I am in the lab with my classmates. Scott asked us to blog during 20 minutes. There is no subject. What am I going to talk about? Yesterday, I heard a very meaningful and deep quote, which says “a house doesn’t make home”. It is so true. I left Niger when I was 16 years old. Since then, I have never found a place I could call home. It makes me become aware that my home is Niger. This is where I have been the most happy until now. Scott interrupted us to say that we should not write our blog on word, but directly on the blog itself. I am so perfectionist that I do not want to have mistakes in my entree, so I always blog on Microsoft word before. Maybe I need to take things just as they come sometimes. But it is difficult for me. For example, I am totally satisfied only when I have full marks in class. I like things to be neat and perfect. My room is so carefully tidied and neat that my sister says that I am a psycho. By the way we are totally different. She is satisfied with things that are OK. She doesn’t need everything to be planned and perfect like me. Maybe it also comes from my education because my father always tells me to seek excellence. The time allowed for blogging is over.

ARTISTIC BREAKTHROUGH

2008-03-09T22:29:00.000-07:00

Alexandre Gustave Eiffel is the great mind behind the Eiffel Tower. He was born on December 15, 1832 in Dijon, in France. Gustave Eiffel is considered as a creative genius because he applied innovative ideas to the construction of great buildings, and also because of his avant-garde design of the Eiffel tower, which is considered as a breakthrough in architecture and art.

I/ PROFESSIONAL PATH

A/ Gustave Eiffel was an intelligent scholars and finished brilliantly his studies.

- Graduated with degree both in Sciences and Humanity

- Graduated from the Engineering school Ecole Centrale des Arts et Manufactures in 1855

B/ Gustave Eiffel’s first job revealed his talent and his creativity, then he started an outstanding career in a business specializing in metal structural work in 1864

- Engineer on a project for a railway bridge, in Bordeaux, France.

Work considered great by critics; complete success

- Built great number of metal structures of all kinds all over the world

- Was renown for precise industrial installations

- Worked on the Porto viaduct over the River Duro in 1876, one of his most outstanding building

- Worked on the Garabit viaduct in 1884

- A mountainous barrier was an obstacle to reach Southern France in the late 1800

- For years, engineers tried to find a solution to the problem

- innovative idea of Eiffel: build a huge wrought-iron arch with a minimal amount of material to create a route

II/ THE EIFFEL TOWER: THE APOGEE OF EIFFEIL’S CREATIVITY

A/ By the end of his projects, Gustave Eiffel was a master of metal structural work, which lead him to the project of the Eiffel Tower

- spent the last thirty years of his life on the project of the Eiffel Tower

- wind resistance experiments

- innovative approach to the problem of wind loads

- studied an innovative solution to give resistance to the tower against wind

- imagined the Eiffel tower’s elegantly curved silhouette

- meteorological observation

B/ The elegantly curved shape of the Eiffel Tower reflects Eiffel’s creativity

- At that time, shape of the tower was impressive

- Eiffel’s purpose: to give impression of strength and beauty by the silhouette of the tower

- People shocked by such avant-garde work

- Shape reveals strong artistic temper

- Similar work never seen before

- Curve of the tower: result of mathematical calculation created by Eiffel

- Created a balance between aspiration to beauty and mathematical constraint

- Creativity help him struggling with natural conditions to build it

SUCCESS IN BUSINESS

2008-03-02T22:49:00.000-08:00

There are many ways that lead to success in Business. How to determine the most efficient ways to build and run a successful business? One can get inspired by people’s success stories such as Soichiro Honda from Honda cars and bicycles or Bill Gates, the chairman of Microsoft. However, anyone can figure out his or her own recipe for success. To me, a good marketing is an essential key for success in business. Marketing is the activity of presenting, advertising and selling a company’s products in the best possible way. First, it is necessary to have an efficient and clear advertisement. For example, the KFC ( Kentucky fried Chicken) food chain, has used for its debuts early TV advertisement on which it emphasized the importance of a family gathering for a meal. It was an immediate success. Second, the slogan plays an important role in an advertisement. It has to be short, easy to remember, and catchy. For example, “impossible is nothing” from Adidas, or “just do it” from Nike. Furthermore, people who succeed in business are people who have pioneering ideas and create breakthrough technology products. For instance, the company Apple Computer revolutionized the world of electronic devices, with the portable media player iPod.

LAW

2008-02-24T23:21:00.000-08:00

I have always been interested in Law. I studied law during 2 years in Paris. Now that I am about to change my academic orientation, I miss those two years and I miss being in a huge theatre full of people who all want to be outstanding. I miss a lot of things. Last semester, I discovered the Association of Women Lawyers in Calgary. The following is their history and the events they organize.

“The Association of Women Lawyers ("AWL") is an organization committed to promoting the advancement, equality, interests and well being of women in the legal profession”.

Fall 1993:13 Calgary women lawyers formed a committee and discussed the development of a new organization to meet the changing needs of women in the legal profession.

Ø the committee was expanded and AWL was launched in June 1999. It was inspired from The Calgary Women Lawyers Association (CWLA) which was launched in the 1960s under the leadership of Mary Hetherington.

Ø The new minister of Human resources Anne McLellan and the Dean of law of the university Dr. Sheilah Martin contributed as guest speakers. They talked about the unique challenges which women lawyers face and shared their own experiences as well as giving encouragement to the new organization.

Ø At its debut, the association received funds from Calgary Law firms

Ø "Lunch and Learn" program twice a year: speaker with expertise is invited. A wide range of topics, such as financial planning, investment strategies, alternative career opportunities and gender issues in the workplace are covered.

Ø Fundraising event in the form of a spring luncheon: celebrity speaker is invited. This year, Madam Justice Louise Arbour, Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada delivered a speech. She spoke about "Justice in a Safer World".

Ø Complimentary luncheon event : honour women lawyers admitted to the Calgary Bar in the past year. “It a networking opportunity to the newly admitted women lawyers”.

Ø The AWL Annual General Meeting is held each year in December: occasion to electe new board of directors, review past activities and discuss upcoming events.

I HAVE A DREAM

2008-02-17T22:48:00.000-08:00

The word dream makes me think about Martin Luther King’s speech “I have a Dream”. It was delivered on August 28, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. It is a message of peace, equality, solidarity, unity, democracy and hope. Martin Luther King wanted a united nation where all races and all social classes would join together. Furthermore, he wanted a world of tolerance and freedom. The following extract of the speech is my favourite part.

Ø I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

Ø I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

Ø I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

Ø I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character.

Ø I have a dream today!

Martin Luther King was only 34 when he galvanized the nation with his inspirational speech “I have a Dream”. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. Undeniably, Martin Luther King was a remarkable individual that had an extraordinary life. Besides, I do not want to compare Martin Luther King with another individual because to me he is unique. Yet, when I watch Barack Obama on television, he reminds me Martin Luther King because they have the same irresistible charisma.

EXPLORERS

2008-02-13T22:35:00.000-08:00

Here I am, starting my blog about explorers late; very late. I think that since a few weeks I lack motivation about the EAP III program. However, I will do my best until the end. Well, back to business: explorers.

People explore new geographical places in order to discover new horizons, new cultures, and new standards. Explorers are curious people because they want to discover the unknown. They are also brave people because exploring other continents and other countries is taking a risk. They do not know exactly what to expect, and what they will find. They may suffer from fatigue, from hunger and from lack of sleep. Famous ancient explorers that I know are Jacques Cartier and Vasco de Gama. I remember that I had a history course in High school in Niger, and the teacher mentioned them. Moreover, there are people who explore the space.
I also think that each person who loves travelling is an explorer in a certain extent. I like travelling, discovering new cultures and new countries. I like airports, passports, planes, packing, unpacking. The perfect job for me would be an airplane pilot. I think that travelling helps people to build a very tolerant and open-minded character. Travelling also allows you to explore yourself and to know where are your limits. Moreover, exploring other countries enables you to discover your priorities and helps you figure out what you really want in your life. Exploring is definitely a rich and profound experience.

Editing experience

2008-02-03T18:11:00.000-08:00

Last week, during the Writing class, I exchanged the first draft of my essay which the prompt was “the best way of learning a foreign language” with a classmate. I think that it was a good experience for me because the fact of examining my classmate draft helped me a lot to figure out what to avoid in an essay and what to improve. So I did a list of the positive points and the points to improve. I hope that it helped him. It was fun to be in the skin of the teacher. But I also imagine how hard it can be to decide which grade to put. I think that being an editor must be a stressful job because you have to fix everything that is wrong. It is not an easy task. What else to add? I also received a list of the weaknesses of the first draft of my essay and the positive points. It really helped me to improve the final draft because I knew what lacked and what to add. So good experience! This is all what I can say about my editing experience. Also, I think that we could make it again because it is really helpful. Personally, I was less stressed out to hand in my essay because a classmate helped me to figure out my mistakes. By the way I hope that I will get a good mark for my essay. I can’t wait to see my grade and my copy. The Writing class is always the most challenging for me. Also, I would really hate to pass the Effective Writing. I would like to start my academic courses with a fresh start, no effective writing. Tomorrow starts a new week, it is already the end of the week end. So I have to go back to my homework.

Good luck everyone for your essays!

EAP III

2008-01-27T18:07:00.000-08:00

Well, I am enrolled in the last level of English : EAP III. For me, it is a continuation because I was in EAP II last semester. This semester, new instructors: Murray and Ilana. They are great teachers with both a captivating teaching style. There are new students and there are students from last semester. Well, what to add about EAP III? Different cultures, different nationalities. It is a real opportunity to discover new horizons, to strengthen my English skills and to develop my critical thinking. So there is a bunch of positive things. EAP III, it is also the last semester before starting serious things. I mean the academic courses. In September 2008 I will hopefully start my first year of business school. I am very excited about it. I can’t wait to pass this level and to start the academic classes.
As an aside, before coming to Calgary, I did not know that a program called EAP existed. I only knew about ESL. So discovering EAP was a great surprise. I knew that I would learn lots of things. What else? Time is going very fast. I’ve already have my first grammar quiz, my first reading exam! I have to hand in my attending lecture next week and my first essay tomorrow. So the schedule is busy. But I like studying under pressure, with lots of things to hand in. It pushes me, even beyond my limits.
Actually, I hate blogging because I never know what to write down, and it is annoying. Blogging would be fun if the student could choose his own topic, and if he had not to write at least 250 words. I think that blogging is a cool thing to do, but those academic requirements turned it into a chore.

Best wishes to everyone. Good luck for your future!

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD

2007-12-07T18:43:00.000-08:00

As I recently learned how to paraphrase and summarize, I am going to use my skills to write about an interesting passage named the Underground Railroad.

The Underground Railroad was a fascinating phenomena established in the late 16^th century that emerged from the history of American slavery. It was a highly secretive and extremely well-organized network of people whom purpose was to help black slaves escape from bondage (means the state of being a slave or prisoner) to freedom. The Underground Railroad was made up of “stationmasters” and “conductors”. The first ones were people who provided food and refuge to escaped slaves, and the second ones were people who guided slaves along the difficult routes to safety. A wide variety of people worked on the Railroad, such as former slaves, farmers, preachers, and even Native Americans. The members of the Underground Railroad were all united by their hatred of the institution of slavery and their high sense of solidarity. The conditions faced by runaways were extremely difficult. They had to travel at night, and could carry only a little amount of food. Most of them had to travel on foot. Sometimes, they were forced to take residence in swamps or in mountainous areas during a long period of time. Strength and speed were critical in order to escape successfully. Furthermore, the risks faced by runaways were formidable. Recapture was unthinkable. Recaptured runaways would endure severe punishments such as harder labor, mutilation, amputation of limbs and so on. Due to the high rate of escaped slaves, the Fugitive Slave Law was passed in 1850. Professional slave-hunters were formed and paid handsomely to catch escaped slaves. They had the right to pursue them even into the free northern regions.

Finally, on December 18, 1865, the ratification of the 13^th amendment to the U.S Constitution that stated “neither slavery nor involuntary servitude….shall exist in the United States” abolished the institution of slavery.

HUMAN BEHAVIOR

2007-11-21T19:06:00.000-08:00

I watched an interview of Tony Robbins yesterday. I did not know him before. But the interview showed me that he is truly a remarkable person. The biography at the beginning mentioned that he works in the field of leadership psychology, organizational turnaround and peak performance. He also has a non-profit foundation which aim is humanitarian. Tony Robbins thinks that everybody has a different personality, culture, value, but we have the same human needs and our nervous system functions the same way. According to him, the state of mind in which you constantly impress yourself must be triggered. Indeed, the more you make things that impress yourself, the more you will have a better self-esteem.
Another important point of the interview was depression. Why people are depressed? Tony Robbins revealed that when your life doesn’t match your expectations, you are going to be in pain. Most of people are depressed because their life condition doesn’t match with how they think it should be. For example, he worked with a women who always has believed that she would have three perfect children. In reality, she is 61 years old, she has been married twice, and she never had children. This is the real problem and the cause of her depression. Her co-expectation can’t be met. So she has to change that blueprint, that belief, because it could never be fulfilled. So the solution to the depression in this context is to change the condition of your life and to make your blueprint match with reality. In this respect, you would be able to enjoy your life again.

WEATHER AND MOOD

2007-11-21T18:36:00.000-08:00

Do you think that the weather influences our mood? Personally, it does affect my mood. For example, I like snow. As an aside, it’s weird because I come from a very warm country, and I don’t like cold weather. However, I love snow. Today, when I realised that it was snowing, I was glad. And it was like that all the day. I had no particular reasons to be happy, but I was in a good mood all the day. I think that it is psychological, because as soon as I saw the snow, I immediately thought that it would be a good day. So maybe, the weather affects the mood, in a positive or in a negative way. Or maybe the state of mind that you have at the beginning of the day plays a role. For example, when I miss my bus to go to the University, I automatically think that this is not a good sign, and that the worst is coming. In this state of mind, it is highly possible that the day will be a bad one. Besides, some people don’t like when it is raining, and they are in a bad mood, only because they consider that rain falls are depressing. Another example is that people are more likely to be happy and nice at summertime, because the sun makes them more relaxed and less stressed out. So maybe the weather has an impact on our mood. Furthermore, I read on ABC News website that a research on the correlation between weather and mood revealed that the fact of spending some time outside on a nice day can have a positive impact on your mood. Also, sunny weather can have a positive impact on mental health.

C-TRAIN

2007-11-20T18:21:00.000-08:00

Every day I take the C-Train to go the University. Inside, it is always a little bit awkward, because no one knows each other, and you have to spend a little time of your life with strangers. Sometimes people are friendly and smile; sometimes they are in a bad mood and have a nasty, almost scaring eye contact. Now and then, some exceptional things happen, like a fight, or a technical problem. There are two kinds of C-Trains: the old ones and the brand new ones. I like taking the brand new ones, they are more comfortable.

As an aside, did you notice that I am totally uninspired? That’s why I am writing about a so common topic. I feel quite embarrassed. So should I erase the paragraph and close the blog page, or should I keep on writing about C-Train? Besides, I don’t think that I could write 200 words about the C-Train…unless I search for information about it on the internet; yet, I think that a paragraph about the history of the C-Train will be boring for the readers, and even for me. For those who will read it until the end, the following are the points I consider noticeable in the C-train history.

v May 25, 1981: the first line of C-Train was opened

v Calgary Transit is the first public transit system in North America to use wind-generated electricity. It is a good ecological cause, because it will reduce pollution.

v The passengers of a three-car C-Train represent the passengers of 545 private vehicles

v In 2001, The Calgary Transit received the Pollution Prevention Award

PARIS

2007-11-17T12:39:00.000-08:00

I lived in Paris for 3 years. To me, it is the most beautiful city I’ve ever seen. The first time, I found difficult the transportation system. There were so many subway lines and correspondences that it scared me. It took me time to be at-ease with it. But once you get used to it, everything is more easy. It is a city where you can’t get bored. There is always something to do, or to visit. This is my top 5of the places I like the much in Paris.

1) Le champ de Mars: it is a huge green space; From there, you have a complete view of the Eiffel Tower. I liked hanging out there with my friends. Next to it, there is “ Le mur de la paix”. It is a monument with peace messages written on it, in different languages.

2) “Les Champs Elysées”: A large avenue with shops, such as Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Bulgary, Gucci, Prada, and so on. I mean it is a very fancy avenue, and you can even meet celebrities sometimes. Beyond its material aspect, it is a really beautiful avenue with an original architecture. All those fashion temples are an art work, because the design of each shop is completely stunning.

3) Bastille: It is an area full of pubs, cafés, bars, restaurants. This is the perfect place if you want to hang out and party all the night.

4) Opera : I discovered it just a few months before I moved to Calgary, thanks to my brother. I like it for the majesty of each monument, of each building. Every single building is a creative work.

5) Le XVème arrondissement: I like this area, because there is no agitation, it is calm, peaceful and safe. I used to live there with my parents. Besides, my last high school Camille Sée is located there. I was living 10 minutes from my high school at that time, and it was really great!

NIGER

2007-11-16T17:31:00.000-08:00

I just became aware that each entry of the blog must have a minimum of 200 words! So I am going to try to write longer paragraphs. Yet, let's go back to the main point. I come from Niger, not Nigeria. The capital city of Niger is Niamey. Niger is located in West Africa. At the North of the country, there is the Desert of Sahara. Tuaregs live there. Tuaregs represent one of the ethnic groups of Niger. They are nomadics. It means that they constantly move from place to place. The others ethnic groups are hausa, zarma, gobir and fulani. Each ethnic group speaks his own language. As a result, there are a lot of local languages. I belong to the hausa ethnic group, and I speak hausa. The hausa are sedentary people. It means that we always live at the same place; We do not move constantly. The main religion in Niger is Islam. It influences a lot people daily lives.
Another important fact about Niger is the language. The official language is french. Actually, France made Niger a colony in 1922. It administered the political, economical and social matters in Niger. The choice of french as the official language is related to its colonial history; But Niger became an independent country on August 3, 1960. Most of the others french West African colonies as Senegal, Mali became independent from France in the 1960's.

U of C clubs

2007-11-14T18:00:00.000-08:00

Today, the assignment for the English/Speaking class is to find information about the clubs of the University. I found a club named Eco Club. Its purpose is to "reduce the University of Calgary's impact on the environment and to educate the university community on environmental and sustainable issues".It also promotes "peaceful education and consistent advocacy of reducing community's negative impact on the Earth". The Email of the club is ecoclub@ucalgary.ca. Maybe some student are interested in ecological issues.

Friendship never ends...

2007-11-13T18:07:00.000-08:00

I miss my best friends! Sara, Aissata, Denise. They all live in France. We know each other for about 8 years now. We grew up together. True and sincere friendship is rare, and I found it in them. We were all in Niger, in the only french high school of the capital city, Niamey. Then denise moved first in Mali, and then in Paris. I was the second to move in Paris. Then, sara and aissata moved in Toulouse in france. We shared the experiences of leaving our country and our family, and it was easier for us because we supported each other.

JAY Z

2007-11-13T17:59:00.001-08:00

I just watched the last music video of Jay z, blue magic. I love it! It is really a higher level of hip pop.

2007-11-13T17:42:00.001-08:00

My blog is empty; I really want to write more often but I lack inspiration. My long week end was great. As today is the reading day, let's talk about writers. I like french writers like Edgar Poe, Baudelaire. I also enjoy reading the philosopher Kant. It is really captivating because he always thinks at an abstract level. And I wonder how can he have a such developed imagination to think up all his concepts and ideas. I admire philosophers. I think they have an innate ability to write innovative things. Sometimes when I see people doing such great things, I feel quite small. I hope that I will do great things too in the future.

BACK TO SCHOOL!!!

2007-11-13T17:42:00.000-08:00

MOVING HOUSE

2007-11-09T18:22:00.001-08:00

I moved from Marlborough to MartinValley Crescent. I like the new house. I Have more space; and when I am on my way to go home, I am really happy because I m going back to my world. I see this moving as a new departure.

English

2007-10-05T11:31:00.000-07:00

Seems like I m improving my english. Maybe those english classes are useful.