My first days at USC Language Academy

Attending my first classes in USC Language Academy wasn't a remarkable experience that I would like to experience again. For being nervous in the first day, I couldn't act normally with my new classmates and teachers. There was nothing wrong with them, but it was me. I bet it is because of my new journey and adventure to get a master degree and meet new people from various countries and cultures. In my opinion, it is easy to introduce yourself to others, but it is a little bit hard to communicate with them, so I was cautious at the beginning because I don't how Chinese, Koreans, and Europeans cooperate and have conversations in classes. What kind of languages do they use? Do they use their native languages or English? If they speak English, what kind of vocabulary words do they use? Are they simple words or difficult? How do they communicate with teachers? Is it like the way that I use to treat my teachers or not? Is it a formal or informal relationship?

Many questions were in my mind at that day which caused to malfunction in my brain for a while ^_~. In my culture, we have a proverb says, "To be safe, be cautious" and that is exactly what I did. I kept silence and watched how my classmates ecnounter with each other or with teacher, and the only way to hear my voice is to be called and asked by teachers ^^. However, my participation in classes changed dramatically after receiving my midterm grades in TOEFL Reading & Writing class. Barbra Holmes, the wonderful Barbra, gave me B in effort, and actually I deserve less than B because I barely contribute in her class, and I remember my friend Feras when he said to me, "Abdulaziz, you should participate more and more." Since that moment, I decided to contribute more, express my opinions without hesitation, and show people from different countries around the world the manners, values, and principles that I have been raised on.

Before I publish this post, I love to state some facts about some of my beloved friends:

• The first person I met in USC Language Academy was Schuyler Smith (A.K.A Sky) who is a very kind and gorgeous person that anyone on the Earth would love to meet.
• The first friend of mine in the academy was Yousif Alzarooni from UAE. Yousif is funny and lovely, and I always tell him that I am glad to be his friend.
• The friend that I laugh when I am with him is Ahmed Alamoudi. Even though he is funny and sarcastic, he is a good and hard student (hard worker). He always does his best in classes and create a healthy environments for people around him. I can't imagine that a student will be sad if Ahmed is his friend.
• The friend that I spent most of my time with was Haitham Aljahdali. Haitham is very nice and gentle, and he always cares about his friends and tries to solve their problems. I am quite sure that he is going to enter a Phd program soon. Fight on Haitham.
• The friend that I love to hear him/her when he/she talks is Amy Saiji Li. She has the British accent, and each time she speaks, I recall the Princess Diana (don't ask me why ^^) because her accent. Amy is so great and she is a good friend to have, and I believe that she has the ability to achieve and do whatever she wants.
• Claire Chen is simply the best. She was my classmate in Spring, Summer B, and Fall semesters. Being one of her friends is like granting a wish. I still remember her when she entered the Grammar class and sang "Happy Birthday" in front of me. She cared of my birthday although that I don't care about it. It is a sign of the pure heart of the most charismatic student that I have ever met.
• Many friends of mine I didn't mention in this post, but I will tribute to them in future posts. Don't worry ^^!

This post should be in January instead of December, but I didn't have time for blogging, so sorry for that ! This blog is designed to show how much I am thankful for my international family. feel free to comment on it ^^!