From the Classroom

We are from…

 (From the perspective of students in my Spring 2010 ESL 134, writing 5 class. Written By: Justine, Vitaliy, Alejandro, Karlo, Carla, Yong Bo, Ziqing, Kai, Yean Su, Shi Yang, Mytrinh, Runlan, Luiz, Milton, Il Kweon, Daniel, Ji Yeon, Cuong, Amber, Itsuki, Pu Xiao, Maria, Joaquin, Edgar, Koyuki, Daycy)

 

An imaginary and uncertain world,

Where the streets have ups and downs,

Where illusion can be the hope,

To overcome the next day.

 

The end of the world,

The land of kiwis and beautiful nature,

A little island in a big ocean,

beautiful sunsets and endless beaches.

 

The boundlessness of the Qingzang plateau,

The deepness of the East China Sea,

The surging of the Yangzi River,

The constancy of Taishan Mountain.

 

A country on the other side of the world,

as flat as a pancake,

A small country that feels so big,

Where there are more bikes than people.

 

A place shaped like an "s,"

Green immense fields,

Ranks of straight bamboo,

Ancient pagodas,

Fragrant frankincense.

 

The biggest city in the world,

With the most extensive population,

At night it looks like a mirror reflecting the stars in the sky.

 

A new land,

Where wine can be turned to gold,

And the elders can see,

Just like they aren't old.

 

A place that is touched by the Atlantic Ocean,

Where the sun sets between the "Two Brothers" mountains,

And people clap saying goodbye to the day.

 

A place where things can appear out of nowhere,

I am not lying, I used to live there!

 

Sitting on the bank, shiny sky over the river.

Looking for the stars.

Watching the current.

Feeling the Earth.

 

We are from…

 

A world of yellow,

The yellow of paddy fields,

Where the farmers worked hard together,

a long time ago when my country hadn't developed yet.

 

A simple and mellow life,

A valley full of sadness,

A valley of two nationalities,

Sad and happy faces.

 

Beautiful nights like butterflies,

Where love is pure and sincere like silk.

 

We are from…

 

Interminable weekend parties,

Where the dance floor was the universe itself,

Wearing black pants, a black t-shirt, and black shoes,

Always believing I was the king of the night.

 

Friday nights in front of her house,

With  flowers, asking her

How to make her happy

A place where hearts can be destroyed

So easy like a flower.

 

Red and extreme hot food,

Sweet and spicy,

Full of memory,

How can I forget those spicy foods from my hometown?

 

We are from…

 

Every morning waking to the sound of cold wind,

Hands were cold when I touched the water,

I felt my feet freezing walking in the snowy grass everyday.

 

We are from…

 

Sounds breaking feelings,

Parties all night,

Sad noises and tears falling.

Quiet indifference,

stars of neon lights.

 

We are from…

 

Chatter like a sparrow,

Bronzed by the sunshine,

Hide and seek wherever you are,

Until darkness fell.

 

We are from…

 

Complex things and happy memories

buildings and cars like a monster,

monsters that are dark,

monsters that roar,

monsters that paint the sky gray.

 

Going to the night club with my friends and classmates,

singing and dancing,

meeting new people,

going home at 4am.

 

We are from…

 

A place where peace was not common those days,

R-15's were the loudest crying sound,

But I didn't mind,

Because I have peace on the inside.

 

We are from…

 

Happiness and sadness,

Past and present,

Dreams of a bright future.

On the horizon, there is hope.

 

We are from…

 

Not wanting to show our sad, drawn faces,

Longing, to see our homes again.

 

But for now…

we are from here.