ODU English Language Center
Advanced II Newsletter
Volume II, Issue II
Advanced II Class Members
Mehmet Akpinar, Ali Albat-
tah*, Abdullah Alharbi, Ines
Bondo, Yahya Al Mansour,
Munahi Alsubi, Abdulrah-
man Alzannan, Laura Cas-
tro*, Voung Ho, Kyunghee
Jung, Emel Kumru, Andreas
Konstantinou, Beatriz
Moreu, An Nguyen*, Mont-
serrat Paniagua, Dalsaem
Park, Lee-Seul Park, Ana-
toly Rukhlov, Hyungjin Son
* Denotes co-editors of this
newsletter
Norfolk Zoo
Two weeks ago, the Eng-
lish Language Center took us
on a trip to the Norfolk Zoo. It
was such a nice day; everyone
was happy. This was one of the
activities that the ELC ar-
ranged for international stu-
dents. The trip started on 12:00
p.m. and after arriving there,
we got maps of the zoo and
started walking around it. We
saw different types of animals
such as tigers, zebras and beau-
tiful birds. We took some pic-
tures of them. In addition to
that, we enjoyed talking with
some new international stu-
dents had come from every-
where to Norfolk. They were
very friendly. Finally, by 2:45
p.m., we left the zoo for our
homes after we took pictures
with the whole group of the
ELC staff and students. It was
really a memorable day that I
will not ever forget.
By Munahi Alsubaie
Spring II, 2011
Interesting Things to do
in the Norfolk Area
CHRYSLER MUSEUM
Visiting the Chrysler
Museum is an amazing place
for learning more about art,
especially sculptures, paintings
and photography. The Chrysler
Museum has two kinds of exhi-
bitions: the general one which
is free, and the special ones
which normally have a charge,
but the price is always afford-
able.
One of my favorite
places in the Chrysler Museum
is the American sculptures
exhibition. This exhibition VIRGINIA ZOO
allows you to learn about
The first time I joined the English Language Center’s outside
American art. Besides that,
activity was to go to the Virginia Zoo two weeks ago. It took about 15 min-
people can try to draw these
utes to drive there from ODU. It was a sunny day, so a lot of people took
sculptures since the materials
their children there. My first impression was off a big yard behind the en-
are provided by the museum.
trance that has a small fountain with very big round-shaped stone. The air
People who like to relax and /
was pure, but it sometimes smelled near the cages. There were not as many
or read can find the Chrysler
animals as I thought; however, there were some kinds of animals that I saw
Museum Garden a perfect
for the first time. The giraffes were very big and tall, the mandrill’s fur was
place. This garden is gorgeous
colorful and the birds were very beautiful. I will go there again when I have
and is open to everybody.
some free time not only for watching the animals but also for a relaxing
by Laura Castro place to visit in Norfolk.
Interesting Things In Norfolk
For me, one of the most interesting things is going to MacArthur Mall. I have no car, so I can only go to
only restricted areas. ODU has shuttle buses which to go the mall. So, it is easy to go there.
I have so many interests about cosmetics. In MacArthur Mall, there are many cosmetic shops.
The most attractive thing to me is the price. International cosmetic brands like Lancôme, Mac,
Aveda, Christian Dior, Chanel, The Body Shop, Clinique, etc, is much cheaper than in Korea. Also, I can
get samples easily. If I want to choose an appropriate colored foundation, I can test in on my face, and get
a sample to use for a few days so that I can choose a suitable color.
The second reason that I like to go to the MacArthur Mall is to buy clothes. When I came here, I
brought only a small amount of clothes, because of the limit on baggage weight, so, I had to buy clothes. I
usually buy my clothes at Forever 21. It is also much cheaper than in Korea’s Forever 21. I am very
happy to find such interesting things In Norfolk.
By Dalsaem Park
 Dormitory Life At ODU
After I came here, I lived in the dormitory. It
has a kitchen, a dining room, a bathroom and two
bedrooms. In my dormitory, there are four people
including me. Usually, two people share one room.
Before I came here, my roommate who is American
who did not have a roommate for a long time. My
suitemates who live in the room next to mine are both
African-Americans. Near my dormitory, there is a
laundry room and a police station, so it is easy to go to
wash my clothes and to reach the policeman when I
have some problems. In addition, a convenience store is
located near the dormitory, so it is also easy when I
want to buy a beverage, some snacks, and so on.
However, this building was built a very long
time ago; therefore, I can hear some noisy sounds from
upstairs and in the next room. This is the only
disadvantage.
By Lee-Seul Park
Reasons to Move to Norfolk
I am writing this letter to tell you why I moved here. It is a very
interesting reason.
I lived and studied in Maryland for more than a year. I loved Mary-
land very much. Last summer, I took a vacation and went to visit my uncle in
Hampton. He took me to Virginia Beach where I started loving it so much.
Virginia Beach is a very beautiful place with many interesting things. First of
all, the beach is wonderful with a lot of restaurants and shopping areas. I
bought some swimming suits with very cheap prices. I went to some restau-
rants around the beach and the food was so good. The best thing that I loved
about the beach is the activities at night. I watched several magic shows on
the sidewalk. All of these activities that are held at night were free. The city
pays for them to attract tourists. I went to the beach three times last summer.
At that time, I met my fiancé here, also. We had a hard time because I had to
live in Maryland for my studies. I wished to move here and to go to the beach
every weekend. I moved to Yorktown two months ago and began to study at
ODU.
My life is happier now since I have been living here. I am looking
forward to summer which is coming quickly, so I can fully enjoy my time at
the beach with my love.

By An Nguyen

More Places of Interest in the Tidewater Area

Busch Gardens Aquarium Museum of Virginia MacArthur Center

Busch Gardens is a huge
amusement park; the best one that I
have seen in my life. It is beautiful,
fun, big, green, and with the best fun-
fairs that I have ever seen. I went there
three times and I know for sure that I
will go at least twice more. It is so big
that when I finish, I leave there so
tired; I just go to sleep.
I love amusement parks but
this one it is the one I love the most.
You should
go there and try it!
By Beatrice Moreu
The Aquarium Museum of Vir-
ginia is one of the nicest places that I have
visited in Virginia Beach. The museum has
a huge variety of aquatic species. We can
see sharks, turtles, crocodiles, etc. It also
has a variety of birds outside of the build-
ing. They have a kind of a big cage, which
is the right environment for the birds.
Also, we can go to see 3-D movies. We
have so many options to choose from at the
time to see the movie. The Aquarium Mu-
seum is a beautiful place where we can
have contact with amazing creatures of
nature.
By Montserrat Paniagua
The MacArthur Cente Mall
is situated in downtown Norfolk. It
is my favorite place to go shopping.
Therefore, I have been there several
times. In the winter, due to the bad
weather, I couldn’t play outside with
my son, so we went there several
times because there is also a place
for children to play. Moreover, in
the MacArthur Mall, there is a book
store which has a lot of books. The
people can stay inside and read. I
had a good time in the MacArthur
Center Mall; therefore, I recom-
mend it.
By Ines Bondo