Idioms

Please join us tomorrow, Wednesday, March 13 at 3:30 as we delve into common idioms. We had so much fun last week investigating work related idioms such as "getting a pink slip" or "being in the red." This week we will share some common and some not so common ones. Our Facebook page has been filled with conversations about the meanings of English idioms as well as some from other countries. We hope that you will join us for our ESL Snack and Chat!

Immigration Clinic and Citizenship Drive

Catholic CharitiesTompkins/Tioga is offering an Immigration Clinic and Citizenship Drive!
March 14, 2013 from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm

Workshop will be held at Catholic Charities
324 W. Buffalo Street
Ithaca, NY 14850

An immigration attorney and B.I.A. accredited representative will be available all day for free legal consultations, as well as assisting legal permanent residents who want to apply for citizenship.  Citizenship applicants will be pre-screened for eligibility and assisted with completing the citizenship application.  We are doing this by appointment only and these services are free.

 

To schedule an appointment call Sue Chaffee at (607) 272-5062. (Appointments are filling up quickly.)

 

There will be another Immigration Clinic and Citizenship Drive on Thursday, April, 11 from 8:30 - 4:30 pm.

 

Thank you to Sue Chaffee and Sally Wessels for providing this information!

 

Documentary "They Call It Myanmar"

"They Call it Myanmar: Lifting the Curtain", a new documentary by Ithaca FilmWorks, directed by Robert H. Lieberman, just arrived. If is checked out, you can place a "hold." This movie is in English with Burmese and English subtitles and may be of interest to Burmese living in Ithaca and ESL tutors.

The film was co-produced by PhotoSynthesis Productions of Ithaca. Many Ithacans were involved in the production and are included in the credits.  Roger Ebert named it one of the top 12 docs in 2012!

Another movie is "The Lady," which is a feature film about the life of Aung San Suu Kyi. It has English and Burmese dialogue with French subtitles.

Using Facebook

I am not a member of Facebook.  I like using this blog site for the ESL Chat group.  Sorry I missed the opportunity to see how the MANGO program works...maybe next week.

Letter to President Obama

On February 20th, we talked about Presidents and leaders and shared ideas, opinions,  and suggestions for President Obama.  I drafted a letter to the President that  included these comments.

Last Wednesday, I read the letter to the group.  If you were not there or, even if you were there - - if you  want to add something, let us know.  I will email this letter to the White House next week.

Best,
Joyce

March 1, 2013

The President
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

We are men and women who are learning English as a Second Language and participating in the ESL Snack & Chat Program at Tompkins County Public Library in Ithaca, New York.  We come from many different countries – China, Korea, Egypt, Turkey, Brazil, Argentina and Cuba. We are here for various reasons – to study, visit, and some of us hope to make permanent homes here. All of us seek to improve our ability to communicate in English.

We are writing this letter to express our thoughts and feelings about what it has been like to arrive and live in the United States. We also wish to offer you our perspectives on important issues today, as expressed below. The Librarians, Debbie and Joyce, have compiled our comments from a recent conversation and summarized them below. The ideas, opinions and suggestions are offered respectfully from our group and were not endorsed by the Tompkins County Public Library.

“We have met many friendly people in this country.  However, we would like you to encourage all public officials to be kind so that no one receives a poor first impression of this country as some of us have at Immigration, Passport and the Department of Motor Vehicles.”

“There are too many guns here! Guns scare me!”

“You are an important President historically – one of the three most important Presidents, including Washington and Lincoln. You are African American and have overcome issues of racism and discrimination in a country that has a history of slavery.”

“Please, do whatever is possible to change energy sources to natural gas and sun to protect against global warning. Do not wait for Congress to make decisions in this critical time for the environment. The world is watching and the United States should be a model. Push Congress to pass more acts to keep climate clean in order to eliminate global warming. Leadership in this by the U.S. is important”

“There is a big difference between the political parties on policies for Health System and Education. Mr. President, please push your good programs.”

“Please lift the embargo and let there be good commercial relationships between the United States and Cuba.”

“Foreigners like your public image.”

“Improve teachers’ conditions! In China, we are influenced by traditions of Confucius, and so there is respect for teachers. That is not the case in this country. We think you should work to improve the standard of living for teachers.”

“You are popular with Koreans. They like you! Please focus more on Koreans, as well as taking care of poor people.”

“You are a great President, like Franklin Roosevelt, who also faced serious economic issues. FDR was smart in his strategies and public image. Sometimes, you appear not as connected to the people because you are more intellectual. You like thinking. Be more like Roosevelt.”

Mr. President, thank you very much for your time and consideration. We appreciate your attention to our thoughts and the opinions expressed in this letter. It has been wonderful practice learning to express complex ideas in English. We look forward to your response and assure you that we will discuss your letter in our conversation groups.

Most respectfully,

Participants from ESL Snack & Chat Program at Tompkins County Public Library

ESL Snack & Chat Program Participants
c/o Librarians Debbie Collier and Joyce Ann Wheatley
Tompkins County Public Library
101 East Green Street
Ithaca, NY 14850

Email: dcollier@tcpl.org; jwheatley@tcpl.org