VLD Week 3

Reporter: Hello, Aunt Binh. I would like to know what you felt when you had to go to Rach Gia.

Aunt Binh: My family-the people I lived with, I mean, -they were going to be sent to separate camps. I didn’t have anywhere to go. I just wanted to stay alone and die. I felt that everyone thought of me as a useless woman, and I didn’t want to be a burden anymore. I didn’t understand why everyone was making such a big deal of the trip-especially Quan. The night before we left, I had dreams full of memories of my late husband and daughter.

Reporter:  I’m sorry about your late family, Aunt Binh.

Aunt Binh: I felt very sorry for myself too, actually, at that time. It made me think, “Why couldn’t I die with them?” Anyway, I had to go with Ah Soong. She helped me a lot, I have to admit. She carried everything and brought be to the different bus stations when I was too exhausted to travel any further. But I didn’t feel any appreciation. I was full of negative thoughts: we were all going to die. What was the use of trying anymore?

Reporter: What surprised you at Rach Gia?

Aunt Binh: What really shocked me was the change of attitude in my brother-in-law; Phan Thi Chi. He was usually in charge. But this time it seemed like he was hopeless, kind of like me.

Reporter: What did it feel like when you waited for Quan and Phan Thi Chi with the rest of the family on the sand spit?

Aunt Binh: It felt like we were waiting forever. I wanted to throw myself to sea. Then suddenly, Ly gasped, and pointed to the faint silhouette of a boat in the distance. It was the lucky dragon. After Ly came on board, it was my turn. I already felt sick when I saw that I had to be pulled up so far up. But Quan was very firm and tied the rough rope around me, which got me up eventually. I slept immediately and when I woke up, Uncle Tan had just emerged from the boat’s engine department, saying something about a new engine. Everyone was laughing. But I screamed because I had seen something-or rather, someone.

Reporter: And that would be Captain Cu, wouldn’t it? What was your first impression of him?

Aunt Binh: I was extremely frightened. He was fat and wore a scary helmet. But he was nice and offered to help us. Up until that time, the idea hadn’t pooped into my mind that he might bring us back to Rach Gia.

Reporter: Would you mind if I ask the reason of your change in attitude aboard the Lucky Dragon?

Aunt Binh: No, of course not. After I had noticed how Phan Thi Chi seemed more haggard every day, I saw myself mirrored there. That’s how people saw me. I decided that from that time on, I would no longer be a burden to my family who let me in for refuge when there was nobody else. I would give no one the excuse to think I was useless. I started to do everything; cleaning and washing. I tried to be attentive to who needed help, whether it was Ah Soong in cooking or Captain Cu and Quan in steering.

Reporter: Why did you leave Malaysia? What was your knowledge of Australia?

Aunt Binh: Quan was the one who made the choice to steer away from Malaysia. He was right. It was rotting, and we wouldn’t have been much better there than in some Communist camp. As for Australia, all I remembered was from my daughter’s textbooks back in my hometown. It had kangaroos, I suppose.

Reporter: Thank you very much for your time, Aunt Binh.

VLD Week 2

Dear Ashley and Angel,

                We’ve arrived at Bach Dang. Nothing really went wrong, but Joan told me that she had met Dennis, the snotty bully. I was sure that he would tell his dad. But really, nothing went wrong. We had all gotten ready for the journey: my old maid had brought a big bag of food, my mother, who was very worried yet still positive, carried Abby on her back, Auntie Anne, who was also very positive, read to us from her Bible, Joan, who would sneak under the bridge with me because we were the sneakiest as children, and my father, who seemed to have changed in the last few days to a sullen man.

                When it was late with no moonlight, only a few lamps were on in the houses along the river. There were two guards-Joan had told me about them. The whole family waited quietly on the sand spit. I knew that they were scared, but they handled that very well. Both Joan and I knew our responsibility. We were the most nimble because everyone else was over thirty, and we would make no sound in swinging under the jetty. It was horrible- the sharp barnacles stung, there were slimy pieces of seaweed everywhere, but the worst part was that Joan slipped and the water splashed around. Luckily, we weren’t caught, and we made it to the Lucky Dragon. My dad helped everyone aboard because he was the only man. We had a bit of trouble because Abby got stuck in the sand and my mother had to help her out. Finally, we made it after several hours, and we all sat, exhausted, in the boat as it drifted out to sea. We were tired, but we had made it.

                We were so happy. Everything was so peaceful. My mother sang a lullaby to Abby, and my old maid cooked us some delicious stew with ingredients she had stuffed into her bag. Joan and I chatted about our new life in Malaysia- what we were going to do there, what kind of house we would live in. Even my father, who was stressed out last night, smiled and laughed. Auntie Anne told us a funny joke about a one-legged pirate. Then suddenly a real pirate, or monster, appeared. My mother shrieked, and Abby woke up, crying. Everyone froze. I thought it was a sea monster, and so did Joan, who had a lot of imagination. My father was logical and put himself between the stranger and his family. When we realized he was a friend, not foe, we all relaxed again. It was an exciting start of this journey.

                                                                                                                                         Sincerely,

                                                                                                                                 Jacklyn Your Cousin

VLD Week 1

PART A:

Dear Ashley and Angel,

                I have very sad news. The government in Jakarta has accused my parents of doing something they didn’t like. They have threatened to send us to different parts of the country, and our whole family will be separated. We will have to be punished for something we didn’t even do.

                But last night, we had a family meeting. We couldn’t bear the thought of separation. We decided to escape! If God is willing, we will try to get to your place over there in Makassar. Even though it is still in Indonesia, it is much safer because it is a smaller city, and besides, it’s in a different island. I know that we rarely meet, only once a year during holidays, but now we will live at your house until my father gets a new one.

                Unfortunately, that is the only good news I have. Our other neighbors who also want to go to Makassar say that there is a very slim chance, about 15%, that we will arrive safely in Makassar without the government catching us or other dangers. You see, this is much harder than when we usually visit your place and used planes. Now, all air passage is blocked to civilians, and so we might take weeks or even a month to get there. We don’t know what kind of dangers we’ll encounter in the water. To b honest, the thing I’m most scared of is getting lost. Everyone aboard the boat doesn’t have any experience in running a boat. We will have to follow the coastline. I’ve seen it on the map. I’m also really scared of illnesses. Nowadays, being in the wrong place can bring terrible diseases.

                I really hope we can see you soon. At least I don’t have to worry about food and money. We’ve got plenty of those, though we couldn’t sell our houses and factories in Jakarta because it will arouse suspicion. I will really miss the nice stuff in Jakarta, my school, my friends, the maids, and other positively familiar things that make Jakarta my home. Never mind; in Makassar, the beautiful beaches will replace the rugged mountains in Jakarta’s edges. It will be different for sure, and it’ll take a lot of adjusting, but I’m very grateful that my family and I can still stay together. What’s even better is that we can live together now. Do you remember we were always complaining when I had to leave your house and return to Jakarta? We made a group, the five of us; my sis, both of you, Nicole, and I.

                Sadly, Nicole won’t be coming with us. Our group won’t be complete without her. Her father, Uncle Jeurgen, was put in prison because he was German, and she and her mother were sent away to a place I don’t know. I don’t think we’ll ever see them again. But we can still hope.  What frustrates me the most is the difficulty of the journey. Please pray for us. We’ll be excited to see you.

                                                                                                                      Sincerely,

Jacklyn and Joan, Your Cousins

Part B:

           I think I relate to Phan Thi Chi because in his dream, he had nightmares. I know it’s a bad habit, but I am a person who worries about everything that’s different from my  usual routines. In his dream, he worried about his father’s letter. I would also think negatively, because I think it is better to hope for the best but expect the worst. That way, our hopes won’t be kept up even though our plans won’t work. Actually, I was afraid that Phan Thi Chi’s father had died because he hadn’t replied to the letter, and he was already an old man.

Project#3 - Bible Story

Ananias & Sapphira

Bible Reference: Acts 5:1-11

I had worked with Peter in the church as long as I can remember. I had always loved the gentle yet firm way he preached to the Gentiles. There was one incident that taught me the words: God Sees Everything. This happened around twenty-five years ago, when I was still a young man. One of my friends, who was also working with Peter, had said to me that day, “Guess what? I just heard that that rich guy, Ananias, and his wife Sapphira recently sold their land, and that they are giving it all to the church!”

“Wow!” I had thought. “People like Ananias and Sapphira are surely servants of God. Not everyone would have that much to the church.” Many others in the church were also amazed, and had applauded for the couple. But when I saw Peter’s face, it had a frown on it, and I couldn’t guess why. Later that evening, I asked him. All he said was, “We’ll see tomorrow. Only time can prove it.”

The next day, I hurried to church, where Peter and Ananias were speaking. I was excited in meeting Ananias, but Peter was talking to him, and so I stayed quiet. “Ananias,” Peter was asking, “how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied and kept back part of the money? For you have not lied to men, but to God.” Instantly, Ananias fell to the ground. I had never seen anyone die that fast before. It was as if the Lord had struck them down. Now I know that it was God who did it.

“Bury him,” Peter said calmly. My friends and I rushed forward and carried Ananias’ body away to a cemetery. As I was dumping dirt on his body in his grave, I was afraid. “For you have not lied to men, but to God,” Peter’s words echoed in my head. Lying to God brought terrible consequences, I decided. As I was pondering these things, my friends and I returned to the church. As I opened the door, I heard Peter say, “Is that really the price you and Ananias got for the land?” I looked inside just as I heard Sapphira’s voice answer, “Yes.”

Firmly, Peter replied, “How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look,” Peter continued, pointing to me, “the feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also. With that, Sapphira, too, dell down dead. The other young men and I moved forward without being told to, and wrapped her body in linen. We brought her to the hole my friends had made next to Ananias’ grave, and placed her in it.

Not surprisingly, the whole church knew what had happened by the following day. Everyone trembled in fear when they heard about it. I was afraid too, but more out of respect and awe for the God who had done unbelievable things like this. That day, I learned that God sees everything, and He has a time when He will punish those evildoers.

I am already very aged now, but I still remember every vivid detail of it. I will never forget what happened that day-it taught me a whole bunch of new things.

Words: 552

1. I chose this story because it isn't as well known as other Bible stories, but is just as important because it teaches us many important lessons, such as, "God sees everything." I chose to include everything because each detail was important. I chose his character because even though his name isn't mentioned, he has the main view of what's happening, and it is easier to imagine what he is thinking while Ananias and Sapphira died. I decided to make the moral connected to what the main character learned. (Before, he didn't know that actually, Ananias and Sapphira were lying, but only Peter knew.)What I like about my story is that I could write it as if I was really there.

2. The most difficult part in writing this was choosing the main character I would be in the story. I couldn't choose Ananias because when he died, the story wasn't complete yet. I couldn't choose Peter because Peter already knew the truth from the start, and I wanted to convey a moral learned by the character. I finally chose to be one of the "young men who buried Ananias and Sapphira", because I could imagine that if I were him, I would have thought a lot about what happened.

3. What I enjoyed about writing this story was creating the parts where there are speeches. I also liked describing Peter, and making up some parts to make it relate more to us. For example, even though it didn't say in the Bible, "The church rejoiced and praised Ananias and Sapphira for giving money to the church," I can imagine that of course the people who believed in Ananias and Sapphira would have applauded for their "generosity." I also enjoyed thinking of the moral.

Project#2 Newspaper Article

Features Analysis   
                                                                                 1.One of the best features of my newspaper article is the pictures. The pictures of the animals explain what the students and teachers became,and there is also a picture of Ipeka International Christian School to show my audience the setting. Visuals like these help the reader understand what really happened in an accurate way.

               2.Another feature of my article is the headline. The title has been cut short to only a few words, and the font is easy to read, since it is large and thick. The headline has a fun font, and because it is red, it is very eye-catching. The title explains what the main idea is about so that the reader will understand at least the topic before reading.

               3.The third feature about my newspaper article I would like to explain is the format of the sentences. The story is put into full sentences, which is then placed into paragraphs. The text contains many details about the scene as well as a few quotes to aid the audience in getting a better picture of the story. It explains the characters and settings in detail, an it ends with a solution.

               4.The last feature of my article is the date and the subtitle. The date shows when I wrote this article, and the subtitle lets the reader know who wrote it.

Project#1 - Adventure Ad

                   1. I created this advertisement to persuade my audience to join OceanLife Tours. This advertisement also informs the reader about the activities they will be doing if they decide to join in. It also explains other details such as the price, contact numbers, activities, and rooms.

                  2.One of the things I like about my advertisement are the colors. There are colors such as blue, green, and yellow. These colors create a calm, tropical mood. The mood of my advertisement is a very important part in catching the reader's attention.

                   3. I also like my word choice because they help persuade the reader to join, because the dull, boring words and substituted with more interesting, fun, words. For example, there are words such as “marine” instead of “sea”, “dazzling” instead of “colorful”, “lovely” instead of “good” or “nice”, and “glide” instead of “swim.”