Abrar Writes

This semester is my second semester as an ESL student. The most excited thing in this semester is learning how to create blog. I had thought about creating my own blog, but I did not have the courage to do so. I thought it would be difficult and an obligation. However, blogging was enjoyable because I could choose the writing format and add photos or videos. Also, writing journals was entertaining although I found some difficulties in choosing my journals topics. I tried many different writing topics that I had not write about before: I wrote a short prayer; this was my first time to pray in a foreign language, which was wired and interesting!          Another thing I am proud about is my final speech for pronunciation course. I copied a part of a speech that given by Hilary Clinton at the UN Fourth World Conference on Women. I practiced a lot and I still remember many sentences. I had chosen a part that I believed in then I delivered it from my heart. Th...

Timed writing is a big challenge for many students, most of whom have difficulty in generating ideas, especially when they are nervous. Here are tips about generating ideas for timed writing exams. Before Timed Writing Exam day ·         Get Familiar with Timed Writing Topics. Getting yourself familiar with general topics by reading, listening, and discussing is very helpful. Read magazines articles, books, and classmates’ essays. Also, listen to news and podcasts and discuss general topics with friends. All these methods help building new vocabulary and getting relative ideas. ·         Create your own idea banks. An idea bank is a collection of vocabulary, synonyms, questions, examples, and sample essays about a one general topic. Creating an idea bank and being prepared for timed writings at home is useful because it saves time, reduce stress, and keep focus on writing instead of thi...

Living abroad is full of new experiences and challenges, and one of the most common challenge is c ultural differences.  In this post I want to mention three challenges I have faced while I am living in the US. Prayer room As a Muslim I have to pray many times a day, and I prefer to pray on time. My problem is there is no prayer room close to my classrooms. I had tried to walk to a nearby masjid (Muslim church) and pray there, but that caused me to be late for my listening and speaking class. The best choice was to find an empty classroom and pray, although I was praying with no full comfort. This semster I do not struggle because I am home when it is prayer time. Dogs Dogs are cute, Are not they? well, not in my culture! Wait! do not judge us! We do not hate dogs, many of us just do not like to see them, touch them, or having them in our homes! 😜 In Arab and Islamic culture, it is uncommon to have dogs as pets, because the dog is a symbol of dirtiness....

As a fresh graduate, I always think about my future job. There are some traits that I would like my dream job to have: §   Challenging duties We cannot escape from having boring duties, but I don’t want these duties to be my main duties. My dream job should be a little bit challenging. §   Motivated environment The perfect job is the one that help me improve my skills and learn more about my field of work. §   Nice staff The people who I work with have an important contribution in my mood and, as a result, my productivity. I want to work with experienced manager who is willing to share his or her experience with a fresh employee. Also, working with talented colleagues will give me a chance to observe and learn. Friendliness of fellows is important as well. §   Salary It is not necessary for my career to be high-paid, but it should pay me based on my work and effort. §   Health insurance My parents’ jobs do not offer health insurance, a...