Thursday, April 10, 2008

Class report of background nationalities

It has been a great time exploring my classmates' background nationalities, which are really interesting stories. My class consist of 12 students, who are from different countries, but their similarity is educational background as they all are studying English as a second language. When I read their article "about me," I realized that all of my classmates really study hard. They all have high self-esteem and are very confident.

The majority of my classmates are from Asia; Indonesia, China and Burma. A few are from other countries such as Afghanistan, Iran and Samoa. They all have different reasons for coming to New Zealand. Political crisis is the most obvious reason. However, some students want to exprience challenges in a new country and have a better family life in a new society. Most of my classmates are married and a few of them are single. Some have children and some don't have any. They all have been here for different periods of time- from 10 years to a year.

Generally, I am impressed with the honesty of my classmates, though they are from specific social backgrounds, when they are in class, they all participate as one. All my classmates are not only charming but also humourous and helpful to people anytime. Being simple is one of the uniquenesses of my class. Interestingly, they are all really focussed on what they are determined to do.

Thursday, March 27, 2008

About me


Kia Ora!

Hi! Everyone


Welcome to my blog! My name is Chang. I come from the northern part of Myanmar (Burma), a place full of natural diversity. My native town is also known as “Jade Land,” which means full of jade. I have been living in God Zone for over a year. Currently, I live in a suburb which is called Glen Eden.

When I look back to my childhood, family life is the most valuable aspect of my life. I have three brothers and three sisters. They all live in Burmar. Seriously, I can never forget the time I used to have dinner under the candlelight with my family. That was the greatest time I have ever had. Especially in winter, many varieties of flowers blossomed and the sound of birds' singing emerged everywhere, which was one of the most memorable and beautiful times in my life. Oh! …oh life is more mysterious than what I expected. When I was young, I went fishing, farming and hunting with my father and brother. I never thought about the day I would have to leave my family and country behind.

The 29th of March, 2003 was the beginning of my journey to this foreign country. My reasons for leaving from my country are racial discrimination, political and economic crisis. I had never dreamt of coming to New Zealand but there is someone who prepares my future. Coming to New Zealand has provided me with a second chance to undertake an academic education.

In Burma, there are seven main different ethnic groups- Kachin, Kaya, Karen, Chin, Mon, Myanmar, Rahkai and Shin. Among them I belong to Kachin. Burmese and my mother tongues are my first languages and English is my second one. I can speak a little bit of the Karen language. I have completed the first year of a Bachelor of law. My future plan is finishing my degree but I am not sure yet because everything is unpredictable. I am sure what is happening at the present time but I don’t know what will happen tomorrow.

That I have found myself living in New Zealand is amazing. However, I sometimes feel homesick and lonesome. I enjoy living in a multi- cultural country and an egalitarian society. In my spare time, I love putting on some classical music, and reading adventure and philosophical books in my quiet room. Sometimes, I spend time chatting with online friends without any purpose. Spending time outdoors is one of the activities I am enthusiastic about doing in my spare time rather than staying at home and doing kitchen things. Soccer, table tennis and volleyball are my favorite sports.

I hope you enjoy reading my short story!!!!
If you want to know more information about my country , you can visit www.kachin.com/