I had a kitten . Her name was Micky . She was cute and smart . She grew up very fast . Slowly , she found a handsome boyfriend . They were a happy young couple . I don 't remember how many months later she got pregnant . When she felt her kittens were close to being born , she came between my legs while I was sleeping . I kicked her gently away because it tickled . Then I fell asleep . She came back again with her kittens . I felt them crawl in the middle of my legs . I let them stay comfortable between my legs , even though my legs and bed sheets was full of Micky 's blood . I still slept until morning with them . I got up in the morning . Micky said " meow . . meow " . It meant , " Look , I have babies . " I counted them , there were five . They were handsome / beautiful . I placed them in the corner of my bed on the blanket . I changed my stinky bed sheets and put them in the laundry basket . I went to the bathroom , took a shower and dressed up , walked to the kitchen , made a cup of tea , walked into the living room , sat down enjoying my tea when suddenly Micky came near me " meow . . meow " She looked at my eyes . I stood up and walked straight to my bedroom . She followed behind , also she was very quiet . Surprised , she moved her kittens back on my bed . " That 's fine , my dear , " I said . We slept together as long as we liked . I love you so . . . much , Micky . Thanks for reading my true silly story . Have fun and a great day . Posted by I usually wake up at 6 : 50 . One day I woke up at 7 : 10 and I took a shower . I got dressed and after that I went to the kitchen because I had to prepare breakfast for my husband and my son . I began to say to my son while he was sleeping , " Roman , wake up ! " But even after I repeated it several times , he still didn 't hear me . He continued to sleep . So I decided to turn on the television , and I looked for his favorite channel . Fortunately , his favorite program was on : " Sponge Bob Square Pants " . When Roman heard it , he opened his eyes . Then I dressed him . I put on his black shoes , and I put on his white shirt . He was ready to have his breakfast . Finally my husband and my son and I were ready to go to whatever the day 's destiny was going to hold for us . Posted by Damascus , SyriaI was born in Syria . I have nice family . I have one sister and one brother . I lived in an apartment , and I had very nice neighbors . He was a nice boy . We were playing together , talking a lot in the hall way . Suddenly he decided to travel to the USA because his dad and his brother live there . He was thirteen years old when he moved to USA . I didn 't see him until he came back to visit his mother after six years . He visited my brother in our home . I talked to him just few sentences . I was very shy , and he was too . The next year he came to Syria to attend his brother 's wedding . He came with his family to visit my family . They talked to my parents about proposal and engagement . My parents in the beginning refused that idea . They told me I was too young and I 'd just finished high school . Besides he was twenty , he hadn 't finished his studies . But after thinking for a long time , my parents agreed . The engagement period was four years . I studied chemistry for four years in the university . He studied computer science , and he started to work . We got married after I graduated . We have been married for one year , and we 're very happy . Dia de los MuertosDeath is the second step from birth to death . Do you think about the death some time in your in your life ? If you do , you must be the happiest person in the world . Thinking of " la muerte " is the best way to live life . You learn how to be a loving parent , avoiding danger , and see the difference between right and wrong . In my opinion , we must be prepared for that transition , because nobody knows when or where it is coming . We have to learn how to walk hand in hand with death in this life . The day when we learn those steps , we will see the difference and we are going to say , " Welcome , death , any time . " I 'm Mexican and we have a special day on November Second . On that day , most of the people go to the cemetery . They take flowers to the loved ones who rest in peace . The living remember the dead , and the good times they once had together . Most of the time people talk to each other not realizing that the real conversation is with the soul . The soul lives in or out of body and never dies and will be eternal in the minds of the ones who love us in life . A house in Oakland , CaliforniaI immigrated to the United States . When I came to San Francisco , the airplane flew down . I saw the beautiful city . After I arrived here , I lived on Jones Street . My older sister owned a laundromat on Jones Street . I went to the store , and I saw a person . I got scared and ran away . One day I saw a man . He brought his coat to wash . " One dollar , " I said . The next time he saw me , " One dollar " , One dollar , " he said . He laughed . I smiled . After a few days , the man drove us to my relatives who lived in Oakland . When I saw that the homes in Oakland were very small , " EWWW , " I yelled . But , when I went inside the house , I saw it was very nice . Posted by " The Risen Christ Appearing to Mary Magdalene " by RembrandtI was a single woman living out the United States . I had gone to school for a long time . I had been working in an American factory for four years . The economy of the USA affected us . The company closed and I had to look for another job . I couldn 't find another job like the one I had before , but I had worked for a long time in my religious community . When I talked to the priest , he offered to me stay at the office and help in different things : as a secretary , as a religion teacher , as general assistant . I accepted for a small payment . I had had a boyfriend , but not at that time . I met a Mexican - American man and we began going out . He had gotten a job there . He asked me to marry him , I accepted . Our families met them . We got married , and we came to live at USA . I found myself in the biggest change of my life . I have been working for a livelihood , and so far , I 've only had jobs with speakers of Spanish only . Although I 've studied English , I haven 't felt very confident speaking it . Actually , now that I 've come back to school after some years , I 've seen how the world has changed . Technology is going too fast and a lot of things are different than before , especially in computers . I feel that everything is possible . I feel now that have risen in my life . " House " by Andrew WyethWhen I was a child , I had a dream . My dream was to learn English , so when I came to this country , my first step was taking classes at City College . This took place in 2005 . But I couldn 't continue because I had to work very hard that year . One day a friend of mine who can speak English very well told me something that I 've never forgotten , " If you want to learn English as well as me , go to school every day of the week . " And that exactly what I did . At the present I can 't speak accurately , but I can communicate with a lot of people from other countries , and that is great for me . I hope someday can speak English to understand everything about life in this country . That is still my dream . Hi my name is Rosie . I was born in a small town in Honduras . The town wasn 't crowded , it was clean and safe . So all of the children in the town played together outside . I lived in a really big house with my parents , my brothers , and my sister . I was the youngest of the family back then . We had a small ranch , but it was in a different town . Our ranch was really close to this beautiful celestial river . We would go to the ranch every weekend . I loved it with all my heart ! We also had a coffee farm , so we were always busy . We had to work very hard , I always remember it . It was a lot of fun for my brothers and I because we would fool around during work time . My favorite season was summer because we would go to the ranch and swim in the river everyday , even after school ended ! So after that I became a teenager . I went to college , and there I met this handsome young man which after a few years became my daughter 's father . I am going to write about my experiences living in this country . I have been living here for almost eight years . I came here with my husband and my five year old daughter with the idea to work for one or two years and then all of us return to my country . Soon I started at work here . I really enjoyed my job . I liked my job because I was in Customer Service and I enjoyed the contact with the people . At that time , my husband got a job too , and my little daughter started school . Gradually , we adapted to the ways of this country . My little daughter started to speak English very fast , and she was happy because she had a good home with Mom and Dad . Now , my family has grown . I have three wonderful kids which are my entire life . Now , my work is to take care of them . But I feel the responsibility to educate myself and to be the best person I can each day . I come to Mission Campus every day because I want to learn . I want to be a good example for them . I want to go to their schools and understand everything their teachers have to say . I don 't want to have an interpreter . I want to speak English fluently and clearly . Every day I pray to God to be a good Mom and to guide my children on the right path . I wish some day they will feel proud of me . I want to be an inspiration for them , so that they can move forward . I hope that they will become wise adults and some day they can go to college and reach their goals . I know they can do it , and I want to be there for them . Posted by I was born on a farm in my country , Colombia . At the age of 6 years I started school . I had to walk about two hours from home to school . After school , I went back to do my homework and , after that , I fed the chickens and pigs . Sometimes I had time to play with my younger siblings , but any time that was left was used to help my mom with the house work . I used to play on weekends with my brother around the house , and we both enjoyed climbing the mango and orange trees to eat the fruit . We had a wonderful time enjoying the countryside . One day my father decided to move to the capital in search of better opportunities and a better future for us , and we stayed at home with my Mom . After a short time , she decided to move to my grandparents ' house , to keep them company as they were a little sick and could not do farm work . Two years after , my father returned from the capital to take us with him . When we reached the great city . All of it surprised me since most of what I saw was new . The city had huge buildings and many people . Also it had a lot of cars . That 's where I finished my middle school , and soon after my father died . I was fourteen years old and my siblings were younger . It was a very difficult time for us . My mother did not have a job . She had depended on my father . Also we didn 't own a house so we had to pay rent . I had already decided to look for a job to help my mom and my siblings . I got a job at a supermarket where I had the opportunity to finish my studies at night and support my family for 5 years . I graduated from high school at age of eighteen . Two years later , I got another job in a chocolate factory . It was my last job before coming to the United States . I met my present husband through a friend . My husband provided the opportunity coming to this country and have a better future for me and my family . Coming to this country has been a great experience of a lifetime , full of new challenges . I 'm studying English at City College where I 've been learning a lot . Here I 've met people from around the worPosted by I 'm from Mexico . I was born in a little town in Jalisco , Mexico . It 's called Puente Grande . Its name comes from a bridge that was built there in 1716 by Spanish people with an estimate of 700 pesos of gold . It has four towers , two in each side . Below each tower there 's writing of the information about who sent the money for its construction . That information is very difficult to read now because it has disappeared through time . Its writing isn 't very clear . Each tower has a statue with the image of Spanish people on top . This bridge has a length between 80 - 90 meters . It has only one way . There used to be one of the most beautiful rivers of Mexico under the bridge . It was called " Rio Lerma Santiago . " I remember when I was a child , all my friends and I swam all weekend . Also many people went there to wash their clothes in it . When I left my hometown 10 years ago , this river deteriorated . I say that because its water wasn 't as clean as it used to be before and it became polluted . I 'm going to show you one picture of how it looked 10 years ago . This is very shameful ! I don 't understand why some governments don 't give special attention our natural resources and inheritance . It 's very important to take care of them . I 'm going to tell you about one legend that the elderly people tell about who built this bridge too . The legend tells that : A man knew a beautiful girl on the other side of the river . Both fell in love and they started to meet each other every day and had beautiful nights . But the problem was that he had to swim across the river every day to see her . He was very upset because his clothes got wet all the time and he couldn 't build a canoe because he had been very poor his whole life . One night he was thinking about how to resolve his problem when suddenly a man ridding a beautiful black horse appeared in front of him , and asked . " You know who I am ? " The man said , " No , who are you ? " The rider answered . " I 'm the devil , and I can help you . I can build a bridge for you in one day if you Posted by I 'm from Sulawesi in Indonesia . I was born in an small village called Kulisusu . When I was little girl , I liked to play in the mud under the mangrove trees in the ocean . Almost every single day I went with my friends . We were looking for clam and shrimp when I was pinched by mud crab . Owww ! ! It was terrible . The claws hung onto my thumb . I screamed . It hurt , really hurt . Finally , my friend came to remove them . Then we walked home , I held my right thumb because it was bleeding . When I got home my mother said , " I 'm sorry about it , you have to learn how to catch them without getting pinched . " ( Thanks a lot , Mom ! ! ) After this experience , I knew exactly how to catch mud crab and MORE as well . They 're very strong and also dangerous . I 'm so glad even though it hurt , but I had so much fun with my friends . So if you plan a trip to mangrove trees , let me know . I 'd love to join you . Thanks for reading my story . Have a great day . Posted by " The Persistence of Memory " - Salvador DaliFor many years , I have had this kind of dream , almost the same , with little variation over time : I was in trench warfare , like World War One . But , at the same moment , I saw leaves falling from the branches , dancing in the air , and swimming beautifully . Also , I could hear water running from a stream nearby . These sounds made my body less tense and put me in a better mood . I saw all the plants , animals , the air , the water , and the earth connected and linked together with me . I dug with my bare hands through one of the walls of the trench and found chains of gold . These chains were connected , one with the other . I started to think of who might have hidden this gold and how long it might have been there , hidden behind the walls of this trench . Just then , I started to get nervous about this treasure and my whole body shook . This dream always came when some bad news occurred in my life . About nine years ago , when I had this dream for the first time , my mother passed away . Then , when the dream came again , I was just saying goodbye for ever to a woman with whom I had had a nice friendship and a deep romantic relationship . The third time this dream happened , about two years ago , my sister passed away . This year , I had the same dream when I lost my daytime job . I don 't consider myself a pessimist at all , but always this dream is accompanied by an event that brings an emotion of great sadness . For other people , this same dream might indicate a state of well being or happiness brought on by the " good life " . When I think about how my dreams predict the future , I remember Joseph from the Bible , the favorite son of Jacob . Because he was the favorite , his brothers were jealous and tried to get rid of him . Joseph ended up in Egypt where he became known as a dream interpreter . He read the Pharoah 's dream and predicted seven years of good crops followed by seven years of famine . Because he was a great dream interpreter , he became very powerful and important in Egypt . I think everyone has theJohn Robinson Migration comes from ancient times . If you ask why people come to this country , you will find a lot of reasons . This is a country of immigrants since the pilgrims arrived , and then started the immigrations from the other countries , particularly Latin American people . In my case , San Francisco is the first city I lived in since I left my country . Then I went again to my country trying to find myself and got my degree , got married and went to New York City . My son was born there , but I think New York is a crazy city , the people are running always and I don 't like that kind of living , so , I returned to my country with my five month old baby . Last year , my son and I went to Plainfield , New Jersey for a couple of months . This is a nice and pretty city . It was summer time , and it was really hot like my country . It 's wonderful to see so many animals and flowers everywhere . You can get to New York City when you want because it 's pretty close . We went to New York many times , and I felt it was as crazy as it had been fifteen years earlier . My son couldn 't believe he was in the same city where he was born . It was amazing for him , especially when we visited the World Trade Center . He knew everything about September 11 , 2001 , and I had told him he was there when he was one month old , when we traveled from New York , to Elizabeth , New Jersey . He enjoyed this visit and took photos of everything . He was fascinated with the New York 's view from the Empire State Building , but like me , he doesn 't want to live there . To be honest , I thought I would never visit New York City again . But , I have learned something , you never can say " never " . Then , we visited Greenwich , Connecticut . It 's a precious city because like New Jersey , you can enjoy nature . Right now , I am again in the same place . San Francisco is a beautiful city . I love the morning fog , the rainy days , the beauty of the places , and the friendly people . But I don 't think I belong here because I miss my country and my home a lot . I love nature and quiet places , not crowded citiPosted by Michelle is the best woman that I have known in my life . She is very beautiful and very smart . I love to talk with her because she knows a lot of politics and social themes . And also she dances very well . She likes salsa , merengue , and reggueton . She 's going to be a lawyer , and I know that she will be very talented in her job . We have had a relationship of approximately 3 years , and we are very happy . She loves the outdoors and cooking , just like me , and if we have time , we go to the beach and walk on the sand . Unfortunately , she is in my country ( Chile ) because she needs to finish her undergraduate studies . I hope that in July she can come to San Francisco because I miss her a lot . I am very sure that she is going to like this city very much because it is very similar to Chile . We talk every day by skype , but nothing is comparable to having the people that you want close to you . I know that she is the person for me , and I am pretty sure that nobody is like her . As time goes by , you have the opportunity to think about the friends you have in your life . People say that you can count them in one hand , and that 's a truth . When you find a real friend , try to keep that person for the rest of your life . My mother said that when I was a little girl , I liked to talk with everyone , no matter who it was , an animal or a person . I had love for everybody , and I talked too much . Right now , I choose my friends , but still I like to talk . By now , I have learned to listen more and to talk when it is necessary only . As you grow up , you realize that there are a few people who came into your life and stayed with you always . When days are good or bad , it 's nice to have good feelings about them . No matter if they are living close to you or far away , you have them inside your heart . I have a few very good friends in my life . I remember them and they remember me . I still keep them . But now , I have a special friend who entered my life almost sixteen years ago . He is my son , Aaron . He is the most important person in my life . We spent hours of good talking , and we like the same things . We enjoy the same kind of music . He is a mature teenager . I think it is because he doesn 't have a sister or a brother , and he has developed a strong relationship with me . He gives me advice when I do something wrong and listens to me when he has done wrong things . I understand he is not perfect . Nothing in this world is perfect . I think that we come to this world to learn how to grow up and do the things the best we can , and try to be a better people , inside and out . Pretty soon he is going to be and adult , and I hope one day , he remembers me , his mother , like a special friend in his life . The Unconditional PartnerMusic is unconditionally there forever , anytime I want it , any time I need it , any time it needs me , I am going to die for it . I fell in love in 2000 after the first party in Monterrey , Mexico . The town of Skizzo was the window towards the other side of this universe . I was hooked by the vibrant atmosphere that loud , fine music and unhappy people release when they are fused after midnight . Even though everybody knows we were unhappy , we tried to reach the real happiness at least for that night , no talking much , no posing , no pretending , no synchronized dances , and we did it . The results , only smiles and a real feeling of dancing were there . This music is the simplest availability . I don 't have to take it out for dinner , I don 't have to be listen to it I don 't need to say anything to it , It will never get old , and it is always in a perfect mood , and the best thing : it never will make me feel bad . The only one thing that I have to do is press the play button . When I realized all that , I couldn 't even believe that it was happening , and why that was happening , and I still don 't understand , how this music was created , not only my music , I am talking about all kinds and styles of music . Everybody agrees this is the XXI century , and the human species has been here for 6000 thousand years , and I don 't think that it has been enough time for humans to catch up to these levels of musical refinement . I think it is too much for these days , I think the music has evolved very much . I was a former member massman of a band , and we were playing Molotov , Control Machete and Caifanes , and these experience helped me to recognize how difficult and complicated is playing an instrument , a lot hours of practice if it is only a hobby , but when I am talking about an " artist " , I know that there are too many years of study and spiritual refinement , and then I look at the instrument , and the I can 't believe how the human created , instruments that play music , that play that great music , that play energy , Posted by Two cousins , two brothers : That will be the name of my story . First let me tell you , we grew up in the same town , two houses apart . We shared so many things when we were kids . Every morning we went to school together , had lunch together , sat in the same classroom , and had the same teachers . It was so much fun being together . The time passed by and we grew up . He left the town when he was nine years old , and we did not see each other for so many years . One day , I think it was the best day of my life , the telephone rang and I answered it . It was him on the other end of the line and being very happy . Then we made plans to come to U . S . A . . I left my university , my friends , and so many things I loved at that time . When we came to this country , the things were very hard because of the language . And we lived in San Diego for two years . Then I moved to Chicago , and he stayed in San Diego . We didn 't see each other for five years . At that time , when he stayed in San Diego , he got to know this girl and got married . They have three girls and one boy . At that time I didn 't know he was an alcoholic . He was attending A . A . He had a lot of help from his wife . Afterwards , I left Chicago to live in San Francisco . Now we see each other more often because I like to drive to San Diego to visit them . And he has been twenty six years out of alcoholism . I admire him when he tells me he is going to a conferences to some states of Mexico talking about alcoholism . We aren 't kids any more . My cousin and his wife are a very happy couple . Two of the girls got married . And now he is the grandfather of two beautiful girls . I have two daughters . We are in our 60 's and have been very happy people , making plans to go back to Mexico , like when we were kids . When I was a child I had a lot of friends in our neighborhood , but especially one who I could feel confident and talk with about all kinds of things at home , at school , and anywhere . Since then , long time ago , she has listened to what I tell her , shares with me what 's happening in her life , sends cards , letters , gifts , announcements of accomplishments , and statements of wishes and hopes ; more than I do . We used to sit outside her house by night and talk for a long while , until my mom told me to go to bed at 10 P . M . Most of thees nights I braided her long hair to comfort her dream sleeping time . When she finished her elementary school , I thought our friendship would finish soon . It didn 't happen . In our family , we had the opportunity to purchase a new house and we changed our address . It was a difficult time for me , my life was on fire : it was my adolescence . Then my special friend and I started to communicate by letter and cards . After that we tried to meet together at hers or my home . She used to work as a secretary and study English in the beginning . After , high school and Psychology at the University ; I really don 't know how she did it , she always worked full time . When she attempted to get a job as a professional individual , she couldn 't find it . This was during the U . S . Economical depression affecting Mexico . Then she thought of coming to the U . S . A . and to get a better life , and she did it . I admire her because of her exceedingly good attitude . She didn 't have her father since she was a little child . Her mother worked as a seamstress to make ends meet , and she was the baby in her family . Our communication followed mostly by writing . She got married , and time seemed longer than before . I felt very worthwhile when she understood the my situation , being a student without working , because my parents didn 't permit it . She sent me a card with a money order . When she got back to Mexico , we always met and talked for hours and hours , drinking , and eating something . Now I live in San Francisco , she lives inPosted by Everyone in the world must have a friend . You may have a lot of friends , or you might have only one . I only have one friend . When I was in high school in my country , I met a friend . Her name is Lien . She is my closest friend . She and I never argued because she is a very nice person . She speaks very softly . I often came to her house , and we cooked together . If we had time , we 'd make a dinner party . We talked about our life in high school . Later I left my country , and we have never seen each other again . Sometimes I wrote to her a letter . Now I send an e - mail to her because it 's faster than sending a letter by mail . I came to The United States and I have met a lot of friends , but I will never forget Lien . Posted by Once upon a time , so time ago , I was working in a small village next to the beach . I was working with a non - profit organization taking care of sea turtles in the Caribbean Ocean . That place was amazing , like a fantastic island where I met curious people . I remember Yan , a Czech young man that was travelling around the world . He worked as a travel guide , that 's why he travels a lot . One day , I was sitting on the beach just looking at the beauty of the sea and thinking my own thoughts . Suddenly , I heard some noise and I turned to that direction and I saw a young man with a boat and a fishing rod . That guy was Yan . He approached me and asked to sit with me , if that was okay . " Yes , I 'm glad to have company , " I said . We were in silence for a while , both looking at the soft waves and watching the sunset . Before the sun went to the other side of the world , we prepared a little fire to cook the fishes that Yan had caught . Despite the fact that the fishes were small , they tasted really delicious . We were talking of different things , how we arrived to that far - off , isolated and beautiful place , about the magnificence of the sea turtles and their need of conservation . Then , we found out that both of us liked stories , and Yan was a really amazing storyteller . He told me different kinds of stories some about his country , and other stories about legends and heroes . But I remember one was about an Asian poet . A long time ago , in somewhere in the middle of China , there was a poet . He lived in a humble cabin with only one room . The bed was on one side , and on the other side , a table with only one chair situated next to the window , and a kitchen . The poet was thinking about his recent dreams and writing them down on a piece of paper . The poet dreamed that he was a butterfly , but the thought occurred to him , what if he were a butterfly dreaming that he was a poet ? One day , the poet disappeared . No one in the village knew where he was gone , they only found a piece of paper in his table with a sentence and a drawing of a buttePosted by The word " friend " means a lot of things to me . Unfortunately , some people use this word for everyone , for whatever reason . Having a friendship with someone is a big responsibility you have to deal with , because you have to be available for your friend in different kinds of situations . Mr . " J " is my friend , and I can provide several reasons to prove that there is friendship between the two of us . First , some people think a good friendship needs several years together to build some habits . But in my point of view , it is not really necessary to spend a lot of time with someone to discover what kind of personality this person has . For example , I met Mr . " J " in December 2008 at a dinner with another friend of mine . The first time we talked , he was a little bit shy , and I acted like a silly girl with him . After few conversations with him , I saw that all the shyness I had imagined before disappeared , and nobody could stop him from talking . Moreover he has an amazing imagination and creativity , and you never feel bored talking with him . From December until now , I discovered that Mr . " J " had the most beautiful personality I ever saw . He is extremely intelligent , respectful , a good speaker , but also good listener . He is always here when I need him , and he likes to make fun of me and make me laugh a lot . He has a perceptive sense for good art , and we both have the same interest in this area . He doesn 't like to dance or go to parties , and sometimes he just disappears like a ghost to think about poetry . Even though during his ghost time he can pass weeks without talking with me , I can feel his love and friendship around me . We are like magnets acting together . In a few months , we built a strong friendship together . Lots of people that I 've known for years never impacted me the same way . So I can affirm MR " J " is my friend . The meaning of friend for the majority is being together and having fun : going to parties , drinking , or shopping . But when you are sad , mad , in difficulties , or having troubles , those friendsPosted by " Calamari a la Catalana " is one of the typical meals in my region of Spain . I miss a lot this typical meal of my little county , Catalonia ( in Spain ) . When I got up on Saturday morning , I felt as though it were spring in my little Catalonia . I felt the strong sun that brings heat and I reminisced about a day with some friends cooking " Calamai a la Catalana " ( Squid cooked in the Catalan style ) . I used to go with my friends to San Carles de la Ràpita . One of them had a house on the beach . She called it " El Chalet " , and her boyfriend was a really good cook . Some of us went to the market and we bought one kilo of squids , onion , garlic , some tomatoes , and the salesman gave us some fresh parsley . We came back to El Chalet , in our way of talking and laughing at nonsensical things and feeling happy . When we arrived at the house , some of my friends were in bathing suits ready to swim into the sea , and others were waiting for us to start cooking . So , our good cook started to prepare the Calamari a la Catalana . He was the chef and the others the assistents . First you need to clean the squid very well and cut it in slices . Then you cut the onion in little pieces and carve 2 cloves of garlics and add the parsley . With the tomato you make a sauce ( if you want you can grate the fresh tomato ) or buy some tomato sauce . In a pan with olive oil , you mix all the ingredients : the sliced , the onion , the carved garlic and parsley , the tomato sauce , and a pinch of salt , and white pepper . If you like , you can add some cinnamon ( not so much ) and a glass of white wine . Then you cover the pan and let cook on low heat . You sometimes have to stir the pan . When the liquid is almost gone ( it is better with a little bit of sauce ) it 's ready to eat . . . Enjoy the meal ! ! ! I remember that we enjoyed it a lot , all together with some wine in the yard watching the sea and the warm sun in our wet backs , because all of us enjoyed the delicious Calamari a la Catalana , unless , of course , our good cook decided to go swimming into the sea instead of cJohn Robinson Photo of Joaquin " El Chapo " GuzmanI 'm blue because Joaquín " El Chapo " Guzmán was included in Forbes 's list of the millionaires in the world . The economic magazine calculated his fortune at one million dollars and put it in 701 sites . I 'm sick and angry about this news . Something smelled bad when Forbes published this fact . Something smells bad , too , when Felipe Calderon , president of Mexico , said " Mexico is winning the war against drug cartels " . Who believes him ? I do not . I have tried to forget this announcement in Forbes , but it 's terrible . It 's bad news ! Good day , all you readers . The story that I 'm going to tell you is about " Max " , my dog . He has a rare story . He has 2 fathers and 1 mother . Max was born on February 14 , 2006 . One of his fathers is a cute , white Boxer named " Ton Ton " ( in Spanish that means " silly " ) . The other father is a mix of Rottweiler , Doberman , and Mutt . The mother is a brown , pure bred Boxer . Max is always funny . He likes to play with balls , with empty soda plastic bottles , and my shoes . Nobody liked Max when I brought him home because he was a male and we always had a female dogs , but a few months later , everybody loved Max . Something that I haven 't told you yet about Max , is when he comes in the house , he pees on everything , and that is another reason why my mom wants to sell him . Every day in the afternoon , I take Max to walk in the nice park that 's near my house . One day , he fell in love with a little Cocker Spaniel , but she didn 't like him , because for her , he was too BIG . Anyway , Max is still in love with her , and he will be waiting for her all his life . Now Max is 5 years old , and he still pees on everything . I don 't know what to do with him , because now , that makes me get mad ! Oh Max ! why do you do that ? Well , dear readers , thank you for your attention and for your interest in my doggy Max . Some day , I 'll tell you about the puppies that I hate , Guinea Pigs ! I want to explain how important it is to speak English for all the foreigners that do not speak this language in this country . Every single person that lives in the U . S . A . must speak English in order to be successful in this country . I 'm going to share a bad experience with everyone about what happened to me 14 years ago because I didn 't know how to communicate in English at that time . I 'm about to tell the most embarrassing story of my life . One day I was hungry , so I went to McDonald 's to buy lunch . But the problem was how to order my food in English . So I tried to make my order in English , but I couldn 't pronounce it correctly . Then some customers and employees began laughing at me . I was very shy because I 'd never been in such a hard situation before in my life . Now I am attending English classes to improve my skills . Also , I have a good teacher . His name is John Robinson . He 's friendly and very patient with all his students . In addition he 's very intelligent . He teaches English very well . I want to be an English teacher like him . Posted by Hi , my name is Aura . I am an ESL student at City College of San Francisco . I have been living and working in the Bay Area for many years . Because of the economic situation that we are living through at this moment , all of the families are dealing with serious problems . Day by day , we are learning about how many people are losing jobs . After many years of working in the same place , I received notification that I have been laid off . I never expected to lose my job . Now I do not know what I can do . I have many things to worry about at this moment . I feel confused . Getting a new job is very hard because of the situation we are in . How long will it take to accept the reality ? I don 't know . Every day I hear from the news that thousands of people are still looking for jobs . In conclusion , I feel sad and worried . I only hope for the best a soon as possible . When my Dad and my Mom fell in love , the population in Mexico was 50 million people . I didn 't exist yet , and Fidel Castro , sipping his rum and puffing his cigars , enjoyed power in Cuba . It was 1968 , and the world was crazy . People shouted and cried with The Beatles and the Olympic Games , but , in the streets in Paris , Prague , and in my beloved Mexico City , students protested for many changes in the society and the world . In the middle the turmoil , my parents , just married , were traveling and enjoying their honeymoon in El Bajio , a zone in the north west of Mexico between the states of Guanajuato and Jalisco . I 'd like to think I was conceived when they visited Chapala 's Lake . Mom always told me she remembered this beautiful and quiet site . When she was pregnant with me , the soundtrack of my life began . All times , when I listened to " El son de la negra " ( Negra 's son ) I imagined my father and my mother kissing and enjoying themselves with this song as a background , in the personal movie in my life . Then , when I was a kid and was learning the first letters , they put all songs of Francisco Gabilondo Soler , a famous songwriter in Mexico : " El chorrito " ( Little water ) , " La patita " ( Little duck girl ) , " La marcha de las letras " ( Letter 's parade ) and my favorite : " El rat ' on vaquero " ( Cowboy mouse ) . My father always sang Javier Solis 's songs , and his favorite song was " Sombras nada m ' as " ( Shadows … ) . My mother prefered Consuelito Velazquez . When she cooked or when she was happy she sang " Besame mucho " ( Kiss me much ) . Of course , these songs are part of my personal sound track because I missed my parents when I listened to these songs . I consider some songs are stronger than others . Every time in your life has a particular music . When you fall in love , when you are happy , when you are young , when you have a new job , some song always exists as a background . My first girl friend had a song : " De musica ligera " by Soda Stereo . My last job was " Desaparecido " by Manu Chao . San FranciscoPosted by My name is Judith Garcia . I have lived in San Francisco for 20 years . The first day I arrived in San Francisco was Halloween night . The Castro District was celebrating with an amazing Halloween party . I was a very excited that night because in my country , this type of party is not unusual for this day , this time of year . In my country , Mexico , on November 1st and 2nd , we always celebrate The Day of the Dead . But it is very different from Halloween . On The Day of The Dead , people usually go to the cemetery and leave flowers , candles , and some food for the deceased . This food is the kind of food he or she liked in life . Some people say this practice is silly , but it has been our special holiday from ancient history , since the time when the Aztecs ruled Mexico . Posted by I am 30 years old , and I was born in Mexico city on August 16 , 1979 . I am the oldest of two guys . My sister is 25 , married , and is about to have a baby in the next few months . I studied at a little elementary school in my neighborhood . The next 6 years , I was in a Catholic school in Mexico D . F . After the big earthquake in 1985 , my parents decided to move to Purepero , Michoacán . Then , I studied the next six years of my elementary school in government schools . I attended the Instituto Tecnologico de Morelia . I enrolled there in order to get a degree in Business Administration , but the first passion in my life trapped me , the drunkenness , etc . My parents got divorced in 1997 . Since that time I really have begun to grow . I 've been clean since 2000 . At that time , I started my own business " Bloquera de Purepero . " That business consisted of making prefabricated concrete . At the same time , I found a new love in my life that really made me stronger than ever , and I am talking about The Electronic Music and its world scene . I discovered this topic in my first electronic party in Monterey , Nuevo Leon . Immediately , during the next 6 months , I organized the first " rave " party in my home town in Michoacan . In 2005 , my little business was in the highest size of its history with 4 employees and with sales in the surrounding villages . The local electronic scene was doing very well . I started a radio show and our listeners were composed of 3 nearby cities , and some privileges were given for being a member of the ruling political party . But this big love took me further than I could think " Ibiza " … During the radio show " DANCE ESSENCE , diffusion electro - festiva " I realized that there are a deep and a strong electronic activity in that Balearic island , and I thought that that is the perfect place in which to die . Now I am here in " the states " ( U . S . A . ) enjoying of its culture , in the vibrant city of San Francisco in California , a beautiful city . I 'm growing in a new life as an English foreign speaker , being educated in a magnificent place : City College of San Francisco . I would say that if THE LANGUAGE LAB of City College didn 't exist , the dream of my life would be a lot more difficult to achieve . Thanks to the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA , thanks to the wonderful and friendly people of that magical city , my dream is getting closer and closer every god damned day . I fell in love in 2000 after the first party in Monterrey , Mexico . The town of Skizzo was the window towards the other side of this universe . I was hooked by the vibrant atmosphere that loud , fine music and unhappy people release when they are fused after midnight . Even though everybody knows we were unhappy , we tried to reach the real happiness at least for that night , no talking much , no posing , no pretending , no synchronized dances , and we did it . The results , only smiles and a real feeling of dancing were there . This music is the simplest availability . I don 't have to take it out for dinner , I don 't have to be listen to it I don 't need to say anything to it , It will never get old , and it is always in a perfect mood , and the best thing : it never will make me feel bad . The only one thing that I have to do is press the play button . When I realized all that , I couldn 't even believe that it was happening , and why that was happening , and I still don 't understand , how this music was created , not only my music , I am talking about all kinds and styles of music . Everybody agrees this is the XXI century , and the human species has been here for 6000 thousand years , and I don 't think that it has been enough time for humans to catch up to these levels of musical refinement . I think it is too much for these days , I think the music has evolved very much . In July of 2001 , I took a trip to my country with my kids . We visited our family and celebrated my daughter 's second birthday with them . I had already had our reservations when I went to the agency to get our tickets . The agent didn 't tell me we had to show up at the airport the night before we left . When we arrived at the airport , the airline agent told us that our flight had already left . After the airline agent told me this , I was very angry at him . I asked him what I should do . He told me to come the following day . After that , I called my relatives and told them we had to reschedule the party until we arrive . Posted by Here is another great article from our own literary , film , and art critic , Arturo Mocino . The best Coen 's moviesBy Arturo MocinoHave you seen " No Country for Old Men " ? " The Big Lebowski ? " " Burning After Reading ? " Well , don 't wait any longer because these movies are amazing and very funny , especially " The Big Lebowski " , my favorite . These movies were made by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen . Joel and Ethan are brothers and Jews and filmmakers , and , of course , readers . " No Country for Old Men " is inspired by a Cormac McCarthy " s novel . Last year this movie received three Oscars : Best director , Best adapted screenplay and supporting actor . The story is simple : Sugar , a Mexican killer played by Javier Barden , had a mission : to recover stolen money . Barden is a silent assassin , very professional and bloody . He crosses the border and finds the money in a little town in Texas . Nobody stops him . Well , it 's not true , but you need to see it because I hate to tell the film 's ending . " Burning After Reading " is very different from " No Country for Old Men . " It 's a movie about spy games . Brad Pitt , George Cloney and John Malkovich fight for top secrets and dark menaces . It 's a parody of all fears of American administrations . Again , I can 't tell you the end but I promise , it 's very ridiculous . " The Big Lebowski " was filmed around 1998 in Los Angeles . When I lived there a couple years ago , I discovered Coen 's movies . This movie is full of jokes because it sketches the madness of LA : passion for bowling , for marijuana , for fighting over nothing , for living unemployed . I recommend you see this movie . Have a good day . See you later alligator ! THE BEDBUGHi , teacher I hope when you read this story , you will like it . My name is Sonia Izaguirre . I 've been living in San Francisco for 5 years . I live with my mother and brothers . There is a funny and true story about the apartment we live in . It was August 2008 when my body started to have some kind of allergy . I didn 't know how I got it because I had never have an allergy in my life . Then , I went to the doctor to see what I had . He didn 't know and he gave me some medicine . He made an appointment to see the specialist , a dermotologist , who could tell me what kind of allergy I had . Since that time , I have that problem all night . Finally , I went to see the specialist . What a surprise ! ! ! It wasn 't an allergy in my body , it was the famous bedbug . The specialist explained to me where they are and how they came to the house . After I saw the doctor , I got home and I explained it to my mom , and you know , teacher , what she did ? She threw out my bed . That night , I slept on the floor . She didn 't wait for a different solution . So what could I do ? She was upset . This story is true , and that 's why we have to check everything over before we buy a new furniture . Hello . My name is Alma Elias . I was born in El Salvador and grew up in that country . I studied Business Administration in the university . I worked as an auditor in Sherwin Williams Company . I moved to this country when I got married in October 2001 . Right now , I have two kids : a boy and a daughter . Mark is six years . He is in first grade . And my daughter Hannaiz is four years old . She is in pre - school . They make my life very happy . In this country , I never worked because I had to take care of my kids . Now , I need to learn English and then I 'll get a good job . Well , I work at home every day . I have to clean , cook , and do the laundry . The last seven years have been very hard for me , because my life has been completely different . I pray to God that my life can change when I get job . My husband works as a painter . I am Martha Perez . I am from Mexico . I have been here for 12 years . I am very happy in your class because you have lots of patience , and you motivate us every day so that we can learn . I do not know how to use a computer , that 's why I haven 't done my homework . You told us to do it on the computer . Also I have more classes , and I want to learn the GED . I work a few days a week . I clean two houses and take care of one kid . I have two kids of my own . One is ten years old , and the other one is eleven years old . They are going to school . Left to Right : Martha Barrios , John Robinson , Fidel Garcia , Rosie RomeroHi , Mr . Robinson . I hope you 're OK . This is my short story . If my grammar is bad , please let me know because I need to practice my writing more . My name is Fidel Garcia . I 'm from Mexico . Now I live in San Francisco , CA . I 'm married , and I have two daughters . My first language is Spanish . When I came to the USA , I had a big problem with language because my English was very poor . Then , I started to study English for a few weeks because I had to learn how to communicate with other people . Nowadays , many things are different . Now , I can speak a little , but I need to improve my speaking . I 've been learning English with my teachers . I hope I 'm going to learn how to speak and write in English well . Hi , my name is Maria Rosario I am from Mexico . I was born in Puebla . In 2001 , I decided to come to San Francisco on vacation , and I started to come to Mission Campus . Two years later I met my husband in the same campus , while I was learning English . We decided to go out on a date . We had so much fun together because we spent most of our time learning from each other . So that 's when we decided to get married , and later our son was born . He is a handsome young baby . He is almost 3 years old , and he is very smart . He is the reason that inspires me to improve my English . Now I 'm in level 7 / 8 . It is kind of hard sometimes , but I know that it is for my own good , and that I can count on my friends to help me out sometimes . Mr . Robinson , my teacher , is really nice , and he tries to make us learn as much as possible ! ! I 'm trying my best to improve my English because I want my family to be proud of me . I want my family to always stay together to never fall apart . I love my family the most . The Strange Story of My Left FootA Surrealist TaleYesterday , my left foot decided to take one day off . When I woke up , I felt something strange at the end of my leg . And I saw that my left foot was gone . " He didn 't even consider writing me a note ! " . I had a lot of things to do . " What I could do now ? " I was thinking how to do all my stuff without my left foot . I decided to go to work as always , walking . My work is near where I live . When I arrived at my office , I was so tired because I was jumping all the way until I got to the office . When my boss saw me , he ordered me to leave for home . I got back to my house really really exhaaaaaaaauuuuuuusted . So , I thought that I needed to get used to my new body , or to do something about it . So , I started to make a model of a new left foot with flour and water . I 've never been a good artist , but I did my best . I baked my new left foot , and I was ready to run . . ahem . . or better not . At that moment , I was starving and I went to that restaurant , just on the corner . When I tried to put on my shoes , I realized that I made the foot too big ! In spite of that , I put on a thick sock and I went to the restaurant . I went out to the street , but someone was hosing it off , and my sock wasn 't thick enough to stop the moisture . My new left foot was wet and withered . So , I came back at home starving and angry with my left foot . But I had a BIG surprise when I saw my beloved first left foot waiting for me in the front door . Since then my life took on a new significance . Now , I take more care of my entire body . You never know when some part of it will decide to take a day off . My name is Sandra Rocha . I am from Goiania , Brazil . I have lived in San Francisco with my family for almost two years . I love this city ! In this country , there isn 't a better place to live . My favorite season is summer because the weather is warm and sunny . I feel so happy on sunny days . It reminds me my country . To have a better life here , I need to learn English . City College , gives us this opportunity for free , with excellent teachers . So , I am here to enjoy it . I began with level 2 , and now I am in level 5 to 8 . I like to study English , and I am learning Spanish too . I like to read and to listen , but I am not a good speaker . I want to speak more . I am going to concentrate in this problem . My BiographyI was born in El Salvador twenty years ago . I 'm the oldest of three children and the friendliest , too ! I grew up in a city with my grandmother and my grandfather . When I was young , I liked to go to buy an ice cream with my friends . I didn 't like to iron my uniform and go to the dentist because I guess I was shy . I liked to play hide and seek with my cousins and friends . I didn 't like tomato soup . As a matter of fact , I hated it , but I ate it anyway . I went to school in my country for fourteen years . In El Salvador I finished high school , then I attended " Academia Europea " . I was learning a little bit over there . I stopped going to the University because I came here to U . S . When I got here I went to adult school ( CCSF ) . I can remember when I was a child I went to Honduras to visit my grandmother 's sister . It wasn 't a good trip because I had a terrible accident . I almost was going to be in a wheelchair because of that accident . When I was 6 years old , my dear mother bought a cool bicycle . I learned how to ride it as soon as possible ! A couple of years later , my mother had to leave because she came here to be with her parents . I was very sad about that , but in spite of it , I had to face it . I couldn 't do anything , I guess ! Now I live in Daly City , CA . I 'm student . In my free time , I like to play soccer , basketball , tennis , FIFA09 , Rock Band 2 etc . By the way I enjoy playing xbox360 . It 's amazing LoL ( an acronym meaning " Laughing Out Loud . " ) In the future I 'd like to travel to London and watch a Chelsea game . My sister says it 's craziness , but I don 't think so . I hope to get a driver 's license . I like my school , CCSF . I think it 's one of the best places to learn English . How can you make progress ? This is a question for many people that try to learn English everyday . They want to improve English in their work , hospital , or any place where English is spoken . The answer is : to come to school and learn English or to take courses in order to prepare for a small career . Improving English takes different forms . Take control of your time , and organize your life . City College offers more career choices than many years ago . This school is better than it was many years ago . It offers more opportunities for academic or career preparation . On ORHAN PAMUKI love to read because it is the best way to travel . With your imagination you can travel around the world , and you can break the laws of space and time . One reason more for reading in English or French or Spanish or Latin : it 's cheap and , in this country , free , because you can find interesting books in the public library , and you don 't have to pay money in order to take books out . When I read , I go to many countries , times , and I discover different cultures . For me , reading is very amazing and funny . It 's like breath . Now , I 'm reading " Other Colors " , a book of essays written by Orphan Pamuk , winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2006 . When I discovered Pamuk 's work I was 33 years old . I read his novel " My Name is Red " on a beach called Playa Paradiso , ( Paradise Beach ) , in Guerrero , Mexico . With this novel I traveled to the Sixteenth Century to discover a murder of a painter who drew the Prophet Mohammed , a violation of the religion rules of the Muslims in Turkey . The story is beloved because the daughter of the painter , called Shekure , a beautiful widow with a beautiful name , I think , tries to find the killer like an ancient Sherlock Holmes . In " My Name is Red " Pamuk describes the times when the Muslims didn 't accept images of Mohammed and when they fought to conquer Spain and founded , years later , beautiful cities like Granada , Toledo , and Cordoba . I read " My Name is Red " in Spanish , and the story caught me for its descriptions of strange lives and habits . Yesterday I bought " Other Colors " to discover more about Pamuk 's world . He lives in Istambul , the ancient capital of the Ottoman Empire . I hope I enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed " My Name is Red " which was written when Pamuk was not a Nobel Prize winner yet . About The New " Hope " There is a new face in the political arena . The whole United States and the world have been waiting for that change , and supposedly now it is here . I want to think like most of the people , I guess , that the new president of The USA is going to change the way that things have gone . He has a big job in front of him about all these issues : economic , health , wars , environment , poverty , and so on . In his speeches , he talks about peace , tolerance and respect for other countries , cultures , and religions , but he didn 't say anything about the conflict in Palestine or another humanitarian crises around the world . I know that he is in his first days of his administration , and he is going to close Guantanamo , the biggest shame of these years for all of us , and that is a really good example that there are new directions and new compromises of this new government . But , it 's important to remember that the one of the counties that is always looking for wars is the United States . Anyone of us can see that in any war around the world , The USA is there , and not always as a humanitarian help , or as a neutral army . The latest presidents of that country started so many wars , and I think that one war is too many . I hope , like everybody , that this is going to change . Obama has a lot of work to do , and it 's necessary that all the amazing countries help him to do it , with patience , but struggling hard to get it . He is not God , he 's just another human , and we must not forget that . Another world is possible ! ! ! ! Yes , we can ! Posted by Yesterday afternoon I went to pick up my daughter at her school . By the time I arrived at the school , Lisa had already come out . There were many things that helped me to arrive late , for example : I was far away from the school and the bus was late . By the time I got there , she was already outside , waiting and seated on a bench with her friend Valerie , so finally I picked her up . We had to wait for the bus . Because it had already left , we had wait for a long time . By that time every bus was crowded . Before we took the next bus , we went to the store to buy some food for dinner . We bought some plantains , tomatoes , some fruit , bread , basil , and the most important thing : milk . Then we got on the bus that took us to our house . When my sister married , I was late for her wedding . She told me to be on time to the church and not to forget ! ! I remember she said , the wedding is at 7 : 00 pm . I said , " Okay , don 't worry . I will be on time . " But when I tried to start my car , it didn 't work . I had to ride the bus . I was to sad because by the time I arrived at 7 : 30 , she had been married already . She was so mad at me . The good thing is , she forgave me , because we are sisters , and we love each other . Hi , Mr . Robinson , My name is Kim My Vuong . I have been your student for two years . You 're a very nice teacher . I have never met a nicer one . I am from Vietnam . Our poor country had a war before 1975 . My brothers escaped Vietnam for freedom . I came here in 2000 . I was very sad because this country was very strange to me . But I have to learn English , so I go to Mission Campus . I began with Level 1 , and now I am in level 7 / 8 and you are my teacher . When I ask you something , you always help me and answer my questions . Today I send you this letter to thank you . Sincerely , Kim My Vuong . Hi , my name is Rosie . I 'm 30 years old , and I 'm from Honduras . I came to this country 3 years ago . I started studying English at Downtown Campus in August 2007 . I stayed there for 1 semester , then I started studying in Mission Campus in 2008 . It 's been a while , huh ? I 'm taking 2 classes : one is with Mr . Robinson . He is one of the coolest teachers . You learn really fast with him . The other class I have is with Mrs . Thomas . I was a little confused at first , but then I got the hang of it , put myself together and started to learn faster and faster . I guess I should be proud of myself . This is all about me . I 'm not boring , am I ? " Something funny happened . " Usually we go through life " normally . " ( If there is such a thing as a normal life , I 'm beginning to wonder ) I mean , we have our routines : getting up , having breakfast , going to school , work , lunch , dinner , TV , sleep . BUT ! ! One day , the exceptional happens ! ! At the time , it might have felt terrible . But , now , when we look back at it , it makes us laugh . Here 's a perfect example . Tell me about that time when , " Something funny happened " TO YOU !