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1. Revision is the heart of writing
Writing is a process. Few writers sit down and write something good the first time they put words to paper. Most writers sit down and write something. They read and rewrite. This is process writing, and process writing is what makes writing good. One famous American writer, for example, reread each draft of his book 100 times.
Writing is taught in American schools as a process. First, we write a rough draft. Then, we rewrite it, and then, we revise it. Sometimes, we get feedback from others. Without process writing, good writing is almost impossible.
It is considered very unprofessional in the United States to write something and submit it for publication without having someone else check it first. Before that, however, we check our own writing again and again. As native speakers, we can make our writing better and better each time we revise it. Nonnative speakers can do the same thing with their own writing. Try the following when you revise your own writing:
A. Make sure none of your sentences are too long.
B. Make sure none of your sentences use too many commas.
C. Edit out unnecessary connecting words.
D. Make sure your writing is clear and simple.
There are many things to look for when revising writing. Don't try to do much at first. You don't want to spend so much time that you overload yourself. Look for a few things the first time you revise your English writing. Then, when you revise another piece of writing, add one more. Eventually looking for these problems will become second nature. Think of it like jogging or a sport. Each time you do more, you get better.
2. The word foreign can have negative connotations
Many people in Japan use the word foreigner in both Japanese and English. Most of the international people in Japan do not particularly like to be called foreigners in any language. This often has negative connotations.
This may be because it does not describe what we are. It describes what we are not. Other words can be used to refer to people and things from other countries. Overseas, international, and abroad are three examples. At ALS, abroad is our favorite because it refers to broadening your horizons. When we go abroad we see new things, meet new people, and have new experiences. These broaden our horizons and us.
Let's look at this from the perspective of being from overseas. If you are from Tokyo and you go to New York, what do you want to be called or not be called? Would you prefer to be a Tokyoite, Japanese, Asian, or foreigner?
3. The Bear Flag Republic
Those of you who are students of history will know that a great part of the United States was once part of the Spanish empire and then became part of Mexico. This included California, Texas, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, and other states, reaching as far north as Oregon. Little by little, through a series of wars and treaties, Mexico shrank, and the United States grew.
As Porfiro Diaz, a president of Mexico, once said, " Poor Mexico -- so far from God, so close to the United States."
For a short period of time in 1846, there was a revolt in California against the Mexican government. A short-lived government called the Bear Flag Republic was born, and California was an independent nation for a little under a month. The Bear Flag Republic ended by California being annexed by the United States. If you look at the California state flag today, you can see a grizzly bear and the words California Republic. This is the legacy of the Bear Flag Republic.
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