Student E-mail Project: Random Excerpts

This semester, my junior writing students did an e-mail exchange with my friends in America.  I've been meaning to pull out some quotes from their e-mails that struck me as cute, funny, or insightful.  Here I've collected some sweet quotes from a bunch of different student e-mails.  (More coming in the next two posts.)  Enjoy!

And I know that you will have a baby soon, so I want to say hello to him or her and hope he or she will be peacefully and healthily born.

Every time I play ping pang, I feel more than excited and happy.

I want to guide you to travel around China when you come here next time.

I also like to mention that I have a very nice boyfriend, who is very handsome and treats me very well. I hope we can marry after I graduate from my college as soon as possible, because we love each other very much.

I'm curious about your romantic story with your husband, such as how you met him, how you feel about him and how you are sure he is your Mr. Right.

            (This was a common line of questioning.)

My father and my mother are from two villages separated by a long and wide river. It is marvelous, isn’t it?

I feel amazing when I know you are a lawyer, because I think a lawyer is very cool.  I adore you because you represent poor people who can't afford to hire an attorney.  You are great! 

            (I think “adore” here means “admire.”)

I am a junior student who is always busy with reviewing and preparing lessons. 

I grew up in a village, Jining, Shandong province. The villager’s standard of living has been improved. Most of them live in the roomy house. There is more delicious food on the table. They start to pay attention to their appearance. Most of the young ladies make up, and dress as the way city women do. Recent years, most of them have a digital television and a washing machine in their house. Some villagers even have air-conditions or refrigerators.

About me, I want to tell you my 3 dreams. First, I like travelling very much.I want to travel over the big China, and then travel abroad, such as America, Russia, and Africa. Second, I am a crazy fan of soldiers who serve in the army. So I want to find a soldier boyfriend in the future. Third, I would try my best to learn English well. Then I can use this language to earn money and live a free life.

Life in my university is a little boring--- getting up early in the morning, having class all day and studying till 10 o’clock in the evening. I’m a junior student now and I am preparing for the postgraduate entrance examination now. It really gives me a great deal of pressure. But I can still take notice of what is happening in China and the whole world because of the micro-blog that I am interested recently. It is similar to Twitter in western countries. And this helps me to relax and prevent me from dropping behind in this occlusive city.

I’m Clover, and my Chinese name is Yuan Luqi. I like my English name because it stands for good luck. The meaning of my Chinese name is a little bit complex. It means people may come across many obstacles during his life time. My father chose this name for me without special expectation, he just state the truth. Thus, I hope the good luck that my English name brings me can make up the loss my Chinese name gives me.

Obviously, you love your daughter very much and you are a good mother. I wish to you joy and happiness.

I think languages are mysterious and miraculous, especially when I am in a foreign language world, it can always give me surprises.

Now I have a new dream that I'll own a restaurant(breakfast only) using all I plant and feed on my own farm.

I hope you can keep in touch with me and share your happiness and sorrow if you want.

I am 187CM tall and I like basketball very much.

I promise I will go to America to visit you in the near future. I'm afraid you will wait for four or five years, but maybe not so long.

When I watch American TV series and movies, I’m often confused about FBI, CIA and police, such as their authorities, their numbers, their influences on America’s life and who they responsible for. Could you tell me their differences and your impression about them? I hope this question won’t offend you.