● ™ To Our Readers, Welcome to the fourth issue of Accents! We are pleased to offer a colorful magazine chock-full of excep- tional writing, art and poetry from every level of ESL stu- dent. We are thrilled that Accents! is now being read and used in classrooms around the world. The beauty of an on-line medium is that we can create a border- less, global writing community, with authentic writers, readers and a student-centered audience. Accents! makes a fantastic supplemental text for teachers and students of writing, reading, grammar and speaking. classes. Accents! showcases exemplary student writing and art. It reflects the dynamic lives, vivid imaginations and clear voices of ESL student writers and artists. The magazine celebrates the diverse cultures, languages, ethnic backgrounds, opinions and rich life experience of its contributors. Accents! aim is to encourage and support ESL students who, in both demonstrative and quiet ways, contribute to our world’s diversity and intel- lectual life. In an effort to acknowledge top writers, submis- sions for each issue are juried by a committee of full- time faculty. Awards are given in the following catego- ries: Best Narrative (Novice, Intermediate, Advanced) Best Non-Narrative Best Fiction Best Poem Editor-In-Chief Best Art Composition Editor’s Choice Awards GO TO PAGE 66 FOR SUBMISSION GUIDELINES Thank you to … Editor-in-Chief/Layout & Design Jennifer Summerhays, Instructor, ESL fall 2005 Selection Committee Lisa Egle, Instructor, ESL Kathleen Kelly, Assistant Professor, ESL Teri Mates, Instructor, English & English Lab Coordinator Claire Ribeiro, Student Assessment Specialist, ESL Instructor Zirka Voronka, Associate Professor, ESL Information Technology & Media services Philip Falcone, Manager, Audio Visual Services Fatmir Fanda Ibraimi, Webmaster A very special thank you to: Dr. Laurie Moody, ESL Department Chair Hana Prashker, ESL Instructor Sal Rodriguez, Assistant Professor, ESL Passaic County Community College ESL Department & PCCC’S contributing writers and artists New Jersey City University Guest Writers & NJCU Faculty who encouraged them FEATURES 7 Novice Narrative My Green Winter Coat by Florica Makowski 8 Intermediate Narrative Love May Kill Sometimes by Mohammed Hussein & Abd Araksousu 16 Advanced Narrative Who Am I? by Tenzin Youlo 24 Poetry Café Like it by Djamel Makhloufi 37 Intermediate Description Everyplace Changes by Carmen Alva 47 Novice Description I Like it When it Rains by Sor A. Sanchez 48 Fiction Imagination is a Nice Thing, Isn’t It? By Alper Habip 50 Fiction Unforseen by Isabel Torres 57 Non Narrative How is the United States by Darshana Rana 61 Art Gallery Noe Enriquez Collection 66 Submission Guidelines ACCENTS: A Magazine By ESL Writers Novice Narrative Advanced Narrative … more Poetry Café My Green Winter Coat Winner Who Am I? A Girl from Tibet Winner Three Poems Florica Makowski P 7 Tenzin Youlo P 16 Yalena Gruber P 27 Coming to America Rural & Urban: Two Worlds Apart When I See You Adriano Maypa P 7 Sara Zuloeta P 18 Emedy Frias P 27 First Summer Job in the U.S. Who We Are Intermediate Narrative Magally Yupanqui P 19 Novice ESL Writing Class P 28 Love May Kill Sometimes Winner My First Experience Working In Crashing In Between Mohammed Hussein & A Small Company Yanira Mendoza P 29 Abd Arakousu P 8 Alexandre Romanovski P 21 Saying a Prayer Interviewing a Native-Born Citizen I Sharpened My “A” Adalgisa Ruiz P 9 Mutmaynna-Al-Ali P 23 Djamel Makhloufi P 29 A Perfect Day Poetry Café My Life and Struggle Anonymous P 10 Wendy Martin P 30 A Memorable Trip Like It Winner A Desire Nayara G. De Souza P 10 Djamel Makhloufi P 24 Ana M. Villavicencio P 31 Why? Why? Promising Queens Sun to Squares Anonymous P 11 Carlos Fierro P 24 Carlos Fierro P 31 Achieving a Goal That Lush Tree Autumn Day Johanna Ddjaula P 12 Ivan Balasi P 25 Yomayra L. Guaba P 32 My First Day in the U.S.A Like It Is Mango Siciliano Iwona Kaczynski P 13 Yanira Mendoza P 26 Carlos Fierro P 33 The Crash Distant Love Transmutation of Waters Mario Cruz P 14 Maithili Shah P 26 Carlos Fierro P 34 A Frightening Experience Weeps & My Love Mother, Mother Anonymous P 15 Marinell Montales P 26 Alba Salis P 34 ACCENTS: A Magazine By ESL Writers Intermediate Description Novice Description … More Non-Narrative Every Place Changes Winner I Like It When It Rains Winner Working & Going to School Carmen Alva P 37 Sor A. Sanchez P 47 Iwona Kaczynski P 59 Taj Mahal I Like the Rain It’s Time to Stop Racism Hetal Rana P 39 Basma Hassan P 47 Yaned Bran P 60 Niagara I Do Not Like It When It Rains Nina Razzak P 40 Guillermo Cruzado P 47 Carnaval Fiction Art Gallery Ana Serrano P 41 Diwali Imagination Is A Nice Thing, Isn’t It? Noe Enriquez Collection Bhavana Rana P 42 Alper Habip, Winner P 48 Noe Enriquez, Winner P 61 Lake Neko Unforseen Ganeshji Iwona Kaczynski P 43 Isabel Torres P 50 Devang Rana P 64 Limon’s Waterfall Ambition Ramon Cruz P 44 Juan Gaon P 55 My Terabithia Aldo Valderrama P 65 The Beautiful Big Apple Jealousy Publio “Puly” Vazquez P 45 Bereny Diaz P 55 Once Upon a Time My Routine … Well, Not Really Faeda A. Faddoul P 46 Valentin Gutierrez P 56 Non-Narrative How Is the United States? Winner Darshana Rana P 57 The Perfect Life: Love, Money & Health Melissa Cuyutupac P 58 My Green Winter Coat WINNER By florica makowski ● Passaic County Community College When I was three years old my mother was killed in a car accident. At seven when I had to start the school, my family put me in an orphanage to be sure that someone watched over me. Then when I was twelve, my father re- married and decided to take me home. I came home with the “green winter coat” uniform that all the children at the orphanage wore. For me it was like a stigma because everybody on the streets could identify that I was from there. The sad part of this was the fact that I I had to wear that coat two more years until they bought me another one. Because I was growing, they adjusted the sleeves with some green fabric that wasn’t the same. I was studying in the same school with the same children, and I felt terri- bly humiliated when they asked me, “Why did they take you home if they don’t have money to buy you another coat?” Maybe my father never realized how I felt wearing the same “green winter coat” from the orphanage, but I believed the children were right when they made their ironic remarks because they did- n’t see any changes in me being home. Coming to America By Adriano Maypa ● Passaic County Community College On December 19, 1994, I stepped on American soil. I had just stepped out of the Los Angeles Interna- tional Airport. It was one of the happiest days of my life. Back home in the Philippines, it was every Filipino’s dream to come to this country because we see America as the promised land that can change everyone’s life. If you live in a third world country and the economy keeps going down, you cannot achieve the comfortable life you want. For example, I would work twelve hours a day, seven days a week and I still could not meet the needs of my family. Do you know how much the average person makes a year? They are very lucky if they make two thousand dollars. Unlike here in America, if you are a hardworking person, you will survive. I can say the education in my country is excellent, but you had to have a lot of money to get a good education. We don’t have loans or financial aid, so you have to be born rich to get into a good university. In America, you can get loans or grants from many foundations. Do you know why I love this country? It is because the American Dream is still out there. You just have to say focused on the challenges that you face everyday, stay on the right track, and have a lot of patience. “Someday,” I tell myself, “I will make it.” Love May Kill Sometimes WINNER By Mohammed Hussein & Abd Araksousu Passaic County Community College I will never forget the day I lost the girl I loved because of a stupid mistake I did. Shame didn’t matter at that time and I insisted on driving my father's car without his per- mission. A girl I met at my friend's party just made me crazy. A friend of mine called Tom invited me to his birthday party at his house. There were a lot of people there, but only one girl at- tracted me. She was so beautiful, so I could not just let her go. I turned my eyes on her, and when she noticed, I smiled. She did not hesitate and smiled back shyly. She was so elegant. I could see from the way she was dressed up that she had a rich family. That did not bother me at all. Although the girl was too shy to talk, I did not move until I got her phone number. Her name was Cindy. We started to talk on the phone, and started to know each other better and better. I was not wrong; she was rich and had a fancy car. When I heard that, I don’t know what happened to me.