ENGLISH FOR NON NATIVE SPEAKER

English is an International language. There are so many languages in this whole world. We can communicate with one another by English even though our mother tongue is not English.

English Book

My mother tongue is not English. I started to learn English when I was 13 years old. Firstly, English was very difficult to learn because it is much different from Bahasa Indonesia. But, I was curious about it so I keep on studying English. Till now, I am still studying English.

In English, the written is different from pronunciation. The world line pronounced by /laIn/ . Whereas in Bahasa Indonesia, the written is as same as the pronunciation, the world makan pronunced by /makan/. Other different is in verb.

Want – wanted – wanted === regular verb

Speak – spoke – spoken === irregular verb

The changes of verbs are depend on the tenses. Meanwhile, there’s no tenses in Bahasa Indonesia.

I got some difficulties when I read texts/books and so do the others. Most of Indonesian translate a sentence word by word at the first time they study English. Can you imagine when we translate the idiom ‘keep in with’? We translate it by word for word translation. We look up the meaning keep, then in, after that with in dictionary. The meaning becomes doesn’t make sense for one another.

There’s a question delivered to me “Nova, in your opinion, who are confused when we are speaking to westeners, we or they?”

“Of course us,” I said with no doubt.

“Wrong! Both of us are confused,” said this man.

“Why so?” I said curiously.

“We are confused because they speak fluently, and they are confused because we speak not fluent.”

I laughed to hear his explanation. Yes, I think he is right. In my opinion, the most difficult thing is to speak to the English itself. Their dialect make me in trouble to understand what they mean. Well, I have to read, hear, and practice much more than now.

Nova

(pictures upload from googgle.com)

"HELP ME!"

A week ago i walked in a mall in medan. Suddenly, there's a woman drew my hand and said to me, "Excuse me, Miss. I disturb your time." I smiled and felt curious "Yes, it's ok. What's the matter?"

"Do you know WWF(not smack down)?"

"Yes, i do" i said.

She started to explain the whole thing about the global warming and WWF as she is the consultant of WWF in Medan. She wanted to spread information about the Sumatra Tiger whose the number gradually decrease because of global warming. She gave me a picture of a Sumatra tiger mother which carrying her child in her mouth and there's a sentence written in the paper which touch my heart "Help Me!"

Sumatran Tiger

God gives human the rights to control, protect, and treat this world with all things in it. But, some people are so greedy, cut down the trees in the forest illegally(illegal lodging).What for?? Of course to get MONEY. So many cases like this in Indonesia.Indonesia is endowed with some of the most extensive and biologically diverse tropical forests in the world. Now, the number of virgin forest is also getting decrease.One of the result is the very hot weather in Medan. It also influences the habitat of the tiger.Yes, if there's no forest anymore where they will live? In our house? They will be extinct.

I wore this note only to transmit information to others.

Nova (Write until you don't know what to write)

(picture upload from google.com)

FOR THE LEAF LOVERS

Do you love leaves?

Recently, I often hear about a hobby to grow and take care leaves. There are some people who spend much fund just for buying plants which have no flower but leaves. And, waste time and money to give appropriate care for the leaves.

Leafes

“It is not good to spend much fund just for leaves!” I said to my friend.

“You don’t know, Nova. When you like or keen on or love something, you will sacrifice everything for it,” said my friend.

I still could not understand why some people love leaves, not flower.

Two weeks ago, I read a newspaper. For me, the best part of a newspaper is the short story column. The short story in this newspaper always contain deep meaning of morality and education messages. When I read it, it was also about the hobby to grow leaves plants. The messages that I read in this short story :

“Don’t you think that leaves are precious?

Leaf is the is the creature which can cook and produce its own food.

Leaf is the creature which can produce oxygen and blows it out to the air.

Don’t you know, the calorie which transmit from a creature to the other creatures begin from leaves?

Why don’t you care about leaves? The source of the air you breathe, the source of calorie you need.

How sad the leaf lovers are! Everytime they see the leaves fall down because of human deed, the

trees are cut down, the forest are bold.”(by Gus TF Sakai)

After reading this short story, I remember about Green community and organization. Leaf lovers are the reason for ‘Go Green Community!’ ; The reason for Green Organization. Leaf lovers, they are the people who work for the leaves and trees. They are the people who want to minimize natural disasters, they are the people who want this earth as a comfort place to live, they love what God had endowed to us.

Forest

Although my mother like to grow and care flower and leaves, but I am the person who don’t really care about leaves. I prefer to cook than caring for plants. But now, after knowing that leaves play important role in our live, I don’t want to judge the leaf lovers anymore.

Nova (Write until you don't know what to write)

(pictures upload from google.com)

YOU ARE WHAT YOU WRITE

We often hear ‘You are what you think’ ; ‘You are what you wear’ ; ‘You are what you eat’ ; You are what you read’. Now ‘You are what you write.’ A person who likes about religion will not write about politic issues ; A person who likes about business will not write about literature. They will write something they are interested in.

There is a newspaper in my city which its price is very cheap. The price is cheaper than a packet of sweets. Many people buy it especially men. When I was 12 years old, one of my classmates(a boy) bought it but I didn’t care about it. Then, when I was 16 years old, my friend (a girl) bought it. I wondered why this newspaper was so famous. I took it from my friend’s hand and read it. I stopped reading in a story.

“Why did you buy it?” I asked.

“I am only curious about the content,” said my friend.

Suddenly, I remembered with my friend when I was 12 years old. It means he read it at that age. It’s cheap and most of the content is about ‘SX Stories’. Actually, a writer has some responsibilities, that is :

Giving healthy information to your readers

Adding some new knowledges to your readers.

Building a good characters for the readers through your stories.

Encourage the readers to become a better persons.

Writing

There are a lot of novels, romances, newspapers, magazines which only contain of ‘SX Stories’ without the education. It’s a challenge for all writers to produce stories which contain good messages. Of course, you can write about it but with the education and in expensive price so children can not buy it. “You are what you write.” When you write SX stories with the cheap price, it reflects who you are. Use your ink to write good messages in your readers' mind and heart.

Nova

(Picture upload from Google.com)

HAVE YOUR OWN FASHION

Women are very quick to react to new things including fashion/style. We know the latest fashion in clothes, shoes, bags, accessories and hair style. Fashion always back to the past. It's just need a little improvement.

One of my friend ever said "My mother has been scolded me because I always buy clothes but seldom wear it." Some women always buy, buy and buy clothes but seldom wear it. Fashion always rapidly change. Sometimes, it's not fit for us but we buy it because of the trend.Then, we only use it in the season because perhaps, tomorrow new fashion appear . It's just waste of money. Moreover, if we buy expensive clothes.

The same conditions happened to my older sister. Before she got married, she bought manys shoes. When I asked he "Why do you buy so many shoes, you look like a queen of shoes." She replied, "So, what for is my salary if it's not for buying shoes, cloth, and make up?" Yes, she is also right but she didn't have time to look after all her shoes. As the result, the shoes skin broken and there's nothing she could do except threw them to the garbage. She was upset because those shoes were a bit expensive. Now, she only buy the cheap shoes.

Someone told me that I have to wear something which is comfort for me to wear. That's good advice! It means we don't have to be influenced by what fashion which is still in and buy all and become a victim of fashion! When we have something which is comfort to wear, that's our fashion! So, have your own fashion!

Fashion

Nova

THE OTHER SIDE OF TRADITION

Some traditions are good but some traditions are only spend much money and burden the people. Moreover, some traditions are against religion.

Just like an archaeologist

Batak is one of the tribes in Indonesia. It has tradition which is similar to what the archaeologists do. Batak people have family names and every family name have to make their forefathers monument.

For example : The family name is Tobing. The people who have Tobing as their last name gather in their forefather cemeteries. They dig the cemeteries and take the forefather bones. The bones are carried to the place where they will set up a monument. They do ceremony and dance traditional dance. All these process take one or two weeks and spent much money. Why do they do this? Because they think their forefather are able to give blessings. I disagree with this opinion.

Son is more special than daughter.

There is an opinion among Batak people that son is more special than daughter. This opinion exist because a son will generate whereas daughter not. If a woman can not give birth a son, the people think the woman is not perfect as a woman. I think a woman can not choose to give birth a girl or a boy.This opinion become tradition.

Wedding party or death ceremony.

The people who are not from batak culture will be confused to see these two traditions.

“Is it a wedding party?” But I read ‘Condolence’ in the flowered board,” said a woman to her husband while they were passing a batak death ceremony(before the funeral).

“No, it’s a death ceremony. All the people are wearing black dress,”replied her husband .

At a glance, wedding party and death ceremony in Batak are similar. There are a group of music, traditional dance and dishes in both of these two events. But, the most confusing thing is the tradition to serve people who come to the death ceremony with some dishes.The dishes are similar to the dishes in wedding party. It means the family of the dead person still be burdened by the tradition to serve some dishes in their sorrow.

Nova

FREE 100 SMS IN A DAY

Short Message Service is the text communication service component of phone, web or mobile communication systems. We usually shorten the words that we want to send.The charge for one message is different from two messages. So, the shorter words we send, the cheaper we will be charged.

How many messages do you send to other persons in a day? Are you able to send 100 messages in a day? Here, the cellular operator companies compete to offer the best service for their customers. They want to persuade the people to use their card by giving free SMS in a day. They give ‘Free 100 SMS in a day’.

Sending SMS

I was questioned, how did they spend the 100 SMS in a day? I think my fingers will be twisted to type 100 messages in a day. My friends spend these free messages to send others wise words and humours. Some of messages they send me are :

Receipes for a bowl of success in life :

Put a spoon of love, add a spoon of passion + a spoon of effort + a spoon of patience + a spoon of knowledges + a spoon of happiness. And, don’t forget to put a spoon of prayer. Stir well. Then, you are ready to enjoy A bowl of success in life.

Lord is the one who makes us :

ABLE to smile even when we are crying

ABLE to stand when we want to give up

ABLE to pray when we run out of words to say

ABLE to love when our heart break many times

ABLE to understand although we don’t get want we want.

Happy Sunday…..

Smile makes you more beautiful

Pray makes you stronger

Give makes you richer

Love makes your heart peacefull

Good night…

Beside the wise words and humour messages, I also received threatened messages from unknown person.In the end of the messages, written : “send this message to 10 persons. If you don’t send this message, the bad thing will befall on you in three days!” I never obey this kind of messages.

My friend and I also received the same messages from unknown person. It says “Congratulation! You are the lucky person to win Mercedes Benz. For more info, please contact 0812xxxxx” I ignore this message but my friend reply this message by saying

“Thank you, but my garage is full now. I have many cars because I am a rich person. So, you had better take the car for you. I already have the Mercedez Benz .I don’t need it!”

Actually, she doesn’t have a car.

Some people spend the messages to motivate others by sending wise words.Whereas other use it only to fool and frighten others. Let’s use the good opportunity to the good thing.

Nova

(Picture taken from Google.com)