ESL100 Spring 2026

Nomindari Gangaa ESL 100 CE April 2, 2026  My Great Grandfather’s Influence      The Second World War changed the lives of millions of people, including my great-grandfather. At that time, the Soviet Union and Mongolia were like brother countries, so he fought for the Soviet Union against Nazi Germany.  During the Second World War, Mongolia supported the Soviet Union and helped fight against Nazi Germany. After the war, many soldiers came back and built a new life. My great-grandfather also returned and started working for the government. His story is very important for my family and for me. Because of his experience of the war, he got respect and a high position. This influenced our family life and my motivation.     The first effect of my great-grandfather's joining the war was that he got a promotion and respect. Because he fought bravely and followed discipline, the government trusted him very much. For example, after the war ...

                                                               Love from My Family         During the early 2000s, while China's economy was beginning to boom, many ordinary families in rural areas still struggled with finance because the Reform and Opening-up Policy could not completely change their life. At the same time, the booming economy of the United States attracted many Chinese immigrants seeking better opportunities. My grandmother and aunts were no exception; they made the hard decision to immigrate to the United States to pursue better jobs and a better future. Their decision to immigrate deeply affected my family and lasted my entire life. The early immigration of my grandmother and two aunts paved the way for my family, providing us with a financial foundation, legal status, an...

          Many years later, an old man with a head of white hair recalls the past when a young man with inspiration and enthusiasm came to Zhengzhou. The old man is my grandfather. Back in 1953, Chinese people had just experienced civil war and the new China had been established for four years; moreover, every place in the country needed to rebuilt. At that time, the government of China proclaimed the First Five Year Plan because the country needed a lot of technicians, workers and service industry personnel to support the development of central and western regions. My grandfather took a train from Guangzhou to Zhengzhou to respond to the country's call. My grandfather took root in Zhengzhou, and he not only became a strong and accountable man, but also his spirit inspires me to become an accountable and diligent man.          Strong willpower and accountability are two essential qualities for an adult. In 1905, my grandfather was f...

     I had never heard what “Ching Chong”, a racist word for Chinese people, meant until I moved to the United States. The United States is an immigrant country, where many people from all over the world come to live, such as Chinese, Mexicans, or Americans. Even though people who are living in this country today aren’t Native Americans, some people think this country only belongs to them. Therefore, some people who live here are proud of themselves, and some people don’t want other cultures or people coming to their country. Even though I have experienced racism many times since I moved to this country, I know that there are still many friendly people living in the United States.      Before I moved to the United States, I didn’t realize that there were many racist people in this country. As a result, I had never thought about racism until I moved to the United States. Because I never saw immigrants from other countries in China. Since I moved to this coun...

               I don’t want to be the baby girl of my parents anymore! A year ago  on  my  nineteenth  birthday, I said  that I had a wish for my  new age, but it didn’t change a lot until I moved to the U nited  S tates  last year. Looking back, I see how I h ave  changed in the last few months. To be honest, I used to be a daughter who always ask ed  before I d id  anything, which I soon found that i t didn ’ t work  in  the United States . I was stuck in the middle of two different world s . I tr ied  to figure out how I could survive between two different cultures .Could I  forget  my old  self to totally engage in the new one , s ince my old code didn’t work to unlock the new world that I am facing. Definitely, the answer should be NO. Therefore, I tried to find the balance between  my  two worlds. In a word, it’s high time for me to find the n...

When I first arrived in Chicago, I quicky realized that even simple habits from my home country, like raising my hand to stop the bus, didn’t fit in here. Small actions that felt normal to me suddenly made me stand out, and I often didn’t understand why. This difference in cultural expectations made communicating with others confusing, especially when everyone seemed to interact in their own way, both in person and through the internet. Many habits that I used to have in my country have changed because I’m now in a different environment. As a result, living in Chicago, I have struggled to adjust the way I communicate with others, and at the same time, becoming independent has changed my way of thinking. Living in Chicago made me understand that the belief I brought from Peru that speaking to everyone would bring me more opportunities was not true at all. I am from Lima, the capital of Peru, where people talk to everyone because many people already know each other. Some people think the...

Prison School and Freedom School                     People all over the world know that the United States and China are countries which really focus on their education , but they have two completely different systems. Before coming to the United States, my grandmother who has lived in the United States for twenty years already told me that I can get a completely different education in the United States, but I did not believe her. Since I came to the United States, I have changed my mind. I have realized that the education here is more suitable for me, and the education has changed my life.         The first significant change is that I do not need to be a school dog. I used to believe that schools should force students to learn what they need, and students should always follow teachers; in addition, the students should stay in schools all the time. I...