2006-03-31

Audioblog for 2006-03-31 "Acting 演技"

Have fun listening to Trev speak!!!

Listen to the the blog entry "Acting 演技".

Also check out the Trev Report for March.

(Please get set up to listen to Ogg Vorbis (.ogg) audio files to enjoy listening to these recordings.)

Posted by jumex at 14:29 0 Comments links to this post

Acting 演技

Posted by jumex at 14:04 0 Comments links to this post

2006-03-30

Audioblog for 2006-03-30 "Price 値段"

Have fun listening to Trev speak!!!

Listen to the the blog entry "Price 値段".

Also check out the Trev Report for March.

(Please get set up to listen to Ogg Vorbis (.ogg) audio files to enjoy listening to these recordings.)

Posted by jumex at 16:30 0 Comments links to this post

Price 値段

Posted by jumex at 15:06 0 Comments links to this post

2006-03-29

Audioblog for 2006-03-29 "Flirt 軟派"

Have fun listening to Trev speak!!!

Listen to the the blog entry "Flirt 軟派".

Also check out the Trev Report for March.

(Please get set up to listen to Ogg Vorbis (.ogg) audio files to enjoy listening to these recordings.)

Posted by jumex at 17:33 0 Comments links to this post

Flirt 軟派

Posted by jumex at 15:45 0 Comments links to this post

2006-03-28

Battlestar Galactica is the best show ever! 世界中で新バトルスター・ギャラクティカが一番いいテレビ番組です！

Oh My Goddess! Signe and I just watched the season two finale for the new Battlestar Galactica. This show is unbelievably awesome. I cannot wait until season three comes out (which won't come out until October 2006 ;_;). This is very very good sci-fi.

オー・マイ・ゴッド！シグニーと僕はちゃんと新バトルスター・ギャラクティカの第二シーズンのフィナーレ(最後のエピソード)を見ました。新バトルスター・ギャラクティカの番組がすごくすごく立派です。第三シーズンの初めて放送を待たれないです(平成18年10月まで待たなくちゃ;_;)。とてもとても素敵なSF番組ですよ。

Posted by jumex at 20:44 0 Comments links to this post

Audioblog for 2006-03-28 "Mother-in-law 姑"

Listen to my audio recording of the blog entry "Mother-in-law 姑" on 2006-03-28.

Also check out the Trev Report MP3 for March. Enjoy!

(Please get set up to listen to Ogg Vorbis (.ogg) audio files to enjoy listening to these recordings.)

Posted by jumex at 15:39 0 Comments links to this post

Mother-in-law 姑

Posted by jumex at 13:59 0 Comments links to this post

2006-03-27

Audioblog for 2006-03-27 "Hope 希望"

Listen to my audio recording of the blog entry "Hope 希望" on 2006-03-27.

Also check out the Trev Report MP3 for March. Enjoy!

(Please get set up to listen to Ogg Vorbis (.ogg) audio files to enjoy listening to these recordings.)

Posted by jumex at 17:44 0 Comments links to this post

Hope 希望

Posted by jumex at 16:41 0 Comments links to this post

2006-03-24

Audioblog for 2006-03-24 "Going away party 送別会"

Listen to my audio recording of the blog entry "Going away party 送別会" on 2006-03-24.

NOTE: Please get set up to listen to Ogg Vorbis (.ogg) audio files to enjoy listening to this recording.

Also check out the Trev Report MP3 for March!
Enjoy!

Posted by jumex at 15:18 0 Comments links to this post

Going away party 送別会

Posted by jumex at 14:17 0 Comments links to this post

2006-03-23

Audioblog for 2006-03-23 "Entire country 全国"

Listen to my audio recording of the blog entry "Entire country 全国" on 2006-03-23.

Also check out the Trev Report MP3 for March!
Enjoy!

Posted by jumex at 17:17 0 Comments links to this post

Entire country 全国

Posted by jumex at 15:00 0 Comments links to this post

2006-03-22

Audioblog for 2006-03-22 "First time 一回目"

Listen to my audio recording of the blog entry "First time 一回目" on 2006-03-22.

Also check out the Trev Report MP3 for March!
Enjoy!

Posted by jumex at 17:35 0 Comments links to this post

First time 一回目

Posted by jumex at 14:48 0 Comments links to this post

Practice FSWE Essay 5

Please evaluate my practice FSWE essay.

I handwrote this essay in 50 minutes in accordance with the rules of the FSWE. I will present it without spellchecking or editing so to represent the actual essay as it was written.

When evaluating please be aware of the following:

• When composing the essay, the point of view should be clearly stated and supported.
• Writing should be evaluated on quality of writing, not the opinions expressed.
• A sucessful essay should have an obvious structure and clear thesis supported by relevant substantiating details.
• It should show my ability to analyze the topic in a way that is appropriate for the intended audience (a foreign service officer).
• The writing should be coherent with only occasional lapses that do not impede flow or readers' comprehension.
• Language should be generally concise with clear and appropriate word choices.
• The language should be free of errors in grammar and syntax, with only minor errors in spelling and punctuation.
• There is no limit on length.

Posted by jumex at 12:56 0 Comments links to this post

2006-03-20

Audioblog for 2006-03-20 "Need 必要"

Listen to my audio recording of the blog entry "Need 必要" on 2006-03-20.

Also check out the Trev Report MP3 for March!
Enjoy!

Posted by jumex at 17:04 0 Comments links to this post

Need 必要

Posted by jumex at 15:40 0 Comments links to this post

2006-03-17

Audioblog for 2006-03-17 "Song 歌"

Listen to my audio recording of the blog entry "Song 歌" on 2006-03-17.

Also check out the Trev Report MP3 for March!
Enjoy!

Posted by jumex at 17:01 0 Comments links to this post

Song 歌

Posted by jumex at 15:37 0 Comments links to this post

2006-03-16

Audioblog for 2006-03-16 "At least 少なくても"

Listen to my audio recording of the blog entry "At least 少なくても" on 2006-03-16.

Also check out the Trev Report MP3 for March!
Enjoy!

Posted by jumex at 15:27 2 Comments links to this post

At least 少なくても

Posted by jumex at 13:09 0 Comments links to this post

2006-03-15

Audioblog for 2006-03-15 "Moving 感動的な"

Listen to my audio recording of the blog entry "Moving 感動的な" on 2006-03-15.

Also check out the Trev Report MP3 for March!
Enjoy!

Posted by jumex at 21:51 0 Comments links to this post

Moving 感動的な

Posted by jumex at 15:48 0 Comments links to this post

2006-03-14

Audioblog for 2006-03-14 "Practice and Prepare 練習や準備"

Listen to my audio recording of the blog entry "Practice and Prepare 練習や準備" on 2006-03-14.

Also check out the Trev Report MP3 for March!
Enjoy!

Posted by jumex at 19:02 0 Comments links to this post

Practice and Prepare 練習や準備

Posted by jumex at 16:19 0 Comments links to this post

2006-03-13

Audioblog for 2006-03-13 "Useful 便利"

Listen to my audio recording of the blog entry "Useful 便利" on 2006-03-13.

Also check out the Trev Report MP3 for March!
Enjoy!

Posted by jumex at 17:27 0 Comments links to this post

Useful 便利

Posted by jumex at 17:16 0 Comments links to this post

2006-03-10

Audioblog for 2006-03-10 "Maybe not 多分嘘"

Listen to my audio recording of the blog entry "Maybe not 多分嘘" on 2006-03-10.

Also check out the Trev Report MP3 for March!
Enjoy!

Posted by jumex at 19:29 0 Comments links to this post

Maybe not 多分嘘

Posted by jumex at 17:28 0 Comments links to this post

Practice FSWE Essay 4

Please evaluate my practice FSWE essay.

Testing Rubric:
1-3 are failing marks. 4-6 are passing. The essay is read and grded by two people and their scores are added together for a total maximum score of 12. So the goal is to get at least a 4. 4 is good enough.

4
A paper at this level is adequately developed. The writer’s purpose is clear and
the analysis is generally supported by relevant examples. The writer’s rationale
may not always be fully developed. The paper has a clear structure with an
introduction, body, and conclusion, but the structure may be too obvious and
ideas may be subordinated to structure. Alternatively, the paper may exhibit
lapses in organization. Transitions are usually used effectively. Sentences clearly
express meaning and exhibit some variety, but there may be some repetition.
Word choice is appropriate to the audience and is usually precise. While there
may be some errors in grammar, usage, or mechanics, a competency with
language is apparent. The errors may be distracting, but they only occasionally
impede understanding.
5
A paper at this level is well developed. The writer’s purpose is well defined and,
for the most part, the analysis is supported by sound reasoning and relevant,
effective examples. Analysis and judgment may show thought and insight. The
writer’s rationale is well developed and integrated into the text of the paper. The
structure is logical and coherent, with clear organization, an effective opening and
closing, and effective transitions. Sentences are usually concise and varied in
structure. Word choice is usually precise, varied, and is appropriate to the
audience. The writing shows good command of the language. There may be
occasional errors in grammar, usage, or mechanics, but the errors pose minor
distraction and they do not impede understanding.
6
A paper at this level is substantially developed. The writer’s purpose is very well
defined and the analysis is supported by sound reasoning and relevant, effective
examples. Analysis and judgment show thought and insight. The writer’s
rationale is very well developed and very well integrated into the text of the
paper. The structure is unified and coherent, with clear organization, an effective
opening and closing, and effective transitions. Sentences are concise, interesting,
and varied in structure. Word choice is precise, varied, and appropriate to the
audience. The writing is fluent and shows superior command of the language.
There may be occasional errors in grammar, usage, or mechanics, but the errors
pose minor distraction and they do not impede understanding.

I handwrote this essay in 50 minutes in accordance with the rules of the FSWE. I will present it without spellchecking or editing so to represent the actual essay as it was written.

When evaluating please be aware of the following:

• When composing the essay, the point of view should be clearly stated and supported.
• Writing should be evaluated on quality of writing, not the opinions expressed.
• A sucessful essay should have an obvious structure and clear thesis supported by relevant substantiating details.
• It should show my ability to analyze the topic in a way that is appropriate for the intended audience (a foreign service officer).
• The writing should be coherent with only occasional lapses that do not impede flow or readers' comprehension.
• Language should be generally concise with clear and appropriate word choices.
• The language should be free of errors in grammar and syntax, with only minor errors in spelling and punctuation.
• There is no limit on length.

Posted by jumex at 16:57 0 Comments links to this post

Natto - Japan's biggest practical joke

(This is an article I wrote for the foreign community newsletter in Shimane)
Natto, or fermented soy beans, is a tasty and delicious Japanese foodstuff. Or at least that is what Japanese proclaim. For the foreigner living in Japan, it is perhaps the most well known practical joke that Japanese people can play. It is wise to know what it is all about before taking the dive.
I still recall my first experience with Natto as a foreign exchange student. My host mother looked at me with a gleam in her eye and said "We are having Natto today!" At this point I had little idea what this adventure for the mouth was, but I had been warned that it is bad. Not wanting to disappoint my host family I determined that I would like Natto no matter what it tasted like, but taste is only part of the adventure.
The experience is fascinating, and in every stage of preparation and consumption seems to have one sole purpose: to gross people out. Natto comes in small square Styrofoam containers and at first glance looks like a bunch of white beans past their expiration date. Added to this delightful mix is often a raw egg. The raw egg and spoiled beans, which are already gooey to start with, are then mixed vigorously with chopsticks for maximum gooeyness. Often the rotten bean/egg mix is raised up with the chopsticks to demonstrate just how gross the concoction really is.
Next comes the eating of the beast. Often it is eaten over rice, or even grosser, it can be mixed in with salad bits to make the Natto salad, a school lunch favorite. Eating Natto is a struggle and if not eaten carefully the gooey gunk gets everywhere. This will make Japanese people laugh, but it really is not much fun. To eat the goods without disaster it is recommended that the bowl or dish with the Natto in it is lifted close to the mouth, then some Natto with rice (or by itself if in Natto salad) is taken with the chopsticks and put in the mouth. So far this is normal eating etiquette, but the Natto will leave a trail of slime from the plate to the mouth. To fix this the chopsticks are then spun around and around the slime until the trail is broken and then the chopsticks can be cleaned in the mouth.
For most people the reason Natto is disliked is not for the taste, which is wholly unremarkable in its blandness on par with most Japanese delicacies, but for the texture, which, as you can imagine from the description of how to prepare and eat it, is about the consistency of runny snot or other such unsavory analogies. Master eating this unique foodstuff and Japanese people will be impressed and amazed. They expect foreigners to dislike it, so my strong advice is to break their stereotypes and do not fall for what is considered by many as the biggest Japanese practical joke of all.

Posted by jumex at 11:05 0 Comments links to this post

2006-03-09

Audioblog for 2006-03-09 "Popular 人気"

Listen to my audio recording of the blog entry "Popular 人気" on 2006-03-09.

Also check out the Trev Report MP3 for March!
Enjoy!

Posted by jumex at 18:31 0 Comments links to this post

Popular 人気

Posted by jumex at 18:05 0 Comments links to this post

2006-03-08

Audioblog for 2006-03-08 "Plan 計画"

Listen to my audio recording of the blog entry "Plan 計画" on 2006-03-08.

Also check out the Trev Report MP3 for March!
Enjoy!

Posted by jumex at 20:42 0 Comments links to this post

Plan 計画

Posted by jumex at 17:27 0 Comments links to this post

2006-03-07

Audioblog for 2006-03-07 "Writing 書くこと"

Listen to my audio recording of the blog entry "Writing 書くこと" on 2006-03-07.

Also check out the Trev Report MP3 for March!
Enjoy!

Posted by jumex at 18:29 0 Comments links to this post

Writing 書くこと

Posted by jumex at 16:09 0 Comments links to this post

the Trev Report 2006-03-07

Hello and welcome once again to the Trev Report, wherein you will find the goings on of Trevor Lalish-Menagh in the last month or so. I hope this note finds you well. Now on with the report!

Trev's Love Life
----------------
This month saw me turn 29 for the first time. Signe threw me a birthday party where we went out with many friends to go bowling and sing karaoke all night. It was a wonderful party and I had a great time.
Signe went back to the United States this month to interview for the JET Programme (http://www.jetprogramme.org/) again this year. While she was there she also got a chance to spend time with her family and friends and had some birthday parties of her own. She brought me back some presents including a few books of poetry for me to enjoy.
We have both been feeling a bit under the weather lately. Signe has especially been getting some allergic reactions to something in our house in the mornings. We suspect that it is either dust or kerosene, which we use to heat our living/dining/kitchen room and the master bedroom.

Trev's Work
-----------
Work is winding down for the year as junior high school and elementary school graduations approach in the middle of the month. I have been teaching the current ninth graders for the past two and a half years here at Akagi Junior High School (http://www.town.akagi.shimane.jp/akagichu/) and have grown quite attached to them all. I will very much miss them when they all enter High School in April. While it is true that all but two of the twenty-five students in the ninth grade class will be going to the local high school, Iinan High School (http://www.commakagi.ne.jp/iinan/), I will rarely see many of them more than two or three more times, since my visits to the high school are increasingly rare and I am leaving this town at the end of July.
The good news is that I will be getting a successor to my position and, presumably, my house. This was a concern of mine since the number of ALTs in neighboring Unnan City (http://www.city.unnan.shimane.jp/) is being reduced and our town is much smaller than theirs. I am glad to know that there will be someone to carry on in our house. It would be a shame if it were destroyed after all these years of use and improvements.
I have submitted my application to become an Elementary School ALT next year. I had to write a 1,200 character essay in Japanese for the application and if the people at the prefectural board of education approve of it I will have to undergo an interview in Japanese before they can accept me to that fourth year position. The job would be radically different from what I do now, with many Elementary School ALTs visiting as many as twenty-one elementary schools in a month. Currently I spend all my time between one junior high school and two elementary schools. Although I like being able to get to know my students well, I think the change of pace will be exciting if I do get the position.
Speaking of position changes, April will see the changing of the guards at all the schools I work at, as well as the introduction of a new co-host of my One Point English Conversation Class TV Show (http://trevreport.org/eikaiwa.shtml), which I will lovingly call "Let's Do Role Play" from here on out. I have a feeling that there will be quite a lot of teachers leaving this year at the junior high school. The common term at a school for one teacher is four years, then they switch to another school in the prefecture.
The Japanese teaching system works on a point system. First you have to get a certificate to allow you to teach a certain subject (Social Studies, for example). This will allow you to become what is called a "koushi," or temporary teacher. These teachers are subject to being fired and have to renew their contracts every year. Koushis are then allowed to take the much harder teacher's test that will allow you to become a full-time teacher in the prefecture you took the test. This is important, since different prefectures have easier and harder tests to pass. The test in Shimane is much easier than the test in Hiroshima, for example. Once you pass this test, which most do not on the first try, you have a job for life, but are subject to the whim of the prefectural board of education on where you will be placed until you accumulate eleven points. For every normal school you work at for four year you get one point. So if you work only at normal schools, you will get your eleven points after forty-four years of teaching. That sucks. So there are point perks to teach at certain schools and point disadvantages to working at others. For example, if you work as a very rural school, say on the Oki Islands (a two and a half hour and \2,500 ferry ride from the closest big city), for four years you will get two points, instead of one. On the other hand, if you work at a school in the capital you receive no points for your four years of work. After you have eleven points you have full authority over where you get to work in the prefecture. Until then you are at the whim of the higher-ups. I cannot say that this is a good system, but it does have the benefit of moving good teachers around to schools that would otherwise not have the opportunity to have them.
As for the TV show, my co-host is getting married and no longer wants to be on TV anymore. This leaves us in a bit of a pickle. The current plan is to have the koushi at Akagi Junior High School, who is now living in Iinan herself having just married a local man, be the new co-host, but there are concerns that she will not be rehired at Akagi Junior High School and will have to move to another town for work. This leaves us with a position to fill and a junior high and high school full of English teachers with absolutely no desire to be on TV. It would be a shame if the show was cancelled, but we will just have to roll with the times, it seems.

Trev's Studies
--------------
I have been working on my essay writing skills by joining a Foreign Service Written Exam (FSWE) essay writing group online (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/fswe_essayprep/). The FSWE is coming up soon, in almost exactly one month, and I have been trying hard to keep up with current events to prepare for it. The FSWE is a six-hour test with sections on general knowledge, job-specific knowledge (in my case management question), essay writing, English expression, and a biographical section. I do not know how I will fair in my first attempt at the FSWE and, if I pass, the Oral Assessment in Washington DC, but I am very determined to get into the Foreign Service. I am fully prepared to take the tests over and over again until the time I pass and am accepted into the service. In the interim I will of course continue my work here in Japan and, when my student loans are paid off, in the Peace Corps, but all the while my ultimate goal is and will be the foreign service. I believe that it is important work that will not only help people in the U.S. and abroad, it is also a chance to travel the world while doing something I believe in.
I think teaching has made me finally want to make a difference in the world. Actually, if I think about it I can trace it back to a Thanksgiving party I went to last year. We have a group in Shimane that promotes charity and community service causes (http://shimanejets.org/community/). In the past I have not been too interested in such work and have often considered the work, for the most part, a sad attempt to make people with money feel better about themselves. Part of me still holds these admittedly jaded views of charitable people, but at this Thanksgiving party, which was put on to raise money for poor minorities in Vietnam (I do not oppose charity if I get something in return, like food, or if it is a charity defending woman's rights... I do not know why, but I strongly support woman's rights, especially the building of awareness of male violence against women... weird), they showed a video of JET participants volunteering in Vietnam dispersing food and building schools in these minority areas. The fact that my nice Thanksgiving meal was interrupted by a video making me feel guilty for not doing anything useful with my life was annoying to say the least, but it did get me thinking about things. I never thought too much about the world outside computers, games, and Japanese animation before. That video and my guilt that followed really opened my mind to a whole other world that I didn't give a second thought about before.
In any case it has given me drive. I want to do things that give my life purpose. I still want to do things that do NOT give my life purpose (goodness forbid I give up playing games and watching anime), but I want a job that I can feel good about in any case. That is my drive. I will get into the foreign service. It is just a matter of time.

Trev's Computers
----------------
Speaking of things that do NOT give my life purpose. My computers are doing fine. I still hang out on #fansubs on EFnet (http://www.fansubs.org/), play my favorite MUD, Achaea (http://www.achaea.com/main.html), and watch stuff from the Internet. They make for good times and a nice escape. My dad just sent me a XBOX 360 from the U.S. with some games (they are hard to find in the U.S. but easy to find here, no one wants them. I wanted a U.S. one, because I want to play games in English) as a birthday present, and I should be getting it in a few days. That will be really fun to play with Signe and friends when they come over.

Trev's One Point Japanese Lesson
--------------------------------
So you want to learn Japanese? That is great! We have been looking at the informal, or dictionary, forms of verbs lately. We have covers ru-verbs and the irregular verbs, but before we tackle u-verbs next month I want to take a moment and introduce the te-form.
The te-form of verbs in Japanese have many different uses (for example, te-form + kudasai means Please ~ and te-form + iru means ~ing, etc.), but a verb in the te-form by itself has no particular meaning. Regardless, it is important that we take time to learn the rules to change a verb into its te-form.
When I learned te-form my teacher introduced it with a fun song. It went a lot like this:

The te-form Song (to the tune of "Oh My Darling Clementine")
first verse:
-u -tsu -ru: -tte
-mu -bu -nu: -nde
-ku: -ite
-gu: -ide
-su: -shite
su-ru: shi-te
ku-ru: ki-te
"te-form"

second verse:
a-u: a-tte
ma-tsu: ma-tte
u-ru: u-tte
no-mu: no-nde
to-bu: to-nde
shi-nu: shi-nde
ka-ku: ka-ite
oyo-gu: oyo-nde
hana-su: hana-shite

To explain, if an u-verb ends in -u, -tsu, or -ru you change that part into -tte (first line), if it ends in -mu, -bu, or -nu you change that part into -nde, etc. Lines six and seven are the two irregular verbs su-ru to shi-te and ku-ru to ki-te. The second verse is full of example words that demonstrate each transformation. I leave it up to you to find the meanings of each word.
Now, you very perceptive students will notice that the song covers u-verbs and the two irregular verbs, but not ru-verbs. That is because ru-verbs are very easy to change into te-form. Just replace the -ru with -te like so:
tabe-ru: tabe-te
mi-ru: mi-te
That is it! Sing the te-form song to yourself until you have it memorized. It helped me a lot with this tricky form, and I know it will help you too.

That is about it for this time. Thanks for reading, and if you get a chance, drop me a line. I always like hearing from you. Until next time, take care.

Yours,
trv

Posted by jumex at 12:36 0 Comments links to this post

2006-03-06

Audioblog for 2006-03-06 "Worried 心配"

Listen to my audio recording of the blog entry "Worried 心配" on 2006-03-06.

Also check out the Trev Report MP3 for February!
Enjoy!

Posted by jumex at 17:38 0 Comments links to this post

Worried 心配

Posted by jumex at 16:00 0 Comments links to this post

2006-03-03

Audioblog for 2006-03-03 "Nervous"

Listen to my audio recording of the blog entry "Nervous" on 2006-03-03.

Also check out the Trev Report MP3 for February!
Enjoy!

Posted by jumex at 17:49 0 Comments links to this post

Nervous 緊張

Posted by jumex at 16:00 0 Comments links to this post

Practice FSWE Essay 3

Please evaluate my practice FSWE essay.

Testing Rubric:
1-3 are failing marks. 4-6 are passing. The essay is read and grded by two people and their scores are added together for a total maximum score of 12. So the goal is to get at least a 4. 4 is good enough.

4
A paper at this level is adequately developed. The writer’s purpose is clear and
the analysis is generally supported by relevant examples. The writer’s rationale
may not always be fully developed. The paper has a clear structure with an
introduction, body, and conclusion, but the structure may be too obvious and
ideas may be subordinated to structure. Alternatively, the paper may exhibit
lapses in organization. Transitions are usually used effectively. Sentences clearly
express meaning and exhibit some variety, but there may be some repetition.
Word choice is appropriate to the audience and is usually precise. While there
may be some errors in grammar, usage, or mechanics, a competency with
language is apparent. The errors may be distracting, but they only occasionally
impede understanding.
5
A paper at this level is well developed. The writer’s purpose is well defined and,
for the most part, the analysis is supported by sound reasoning and relevant,
effective examples. Analysis and judgment may show thought and insight. The
writer’s rationale is well developed and integrated into the text of the paper. The
structure is logical and coherent, with clear organization, an effective opening and
closing, and effective transitions. Sentences are usually concise and varied in
structure. Word choice is usually precise, varied, and is appropriate to the
audience. The writing shows good command of the language. There may be
occasional errors in grammar, usage, or mechanics, but the errors pose minor
distraction and they do not impede understanding.
6
A paper at this level is substantially developed. The writer’s purpose is very well
defined and the analysis is supported by sound reasoning and relevant, effective
examples. Analysis and judgment show thought and insight. The writer’s
rationale is very well developed and very well integrated into the text of the
paper. The structure is unified and coherent, with clear organization, an effective
opening and closing, and effective transitions. Sentences are concise, interesting,
and varied in structure. Word choice is precise, varied, and appropriate to the
audience. The writing is fluent and shows superior command of the language.
There may be occasional errors in grammar, usage, or mechanics, but the errors
pose minor distraction and they do not impede understanding.

I handwrote this essay in 50 minutes in accordance with the rules of the FSWE. I will present it without spellchecking or editing so to represent the actual essay as it was written.

When evaluating please be aware of the following:

• When composing the essay, the point of view should be clearly stated and supported.
• Writing should be evaluated on quality of writing, not the opinions expressed.
• A sucessful essay should have an obvious structure and clear thesis supported by relevant substantiating details.
• It should show my ability to analyze the topic in a way that is appropriate for the intended audience (a foreign service officer).
• The writing should be coherent with only occasional lapses that do not impede flow or readers' comprehension.
• Language should be generally concise with clear and appropriate word choices.
• The language should be free of errors in grammar and syntax, with only minor errors in spelling and punctuation.
• There is no limit on length.

Posted by jumex at 13:07 2 Comments links to this post

2006-03-02

Audioblog for 2006-03-02 "Birthday"

Listen to my audio recording of the blog entry "Birthday" on 2006-03-02.

Also check out the Trev Report MP3 for February!
Enjoy!

Posted by jumex at 18:51 0 Comments links to this post

Birthday 誕生日

Posted by jumex at 18:39 0 Comments links to this post

2006-03-01

Audioblog for 2006-03-01 "Ladies"

Listen to my audio recording of the blog entry "Ladies" on 2006-03-01.

Also check out the Trev Report MP3 for February!
Enjoy!

Posted by jumex at 19:19 0 Comments links to this post

Ladies 婦人

Posted by jumex at 19:04 0 Comments links to this post