Be Prepared; Be Professional! : Inspiring Reading Assignment

July, 31st 2012  was our first meeting in the reading class. We were given an assignment from Ms.Donna (our reading and writing teacher) to read an article taken from New York Times-one of the popular newspaper in New York-published on October, 2011 which the title is "Back to the Land, Reluctantly". The article written by Susan Gregory Thomas has an agricultural theme, which shows us the story about  a mother with  three children who had experienced a difficult time in her life. She divorced from her husband and faced her flat broke. We could wonder how difficult her life would be, to strive alone as a single parent, without any permanent job and had nothing.  But, the surprising thing is to know that she could pass it well by making some creative movements especially in modifying the way how to use some agricutural things to make some food which is all homemade.


There are many lessons that we can learn from reading this article. In my view, these lessons will be very useful for us to prepare ourselves in attending our graduate study. First, according to the article, all of us have our own problem. What makes us difference is the way how we cope into the problem.  I believe everyone has familiar with the anonymous quote: "If you think you can, you can."  If we agree and believe this quote, we may have some positive paradigm built in our mind then. One question must be come up from ourselves: How to be positive? Actually, it is very simple. If we read most of the pschycological books, we can find that they will suggest us to make a first undifficult step: Just trying to speak to our heart: "If you think you can, you can." Then, we have to prove that we can. That's what we call "action".

The second thing that we can learn from the article is:  we have to be prepared in making our plan to go along with the problems. We need to know what are the obstacles and the risks that we will have.  So, we can prepare many alternative ways in solving the problem. If one way does not work, we can choose the others. Just trying to do our best,  then  let us see the result. That's why we have to be creative in reaching our goal. We can see how the writer decided using the things that she had in her home inspite of buying the expensive one in the store. 

Third, the passage implies that family support will be one of the most important factors that contribute to our process then, whether we will be successful or not. The writer can move from her difficult time since there is a support and advises from her father and also her friend who became her husbsnd after time passed by. I remember how hard to be far away from my family since we are separated by contingents and oceans due to my arrival in The U.S., but I know  they always by my side to support me. Is that all the things that hapenned also to all of you now, my dear Fulrighters Fellow? We are stronger because there is a support from our family and our lovely ones. Don't you miss them so much?

Finally, we have to realize that it needs a process to be succeed in our life. It will take a time to be succeed. Hopefully we can be a patient one to face the problems that will be coming up. Take our time, keep pray, enjoy it and try the best that we can.

In summary, i think the article has so many lessons that we can learn that will be useful in our life. If you are interesting to see the whole article, we can share it and discuss it together. For all of you who has not come from my group (group 3), let's share our each's group article so we can learn the impilcit meaning and then hopefully implement it in our life for a better future.





---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Footnote: the picture was taken from URL http://www.seoidiots.info/what-makes-obstacle-in-your-writing/., downloaded on August 2, 2012, 00:12 a.m.