Photos of Boston by Assem Alahmadi
Tag Archives: Boston
The Perkins School for the Blind
by Osaid Mirza
I never thought about how the blind live or study. Moreover, I didn’t even know that there are people who are both deaf and blind. The Perkins School for the Blind started out to be only for the blind, but it has become a place for all students with blindness and other disabilities. When I visited the Perkins school I noticed that there were so many differences between the Perkins school and what I'm used to.
The Perkins school has been designed to be much easier for the blind. For instance, the roads around the buildings are flat, there are fewer stairs, and in addition to braille, there are symbols and raised lines on the walls and ground to guide the blind to their classes.
In their teaching style, Perkins has created their own way of teaching by using objects (practical education). Especially in science, there are so many samples to feel. But in a sighted school, they commonly use visual means of education. A general curriculum is being used in sighted schools, while an individualized curriculum is being used in the Perkins school.
Perkins has difficult goals to achieve because they deal with so many different disabilities, and they have to help each one of the students develop independence. The school wants students to be as independent as possible by the time they graduate.
In conclusion, what I have seen at Perkins was so amazing. I learned so much about how the school trains blind students to be independent. What is more amazing is that they had some great examples of students who were known internationally, like Helen Keller, and Laura Bridgman, and many more. I can’t describe it much more. You should go there and visit it yourself. It is amazing!*
*The location of the Perkins school is: 175 N Beacon Street, Watertown, MA 02472
Noteworthy Experiences in Boston
Students in Diana Lynch's Academic Writing class were asked to write a paragraph about "something cool, fun, weird, or strange they’ve done in Boston (or abroad)". Here's what they had to say!
Why Not More Snow? - by Ana Paula Pita
Early January; New Year, new classmates, teachers, dorm, friends, and an immensive amount of snow. You might think that this is perfect, but actually no. The sparkly, white and soft snow is beautiful if you are inside of a building seeing it from a window with a hot chocolate in your hands. By the time that your heavy boots touch the street, all that prettiness disappears. The Boston winter weather is not a joke. Three feet of snow and extremely cold temperatures is something that I will need to get use to. My first winter here was funny because I went snowboarding, had snowball fights, played football in a field full of snow, etc. At the same time it was sad and depressing; every day was the same problem: put on heavy boots, coats, scarves, caps and everything that you found in your home that will protect you from the snow and the cold wind. Then you just jump into the street and deal with the public service issues, until you give up and decide to walk to class…not a good idea, believe me. You are stuck inside and you can't do anything. All the things in life have a good and a bad side, we just need to be optimistic, that is how I survived the winter once, and how I will do it again next year.
Practical and Highly Valued Volunteering Work - by Romayh El Jurdi
As Charles Bukowski once said “you begin saving the world by saving one person at a time; all else is grandiose romanticism or politics”. In a country such as Lebanon with many political and environmental problems, many schools encourage volunteer work. Recently, before coming back to Boston, I was involved in some volunteering work that enabled me to know more about the difficulties that individuals might encounter in their life. I was working with an NGO to help the Syrian refugees that are deprived of all the basic needs such as food and shelter. The NGO is striving to enhance the standard of living of the refugees. The NGO's main goal is to focus only on a certain demographic since there are more than one million refugees now in Lebanon and there are scarce financial resources. The NGO is trying to provide education to children because the new Syrian generation has an overwhelming responsibility to build back a completely destructed country. Our aim was to help those children so that they might not be influenced by the extremist mentality that is seeping quickly in Syria. Personally, I was teaching the Syrian children mathematics and I was determined to spread the peaceful mentality and perspective among all the children. In the end, I am delighted to have worked with this organization since its rigorous control on the Syrian children will definitely have a positive impact on the children on both the short and long term.
Your Hands are Beautiful - by Mohammed Alshajajeer
Last year on Thanksgiving Day, I had feelings of hesitation, excitement, and happiness twice as intense as Neil Armstrong did when he went to the moon. Last Fall semester, my teacher Mr. Mark Stepner suggested an idea to the class, which was “ Volunteering on Thanksgiving Day at Center Club Boston.” I was not quite sure I wanted to be a volunteer on Thanksgiving because I did not want to miss my first Thanksgiving dinner with my American parent. Nonetheless, I decided to go. I found people there who worked sincerely and happily as though bees in their hive. In my life, I became a volunteer in two charities in Saudi Arabia; the first one was at a charity, which helps children to memorize the holy book “Quran” and the second was in an orphanage. I worked on administrative duties, such as communicating with restaurants to provide dinners and sending letters to corporations to reserve their beach camps. In Center Club Boston, I worked differently; I became a chef's assistant: I peeled and chopped vegetables, arranged the tables, and then I dispensed the desserts, which were pecan and apple pie to homeless people. I really enjoyed working there and when a homeless man came to me and said thank you, I felt as though I won a Nobel award for peace.
New Years in Boston - by Julia Wang
On December 31th, 2014, I went to Copley Square to celebrate on New Year’s Eve. It was my first time to join this event in Boston. There were a lot of different parade vehicles, which belong to different groups, such as Chinese groups from Chinatown, children’s groups from some organizations, and other groups. These group would throw the candy to people from their vehicles. Everyone was so excited to celebrate the New Year. People with families and friends, or couples took videos, pictures, and talked to each other and laughed. During the music and bell from the church, people went to the Boston Common waiting for the fireworks. At 11:40 p.m. the fireworks show started even though the weather was too cold and I was freezing. However, when I watched the beautiful fireworks, I forgot the cold. I also took videos and counted down to the New Year. That was the best activity in Boston.
Amazing Trip to Warren Towers – by Abdullah AlArifi
Since I came to Boston, I really wanted to participate in volunteer work for my first time. In early April my English school (CELOP) offered an opportunity for volunteer work at Warren Towers to clean and decorate the plants there. I signed up for the volunteer work. On April 18, 2015, first, I met with one of the CELOP staff and some students from CELOP, and two students from BU. The students from BU gave us small lunch bags and T-shirts. Then after that, we went together to Warren Towers and cleaned and decorated many plants for an hour. After we finished cleaning and decorating, we threw all of the dirt in big trash bins outside the building. Last but not least, the students from BU asked us how we felt. I felt really great from doing this volunteer work. I helped to clean the green places in the building and I helped to make it more beautiful. Finally, I hope that everyone who hasn’t participated in volunteer work will participate, because he or she will feel a great feeling even if he or she did something simple and easy like what I did.
Meetups in Boston - by Alanoud Alqahtai
Last Friday, I went out with my friend to do something new. We signed up in an application called MeetUp. This application gives you the chance to meet people who share the same ideas, interests, and hobbies with others. We met a group of six and we went to Harvard Square. We visited different places to taste ice-cream. I discovered new places at Boston and I would like to do it more often. I recommend you to try this too.
Golden Advice - by Aziza Yahya
If I have a chance to give golden advice for CELOP students it will be “Don't waste your time, go and volunteer ”. As it is known, volunteering won't grant you any financial gain but it will provide you benefits that you cannot get from other activities. I remembered before Christmas my lovely teacher Nora Smith told me about the Cambridge Science Festival which is an extraordinary celebration of science held every spring in Boston. Immediately, I filled out the application to join the volunteer team and I got accepted. My duty was to help to organize the location, answer or direct visitors' questions, and to clean the area after the event. It was a rewarding experience volunteering in Boston. I practiced my English with different people from diverse backgrounds. Also, I made new relationships with individuals who share the same interests with me. Moreover, it is an experience where you train how to manage and solve problems. Finally, I encourage you to volunteer your free time in any field that interests you. For those who want to participate in Cambridge Science Festival 2016 go to this link http://www.cambridgesciencefestival.org/Home.aspx.
GPS Malfunction - by Miguel Martinez
Boston: the big bang for my new adventures. At first, I was surprised by its shining light as the airplane landed in this city. As I walked through the doors of the airport I started to realize that the climate and the accent of several people were different. Consequently, I encouraged myself to take the train following directions from my smartphone's GPS. Therefore, due to a cellphone malfunction the GPS on my phone stopped working and I found myself depending on a stranger in Boston. I asked him if people here were usually as generous as him and he said that they were. After my arrival to Boston, for about 1 month I figured that the people in Boston behaved as the stranger said.
Boston Tea Party Museum
I didn’t imagine that there is a connection between a tea which I drink daily and American history. I visited the Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum. It cost $25 to spend around an hour on the tour. Once you enter you are treated as if it were 300 years ago. The actors did a great job and made it fun and entertaining. You need to be fluent in English to understand the details of that time of history (the actors speak fast). Thanks to my teacher Stephanie, she’d prepared this trip for the class. I recommend this museum to be visited by history lovers.
Boston Comes Alive! Photo Contest
After experiencing a rough winter in Boston this year, we are enormously appreciative of summer - the weather, the sights, the sounds, the festivals, our communities, and even nature. It all comes alive around us, as if encouraging us to become more lively ourselves. Thank you to everyone who captured Boston coming alive in your pictures, and sending them to us! The editorial team carefully judged each photo, and chose the following winners:
1st Place
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2nd Place
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3rd Place
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4th Place
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While the following photos did not win, we would like to give them an honorable mention:
Have a wonderful summer everyone! Keep capturing moments of Boston coming alive!
CELOP You-Speak: What is the one thing you have seen in Boston that seems culturally odd to you?
We wanted to know what CELOP students think about one thing they have seen in Boston that seems culturally odd to them. A huge thank you to Diana Lynch's Academic Writing class for sharing their responses with the CELOP Sun!
Eating in class - by Min Kim
Students in Boston eat everywhere even during class and meetings. In this essay, I am going to talk about what funny cultural thing I have experience since I have been in Boston. In order to describe my funniest experience, I need to go back to my first counseling theory class. There were over 40 students and an instructor described a textbook and papers we needed to write. At that time, I could smell pasta and salad so I looked around the classroom and was surprised because someone was eating pasta and salad during the class. The most interesting thing in this situation was that no one told him to stop eating, not even the instructor. Everyone was doing what they needed to do during the class, e.g., reading and writing. However, in S. Korea eating is not allowed during class because Koreans have been trained that students should be quiet and show respect to the instructor. If I eat my lunch during class, others will make me stop eating and I will be kicked out of the classroom, because it is pretty rude. I could not believe it and I was confused by what I saw and experienced during class in Boston. After class, I asked my American friends and heard that eating lunch during class is a common and typical behavior in Boston. After that, I have enjoyed eating my lunch during meetings and during this class even though it is not acceptable in my home country.
The Bostonian Accent - by Aziza Yahya
The thing which stunned me most is the Bostonian accent. There are two reasons for my surprise. First, they talk very fast as if they eat words. I faced difficulties with the cashier in the market when he asked me “do you need a bag?” I said, "what was that?" Then I understood him after he had repeated it for me three times. Second, in the Bostonian accent they do not pronounce the "r" sound. For instance, when I went to buy a pair of skates, I met an old Bostonian man who works in the skate shop. I asked him if he was from England. He laughed and then told me that the reason why they talk this way is because Boston was a British colony. That's why the Bostonian accent amazed me when I came to Boston.
American Socks - by Wadee Alazamah
When I first came to Boston, everything was different from my culture. The most interesting thing I noticed that looked funny to me was the colorful socks! I noticed that Americans love to wear colorful and cheerful socks even on formal days. For example, one of my professors always wears yellow shiny socks with orange circles all around his socks. I think there is a secret behind this weird habit that Americans do and why they love it. In my perspective, it felt awkward to me because in my culture only kids wear those kinds of socks. Seniors try to look more serious and responsible. What we expect from an elder person when it comes to socks is to wear a solid color such as, white, black, or brown. For instance, another senior professor wears a tie with pumpkin faces on it. I would never see this in my culture, ever! In conclusion, I think Americans do what they love and don’t care about the negatively perceived image from other people. After all, it is cultural.
The Secret of the Bostonian's Smile - by Mansoor Alameri
People smile at me everywhere I go in the city of Boston . People were so nice to me at the school, housing, coffee shops, restaurants, and even on the streets when I passed them by. I enjoyed my first month in Boston last year. I was experiencing the so-called "honeymoon,'' which was the first phase of culture shock. I was pleased by that privilege, which I thought at the beginning, nobody had ever experienced. I have experienced that because I saw myself as special and different in their eyes. After a short period of time, I began to ask myself, " Why are these people so nice to me?" My mind extracted many fake answers, which I was convinced for a while were true. I thought beautiful facial expressions and pleasing smilies both reflected an interest in talking to me or showing a warm welcome for a foreigner. That was what I deducted, relying on my cultural background of the meaning of a smile. However, when I settled down here, I found out that these nice faces and exaggerated smiles were just simple references of daily greetings for Bostonians. They had superficial meanings and had nothing to do with what I had earlier thought. Ever since then I have been trying to acquire a ''superficial'' trait of smiling at every face I ever meet, even though I do not know them very well. Smiling and being nice to others, for Americans, have an utterly different cultural perception than mine. I am sure that Americans have deeper and more expressive connotations than what I have become aware of.
Small Parking Spaces - by Zhenyu Wang
When I just came to Boston, I saw a very interesting thing, which was that the parking distance between two cars was so close. I was really shocked because I couldn’t imagine how drivers have to drive the car to the left. For me, I have had a driver's license for two years in China. The hardest thing for me is to back up a car into a parking space. However, in China Parking spaces have a bigger distance between each car so that drivers can avoid a car crash and to easily allow drivers to get out of the spot. When I went to Japan, they not only had a longer distance between the two cars in parking spaces, but they also had a longer distance to avoid rear-end crashes when drivers were driving out of the way. So, when I saw this scene in America I felt very shocked, especially when drivers reversed. Several times I saw drivers in trouble. For example, the driver bumped into a car, which was in front of his car and behind his car and he still couldn’t get out of his parking spot. Now, every time I see the same situation I really feel sympathy for these drivers. At the same time I still feel this situation is so strange. I can’t figure out if these problems happen because the drivers are selfish or just because of the different rules in the U.S., which really are not reasonable rules for drivers.
Dogs and Cats from the Sky... - by Mohammed Alshajajeer
“The sky pours dogs and cats,” someone said. I have heard this phrase since last autumn. I usually think about this phrase when I see dogs and cats on the pavement walking along with people. My experience about Americans' culture is they love having pets. Currently, I live in Brookline, and one of my neighbors has pets. She told me that she has three cats and a dog. “The sky pours dogs and cats,” means a lot of rain. Last autumn in Boston, we had heavy rain for numerous days that meant the sky poured water as much as dogs and cats on the sidewalks. Personally, when I realized the phrase, I laughed a lot and I asked myself why would Americans make up this phrase? I would have made up another phrase, such as the sky pours water as much as cars or beer. “The sky pours beer!!!!”
A Secluded Wonder - by Miguel Angel Martinez Porras
It's surprising what human begins can learn from others. People have several perceptions of the world as it is. Particularly in Boston, the place that I had just arrived to, has become more than a second home even though I'm just here for the summer. I feel that Boston is where I belong. Peoples' personalities in Boston have changed my perspective of how I see life. Nevertheless, I have become so attached to this place that I'm willing to stay at Boston University for the entire school year. Indeed I have found that the Bostonian accent can be kind of funny. The air feels different when you arrive here. Boston becomes a stable place to live in. People from different cultures are gathered here to make the best out of research. It’s amazing how different diversities can learn from each other. Boston is a place where wonders happen in a place that is indescribable until you get here. In Boston, teachers from different cultures are here to help you do what they came here to do: research. I know that it is going to be hard to say goodbye to Boston after the summer ends, but I'm willing to come back.
Alarms Alarms Everywhere - by Ana Paula Pita
One of the things that I found peculiar and very different from my country, is how the Boston emergency services react. The police and the firemen always arrive in a short time and with a massive amount of trucks, alarms, and staff. Since I arrived in Boston, there has not been any day that I haven’t heard an alarm. Even though the incident or the emergency may not be a big deal, Bostonians exaggerate the situation. In my country, Spain, the emergency services are extremely fast but they just bring the ¨necessary¨ services. For example, last weekend there was a shooting near BU and unfortunately one person died. The streets were shut down for hours and there were eight ambulances, eight! Just for one cadaver. Also, 4 black cars arrived with investigators to find out what was the problem, and don’t forget about the 4 helicopters going around and the news services. In my opinion, that was a massive exaggeration of the situation. In conclusion, this is something that needs to be fixed and that shocked me the first time I saw the emergency services in action, but now I am getting used to it.
The Blue Sky of Boston- by Alanoud Alqahtani
What I noticed in Boston from my very first day here was its wide baby blue sky and its clouds that look like cotton candy. I remember waking up after my tough trip, exhausted. I wanted to have breakfast so I went out to the hotel’s lobby. While I was looking for something to eat I looked out to the street. The sky was really close to earth and its blue color was clear and attractive. I forgot everything I was planning to do that day, and walked out of the hotel. I was walking and my eyes were fixed upon the sky. I have always had deep feelings towards the sky, especially if it was cloudy, since my childhood. I used to go out with my father and we used to count the clouds. That day I felt that my father was not at my home country but here with me. That is why I really wanted to hug those clouds. I remember that day I did not have breakfast, I just bought a Starbucks iced coffee and sat down to watch that beautiful sky.
The Transportation Issues in Boston - by Romayh El Jurdi
Is it possible in the United States of America to have an obsolete traffic system? As a Civil Engineer who graduated from the American University of Beirut (AUB), I was immersed in the American codes that are relevant to transportation. While I was in university, I perceived the United States transportation system as an ideal and superb system that is designed according to intricate and thorough standards. However, my conception changed drastically when I visited Boston for the first time in 2013 due to the deficient implementation of the system. First, there is always traffic in many areas around Boston. Moreover, the streets need a spectacular renovation in order to be in line with the American standards and codes. However, what surprised me the most is that people who live here don’t abide by the rules related to crossing the streets in the allocated time that is preset and designed by prudent engineers. Personally, I don’t envy any driver in Boston for two reasons. First, I feel that the priority is for the people who are walking around the city and not for the drivers. Second, the cars need regular maintenance due to the bad quality of the asphalt in the major and minor streets in the city. In the end, I think that every city has its peculiar issues but sweeping this aside the inimitable ambience of Boston makes it a perfect place to dwell in until I complete my Masters degree.
Photos: Boston Blizzard
Written by Sihun Kim
Photos by Sihun Kim
Last year, the biggest box-office success was Frozen, an animation movie of Disney.
And we are experiencing a very real Frozen indeed.
Boston was frozen like Arendelle and all public transportation service was stopped.
The snow storm was recorded about 95 inches snow fall until this time and it has been over twenty years since the huge blizzard in 1995-1996 (107 inches).
However, The blizzard is nothing to complain of because we are going to survive at this snow war, and we will go down in history as great survivors.
I took some pictures of Boston landscapes during the second blizzard, early in February.
After that, I needed to rest for two weeks because of a terrible cold, but it was very satisfying because I'm going to receive the first place prize from the photography award of a Boston local newspaper.
Today, I would like to show some of those pictures for the great survivor!
The award article link (Korean) : http://bostonkorea.com/news.php?code=&mode=view&num=21157
