I went to GRC (Green River College) for 6 months. I was an IESL student. The students in the IESL program study only English and the program has 5 levels. The classes fit me well, so I didn't need to worry. GRC has 2 campuses in Kent and Auburn. The students in level 1 to 3 learn at the Kent campus. There are many restaurants, a movie theater and a bus terminal near the Kent campus. We can take a free bus ride from Auburn to Kent. The students in level 4 and 5 learn at the Auburn campus. It has a gym, a cafeteria, and a library. The campus is in forest, so we can sometimes see squirrels.

9/11-9/12

We heard the explanation about the college and took the placement test. It started early in the morning, so we ate breakfast in the cafeteria.

9/14-9/15

I joined one-night-stay camp called CORE. We can choose many activities such as horseback riding, boating, volleyball, soccer, campfire and so on. It is a good chance to make friends.

9/17

We went to downtown Seattle by school bus. We went to the gum wall, the first Starbucks store, China Town and Alkai Beach.

Level 2

Our teacher was Emily. She is beautiful and kind. Her hobby was mountain climbing with her husband and she often showed us those pictures. When I asked her questions, she answerd them thoroughly. She knew a little Japanese and she had some interest in Japan. My classmates were mostly Chinese and we got very close.

Grammar

We learned grammar of junior high scool level. We used a textbook and took a short test every Monday. We checked the answers of homework when we started the class.

Reading/Writing

We used a textbook and handouts. We learned how to write basic paragraphs. We wrote many paragraphs.

Listening/Speaking

In the listening class, we listened to music and put its lyrics in the right order. We also had some discussion in the speaking class, we made some presentations in a group or as an individual. We almost always made a presentation with Power Point.

Emily and Classmates

Level 3

The teache for Grammar/Reading/Writing was Jennifer. She was beautiful and strict. She gave us a lot of homework. The teacher for Listening/Speaking was Teri. She was cheerful. When I worried about my presentation, she often said,　“You can do it !”

Grammar

We learned grammar of junior high school and high school level. We used a textbook and handouts. Sometimes we took a short test.

Reading/Writing

For reading we read a book by ourselves on weekends. The book was titled “Ember.” We took a test for the book every Monday. In the writing class, we learned the construction of passages and we wrote essays. We made outlines every time.

Listening/Speaking

In this class, we remembered lyrics, sang songs, interviewed academic students, did presentations, and had debates. Also we watched a video titled “Modern Family” and we discussed it every Friday.

Jennifer and Classmates

Teri and Classmates