Our student Akoessiwa from Togo shares her thoughts on life in Fairbanks.
August 8, 2018:
My New Apartment in Fairbanks.
My two-bedroom apartment is the smallest place I’ve ever lived!
This is my first time living in an apartment. It has beige color walls. The other places I lived in here in America had at least three bedrooms. The apartment I’m living in now is ok but I don’t feel comfortable. The rooms and the kitchen are small.
When we first moved in to the apartment we gave away some of our furniture such as a couch, a washer and dryer machine…because we didn’t have enough space and we also knew that we’re going to stay there just for a few months. We decided to stay there because we wanted to be close to the shopping center and we couldn’t find any house at the moment. All floors are carpeted except the kitchen and the bathroom.
I like to live in clean environment. Even though it is small, everything looks clean and good. The neighborhood is nice but some time my neighbor makes a lot of noise such as playing music, jumping on the floor. I honestly don’t like my apartment because I feel like I don’t have privacy and I need some more space. I can’t wait to move and feel comfortable in my new house.
August 1, 2018:
My Old Life, and a New Life in Fairbanks.
Coming from a country that doesn’t have cold weather to the coldest state in the USA.
I was impressed when I first moved to Alaska because we studied about the Midnight Sun when I was in Togo and I was so excited to see it. I arrived here in the winter. I honestly didn’t like it because it was too cold. Although I didn’t like it, I enjoyed seeing the northern lights and playing in the snow sometimes.
But this is what I love most in Alaska - the summer! The summer here is amazing! In the summer nature looks so beautiful and different than the other state I lived in. Doing some simple outdoor activities such as exercises, hiking and camping, makes me feel so good.
People here are awesome. Now this is the biggest difference that I never experienced in the other state. Alaskan people are so nice and friendly. They like to help people. That’s what I will really miss if I move in the future.
The house that I lived in in the lower 48 was nice and bigger than here. I think houses and roads look old here because of the weather.
I love my new life here and I look forward to learn more about Fairbanks.
July 25, 2018:
My First Time at Creamer's Field
Although Creamer’s Field was so close to my house, I had never been there. My reading teacher made me go there because we were reading a book about wilderness and tundra. I went there one day and I loved it! It was very interesting. It’s a very extensive place. It has a forested part. You can also see some cranes. I saw everything we read about in the book.
When we were there I saw some pictures and read about the context and for me it was like a dream. My visit to Creamer’s Field made me see the reality. It made me understand more about the book. And one thing I really loved about being there is it was so peaceful, and the nature made me feel so good. It was a quiet place to take a walk and a very good place to go if you feel stressed.
July 18, 2018:
Hello world,
The reason why I came here to LCA is to study English. I came here to the USA a few years ago from Togo. People could not understand me when I spoke to them because of my accent. French is my first language. When people asked me a simple question I couldn't understand what they where saying. People here speak so fast. I have to wait for someone to translate English into French for me. So, after one month I started taking English classes to improve my English. I also started watching TV and listening to music in English. I try to watch a lot of English tutorial on YouTube. I also try to talk lots to my husband and friends in English. After a few months I can see a very big difference. My English has been improved. Starting my life in a different country and speaking a different language was very difficult. But I think I made the best decision by coming here to learn English as the beginning of my career in the USA.