Labor Day ~ By Jee Youn

Do you have any idea when you hear ‘Labor Day’ ?

I`m not familiar with Labor Day because I have never worked before. I think that Labor Day is for workers so that they can have some rest from busy lives. However, this day doesn`t just mean a rest for workers. It has an old history. I am going to describe the meaning and history of Labor Day.

Labor Day is a national legal holiday. It has been kept over 100 years.

As the Industrial Revolution took hold of the nation, the average American in the late 1800s worked 12 hours every day (seven days a week) in order to make a basic living. Even children were working at that time. With the long hours and terrible working conditions, American unions started to voice their demands for a better way of life. On Tuesday September 5, 1882, 10,000 workers marched from city hall to Union Square to establish Labor Day. As years passed, more states began to hold these parades, but Congress would not legalize the holiday until 12 years later. However, Congress declared that the first Monday in September would be the holiday for workers, known as Labor Day, in 1894 by continuous striking.

How to get an American Driver’s License ~ By Bo Il Seo

First of all, thanks for reading this blog!

In my opinion, almost all international students want to get a license in America. American is really big with huge amount of land between the cities. If the city you live in is not a big city, then the transportation is not usually as good as it would be in a big city like New York or LA. Therefore, I think if you are planning to live a long time in America, then a driver’s license is the most important thing in America for making your life easier and to make it easy to get to school. As a result, I will show how to get a license step by step. I hope this information could be useful for you guys.

Here are the steps ~

1. Get prepared for a lot of paper work.
1) You will need a letter of permission from your real parents which shows they agree that their kid’s may get an American license and liability insurance.
2) You will need a permission letter from your international company or coordinator.
3) You will need a social security denial letter.
4) You will need to bring your I-20 and your passport to show you are living in America legally.

2. Decide whether you are going to driver training school or not.
- If you are under 17 years old (American age), you must to go to driver training school or go to take classes for learning how to drive.
- If you are older than 17 years old you do not need to go to driver training school, because you can study alone or you can learn from anybody who can drive.
• I recommend to go to driver training school, because it is way more safe to learn and easy to study — just like following directions at school. Also, you can learn about the written test and driving skills test together. However, you need to pay for school.

3. After you have all the documents you need you may qualify to take the written driver’s exam.
- After finish the classes, you get a date for your test and on that day you take the test.

4. After you pass your written test you have to next prove you can drive a car skillfully by passing the driving skills test. .
– Practice real driving with your host family, or you may need to pay someone to be with you in the car while you practice. _
- If you can pass the skills test, you may get your American license.
Sadly, you cannot get insurance for driving a car until you are 18 – unless someone you know can add you to their policy. It is also very expensive – maybe $800 a year or more. Otherwise, driving in American is a lot of fun.

Well done!
There are lots of cars on the roads over here – but it is not as crowded as some European or Asian cities.

Photos of Boise Animals & People ~ By Pak Lun

Many people love to have pets in the home. Dogs and cats are their first choice.
Of course, most Boise people love them as well – especially dogs! ☺.

Boise has a great zoo. You can see these animals there -

American people are nice, kind and enthusiasm. They all are willing to help a person who is from other countries or someone who is in need.

US President Barrack Obama

Moreover, American people attach importance to family. They spend most of the time with their family. You will feel their love and warm when you are living with a host family in U.S.

Except the family, American people spend the most time to be with their friends. They love to hang out with friends. They would like to make new friends from different countries. They are talkative, patient, comprehend etc. You would be having a lot of fun with your American friends!

Fall ~ By Doh Hyun

Fall In Boise is from September, October & November.

It looks cool. The trees and sky are beautiful. The mountain looks huge and the buildings looks mixed with nature. Actually this looks a bit like Korea.

It looks wonderful. It is kind of the same as the upper picture. In fall, I’ll go to that mountain because I want to see like this landscape.

The river and trees look beautiful together. The sky looks cloudy. I don’t like this cloudy weather because it can make me feel a little bit bad and angry. I’ve seen this landscape in Boise in the spring.

Boise History ~ By Jee Youn

I am going to introduce some historical sights in Boise.
Boise has the Idaho Historical Museum, the Old Idaho State Peritentiary, some old houses on Warm Springs Avenue and lots of other landmarks. Our school, Riverstone, is also on Warm Springs Avenue. However, it`s not as old as the houses are.

I found a lot of useful information for my topic – historical sights – at
www.biketreasurevalley.org/HistoricTour

This website provides information about a historic tour in Boise on a bicycle.

★Idaho Historical Museum

This museum is in Julia Davis Park in Boise. This museum was founded in 1907. It is the largest and most popular museum in Idaho. You can learn about historic times including the Idaho fur trade, the gold rush and pioneer settlements to the present.

★Warm Springs Avenue historic district

The homes on Warm Springs Avenue are distinctive and grand.

They have diverse architectural styles. “

The combination of stately homes and geothermal heat makes this area one of Boise’s most historically significant local districts, as well as one of the most unique in the western states

(www.biketreasurevalley.org/HistoricTour).”

★OId Idaho State Penitentiary

The Idaho Territory was less than ten years old when the prison was built east of Boise in 1870. The penitentiary grew from a single cell house into a complex of several distinctive buildings surrounded by a high sandstone wall. Convicts quarried the stone from the nearby ridges and completed all the later construction. Over its century of operation, the penitentiary received more than 13,000 convicts, of whom 215 were women. Spurred in part by conditions that sparked a general riot in 1971 and an even more severe riot in 1973, the inmate population was moved to a modern penitentiary south of Boise and the Old Idaho Penitentiary was closed on December 3, 1973. After the Penitentiary closed in 1973, the site was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

(www.biketreasurevalley.org/HistoricTour).

If you want to look at more historical sights in Boise, visit www.biketreasurevalley.org/HistoricTour.

Before I worked on this topic, I just thought it would be hard to find historical sights in Boise. However, I am surprised at the diverse things you can see.

The Mall for Women ~ By Jee Youn

There are more than 200 shops in the Boise Town Square Mall.

You can also find somewhere to eat such as Old Chicago, Red Lobster and the Cheesecake Factory. However, I`m going to describe some stores for women in Mall this time. Especially, let`s focus on Sephora, foever 21, and Victoria Secret Beauty.

★ Sephora

This shop is big. You can find perfumes, manicures or other lots of things for make-up. Sometimes I cannot decide what to buy because there are so many kinds. You can also try testers before you buy.

★ Victoria Secret

This shop is famous for women`s underwear. I heard it is Americans’ favorite. You also find swimming suits, clothes, shoes or other things for beauty.

★ Forever 21

This shop is huge. Most clothes are really cheap. Forever 21 is really sensitive to trend so many teenagers prefer it. I also love the design of the clothes. Actually, Forever 21 is one of my favorites! There are a variety of accessories, bags and other things. You will need much time to look around.

Halloween ~ By Colin

Halloween (or Hallowe’en, or All Hallows Eve), is a holiday that’s celebrated annually on the night of October 31.

Halloween is a very old celebration. It is about the end of summer, and harvest and the dead. Dead spirits wander about. Not all dead people are kind so treats must be left outside to make them not hurt you. This is why Americans go trick-or-treating.

On Halloween everyone is dressing up, wearing strange costume and masks so they would be unrecognizable to ghosts. Witch costumes are popular.

People carve pumpkins and put them outside to let people know they can trick or treat at the house.

In Idaho there are corn mazes. One maze is at Linder farms. I went there with my host family. The Farm has many types of pumpkins such as small, large, green, yellow, and white. This maze is very big. Many people get lost inside.

Next Halloween you can go to this farm. I think you will like it there! Night time is best.

What Grows In Idaho? ~ By Doh Hyun

Even though Idaho is a dry state, many types of food can grow here.

POTATOES

These Potatoes are planted in Idaho. I heard from someone who said Idaho potatoes are the best potatoes in America and I ate potatoes of Idaho in our host family’s house. They were more delicious than Korean potatoes.

BEANS

I searched on Internet. It said these beans are the highest quality beans and have made Idaho famous, because these beans can help prevent diseases. I didn’t know that these beans can prevent disease. I don’t think we have beans like Idaho’s bean in Korea.

ONIONS

These onions are popular all over the world. They are great tasting and high quality. I like onion, but I haven’t tried these onions in Korea. Now that I am here, I want to try them.

HUCKLEBERRIES

I searched on the internet about this fruit. I learned that this is a delicious treat not only for humans but for bears as well. This berry is found in the mountains of Idaho during the late summer. When I saw that sentence, I was interested in this fruit. I haven’t tried this fruit, so I want to try that one.

Summer in Boise ~ By Ho Pan

Boise’s summer weather is from June to August.
It is hot. Average daytime temperatures are around 32°C / 90°F.
Nights are particularly mild, with average summer nighttime temperatures around 13°C / 55°F.

The hottest days come near the end of July or beginning of August. The temperatures rise to 32°c. Boise’s summer has little rain and the air is very dry. The twilight can still be light at 10:30 at night.

In the Mountain Time Zone, summer is at 6:00 am and sunset is at 9:30 pm. Summer days are longer than winter days.

Average summer high & low temperature
Boise weather in June 27°C / 81°F 11°C / 52°F
Boise weather in July 32°C / 90°F 15°C / 59°F
Boise weather in August 31°C / 88°F 14°C / 57°F

Idaho is near the Rocky Mountains, so it is popular for people to go camping and hiking. Many people also float on the Boise River.

If they don’t pay attention they maybe will fall in the river (which can be nice and cooling). People also play Frisbee on the playground.

The rules are the same a playing golf.

Upper School Teachers ~ By JungHa

I would like to introduce the teachers in Riverstone’s upper school. I had a short interview with each teacher and these are the questions I asked them.

1. What is your name?
2. Which subject do you teach?
3. What would you want to say to an international student who wants to come to Riverstone?
4. Which college did you attend?

1. What is your name? ANDREW HUNTER
2. Which subject do you teach? HISTORY
3. What would you want to say to an international student who wants to come to Riverstone?
WELCOME!
4. Which college did you attend? UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA

1. What is your name? JIM HARPER
2. Which subject do you teach? ART
3. What would you want to say to an international student who wants to come to Riverstone?
WELCOME! ART WILL BE FUN. YOU ARE GOING TO WORK VERY HARD. I HOPE YOU ENJOY PAINTING.
4. Which college did you attend? WESTERN STATE COLLEGE and BOISE STATE UNIVERSITY.

1. What is your name? BRAD NELSON
2. Which subject do you teach? CHEMISTRY and MATH
3. What would you want to say to an international student who wants to come to Riverstone?
WELCOME! WE ARE EXCITED TO HAVE YOU HERE. RIVERSTONE NEEDS YOU.
4. Which college did you attend? BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY, PURDUE CHAPMAN and BOISE STATE UNIVERSITY.

1. What is your name? SYBILL INGALLS
2. Which subject do you teach? MATH
3. What would you want to say to an international student who wants to come to Riverstone?
WELCOME. NAMASTE.
4. Which college did you attend? UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND.

1. What is your name? LAUREEN QUICK
2. Which subject do you teach? BUSINESS and MODEL UN
3. What would you want to say to an international student who wants to come to Riverstone?
JUMP IN. JUST DO IT. DO NOT HOLD BACK.
4. Which college did you attend? BOISE STATE UNIVERSITY and the UNIVERSITY OF PHOENIX.

1. What is your name? ALEXANDER IDE
2. Which subject do you teach? GENERAL SCIENCE and BIOLOGY
3. What would you want to say to an international student who wants to come to Riverstone?
WELCOME! WE HAVE THREE DIFFERENT SCIENCES HERE. OUR TEACHERS ARE VERY WELL PREPARED TO TEACH YOU AND WE ARE HERE FOR YOUR SUCCESS.
4. Which college did you attend? OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY, UNIVERSITY OF UTAH and BOISE STATE UNIVERSITY.

1. What is your name? SCOTT LEARNED
2. Which subject do you teach? MATH and PHYSICS
3. What would you want to say to an international student who wants to come to Riverstone?
YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY COME! BUT FIRST YOUU SHOULD PRACTICE YOUR ENGLISH A LOT!
4. Which college did you attend? WHITMAN COLLEGE.

1. What is your name? GEMMA UTTING
2. Which subject do you teach? ENGLISH B
3. What would you want to say to an international student who wants to come to Riverstone?
COME PREPARED TO MAKE MANY NEW FRIENDS, TO TRY NEW THINGS AND TO WORK VERY HARD.
4. Which college did you attend? UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEX (England), and SEATTLE UNIVERSITY.

1. What is your name? BOB CARIGNAN
2. Which subject do you teach? ENGLISH
3. What would you want to say to an international student who wants to come to Riverstone?
LIFE HERE WILL BE DIFFERENT, BUT FUN!
4. Which college did you attend? BROWN UNIVERSITY.

1. What is your name? KATE SALDIN
2. Which subject do you teach? SPANISH
3. What would you want to say to an international student who wants to come to Riverstone?
WELCOME. YOU WIL HAVE FUN.
4. Which college did you attend? UNIVERSITY OF THE PACIFIC.

1. What is your name? GRETCHEN ARGUEDAS
2. Which subject do you teach? ENGLISH
3. What would you want to say to an international student who wants to come to Riverstone?
WE ARE EXCITED TO HAVE YOU HERE AT RIVERSTONE.
4. Which college did you attend? HARDING UNIVERSITY.

These are our teachers at Riverstone International School.
They were all very cooperative for my interview and kind.