Happy Birthday, Ms. Sera.

Thanks to everyone for remembering Ms. Sera's birthday! She was really surprised thanks to Wen-Hui's good suggestions. Everything was so festive and all the treats were delicious.

TOEFL on Monday.

IEP morning classes will be dismissed on Monday, November 17, for the TOEFL. For those of you who are NOT taking the TOEFL, enjoy a late morning of sleep! Good luck to those of you who are taking it.

One More Month.

November is the last month of classes before we begin final exams. It's also a hectic month with many events and obligations. On Monday, November 17, the TOEFL test will be given at 9:00 a.m. in the Student Center. Advanced Registration and Testing will take place for Level Three students Wednesday, November 19 through Tuesday, November 25, and we can't forget the Thanksgiving Break November 26 through 28.

A Beautiful Island
and Two Peninsulas.

A special announcement for new stories in the Reading Room: Irmina Fabricio, Level Three Student from Cuba, writes about her home country of Cuba, A Beautiful Island, and Hun Loon, Level Three student from Malaysia, writes about his home country of Malaysia in Two Peninsulas. Many thanks to Irmina and Hun Loon for their contributions to Planet IEP.

Yuki Keeps Us Informed.

Yuki sent me the following dates for the UCA Bears games. She invites everyone to the games to support the football team AND to hear the band. One of Yuki's jobs as a graduate student in the music department is to rehearse the marching band.

Nov. 15: TBA Russellville

The following dates are Yuki's performances this semester (no admission). Yuki plays the tuba and the euphonium.

Dec. 2: 7:30 p.m. Brass Ensembles recital at the Snow Fine Arts Recital Hall
Dec. 4: 7:30 p.m. Fall Symphonic Bands concert at Reynolds Performance Hall

More News
from Students from Afar.

Planet IEP has received news from several "graduates." It's always nice to hear from students who have moved to another state or country or have returned home. Li Qiang is working for a US fireworks company in China, so he spends his time commuting between China and the US. Now that's a long commute. Mai Tashima has transferred to a school in Missouri to study design. She sends a goodbye to all her friends and classmates at UCA. Jungmin Park writes from Korea that her Mom visited Conway (we guess to visit Minsoo, Jungmin's brother) and that she is studying for the TOEIC test, a university requirement there. Good luck, Jungmin! Dr. Souidi Anasse is now working for the Arkansas Health Department. What a success story! From IEP to MD. Anne Chukova finished summer school at UCA and has returned to Russia. She sends her goodbye and hopes to return next fall to UCA. We hope so, too!

Got Boredom?
Check Out the Important Dates.

If you are getting cabin fever (boredom), then read the Important Dates information below. Several opportunities are offered on campus for students to get involved and beat the ennui.

Important Dates

Bowfire..

Ten talented string players perform a choreographed musical variety show.

Sunday, November 16, at 7:00 p.m.

Reynolds Center.

Student tickets are $10.00

TOEFL Test.

The Institutional TOEFL test will be administered at UCA for UCA students only.

Monday, November 17, beginning at 9:00 a.m.

Student Center.

Good luck!

How Good
Is Your Grammar?

Thanks to one of Corndancer's contributors, Mr. Darbo, for sending us a link to test our grammar knowledge. Just for fun, try it yourselves at http://encarta.msn.com/quiz/quiz.asp?quizid=51. You get instant results.

What Did She Say?

I just looked up this site to find the words to a U2 song. You might want to find the words to one of your favorite songs, too, at http://www.lyrics.com.

Planet IEP is a world of words for students and anyone else who is interested in English as a Second Language.

First and foremost, this site serves international students in the Intensive English Program (IEP) at the University of Central Arkansas. Planet IEP provides lesson plans, reminders, comments and musings on classroom projects. It serves as a venue for students to ask questions or make comments about any matter that concerns language or culture.

Let me begin with a traditional greeting: "Welcome to Planet IEP." The first step in using this site is to decide what you want to read. Look at the "links" (connections) on the left side of this page. You have several places to go.

If you are a student of Freddie Bowles, click on your class level to find information about class activities, homework, and most importantly, the Bonus Point Challenge.

The Dispatch from Afar is written by IEP students and staff from their home countries and travels afar.

If you want to see if there are any articles for you to read, click on Reading Room. Be sure and take a look at the Photo Gallery. Your picture might be on there!

Under International Links, you will find links to information from different countries. Do you want to read the news from home? Look under International Links to find a site that offers news from your home or from a classmate's home.

When you decide what site you want to visit, click on the icon, and the site will open. Within the site there will be other links for you to visit if you so choose. If you want to return to the beginning, click on Planet IEP Home and you will return to the homepage.

If you have any links
for the International Links page,
email me at freddieb@mail.uca.edu
Good luck as you travel on Planet IEP!