My favorite places

   In my life I have seen some beautiful views but the view point always gave me the one of the most beautiful views I could ever see. There is a parking lot for about 15 cars. The trees around this place make the point to look like a nook. I could park the car and at the same time enjoy the unforgettably nice sunset, the white huge mountains covered in snow and the sky was becoming red, then yellow masterpiece. I took a look what’s going on at the bottom of the hill. I could see many cars on the other parking lots and almost everything was shinning; because of the sunset the view was totally different from before. Once I noticed that I was able to see the runway airport. Have ever seen how an airplane arrives or departures above the skyline in a sunset time? It is amazing! It is such an attractive view that just by glancing at the sky you wouldn’t miss it. I’m glad that I can see it almost everyday. After the work I’m going to the parking lot to jump in to my car, all tiredness is going away as I see the whole town lit of the sunset. When I look at this view I get the feeling of piece and joy. The life is becoming better.

   The second place that I want to write about is the Wood Center on campus here at UAF. Probably most people get the image of massive wooden construction when they hear the name “wood center”. The part of this is true, the building are half made from wood. The Wood Center was named in honor of William Wood. When I first entered this building the first thing I noticed was the very high ceiling of an interesting shape which was also made from wood but with concrete piles. This building has two floors and the view platform from where you can observe everything in the Wood Center. There are a cafe where you can buy sushi; dining room for students, a credit union, bowling, administration office, a nice small photo exhibition. There is the room for reading and relaxing. That area is separated by the green carpet. One more thing that I noticed is the street lights. They are making the first floor seem like a street in the downtown with some little shops. There are many flags, which show from what country students are studying at UAF. I even found the flag of my country, Belarusian flag. In the Wood Center I could feel the food smell, the smell of Chinese food also. It wasn’t a really bright place with many lights, so it was a really good place for take some rest and meal between the classes.

   The third place I want to describe is my hometown. It is named Zhabinka. The city is not very big but there are some places that I would like to be at right now. For example, I’d like to visit the park where I usually set on a bench and talked to my friends. The park looks beautiful especially in the fall. In the fall all trees turn red, yellow some of them stay green. Together it creates a new colorful look that you’ll never forget. There is also one place I’d like to visit. It is a lake where I and my friends used to spend a lot of time looking at those gorgeous fountains and the most amazing birds – swans. We fed them and took pictures, because there’s always something happened on that lake. The city square was my favorite place. In the summer it was so bright and colorful, full of flowers. On every holiday they had fairs where people always hang out and eat, play, watch concerts and other. I had spend half of my life in this city and it’s always going to be reminding me of the people I miss very much and the places where I felt safe and free.

These memories are always going to be in my heart.

   The HOME for me is my hometown Zhabinka.

Irezumi as a work of art

   Japanese tattooing, irezumi, is a unique, glorious work of art as preposterous as it is magnificent. It is the unusual, mysterious, and important method of the tattooing in Japan. Irezumi is a peculiar form of art that as the puppets of the Bunraku theatre and ikebana is the part of Japanese being.
   The history of irezumi and its significance are very engaging and make people think of it. How can the tattooing be a distinctive feature in a country? It sounds absurdly. Therefore, irezumi affects a person who got this piece of art. I cannot name it as a tattoo. Irezumi is a masterpiece, inflicted on the body. The members of the urban proletariat - carpenters, labourers, gamblers, gangsters - wear this still, but it became almost as an occupational badge.
   The origins of the irrezumi practice are lost in the mists of antiquity. Irezumi exists approximately at least four hundred years. This number makes me think of irezumi an ancient artifact survived in our world. Because of the immutable method of the infliction, it is both extraordinarily painful, extremely lengthy and also exceedingly costly. The design is selected from a chapbook of great antiquity. Then it is drawn on the skin with black Chinese ink or sumi. So irezumi is derived from sumi and ireru, which means "put". It is a hard work for both the tattoo-master and a person who decided this masterpiece on his skin. I think irezumi can express masculinity and power of people. Not every person may decide to go through this. It is too painful and takes a while to get the whole picture on the body.
   I was surprised when I found out that there is a private museum in Tokyo, devoted to the display of particularly fine speciments. Some enthusiasts would buy the pictures off a man's very back to collect the irezumi artwork. So it can turn out good for people who have this tattoos. They can sell a picture of it and get extra money. The tattooing can be a form of investment for poor people. I think this is a great opportunity for people who need money to get a reward for braveness and art that they have on the body.
   It is very interesting to know that there is such a tradition in Japan. People get their tattoos for many reasons and mostly they do not understand why. In Japan, it is different because irezumi is a part of Japanese history and it is really painful. Before you decide to get irezumi just think about it.

My short story

Hi Everybody!
   My name is Tanya. I'm a freshman at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. My major is Business Administration. I chose this major because I want to know how businesses and economics work in our world. What' s going on with money and how I can be involved in business.
   Originally I'm from Belarus. I moved with my family to Alaska in October 2009. Before that, I have already finished 1 year of college in my country. I very liked the opportunity to live in the USA and learn English. I grew up in a small city called Zhabinka. I don't have any special hobby. I just like having fun, going to the movies, shopping, hanging out with my friends. I enjoy any kind of music, my favorite type of movies is a comedy. I like meeting new people, because I always can learn something from them.
  I don't really read the newspapers and magazines. I mostly read books when I have a chance. Usually I try to buy online some Russian classics book. I've read Childhood, Boyhood and Youth by Leo Tolstoy at school. Now I'm going to reread World and Peace by this author. I really enjoyed Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky. It's a great book about moral dilemmas. The idea is that people cannot make a crime without any punishment. Another great psychological novel is the Captain's Daughter by Pushkin. I think Russian classics books are very instructive and profound. I wish I don't have time to read them all...