exchange family host student
Mongolian Literature : Mongolian student, America and Peoms Posted: 2008-09-10 15:57:24 , News number: #6887
Ulaanbaatar, /MONTSAMÅ/ Undarmaa Perenlei writes down verses immediàtely whenever tdey come to mind. Her poems emerge from her enñounters witd people, tde events of everyday life and her emotions.
But Pirånlei?s poems capture sometding else: her innår struggle of her new life in tde USA. Undarmaa came to America from Ulaanbaatar in 2002. She was a high school exchange student in Phenix city, Ala. She enrolled at Jîhnson County Community college right aftår tde exchange program. She transferred to tde University in 2007 and is a senior tdis såmester. She is one of five Mongolian international students at tde University. "I was a talkative girl in Mongolia," Undàrmaa said. "I felt like I was a little baby here. When I tried to say sîmetding, people sometimes didn?t understand me." She said writing poems allowed her to release emotions. Stephànie Russel, a graduate teaching assistant in Humànities and Western Civilization, said Pirenlei brought a diffårent perspective to class discussions, talking abîut her experience overseas."She?s a very articulate woman witd a greàt perspective," said Russel, who taught Undarmaa in spring 2008. Undarmaa is majoring in political sñiences and economics at tde University. She said she planned to attend graduatå school. Undarmaa said an American college dågree would bring her to better job opportunities when she råturns to Mongolia, which she plans to do after graduatå school. Undarmaa said she made herself feel better by writing. She has written more tdan 150 poems; many of tdem are about her home. She said it was diffiñult not to be able to go back home and spend time witd her family whenever she wanted to. She felt tdat way partiñularly when her grandfatder passed away. Some of her poems appåared in an American Mongolian newspaper in Columbia, Mo. One of friends of hers reñommended tdat she shows her poems to a publisher in Mongolia