Looking into the future

Great, finally there is the big question. What will you be doing in five years? I cannot look into the future can I? If I am honest, I really do not know. There is not really a goal I would like to achieve. The reason why I have chosen 'Business communication', is because it is a liberal study. I kept all my options open, by decide to try this study.

During this study you discover everything. We made folders, magazines, websites, we did newspaper activities, in English as much as in Dutch. We had to do research for a business. But I am not going to bore you with that.

I was thinking about do a working placement by a magazine in year three of this study, because that is a varied business. Maybe I will be able to decide what I like the most if I am really doing that. Would it be the writing part or the designers part? Or maybe there is a job that is perfect for me. I am really looking forward to the working placement.

It is hard to talk about the future. I do not know what I will be doing after I finished my graduation. I am sure that I will be fine, and that I am going to be happy with my job. But for now, I seriously have not got a clue. So far my future after my education.

Now it is time for you to tell me about what you do for living, or about what you want to do. I am curious! Or maybe you guys have a great idea for a future job for me? Let me know!

Happier than ever (2)

I can't tell you how happy I am. As you may remember I tried to explain it to you last week, but that feeling of freedom while you're at school isn't easy to discribe. I also told you last week that I still live at home, and that I have to travel to school, but even that doesn't matter to me.

In fact, if i may say so, I like it. Well, there are some exeptions. I don't like sitting in the train while there are dirty and smelly people sitting next to you, or when someone turns the volume of the Ipod too loud.

But mostly I like travelling by train. My secret? Make it yourself comfortable! Take your jacket off, and lay it over there while you put your bag over there. Get something to drink and to eat. Get something to do. Or not, and decide that you're just going to look out of the window. Feel it! Feel the freedom.

I only like the idea of living in a student's room if I know the students. If i was a milionair I bought a house where my friends and I could live in. That would be perfect. But unfortunately, I am not. The advantages of living on your own are that:


• you don't have to travel every day, so you can sleep longer
• you feel more grown up and independent




Messy student's room


• nobody tells you that you should clean up your room



And, ofcourse there are much more advantages. But for now, I am happy to live at home. Dinner is always ready, it's clean, my friends live close and I have a hundred times more room than you ever can think of in a student's room.

For now, I am not going to live in a student's room. But can you convince me?

Happier than ever

Wow, I can't believe how fast this half year went by!
Going to uni was a whole new experience for me. It made me scared, stressed, surprised and last but not least: happy.

Okay, there were some things I really missed at this school. I missed my closest friends the most. The ones who really listen to you when you're trying to tell something, the ones who wait for you when you have to pee, and the ones who always have something to say to you, even if it's about something silly.

But the new school also gave me some good things. I'm more independent than before, which gives me the feeling of being free and stronger. I'm a real student now, and I have to travel almost every day, and you know what? I really don't care! But I’ll write about that later.

A few days ago, I really had to go shopping in Utrecht. But there was no one to go with me, so I went alone. In the train back I was sitting with a huge smile on my face; I bought some very cool stuff, and I could not worry about school because there was nothing to do. I almost can’t describe the feeling, so wonderful was it. I can’t remember that I ever felt so great and thankful for everything. Have you ever had that feeling? Then my mum texted me; what I would like for dinner: spaghetti or pancakes. Wow, my day couldn’t get better.

Okay, the days before school was going to start, I felt stressed, and a bit scared maybe. But it turned out to be really great. The whole atmosphere felt good and I was surprised by the fact that I felt home so quickly. Student life is better than I thought.

Get lost

I was waiting for the bus, when I saw an old schoolmate. She started talking about that she has missed the train because she could not find her keys. She talked also about that she was too late for school now, but that was not a problem. While we were sitting in the bus she mentioned, ''If you're looking for something you're lost, it's never on the first place you look.'' I thought that was a funny saying, but is it true?

When you loose, for example, your keys, then you would like to find them. And rather as quickly as possible. So you look anywhere, where you think you would find them. But now the tricky question: were your keys really lost, if you find them at the first place you look?

If they do not lay there, you could know another place. But if they also do not lay there, you are about to panic. In my opinion your keys are lost if you cannot find them on the first place or the second place.

Whatever, should you think. Get lost.





Ass. 12

Kerkewijk 12
1234 AB Utrecht
Holland
Tel: 0123-456789
Email: abc@abc.nl

7 October, 2010

Daws House
33-35 Daws Lane
London NW7 4SD

Dear Mr Jefferson,

Yesterday, I received the brochure you designed and printed. It was a brochure for the event that I am organising for War Child.

It are very nice brochures, but to my surprise there are two serious spelling mistakes.  You spelled War Child through the whole brochure wrong. And that is not a little detail, as you may understand. Besides you spelled 'verry' instead of very. Unfortunantely there is another thing that went wrong. The picture on the back of the brochure is missing. That must have been a printing mistake, but I expect that you will fix all the mistakes that you have made, and send it back in time.

If not, or if you do not take my complaint seriously, I would not have any problems to call the consumers' organization. But I hope that would not be necessary.

I am looking forward to your reply and I hope this matter will be solved.


Yours sincerely,

'my signature'

Gemma (T)

In memoriam

I was home when it happend. My father called my mother and asked: 'Have you already seen it?' 'No? What is it?' 'Turn the tv on.' She was sitting on the tip of the couch, watching television. One hand was covering her mouth, while she kept her eyes wide open. I was standing next to the couch, watching her and the television. I didn't realise at all what kind of disaster it actually was. It wasn't real for me.


Last week, it was September 11. I can not believe it has already been 9 years ago that thousands of people died. My parents did not pay attention to all those horrible stories on tv. But I was watching them at my computer. And for the first time I realised it. I felt the feeling they would have felt, and I am trying to discribe it:

Imagine, that you are at your work as always, when you notice something is totally wrong. You can see that a plane hit the building next to yours. There is panic, collegues are calling, yelling, and wondering what has gone wrong. But than, another plane crashes. And this time it is your building. Dust is everywere. Fire is everywere. People are trying to escape this nightmare. Water is coming from the stairs. You are looking out your window, you can not believe this is real. All the people on the street are looking up. You see people jumping. You can see the fear in their face, but also the resolution. You are completely in shock, everything around you is gone. You think about your family, about your child, and your friends. You realise you are going to die, and you realise you are not going to die that way. You take your last breath... and you jump.

While I realised the movie was ended, I noticed that I was sitting at the tip of my chair, keeping my eyes wide open, and that I was covering my mouth with both hands. A tear is sliding down my cheek. That day changed everything.





Ass. 7 Letter of enquiry:

Kerkewijk 12
1234 AB Utrecht
Holland

20 September, 2010

City College Manchester
5 Crescent Road
Crumpsall Manchester M8 5UF

Dear Sir or Madam,

I was looking on the website of City College Manchester. And I am interested in an EFL course for international students. I am studying business communication in Utrecht. It's my first year as a student, and my first year English in a hbo-class. In my opinion my level of English is average. I scored a 6.5 for my exam. I was interested in this course because I think it would be useful for my study. I was wondering if you could send me some information about it. I would like to know, for example, how long this study takes, and when. I was wondering if we have to pass an exam, and what the required level of English is.

I hope you will be able to send me the information I need.



Best regards,

Gemma (T)


Assignment 8:
1. What is remarkable about the comments and the bloggers of the Federal Reserve Bank?
The remarkable thing about the comments and the bloggers of the Federal Reserve Bank is that they can decide if they want to be anonymous or not.
2. The Federal Reserve Bank opened a blog to create ''buzz''. What is meant by in this, other words, what was the purpose of opening a blog?
The purpose of opening a blog was creating traffic.
3. What was the female recruiting manager's blog mainly about?
Her blog was mainly about her challenges of being a fulltime mum and a fulltime manager of people who needs her.
4. What was the purpose of her blog?
The purpose of her blog was recuiting people to come to the FED. Another purpose was building trust.
5. Which words show that the FED does exercise a form of control on the blogs?
The words 'regulate' and 'moderate' show that the FED does exercise a form of control on the blogs.
6. By what kind of people were the very fisrt FED blogs written?
By senior management.
7. Have the blogs changed the way that people who work for the FED think about internal communications?
Yes, the credibility has increased.
8. What is the latest development in the company as far as media are concerned?
Advertising
9. Catherine Cummings says that this medium to communicate with staff is better than an older medium. Which more old-fashioned way of communicating with staff does she mention?
The more old-fashioned way of communicating with staff that she mentions is a memo.
10. What is the next big thing in social media at the FED?
They have two internets of the chicago FED.

Ramadan

Last time I told you all the things I actually did not want to tell you. You did not response, so I think that was enough. Now it is time to tell you something about what is keeping me busy.  Today, I am going to tell you something about my work. Which is keeping me litterally busy.

I work at HEMA. It is a typical Dutch shop, which name means something like: Dutch Uniform prices Society Amsterdam. I work at the cake and bread department. (Which is much better than only do 'the cash-work'). Anyway, I have met so many nice people there.

The Eid ul-Fitr cake

Yesterday, a Morrocan girl came to me and asked: 'You don't have that special cake anymore do you?' She meant the Eid ul-Fitr-cake. We did not, but I pointed my finger to other special Eid ul-Fitr products. But she came back and ordered a different cake. I asked her if it was hard, not eating or drinking. 'Not drinking is the hardest part,' she answered. 'But you get used to it. You get used to have a dry mouth during the day.' I said that I respected her, and I asked her how it was like, eating together after sunset. I asked her about Eid ul-Fitr. She said that she really liked it. Being together, eating together.

My point is now: you hear so much bad things about the Morrocan culture. And is not that just the reason why we all 'do not like them'? We do not know their culture and we do not wànt to know. Why not? Is not that the way of participating? Listening to each other, and knowing what their culture is like? Okay, bad things happen, but look further. Or am I just naive? What do you think?

 'Have a nice weekend! And enjoy your cake!' I said.

Memo:
To: Management
From: Communications Department of Performance Systematix
Date: September 11, 2010
Subject: Super Sports Day

In order to sum up all my arguments for a Super Sports Day, I have written you a memo.
My arguments for organising a Super Sports Day are:
- Good for the health of all the employees
- Nice for the family to know who he/she works with
- Great environment for the Dutch and American employees to work together, in a different way
- Good for the working conditions when employees know each other better.

I was thinking about:
- Tug-of-war
- Beach volleyball
- Sumo wrestling
- And a funny kind of a relay race

Let me know how you think about it.

I'd rather buy a diary

I'm not that kind of girl who writes about anything what's keeping her busy. Especially not on the Internet. I'd rather buy a diary.

I could tell you something about myself. About my name, Gemma. About my birthday, and that I just turned 17. I could tell you that I live in Holland, that I passed my exams in June and that I started at a new school in Utrecht. I could also tell you something about my holiday in England, Italy or Scheveningen. I could tell you about all the great things I've done and seen.

But I won't. Why do you want to know? How important is that?
(Yes it's a challenge, please let me know, and give me the best argument you've in mind.)
You could see this first blog-post as a kick-off towards all my stories about Hogeschool Utrecht and all the other things I just want to tell you.

The ironic thing is, while I told you all the things I don't want to tell you, you know enough about me.


Ass. 2d

To: Staff;
From: Gemma T;
Subject: Meeting
Cc: Manager;

Dear Sir or Madam,

At first I want to thank you for the great work you all do. And as you all know I think it is important to listen to the guests. I have heard a lot of good reviews. For example your enthausiasm, the quick service, and for the cooks: the excellent food.
But I have also heard some little critisism. It is about your clothes which could be a little more decent for certain occasions. I would like to discuss that with you to hear your opinions and ideas about a dress code. So I decided to arrange a meeting on September 10, in my office at 10 o 'clock. You do not have to come, but than you have to accept the decisions we made.

I hope we will come to a great solution, and that we will keep on improving the Hotel together.


Yours faithfully,


Gemma T-----