Lady Godiva

This picture was drawn by John Collier in 1898. I saw this picture in the magazine about 2 years ago. When I saw the picture at first, I thought it was just like other nude pictures. However, after reading an article about the history of the picture, I looked at it again and was impressed.

The woman in the picture is Godiva, who was the wife of Leofric, a noble of Mercia in what is now the United Kingdom. She took pity on people who were suffering under her husband's oppressive taxation. Although she appealed several times to her husband, he refused it. And then, he challenged her to ride naked through the marketplace, promising to reduce the tax burden. She received his challenge and proclaimed that all persons should keep within doors and shut their windows when she rode through the town. However, only one person in the town, a tailor known as Peeping Tom peeked at her. According to the legend, he is said to be a blind. Finally, Godiva's husband kept his word and abolished the heavy taxes.

Many people know about this famous story and alreay might see Lady Godiva on the wrapper of Godiva's chocolate. Whenever I see the picture, I think of a woman who had a tender heart.

Old Capital Museum

I have never visited speical places in Iowa City until we visited the national museum. I serched for information in the Internet and decided to visit old capital museum on campus because admission fee is free and it is near. So, I visited with Joy, Nayeon, Ambrosio and a unkown guy after the potluck party. There were two people in the desk. I asked for museum touring and one officer was willing to guide us.

The first place that we went was the auditor's officer, which was smiliar to a common office. Then, we moved to the govener's offficer which was lager than auditor's officer and had good view sights out of the window. The govenor could see people who was comming to and going outside the building through the large window. In this room I found the window cover that can block the window from sunshine and is made of white-painted wood. I loved it. I wished to carry out to my house. ^^ One strange thing there was a small toilet whcih looked too small for fat people to go in. I saw several spittoons which were used for spiting out tabacco.

And we moved to house chamber in the second floor in which representatives at that time did legislative activities. I could think that just 26 chairs for representatives and a speaker's chair showed that Iowa was a small state in about 1840. There was senate chamber in front of the house chamber, where was a grand piano and about 4feet high ceiling. I loved there because of the grand piano. The officer said that this room is used as a place for a concert or a lecture. After comming back home, when I told my roomate about this room, she gave me happy news. Next week we can go there to see the piano concert, so, I was so excited.

I was happy to visit there with my classmates. Even though I have lived in Iowa for 7 months, I didn't know about the history of Iowa. Through this short tour, I heard that Iowa became the 29th state in the United States. Now the old capital building is used for museum and university, but it was the capital building of Iowa state before Des Moines became it. One sad fact is that the building was burn by fire in 2001 in spite of having been recovered completely after that.

Maybe I can think of the history of Iowa whenever I hear the chime bells ring from old capital. It was fun and meaningful time.

At Age 10

When I was 10 years old, I was not an unusual girl. I think I was shy in class, outgoing outside class and home. I can remember that I was so shy I couldn't ask our teacher somthing. I felt ashamed of rasing my hand for asking something even though I cannot understand it now. At that time my world was divided in two parts before and after my father's car accident as I wote it in my first essay. Before my father's accident I was cheerful and sensitive, but I was a little mature after it.

I liked playing the piano at that time. Fortunately I met an old piano teacher who was almost 60 years old and liked me, and I could get a lesson everyday. My tutor was so busy that I went to his house early in the morning before going to school. I really liked the time that I practiced the piano and sang a song wisperly. Another important memory is my best friend HeeRa with whom I shared my everything, and we always spent free time together after school with doing homework, playing a game, talking about ourclassmates and something. Her father was a pastor and he was so kind and generous, especially for HeeRa and me. Looking back to my time at age 10, HeeRa was the closest person even though I don't know where she lives now. I liked close relationship with only one friend as if Maya did with her brother, Bailey.^^

In school I was an obedient and naive student. When our teacher said something, I always followed it. Before my father got the accident, I was just common, not prominent student. However, after my father was in hospital, I studied very hard, and I became an excellent student because I thought that studying was all that I could do. And I learned the traditional dance called Changguchum in shcool, which is dancing with a changgu like a drum. It was so fun to beat a changgu and dance with the unique rhythm. However, I didn't like doing exercise nor drawing. I think my drawing was the worst in our class.

Now I am a defferent adult from a little girl at that time, but there are some charaters that I have kept until now.