From: "Zachary Foreman"

To: kforeman@sfsu.edu

Date: Thu, 31 Oct 1996 03:15:27 GMT+2

Subject: Re: addresses

CC: praxxis@ix.netcom.com

> Date sent: Wed, 30 Oct 1996 13:21:43 +0000

> From: kforeman@sfsu.edu

> To: paladin@scees.in.uj.edu.pl

> Subject: Re: addresses

> Hi, Zach.> >

I keep forgetting to bring the address book that has Stephen Ko's address. I will try to remember next time. By the way, when are you going to take the foreign service exam? I know you want to change your mind and major in literature, but I think you should follow your dream and commitment that you had for a long time. Get a international studies degree, and work in the field, and go to graduate school. Weather we are majoring or not, if we are deep thinkers, we are creating things everyday. Be an expert in one area where you can be a professional and pursuit all others in order to enhance your life. I am glad that I have a profession that gives me a > platform to make living and at the same time to be heard. I don't think anyone would have been interested if I was not a professor. The reason that the Korean newspaper is interested about me is because I am a professor. I would really like you to follow through your plan and graduate with a BA degree in international studies or political science. I am not very comfortable you get excited whenever you take a new course, you try to hastily change your mind. If you are majoring literature, you will not like it because it requires a long hard work as in any field. Be single minded in your career plan, then be diverse minded with your hobby. We can have many hobbies, but it is not a good idea to change career goal before even you have one. There is a saying that when dig a well deep, you may strike water, but if you don't dig enough then you change your mind to dig another one, another one, you wouldn't have any water. Enjoy learning about polish literature, culture, and so on. Whatever you are learning is going to help you become a better person plus, lead you to better position in academic career, or politics, or any field you choose to go in. But do not change your major at this later game. Don't even entertain the idea, or don't even mention to me or your friends. You just appear to be flake and not very sincere. > > Sorry about this. But when you mention that you are thinking about changing the major to literature, I screamed with disgust and dismay. > Did I misunderstand your e-mail message? > >

mom>

******************* *WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*

I reread my email twice to make sure but I NEVER SAID that I wanted to change my major. I said that I decided that I like history, languages, literature and philosophy more than economics and political science. That's all. I have received a fine liberal arts education. One that allows me to go in many directions. I could enter almost any field in graduate school, go to law school, etc. I repeat: I HAVE, NOR HAVE I ENTERTAINED, NOR HAVE I MENTIONED, THE IDEA of changing my major. To be honest I didn't understand what you were talking about. You really do this a lot mom and it upsets me. It hurts me when you say "I scream with disgust and dismay". Do you know what images I see? How can you say that. You did that last time when I lost all of my stuff. I didn't care about any of the stuff I lost. The only thing I was afraid of was that that incident was proof to you that I was an irresponsible, uncaring son. I assumed that it was clear that I would finish my undergraduate education at Stanford next year. Now I am thinking actively about graduate school because I am surrounded by brilliant graduate students and I only have my thesis left. How could you think that I could even consider changing my major to literature when I have literally completed my major at Stanford and only need a couple of required classes and thesis? Do you really have so little trust in your son? Listen to me, please: I will graduate from Stanford University in International Relations, with honors in June 1998. I will go to graduate school. I will get a Ph.D. or equivalent. I don't see my BA as tying me down to one field. That is why I chose IR, I can go into history, Political science, economics, even literature, philosophy, linguistics, theology, education, or even physics. I thought you realized that I am using this time to decide on graduate school. Don't you remember our discussions? Right out of Stanford or real world for a few years? Apply to law schools? etc, etc. I know, and I'm sure you do too, lots of people whose undergraduate degrees, esp. liberal arts, aren't directly related to their current vocation. It is rather a time to cultivate clarity of thought, composition skills, reading comprehension, social skills, time management, motivation, etc. I'm tired now, (it's past 2) but I had to write to you. I know what I'm doing. Please trust me. It's my life. Not to say that I don't appreciate what you and dad have done. On the contrary, every day I see more and more clearly how important and influential you are in my life as well as the sacrifices you made to provide for me as you did. Sorry to sound so harsh but I think, in this case, you deserve it.

Love,

Zach