A Swimming Goggle

Few days ago, when I was cleaning up my room, I found an old swimming goggle. Although it is an old swimming goggle, it has special meaning to me. When I was a senior high school student, I was afraid of swimming. For me, it was a kind of torture. But the swimming course was required, I had to learn swimming. I am lucky that I have a patient and carrying teacher. The first class she told me I had to overcome my fear of water. Then I started my swimming course. After several weeks’ practice, it was still hard for me to move forward in the water. I wanted to give up. Fortunately, I have a carrying teacher. She always stands by my side and gives me comforts. She is not only my teacher but also my friend. Finally, I reached the goal she had set up for me. At the last class, she gave me a brand new goggle as a reward of my efforts. I realized that all my efforts were paying off.

A Self-centered Sister

Recently, I have trouble to share a room with my sister. She is a night school student. Whenever she went home, she would make a lot of noise. For example, she will turn on the television and raise the volume when I’m sleep. Further more, when I stay up late for my homework, she will talk to her fiends on the telephone in a loud voice or listen to the rock music. Our life styles are totally different. Few days ago, I talked to her about this situation. I said to her “Both of us have the rights to use this room. We have to respect each other.” She nodded her head but didn’t say anything in reply. At first, she did lower down the voice but few days later, she drop back into her old habits. I can’t stand her noise because that keeps me awake. The result is that, I almost fall asleep in the class. I talked with her again and she lashed out at me “It’s my freedom to use this room!” Then, she shot the door. My sister is a self-centered person. Once she thinks that she is right, no one can persuade her from doing so. I don’t know what’s wrong with her. Maybe she is in her rebellious phase. I hope the following days she can stay calm and not to get angry easily.

Carrying Hands

It was late at night; the weather was getting colder and colder. I was lying awake on my bed. My thoughts returned to my childhood. I remember when I was a little kid, every morning before I went to school, my grandmother would put the scarf tightly around my neck and give me a kiss on my cheeks. I knew it was an expression for her love but it really embarrassed me. One day, just as her usual habit, when her hands touched my skin, I lashed out at her “Don’t do that, I’m not a kid!” She didn’t say anything about my behavior, but from then on, she never do that again. I knew I had to say sorry to her, but somehow, I didn’t. Time passed by, I was not a little girl anymore. Sometimes, when I’m alone, I miss her gentle kiss and her carrying hands. One night, when I was lying awake on my bed; I heard some voice from living room. I left my room and found my grandmother sitting alone in the living room. Then, I walked to her and seated by her side. I told her I was very sorry for that morning. She just smiled and didn’t say anything. The next morning before I went to school, like her usual habit, she put the scarf tightly around my neck and gave me a gentle kiss on my cheeks. Then, she said “You are my little girl forever.” From then on, my guilt was no longer existed and our relationships become closer than before.

Procrastinator

My eyelids droop as I am typing my homework. It is late at night. I failed to manage my time well. It’s my bad habit. I’m used to put things off include my assignments. Then, when the time runs out, I get in trouble. I seated in front of my desk and thinking that why I’m so stupid to make the same mistake. Every time I told myself I have to finish my homework first, there is always another voice said that it’s ok to take a rest. Then I put off my assignments for hours and even forget to do it. The result is that I’m always one step behind in life. So, I decided to reschedule my time. I told myself I have to finish my homework as soon as I got home. Once I get used to this habit, I won’t be the one who are always putting things off. After all, the clock doesn’t stop for me.

How have you been?

We have known each other for over ten years. You are considerate and kind. Whenever I fall into depression, you will always stand by my side and give me comforts. What an unclouded girl you are! You always wear a cheerful smile on your face. Besides, you have good sense of humor and always make me laugh.

Did you remember the first time we met? I remembered it was a rainy day. When I on my way home from school, I lost my way. I squatted down by the road to take a rest. Suddenly, a violent dog showed up and kept barking at me. I was too afraid to move one step. I couldn’t find a safe place to hide myself. At that very moment, you appeared and took me away from there. We kept running until we got home. You asked me “Are you alright?” and gave me an affectionate embrace. From then on, we have been the best friends.

You have been to the U.S for about two months. How have you been? According to your personality, I believe you can adapt yourself to the new conditions, right?

What I've learned

Since I entered Shih Chien University.; I have learned a lot of things, such as how to manage my time and how to prepare a good presentation. For me, the most important thing I learned is how to deal with people through team work. In a group, everyone has his/her own opinion. If everyone insists on what they said is right, “team work” is meaningless. So, to communicate with each other is an important also a good way to reach joint decision. Just as the saying goes, it’s easy to break a chopstick but harder to break them.

my school life

Since I become a junior, I’m busier than before. Everyday, there are a great pile of homework and reports waiting for me. I don’t have enough time to solve them. Time after time, day after day, I’m almost drowned by schoolwork.

I think I should have more time to learn more different things. I want to develop my potential ability, not just limited by the reports or homework. I’m not mean that I don’t learn anything from class or school, I just want some time to think more about my future.

In the following days, I hope I can take control of my time. I would like to appreciate various types of activities, shows or exhibitions about differences between culture and culture. In short, I don’t want to be just confined by the schoolwork but to find something interesting about life.

week 3

What kind of guy you are? There is an emergency job to be done but everyone is sure that “somebody” will do it. Are you always waiting for somebody else to do it?

Few days ago, when I was taking a bus on my way home, one elderly woman got on the bus. The bus was crowded with people that it was hardly to keep one’s balance. Especially for people like her age, it’s really dangerous. If the bus driver braked his car suddenly, the elderly woman may probably get hurt. The other passengers on the seats look around but no one wanted to make any space for her. It seemed that they were sure “somebody” would do it. It ended up that every body blamed somebody when no one else did it.

There are so many choices, if you chose to do nothing; you have to be responsible for yourself. Don’t wait for somebody else to do the things for you, ask what you can do for somebody else.

Marting Luther King

Recently, I read a famous speech by Marting Luther King "I have a Dream." It's really hard for us to imagine taht black people couldn't go to the same school with whites at that time. They even couldn't sit on the same seats. People in that time were all took these rules for granted that whites were highly privileged.

But these so called rules were broken down by the black leader－Marting Luther King. in spite of the difficulities that he had encountered, he won the support from both whites and blacks in the end. He delivered his creed to the public through the nonviolent resistance movement successfully. In 1963, Dr. King was given the Nobel Peace Prize as the reward of his toil and hardship.

However, he was shot and killed by the radical in 1968. Although he was dead, thereis no denying that Marting Luther King was one of the great people in the U.S. He also makes me realized one thing－nothing great can be achieved without enthusiasm.

The Relationship

How do you build your relationship with other people? In "Little Prince", the little prince came across a strange and lonely fox. Then, the fox asked the little prince to feed him. The lonely fox said that through this process, they could become the one for each other. For him, the footstep of little prince just like music that made him feel delighted. The existence of little prince made his life full of sunshine.

Recently, the "Little Prince" has been shot to "The Fox and the Child." At the moment they encounting each other, they know that they need each other. Through the eyecontact with the little girl and the fox, I remembered something I've forgotten before.

At the end of the "Little Prince", the fox told said to the little prince that the only way to see through the reality is to use your mind. The real things can't be seen just by your eyes. To understand one person you are not familiar is not easy. It's not only to build up the relationship, but to dis cover self inner thoughts.