Attica Yang

My Best Summer Holiday Forever in 2011

OMG!! It is the longest summer holiday I have ever had!! And one of the most memorable one of course!! Volunteer teaching to Inner Mongolia, Peers Traveling to Gansu, wonderful Journey to USA with month-length on campus life, self traveling to Fujian`````` it seems that I had been outdoors for almost the whole summer. I saw a lot, heard a lot, received a lot, learned a lot..

One of the big events I am obliged to talk about is the days we had when we were with those children who were undoubtedly the loveliest guys I have ever met in my life in Inner Mongolia. All words pale when it comes to talk about this, for our true feeling are unutterable somehow. We had complicated feelings in mind. We stayed there for half a month with the local people, with every single meal remained almost the same---potato—tofu hodgepodge combined with Mantou, no water and no place for showering, incrediblely awful toilet which we had to hold our breath before each time we made our great determination to enter`````` all these obstacles and displeasures were negligible because what we received were a thousand times more than these. The motions and love between us and the kids were no more than true and simple. We showed them the other side of the world, a world we are living while has always been unfamiliar and remote to them. We could see curiosities, excitements and eagerness to learn more, explore more in their eyes with appealing purity when we were doing presentations, teaching them how to use computers. Maybe for people living in cities , people there suffer from poverty, scanty from supplies. However , from my point of view, they were living a much happier and rich life than those who are struggling in the cities. Being free from complicated emotions, competitive living circumstances, high pressure, they were living in such a simple world which we could never imagine until we learned. . Too many moving moments which were countless to enshrine; too many surprises they gave to us; too many experiences we could never imagined before`````` But I am still so eager to share my pleasures with all of you. For others, it probably was just a tiny thing , but for me, for my peers who had fortunately experienced such moments with me, this has been one of the most affecting moment in our life. It was the day before we left, boxes of bananas were carried from the town for the children and the teachers there. Maybe for us, we would never regard bananas valuable for all kinds of fruits and vegetables were easily accessible. But they meant so much for them, most of whom only got a chance to catch a sight of bananas on books or on TV but had never tried them; they also meant too much for us to burden for something out of our expectations happened. We originally hadn’t take any bananas since we ‘d like to leave as many as possible to the children , thought no one could actually resist the attractions from bananas after days of monotonous diets. It made us satisfied enough by simply watching the kids eating. However, the kids, seemed not like our ideas. “Please!! Eat it! Or we won’t eat until you eat!!” The kids once again surrounded us, threatening us to eat their peeled bananas. When I was looking at their sincere faces with the most appealing smile I had ever seen, I could hardly utter any words. Too complicated feelings I experienced at that very moment: being surprised, affected, shocked, satisfied, unbelievable`````` all wonderful feelings I could ever have surged up in my heart at such brief moments. At that moment, I was feeling as I was the happiest person in the world. I took a small bite of the bananas with tears couldn’t help falling down, ensuring that it would be the most delicious banana I have ever tasted in my life. The more we devote, the more we will receive.

The 2^nd big event I’d like to share with you was my study tour to the USA. Before going to Brown, I used to think it wouldn’t be stressed taking two courses at the same time. However, I realized I had been completely wrong about that point. I had difficulties with understanding the classes on first few days. I could hardly catch up with the instructors. What was worse was that the assignments were equally challenging for me ---I had to work on 2 essays every day, one for psychology class, another for English literature. I took the literature for the whole morning and he psychology for the whole afternoon. Too little time was left for me to finish my essays and readings!! Help!! God!! How stupid I was to choose two courses!!! That was what I actually felt for the first few days. To work on my papers, I even stayed up all night without sleep for 3 nights. And even though I worked so hard on my papers, I sadly found that comparing with students who have used English as their first language, what poor writing and reading skills I had!! The atmosphere and ways of giving lessons were of so enormous difference from that in China. They don’t say “teachers”, instead, they say “instructors”. What‘s different between the appellations? I would say, too much difference. In China, teachers are called teachers because they are teaching the students by irrigating them with their own opinions and thoughts, students are asked to take down every word from the teachers but not to have their own critical thinking. Every student is being trained in a way to be the same, under such mode of education, more and more Chinese people are depriving of their abilities of independent thinking and creativities, uniqueness blurs during the process. But how about the American way? The instructors don’t teach, they instruct. Students are encouraged to utter their own points of view, creativities and diversities flourish at the class. Students are so willing to express their own thoughts. What I saw was that everyone couldn’t wait to ask questions as well as express themselves. Discussions are a necessary part of class. There is no true or wrong opinions, neither is there so--called standard or best answer to each question. Answers can be more than one. People from all over the world share opinions together. #565656 skin, yellow skin, white skin`````` there is no boundaries of races or cultures, colors or countries, everyone’s opinion is respected. Everyone is free to express. It is where the attractions of American education lie! You can meet the most eminent people from all over the world in the US universities, what you need to do is simply to show them a smile and then you will make friends!!

In Mongolia, I learned that happiness is not about money, but about attitude; poverty should not be obstacle of pursing happiness, but it can be obstacle of education; in America, I learned that why American universities have always been attractive, I saw the differences between American education and Chinese education. Once again I confirm that I have a long way to go before my education dream comes true. One will never know how life can be totally different if he doesn’t go further, trying to explore the world, explore the life. Once I start my journey, I can’t stop my steps. I know for sure I will keep exploring , for the world is so immense while I am so tiny.