　　　　　　　　　College Life 　　　王心琪Cynthia Wang

College is a milestone in the life of a student. It marks the transition from child to adult. Last year, five former Chinese School students made this step. Rebecca Chang, Richard Guo, Amy Tu, Nancy Wu, and Yashih Wu tell us about their first year in college.

Rebecca Chang, a student majoring in Journalism at Northwestern University, says, “College is the best experience ever.” She’s being kept busy with her activities for the Northwestern News Network and WNUR, the radio station at school; she is so busy, in fact, that she only has time to come home during Christmas, Spring Break, and the summer. That and the fact that her school is in Illinois. She has made new friends while keeping old ones at school. A fellow Oak Park High School graduate, Whitney, and her roommate, Sarah, have made her college experience memorable. “I’ve met amazing people here,” she says, “and I love the Midwest.” While she misses her friends at home, “They’ll always have a special place in my heart.” Rebecca feels that being halfway across the country has made her a more self-sufficient person. “I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.”

Richard Guo, an electro-engineering and computer science major at UC Berkeley, says, “You have to learn responsibility. You have to force yourself to go to class sometimes. The pace is so fast that you can cover a chapter a day, and if you don’t go, you fall behind.” He is in the Chinese American Association, the Asian Business Association, and the Asian American Association on campus.

Amy Tu, a Trojan at USC, is majoring in computer science and biomed/biochem engineering. She is in the Baccalaureate/MD program for medicine. She misses home and comes home once every three weeks, which is convenient because USC is so close to home. This way, she keeps in touch with her family. Keeping in touch with high school friends is hard, but “when you go to college, everyone adjusts and you feel comfortable. The good thing about college is that your friends are with you all the time.” However, that can have a downside to it because that constitutes as no privacy in the dorms. Despite this, Amy is having fun and learning lots in college.

Nancy Wu, a student of Business and International Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, rarely gets to sleep before 3:00 am every night…or morning. “Everything changed,” she says, “This is a totally different caliber of people you associate with. You get professors who are real scholars. You have to study.” When asked about what she thought of the distance between school and home she said, “I was on my own – I have to do my own laundry! The first two weeks, I missed home a lot, but now this is my home.” She comes back to California during Christmas and the summer. Unlike many first year college students, Nancy and her best friend have grown even closer, and she has made new friends at the school. “One of the things I learned in college is that you need to have friends – not just friends, but good friends.”

Yashih Wu, a student at Princeton University, is quite the active student on campus. She is in clubs such as crew rowing, the Chinese Student Association as the Cultural Awareness Chair, the Asian American Student Association, the Princeton Asian South Theaters, the Rocky College Council as the publicity chair, and serves the Class of 2003 as their representative. All these activities leave her very tired when it comes to attending class. She says, “I fall asleep in class all the time.” When asked about her friends and what she thought of the independence, she says, “I definitely miss my friends, and I do miss my siblings, but I’m enjoying the freedom in college. There’s so much more independence but so little discipline. I still haven’t mastered self-discipline yet. So much responsibility is really overwhelming sometimes, and you’re stuck with your wrong decisions.”

The message is clear. College is the time of your life. It involves work and school, but also friends and memories.

　　　An Adventure after College 蔡維瑤

As with most students getting ready to graduate from college, the question of what to do next hung over my head. After four years of science classes and studying, I wanted to adventure; to be able to work in an area I had never worked before. Pondering over different options, I reflected upon my past volunteer experiences in an effort to determine what I had enjoyed the most. I realized that my experience as a counselor for UCLA Unicamp was something I treasured and felt very passionately about. Unicamp is a summer camp put on by UCLA students for children living in Los Angeles’s inner cities. As a counselor, I spent a whole week every summer in the high mountains with a group of kids. It was an incredible experience to show the children the beauty of the wilderness, since many of them never had a chance to camp in the high mountains. Working with and getting to know the children allowed me to gain an understanding of the hardships they faced living within under served communities. Many were from singled parent households or group homes, and listening to them speak about their lives was difficult. I was always struck by how much their environments affected their views and goals in life. My experience with Unicamp inspired me to pursue a job in the area of social work as an Americorps Promise Fellow.

Americorps is a national service movement implemented by President Clinton, with a goal of having citizens volunteers for one year to improve the conditions of low-income communities. I joined the I have A Dream Foundation, a non-profit organization that adopts groups of at-risk inner city youth and offers them extensive support to help them focus on high school graduation. Throughout this year, my goal has been impress upon the students, called, “Dreamers”, the value of education through utilizing and developing resources in the surrounding community. I have developed a book club for dreamers and their mentors to promote reading skills. Also I coordinated a Culture to Kids Day that brought together artists from the community with dreamers to share their specialties and encourage creative outlets for the students. In an effort to demonstrate how determination and perseverance will lead to the accomplishment of a goal, I helped coach a bunch of twelve-year-old Dreamers to participate in the Los Angeles Marathon, resulting in a successful finish!

While my goal has been to develop opportunities to maximize the potential of each Dreamer, I feel that, in fact, the greatest development has been the one that has occurred within myself. The impact of my service with the foundation, has been valuable on my life, as I am realizing the extent of my capacity to give and help people. My understanding of the cultural and social issues affecting low-income communities has deepened and personalized as I witness the plights of the students. I am more determined to integrate my future career with continuing my work to improve inner cities. I have not only been on an adventure upon graduating college, but have had the opportunity to work with and be inspired by dynamic, caring people.

They came here to America

To the land of opportunity

And then they chose to settle down

To start a family

Now, now, now, we’re the generation

Born in this country

We’re raised American, but born Chinese

So this is why we are said to be,

Refrain:

ABC

American Born Chinese

Do, Re, Mi, ABC, 123 baby you and me.

For some it began with mom and dad

For others it happened way before.

We live in a world where every thing is white

But there’s Chinese that we can’t ignore.

Now, now, now we are the children

Of the U.S.A.

We’re white on the inside, yellow on the out

This is what our lives are really all about.

EAT IT

We’ve been using chopsticks since we were small

From black fungus to fish eyes we’ve had it all

Always go to Chinatown and have ourselves a ball

And eat it, just eat it

Eating Chinese isn’t really that bad

The meals are better tasting say mom and dad

Besides it’s the only food that we’ve ever really had

So we eat it, cause we wanna be good.

Eat it, eat it.

Open up your mouth and feed it

Grab a pair of chopsticks, and a bowl of rice

Add any 菜 with a little spice

And eat it, just eat it………

We’re the one’s that only eat with silverware

Either American or Chinese, we don’t care

Never use any chopsticks or even own a pair

Don’t need it, don’t need it

When we get hungry a pizza did the trick

We’d always eat McDonald’s if we had our pick

The thought of Chinese food just makes us really sick

We eat it, cause we wanna be good.

Eat it, eat it

Open up your mouth and feed it

Have some fried chicken or sweet and sour pork

It doesn’t matter, just use a knife and fork

And eat, just eat it, just eat it ……..

CHINESE SCHOOL DROP-OUT

Your story’s sad to tell

You really don’t feel too well

Alarm rings in the morning and you groan

It’s Saturday, it’s here now

Two more hours of

Getting tired of saying “Ni How Ma”

Gㄅㄆㄇㄈㄉㄊㄋㄌㄍㄎㄏㄐㄑㄒㄓㄔㄕㄖㄗㄘㄙㄚㄧㄨㄩㄚㄛㄜㄝㄞㄟㄠㄡ

Chinese school drop-out

No 紅包 from爸爸for you

Chinese school drop-out

Now your grandpa’s face will turn blue

Well you really didn’t want to come

But your parents made you do it

Cause to you the class is really dumb

And you just want to quit it

It doesn’t seem fair

Each Saturday from 10 to noon

It’s tough to bear

Missing all the greatest cartoons

You come home from school

And feel like a fool

You think your parents are cruel

You’d rather be anywhere else instead of Chinese School

Chinese school drop-out

Wish you understood what the teacher was saying

Chinese school drop-out

You would much rather be outside and playing

Well it isn’t really all that bad

We always get juice and cookies

Besides your parents would get very mad

If you decide to play hookie

Better get moving

Want to keep your parents’ hopes alive

What are you proving

You’ve been coming here since you were five

Well it’s five after ten

And now once again

Take out your 毛筆 and pen

Attend to your homework and lessons

And go back to Chinese school

Don’t blow it

Why don’t you give it another try

You know it

There’s really no reason for you to cry

Now sit right down, and wipe off that frown

And give us all a smile

Might as well go through 中文學校in high style

True, I could write about the fun and games of Duan-Wu Jie (May 5^th) or the excitement of Chinese New Year (month of February), for both of these are among my favorite Chinese Holidays. But today, I choose neither. Instead, there is another holiday that deserves greater attention: Qing-Ming Jie (April 5^th).

Qing-Ming Jie is a holiday dedicated to our ancestors. To demonstrate our, "xiao" every year on the fifth of April, everyone must pay respect to the deceased. Traditionally, the day before Qing-Ming is always bustling with energy and exuberance. Each household must prepare meats, sometimes buying already slaughtered pork and sometimes picking off the fattest chickens in the backyard. They must also make their own pastries and other delicacies. When Qing-Ming finally arrives, families hike to the gravesites, or “ta-qing,” a tradition that originates back to the Tang dynasty. Upon arrival, all foods are placed in front of the tomb while everyone cleans the surrounding from all weeds. After the graves have been restored, paper money is burnt. Then starting from the eldest, each family member takes his turn and bows in front of the graves to show respect and remembrance for the ancestors. Finally, the family sets off fire- crackers and everyone has a blast feasting on the carefully prepared food.

Of course, with the Americanized lifestyle, many things have changed. We do not kill and prepare animals with our own hands. In fact, other than Gracie, our little dog, we keep no animals in out backyard. But nevertheless, we do bring food for our ancestors. The day of Qing-ming jie, my mother, my sister, and I simply hop into the jeep and stop by the nearest food market. There, we purchase not only roasted chicken, delicious deli, and fresh fruits, but also tasty treats like pudding, cookies, and other prepackaged American junk food. Of course, mom never forgets to buy the big bouquet of beautiful flowers.

After this delectable excursion, I always have to wait for my uncle’s family to join us. Living fifteen minutes away, uncle, auntie, and my cousins Derek and David would always come prepared with enough food and drink to feed everyone in the cemetery.

By the time everyone gets together, it is almost noon. We all pile into our cars and drive merrily to Monterey Park, a city almost 2 hours away. Not only is the Rosehill cemetery located their, but my grandmother also lives nearby. We first pick up grandma, who wants to cook for us grand kids and inadvertently delay our schedule. After dragging her away from the stove and getting her in the jeep (my cousin’s Volvo cannot carry grandma since it is already too packed with food), we drive to Rosehill hoping to find a good parking space.

The grave we are visiting belongs to my grandfather. Graduated from Beijing University, he was not only intelligent, but was also dedicated to his family and country. During World War II, my grandfather risked his life working for underground forces against Japanese invaders. Then after the war, he married my grandmother, started a family, became a professor, and influenced many future generations. When he died in 1993, I was in third grade. Though he was bed-ridden during the last ten years of his life and did not spend too much time with my sister and I, I shall always look up to him as a role model.

The line of cars heading into the cemetery is especially horrendous during the weekend of Qing-ming jie since most people buried here are Chinese, and all are eager to visit the deceased. Even though it is nice to know that so many people care about their predecessors, the twenty-minute wait for a parking space always annoys me.

But, once we find parking and step into the crisp cemetery lawn, all our worries and exasperation evaporate into thin air. Because Rosehill is located on top of an elevated plane and has beautiful deciduous trees scattered; the air just seems cleaner, the sky bluer, and everyone happier. Everywhere I look there is a group of people with flowers gathered around every nameplate. Everybody have a content expression on their faces, and all are relaxing from the hard work and complications of everyday life down in the cities by sitting and chatting on the grass with their family members close by.

Because the cemetery is maintained so well, there is little we can do enhance grandpa’s resting place other than cleaning his name and pulling some weed here and there. After the little chores, we prayed to grandpa and asked him for his blessing.

My favorite part comes right after the formalities. We unpack our food and have a picnic right beside grandpa. With the breathtaking country scenery and the quiet laughter of nearby visitors, the tranquil and therapeutic ambience not only relaxes our bodies but also makes the food much more enjoyable.

After satisfying our hunger, we drive to my grandma’s apartment and spend some quality time together as one big family. The adults are usually very busy with career and family. So on the rare occasion when they get together, there always seem to be so much to talk about. Of course, the same cannot be said for us kids. Instead if sipping tea and talking about anything and everything, Derek, David, and I usually moved into one of my grandma’s room to do homework (Oh the torture we endure for a straight A report card).

By the time the grownups finish talking about the government, the economy, and the kids, it is time for dinner. Sometimes I truly believe my family’s activities revolve around food. Since Monterey Park has just about the best Asian cuisine in Southern California, we often end up in a big Chinese restaurant, ordering everything from beef and pork to fish and sea cucumber.

During the long ride home from my grandmother’s apartment, my mother would always tell me stories about the lives of her parents, siblings, and all who lived before her. In each one of these stories, however, she never lectures me about the “moral” or the “lesson” to be learned. Though I know there are purposes behind the story telling, it is not until very recently that I finally realize the reason for her lack of explanation. “Life” itself is made up of nothing but choices and it’s consequence whether good or bad, right or wrong. And since “life” is essentially one big “cause and effect” diagram, one can conclude an infinite amount of “lessons” from a single lifetime. By relating my predecessors’ stories to me, she hopes that I will be able to draw from their experiences, learn from their mistakes, and ultimately make the right decisions for myself.

Though it lacks spectacular entertainment and widespread celebration, Qing-ming jie still stands as one of the most important days in Chinese history. Through remembrance of the ancestors’ lives and deeds, each person can become more aware, more perceptive, and more knowledgeable. Consequently, when citizens strive to better themselves, the nation, as a whole, will also evolve to become stronger and wiser.

Are you facing the dilemma of choosing a third period class every semester? Well, here is a solution for you. Toastmasters is an educational, informational, and fun course offered as a third period class at Thousand Oaks Chinese School that all ages should join because it benefits all speakers. Each quarter people are assigned to give speeches on certain specific topics, and in class there are also evaluations and chances for impromptu speech, or speaking without any preparation. The coordinators are warm, friendly people that are willing to assist and teach you about public speaking. A variety of points are stressed in the Toastmasters program: clarity of voice, posture, gestures, feelings, calmness, and everything else you need to know about speaking in front of a group of people. Leadership skills are also introduced and each class has a president, vice president, secretary and sergeant at arms. An ordinary toastmaster's session begins with an inspirational poem or phrase, then goes to the speeches. Each individual is allowed to evaluate the speakers, and the evaluators are chosen to represent the class. Afterwards a class has table topics, which is being called on to speak on a topic without any previous notice. Next, the coordinators do the general evaluation which is the comments on the meeting that day, suggestions, encouragement, and so on. Then speakers for the next meeting are chosen, and the meeting is adjourned. Everyone should join Toastmasters because it is enjoyable and enlightening and one will soon make friends while learning speaking and leadership skills.

我今年暑假回台灣，有一天晚上，很久都無法入睡，好不容易睡著了，沒多久，卻又熱醒了，房間越來越熱，而且冷氣機的小燈不亮了。我想冷氣機壞掉了嗎？我快要熱斃，所以我決定開電風扇。當我發現電風扇也不管用時，我就不相信會這麼巧﹍停電了！因為媽媽還是睡得很熟，我去把阿姨叫起來，她其實早就起來了。我們兩個找不到手電筒，沒事做，所以到陽台上看其他的人在做什麼。對面有一家人，整間房子都是蠟蠋，真詭異！我們在陽台上看了很久，因為外面比裏面涼快多了。

雖然已經快要天亮了，我還是覺得等了好久天才亮，天亮一會兒後，電才來。後來我發現，停電是因為某一個電廠的電線杆被風雨吹倒了。這真是一個又長又難忘的一夜。

我最難忘的事，記得在去年暑假爸爸，媽媽帶我們去夏威夷火山島玩，在我們回到加州的前一天晚上，我們到火山上玩，晚上十點半了，忽然下起大雨，車子在山上迷路了，車子在山路開著，天好黑，好黑，看不到任何房子或車子。車子的汽油燈也亮了，雨刷很快地刷，也看不清前面的路。

我們都很害怕，找了半個鐘頭，總算找到一家加油站，但是已經關門，只好再開，又開了好久，我好怕在山上大雨中推車子，感覺上好像車子的最後的一滴油都用完了，終於看到前面有加油站的燈光，我們高興的歡呼起來！

這真是一次難忘的經驗。因此，現在一上車，我都會先看油錶，提醒爸媽注意要加油了，上次的經驗太可怕，我不希望再發生。

我九歲的時候，我們全家移民到美國來。因為我的姊姊那時候在上國中，老師都會體罰學生，我的姊姊都因被罰，經常回到家就一直哭到睡著。因為這個原故我的父母決定搬到美國來。

決定要來美國後，我就要離開幼稚園最好的朋友，威力，曉婕，筱晤和文楷，我覺得好傷心。

來到美國一個朋友都沒有，也不會講英文，我感覺好寂寞。我上三年級的時候，老師對我很好，她都會找同學跟我玩，當時的E。S。L。張筱蘋老師，她教我講英文，我就這樣子慢慢地適應美國了。

在這新世紀，兩千年的開始，我的人生目標將是這樣的:首先我要努力進入理想的大學，唸電腦科學，畢業後，再繼續讀有關機械方面的博士學位。

再來，我或許會自己成立電腦公司，或者去太空總署設計更快，更遠，更省油的太空船。這些就是我對未來的計劃，我希望能做到。

二十世紀結束，邁入新的千禧年，希望新的開始是成功的象徵，我希望在新的一年裏，能學到更多東西，尤其是電腦程式設計，我能設計出一套很實用的電腦軟體，更希望每一科目都能拿到好成績。我也期待再交些新的朋友，還有參加很多社團活動，

更期望能再有個人的演奏機會，我知道要達到這些目標，就必須認真，不斷地努力﹍﹍

很久很久以前，中國有十個太陽，天氣太熱，很多人都不能生活，當時有一個英雄叫后羿，他很勇敢，有一天，他拿起箭射下了九個太陽，一個留給大家。

后羿有一個很美麗的太太名叫嫦娥，嫦娥最喜歡的動物是小兔子。她把小兔子當做是最好的朋友。有一天，后羿的朋友送給他一種長生不老的藥。他捨不得吃，然後就把它收起來。嫦娥她想永遠美麗，就偷偷的把長生不老的藥吃掉了。但是她怕先生罵她，有一天晚上，她看見天上圓圓的月亮很美，她就帶著小兔子，穿上很美的衣服，隨著風飛到月亮去了。

今天我們還可以看到，嫦娥帶著她的小兔子，在月亮裏快樂的生活。

假如我擁有一家玩具店，我會分享所有的玩具給全世界。我會把我的玩具賣在最低價，並且普及到每個角落，每個人。我準備把各式各樣的玩具登載網頁上賣。我的商品會快速的，準時的到達顧客的手中。

我的理想是製造很多就業機會，讓人們賺足夠的錢來養家。然後，如果我能很成功的話，有過剩的玩具，我將會捐獻給慈善機構。

三月十一日，千橡中文學校的五年級到十一年級的學生都去The Bower's Museum of Cultural Art參觀。

這一次我們去看故宮珍寶。我們看到很多皇帝的日用品，像衣服、碗盤、筆和紙等等。也看到他的書房、臥房、寶座間和很多圖畫。他的書房裡有桌子、椅子、毛筆、紙、書、墨和硯台。臥房裡有床、澡盆和廁所。皇帝的碗盤，有一些是金的，有一些是瓷器做的。皇帝吃飯的時候，沒人可以和他在一起吃。寶座間裡有皇帝的椅子，還有一些動物的雕像。皇帝的衣服是金色的，上面有龍代表他很高貴。

參觀完這次的故宮珍寶，我對中國的歷史文化有更進一步的認識。也更知道中國古代的文物有多麼豐富。

三月十一日我們六年級班上和學校高班同學去Santa Ana的Bower's博物館參觀。大家八點十五分到中文學校集合。從那裡，我們坐了一個鐘頭半的車程，十點半到了博物館。

到了時候，我們就下了巴士排隊。後來，我們就跟了一位洋導遊進去博物館看清朝的展覽。那裡有許多很好看的東西。有清朝的很漂亮的衣服，我們的導遊也有解釋每樣東西。他說以前，只有皇上可以穿黃色的衣服。有的時候，做一件絲衣服需要兩年的時間。我們也有機會看到皇上和皇后的結婚禮服。

博物館裡面也可以看到皇上的朝房、書房、飯廳和臥房。朝房裡面有一張給皇上坐的大金椅子。椅子旁邊有兩隻守護狗，也有兩個孔，後面還有一個很漂亮的屏風。我們的導遊告訴我們，以前你進去皇上的朝房時，你就需要叩頭。我們在那裡的時候，導遊就教我們如何叩頭。

皇上的書房有一個很大的桌子。上面有許多毛筆、紙、書、毛筆架等等。後面也有圖畫。

飯廳裡有很多瓷器。皇上自己有全金的筷子和刀叉也有一位試吃的人，他會用銀筷去試檢食物，所以皇上不會被毒死。

皇上和皇后的臥房也是一個很美的房間。皇后的房間有廁所。它其實是一個有墊子的尿罐。她的床上平常有五件絲棉被和一個暖爐。皇后的臥房也有一個浴缸、茶桌、書桌和一個起居室，裡面有點心、書和擺設。

博物館裡有一家小禮品店。我在那裡買了一些東西。我們看完了博物館的時候，我們就在巴士上吃中飯，回家，兩點到中文學校。

今天是三月十一日。我和中交學校的老師和同學們到Bower’s博物館去參觀紫禁城的故宮寶物。

一進入博物館，有一位很和氣的阿姨在門口迎接我們，她先帶我們到清朝皇帝的書房，再桌上有毛筆、硯石、玉作成的筆架。又看到一個很古老的計算機，這是阿拉伯所贈送的。也到皇帝的房間，床上的絲被看起來又漂亮又舒服，在門旁有黃金雕刻的佛像，皇帝每天吃各式各樣東西，他都用黃金做的餐具和漂亮的瓷器。皇帝穿的衣服上面都繡上龍，非常好看，聽說一件皇帝的衣服，要花兩年的時間才能做好。

我們看到紫禁城的模型，它有九千九百九十九個房間，整個紫禁城有一百四十四個足球場大，它的周圍有十尺高的圍牆，紫禁城是皇帝辦理國家大事的地方，也是皇帝和他的家人住的地方。

我覺得這個展覽非常好，因為學到很多清朝的歷史和文化，我希望以後還有機會再看一次。

三月初，中文學校舉行Bower’s博物館參觀活動。這次展覽的項目主要是介紹中國清朝時代，紫禁城的故宮珍寶。

我們進入博物館先看到很多珍貴帝王及皇后的宮廷畫作，讓人羨慕。清朝四位皇帝非常重視讀書及學習儒家經典，和提高民族學識修養。從清宮中的書房裡擺著文房四寶，就可以知道他們是非常勤勞地在學習。清朝皇室十分重視飲食，那麼多的食物，我從來沒見過。

皇帝的寢宮非常好看，服飾特別講究，中國人是值得驕傲的。

探險、打鬥、愛和死亡都包括在The Princess Bride這本書裡。The Princess Bride 是我最心愛的一本書，雖然結局並不圓滿。

生命並不公平，好人先死了。作者很有幽默感，把書寫得有趣又認真。

我並非先看El Princess Novia 這本書，而是先看了El Princess電影。但是書裡把各種事情描寫得更生動有趣。

文字加深了各種情景在我的腦海裡，我的哥哥須讀這本九年級的資優班的指定書本。有一天我沒事做時，就把這本書拿來看，我知道即使我長大了，我還會再看這本我最心愛的書。

當我做夢的時候我就緊緊的抱著它。我傷心的時候也會抱著它。

象寶貝的名字是Elly。我很小的時候，一位老人家給我的。每個晚上，我媽媽送我上床睡覺。我媽媽先親我的頭再親我的象寶貝的長鼻子。我媽媽和Elly跟我有非常好的關係。

每過一段時間我給Elly洗澡。媽媽也得用針線幫它整修門面。我相信Elly會陪伴著我長大，媽媽常說將來我的嫁妝就是Elly。

我最心愛的玩物是魔術卡。它可以用來排列，也可以用來跟朋友比賽。同時它也是當我在面談時的嗜好之一。

魔術卡看起來也很酷，它擴展了我在想像力方面的創造力，同時它也伴我渡過許多無聊的時間。

魔術卡最好玩的部份是與其他朋友一起玩。藉著魔術卡我結識了一些新朋友，因此魔術卡再我社交方面對我很有幫助，難怪魔術卡是我最心愛的玩物了。

我六月見到Daria，我們的媽媽是鋼琴老師和朋友，她的爸爸是我們教會的牧師。

Brian，他和我一樣的年紀。他有流行的頭髮，他是我的好朋友。

二年級我在學校見到他，他和我一起騎單車，我和他也去Vista Fundamental學校。他是我的好朋友。

我和他玩電腦，騎單車和玩踢足球。我喜歡他因為我很悶的時候他會和我玩。他是我的好朋友。

今年他在我的班級。我們一起玩踢足球。他會跟我玩和會教我做功課。

我去他的家，他也去我的家。我們一起玩電動玩具和看電視。

我的好朋友是Megan。我們是好朋友，但是我們有一些地方不一樣，她是一個美國人，她有一頭金色的長頭髮。

二年級的時候，我們在同一班上課。休息時間，我們常常在一起玩。

聖誕節早上，我等大家起床，一起開禮物。我和哥哥都拿到一個聖經袋和一枝筆，上面寫著：聖誕節是耶穌的生日！我們在家慶祝耶穌的生日。

這個聖誕節我拿了很多禮物。我拿了兩個照相機，一個是底片的普通照相機，另一個是電子的照相機。我去大熊湖照了很多相片。

今年的聖誕節很好玩。聖誕夜我們一家穿戴得很漂亮，一起去餐館吃晚飯。第二天一大早我起來後，發現聖誕老公公送我很多我喜歡的禮物。他吃了我們的餅乾和喝我們的牛奶。那一天我們又去了我叔叔的家，我又帶回來更多的禮物。晚上去公公婆婆家玩。我玩得很累，可是我很開心。

今年聖誕節全家和阿姨、叔叔去Mammoth滑雪。我們待在那裡四天。十二月二十四號晚上，大家打開禮物，我拿到好多禮物，我也拿到二十元。

每年在冬天的時候，爸爸帶我們去Mammoth Mountain滑雪，玩雪球和去滑雪橇。今年我們還要去。

在夏天的時候，爸爸帶我去公園玩，在公園我們會打球和玩飛盤。

我的爸爸是一個科學家，他常教我科學和數學，他的脾氣很好，從來不生氣。

爸爸常常帶我去打球，我們一起打網球，打乒乓球，還打高爾夫球，我們每次玩得很開心。

我的爸爸沒有頭髮，雖然他的年紀很大，但是他很強壯。他每天做飯給我們吃。我和他常常去釣魚、散步。晚上我們一起看WCW-摔跤比賽。

一年又一年，又是過年的時候。我最喜歡的是爸爸和媽媽給我的紅包，裏面有錢。我會用那些錢去買書本和新衣服。我也很愛吃年糕和糖果。

我有十隻手指頭，我有十隻腳指頭。手指頭會幫助我算數學，手指頭不夠用的時候可以請腳指頭幫忙。但是我從來不需要腳的幫忙，我非常喜歡我的手和腳。

今年夏天，學校剛一放假，媽媽帶我和另外兩個小朋友一塊兒回中國去了。

在回國的一個多月裡，對我印象最深的是參觀西安的秦俑博物館。在那裡，我們參觀了三個地方，每個地方都很大，也都不一樣。第一個地方是最主要的地方，那裡有很多很多泥人泥馬泥車。每個都和真的一樣大。那就是秦始皇墓裡挖出來的秦俑，已經有兩千年了。參觀結束後，我媽媽給我買了幾小套秦俑作紀念。

從參觀西安秦俑博物館回來兩個多月了，我還總想著那些秦俑。我想我還會再去的。

從前太陽很驕傲，它曬得人們很難過，都躺在地上起不來。有一天，太陽和風吵架了。

太陽馬上就用力曬人們，它怎麼曬，人都不笑。但是，風輕輕地一吹，人就涼快了，他們一舒服就笑起來。