The Outer Bank beach

That was a midnight while I arrived the beach of North Carolina. The tiredness overcame me, through I still help camp staff to unload the car. My eyes dimmed with sleep and my brain covered with impatient. After I carried everything, put them in my room and settle down myself, I realized this is my first time being to the Atlantic Ocean. I, a wild child from my wild island can hardly wait to see the ocean again. I walked outward the door, climbed on the deck of the house. Suddenly, the wind of the Atlantic blew toward me with roar and salt. At midnight, the waves of the ocean were still clear with bright moonlight. 100 yards away from the coast, the waves came slowly but bumped into the sand and made loud eco. Amazing grace!
Actually, I forgot how cold the coast was. Especially in the winter, walked with the wind is very crazy. So? I am a crazy young boy!
Tiredness calmed me down and let me fell asleep with the melody of waves.
The morning of the next morning, I got up before the sun, changed clothes and remembered to put my heavy coat. I couldn’t wait until I saw the dawn of the morning. I walked toward the balcony, open the French window. The wind of the morning gave me a big hug and a big kiss on my forehead. Frozen my tear on eyebrows and shucked my hair like a durian. A great eastern coast style “Buenos Dias”(Spanish good morning). Good enough! I better went into the house.
A few moments later, seagulls came to our balcony. They hovered around 10 feet above my head. The first seagull passed through the roof rapidly but the others flew through the roof relaxed. I could see their beak, tiny eyes, white belly and black tail. Soon, another cool wind hit the bird to other direction. They flew before my eyes and left a M-shaped shadow disappearing in the edge the sea. Standing on the balcony, I watch the seagulls until it was out of sight with happiness. My mom said there is a Native American tradition. If you look a hawk in the position above them and can able to see its back leather, it is a good omen for your health and fortune. Although I didn’t see the hawk, instead of that, a little fortune of a little seagull is good enough for one day.
All day long, the rain fell on the balcony, house and sand. The wave of the sea was still going on. After raining, several strangers dug on the coast and threw the san into the sea and yelled to the sea. An old couple walked on the beach with hand in hand. The man took out a branch from his pocket, draw a heart and wrote,” I love you.” on the soft sands. They took pictures with each other and together, then stepped out of my sight with the big heart left. I liked to watch people, so is the sea, but the sea is more tolerable than everybody.
The night came again. The moonlight spilled everywhere and the night like the day. The reflecting silver sand connected to the silver waves. The night was still cold and wet, but in my dream, there was a paradise called” Outer Bank”, the place with dolphins and pirates.

The Agriscience field trip to local tractor company

Farmville is a little town raised based on Farming industry. Farm is well known as the farming place and the “ Ville” is the meaning of Village in French. Every farmer around here usually bought the agricultural supply and equipment in the downtown. Also, the town itself is a crop distributional center. In the other word, we can say Farmville testify the growth of the farming society in the south side Virginia.
Since the 1944, there has been a tractor company in the downtown serving the farmer around here. Fortunately, we have chance to visit the company and learn more about the agriculture.
This afternoon, we went to the company. In this around 10 acres area, lay about 100 vehicles. Hunting jeeps, Motorcycles and tractors are all brand new and cool. The storekeeper led us pass through the motorcycles and 4-wheels jeep and motorcycles in the store. It is very popular in Virginia to play motorcycle called the “dirt bike”. Although I don’t like this kind of sport at all, those motorcycles are all very cool and fashion to me. Later, we went to the workshop in the company. There parked about 4 giant tractors on the jack. The diameter of the wheel is about 4 feet long. The atmosphere of workshop was full of gasoline odor so I couldn’t breath comfortably.
Although it wasn’t smell good but the workshop was really organized and safe. The storekeeper said that the safety of every employee is the top priority. It is really important. Usually, the basic workers are all college-graduated and well trained. It is not a cheap job in the US.
Also, the storekeeper showed us about the history of the agricultural machines. There were two most important people, one was John Deere who invented steel plow and the other one was Cyrus McCormick who invented reaper. Their inventions graduate developed to the tractor and combine today. Now, the USA doesn’t produce this kind of machine. The foreign corporations own most of companies and the Japan exports the most agricultural equipments. The world changes rapidly, day by day.
After the visiting, I receive a T-shirt as a souvenir. I really got many things in this trip. It let me know and experience more about how important and the agriculture and Agriscience is, even the today’s society.
In the end of the trip, we went to the Dairy Queen as a treat. Of course, the retails are the final result of the whole agricultural process. Eating is simply the answer. This afternoon, I enjoyed the happy day with sweatiness of the Dairy Queen’s Snicker Bizzurd

The Snowy dawn

No more cotton skyline,
No more earth walked toward me,
Though snowflakes falls still.

The morning came without any sunshine, suddenly, the cloud and the earth combined together with slowly rain. It confused me with the same color. The snow. Snow came to us, fell on the roof and landed on the freshly morning grass. As the fairy of winter came, she coated the land with her feather and silver hair. As soon as I opened my eyes, the whole universe came same to me. Like I came to heaven and the endless daydream. Now it comes true.
How Almighty the nature is, changed the usual house, usual tree and flowers and us, the mortal creature into the whole different world.
Irresistibly, I opened the door. There came the wind with a little mist of morning. I whispered” As usual.” But later I walked outward the porch and stepped on the soft and white snow. As in the dream, I felt I couldn’t know where the bottom was. Several steps later, I founded out that I was in the gorgeous winter palace. Snowy sloping driveway led me to the endless white land. As I walked through the trees, the oak branches with snow passed by my face. How frozen the snow is! Later I walked by the path in the garden. The spring was still going on but around the pond there were piled with snow. The pine tree I planted at the Christmas now became the real Christmas tree with real snow on it.
I took many pictures and enjoy the snowing hour and came into the house. In the way to the house, there was a small bush with little scarlet berry on it dressed with little snowballs. It let me a Chinese song” Seek plum flowers by snow”.
Far away, there was bell ringing all over the wood. There came our dog, the Red. Excitedly, he came with snow on his head and escape onto the porch. On the snow, he looked very pleasing and cute. After him, Kitty came to me trembling on the porch. They were both excited about the suddenly snowing.
I rested in garden room. Several birds flew across the house and landed on the birdfeeder for breakfast. Preeminently, there was a red bird stand in the crowd. I remembered my mom gave me a card with the same red bird on it. Soon, I took out the camera and binoculars, assembled them together and attempt to record this touching moment. While I just stepped out of the garden room, the red bird flew away and never came back. The gorgeousness always passes fast.
Afternoon was raining. The rain washed most of the snow or made them stick together. As we look back for the beautiful stuff in the pass, usually, it is gone already.
Cherish the every coming moment in our life!

The swimming team

The Swimming Team
Swimming is always my favorite since I have over came the fear of the water. I feel free like an astronaut when I am floating in the water. I like the water and wave pass through whole of the body. It is the natural massage. Also the speed in the water let me merge with the unexplainable power.
In the Fuqua School, I still keep my swimming skill and practice very hard to enhance my skills and stamina. I have joined our school team, “The Falcons” and the local YMCA swimming team, “The Stingray”. Everyday, I swim around 1 kilometer. It makes me have a regular exercising habit. Sometime, I want to take a challenge so I swim continually for 2 miles or more. I also join a “ Cross the English Channel Swimming Marathon” of the YMCA. I get to swim for 19 miles.
My coach is a patient and experienced teacher. She teaches me how to swim efficiently. I couldn’t do diving couple months ago. After she encouraged me try to jump into the water safely and smoothly, I tried many times to dive but like a cannon ball, I always splash over the place and hurt my belly. As a proverb says” Practice makes perfect”, I practice it everyday. I didn’t if it is because my belly becomes stronger for big crash or my diving skill is really better, I started feel better after diving. Gradually, I Started flying for couple yard and then entered the water. Now, I can accelerate myself since the deck, go into the water with a smooth curve in the air and start paddling after sliding for 25 yard.
The swimming team is like a big family. We have traveled to the other school for meeting. We practice together, laugh together and even sleep together in the activity bus. I made many friends in the team. They are all very good at swimming and friendly to me.
The latest meeting, we went to the Hargrave Military Academy for meeting. That was two hours from our school. On the bus, everybody crowded together and chatted. We arrived the pool and started warm up. The swimming pool has 26 lanes and the deep altitude. When I started swimming, I realized that the water is really powerful to make me floating. Sooner, the meeting started and I would have 4 events. I got to swim 500 yards continually in one event. Because it was the first time I swam in the large pool, I couldn’t realize the environment very well. I didn’t know which lane was mine so I spent lots of time on finding the lane. When I got the right lane, I wore my goggles in rush. While the second I jumped out the deck, suddenly I realized I wore the goggles upside down. Of course the rapid water took my goggles off so I stop in the other side and tried to put it back. I wasted lots of time on that. That was my most funny memory. Swimming is a great way to make your body natural and strong. Anyone can swim and it is not a dangerous activity at all when you go to the right place. To me, swimming is another way to social other people.

The New Coming Challenge

As a Chinese proverb says “ The little one (it can be a chance or a new idea) turns all. (一元復始)”, My life in the USA get to go to the other stage. The second semester comes. Like every step I made thought my whole life, The coming 5 months will be the other important era or even a turning point. New year brings new hopes and new chances.
I take Intro Theater, communication, Agricultural science and Creative writing this semester. This is the most fun choice I can take.
Theater has been the place I like to be for a long time since I met a teacher in the elementary school who was a member of The Paper windmill theatrical troupe(紙風車). This class is very fun until now (two lessons, 3 hours exactly). The teacher taught us how to be a good player. We get to learn to free our soul from our body and set opinions. To combine with the role you performance, you need to make your tone, blocking and attitude. It is a quiet challenging class.
As my Dad says “ Communication is a class for the whole life.” communication is like the second function of our mouth besides eating. I chose the class because I thought communication was technique stuff. In the class, we need to learn how to give a speech, go to an interview and a little bit businesses social skills. We have to do 8 big projects. Some of them are really cool. For example, you need to invite a well-known person in the town to give the class a speech or you have to go to a real interview in a university or a company. I think I can learn many things about that.
The agriculture science unexpected is not a class you don’t have many homework and exam. In the other hand, you get to do some project by using the multi-researching resource. Like my first homework is to find how many farmer and farms in your county, Virginia and the whole country. I spent two hours on it but did nothing. After that, I did it with my American friend who gave me some clue on searching the Internet. That was tired but the most fun part. I hope I can pass it.
The final class is the creative writing. Although I am an engineering person, I still have a sentimental mind and willing to express myself. The purpose to the class is to light up the fire of English writing and find out the beauty of the English literature. Through the mass writing and vast reading, certainly My English will improve a lot.
I enjoy the writing class. That will be fun.
The new semester, I expect myself to be more confident to talk to people and make my English natural like my Chinese. Also, I want to make myself opener and happier in the personality. The rest of the time in the U.S. is pretty important in my academic life. I will cherish every seconds I have and record it by camera and writing.And, of course I will post it on the blog. Welcome to visit my blog. Thank you for your support.

Dance in Richmond Mormons church

Remember last dance in October. I had no experience and nervous but still had the first dance in my life. To me, Dance is still a pretty sensitive activity, but fortunately, I was invited to the other dance again. This is my second time!
On the way to the Richmond, There were other teenagers in the car. I was pretty quiet at start. I tried to find some topic to talk but it was really had to find a topic to talk with foreign girls. Finally, We talked about the singer Avril Lavigne. Because I had listen couple of her songs so I could talk to them. I passed first challenge gladly.
When we arrived church, I was a little bit in the the friend who invited me needed to go to a meeting so Vini and I would have one hour to face strangers on our own. I didn’t want to be boring during the time so I walked around. This is a big church, which had many rooms and two big dooms. People were busy to prepare the dance. Once, I saw a man sat on a 3-people sofa. I sat next to him and started talk something. Finally, We talked very well. He is a fencing coach who had a daughter would be qualified in the National Olympic Fencing event. I met her daughter. She was not very tall but has a pair of spirited and keen eyes, wore a set of Chinese dress.
We had a good talking. She also guided me in the dance and taught me many things.
When the dance started, I tried to separate with Vini because it let me feel better and free to social with people signally. To become a friend of strangers was not a easy job, but I was fortunate to meet nice people and made many buddies. Those people were pretty like me (sort of geeks). Even, I danced with some of them and made many kinds of friend. One of them is the controller of music. I talked very happily.
In the middle of the dance, the friend who invited me came to me and danced with me. She taught me how to do the Waltz dance. Following the melody in she counted, my legs were still uncontrolled but I tried very hard to dance rightly and face her face. Finally, we danced happily without noticing other people’s feet. Later, I dances with other people and made other friends.
Unexpectedly, someone really amazed me. Before I came, my mom told me that I would meet the most beautiful girl in the world. I laughed at that and believed there was nothing there. Unfortunately or ironically fortunately, when I danced with a girl with oriental face, I watched her, fascinated. I didn’t know why but felt comfy to dance with her. Although my back and my palm hold on her waist were both swearing, I still tried to make a poised conversation. She was a Korean, fifteen years old and came here 2 years ago. That five minutes dance was still fascinate me until now.
At the midnight, my friend’s parents picked us up and sent us home. It was a really good night to sleep and make a good dream

German Traditional Christmas

Let’s get together and celebrate the 4th Sunday of advent with a German touch. Yes, it means you bundle up to enjoy some hot Gluenwein and apple cider outside in front of the fire. Like the real Christkindle-market in the streets of Munich, we will try to keep you warm and happy with some hearty food from the grill and steaming pots. Bratwurst and saucerkraut with soft pretzel. Stew with cornbread Roasted chestnuts.
Bring a Lantern to light up the place. It also helps to find your way back home after the 3rd Hunter’s tea, our specialty of house.
Last week before Christmas, we got an invitation from my host mom’s friend. Fortunately, we were invited to a traditional German Christmas dinner and party.
That was a windy and cold day. Before we went, Jackie gave me an early Christmas gift－a pair of gloves. Because today we will have party outside of the house, everybody wore as many clothes as they can. Her friend has a big farm with 150 sheep, chickens, dogs and peacocks. We arrived the house in the afternoon so the sun was still shiny. The sunshine passed through the branches among the old oak trees. The alternating black and white with a little big golden sunshine colored the grass like the fell leaves colored the land. How awesome it was. In front of this breath-taking beautiful atmosphere, I felt calm and comfy as an old farm boy……………………with sheep fecal stuff sticking under the bottom of my sneakers.
Entering the house, the host kindly took our coats and passed us a cup of apple cider (A kind of hot drink made by apple and spices). The hot fluid warmed me up really. Later, many people came with Christmas gift and a warm smile. Sooner later, our dinner started. We had a big pot of stew, which was served with southern traditional corn bread. The stew was a little bit spicy but delicious. Also, we had German juicy sausage with sour cabbage and pretzel. I liked the sour cabbage. It tasted a little bit like Taiwanese pickled cabbage. It was good to eat with salted sausage. For desert, we had German cherry and apple biscuit. The juicy fruit with crispy creamy biscuit was really fascinating.
After dinner, I sat with other people in front of the burning wood stove. The smoothly warm light made the whole room kinds of Christmas festival atmosphere.
Outside of the house, the full moon with moonlight spoiled upon the house and people. People hold their Hunter’s tea (a kind of mixed alcohol) and talked happily. I met many people who can speak a little bit Chinese. It made me a little bit homesick but also let me feel like home here. Moon and wind whispered around my ears “ Merry Christmas! Good night!”

Happy New year

3…2…1…Happy New Year! While the moment a big crystal ball touched the ground of the New York City, The New Year 2008 finally came. My friends and I shacked hand and Screamed with each other for this New Year. The atmosphere was full of happiness and wishes to the New Year.
This is my New Year party in America. My church here invited me to join the New Year Party. Since eight o’clock yesterday night, we gathered together for this moment. Like Potluck, everyone brought food and share with other people. We had many kinds of chips, dipping sauce, party salad bar, Twister (a kind of small cake with cream in it), cookies and drinks. Somebody also brought some games and cards. We played a game called “Apple-Apple”(you have to range the words in the red card and the words in the green card to make it making sense.). In the start of the party, I just watched football game on TV with my buddies. Later I met a Bryan who is from Texas and talked for a while. In the last 2 minutes of the year, my friend Wilson invited me to sit in front of the TV and counted down the rest of seconds. That was a interesting night.
Except fun and joy, the coming new year also means the new adventure of learning and cultivating. I appreciated I can study here for one year. With experience and confidence, I optimistically predict I will have a big growing and changing. In the new semester, I chose Theatre, Communication, Agricultural Science and Creative Writing as my new classes. I hoped I could get some fun and improve my English oral ability more. Also, I have a big plan of AYUSA book donations. We needed to collect some books for the kids in the countryside in Taiwan. I already had a good relationship with local church, school, community center and friends. I positively think that I can get some good books.
Reviewing the last year 2007, I am happy and proud of myself. In the second semester of the 9th grade(around Feb to June), I worked very hard and got many prizes. Especially, I got the 2nd prize of the science competition which make me feel ” Mission Completed” because I promise my friends in elementary school to join the competition. Also, I did much teamwork. With Josh, I did the thesis on Native American in the Latin America. That is a 10000 words- work. The most gratified thing is the exchange student program for sure. I could prepare the big test and interview by myself. Finally, Got the chance and the scholarship. 2007 is the head of “Era of good feelings” to me.
I am gratitude for the chances I had in the past and the coming chances in the future. Of course, there are always many respected people support me to do many creating and learning. I wish myself as a big tree growing and also preserving the experience and blessings in the growth ring for the coming challenges.