Yoly (China, Age 15): English 674

Life is colorful, it might hard, great or unexpected, you will never know that what you will meet next second. The only thing that you can do, it is to face it bravely and constantly perfect yourself.

China is a vast and fascinating country, it even has more than five thousand years of history. Chinese ancient’s magical and greatest masterpiece - the Great Wall which snakes through half of our country; historic and profound Chinese character; fifty-six beautiful and united nation; arty and mysterious opera; a unique style of Chinese cuisine as well as Chinese four natural wonders and so on, they are the crystallisations of this magical land. Because of these unique landscapes make this beautiful country more fantastic.

I love China, not just it is China.The great time in China, the beautiful place that I lived, the  people who love me and who I love, those are my most precious treasure in my life.

In the past 13 years, I have been living in this magical land. Time rush, the time of I studied hard with my classmates in school,  all the family members stayed together in the Spring Festival with bustling and happy, we crowded in a quilt and watched TV when winter, the free time of stroll after dinner, it's gone for ever.

Fourteen years ago, a little lovely girl was born.  That is me. Relatives arounded a small baby, they were beaming happy and excited. They were holding the baby gingerly, fear for hurting me and making me cry. They said, when I was born,  I was very small, like a little angel, eyes wide opened and looked around, I was not afraid of people around and they tickled me. That time I didn’t know anything, ​​always be giggling. Original ward was cold and sad, but me who was the newborn made it filling with happy laughter. My mother is the greatest woman in my world. She gave  birth to me, but she got the pain of childbirth. "A child's birthday is the day of suffering for the mother." Every time when my birthday was coming, I will not forget to give my mother a warm hug, and told her and thanked her, because she insisted and exchange for my birth. She took care of me and taught me how to be a good person. Even she will pay for that by all her time and energy. When I was upset and felt self abased, she always smiled proudly and gently, "You are the best in my heart, forever." I could not grow without love and concern from my relatives, it is precisely because they do not asking for anything, I can grow happily and healthily.

The eleven years of the life in China I mostly spent in school. Friends were necessary in my school life. “No one is an island.” I firmly believed this sentence, and tried to make friends with different types of people. My best friend accompanied me for eight years, from 1st Grade to 8th Grade, almost all of the time that we can meet we will work together. We shared  little secrets about youth, what is shy to talk with our parents, we work with understanding, and to join the games to win the award together, we threw out the haze for each other, share bliss and have difficult with when. At school, the ten minutes of free time after every class, my friends and I could do many things.  We Tiao Pi Jin(a game that is playing rubber band jump rope) together, sometimes went to bathroom with a few girl friends, or to discuss math together. Occasionally, in the quiet nap time we would chat about anything quietly. It is because of them, my school life was more colorful. And stay with them, I will not feel lonely or alone.

Short and black hair, small eyes and skinny body, smile always on the face, that was me, a common appearance of a Chinese girl. I like to dream. I have dream in the future, I will travel around the world, I will meet a wonderful love in a place where is romance, I will have a great job that I have free time and also have enough wage and so on. But suddenly, my common life has changed by a  special question. That day, the breeze was softly blowing on my face, golden sun through the clouds, and covered a golden scarf on the house. "Do you want to come to America?" My father worked hard in the United States and asked me. This question as an important turning point in my life.

When I hear this question, I was so excited. I have never think that I could live in America in the real life. That feeling such like I won a prize of 1 million dollars in a lottery. America is a great place where that was my friends and I yearning. It is a rich, beautiful and free country. There are colorful cultures because it is a immagrants  country, there is a new educational institution for me because it is very different from China, there are many new things that I have never known before were attracting me.

But also, to live in a very new environment is a big challenge for me, a girl who doesn’t know much about it before. I got nervous before I go to the United States. Sometimes, I was overthinking about it. “What if I could not accept the life there?” “It must be so many difficult there, could I solve them?” “How about I couldn’t have friends there? I don’t want to be alone.” “I am not willing my relatives and my friends.” When I think about those problems, I even have a little fear for the new life.

That day, my friends had a farewell party for me. "Friendship" was playing in the classroom, everyone used a small book and wrote down their blessings and dismay to me. Some of them are still smiling, but some have been suffused with tears, but quickly wiped away and came gave me a farewell hug. We owned together, pretend to be strong and talked about the beautiful future.The dismay about leaving friends was flooding in my heart.

Time was running out, it was getting close to the day of leaving. In the evening, my mother cooked a table of delicious food. We were sitting together, enjoyed the hearty meal and fulled of praise. Also jokingly said to me: "When you go to the United States, you must will miss the authentic Chinese food like these which is your mum’s work. Ha ha." After hearing those saying, I was not willing China, a place where I lived over 10 years and my relatives who were living around me. After dinner, we start a animated conversation about my future life in the United States . "You’ve grown up, you should become more independent and do not always dependent others." "When outside may not like here, to be optimistic about everythings and do not complain. This is your choice, you have to learn to be responsible for your choices. " They were saying with earnest. While finally they said softly, "It will always be your home here. "

The night before leaving, I thought a lot. Life is wonderful because of the challenges. There are no challenges, there is no passion. There are no passion, the life would be very boring. Tomorrow I will leave here and go to an unfamiliar place. The new environment, the new lifestyle and a new language are not challenges for me? And fear or worry were not good ideas, since I has been made a choice, then I should be facing bravely. Just like my relative said that, “Anything to be optimistic face.” Maybe my life would thus become more exciting!

A plane was taking off in the airport, soon it was flying in the sky, and made many beautiful cloud flowers. Looked the skyline and thought, “New life, I am coming!”

It’s my turn to fly to America. I walked in the plane and felt excited.t That was the first time that I take a plane. The sweet voice was around inside the plane, that was the attention of taking the plane. The plane was not really big. There were three columns of seats, only five seats in a row that arranged in two one two, and two corridors there. When I saw my number that was above a set which is close to window, I was happy and thought that this travel might be not boring.

At first, I was excited and interested in the travel of fly, but after I finish two movies and two times of sleeping, I finally felt bored in the plane. I am a lively girl and love playing, how could I sit and do nothing for sixteen hours? It was so hard and it also was a challenge for me. And sitting a long time made my body not feeling comfortable. Also, no friends that I could talk with, I felt so lonely. But I didn’t give up, I never regret. I was thinking, the new life was waiting for me, I can not lost in the little things.

When I almost finish this painful travel, I met the second problem. The plane was landing, buildings and airport was getting bigger in my eyes. Suddenly, my ears were uncomfortable. The sound that is like many bees around my head, sometimes I heard the sounds was very small even I can’t hear anything. I was scare and even thinking, “Do I deaf? I can’t hear any more?” When I was worried. I saw some people was massage their ears. I forced myself to calm down, and tried to do the same thing with them. Later, my ears were feeling better and I remember it for my important experience.

I stood on the land of the United States, looking at the beautiful blue sky and breathing the fresh, cool air. “Long and boring fly and ears problem finally I finish by myself, these small problems can not stop me. My wonderful New life, fighting!”

I thought I could accept the life in the New York very well before, but the fact was unexpected. The problems that I worried about before were happening on me.

The first week was the hardest time for me, because I am the news in America. I met so many problems, such as having bad dreams at night, different lifestyle and always got sick. The most important and the most difficult one was to accept the different timetable of one day in New York.

On the first day, I got up at 7:00am. The sun woke up already and made the sky bright. But my house was so quiet, even I can hear the sound of the clock was working, “Ticking ticking ticking...” I was standing in the middle of the living room, looking around my house. No one woke up except me. That reminded me of the life in China, we should woke up at 6:30am or even 6:00am for going to school and running. Here was totally different with China. After ate some bread and drank some milk for my easy breakfast, until 9:00am I was making the day dream about the difference between China and America. “So early ah.” My father was standing in front of me, and gently rubbed my hair.  But next, I was lived like a puppet, doing something when someone who was calling me. Because I don’t know what should I know and what could I do in a new environment.

Last week, I used to know and accept about the schedule of one day from the people who lived in America, and thought about how could I change for the new life. I don’t want to live like a puppet, I need to learn how to independent and I don’t want nothing to do and waste time. So when the second week started, a amazing timetable was born by my hand. “At 9:00am-Get up,” “At 9:30am-Breakfast”etc. After I lived like the timetable which that I made, I felt more full for everyday, and not feeling that like I don’t know what should I do anymore. Finally, I accepted the life in New York by watching and trying constantly. I am perfecting myself using those difficult problems and I believe in the future, I will be better and better!

The schools in the United States are really different with Chinese schools. When I saw the school at first, if not I found the name of the school, I don’t even think that the  building was a school! In China, school always include a big playground and a track for running and playing. Also, there was a small room for security office next to the big gate of the school, and the school name was big and clearly above the gate. But here, my first school in America was not looks like the Chinese school. There was a not really big square for playground behind the building.  The building was not big and looks like the Chinese apartment. The name of the school was gray on the white top of the building and I could not find it easily at first. Also, there was a gate in front of the building. The time for staying in school in New York was very different with China.  School time was 6 hours here, but in China, we need to stay at less 11 hours! And the clock for go to school here was new for me too. In the middle school. I began studying at 8 o’clock in the morning, lunch time at twelve thirty, and the school end at 2:30pm! When I got those thing, I was so surprise,  because I will have many  free time for everyday. Before here, I always studied at 7:30am to 5:30pm in school,  and usually no much time for free for Monday to Friday, every day after school we should went home and do our homework, especially when we move to 7th grade for middle school from 6th grade.

 I was surprise with my first school in New York, but also, the challenge was waiting for me. Classes was interesting, teachers were nice and most of classmates were friendly, those made me accepting the new environment of the school easily. But the problem was the new language. In class, usually I could not understand well that teacher’ saying and the questions on the workbook. Also, communicate with people was the hardest job for me.

Here was an English world, everywhere was English. Teacher was talking about the book in English and walking around the classroom. The classroom was big but there just about 20 students inside. There were many English posters or English word on the wall, wardrobe and any  place that we can see. The classmates were sitting, sometimes they were discussing loudly in English. Even I learn some English in China, but at that time I felt a little bit upset and lonely.

The workbook was different with Chinese one. It has a hard cover and the word was smaller than the Chinese in common Chinese workbook. I could not understand the question on the practices when I having the class. Those sentences were , I knew some words of them, but when they were putting together, then I could not understand. The letters such like many black ants, one of them was wielding the red flag and shouting “Let’s charge!” The army of ants began to erode my mind.

Hesitating for a long time, I finally decided to ask help. Speaking a new language and asking the person who you don’t know that were hard. I had no confidence in speaking English, especially to talk with a person whose native language was English. “Excuse me,” I was thinking about how to ask for the meaning of the question and at the same time, I also  was worrying about my speaking was right or not. “Emm,What is this?” The boy who sited next to me that was a American. His eyes are brown, pretty nose and fair skin, wearing a blue shirt and looks great. “Sorry?” May be I was so shy and worrying too much, my voice was not loud and he didn’t hear it. “I don’t know this,” I made my voice louder and pointed at the question. And then he fervently started his explanation for me. But I was at a loss, I did not understand fully what he said, and using my body and some broken English to try  to explain what I mean. Finally, his face looked confused,  and scratched his hair. I knew, he could not understand me.

At night while I am home, I often felt isolated and lonely. But when I think that, my parents’ saying was appeared in my mind, “You must be hard working, study well and got a good job in the future were the only way to live better in the United States.” Their face looked proud for me, “You are the best in my heart,” “Everything to optimistically face.” Right,  when challenge here, I should not be scare. Even getting feeling helpless everyday, I could not give up.

After made a determination, from that time on, I tried many ways to improve my English. In school, I learned carefully, and bravely tried to speak in English. At night, I was listening the easy English stories and communications before went to bed. I believe, I will be a person who is good at English and Chinese in the future!

In the streets, diferent kinds of people were walking leisurely. Some of them are white, some are black, some are like me came from Asia that is yellow. All those come from different countries, wearing different clothes and have different native cultures.,  now, the  people came to the United States are trying to integrate into this country, efforting to speak the same language, and bring their original culture making the country more colorful.

I am one of them also. From the day I came here until now that is one year already. Now, I am in the high school, my English level was improve a lot in this hard year. I could communicate well with classmates in English now. Also, I have lots of friends, they were from different places and have different culture. We talk in English and learn together. They let me know about more culture and make my life more wonderful. New knowledge,  rich programs, extensive projects and wonderful friends make my school life colorful in the United States.

At the same time, many challenges are in the future and waiting for me. The English level will be deeper, graduate from high school, go to a good college and so on. They might be very hard, even I can not solve, but I am not going to give up and regret. I would try and try, until it is over by me.

The life is colorful, we will meet many new wonder things that we never see before, we will also meet many difficult things that is hard to solve. But life is like that, the things that we can do that are to face it bravely and constantly make myself more perfect by solving the  challenges in our life.