(Written by Hu Ao, a Senior 3-to-be in Beijing)

          I’ve had to open my textbooks again even though the summer vacation has just begun and the books have been closed for only a week.  Mrs. Yin, my math teacher, told me yesterday that there will be a very important examination on August 1^st.  

          She said that if I get a good result I’ll be able to join a very good class, and as I’m a glutton for punishment, I said, “Thank you for telling me about it; I’ll start reviewing right away.”

          When we finished talking, I pretended that I had already succeeded and was in the new class.  I was a little nervous, as there were many new faces to get used to. 

          This last term, I’d really liked my classmates.  They were all my friends; I had no enemies.  One could say that we were just like a big happy family, as every morning we read books together, and during the noontime break some of us read, some wrote, and others took naps.  Everyone was quiet – soft in their movements – because they didn’t want to annoy anyone near them. 

          The classes next to us hadn’t been nearly as good.  They were much too noisy.

          This summer in Beijing is hotter than ever.  It’s impossible to even think of arranging an outdoor game in the afternoons.  Listless, I sit here looking through the window at the leaves of the trees as they absorb the unblinking rays of the sun.  The bodies of the trees stand on the sides of the roads and seem to sway slowly like someone with heat stroke who finds it difficult to keep upright.  Moisture rising from the earth distorts the sun’s rays and causes the edges of buildings in the distance to wave in the air like floating wood on water.  One expects a mirage on the Gobi, but not here in Beijing.  

(Written by John, a high school student in Beijing)

          Life offers equal opportunities to everyone. Making good decisions will lead to a better life, but an equally important factor is how we persist in attempting to reach our goals. We live in a world of difficulties. Overcoming problems is not easy and some complain, “Oh, it’s too hard for me; I’m going to give up.” Others, however, have a different viewpoint; they say to themselves, “I can’t let these problems get the best of me; I must try my best.”

          What kind of attitude do you have? I think most of want to succeed.  However, you may wonder if you have enough self-confidence to do so. People often think that it is not easy to solve all their problems, but if they don’t try, they’ll never get the result they want.

          My math used to be poor. Time after time, it proved to be a barrier to the success I so badly wanted. So I decided to spend more time on it; I went to my teacher’s home for his advice many times and completed countless exercises.  Gradually, I began to make progress.  Although it wasn’t easy for me, I was very happy about the final result.

          During the World Cup – while watching players try for goals many times – I became conscious of the fact that the word “try”, as pronounced in English means “kick” in Chinese.  I was thinking of writing this article as I watched, and the thought occurred that if people faced with difficulties would “try”, they’d “kick” all of their problems away.

          All of the teams in that competition were eliminated except Italy, the eventual winner, but I was especially interested in their game with Germany.  Most people favored Germany, but they lost.  As the game had approached the last two minutes, it was expected that they would control the ball, but they couldn’t.  Italy hadn’t given up.  They worked even harder than before and won the game with 2 goals. 

          There are many examples of success coming to those who don’t give up. The next time, you consider yourself defeated, remember the Italian team. If you don’t give up and work hard, you can be a winner, too. 

          (Written by a former resident of Guangzhou)

          Learning English is one of my favorite activities. 

          At the beginning of my retirement in the 80’s, few people around me could read or speak English.  My husband and I were far from fluent.  Then I took an English course on TV.  It was mostly about science, but I paid particular attention to the grammar, as I wanted to improve my reading skill.  I did improve, but speaking and listening skills were still poor.

            After that I didn’t work on English continuously, as my health made it impossible to concentrate the energy I needed.

            More than 10 years later – in 1997 – we emigrated from China and settled in Portland.  I needed a job so that I wouldn’t be dependent on my children, but my lack of fluency in English was limiting.  Therefore, I had to be a student again.  The government helped us by paying for an ESL class at PCC for three semesters.

            After passing the entrance exam for ENNL, I was unable to pay the tuition.  Then I left PCC and had a free tutor at Tigard Senior Center.  I also volunteered for “Meals on Wheels” and at the library so that I’d have more communication with people using English.  During that period, I gradually built up my courage by listening and speaking English.

            A non-profit company had a program to help seniors advance their computer skills so they could work in an office.  Fortunately, I passed their exam and after four month of hard work got a certificate as a Microsoft Office User Specialist.  I then started job training in an office called the Able Senior Job Service.

            The office provided employment information to seniors.  A person needing a job had to fill out an application detailing the jobs done before, outlining abilities, and specifying the job that was of interest.  We put that information into the computer, matched the applicants with appropriate employers, and let them get in touch with each other.

            In the beginning, most of the job consisted of working on the computer, and I was thoroughly relaxed.  I even wrote up the procedures and taught the new people who came to work in the office.

            A co-worker became sick three months after I started, and I had to do part of her work.  I found myself having to place calls, answer the phone, and respond to questions from customers when they came to the office.  That was a big challenge, as my listening and speaking skills were weak, and it was obvious that I needed improvement.  My supervisor wanted me to practice using the phone and talking to customers more often.  I was always able to give applicants a smiling face, but was unable to conceal my fear that my weak points would cause problems.  I did improve some, but the progress made with English went very slowly.  I was nervous and upset every workday.

            In the spring of 2000, my friend asked me to work with her as a teacher’s assistant in the Chinese Department of The International School.  As most of the students had been adopted in China and had spoken only English since coming to this country, their parents wanted them to learn more about their native culture, and the teacher spoke Chinese all the time unless something had to be explained in English.

            This new opportunity was a godsend for me.  My lack of fluency in English was a definite handicap in the office job.  The supervisor had been very encouraging, but I was making so little progress that I wondered how long they would put up with me.  On the other hand, the little English I knew would come in handy at the school, and I’d welcome the idea of combining it with my knowledge of Chinese.  I thought I’d be able to stay on that job for a long time so after a little more thought I handed in my resignation at the office and began a new life as a teacher’s assistant.

            It was a good move although there’s always a down side; a year after I started, I had a flare-up of the chronic problems I’d been having with my back, and had to resign.