30 Years Ago,School Life In China

Do you guys wonder how Chinese college looks like 30 year ago? I can show you according to my parents’ description. But before start, I have to introduce some background. 30 years ago, the college entrance exam just had renewed for 3 years. Only a small part of people could attend the college. People were poor, especially those in country, like my parents. In the school, students were divided into groups with the unit of class and every group had a tutor.

Image that I was freshman at that time……

It’s 6:30 am, on December 3rd, 1981. I’m waked up by the noisy of the old wooden window. It’s snowing heavily outside and the wind is strong. I stay abed for a while, then climb down the bed (there are tow floor of a bed), and go out to buy breakfaster for other 7 girls in my dorm (we take turns to do this and it’s my turn today).

At 7:30 am, I’m sitting in the classroom with other 39 students waiting for the teacher. Some classmates have studied for almost 1 hour. The chance to attend college in 1981 is very precious. We all know the fact, so all of us are willing to devote ourselves to study. The first class is English class. Teacher comes in with a big tap player in his hand. Before the college, I’ve never learned English. The letters are like alien language for me, and it’s same to most of other students. The slow weird sound makes me dizzy, but I hold the pencil tightly and write down the note. “Do my best” I say to myself.

The last class before lunch is mathematics. I like math. I like to deal with numbers rather than letters. We can’t afford to buy a calculator. So we just calculate with pencil, paper, and our brains.

However, as the end of class coming, everyone become nervous and excited. Today is Thursday, the only day when refectory cooks meat for lunch.

When the bell rings, the whole class runs out of room. It’s still snowing and the snow makes my shoes wet. But nothing can stop us. I rush to the refectory. There has a long line and it’s growing longer and longer. I stand in the line waiting for the delicious food. How fortunately, I get the last meat! Those who stand behind me are so upset. I run back to dorm. My friend has heated the Wotou, a traditional Chinese food made of corn. We do not eat rice and steamed bread which is made of wheat everyday. It’s luxurious for us. Mostly, we will cook some when we celebrate New Year. Eating the meat with my friend (we eat together, so we can save money), I feel that it’s really a great day today.

There is no class this afternoon. All of my roommates are having noon break. I’m in bed with thick quilt, knitting a sweater for myself. It is green, the most popular color in contemporary society. I have done half of it. I must finish it as soon as possible so I can wear it instead of my worn one. After my friend getting up, we go to library to do homework. Actually, it is because the library is warmer than my dorm and we can save some coal if we do not stay in dorm.

Time always pass fast when we are studying. After supper, we go to classroom to practice singing. There is a party for the coming New Year. Every class has to perform. What we sing is “Unity is Strength”. Just as the song goes, we should unite to make our life better, to make our country strong, to make better conditions of studying for next generation.

At 10 pm, the electricity is limited. But we all contune to study with flashlight, also with the great expertation for life in my heart.

Food ads

Advertisements are everywhere. Sometimes it’s boring to see so many ads, but sometimes it really does some help. Food ads describe the food’s flavor, material, appearance and other information by using words, pictures and videos. We can know a lot from the ads and decide what to buy. Besides introducing food, ads are designed to stimulate customer’s’ curiosity and appeal to them to buy. I will try some new foods based on the ads if they are not too expensive. But for some foods with high price, I will compare both the price and quality. I’m kind of swayed by celebrity endorsements. If my favorite singer performs the ads, I will buy the food at least once.

I want to introduce is a Chinese ad about sauce used to cook fish. It’s a short but funny ad. At the begging, a woman says fish is cooked. Then four people are eating fast. After dinner, they are full and satisfied. A man says: “Waiter, pay the bill.” But suddenly he thinks of that it’s his home not the restaurant. Finally, his wife says :”Are you silly?”

It’s a successful ad. It creates a situation to show the fish with this sauce is as delicious as the one cooked in the restaurant. Besides, we can see the fish and their expressions.

Here is a link.  http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMjkzMDcxODIw.html

My Ecological Footpoint

According to the outcome of footpoint calculator, it takes 1.6 global hectares of the Earth's productive area to support my lifestyle, and if everyone lived the same style as me, we require the regenerative capacity of 0.9 planets each year.

    Before I took this quiz, I had never heard of footpoint. But now I think, footpoint is an amazing way to measure how much our lifestyles cost the resources of earth and how much damage we do to the earth. It measures and analyze from food, goods, shelter and mobility. We can find out at part we do worst and improve it.

As for me, I cost too much energy. I heat my room with coal in winter and most of my energy use comes from unrenewable sources. But it's when I'm in China. After I being here, it changes. I use electricity here. I think what I can do is turn the temperature in the dorm higher to reduce use of energy and remember to turn off the light when I leave. If everyone can do so, we can save a lot energy.

It's me~~

Hi, everybody, I’m Xue Hui. I’m an exchange student from China, major in accounting.  薛慧  Do you remember these two characters? I know it just seems a picture to you. Hui is my first name. I’d like you guys call me Hui. In America, parents name their kids with meaningful name. So does in China. Hui in Chinese means intelligent and smart. Maybe my parents want me to be a wise person or they just hope that I will be good at studying, because Xue Hui in Chinese sounds like “learn and master”.

I was born and grew up in a small city at north part of Shandong Province. Both of my parents are teachers. There is just one kid in my family but I really want to have an elder brother who can protect me and play with me. All of my friends say that I’m a shy girl especially when facing strangers, but I can be pretty naughty with friends. In my spare time, I like watching movies, shopping, and doing sports such as table tennis, badminton and swimming. I’m going to learn tennis. I think it’s cool. As for movies, comedy is my first choice and tragedy is the last one I will watch because I don’t want to cry.

I like animals, all kind of animals except some insects such as mosquitoes and flies. In China, I have a lot of pets, for instance, little chicken, fishes, tortoise, parrots and scorpion. What scared me was the scorpion. I had three but one of them escaped someday and I was really carefull when walking on the floor at that time. I like my tortoise best which I almost keep for seven years. However, it died at last because of unknown reason. I buried it beside the tree and felt upset for a long time.

It’s my first time to America. I was really worried about the life here before coming. I had no idea how American students study, how professor teach and how people are here. But when I got off the plane and meted some Eagle I Ambassadors, I knew I would have a wonderful life in America. People here are friendly and warm-hearted. They help me a lot and we become good friends. I will stay for about eight months to improve my English, to learn America accounting system and to make lots of friends. I think, after graduating from university in China, maybe I will come back to pursue graduate degree in America.

Well, although Peggy is better than me in cooking, I also can cook Chinese food. If you want to have a try, contact me.