confusion about my future

     I don’t know I should say it is a blessing for me to be distributed to the foreign language and literature department or not. Actually, the department I previously urgently would like to get in is international business department, for I somehow had an inexplicable affection to the works in the commercial. However, now I am a student of foreign language and literature department, a department whose students have a very wide range of future development. And as I read more books, talk with more distinct friends, and join in more lectures, I start to see more possibility of my future. I want to be a host of a traveling program for me initial desire of traveling around the world. I want to work in the architecture field thanks to a lecture’s inspiration. I want to work in a non-profit organization, helping the people who are in desperate need. I also want to be an interpreter, making it easy for two people speaking different languages to speak fluently. The possibility is unlimited, but I am not sure which one is most suitable, or beneficial to me. I am really confused.

What does travel really mean to me?

“I like travel.”

When someone ask me about what I like to do, one of the answers will be this. But to tell the truth, I seldom go travel. So why? Why I like travel?
Recently I have been asked about the reason why I like travel, but I can’t answer it quite well, and this force me to face the question seriously. WHY?

I feel a lot of happiness when traveling out. Especially one time in Kenting, I lied on the lying bench, feeling the soft breeze blew over my face, appreciating the clear blue water, and enjoyed the tranquility in my small space. I felt a great satisfaction at that time. And I think maybe it is that leisure time that makes me want to travel to other places more, and enjoy the fulfilling satisfaction again and again.

Besides, I really enjoy reading travel books. Through the writer’s words, I experience the atmosphere in certain places, and feel the fine of humans, appreciated the beauty of their architecture and landscapes. But I still want to have a visit to the place in person! Therefore, I want to travel.

So, to sum up, I think my original intention about going travel is to feel the happiness of travel, and wanting to experience the different atmosphere of distinct places. But I am challenged again. My teacher questions if the two reasons would be too superficial, and would it be too selfish that we bring a lot of damage and waste to the place I visit? I am totally confused again now. What does travel really mean to me? Maybe it takes time for me to really go on a travel, and finds out the answer by myself.

reflections after reading Ride Around Taiwan Island(島內出走

Ride Around Taiwan Island(島內出走) is a travel book written by FROG(蛙大). He traveled around Taiwan with three friends by bicycle in 16 days in 2007. After the trip, he wrote down the hard but precious process, and then combined with his delicate picture photographed during the journey, he published out this books.

After I finished reading this book, I felt a strong sense of wanting to travel around Taiwan detailedly.
I aspired to travel, but the place in Taiwan was never an ideal destination for me previously.
Thinking back, it is truly stupid of me. People usually praise Taiwan for “Formosa”, a beautiful island, but I, just regarded it as a title, and never try to carefully appreciated it, and cherish it.
I think I am greatly influenced by my vanity and the world’s predominant viewpoint; people are talking about romantic Paris, prosperous New York, or modern Tokyo, and then I romanticize them, and dream of going there. I just anticipate going to foreign cities, and forget to appreciate the beauty of where I stand.

Now, I will not be so stupid anymore, and will start to taste the wonderfulness of Taiwan from now on.

rich resources!!

     I gradually find that though our school is not the most prominent college in Taiwan, but we still own lots of resources. We have such a big library that owns abundant books of all kinds, so many lectures for us to participate in, so many study groups, and activities are waiting for us to join. Like last week I participated in many lectures, and each of them were so fabulous and did mean a lot to me. And I also joined an activity, where plenty of foreign students are introducing their cultures in their countries. Those activities really help me to enrich myself, and broaden my horizons. I think I should really cherish those rich resources which may help me to be a better person.

A small journey by myself

     I have been desired of going to travel by train by myself. Last weekend, under my Chinsese teacher’s suggestion (He suggested us to visit the rural village and know the beauty of our island.), I decided to make a small travel, and also treated it as a small present for myself. So Sunday morning, I did not hang on the bed as I usually did in weekdays; instead, I got up with great excitement. Quickly I finished the everyday routine in the morning, I go out and head for the train station. At first I encountered some small problems. Since the system of Taichung railway station was quite different from that in Taipei, I did not know which station I should go to get on my train. But not so soon I solved the problems. I chose a station which named Huatan(花壇) to get down. But to my disappointment, I did not see plenty of flowers when I get down the station.(Its name indicated there are many flowers there.) The town is not a tourism site, just a primitive town. I wandered in the town for about 2-3 hours, although I did not do some special things, but I did detect some difference between city and rural area.

There are truly less teenagers in rural area, which means they really had a population gap.

And I also detected that people in rural area owned less smart phones.

The life pace in rural area is slower than city.

And on my journey back, I unexpectedly see the cows!! And also the 成功嶺!!
really so cool~

A traffic accident

  Last Thursday, a tragedy happened to me.
  It is five past ten in the morning, which means that I will be late for the dancing class in five minutes. And I am still in my dormitory, which is nearly ten- minute distance away from the dancing classroom. I quickly get on my bike, put down my bag in the basket, and then start to step on my pedal in a very fast speed. I hope I can arrive at the classroom in less than five minutes. Since there are really very few cars on the road, and I think I am quite safe- no accident would happened. Therefore, I sped up, and feel cheerful; I have the confidence that I will surely not be late for the class. But at the next moment, the accident happens. A man that carries with some cargos suddenly appears right in front of me. I quickly switch the direction, and avoid hitting upon him, but the angle is not enough. Therefore, my handle collides with the cargos on his hands. Luckily, the man holds on the cargos, but my bike stops, and then at the next second, I fly out from my bike. And I hit the ground with both of my knees and palms, which at last get hurt and shed blood. It is really hurt, but actually, I do not think that it is a misery; instead, I think I am quite fortunate. For from this incident, I truly learn a lesson- never drive fast even if I am in a hurry. Were it not for this accident, I would not have such realization, and who can tell how terrible I will hurt in the next accident?

To stay healthy, or to study?

     I have a lot of midterm exams to take in this week. Due to several reasons, like not getting familiar with the life in college, not managing my time well, and plenty of activities taking up most of my time, I did not spend a lot of time on academics. Therefore, I have to burn the midnight oil to study. However, last night I studied until 4 o’clock, and the outcome was that though I fluently took the exam, I caught a cold and my vitality was very weak yesterday. Then the doubt come into my mind: what really matters? The score? The assignment? Or my health? Still, I can not figure out the best answer for me……