| I can never hide when
I'm happy. I am very glad I was born into this world. Life
is short. No matter how happy or sad our days may be, life
goes on just the same. Why can't we enjoy it more? In future
years to come, I may worry about small things. I may hesitate
on big decisions in life. My life may not be easy, but thankfully
I am still alive. To be alive is the biggest joy for anyone.
Childhood is always a happy and fun time in a person's life.
I can still recall memories as a little boy. When I was
four years old, my mother did not allow me to watch TV because
"staring at the TV for long hours may hurt the eyesight."
One day, when my mother returned from work, I told her that
I did not watch any TV the whole day. I did exactly as she
told me. Then she asked me "what were you doing instead?"
I told her that I was looking in the mirror all day. The
truth was that the mirror reflected the TV screen! I could
watch all the programs from the mirror. My mother could
not stop laughing. Neither could I.
There were times when I had dreams. As a young boy, I picked
up small used bottles and cans, took my mother's cooking
salt and mixed it with petrol, which I stole from my father!
By experimenting I thought I could become a great inventor
like Thomas Edison. When I turned ten, my favorite pastime
was drawing. I remember proudly presenting my parents with
my "masterpieces." My grades were not so excellent as to
make me the center of envy, but my mother was always proud
of me. My mother often used to praise me at work with her
colleagues and that motivated me to become a painter. At
age sixteen I became fascinated with music. I also learned
to play the guitar. Through music, I could see the beauty
of this world, and I started to become very aware of the
world we live in. As I grew older, my dreams kept changing.
One time I really wanted to be a doctor. The reason was
simple. Doctors could save lives. Everything about my world
kept changing. My goals kept changing. Was there anything
that stayed the same? I could point out that my passion
for the Japanese language has not changed at all. For the
moment, my goal is to become a Chinese/Japanese language
translator. I want to travel back and forth between China
and Japan and contribute to the two nations' friendship;
however, as a third year student in high school, I must
add that my immediate goal is to get accepted at my top-chosen
university. To become a translator is a long-term goal,
but I am putting a lot of effort into it.
We all grow up. I am still not sure what it means to be
"grown up." One time I was sitting all alone, watching the
clouds go by in the sky, feeing very lonely, but somehow
I understood that I belonged to this world. Perhaps people
feel lonelier as they grow older. Sometimes, I want to return
to my carefree childhood, tugging at the end of my mother's
dress or fooling around, making a lot of noise, but that
is not possible. We can only look back.
My goal is not an illusion. All my fascination for painting
and guitar will now be concentrated into my studies so that
I can strive for my ideals. My future is not just a dream.
I believe in myself that I can succeed. |
Japan in My Eyes—My View of Japan
The first time I saw Deai was during the first year in high
school. A year went by and my first impressions did not fade
away. At that time I merely glanced at it during class. Out
of interest and curiosity for Japanese culture, I borrowed
the CD from my teacher and then I started to watch to it for
long hours.
Deai was a supplementary learning material which introduced
Japan along with the "columns" from our textbook. Its contents
were precisely designed. Not only did it introduce the daily
lives of Japanese people but also incorporated Japanese culture
and customs. The seven main characters and how they spend
their days were illustrated through photos and text. Deai
showed me what young Japanese students are doing and thinking.
To me, Deai was more than a supplementary photo resource,
but a bridge between Chinese and Japanese students to enable
better understanding of each other.
One of the most impressive things was how a Japanese city
functioned. One of the photos of Oishi Kanta included a busy
road in Tokyo. It was very crowded but orderly. People and
cars were "co-existing." I was amazed at the self-restrained
good manners of the pedestrians and drivers. It might not
be special to a Japanese person, but in my eyes, it was astonishingly
disciplined. Such customs could not be mastered in a day.
Such good manners root from the refinement of the people,
which probably led to the country's prosperity. People following
rules and cooperating can result in a nation's strength. I
think this is the core of Japan's collective mentality and
something we could learn from.
Sceneries of Japan I dream about are the blue sky, white clouds,
shadows under the trees, and the blue ocean seen on the island
of Izenajima introduced to us by Tamaki Shun'ichi, one of
the students in Deai. This must be the result of careful environmental
protection.
I like Japan not only for its graceful surroundings but also
for the diligence of the people. There used to be a question,
which puzzled me for quite awhile. How could such a small
island nation compete levelly with other world powers in such
a short time? I analyzed some of the characteristics of the
students in Deai and I think I found a clue. Japan's progress
rooted from its scarce resources and lack of land. China is
located to its west and to its east is the Pacific Ocean.
After Japan resumed its relationship with other countries,
it realized the powers of other nations. To ensure security,
Japan absorbed everything they deemed beneficial or excellent
and educated itself.
I like the beautiful scenery of Japan and respect the diligence
and cooperative attitude of the Japanese people. I truly hope
that China will further progress by strengthening its friendship
with Japan.
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