1 . In a gray box, I have a thick pile of love letters. I imagine about sharing them with a granddaughter when I’m 90. But my most treasured love letter is from one of my best friends. It’s a handwritten letter years ago when I was having trouble getting over a man. Her letter is the most romantic in my pile. It made no excuses. It simply let me know that I was loved.

Reflecting on her gift, and the dying art of handwritten letters in our age of emails and emoticons, I chose to conduct an experiment this Christmas: replacing presents with heartfelt, handwritten love letters for my family members.

In our digital era, most of us rarely take the time to share deeply considered thoughts and emotions with the people in our lives. Handwriting captures the writer’s emotions, often preserved longer than digital exchanges. However, technology is taking over. First came typewriters and keyboards. Now a new brain-computer lets people type with their minds. What are we losing when we sacrifice the physical labor behind the written word? We tend to value what we struggle for. Have we undervalued the human exchange of ideas?

That day, I came across a letter my mom wrote to her parents when she was young. She seemed so comfortable with her parents. It was a relationship I didn’t have with her. I was inspired by my mother’s letter to her parents when I sat down to write my letter to her. I wanted her to know my love, and to close the crack that technology and culture had created between us. With each sentence, I was discovering new and deeper ways of seeing my mother, and making myself known to her in more thoughtful ways as well.

Eight single-space pages later, my hand was aching but I was done. It was only the first of my love letters, but it was already clear: What had begun as a fun project was in fact one of the most important undertakings of my life.

2 . At the age of 16, I went to Australia as an exchange student and lived with a host family. Even though I had made some preparations, the culture shock was still _________.

During the first months, which is called the “honeymoon phase” of culture shock, I was super _________ to be in a different culture and found everything _________ and exciting. But soon, things started to feel _________. Differences became more apparent and frustrating _________ populated my head: “I wish people would just be able to speak German for one day! ”

“I wish public transportation would…” These thoughts were of course highly _________. However, they’re part of the “negotiation phase”.

Over the next few months, though, feelings of adjustment and belonging gradually _________. I developed my own routine, learned to adapt to the _________, and made many new friends. I had slowly and unknowingly _________ the “adjustment phase”. I had adapted my own behavior and learned to __________ new ways of thinking and attitudes. My English had improved __________!

Things started to make sense and I __________ Australian culture better and better! That was a major __________ for me personally. Every day I felt more __________ with my new home. I adopted many new traits (特性) while also __________ earlier ones from my home country. This process is called the “mastery phase”. My happiest moment was when my dear friend one day __________ during a conversation: “Jude, you __________ just like us! You’re an Australian now!” I had transformed from a silent timid German to an almost accent-free bicultural Australian/German.

The __________ of culture shock are different for everyone and can cause different behaviors and __________. But one thing is for sure though: Culture shock cannot be avoided and __________ is the first step towards adapting to a foreign culture.

Jiang Zhirong, 22, is from Yingcheng, Hubei Province. Last year, she passed the examination for upgrading from a junior college student to a university student, and     1     (admit) as an undergraduate at Hubei Minzu University.

As she was the only one in her class     2     succeeded in passing the exam, Jiang’s teacher and classmates advised her not to suspend her schooling, but she was     3     (determine) because she “wanted to give back to society”.

As a member of the Plan of the 2022 College Students Volunteer Service to Western Regions, Jiang has now worked in Hubei’s Laifeng County, at the junction (交界处) of three     4     (province), Hubei, Hunan and Chongqing.

In the     5     (two) year of her junior high school studies, Jiang’s father passed away. Her mother was unable to take care of herself because she suffered from     6     illness and her grandmother later succumbed (被压垮) to Alzheimer’s.

    7     (help) Jiang’s family, the local government helped rebuild their house. A kind-hearted man called Nie Chunhua gave support towards Jiang’s mother living in a welfare home.     8     a heart full of gratitude, Jiang studied very hard in technical secondary school and college, until she passed the undergraduate upgrading exam and suspended her schooling.

Speaking of her     9     (decide), Jiang said, “When I was asked whether I would regret     10     (suspend) school to volunteer in the western regions, I was certain I would never.”

Having grown up in northern Arizona, I believe that the southwestern state is home     1     the most beautiful landscapes on the planet. That is, until I     2     (invite) to explore Guizhou province by an organization many years ago. There is nothing like seeing with one’s own eyes.

My father used to drag my brothers and me on     3     (fish) trips around Arizona. We would compete to catch the     4     (large) fish. On my trip to Guizhou I had the opportunity to canoe on Wanfeng Lake,     5     I enjoyed the silence and took in the surrounding karst mountains.

During my trip around     6     city of Xingyi, in Guizhou, I saw the artwork of the Bouyei ethnic group. They use dyes (染料)     7     (produce) from local plants to make clothing and blankets. Local elders still practice weaving with wooden machines and pass that tradition on to their grandchildren. The designs were ancient, and carried     8     (wise) within them.     9     (serious), I got the feeling of being home while looking at the art on display in Xingyi.

I     10     (live) away from Arizona for 10 long years, making my own living in China. I’ve managed to build a family, a career, a livelihood, and passion projects. I feel as though I have everything I need. In Guizhou, I feel at home.

9 . After decades of married life, I realized that my life was limited, and even having friends frightened me. To ease my anxiety, my husband and I explored the Blue Ridge Mountains about an hour’s ride from home. We chose a path only a couple of miles long. The process of putting one foot in front of the other started to ease my worried soul. Being with nature slowed down my racing mind. Up and down the path we went. The trees gently swayed in the wind as we enjoyed views of valleys below us.

I knew this was my way to heal. I found the Internet site Meetup, picked a group and signed up for a five-mile hike in Shenandoah National Park. All my worries came into play when meeting the hiking group. The fifteen hikers, at least ten years younger than me, started slowly, crossing many little streams on rocks. I enjoyed the tour but struggled to keep up. After a half-mile, my steps got into the rhythm. I felt a part of all that surrounded me.

I have been actively hiking since that day, walking thousands of miles, with several worn pairs of hiking boots to prove it. With my fellow hikers, I climbed Mount Le Conte at 6,593 feet. It was a challenging hike, but I made it.

I have hiked the Dingle Peninsula in Ireland with five other women, through more than a hundred miles of green hills and valleys filled with baby sheep and their mothers. I’m fortunate to have the Blue Ridge Mountains nearby. Before the pandemic, I backpacked on the AppalachianTrail, falling short of my 100-mile goal but enjoying it. I met hikers along the way, camping next to them and listening to their determination to hike the entire 2,200 miles.

I don’t intend to give up being one with nature outdoors anytime soon. We all are responsible for our peace and happiness.