【推荐3】A few years ago, my father arranged to send me a mail- order fruitcake at Christmastime. Although I had a good job and owned an apartment in Manhattan, he feared my cupboards and refrigerator might be bare. I had recently moved from California, where my parents still lived in their suburban bungalow of 50 years, the house I grew up in.

He wanted me to have a particular brand of fruitcake. "It reminds me of my mother's," he told me in a phone call. Ordering the fruitcake was his way of trying to take care of me from afar. "It should arrive the first week of December," he said. "As soon as you get it, let me know what you think." The first week of December passed with no sign of his fruitcake. Delayed by holiday mail, I assumed, or a backlog of orders.

The day before my flight to California, the fruitcake still had not arrived. When I arrived at my parents' house, he said, "Did you get the fruitcake?" "No, but I'm sure it'll be there when I go home."

As soon as the word left my lips, I realized that home, for them, was a kind of triggering（触发）word. Because wasn't this home? Wasn't I home now, with my parents greeting me, asking whether I was hungry after the long flight?

January, February, and March came and went with no fruitcake. Though my father continued to ask about it, I never once considered lying and telling him yes, the fruitcake had finally arrived and was delicious. Instead I said, "That cake is traveling earth, and sooner or later it will land."

"That's a good one!" he said,

His sense of humor never wavered, and as time went on he would bring up the journey of his fruitcake now and then.

"I wonder where it is now," he'd say.

"It's taken a detour（绕道）to Pluto（冥王星）."

He liked that one too.

"Do you want me to order another, in case it never comes?"

"That's OK. Dad. I said. "I'll wait for this one. It'll taste even better after touring the universe."

Early last December, nearly a year after my father died from a failing heart, I got a call from a staffer at the front desk of my apartment building.

"You have a package," he said.

【推荐1】As I look up at the hundreds of fireworks in the sky, I hear the bells ringing in a small temple welcoming the coming of the Chinese New Year. Though I may not believe in or understand many of the New Year traditions here, the similarities between the coming of this New Year and the beginning of my new life in China are not lost on a big boy like me.

My first few days in China were a cultural shock to say the least. Having arrived late in the semester, I immediately had to begin my beginners’ Chinese classes, along with the newest class of overseas students. Being surrounded by a language that isn’t your own is unbelievably annoying. Due to the picture-based fashion of Chinese writing, it’s not like you can have a guess, or work it out through whatever knowledge you have from other Latin-originated languages. If you don’t know what it says, then that’s it. However, with time passing, I have found myself progressing, though painfully slowly. The first time I called a taxi by myself, the driver actually understood where I wanted to go, which is hugely rewarding. Still it is never long before my lack of language skill is exposed (暴露的) and I come crashing back to earth, usually immediately upon leaving the taxi.

Gaining a language is a huge valuable skill. However, it is not the only thing I will gain in China. After this year of learning Chinese, I aim to gain my master’s degree here at University of Jinan. Opportunities do come around rather often: from being offered jobs teaching English, to being asked to appear on game-shows for Shandong TV. So, for now, I am just looking forward to expanding my cultural horizons (眼界) and enjoying my time here. I take some time to get used to everything, but that’s part of the adventure and, most of all, employment. So, much like the Chinese New Year that I am lucky enough to be part of, I am just looking forward to a fresh start and a new journey in China.

【推荐2】A year ago, I paid no attention to English idioms, though my teacher emphasized the importance again and again. But soon, the importance of English idioms was shown in an amusing experience.

One day, I happened to meet an Englishman on the road, and soon we began to talk. As I was talking about how I was studying English, the foreigner seemed to be astonished, gently shaking his head, shrugging his shoulders, saying, “You don’t say! ” “You don’t say! ” I was puzzled. I thought, “Perhaps this is not an appropriate topic. Well, I’d better change the topic. ” So I said to him, “Well, shall we talk about the Great Wall?   By the way, have you ever been there? ”“Certainly, everyone back home will laugh at me if I leave China without seeing it. It is magnificent. ” He was deep in thought when I began to talk like a tourist guide, “The Great Wall is one of the wonders in the world. We are very proud of it. ” Soon I was interrupted again by his order, “You don’t say! ” I couldn’t help asking. I said, “Didn’t you say you don’t say? ” Hearing this, the Englishman laughed. He explained, “ ‘You don’t say’ actually means ‘Really? ’. It is an expression of surprise. Perhaps you haven’t learned that English idiom. ” Only then did I realize I had made a fool of myself. Since then, I have been more careful with idiomatic expressions.

【推荐1】Nickenson Chery began at Florida National University (FNU) in 2008 as a radiology major. Midway through his career, Nickenson switched to Health Services Administration after realizing he’d prefer the medical field. But the career change came with stress, “I spent entire nights awake studying and doing homework. I’d consistently go to bed at 2 or 3 a. m., only to wake up early the next day and start over.” The hard work eventually paid off as Nickenson graduated from FNU with his Bachelor’s Degree in 2015.

When asked about his experience and impression of his time at FNU, he said, “I truly loved FNU. It was a great experience. I always felt at home and part of a family. If you need any help, professors and staff are always available. They give you all the tools necessary to get your work done and succeed. If it wasn’t for FNU, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I’ll always recommend FNU to anyone looking for a great education, regardless of what they want to study.”

Nickenson’s journey was just beginning, taking a long road that led him across the country searching for the perfect career. It started here in South Florida, serving as an intern (实习医生) at Aventura Hospital. When that didn’t lead to a long-term option, he moved to Las Vegas for a short amount of time, only to leave there as well and end up in his current home, Boston. Nickenson Chery now works at Boston Children’s Hospital Trust, proving that whatever the struggles one faces perseverance and hard work will lead you to success.

Nickenson left these words to current students at FNU, “You have to know where you’re going. Don’t take anything for granted. If it wasn’t for FNU that taught me a lot of stuff in and out of the classroom, I would’ve never gotten this position. I have a degree from FNU; nothing can stop me.”

【推荐3】One day, Opossum(负鼠) was walking in the woods around sunset when he saw Raccoon(浣熊). Opossum had always admired Raccoon because he had a beautiful tail with rings all around it. So Opossum went up to Raccoon and said, “How did you get those pretty rings on your tail?” Raccoon stroked his fluffy(披着绒毛的) long tail and said, “Well, I wrapped bark around the tail here and here and here,” he pointed, “then I stuck my tail into the fire.The fur between the strips of bark turned black and the places underneath the bark remained white, just as you see!”

Opossum thanked the Raccoon and hurried away to gather some bark. He wrapped the bark around his furry tail, built a big bonfire, and stuck his tail into the flames.The bonfire was too hot and too fierce.It instantly burnt all of the hair off the Opossum’s tail，leaving it entirely bare.

Opossum wailed and moaned(呜咽) when he saw his poor tail, but there was nothing he could do but wait for the fur to grow back.Opossum waited and waited and waited.But the tail was too badly burnt by the fire and the fur did not grow back. Opossum’s tail remained bare for the rest of his life.

Opossums’ tails have been bare ever since.