【推荐2】One day after more than a month of classes, I read aloud a paragraph from my book, recognizing all of the characters smoothly except one. I sat back and started to register a sense of achievement: I was actually reading Chinese. The language was starting to make sense. But before the sense of satisfaction was half formed, Teacher Liao said, “Budui!”

It meant, literally, “Not correct.” You could also translate it as “no”, “wrong”, “nope”, “uh-uh” and “flatly and clearly incorrect”. There were many Chinese words that I didn’t know, but I knew that one well.

A voice in my head whined “All of the rest of them were right; isn’t that worth something? ” But for Teacher Liao it didn’t work like that. If one character was wrong, it was simply budui.

“What’s this word?” I asked, pointing at the character I had missed.

“Zhe — the zhe in Zhejiang.”

“The third tone?”

“The fourth tone.”

I breathed deeply and read the section again, and this time I did it perfectly. That was a victory — I turned to Teacher Liao and my eyes said (or at least I imagined them saying) “How do you like me now?” There seemed to be some satisfaction in her eyes, but she simply said, “Read the next one.”

It was her way of teaching. Success was expected and failure was criticized and immediately corrected. You were right or you were budui; there was no middle ground.

I grew to hate budui. The bu was a rising tone and the dui dropped abruptly, just as my confidence was built and then it broke down all at once. And it bothered me all the more because I knew that Teacher Liao was only telling the truth: everything I did with the language was budui. I was an adult, and as an adult I should be able to accept criticism where it was needed. But that wasn’t the American way; I wanted to be praised for my effort; I didn’t mind criticism as long as it was candy-coated. For Teacher Liao, the single B on the report card matters much more than all the A’s that surround it: Keep working; you haven’t achieved anything yet.

And so I worked harder. I was frustrated but I was also stubborn; I was determined to show Teacher Liao that I was dui.

【推荐3】I was getting ready to go to bed when the phone rang. This could not be good. My mind raced through the list of family members who might need help, but the voice was hardly familiar.

"Lindy, this is Lesley." I didn't know Lesley well. We did occasionally speak with each other, but to say we were friends was not appropriate. I asked what she needed. Perhaps something really awful caused her to reach someone she barely knew. Instead, she asked me, "Do you have room for a turkey? In your freezer?" We had lots of room in our freezer, and in fact, too much. "I responded, "Did your freezer break down?" "Not exactly," Lesley replied, "but I will explain when I arrive. "

Minutes later came a huge freezer truck, Lesley stepped down and explained the lease(租约) of the grocery store her husband serviced had run out and that they had to empty all the freezers that very night. Thinking it was a shame to throw away all this good food, they decided to drop off food to anyone she could think of. Noticing our freezer was pretty empty, Lesley asked to fill it up. Our home was their last stop and anything left would have to be put in our freezer. An hour later, everything finished, I asked her, "When will you come back for all this?” Lesley laughed," We don't want it back. It is yours! Thanks for helping us out!" Then they waved goodbye and drove away.

"For helping them out?" We opened our freezer door. Inside were all expensive foods we never bought but often longed to try. We were struggling to buy groceries, yet it was not something we shared with anyone. However, our needs were met in an unexpected way, by that call, "Do you have room for a turkey?"

【推荐1】Open water swimming

I had only swum in open water a few times, and always in gentle lakes, so I wasn’t prepared for how rough Lake Windermere appeared on a cold day. A swimmer told me the water felt colder than it had been measured, and that the water was a bit rough. But I, along with 10,000 others, was about to complete the challenge.

Most of the people taking part were doing a one-mile race, and 10 races were planned over the weekend. There seemed to be a mix of open-water enthusiasts alongside complete beginners — which is precisely the aim of the swims, to get as many people as possible completing their own challenge. The oldest woman competing was 77, taking part in the two-mile race, alongside a man who last year had swum in every one-mile race.

I had chosen the third one-mile race of the day. There were over 600 people in my race. We were taken through a preparation area, a children’s paddling pool-sized part of the lake where we moved in to feel how cold the water was. “Not too bad” was everyone’s thought! Then we headed out towards the middle of the lake.

We’d been warned that the first 100 meters would be really rough. However, somewhere near the 750m mark I was still waiting for the calm; it felt more like swimming in the sea than a lake. I tried to focus on my breathing and technique, and just keep going. As I approached the 400m-to-go mark my lower right leg became painful. I recalled overhearing people talking about how they kept swimming through the pain, so I tried. But it didn’t work. I began to feel the entire leg tight and painful. I didn’t want to stop, so I bent my right knee and just kicked with the left leg.

Finally, I saw the finishing post, and I just concentrated on getting there — still one-legged. My finishing time was 38 minutes 25 seconds but that didn’t matter — the atmosphere was fantastic and everyone felt a sense of achievement, whatever their time. I’m attracted and want to give it another go. I’ve already signed up for my next open-water swim.

【推荐2】I had a picnic one day with my sister. We both like to ride her motorcycle and that day we rode it to the nearest park. We bought some coffee and cakes, and then we enjoyed our food. Within a few hours, the sky changed and looked ready for a heavy rain. We packed everything and were ready to go. My sister, who was sitting on a bench then, suddenly was very still and couldn’t talk to me. She couldn’t move. Her eyes were rolling and she was about to lose consciousness (知觉). I held her in my arms and asked if she wanted to rest. She didn’t answer and only said   “Sorry.”

It started to rain and I didn’t know what to do. She was fighting to stay aware but her skin was pale and her eyes were acting strangely. Suddenly, from nowhere, a woman on a bicycle appeared, wearing a raincoat. “She isn’t looking good. Do you want me to call an ambulance (救护车)?” “Yes, please, yes!” I begged.

She did. Struggling with the rain, she managed to call some policemen, who quickly helped me carry my sister to a safer place. The ambulance arrived and we went to a hospital, where she was treated in time and she came to life the next morning after some rest and medical help.

An interesting fact was that I guessed the woman in the raincoat was a doctor or a nurse. I later learned from one of the police officers who told me:   “No.   She was an ordinary person who took some courses on emergency situations (紧急情况). ”

I am so grateful that she appeared exactly at the right moment. I don’t know why or how. I didn’t even get the chance to say thanks to her.

【推荐3】I’m 62 now and always planned to volunteer with older people when I retired. There was such a big gap in the care and support this generation receives and I found the thought heartbreaking — no one should have to feel lonely and stuck at home.

I started volunteering three years ago. My team of volunteers have set up seven groups in our town. We host tea parties for those aged 75 and older who live on their own and regularly provide support, friendship and companionship for the most isolated (孤独的) older people in the community.

Working with my older neighbors is rewarding. To hear their stories and the hardships they have overcome is inspiring. I feel like I’m making a positive difference to the lives of older people by sharing my time with them, helping them stay active and social and making clear to them that they are valued by our community.

As an area coordinator (协调人), I also help recruit (招募) and manage volunteers, without whom the work would be impossible. So many go above and beyond what’s asked, offering time, energy and kindness, just because they care. I’ve found enthusiasm from people making the lives of our older neighbors better, and they are a constant source of inspiration for me.

I’ve met amazing people from all walks of life. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done that enriched my life. I will keep focusing on reducing loneliness and isolation among the elderly and helping them enjoy the old age they deserve.