【推荐3】An Indiana man ordered a Sausage McMuffin at his local McDonald’s and got much more than he expected.

On January 6, TikTok user Josiah Vargas, aka @ dookiedoeboy, shared a video detailing his trip to a McDonald’s drive-through in Elkhart, Indiana that resulted in him receiving much more than he ordered. In the video, which has attracted over 2.3 million views, Vargas is shocked by what he finds in his to-go bag instead of breakfast: thousands of dollars.

“Why? There’s a couple thousand dollars here,” Vargas says, holding up a baggie full of $20bills. “Like, why would they do this? Why would they give this to me?”

Vargas took to TikTok to share his shocking discovery, knowing that he could easily take the money and leave the McDonald’s workers in quite a bind. But, ultimately, he says he knows what he needs to do.

“Now I have to return it because I’m a good person, I guess,” Vargas says, putting the money back in the bag. “How interesting!”

After he walks into the store, he gives the bag to a worker at the register. The worker realizes he’s returning the cash they had been looking for. Amid all the relieved reactions from staff that can be heard from McDonald’s staff, one employee asks if they could give him a hug — which he accepts.

Back in the car, Vargas reflects on his good deed. “They were just all hugging me and thanking me,” he says. “When I was driving away, they called me back in. They gave me $200as well as free McDonald’s for a month.”

The TikTok ends with Vargas sharing what he believes to be the moral of the story. “Do good, people. Returned $5,000, got $200 and free McDonald’s for a month,” he says. “Good trade value and maybe a viral TikTok.”

【推荐1】University students have three questions that can provide a gateway to a conversation with their new peers: “What do you study?”, “What year are you in?”, and “Where are you from?” The final question can be the most difficult for many like me. I was born in Switzerland, grew up in the United States, spent my teenage years in Denmark, and now study in Edinburgh in the UK. So, how do I reply to that question?

Living abroad, my family and I spent our summers in a small Danish town considered “home”. As a child, I only saw Denmark through rose-tinted glasses; summer was never-ending; I was surrounded by family, and I didn’t have school. This image changed when we moved from the United States to Copenhagen.

Our views about physical places change throughout our lives, as new memories are formed in the same locations.

When I came across the term third-culture kid, I realized this concept of feeling rootless is a more widespread phenomenon than I’d thought. A third-culture kid is someone who has spent their formative years in a country different from their parents’ homeland.

These children often form tighter bonds with their family, as everything else is uncertain while family is the only thing unchanged. These kids find it difficult to relate to their peers because of their different childhoods. Worldwide, most people spend their lives in the same country, if not the same town, as they were born in. This creates a sense of community and unity, which third-culture kids can often feel excluded (被排斥的) from.

The psychological walls many third-culture kids put up to protect themselves emotionally can be equally as frustrating for those around them as it is for themselves. Third-culture kids may not put effort into friendships and they might unintentionally neglect these friendships because they don’t believe they will last forever.

I was never fully aware of my unwillingness to let people in until my new friends insisted on getting to know me. I found a true home in Edinburgh, unlike anything I’d known before. My familial home will always be Denmark, but Edinburgh is now the place where I finally feel like I belong.

【推荐2】Before coming to China, the Great Wall held a mysterious and poetic quality for me. I had seen it in photos, in films and read about it in books, but my first experience of the wall gave me a very different impression. In 2014, I visited the Badaling section, certainly an attractive place with some incredible views, but perhaps due to the large number of tourists, the massive restorations and tourist facilities, it felt far different from the impression I had built up in my mind.

I have been to many different sections of the wall since then, but none have matched my high expectations until the recent National Day holiday. I decided to hike along the Jiankou section of the wall which rises more than 1,000 meters above sea level, and camp overnight to be able to take in both the sunset and sunrise.

Arriving at the top of the path, the only access point to get on to the wall itself was a ladder made of tree branches tied together with string. I climbed to one of the highest points on the wall in order to catch the sunset. Being completely alone on this unique and dangerous section of the wall, witnessing the sunset behind the mountains, was a truly unique experience.

I woke up expecting to be able to catch the sunrise, however, my weather app failed me. Getting out of the tent, I could hardly see my hand in front of my face as the whole area was covered in a thick fog. I made the decision to climb back to the top of the wall. The vast mountains with the wall cutting a path along them became visible for a few brief moments as the gusts of wind parted the clouds. In that moment, the image of the wall I had built up in my mind was finally realized. The combination of raw nature, geography and architecture are all in balance with one another. Undoubtedly, I will return to the wall and seek out new paths, but this experience will be matchless.

【推荐3】Night fell. A policeman was patrolling(巡逻) in his block when he noticed a man leaning against the doorway of a restaurant. “It’s all right here, officer, I’m waiting for a friend. 20 years ago tonight, I dined here with Jimmy Wells, my best buddy. I was to leave for the West the next day. We agreed to meet here again 20 years later.” said the man, striking a match to light his cigar. “Hope your friend comes around.” said the policeman, passing on along his beat.

20 minutes later a tall man in a long overcoat went directly to the waiting man. “Is that you, Bob?” he asked doubtfully. “Is that you, Jimmy Wells?” cried the man. “Oh!” exclaimed the new arrival. “It’s Bob! How has the West treated you, old sport?” “It’s given me everything. You’ve changed lots — so tall by two or three inches.” “I grew a bit.” “Doing well here?” “Moderately. Come on, let s go to my place and have a good talk. ”

The two hit the road, arm in arm, with one boasting his career in the West. At the corner stood a drug store, brilliant with electric lights. When they came into this glare, each of them stared at the others’ face.

The man from the West stopped and released his arm, “You’re not Jimy Wells. 20 years is not long enough to change a man’s nose from a Roman to a pug.”

“It sometimes changes a good man into a bad one,” said the tall man. “You’ve been under arrest for ten minutes, ‘Silky’ Bob. Chicago thinks you may have dropped over our way and wires us she wants to have a chat with you. Before going to the station, here’s a note to you from Patrol man Wells.”

The man unfolded the note, reading:

“Bob: I was at the appointed place on time. When you struck the match, I saw it was the face wanted in Chicago. Somehow I couldn’t do it myself, so I went around and got a plain clothes man to do the job. JIMMY.”