【推荐1】I recently posted a picture on Face book from the movie Mad Max, a film where two groups race through the desert in steam punk vehicle, and wrote, “Actual picture of my way to work today.” It was meant to be a joke because of the sandstorms in Beijing, but one of my friends from back home thought it was real.

I couldn't imagine how they could think that is actually what China is like. China has so many more convenience and advantage than the West, and many of my friends agree, “I don't know how I will be able to deal when I go back home,” said a friend who is about to end her gap year in Beijing. “I've be become so spoiled in China.”

China seems to be leading the way in innovation(创新) and convenience for daily life. Back home I could never shop, pull out my phone and scan a QR code to pay.

There have been rumors of starting bike sharing in my hometown for years with little success while bike sharing suddenly appeared in Beijing overnight. I just step outside and scan a code, and dam on my way.

Going out to eat with a group of friends back home was troubles or me for both the group and the servers. Splitting bills and wiping(刷) 10 different cards or making change for each person in the group can be a pain. But with China's We Chat, you can quickly send your friends your part of the bill.

The list goes on...

When I first arrived in Beijing, I was dead set on leaving in a month. That month has come and gone. Now, when someone asks me when I'm coming back, I think to myself, “Who knows?”

While my friends think I am riding through the desert on a motorbike, I am actually taking a Didi for what is the equivalent of $5 in the US.

With all the convenience and technology here, I may never want to go back.

I am a member at the Blue Ridge Mountains Writers Conference. This is the conference where I got my start about 15 years ago, so it feels special whenever I go back there.

I usually teach multiple sessions, host a table at meals where I can talk with conferees, and often have about 40-50 private appointments with attendees. I take great pleasure in giving my personal advice on the beginners' writing journey after listening to their puzzlement.

And then I realized something, as I looked across the room and saw Al Gansky and Eva Marie Everson whom I'd had private appointments with many years ago when I was one of the conferees. The only reason I am a member there now is because countless people like them have invested in me. As a new writer, I once expressed my book ideas to Al and Eva, and they encouraged me a lot. Award-winning authors Yvonne Lehman and Steven James welcomed me to their group and shared their knowledge. And Edie, Vonda, Linda, Lynette, Michelle and so many others became my writing friends, offering encouragement and support along the way. I'd never have made it on this journey without them.

Last week, I was invited to experience the life in the countryside with some writer friends. I refused the invitation at first. I was away from home a lot because of the numerous book releases and conferences. I felt so exhausted that I just wanted to stay at home. However, my sweet husband said, "Honey, why don't you go? It will be good for you. It can be a great source of inspiration for you."I'd never have made it without the support of this precious man who's been my chief encourager. It moves me to tears to think about all the times he's cleaned the kitchen, folded the laundry, taken care of our children and lugged my suitcases to the car so I can chase my dreams.

I wouldn't be where I am today without all the supportive people and I want to give them a much-deserved shout-out today.

【推荐3】The world is an interesting place. Different people like different things.     1    . Other people don’t. They like soft music.

Many people like sports, but they do not all like the same sports. In some countries, cricket is a very popular sport; In others it is not popular at all. No one plays it or watches it on TV.

However, most people like soccer.     2     Millions of people watch the games on TV.

    3     Some people do not like meat. They eat fruit and vegetables most of the time.Some people do not like potatoes or bread. They prefer rice.

Not everyone likes the same color. Most people have their favorite colors. Some people like bright colors.     4    

Many people like traveling. Different people like different places.     5     They like the fresh air. Some people like to go to the cities. Because they like shopping. Some other people enjoy beautiful places like the mountains or beaches.

【推荐1】In October 1937, a newly published book became an instant hit in London, with more than 100, 000 copies sold in just a few weeks and still much sought after following three additional printings. That book was Red Star Over China by Edgar Snow, an American journalist who first made the Communist Party of China(CPC中国共产党) known to the world.

In the 1930s, China was in the war of resistance against Japan. The Long March finally took the Central Red Army to Shaanbei in October 1935. Yan’an, a small town in Shaanbei and then the base of the CPC, was like an isle (小岛) surrounded by the ocean of the Kuomintang’ s military and information blockage. The world knew little about the CPC and the Red Army.

In order to pursue valuable news in China, Snow made it to Yan’an after a long and difficult journey on July 13, 1936. After over 100 days in Shaanbei, Snow was fascinated by the unique charm of the East, something he believed representing the light of rejuvenation (复苏) for the ancient nation of China. For him, the Communists were the most outstanding men and women he had met in China in the past decade with the “military discipline, political morale, and the will to victory”. He recalled his four-month time with the Red Army as a most inspiring experience, during which he had met with the most free and happy Chinese he’d ever known. In these people who devoted themselves to what they believed was the right and just cause, Snow felt an energetic hope, passion and the unbeatable strength of mankind, something he had never felt again ever since.

In the preface (前言) to Red Star Over China, Snow attributed the global popularity of the book not to its style or form, but the stories. According to him, the stories were created by the young Chinese revolutionists and based on the accounts of them. What he did was simply writing them down in words as fair as the water running in spring.

【推荐1】Math had never been something I was good at since middle school. Classes became harder in high school, and I was even further from a math teacher’s dream student. So at the start of my freshman year, I really loathed math. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to do well, but simply that I didn’t think I was able to do well. “I can’t” became my state of mind in all things about math.

However, I was soon to learn that “I can’t” was not a choice in Mr. A’s class.

Mr. A always greeted us with open arms as he said, “Welcome! Smile! It’s a great day to be alive!” It was clear that Mr. A had a true passion (热情) not only for math but for teaching. If Mr. A ever experienced bad days in life, he never showed it. Mr. A greeted us with that same smile every day. He encouraged each student, from the top achiever to the “T can’t” student.

I found myself looking forward to math class, although I still hated the subject itself. Being in Mr. A’s presence made me feel good, as if I had the chance to succeed. As the year progressed, I spent increasingly more time on my homework, and I met with Mr. A weekly. My classmates began to do the same, and it became “cool” to have lunch and talk with Mr. A. We didn’t know it at the time, but he was changing our attitudes.

Though my story is not one of overnight successes and I didn’t become a straight-A math student, my hard work did begin to pay off and my grades slowly began to climb. There were hard times, of course. Difficult math questions sometimes succeeded in bringing me down, but Mr. A kept reminding me, “Kate, smile! It’s a-great day to be alive!”

【推荐2】Michael Priscilla is a young architect with a blog that I follow. In a post, he described how in 2005, he rode coast-to-coast, 4,547 miles to Portland, Oregon, and he ended up staying there. He thought his experience changed his life.

The story resonated with me, because when I was 17, the summer before I went into architecture school, I did much the same thing, and it changed my life too. I did not go quite as far, traveling 2,700 miles to Vancouver.

But it was still a very long way and in 1970, nobody was riding bikes. Our diet only consisted of a loaf of white bread and a jar of peanut butter each meal, or dinner with other people in the campgrounds who were just amazed that we were doing this. Equipment was primitive and we had no sunscreen.

But, as it was for Michael, it was a life-changing experience. I have never forgotten that everything weighs something and every ounce matters; in architecture I always tended toward light and portable and simple. I learned that people of all ages and origins are generally really, really nice and helpful and friendly. When I got back to architecture school, I saw the world differently, understood space and time differently, and I don’t think that ever left me.

Going with the flow, having a good attitude and just being open to accept whatever happens, is the formula (公式)to having an amazing experience. Worrying and planning too much stops any experience from ever taking place. This is a hard lesson to learn.

Nowadays, lots of people of all ages are doing it. In America and Europe, bicycle tourism has become a big deal, with one website noting that bicycle vacations are the new golf. Perhaps crossing the entire country is a bit much, but reading Michael’s post makes me want to get back on my bike and take a good long ride.

【推荐3】As a teenager, school was difficult for me. I had a kind of attention disorder, which means I couldn’t direct my attention to what I was doing. So when everyone else in the class was centering their attention on tasks, I could not.

In my first reading class, Mrs. Smith asked us to read a story and then write on it, all finished in 45 minutes. I immediately put up my hand and said, “Mrs. Smith, you see, the doctor said I have attention problems. I might not be able to finish the task.”

She looked down at me through her glasses, saying, “You are not different from your classmates, young man.” With her encouragement, I tried. But I didn’t finish the reading when the bell rang. I had to take it home.

In the quietness of my bedroom, the story suddenly all became clear to me. It was about a blind person, Louis Braille. He lived in a time when the blind couldn’t get much education. But Louis didn’t give up. Instead, he invented a reading system of raised dots (点), which opened up a whole new world of knowledge to the blind.

Wasn’t I the “blind” in my class, being made to learn like the “sighted” students? With thoughts running through my head, I found myself deeply attracted in reading and writing. I completed the task in less than 40 minutes. I realized that I was not different from others. I just needed a quieter place. If Louis could find his way out of his problem, why should I ever give up?

I didn’t expect anything when I handed in my paper to Mrs. Smith, so it was quite a surprise when it came back to me the next day with an “A” on it. At the bottom of the paper were these words, “See what you can do when you keep trying?”