On the morning of our long- awaited graduation day, expectation filled the air as I together with my best friends Sarah, Maria and Grace gathered our bags, waited for the plane and set about our adventure to Barcelona. For months, we had been dreaming about this moment, which marked the end of years of burying ourselves in hard work and staying dedicated. It was three months ago in a history class that we were drawn to its rich history, from the medieval streets of the Gothic Quarter to the groundbreaking historical architecture of Antoni Gaudi.

The happiness of burying ourselves in a new culture, filled with amazing and new cuisine and friendly people, advanced our excitement. However, despite our enthusiasm, we couldn’t ignore the fact that none of us spoke Spanish so fluently. On the day before setting off, we were still hesitant about whether to go or not. While surfing on the Internet for advice, we found that most people travelling to Barcelona considered the locals friendly and warm-hearted ones who are always willing to offer help. A sense of relief and expectation took the place of the worries. We made up our minds to go there.

As we stepped off the plane, bathed in Spanish warm sunshine, our spirits rose high. We kicked off our journey with a wander down Las Ramblas, enjoying the energy and talent of street performers. Down by the street, the traditional buildings and precious cultural sites were a true feast for the eyes.

Yet, the days passing by, unforeseen challenges began to take place. On the last day of the journey, as we were lost in the beauty of the amazing squares and traditional buildings, Sarah put forward that we could play the game of cat and mouse to better explore the architectures. After arranging our roles, we ran towards different directions to hide, while the cat, Sarah, began to count down to find and catch us.

Hiding myself in the corner of a hall, I carefully observed Sarah.

Panic seized our group as we found Sarah's left arm bleeding.

Yours,

Li Hua

It was a sunny day. Sophie and her parents decided to go boating in the park. Sophie was amazed by the calm lake in front of her when she reached the lake. It was so still that it reflected (映出) the clouds above like a mirror. But when Sophie walked excitedly to the shore of the lake, she saw small waves spread out. After a while, the lake became calm again, and the perfect reflection of the clouds returned.

Feeling adventurous, Sophie wanted to discover more about the lake. Her dad saw how excited she was and gave her a life jacket to put on. After they were both ready, they got into a boat to explore the quiet waters. The boatman (船夫) gave her a paddle (船桨) and showed her how to use it. At first, Sophie wasn’t good at using the paddle, but with the help of the boatman, she quickly mastered the technique of rowing.

As they moved further into the lake, they passed over some green and heart-shaped leaves floating on the water. Yellow flowers stood out among the leaves, shining in the sunlight. It looked like something from a beautiful painting.

Then, as they left the area with the flowers behind, a butterfly landed on Sophie’s paddle. “Hi, how beautiful,” she said before it flew away. Sophie tried to paddle softly. “Let’s stay close to the shore,” her dad suggested.

Sophie was excited when she saw a turtle (龟) swimming near them. It had short legs and red and yellow on its neck. “Hi, I’m Sophie. What’s your name? You’ve got four paddles. We only have two,” she told the turtle. She wanted to get a better look, but the turtle swam away. “Was I too loud, Dad? Do you think it’ll come back?” she asked. Her dad just smiled and nodded.

The lake had more surprises waiting for them.

Just then Sophie’s mother waved from the shore and called them back.