Every year after the rainy season, around the     1     (nine) month of the Tibetan calendar, the Potala Palace carries out     2     (it) annual painting project. This year, the “makeover” started on Oct 18. Many people in Lhasa joined in the work of painting the outside walls of the UNESCO World Heritage site.

The Potala Palace is a landmark of Lhasa, capital of Tibet,     3     was built in the 7th century by the Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo (松赞干布). According to locals, in the past, painting the Potala Palace would take about a month. Now, thanks     4     the progress in technology, the painting can be finished within a week. Before painting, workers mix local lime (石灰) with things such as milk, honey and sugar. As they     5     (use), locals also call the Potala Palace the “sweet palace”.

Many locals queued up in long lines in the early morning to take part in the painting,     6     (consider) it to be an honor. “We queued for a long time yesterday     7     we failed to enter the palace,” said a young woman. “Today, we came to line up in the early morning. We were so lucky to get the chance     8     (participate) in the painting of the palace.”

“I have been taking part in the annual paintings of the palace for more than 20 years,” said Dawa, 57, another happy     9     (paint). “I consider the palace to be a very     10     (value) heritage, and I am proud to be part of the painting team.”

Choosing to study abroad is one of the best    1    (decide) I have ever made. This past summer I lived in Rome, Italy for six weeks through a program    2     (call) Study Abroad Italy. I chose to study abroad because I felt that I needed a change in my life and it sounded much    3     (interesting) than working behind a desk in a familiar environment. The life lessons and people skills    4     I acquired while in Italy are what I could have only learned    5     an experience like this, not from sitting in a classroom.

The Romans    6    (be) the nicest people you will ever meet. They were so    7     (help) when I was trying to talk with them and were just so excited and honored that I chose to visit    8     (they) country. I fully experienced the phrase “When in Rome…”and loved how they live everyday to the fullest. I can’t fully describe how     9    (amaze) this whole experience was but I can say that if you have the opportunity    10     (go)abroad, then take it and enjoy every minute of it.