As you know, I went home for a week to participate in my friends' wedding. It was very good! I got to visit with some of my friends who I hadn't seen in a long time and meet some new friends. I also got to eat some American food and speak English all the time! :-)

 

I played the piano in my friends' wedding. In American weddings, there is usually a lot of music. Sometimes only one person will play an instrument, sometimes many people play many instruments, and sometimes people sing. Every wedding is different. The couple (mostly the bride) will plan the wedding, and decide what music they like. My friend told me some songs she wanted me to play, and I had to decide about the rest. There is music at the beginning of the wedding - usually when the guests enter, when the mothers enter, when the "wedding party" (the friends that stand next to the bride and groom) enters, and finally when the bride enters the music will be different. Often there is music in the middle of the wedding, for example when the couple is lighting the unity candle. There is also music at the end of the wedding when everyone walks out together. Altogether, there is maybe one hour of music during a wedding. I was very nervous about playing in my friends' wedding, because I wanted it to be perfect. I think all in all I played well, although I think I could've done better.

 

The bride was beautiful. She has long, dark (almost black) hair, and her dress was beautiful. We friends have been waiting a long time for them to get married, so we are very happy that they are finally married now!

 

After the wedding I went with some of my friends to a famous place in America called "Niagara Falls". It was very close to my friends' home (where the wedding took place) so we took a short trip there. It was really great! Niagara Falls is the largest waterfall in North America, and it is very impressive.

 

Soon after that, I came back to China. The week went by very quickly. I had almost no time to rest at all! I was very tired when I got home. The only thing I regret is that I didn't have a chance to see my family on this trip. I was too far away. My friends got married in Pennsylvania, and my family and I live in Indiana. It was too bad that I didn't get to see them, but I will see them again in a few weeks.

 

Tell me what you all think of the weddings we had in class! :-)

Congratulations to everyone who participated in the sports meeting two weeks ago! I had a wonderful time watching my students (new and old) and spending time with everyone. You all did a wonderful job! Jia you!!

In class a few weeks ago we talked about college life. I think that some things are very similar between China and America, but some things are very different. Here are some examples:

 

Classrooms:

In America, students and teachers both move from classroom to classroom and building to building. There is no fixed classroom for any one class. At my university, there are many, many students, so it is impossible for every class to have its own classroom. You must take your books with you to the different classes. In China, (at Tai Shan Xue Yuan) it seems that most classes have their own classroom. Sometimes students will go to a different place for a different class, but most of the major classes meet in the same place.

 

Activities:

In American universities, there are many, many activities students can take part in. You can imagine almost anything! If there is anything that interests you, you can probably find a club or activity group about it. There are also many groups at this school, such as dancing, but I think in America there are more. Sports, academics, music, common interests, anything is possible! Students can choose to participate or not. Some activities require a small fee (money), but many do not.

 

Dorm rooms:

In American universities, the largest number of people in one dorm is usually four, and there are not many rooms like that. Most dorm rooms have only two people in them, and some have only one. There are usually two beds in one room, two closets, and two desks (each desk has a chair and shelves above it). The rooms are small, but comfortable. In China, there are more people, so more people must share space. In this university, most dorm rooms have six people, and I think some have only four. The rooms look comfortable, but I also know that the electricity must be turned off at 11:00PM and sometimes the electricity doesn't work. In America, the electricity in the dormitories stays on all night. Students must learn to be responsible with the electricity they use.

 

Choosing classes/schedules:

In America, when you choose a major, there are certain classes that you must take, but you can choose your other classes. An advisor will help you make your schedule, but no one will tell you exactly which classes to take and exactly when to take them. You must make the decisions on your own. This teaches you how to use your time wisely and efficiently, and how to be responsible with your time. It also allows students to choose things that they want to learn. If you are studying chemistry, but would like to learn about photography, that is okay!! In China, most of the time the schedule is already made for you. Students can choose some elective classes, but most of the classes are already arranged.

 

Duty/Morning exercise:

In America, there is no morning exercise, and no time to be "on duty". There are too many students, and the students all have too many different class schedules. All of the teachers would be very upset if their classes didn't meet sometimes. If the school chose to cancel classes for any reason, all of the teachers would be informed a long time before it happened. I think this is also a difference between America and China.

 

Can you think of any other differences between American and Chinese universities? If you have any questions about college life in America, please ask me! :)

 

Last week in class we talked about the holiday of Easter. It is a very special holiday, not only in America, but around the world. It began 2000 years ago, when a man named Jesus lived.

 

When Jesus was alive, He taught many things. He taught about love and about the right way to live, and He taught about God. He also said He was the Son of God. This made the leaders in that time very angry, and they decided they needed to get rid of Him. The leaders had Him arrested, given a trial, beaten, and killed. He died a very painful, slow, and shameful death on a cross. That kind of death was used only for the worst criminals, but they killed Jesus that way even though He had done nothing wrong. After He was killed, Jesus' friends put His body into a tomb and covered it with a very heavy stone. Later some of His friends came to His tomb, but they found that the stone was rolled away and He was not in the tomb anymore, because He was alive! He showed Himself to many people before He returned to Heaven.

 

This seems like such a nice story, but it is more than just a story. God loves us all very much, but all the time we are doing things that separate us from Him. Those things are what we call sin. God loves us so much that He wanted to make a way for us to not be separated from Him anymore. Just like the story of the father and the brothers, God wants to welcome us back when we come to Him. But also like the younger brother, when we do wrong things we deserve punishment. When Jesus came and died on the cross, He took our punishment for us. Because of that, we can come to God freely and not be separated from Him anymore. Also, when Jesus came back to life, He made a way for us to have new life also. We don't have to be afraid of death anymore, because something even better is waiting for us -- life forever with God. All we have to do is believe in Him.

 

This is the reason that I always have a smile on my face. People ask me why I'm happy all the time and what I do if I am in a bad mood. The only answer is that God makes me happy. He puts a smile on my face. When I am in a bad mood, I know that I can always pray and read my Bible, and God will give me comfort. Maybe some people think I talk about the Bible or about Jesus too much, but I have to. He is the biggest, most important part of my life. I cannot talk about myself without mentioning Jesus and what He did for me. I want everyone to also know Him and to know the peace He brings. It is a peace that no one can explain -- it is beyond our understanding. It does not take years of study or lots of knowledge about the Bible to know Jesus. It is something that can happen immediately. If any of you want to know more about the reason I am always so happy, please ask me. I always love to talk about it!

 

We do many fun things on Easter, like coloring eggs and searching for eggs, but I hope you also know that the real meaning of Easter is something much more special, much more important than just eggs. It is all about the new life we can have from Jesus. I hope you all have (or had) a wonderful Easter holiday!

Yesterday I was not very happy. When I was walking toward the football field to meet a friend, I lost one of my rings. That ring is very special to me. My parents gave it to me, and I have been wearing it for many years now. I am always very afraid of losing it, and I take care to keep it with me. When I realized that I lost it, I was devastated (very, very unhappy). My friends helped me look for it for a long time, but with no success. We asked some students who were on duty to help us. Another friend put up a notice on the blackboard that I had lost my ring. Finally, we had to give up. It was starting to get dark, and I had to go home. I had no hope of ever finding my ring again.

 

At night I visited some friends who live in the same building, and I also told them about my ring and how sad I was. They were also very sorry for me. We spent some time together, and then I returned to my home to go to bed. I put all of my things on my bed before I brushed my teeth. When I went back to my room, there, on my bed, was the ring I had been looking for all afternoon. It was not there when I first arrived at home in the afternoon. It was not there in the morning before I left for school. I don't know how it got there. The only thing that I can say is that I am very thankful that I have it again! I thank God that He helped me to find it. When I was searching for my ring, I prayed that God would help me find it. Perhaps there is a simple explanation for why my ring was on my bed after I lost it at school. The truth is, I don't think it matters how it got there. I asked God to help me find it, and He did. Because of that, I praise Him!