Reward after returning from the trip

What you learned after returning from the trip

2014-9-3 12:36

Our ancestors said, "Reading thousands of books is not as good as traveling thousands of miles." The famous saying is deeply rooted in people's hearts. Since the meaning of traveling is even more than studying, after returning from my trip of more than two months, I can’t help but take stock of what I gained from this trip!

On June 26, the first day of my daughter’s vacation, we left California and flew to Florida, staying in Florida for 12 days. On July 8, it took off from Miami in the eastern United States and arrived in Zurich, the largest city in Switzerland. From July 8th to August 28th, we spent most of this summer vacation in Europe. Having been to Europe several times, my daughter and I are no longer as curious and fussy as the first time. We have become more understanding, tolerant and accustomed to the many different customs and customs we see in front of us.

Returning from vacation has gained a lot. Some of these gains are visible. For example: when we left California, each of us had one checked suitcase. When we came back, our suitcases were packed to the limit, and we paid an extra $200 to bring two more checked suitcases, plus one for each person. The heavy backpack behind me. In addition to the things we bought for ourselves, I also foresighted some of the gifts I planned to bring to my family and friends when I return to China next year; each of us gained a beautiful wheat color on our faces, and when we went out to meet friends, everyone said we were Looks extremely healthy. I am used to seeing the bronzed skin of Westerners, especially Europeans. The day before yesterday, when I was shopping with my daughter, I saw several Asian women wearing shorts with their white thighs exposed. Like the local Italians, they have dinner at 9 o'clock every night, then stroll back to the hotel in the middle of the night. Facing the Gelato shops all over the street, they can't help but be tempted to buy a cup of sweet and tempting ice cream to eat while walking almost every day. Italian desserts are delicious and you won’t get tired of them. The Italian word for ice cream, Gelato, is also the first word that many foreigners who have been to Italy learn, just like the German word Bier (beer). Although we walk under the scorching sun every day, our weight inevitably increases. In addition, I ate a lot of meat and drank a lot of wine during my stay in Germany. When I came back and weighed myself, I painfully discovered that my weight had reached a record high! Gained over 6 pounds! These 6 pounds of fat were unevenly distributed on my belly, which made me feel in danger! What follows will be the most serious weight loss exercise ever in my life! !

Speaking of invisible gains, the three of us each have a lot.

After traveling to several countries in Europe and seeing the unique customs and customs of each country, my political commissar realized that for us, California is our home. Even though there are many possibilities and choices, we The future is still in the United States. Because my husband's friend Y works at the United Nations Headquarters in Geneva, Y asked his opinion a few years ago whether he would like to work in Geneva if he had the opportunity. At that time, we all thought that it would be extremely exciting to find such a high-level position at the United Nations Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. Like Y, after getting the position, he sold his house and company in California, moved his family to Europe, and chose I started living in such a quiet French village with only 500 people. This time I had the opportunity to visit it in person. After I came back, I felt that for us, we are more adaptable to the environment and life in the United States. We can go to Europe for vacation and travel, but not for life and work.

For me, after traveling around Europe, I began to appreciate English from the bottom of my heart. I felt that there was really no reason not to learn English well. After returning to the United States from Europe, I watched TV and went shopping. The people around me spoke a language I could understand, and my heart was filled with a familiar yet long-lost sense of intimacy. While I was in Europe, I heard a language I didn't understand every day, and I gradually began to feel like I was illiterate. I am lucky enough to have come to the United States and learn to speak this language that is the easiest for me, a native Chinese whose native language is Chinese, whose tongue cannot move dexterously, and who makes strange "R" sounds from all angles.

Two words that are used every day in Italy, "Thank you" (Grazie) and "You're welcome" (Prego), both require a special r sound, and this sound is particularly difficult for us Chinese to pronounce. I tried hard. Many times my words were not authentic and I was very frustrated. During more than a month in Europe, except for a week in London, the rest of the time I was surrounded by people who spoke German and Italian. Because I couldn't understand, I could only vaguely understand what the other person meant through their body language, which felt very uncomfortable.

Finally, let’s talk about my daughter. Travel is the most rewarding thing for a 14-year-old young man.

I remember when I was chatting with my blogger friend Xiaolu in Melbourne, Australia a few years ago, in order to encourage my daughter not to give up Chinese, she asked her a brain-teaser question: A person can speak two languages. What's it called? It's called Bilingual; what is it called when a person can speak three languages? It's called Trilingual; what is the name of a person who can speak a language? It's called American. This should be a little joke made by people from other countries in the world to laugh at Americans for not speaking any foreign language except English. My daughter and I were deeply impressed. I later told this joke to the Americans around me, and everyone laughed and nodded in agreement.

When I travel to Europe, I meet many Europeans who can speak several foreign languages. They can switch between various languages ??freely and with ease, which makes me very envious. My daughter took Spanish as an elective course in school for two years. She learned it extremely well and was extremely talented. Because Spanish is very close to Italian, she enjoyed her time in Italy very much. Italians are generally not as proficient in English as Germans. If we need to ask for directions or help, we ask our daughter to help using the Spanish she knows. She was shy at first and worried that the Spanish she spoke would not be understood by Italians. Later, on the one hand, she became bolder with our encouragement, and on the other hand, she realized that there were regular and slight differences in pronunciation between Spanish and Italian, which was enough for her to make Italians understand what she wanted to express.

I remember our first stop in Venice, Italy. When we took the bus, we found that there was no route map on the bus, and the driver did not announce the stop. Every time we arrived at the stop, we nervously looked around. The stop sign outside the window. I have always been unwilling to believe that the buses in Venice do not have the function of announcing stops. Later, I discovered an electronic sign above the back door of the car with text scrolling and an arrow pointing toward the door. I pointed to the electronic sign above and asked my daughter: Is it announcing the name of the station? My daughter looked up at the Italian sign on it and told me that it said to ring the bell in advance if you want to get off the bus. Only then did I understand why there was an arrow there, which indicated where to ring the bell. Another day I got on the bus and sat near the front door. I saw an electronic sign above. I asked my daughter: Is this supposed to announce the name of the station? My daughter read the text on it and told me no, it was to remind you to swipe your card when getting on the bus to make your card valid. I told my daughter: It’s great to see you learn Spanish and at the same time understand Italian. You can read and understand it wherever you go! If my mother cannot read or understand, she is no different from being illiterate.

I think this experience has increased her interest and determination in learning Spanish a lot.

My daughter came to the United States when she was seven years old. I never put too much pressure on her to continue learning Chinese. Although her Chinese Pinyin foundation is very good, her Chinese level has not been significantly improved.

The night before I was leaving Europe, when I was saying good night, my daughter sat in front of me very seriously and said to me: Mom, I want you to start teaching me Chinese after we return to the United States? Spend a certain amount of time every week teaching me. But you have to give me more patience. You think it is very simple and I should know it. Maybe I don’t remember it, but I am determined to learn it well. Listening to what the child said, what reason does a mother have for me not to teach my child patiently? My daughter also told me that she will use her spare time to learn German by herself, and will continue to take Spanish as an elective in the remaining three years of high school, and will also learn French in the future.

I don’t know if she will have time to realize her desire to learn foreign languages ??in the remaining three years of increasingly busy high school, but at least I can appreciate her experience of culture shock. Inspired determination to learn.

The day before yesterday, I saw my daughter exchanging experiences with one of her pen pals about learning foreign languages. She wrote: I personally find studying a language to be both challenging and extremely fun. I am currently taking classes in high school to learn Spanish and I am beginning to learn German in my spare time. Learning a language is challenging but it is more than rewarding when you have the ability to understand something that few of your peers are able to. (I personally find that learning a language is challenging but it is more than rewarding when you have the ability to understand something that few of your peers are able to. A language is both a challenge and extremely fun. I am currently taking Spanish in high school and plan to start learning German in my free time. The rewards of learning a language outweigh the challenges, especially when you can understand something that few of your peers do. When someone can understand it)

I am glad that she has truly felt the joy that foreign languages ??bring her through her own personal experience. Learning one more language will open up another window for you. .

After returning from this trip, I found that my daughter has obviously grown up a lot. Although school has not started yet, she gets up before 7 o'clock every morning. Because there were many places outside and around the house that needed to be cleaned just after returning home, my daughter started working on them as soon as she got up early. She spent two hours cleaning the front yard on the first day, and nearly five hours cleaning the back yard the next day. I got up at 8 o'clock in the morning and she had been working for an hour. Her husband went upstairs to watch a football game. After it was over, he went downstairs and was surprised to find that she was still working in the backyard alone. At noon, the California sun was scorching, her body was covered with sweat, and her hair was covered with branches and leaves. She did not show off or complain, which made me sit up and take notice. Last night I heard that my legs and stomach were sore after standing for a long time, so I asked to go downstairs and prepare some foot bath for me. I sat there soaking my feet, and she stood beside me to guide me, telling me when to add water and when to use the olive oil and sugar scrub she prepared for me. After washing my feet, she wiped them clean. She immediately handed me the lotion. I was told to apply moisturizer within three minutes to keep my feet moisturized. After I soaked my feet in the water, she wouldn't let me move, saying it was too heavy for my waist. She tried her best to carefully move a large tub full of water to the bathroom and help me empty it out. I accepted everything my daughter did for me calmly, and my heart felt warm.

What I paid for her, she repaid me at a young age!

Some people say: People's hearts are always in the distance. The further away you go, the closer you are to your heart! Yes, this is the greatest gain that travel can bring us. What you can see is not only the beautiful scenery, but also the inner self. We have gone through it, experienced it, and felt it. We must cherish life better and live hard!