Junior Encounter
Memory is something very intriguing. Throughout everyone's lifetime, there must have some fascinating recollections. When we pick up those little stones embracing with delightful moment, we don't realize how small memories can shape our lives. Retreat was not a familiar term for me until I came to America as an international exchange student. Away from my family and home, being along, I found the joy in my life with my new friends. This distinguished experience had special mark on my life journey.
When I was 16 years old, I made a big and adventurous decision for myself. Studying abroad as an exchange student, I left my family and went to a completely new place. I was encouraged by the fascinating and different culture of the western countries. From the moment I stepped off the plane at Walla Walla Airport, nervous, excited, and expectant were three suitable adjectives to describe myself. From China to United States, across the Pacific, 15 hours flight appearing trivial, it changes from languages, cultures and everything I had experienced. Walla Walla, located at the eastern edge of the Washington State, is a peaceful town with 30,000 populations; I went to a private parish high school, named DeSales high school, with around 100 students. During the first three months, I faced lots of unexpected difficulties and challenges in the school work, communicating with others and making new friends. Although it was sometimes difficult trying to find links between myself and my classmates, I never feel frustrated and always keep an optimistic attitude on everything. My school helped greatly in modifying my attitudes, with the help and encouragement from my classmates and host family, I had been accustomed the new life style and different culture.
The "Junior Encounter" was a school-organizing retreat which encouraged all the students from junior class to go. This retreat became a new start in my exchanging study life and brought a closer bond with my classmates. It is said that a retreat is a gift of time and space to allow rest, reflection, prayer, and renewal. It was one of a Saturday during December. Our junior class went on this spiritual encounter during a snowing weekend. The place was very humble, but it was withdrawn from the stresses and distractions of daily life. Our class broke into several groups and each group had six people with two senior leaders. There were lots of small group meetings during the retreat. During those small meetings, each person in the group was asked questions which based on life, the faith and the experience with God. I felt nervous and shy at first time to answer those questions. Other members in the group give me a lot of encouragement. I started to talk about my stories and experiences in my hesitant English. They were amazed by my points and stories which gave me more courage. I think this is the purpose and approach of those meetings. I feel more comfortable to talk and share stories with others. It was a very big step for me at that time. Questions seemed to be simple but really brought the whole group together. We laughed and cried during other people's stories. After a while, I did not feel strange because of the new place and people. Yet I felt like at home because everyone embraced others with their warm heart and true feeling. At our last group gathering, we wrote down and talked about everyone's positive personality. I did not expect many comments about me, because I acted very quietly at school. However, surprisingly, there were lots of comments about me: "Chris, you are so smart and have sense of humor."; "Chris, you made my day at that history class."; "Chris, thank you for all the help on the math." Those little details in the school which I could not even remember, but they all did. They cared about those memories about me which was such a grateful gift for me. I realized I was not along in the school, along in this country. We kept talking until very late. It was a memorable night.
People at school always mentioned how great and astonished the encounter would be, but kept the secret about what actually happened. Every lower classmate wondered what the biggest surprise was during it. It was second night during the retreat, everyone Received piles of letters which came from family, teachers and friends. Surprisingly, I received letters from my parents in China and friends and teachers from school. I have never received that many letters in my entire life. I carefully read the letters with a grateful heart. "I love to tease you and talk at dinner time; you are a very nice young man. I was happy to know I was a tiger in Chinese calendar and I always felt like I was." said Mr. Joe, my host dad, in the letter. The moment on that snow night, when I read more and more of these letters, I realized that this retreat is for love and a concrete connection between each other. "I am so excited that you are doing golf, we are going to become even better friends now! Chris, you are crazy good at math, of which I am totally jealous" Said by one of my senior leaders. I laughed after I read it. Many other words like this made my emotion be more loved than I could ever imagine. After that, we gathered together and talked about the most exciting letters we received. We sit around the bonfire and sang the songs. It was another wonderful night.
At the end of this retreat, each of us had the chance talk to the priest about the difficulties in the life. Then, we wrote down this frustration on the stones. We all chose a place and threw away the stones which engraved the past. It was a new and refreshing start. To an exchange student, it meant something different and special. Living and studying abroad was fairly challenging to a teenage, but our class was a big family that gave me confidence and made me feel like at home.
As a writer says "One of the secrets of life is to make stepping stones out of stumbling blocks". The junior encounter shapes me in both the spiritual and emotional ways. It was a blessing from the God. It was a stepping stone on life journe
Memory is something very intriguing. Throughout everyone's lifetime, there must have some fascinating recollections. When we pick up those little stones embracing with delightful moment, we don't realize how small memories can shape our lives. Retreat was not a familiar term for me until I came to America as an international exchange student. Away from my family and home, being along, I found the joy in my life with my new friends. This distinguished experience had special mark on my life journey.
When I was 16 years old, I made a big and adventurous decision for myself. Studying abroad as an exchange student, I left my family and went to a completely new place. I was encouraged by the fascinating and different culture of the western countries. From the moment I stepped off the plane at Walla Walla Airport, nervous, excited, and expectant were three suitable adjectives to describe myself. From China to United States, across the Pacific, 15 hours flight appearing trivial, it changes from languages, cultures and everything I had experienced. Walla Walla, located at the eastern edge of the Washington State, is a peaceful town with 30,000 populations; I went to a private parish high school, named DeSales high school, with around 100 students. During the first three months, I faced lots of unexpected difficulties and challenges in the school work, communicating with others and making new friends. Although it was sometimes difficult trying to find links between myself and my classmates, I never feel frustrated and always keep an optimistic attitude on everything. My school helped greatly in modifying my attitudes, with the help and encouragement from my classmates and host family, I had been accustomed the new life style and different culture.
The "Junior Encounter" was a school-organizing retreat which encouraged all the students from junior class to go. This retreat became a new start in my exchanging study life and brought a closer bond with my classmates. It is said that a retreat is a gift of time and space to allow rest, reflection, prayer, and renewal. It was one of a Saturday during December. Our junior class went on this spiritual encounter during a snowing weekend. The place was very humble, but it was withdrawn from the stresses and distractions of daily life. Our class broke into several groups and each group had six people with two senior leaders. There were lots of small group meetings during the retreat. During those small meetings, each person in the group was asked questions which based on life, the faith and the experience with God. I felt nervous and shy at first time to answer those questions. Other members in the group give me a lot of encouragement. I started to talk about my stories and experiences in my hesitant English. They were amazed by my points and stories which gave me more courage. I think this is the purpose and approach of those meetings. I feel more comfortable to talk and share stories with others. It was a very big step for me at that time. Questions seemed to be simple but really brought the whole group together. We laughed and cried during other people's stories. After a while, I did not feel strange because of the new place and people. Yet I felt like at home because everyone embraced others with their warm heart and true feeling. At our last group gathering, we wrote down and talked about everyone's positive personality. I did not expect many comments about me, because I acted very quietly at school. However, surprisingly, there were lots of comments about me: "Chris, you are so smart and have sense of humor."; "Chris, you made my day at that history class."; "Chris, thank you for all the help on the math." Those little details in the school which I could not even remember, but they all did. They cared about those memories about me which was such a grateful gift for me. I realized I was not along in the school, along in this country. We kept talking until very late. It was a memorable night.
People at school always mentioned how great and astonished the encounter would be, but kept the secret about what actually happened. Every lower classmate wondered what the biggest surprise was during it. It was second night during the retreat, everyone Received piles of letters which came from family, teachers and friends. Surprisingly, I received letters from my parents in China and friends and teachers from school. I have never received that many letters in my entire life. I carefully read the letters with a grateful heart. "I love to tease you and talk at dinner time; you are a very nice young man. I was happy to know I was a tiger in Chinese calendar and I always felt like I was." said Mr. Joe, my host dad, in the letter. The moment on that snow night, when I read more and more of these letters, I realized that this retreat is for love and a concrete connection between each other. "I am so excited that you are doing golf, we are going to become even better friends now! Chris, you are crazy good at math, of which I am totally jealous" Said by one of my senior leaders. I laughed after I read it. Many other words like this made my emotion be more loved than I could ever imagine. After that, we gathered together and talked about the most exciting letters we received. We sit around the bonfire and sang the songs. It was another wonderful night.
At the end of this retreat, each of us had the chance talk to the priest about the difficulties in the life. Then, we wrote down this frustration on the stones. We all chose a place and threw away the stones which engraved the past. It was a new and refreshing start. To an exchange student, it meant something different and special. Living and studying abroad was fairly challenging to a teenage, but our class was a big family that gave me confidence and made me feel like at home.
As a writer says "One of the secrets of life is to make stepping stones out of stumbling blocks". The junior encounter shapes me in both the spiritual and emotional ways. It was a blessing from the God. It was a stepping stone on life journe
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