A rope may appear like an ordinary object to others, but it has a different meaning to me. A rope reawakened my childhood memories.
Tag: China
Reflections on 2020: Our Six-Word Memoirs
Six feet apart from my shoes.
—Ashly Cabral Arno
Eating to live; oops, the opposite!
—Vanina Bousquet
A bad time for lipstick lovers.
—Francis Almonte
How the Coronavirus Affected My Life
As a powerful devil, the coronavirus opened its mouth and traveled all over the world. It was invisible. As I write, it has caused more than 100 million people to become sick so far, making them struggle in pain without being able to breathe. It has killed more than 2.5 million people. It has destroyed many families without notice. It has forced many countries to lock down and prevented people from enjoying vacations. It doesn’t even allow people to talk together, close up.
Mirror
Some like it, because it owns beauty. Some avoid it, because it is straightforward. Some even want to break it. I look in the mirror thousands of times before I go out. I adjust my makeup on my face so many times. Why can’t I get the look I want? This could ruin my whole new day. What you see in the mirror is your shadow.
For Jack
I never went to high school, but I passed the TASC exam and received my High School Equivalency diploma in 2017. In New York, there are programs offering a chance to acquire HSE credentials to someone who hasn’t been able to complete high school. That is, if you can pass all five tests, including reading, writing, social studies, science, and mathematics. The program I joined was founded by a 92-year-old man who had two teachers and a receptionist working with him. Approximately 30 students studied there.
Farewell, Ms. Mystery Lady
This is a sad story, and it might leave a hole in my heart forever. I’ll call her A. We had been working at the same company headquarters in China for five years. However, we never got to know each other and were both transferred to New York City. During the first five months I worked here, we were nothing but coworkers.
Reunion
The winds of fall strongly blew down many yellow maple leaves. I quickly ran out of the train station. I was worried I wouldn’t catch the bus. Suddenly, a familiar body was walking at my side.
When I Get Old
When I get old, I will live in my own house and enjoy the peacefulness of life.
When I get old, I will stop leading a busy life and leisurely garden in my backyard.
When I get old, I will keep learning new things and make my old life full of freshness every day.
Lessons from a Lawsuit
I never thought I would be a restaurant owner before I moved to the United States. For six years I have owned and run a fancy dine-in Thai restaurant on Long Island. When I first became a restaurant owner, it was not easy. I felt very stressed every day in the first few years, but eventually everything started to run smoothly. Despite the long hours and often feeling exhausted, I was happy because my restaurant paid my bills and took care of my family. I thought my life would continue like this until I retired, but one day everything changed.
The Light Is On at Home
When I finished my last class, it was 9:30 p.m. I walked down to the bus stop and waited for the bus. Thirty minutes later, the bus came. Luckily, I caught the last train before 11:00 p.m. and got home at midnight. I took out my key and opened the door. The light was off, the stove was cold.
New York City and “Mickey”
Before I moved to New York, I heard there are many “Mickeys.” (I will use Mickey, instead of rats or mice because that sounds much cuter.) So, after moving to New York, I’ve been seeing these Mickeys on subway platforms, on the streets, and in some shadowy corners. One day, I finally saw a dead …
My Childhood Village
An inch of time is an inch of gold, but you can’t buy that inch of time with an inch of gold. When I want to catch the past, it doesn’t come back, but it is in my heart. We grow up, get married, have babies, and look after our children, but we always remember …
Almost Adults
I had never left the muddy roads of our village, which was 15 kilometers away from movie theaters and skyscrapers. But one afternoon, as my eight–year–old friends and I stood on our tiptoes and peered through a chink in the curtains of a neighbor’s home, watching a TV show, we saw a trailer for the …
My Name
I had trouble with my name. I could not change my name because of our conventional Chinese rules. Li is my last name and it comes from my father. There is nothing wrong with my last name. My first name contains two Chinese characters: Wen and Zao. In our language, Wen is an advantageous word, …
My Son’s First Chess Trophy
I remember my son John’s first trophy for first place. It was very difficult to get! When my son was in third grade, his teacher recommended him to the chess team, and I agreed. Since that time, I went with my son to chess tournaments every Saturday, even in windy, rainy, or snowy weather. The …