American Football

My little sister, Darcy, recently went to an American football game in Cleveland, Ohio. In America, it's common for big cities to have their own sports teams- especially football, basketball, and baseball. Soccer and hockey are less common, but some cities have these teams, as well.

Cleveland's football team is called the Cleveland Browns, and their mascot is a bulldog. Here are some pictures of my sister (on the right) and her friend Alyssa (on the left) getting ready for the game, going to the stadium, etc.

So Busy!

Wow, it has been a long time since my last blog post. I'm so sorry! It's not really an excuse, but last week was very busy for me. Two of my American bosses flew up from Hong Kong. You can see the picture below: The man on the far left is Kevin Clancy (the big boss), and the one between me and Diwa is Aaron (Kevin Clancy's assistant). Aaron is actually a former Beihua teacher, and he was very excited to return to Jilin and re-visit all of his favorite places!

Last week was also Father Brian's birthday. If any of you have gone to English Corner at Jilin Medical College on Friday nights, then you probably remember Brian. He's a very friendly man and a good person to know. Also, his Chinese is excellent! I'm adding a picture of him below. Kevin, Diwa, and I like to tease him by saying that if he had a candle for every year of his life, we would have to call the Jilin City Fire Department to save our lives. :)

I feel as though I should write even more, because it has been so long since I last posted. However, it is getting late, and I still have miles to go before I sleep. ;) (See the Robert Frost poem below!)

Poetry

For some reason, I have recently decided that I would like to memorize a few poems. I've always liked poetry (although I don't always understand it), and memorizing and reciting poems appeals to me. I also think that learning poetry can be helpful to learning a language, so I have copied one of my favorite poems below.

The poet's name is Robert Frost- one of the most famous American poets of all time. His poems are generally pretty easy to understand, and the grammar and vocabulary are not too difficult. This poem is one of the most quoted poems in America, especially the last two lines. Read it and let me know what you think! :)

"Stopping By The Woods On A Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.



If you like this poem, you can find other poems by Robert Frost at this website: http://poetry.poetryx.com/poets/8/