美国到了！我觉得这个时候回美国是对的。为什么？我很喜欢住在中国，在那儿有很多朋友！我告诉你：去中国以前我有一些想做的事情。七个月以前我打算计划完成以后再回家，告诉我的家人我爱他们，跟他们一起过圣诞节，然后做新的计划还有一定回中国。虽然我遇到了一些出乎意料的麻烦，但是我做完了！你看！

I’m back in America!  I think this is the right time to go back to America.  Why?  I really like living in China and I have a lot of friends there!  I’ll tell you: before I went to China I had a list of things I wanted to do in China.  Seven months ago I planned to come home after completing my plan, remind my family that I love them, celebrate Christmas with them, then make a new plan and surely return to China.  Although my plan met some unexpected difficulties, I finished it!  Take a look!

我的中国计划  My China to-do list

住在中国的时候我想。。。

While I live in China I want to …

跟我的大学旅行           Travel with my university’s study abroad program

                去中国以前我在我的大学学习了两年汉语 （因为玩儿的很开心！哈哈）。每个夏天我的汉语老师会陪一些学生去中国旅行和上文化课。上个五月我跟我四个同学和我的老师一起到了北京。我们也去了济南（一天），曲阜（一天），和青岛（三个星期，在青岛大学上课）。  虽然我的一些同学根本没学过汉语，但是在青岛大学我们都认识了特别好的中国朋友。我的同学都很不错，所以玩儿得很开心！

Before I went to China I studied Chinese language for two years (because it was fun!  Haha).  Every summer my Chinese teacher takes some students to China to travel and study culture.  Last May I arrived in Beijing with my teacher and four classmates.  We traveled to Jinan (one day), Qufu (one day), and Qingdao (3 weeks, where we had class for three weeks).  Although some of my classmates had never studied Chinese language before, we all met great new Chinese friends at Qingdao University.  My classmates were great so we all had a great trip!

做了六个月Au Pair 的工作  Work for six months as an Au Pair

                虽然一个月以后我的同学都走了，但是我自己从青岛到了杭州开始Au Pair 的工作。我打算做这个工作做六个月，但是这个居然比我想象的难。我换了两次家庭！虽然我有麻烦，但是我还很开心。我认识了比较多的小弟弟和小妹妹，他们都很好，可爱，特别！ 我很想杭州，但是在北京我也认识了很多新朋友。如果我跟我的同学一起在中国只待了一个月就回美国的话，我一定不高兴因为住在中国一个月太短了时间！

Although my classmates left after one month, I went by myself to Hangzhou to start my job as an Au Pair.  I planned to do this job for 6 months, but that was unexpectedly difficult.  I had to change families twice!    Although I had difficulties, I am still happy over all.  I got to meet a lot of kids compared to other Au Pairs.  They were all sweet, cute, and so special to me!  I miss Hangzhou, but I made a lot of new friends in Beijing too.  If I had left China along with my classmates after only one month, I surely would have been unhappy because one month is too short of a time to live in China!

认识新的中国朋友  Meet new Chinese friends

                我觉得认识新的中国朋友特别容易，也是最好的朋友。认识你们很高兴！谢谢大家帮我做东西（找到出租车，点菜，买票，什么的）。我真喜欢跟你们一起玩儿！你们都是我的中国家人。

Making new Chinese friends is so easy and they are such good friends.  It’s so nice to have met you all!  Thanks everybody for helping me do stuff (like finding a taxi, ordering food, buying tickets, etc.)  I really liked hanging out with you guys!  You are all my Chinese family.

每天练习汉语                Practice Chinese every day

如果我只用汉语说容易的东西（这个多少钱？我想吃那个。什么的）那么我的汉语水平就不能提高，我也快觉得说汉语没有意思了。中国朋友们，谢谢帮我练习汉语（如果你不会说英语，就是最好的，真的！） 虽然我有点害羞，但是我觉得说汉语玩儿的很开心！跟你们聊天很开心！

If I only used my Chinese to say easy things (How much does this cost?  I want to eat that.  Etc.)  then my Chinese wouldn’t improve and I would quickly start to think that speaking Chinese was boring.  To my Chinese friends, thank you for helping me practice Chinese (if you can’t speak English, you were especially helpful, really!)  Although I’m a bit shy, I really enjoy speaking Chinese!  I enjoy our conversations!

去看我的来中国以前认识的朋友们                  Meet up with Chinese friends that I met before coming to China

去中国以前练习说汉语很不容易因为在我的大学和老家中国人很少。所以我上网找到了一些中国朋友一起练习说和写。在中国我见到了三个朋友（Lily，我当然也想看你！谢谢给我礼物！）

Before I went to China it was difficult to practice Chinese conversation because at my university and at home there are very few Chinese people.  So, I found some Chinese friends online to practice writing and speaking with.  In China I was able to meet three of these friends (Lily, of course I want to visit you too!  Thanks for sending me the present!)

吃很多东西！                Eat lots of food!

啊，我爱中餐！我的美国朋友担心每天吃中餐会没有意思。不对，其实中餐很丰富多样，很好吃！菜比美国也便宜很多！我很怀念中餐！我可能最喜欢吃烤鸭了。

Ah, I love Chinese food!  My American friends worried that eating Chinese food every day would get boring.  That’s not true at all though, actually Chinese food as a lot of variation, all the dishes are different and they’re all delicious!  The food is so much cheaper than in America as well!  I think roast duck might be my favorite.

找到数学工作

虽然我在大学学习了两年汉语，但是其实我学习的是数学专业。虽然我很喜欢孩子也觉得教英语很有意思，但是我也很喜欢我的专业，想找到关于数学的工作（不是数学老师的工作，是统计学的工作！）。虽然去中国以前我没有计划，但是在北京我找到了Paires公司，做了一个月的 统计学实习工作！

Although I studied Chinese language at university for two years, my major was actually math.  Although I really like children and think teaching English is interesting, I also really like what I majored in and want to find a job doing math (not a math teaching job, a job in statistics!).  Although I didn’t have any plans before I went to China, I found a company in Beijing called Paires and spent a month there doing a statistics internship!

虽然我回到了美国，但是我当然想回中国。在中国我还想…

Although I returned to the US, of course I want to go back to China.  In China I still want to…

-学太极

Learn Tai Chi

-在公园里跟老人一起打麻将

Play Mahjong with old people in the park

-和拜访我的好朋友。我很喜欢我的中国朋友们！

and visit my Chinese friends.  I really miss my Chinese friends!