【英文夜读】My "Staycation"

ItwastimeforcadetsatNUDTtogohomeandenjoytheirsummervacation!Everyonewasbusypackingtheirbelongingsandwerehomewardbound.Amidtheexcitementthatprevailedoncampus,myheartgrewheavy.Fortheentireholiday,Ineededtostayandtrainforthecomingtabletennisandorienteering.

ButIhadlittletimeforapitypartybeforeactivityquicklypickedup.Itstartedwithhigh-intensitytraining.Ihadtorunatleasttenkilometers,daily,toincreasemyaerobiccapacity.Andthat'snotevencountingthefivehoursofdailypracticeoftable-tennismovementsandstrategies.Altogether,IfeltlikeIwasaprofessionalathlete,doingthesametrainingover,andover,again.Itwasn'tbeforelongthatIfeltweigheddownbyanincreasinglyboringandmonotonousworkoutregimen.

Amidthegruellingroutine,Imissedmyfamilyandfriendssomuch.Havingwaitedpatientlyfortheinterminablesemestertoend,Iwantedsodesperatelytogethometoembracemyparentsandfriends,face-to-face,andenjoyourtimetogether.Unfortunately,thiscouldonlybesatisfiedinmydreams.TalkingwiththemthroughWeChatwastheonlywayIcouldsatisfymyyearning,butthatwasfarfromenough.

Despitethemonotonyoftraining,andthelongingtoreturnhome,Istillhadtopushon.Thereweremanycompetitionswaitingforme,includingtheexchangetabletenniscompetitionslike,"TheStrongArmyCup"inNanchang;"The19thChinaUniversityOrienteeringChampionship"inLijiang;and"The12thChinaUniversityTableTennisCompetitionoftheSunshineGroup"inHuangshan.Betweenmatches,Itookfewbreaksandgrewexhausted.Butthethrillofrepresentingtheuniversityatsuchhigh-leveltournamentskeptmegoing.Myanticipationofthechallengethatawaitedmewasasalveformyloneliness.

Besidesthethrillofcompetingitself,IwasalsoabletoleavemynormalstompinggroundsandmeetnewfriendsfromprestigiousuniversitiesacrossChina.Thoughweweredifferentincharacterandexperience,wefoundsomanythingsincommon--ourloveofsports,ourwillingnesstoimprove...evensomeeverydayproblemsthatweshared.Forexample,wediscussedhowtobalancelearningandentertainment,andhowtotakefulladvantageofourfragmentedtimeintheinformationage.Throughthesechats,Igainednewperspectivesonhowto"seizetheday"andconquerchallengesthatcamemyway.

Withmyfriends,oldandnew,Iwasalsoabletogosightseeingandhavesomeexcitingandmeaningfulexperiences.Iparticipatedintheflag-raisingceremonyinBayiSquareonAugust1stinNanchangandvisitedtheNanchangUprisingMemorialHall.SomeofthefamoustouristattractionsIvisitedinclude:TengwangPavilion,JadeDragonSnowMountain,andtheCulturalHeritageMuseumoftheNaxiPeople.Duringmytrip,Ihadagoodtasteofthelocalfood--reservedporkrib,wildmushroomsandcrossing-the-bridgenoodles,justtonameafew!Let'sjustsay,Ilearnedhowspaciousmystomachwasonthesetrips.

Inretrospect,whatimpressedmemostduringthesummervacationwastheprideofstandingatthepodiumtoreceivemyawards.Becauseofmytraininginthepriorweeksandmonths,IwonasilvermedalatNanchang,afifthplaceintheindividualpointraceatLijiang,andthefirstprizeatHuangshan.

Butthemomentoftruthcamewhenwetookonthereigningchampionandrunner-upatthemixeddoubleinNanchang.ThatdayIrecallthescorchingheatofthemiddaysun-notfavorableforagentlestrolldownthestreet,letalonetheintensesportingmatchthatwouldshortlyensueinthetabletennisarena.

Onehourintothematch,welostthefirsttwosets.Ifwecouldn'twinthethird,wewerefinished.Worsestill,weweredownfivetoteninthetiebreaker.Seeingmypartnerdrophisheadwithdisappointment,Itappedhimonhisshoulderandwelookedateachotherapprovingly.Afterwards,weloudlyshoutedtocelebrateeachpointwewon.Gradually,themoraleofouropponentsbegantodecrease.Forthenextfiveminutes,wegainedsixstraightpoints,andwentontowintheset.Withthelastballfallingtotheground,thunderousapplausefromtheaudienceechoedthroughoutthearena.Throughthiscompetition,wereceivednotonlytherespectofallourfans,butalsothewillpowertopersistthroughadversity.Andtoultimatelycomeoutontop.

WhenInowlookbackonthissummervacation,IrealizethatIwouldn'tgiveupmystaycationforanything.Theseweresomeofthemosttreasuredmomentsofmylife.Though,atthebeginning,Iwasoverwhelmedwithsorrow,lonelinessandexhaustion,thingsgotbetterand,lookingback,Ienjoyedeverymoment.Thewintervacationisaroundthecorner.Ican'twaittogohomeandsharemystories.