Photo Essay

Every year in my school, each student goes to a "holiday" with his or her friends and teachers. For students in Year 10 or above, they get to choose where they go but because I am in Year 9, I didn't get the choice. Our head of theyear decided to stay local but in a more rural part of Hong Kong. My seven photos are each about me preparing for camp, eating lunch, rock climbing, raft-building, hiking, barbecuing and finally, relaxing.

My first picture is the photo of me packing by bag although it is not my photo. On the Sunday before my camp started, I packed everything following my school's checklist. I tried not to make my bag so heavy while making sure I had enough of everything. My thought about living in the wild for 2 days with 15 other people made me really nervous. The picture is from: http://www.marianrothschild.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/vacation-packing-026.jpg

My friends and I eating lunch 

On the official first day, we took a ferry and a bus to get to the place. We played some games before having lunch. My mom packed me lunch and as soon as I opened my box, i could see all the different colors surrounded by white and a thin layer of black seaweed. Yes, it was Kimbab, I was very excited and started stuffing these rolls into my mouth to the point where I looked like a chipmunk. I could taste the different flavors bursting in my mouth. Sweet, sour and salty. It was delicious. Every now and then, I would see random hands racing in to grab one of my rolls.

Waiting to rock climb

In picture three, I was waiting nervously and excitedly for rock climbing. My helmet was squeezing my air because it was on too tight but i don't recall caring too much. When i touched the rope, I could feel the frizzy, hard and thick material as it left small red marks on my hand. I could feel the breeze blowing my hair as the smell of the ocean filled the air. The most comforting thing there was was the sound of the waves crashing onto all the big rocks in their ways, as if trying to break through the rocks.

Building a raft

The third day of the camp was my birthday, so it was very special. The biggest event on the day was raft-building. I could hear my friends shouting orders on where to put what. I could see multiple hands grabbing rope, trying to finish off our ugly handmade raft. Because it was my birthday, they named the raft after me. It was awkward and weird but when we rode on the raft, it was very fun and I was too busy having fun. My leg skimmed on the refreshing seawater and it was probably the most memorable day.

The view up the hike

The fourth day was definitely the most tiring day of the week. We hiked a few miles for a few hours and the most tiring part is, most of it was uphill. Even though, i was out of breath most of the time, the view was absolutely amazing. I could see beautiful green leaves blowing off trees, I could see blue, shiny waves crushing onto the shore. I could see tiny people walking on the beach and it was amazing. It was very hot and I could feel sweat dripping down my face. We finished the hiking and I was very happy and relieved.

Trying to make a fire

The last day was the day of our barbecue. We made our own fire and cooked meat, potatoes and corn in it. I could feel the smoke in the air in front of me. I could see the bright orange flame moving around, getting smaller by the wind while feeling the heat rising on my leg. My favorite part of the barbecue were the smores. As it went into my mouth, the marshmallow instantly melted, blending in with the chocolate. The crackers finished it off so it wasn't too sweet.

My last picture isn't mine either but it is about me relaxing after five days of tiring camp. I was very happy to sleep in my own warm, comfortable and cozy bed. Hearing the ruffling sound of my blanket was very comforting and I was happy to be back. I could see my brown, wooden table and chairs, my soft, white sofa and my big, black TV. I could also hear my brother asking my mom to play games and it felt like home. My photo is from: http://www.skintastic.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/relax-at-home.jpg


In conclusion, not only was this particular week very interesting and fun, it was also very challenging and it was something i've never done before I had a very special birthday week with my friends though I wish my family was here. I would describe it as adventurous, new and challenging.

Movie Review- Mao's Last Dancer

     This movie was made in 2009 and it was based on a true story. The main characters are Li cunxin, Mary, Ben Stevenson, Elizabeth, Charles Foster and his inspiring teachers. It is about a poor Chinese kid in Qing Dao that gets picked for auditions for the Beijing Dance Academy and later goes to the USA to perform ballet. 

     In the movie, he is very determined to make a better life for his family. He transfers to Houston, Texas because he is recognized for his determination and strong will and therefore he becomes a successful male ballet dancer and he is able to achieve his dreams in the USA. This story is similar as the 'frog in a well' story because Li CunXin, the main character, gets out of his poor hometown, Qing Dao, and gets to see and explore the rest of the world. He, as a poor kid, didn't know what was outside of his small, poor village. Also, like the frog, he had to fight his way to get to the top and explore the world.

 

     Anyways, continuing with the summary, Li CunXin became a big star in America, but after his three month contract ended, he didn't want to go back to China just yet. As the Chinese government respected marriage laws, he married his girlfriend at the time, Elizabeth but then he was banned from ever entering China again. He was banned because he caused a lot of trouble for the Chinese Government. 

     There are a lot of good things about staying in America but there are also some bad things as well. First of all, he gets to stay with his friends and girlfriend, who has become his second family. He's made a lot of friends in America and he doesn't want to part from them. He can also keep learning and performing real ballet and not the type of ballet that the Chinese people teach. The Chinese Government is all about communism, guns, wars so Li CunXin can't really learn real ballet in China but here he can keep pursuing his ballet dream. On the other hand, his revolutionary dream of being a strong Chinese communist supporter will be crushed because he will be seen as a traitor and he is banned from China. From young, he was a strong supporter of communism and he has always had Chinese spirit and respected Mao Ze Dong a lot. Secondly, he is banned from ever returning to China therefore he won't be able to see his beloved family. He has 6 brothers who all celebrated his acceptance into the academy and his mother and father were very supportive of him. He was very worried about the trouble that he caused for his family and he had a lot of nightmares of what the Chinese Government would do to his family because of him. 

     Li had a very inspiring teacher that helped him realize and achieve his dream. I don't really have a teacher that inspires me but I do have inspiring parents, a lot of people talk about how their parents inspire them but I really respect and admire my parents. My mom, she's a housewife, she stays at home, helps us whenever I need it, whether I just want to talk to her or whether I just need something. My dad works very hard to support our family and he comes home late a lot and goes on business trips because he's trying give our family whatever he can and I really admire and respect both of them for that.

     In conclusion, personally think it is a very good movie. Not only does it have a really good story-line, it is also a true story which makes it even more interesting. I liked the occasional dance performances and the way Li had flashbacks of his childhood to give us good background information. When I first heard about the movie, I thought it would be an old and boring movie about Mao Ze Dong, but it was a touching and interesting story about someone's life. In a very interesting way, it showed us how much communism meant to China before and overall, I think it was a really good movie that teaches us a lot of things.