TExt-based Memoir V1
Jin Cheng
Dr. Lauren Holt
ENG 221RW
October 26, 2014
Text-based Memoir
"Mom, why are they wearing a sheet and it is colorful! "
"It is not a bed sheet, babe. It is a traditional Thai clothes. "
"Mom, mom! What is that, that black little thing! It has white pulp!"
"That is just an kind of tropical fruit, called mangosteen."
"Mom... what is that ...?"
When I was seven years old, I had my first experience of traveling abroad. It was Thailand. I went there with my parents during the winter break. Everything had been so exotic for me, so this kind of conversation went on every several minutes. I was like a child who had thousands of questions and never stopped asking. I was fascinated by the language that people spoke around me, the traditional Thai clothing people wore in the street, and all kinds of fresh fruits in the morning market sold in really cheap prices.
Although the air had already been clammy and cold at that time in my hometown, the weather in Thailand was warm and gentle. Under this atmosphere, I had a really relaxed mood and looked at the unacquainted world with my immature eyes. I asked my Mom in a soft but excited voice and I hoped she could answer all of my questions, clear all my confusions. She at first answered my questions and carefully explained to me. However, several hours later, when we were walking through a hectic open market, she stopped her steps and kneeled down. She held my hand and said,
"Hey, Jin, let's play a game."
A game? Yeah, I loved games. What kind of game?
"How about this, you are going to collect all your questions from now on and try to find answers for them. If you feel like there are something that you truly can't figure out, let's talk about them together before you go to sleep."
I felt a little upset. I knew, I just had too many questions and made my Mom tired of answering them.
So I decided to save all my little concerns and questions for a while and let my dearest Mommy have a rest. Stopping from keeping raising questions, I found me gradually accept the unfamiliar things surrounding me. Suddenly, I realized that the place I was standing now had a culture that was totally different from the place that I lived. I stood in the open market and looked at those small stalls placed in the middle of the road selling all kinds of commodities. People brought out vegetables, fruits and home-made knit products. I walked to a grandfatherly looking person's stall. He had a lot of fresh fruits on the stall, especially my favorite one-strawberry. He saw me walk toward him so he waved to me, smilingly. He put forward a strawberry to me after using water to clean it. I took the strawberry and put it into my mouth. It was so sweet and juicy that I felt like it was the best strawberry that I had ever tasted. I asked the grandfather how much it was, the strawberry. He waved his hand and said, "You can have more if you want. And it is free." I was shocked when my mother translated what he said to me. I went to the markets with my grandmother for lots of times; however, I was taught that I could not eat in the markets because I had to pay for first. Sometimes I wished I could taste those snacks when I was wandering in the market. The generosity of the old grandfather made me feel really warm and he met my long cherished desire. I talked to him in my limited English skills with the help of my mom until we were asked to depart for the zoo by the guide.
On the way to the zoo, my mom asked me, "Are you okay for the zoo, Jin? We can cancel this trip if you don't want to."
"Let me think, well, " I held a bag of mangosteens that we brought from the grandpa in my arms and said, "I think I can try."
The car rolled slowly into the zoo. I couldn't help feeling nervous because I was actually afraid of animals. I was bitten by a dog when I was only three years old. After that, I always felt unsafe when there were animals wandering around me. However, during the trip, I saw a lot of things that I had not seen before and tried to accept and understand them. Maybe it was the time for me to put an end to my fear. I greeted lots of elephants drinking water near a river shortly after I got into the zoo. However, for the first time, I did not feel the fear or trebleness. Maybe it was the magic of mangosteens that let me forget the fear. Lifted by my dad, I gently touched one of the elephants. I could feel its uneven skin and slow, heavy breathe. That was such a new experience for me and I was deeply fascinated. Finally, I climbed up to the back of an elephant and sat on the bamboo chair, which was set up on the back of the elephant. I remembered me warbling with the elephant as it moved forward. When I looked up, the sky was azure and there were melodious birdsongs continuously melting into the breeze.
Dr. Lauren Holt
ENG 221RW
October 26, 2014
Text-based Memoir
"Mom, why are they wearing a sheet and it is colorful! "
"It is not a bed sheet, babe. It is a traditional Thai clothes. "
"Mom, mom! What is that, that black little thing! It has white pulp!"
"That is just an kind of tropical fruit, called mangosteen."
"Mom... what is that ...?"
When I was seven years old, I had my first experience of traveling abroad. It was Thailand. I went there with my parents during the winter break. Everything had been so exotic for me, so this kind of conversation went on every several minutes. I was like a child who had thousands of questions and never stopped asking. I was fascinated by the language that people spoke around me, the traditional Thai clothing people wore in the street, and all kinds of fresh fruits in the morning market sold in really cheap prices.
Although the air had already been clammy and cold at that time in my hometown, the weather in Thailand was warm and gentle. Under this atmosphere, I had a really relaxed mood and looked at the unacquainted world with my immature eyes. I asked my Mom in a soft but excited voice and I hoped she could answer all of my questions, clear all my confusions. She at first answered my questions and carefully explained to me. However, several hours later, when we were walking through a hectic open market, she stopped her steps and kneeled down. She held my hand and said,
"Hey, Jin, let's play a game."
A game? Yeah, I loved games. What kind of game?
"How about this, you are going to collect all your questions from now on and try to find answers for them. If you feel like there are something that you truly can't figure out, let's talk about them together before you go to sleep."
I felt a little upset. I knew, I just had too many questions and made my Mom tired of answering them.
So I decided to save all my little concerns and questions for a while and let my dearest Mommy have a rest. Stopping from keeping raising questions, I found me gradually accept the unfamiliar things surrounding me. Suddenly, I realized that the place I was standing now had a culture that was totally different from the place that I lived. I stood in the open market and looked at those small stalls placed in the middle of the road selling all kinds of commodities. People brought out vegetables, fruits and home-made knit products. I walked to a grandfatherly looking person's stall. He had a lot of fresh fruits on the stall, especially my favorite one-strawberry. He saw me walk toward him so he waved to me, smilingly. He put forward a strawberry to me after using water to clean it. I took the strawberry and put it into my mouth. It was so sweet and juicy that I felt like it was the best strawberry that I had ever tasted. I asked the grandfather how much it was, the strawberry. He waved his hand and said, "You can have more if you want. And it is free." I was shocked when my mother translated what he said to me. I went to the markets with my grandmother for lots of times; however, I was taught that I could not eat in the markets because I had to pay for first. Sometimes I wished I could taste those snacks when I was wandering in the market. The generosity of the old grandfather made me feel really warm and he met my long cherished desire. I talked to him in my limited English skills with the help of my mom until we were asked to depart for the zoo by the guide.
On the way to the zoo, my mom asked me, "Are you okay for the zoo, Jin? We can cancel this trip if you don't want to."
"Let me think, well, " I held a bag of mangosteens that we brought from the grandpa in my arms and said, "I think I can try."
The car rolled slowly into the zoo. I couldn't help feeling nervous because I was actually afraid of animals. I was bitten by a dog when I was only three years old. After that, I always felt unsafe when there were animals wandering around me. However, during the trip, I saw a lot of things that I had not seen before and tried to accept and understand them. Maybe it was the time for me to put an end to my fear. I greeted lots of elephants drinking water near a river shortly after I got into the zoo. However, for the first time, I did not feel the fear or trebleness. Maybe it was the magic of mangosteens that let me forget the fear. Lifted by my dad, I gently touched one of the elephants. I could feel its uneven skin and slow, heavy breathe. That was such a new experience for me and I was deeply fascinated. Finally, I climbed up to the back of an elephant and sat on the bamboo chair, which was set up on the back of the elephant. I remembered me warbling with the elephant as it moved forward. When I looked up, the sky was azure and there were melodious birdsongs continuously melting into the breeze.