Accept Changes (by William)

*Dedicated to Ms.Tang who taught me how to write an opinion story.

I believe that dealing with changes is not always easy.  One example of that is if you need to move to a different place, you may have to sacrifice your belongings or face unfamiliar people.  But changes are unavoidable. That is why we should learn to accept changes.

One time my cousin Livia came to visit me for a week.  After I went home from school, I met my 3 year old cousin for the first time.  My jaw dropped open.  She had a chubby face, brown hair, and a smile that seemed to light the whole room.

A few days later, I saw oranges with funny faces that my mom and Livia drew on.  At that point what really bothered me was that my mom took time off from work just for her, and they were having fun while I was in school.  My cheeks got red as a tomato as I stormed upstairs.  I confronted my mom with steam rushing out my ears.  I asked my mom furiously, “How come this happened, all my oranges are ruined!”  Later my mom explained that I need to share my attention and love from her with my cousin.  I need to learn to be nice to my guests.

(My cousin is so adorable and I do love her very much)

Sometimes changes will happen unexpectedly.  I never thought that my swimming coach would leave me.  This is how I faced changes that came unexpectedly.

Another time, I was happily swimming in my swim school.  Just then, my mom swam up to me. Then she said, “Coach Mickie will be leaving.”  My eyes grew as big as saucers and I even felt like crying.  I was silent for a long time. I felt my heart skipping a beat.  After a while I asked, “Why is he leaving?  “He is going to go to Chile and then is going back to school,” replied my mom.

Later that night, I drew him a surfer to represent good luck for the adventure that awaits him.  Now I have a new coach and I learned a lot from my new coach like how to do a flip turn, but I will always remember the time I had Coach Mickie.

These experiences showed me that changes can happen anytime.  When you accept changes, your heart grows bigger, stronger and more tolerant.  From now on, I will try to accept changes with an open heart.

Ski at Lake Tahoe (by William)

During my spring break, my family and I went to Lake Tahoe to ski.  We lived in David Walley’s Hot Springs Resort in Genoa, Nevada. 

(Steam from the hot spring made me feel in the clouds)

We tried to sign up for group ski class, but unfortunately, it was all filled up.  I was so disappointed that I almost cried.  My mom said, “William, how about we think about other options?”  “Okay.”  I responded.  After a while, my mom returned from the office of the ski school and told me that she got me a private coach named George.  I was so happy! 

George picked boots, skis, and a helmet for me, then we rode on a snowmobile, went to an area called the Magic Carpet.  My coach taught me how to keep my balance and how to turn, and he was very patient.  When I made mistakes, he corrected me with the right way.  My class was three hours but I didn’t even notice the time.

(Coach George and I had a snowmobile ride)

After my class, I had lunch and continued to ski on my own.  I fell but didn’t give up. 

I loved skiing because it feels like I was flying on the mountain.  I saw evergreen trees and snow, and endless blue skies.  It was a spectacular day of skiing.

(Flying on the mountain slope)

Tips of Skiing

1. When you are coming downhill, make a pizza by pointing the head of the skis to each other.

2. When you want to keep balance, do an airplane by stretching out your arms.

3. To turn left, turn the right ski head inward.  To turn right, turn the head of the left ski inward.