close
“Meeting at our house tomorrow if you would like to come, we can pick you up at 7:30. Near pub. Pasty”…That was the text message I got from Patsy (a nice, lovely, and sweet grandmother) this Monday. However, the deadline for DTEL (Description of The English Language) is coming around this Friday. I hesitated whether to go or not. Then, I sent a message to Patsy and asked her if I can reply her before 6:00. (That must depend on how my assignment wok on) Luckily, the assignment was on schedule and I told Patsy I could spare time to attend the meeting. Patsy sent a message and said “That’s good. Jane and Graham will meet you by the pub on the main road at 7:30. See you soon.”
To be frank, I got nervous than the last several times for Xiao-xiao (my lovely classmate from China and introduces me to Baha’i ) didn’t come along with me. As usual, I waited for a lift by Green Park (the pub near my lodging). Graham (Patsy’s husband, and also a friendly grandfather) and Jane (a faithful Baha’i friend) picked me up soon after my arrival. In the car, Jane told me we’ll have some discussion about Baha’i faith. It’s like a ‘study circle’ and then we’ll have a devotional as before.
Whilst we arrived, Patsy was waiting for us by the door and gave me a big, tight hug, which really warmed my heart. Also, a new friend, Tracy, who I never met attended the meeting. After a short talk, Jane started to give us a lecture and reviewed what their study circle talked about before for me as she worried I couldn’t catch up with them. Finally, we went into the topic “true happiness”. Jane asked everybody to have a brainstorm. So many words related to true happiness occurred to everyone’s mind and were written down on the whiteboard, such as family, love, friendship, contentment, faith, security, hope, dream….and so on. What I talked about was achievement, confidence, travel and health. Moreover, Jane asked us to say something material. Then, we got some ideas like, money, alcohol, gambling, water, food, shelter, sunshine (because the weather here is really, really, really changeable or terrible), and chocolate etc.
In the process of discussion, it was more like a debate because the definition of “true” varied from different persons’ viewpoints. I told Jane the true happiness lies in what you lose, and I took the experience of my stomachache for example. I thought when one loses something, happiness may happen because of the recovery. Jane told me that was appreciation, but she seemed not to agree with me. In her opinion, one will forget to appreciate after time passes, and happiness will disappear without appreciation. Perhaps what true happiness she thinks should be permanent.
Followed by the discussion, we had a devotional and then came with refreshment time which was always my favorite. However, after a long discussion, I was so exhausted that I almost couldn’t catch any words when they chewed the fat. What’s worse, my brain couldn’t function well until I got home…haha..how frustrated!
That is an interesting topic and close to my life though some vocabulary is too intricate to understand in the devotional texts. Most importantly, how surprised I was when I got a Christmas card from Jane, and Graham also sent me a Baha’i brochure “.
Surely, I gave bags to Patsy, and Jane, and a mask to Graham. What I am proud of is they are handmade by my parents….haha…….:)
Ps: I learned new vocabulary: detached house, and tached house…Generally speaking, the prices of the detached houses are higher than the tached ones in England. Pasty and Graham’s house is the type of the detached.
To be frank, I got nervous than the last several times for Xiao-xiao (my lovely classmate from China and introduces me to Baha’i ) didn’t come along with me. As usual, I waited for a lift by Green Park (the pub near my lodging). Graham (Patsy’s husband, and also a friendly grandfather) and Jane (a faithful Baha’i friend) picked me up soon after my arrival. In the car, Jane told me we’ll have some discussion about Baha’i faith. It’s like a ‘study circle’ and then we’ll have a devotional as before.
Whilst we arrived, Patsy was waiting for us by the door and gave me a big, tight hug, which really warmed my heart. Also, a new friend, Tracy, who I never met attended the meeting. After a short talk, Jane started to give us a lecture and reviewed what their study circle talked about before for me as she worried I couldn’t catch up with them. Finally, we went into the topic “true happiness”. Jane asked everybody to have a brainstorm. So many words related to true happiness occurred to everyone’s mind and were written down on the whiteboard, such as family, love, friendship, contentment, faith, security, hope, dream….and so on. What I talked about was achievement, confidence, travel and health. Moreover, Jane asked us to say something material. Then, we got some ideas like, money, alcohol, gambling, water, food, shelter, sunshine (because the weather here is really, really, really changeable or terrible), and chocolate etc.
In the process of discussion, it was more like a debate because the definition of “true” varied from different persons’ viewpoints. I told Jane the true happiness lies in what you lose, and I took the experience of my stomachache for example. I thought when one loses something, happiness may happen because of the recovery. Jane told me that was appreciation, but she seemed not to agree with me. In her opinion, one will forget to appreciate after time passes, and happiness will disappear without appreciation. Perhaps what true happiness she thinks should be permanent.
Followed by the discussion, we had a devotional and then came with refreshment time which was always my favorite. However, after a long discussion, I was so exhausted that I almost couldn’t catch any words when they chewed the fat. What’s worse, my brain couldn’t function well until I got home…haha..how frustrated!
That is an interesting topic and close to my life though some vocabulary is too intricate to understand in the devotional texts. Most importantly, how surprised I was when I got a Christmas card from Jane, and Graham also sent me a Baha’i brochure “.
Surely, I gave bags to Patsy, and Jane, and a mask to Graham. What I am proud of is they are handmade by my parents….haha…….:)
Ps: I learned new vocabulary: detached house, and tached house…Generally speaking, the prices of the detached houses are higher than the tached ones in England. Pasty and Graham’s house is the type of the detached.
全站熱搜
留言列表
