Letter XI: Writing for Rights 2017 and the English Essay Competition

Greetings, Tim!
This letter, as it turned out is actually the correct Letter XI, for we need not write a letter in class 220 last week, so I've changed my last letter to stay on track with my other classmates.
It is what we call "freezing cold" here in Taiwan. It was the damp kind of cold, so it felt colder than what is shone on the thermometer. Maybe it is still nothing, comparing to other countries, but it should be enough for me to bring out my Mom-brand knitted gloves, hat, and scarf. They keep me warm even when I am outside facing the cold raining wind, and I love them even more since Mom made them out of numerous balls of yarn.
I don't usually put my hat on, but I just got a haircut (details later) so without a hat, my head would probably freeze up. It is Saturday now, and normally I only start my letters on Sundays, but tomorrow I would go attend an English essay competition -which was giving me a fright and excitement at the same time- and in the afternoon, I still have a math class.

Write for Rights Campaign

So maybe you can check this post out first, which is where all my postcards from last year are.
If you went back to the posts we wrote last year, you might see that we did a similar event last year. The "Write for Rights Campaign" was an event held by Amnesty International (AI) and what we do is reading about all the cases we could write about and mark down some of the cases that resonate with you the most. Then you write postcards, either to the victims of the case, to encourage them not to lose hope as we fight alongside with them, or to the government, as of filing a request to change the states of unfair and unjust, once and for all.
I sometimes find myself just letting myself go with the flow, with sentences like"don't lose hope" and other kind and warm but clichéd encouragements. I didn't want that. I tried, with some extra twists, to make them more genuine.
I've always believed that words can change lives, and when my thought is proven through this opportunity of writing for others, there is no need for me to hesitate.
We were all asked to write five postcards this year, a little bit more than what we were requested to do than what we got in the last year.
Here are all of them (We were asked to put them into another blog post so I'm just leaving the link over here)
And another addition: Me holding all the pictures:

Class.

I don't think of this as a class assignment. Given the chances, I would actively do so as well. For me, this is one of the reasons for why we learn English, in addition to reading and knowing amazing novels. To help the world, of course! No matter how small our powers are; See, we only have eighteen people in our class, but as each of us writes five postcards... Eighteen times five is 90. We devoted ninety of our hopes and demands all around the world... One day we would find ourselves actually receiving the rewards of this help- hearing from the ones who once got our words or sentences. It is an event with an amazingly positive cause; so why not?

Questions Answering- Part One

I have to express my satisfaction with the letter of this week. It's all about food! Even the supplement is filled with food!

1. The students in Nogales HAVE to be knowledgeable about Mexican cuisine because they are basically LIVING the lot of Mexican cultures! If you have questions about Mexican cultures, what would be a better idea than to consult a person with a Mexican background?

2. Among all transcripts, recipe translating can be exceptionally challenging, for it requires all the correct names of the ingredients in another language, and you would have to be able to illustrate your methods and ideas through words.

3. "Chili" in America is an actual beef dish (is it correct? I looked it up) while the same word in Mexican culture, it would be a general term for a wide variation of spicy peppers.

4. Both masa and cornmeal are a sort of flour made from grinding corn, but while masa is a smoother kind, cornmeal can be coarser. Therefore, masa is often regarded as finer and a better ingredient for tortilla doughs.

5. A tortilla is a Mexican flatbread that was made from masa or corn flour, and I guess it is so important a kind of food, for it sounds like it is their staple and it should be essential in a Mexican's live.

I Got My Haircut

When was it last time? Ah, yes. It had to be some several weeks after I came back from England, which is a solid three months. Classmates like Allison had been urging me to get my hair cut, but I just was too occupied with everything and when I physically visited the barbershop, it would be closed. I finally went to it on a Wednesday evening, and I barely made it as the last customer, for the owner was planning to go for dinner. I got most of my hair shaved off, only with a thin layer- about 1cm or so- left on my scalp.

It was not a good idea. Not that it looks bad (Well, according to the others, it does look bad, but I don't really have that much animosity with my new hairstyle,) but such short hair in days of winter?

BRrrr. NO.

That was why I had to wear my lovable Mom knitted cap. I loved it, no matter how many times William compared me with a match. Picture:

William made this. I sometimes hate him with all my heart.

Anyway, I've been learning not to care too much of what others say, and it wasn't that hard anymore, to take either the mocking or the scandalized looks in stride, and just laugh it off. I like this aspect of me.

Summer, Happy Birthday!!!

This is a story about a devising of a master plan- of tricking Ms. Summer (nothing too sinister, I assure you all)

Summer's birthday was last week, and we decided to give her a mild shock, then present her with a cake and throw a small celebration.

We got our Chinese teacher on our side, who is a dear friend of Ms. Summer. During the last period of Friday, our Chinese teacher and we played out a small act, in which she got inexplicably angry and hit the roof as she shouted at us -she did it with a scaring success; I almost got convinced that she wasn't faking at all- and then, she told Melody to go downstairs to get Ms. Lin to our class as she continued scolding us as we hung our heads down lows, as if we really were self-reflecting with shame. Summer rushed upstairs with a worried look, and our Chinese teacher then led Summer inside, in an angry voice, she told us to say all we have to say to Ms. Summer:

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!" We clearly saw the solemn and serious postures she had morphed into a relieved smile and a relaxed physical posture. It was almost too funny to watch! She dropped some happy tears. The whole plan was devised by Aubrey and Jay, and I want to thank them for making everything go so smoothly and wonderful.

Happy birthday, Summer!!!

Ms. Summer is really an enthusiastic teacher. Seldom do we see a teacher so keen on looking for all sorts of activities for us to participate in. It is true that we sometimes get overwhelmed with the excessive workloads, but I think we all know that they are the things that made our high school lives so various.

Thank you, Ms. Summer, for all things you have done for us, and we wish you a happy birthday.

Funny thing, Summer's birthday is in winter. Wow.

Questions Answering- Part Two

6. A tortilla press is a kind of device that can basically be seen in all Mexican families. It is as common as rice cookers in Taiwanese families. It is used to press doughs into flatbreads. 

7. The degrees of the salsa sauce, "mild" or "hot" is determined on how much diced peppers was put inside in the making process. Make sure to buy or make the kind of hot you can handle, or else you would be praying for milk!

8. There are a lot of differences between tacos, tostadas, and quesadillas. Tacos are the most simple and straightforward kind, as they are made with tortillas and fillings; tostadas are denser like a pizza cut into numerous slices and they would look more like cheese sandwiches. As for quesadillas, they are like mini pizza with their fillings piled up on the dough and they would look like some pizza towers.

9. Enchiladas and burritos are alike. Burritos are thin layers of tortilla shells with fillings wrapped within, designed to be eaten as take-out, while enchiladas to be served on plates because of the sauce needed on the whole dish, and therefore are more often served in restaurants.

10. Popular sides for enchiladas are often refried beans, which is a sort of bean paste or Mexican/ Spanish rice.

English Essay Writing Competition

last Sunday, I went to Zhong Lun Senior High School for an English essay competition. I've been more or less confident in my English writing skills (though I do miserably in Chinese essay writing, I have no idea why) so I was excited and hyped. And anxious. And nervous. I was filled with trepidation upon leaving home at 6 a.m. The contest was at 9:10, though you should be there at 8:50. When I got there, it was only seven o'clock. I went to Mos Burger, a Japanese fast food chain restaurant for breakfast. It was mostly an early morning, so only a few seats were taken. So there I was, enjoying breakfast and the soft Christmas instrumental music and the company of the early elderly.

Rice hamburger with a cup of joe; breakfast.

I took me some time to find the school, with the help of Google Map, and when I was there, my heart raced, for no apparent reason. I would guess it was out of nervousness or excitement.

The school was municipal but was so magnificent that it looks more like a private school. I had paid no mind to it, for I was too preoccupied with the imminent dread that the time had come.

I went for the registration, and after I got the nametag that had my seat number on it, I went to a corner of the school, sat down, and started typing furiously on my phone. Typing all the words that came to my mind at each second, just to sharpen my mind on all the words that I might need to grasp on to in the midst of the writing session. We were given a hundred minutes to write as much as we liked. When I flipped open to the instruction where the designated title was printed, I had no idea if I should feel ecstatic or horrified.

"The Fever of 2017 Universiade," the instruction read.

Our school's field was designated as the official practicing field for all the players, so I was not so unfamiliar with the subject. However, as you all know, I am never a sporty person. I don't go to live matches, nor do I sit in front of the television and cheer for my favorite team -mostly because I have no such a thing-. I was squeezing my eyes shut, trying to recall all my memories of the huge sports event. 

It took me a wearily hard time, to muster all my thoughts into words, especially when I was trying to "slightly" magnify the emotions. I imagined how I would feel if I really were fanatic about the event and there you go!

After I handed out my paper and source of stress, I waited for Aubrey, who would soon come to the same place for a speech contest. I had math tutor in the late afternoon, so I didn't stay long after Aubrey arrived. I wished her good luck and set off for home.

Aubrey took this picture and I am posting this because this is the only one that showed my cut hair.

I didn't expect the results to come out in such a short-term, as Aubrey and I were informed of the results on the following day, Monday (by the way, it is Tuesday now): Aubrey got the third place on her speech, while I got the second on my essay! It was so unexpected, for I thought I didn't write with a genuine passion (I tried, though) and because I was under the big stress of the need to hurry up during writing, my handwriting was grotesque. However, I still got such a nice score.

You see, I am a greedy person. Knowing that I got the second place, I was dying to know who the first was, and oh, how much I wanted to be on top. 

Anyway, both of us will be attending the awarding ceremony tomorrow, which is Wednesday, and we would have half a day off because of that! YAY!

Too Many Things in a Week!

This week has been an exceptionally eventful one, and I am exhausted right now. Let's keep it until here for now.

Sincerely, 

Hugo