To foreigners Chinese food isn't a meal. It's an experience. Failing to order the right food and struggling with chopsticks are only parts of the adventure every time I sit down in a restaurant.

    In one of our favorite Sichuan restaurants, it took 3 waiters and 15 minutes for us to order only our drinks. I simply wanted water, but my dad wanted to try the fresh juice they had listed on the menu. There were two problems, however. There were neither pictures nor English on the menu. After several hand gestures, he ended up ordering just a coca cola to simplify things.

    One of our most embarrassing moments was at Xiabuxiabu, a very famous hotpot chain. As soon as we walked in, the entire restaurant seemed to stare at us. Uncomfortable already, we had the most difficulty ordering our meal, since there were so many steps to the whole process. Fortunately, the waitress was very patient and successfully gave us our food. Although it was not the best food I had in Beijing, it was certainly entertaining dropping things into the boiling pot of soup. Once, I tried picking up a dumpling to show my father and dropped it onto his pants. I looked behind me, and people were laughing secretly at my chopstick skills.

    No matter how many difficulties we have regarding food, our experiences give the best stories to tell. The servers are always understanding of our situation and their friendliness is exceptional. They always greet us with a big smile even when they realize they have to clean up the noodles slipped through our clumsy chopsticks.

    The first newspapers were written by hand and put up on walls in public place. The earliest daily newspaper was started in Rome in 59 BC. In the 700's the world's first printed newspaper was published. Europe didn't have a regularly published newspaper until 1609, when one was started in Germany.

    The first regularly published newspaper in the English language was printed in Amsterdam in 1620.In 1621, an English newspaper was started in London and was published once a week. The first daily English newspaper was the Daily Courant (每日新闻).It came out in March 1702.

    In 1690, Benjamin Harris printed the first American newspaper in Boston. But not long after it was first published, the government stopped the paper. In 1704, John Campbell started The Boston Newsletter (波士顿新闻通讯), the first newspaper published in the American colonies. By 1760, the colonies had more than thirty daily newspapers. There are now about 1,800 daily papers in the United States.

    Today, as a group, English language newspapers have the largest circulation (发行量) in the world. But the largest circulation for a newspaper is that of the Japanese newspaper Asahi Dhimbun (朝日新闻).It sells more than 11 million copies every day.

    In the early hours of the morning, Gary Miller was in his truck, traveling down the road alone to deliver. Everything seemed calm. But with the sound of a fire siren (警笛) cutting through the wind, he became alarmed. Miller, a trucker by trade, has been a volunteer firefighter for 40 years. That loud, sharp siren assured him that help was on the way.

    Most people never realize that this help is often a crew of volunteer firefighters. They make up 70 percent of the country's nearly 1.2 million firefighters. "When I was a teenager there would be many who responded. About 20 people were coming into the voluntary fire station at one siren." Miller laughed. But now, at his 54, that memory is almost ironic (讽刺的)to him. When a call comes in, his station might get only three or four people responding. He said: "People don't want to, or rather, they don't have time to volunteer." Adults' burdens have become greater. There isn't as much time left for volunteering when most people rely on a two-income household now more than ever.

    Firefighters face far more than what we imagine. The emotional stress on a firefighter stands out. "We're asked to help someone at their most vulnerable (易受伤的) time. But we can't always save the day like we hope to." Miller reflected on the case years ago. "A mother's car was hit hard, and she had two children in the backseat." By the time he arrived on the scene, there wasn't much to be done. "One child died in my arms and I felt so defeated."

    Along with the emotional stress, the physical danger is just as great. Even with the progress of equipment and new training, that's still not always enough to save a firefighter's life. In 2016, 60 firefighters died in the line of the duty. "When you respond, you never know if it is to be your last," Miller said. "And that's just a risk we take." Miller continued. "It's dangerous. But it's also the most rewarding thing I've ever done."

    There was a man playing the piano in a bar. He was a good piano player and always performed in this bar. People came in just to hear him play. But one night, a customer told him that he didn't want to hear him just play the piano any more. He wanted him to sing a song.

    The man said, "I don't sing."

    But the customer was persistent(执着的). He told the bar manager, "I'm tired of listening to the piano. I want that man to sing！"

    The manager shouted across the room, "If you want to get paid, sing a song. Our customers are asking you to sing！"

    So he did, He sang a song. A piano player who had never sung in public did so for the first time. And everyone was surprised by his song Mona Lisa. He got lots of applause(掌声) that night.

    He had such a talent for singing, but he just had been sitting on his talent for the past years! If without such a chance, he may have lived the rest of his life as a no­name piano player in a no­name bar. However, now he has become one of the best­known singers in America.

    You, too, have skills and abilities. Maybe your "talent" is not as great as the singer above, but it may be better than you think! And with effort, most skills can be improved. So, in your life, you should be brave enough to try doing different things and find out what talents you really have!

On account of the government shutdown, many of the city's best attractions, such as the national museums, are closed. It may affect your social plans. That's especially true if you have out-of-town visitors coming to the District. Don't worry! For every closed museum, we've offered up a suitable substitute that is privately run, thus not subject to the shutdown. Here's where you can go instead.

Anacostia Community Museum and the National Museum of African American History and Culture

Alternatives: Banneker-Douglass Museum or Alexandria Black History Museum

The National Museum of African American History and Culture is one of the hottest draws on the National Mall, with free tickets taken weeks in advance. Its sister museum, the Anacostia Community (社区) Museum, takes a community-focused look at African American history. So does the Banneker- Douglass Museum in Annapolis, which traces (追溯) the African American experience in Maryland, and the Alexandria Black History Museum, where exhibitions honor local activists and explore the influence of slavery in the area. And unlike the African American Museum, neither requires you to plan ahead.

Hirschhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

Alternative: Glenstone

Wandering through the galleries at Glenstone, you'll come across some of the biggest names in 20th century art — Jackson Pollock, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Robert Rauschenberg. Glenstone sits on a 230-acre estate (土地) that doubles as an outdoor sculpture garden. Free tickets for Glenstone are often reserved weeks in advance, but 72 free tickets are available every day for anyone who takes a Montgomery County Ride-On Bus from Rockville Metro Station to the museum.

National Museum of African Art

Alternative: The African Art Museum of Maryland

Masks, musical instruments and jewelry can be found in Fulton, where the African Art Museum of Maryland houses a collection of traditional and contemporary African artworks and objects. And the best part, for visitors on a budget? Admission is free.

POETRY CHALLENGE

Write a poem about how courage, determination, and strength have helped you face challenges in your life.

Prizes

Grand Prizes: Trip to Washington, D. C. for each of three winners, a parent and one other person of the winner's choice. Trip includes round﹣trip air tickets, hotel stay for two nights, and tours of the National Air and Space Museum and the office of National Geographic World.

6 First Prizes: The book Sky Pioneer: A Photobiography of Amelia Earhart signed by author Corinne Szabo and pilot Linda Finch.

50 Honorable Mentions: Judges will choose up to 50 honorable mention winners, who will each receive a T﹣shirt in memory of Earhart's final flight.

Rules

Follow all rules carefully to prevent disqualification.

■Write a poem using 100 words or fewer. Your poem can be any format, any number of lines.

■Write by hand or type on a single sheet of paper. You may use both the front and back of the paper.

■On the same sheet of paper, write or type your name, address, telephone number, and birth date.

■Mail your entry to us by October 31 this year.