Let me tell you about the best day of my life! I got up early and ran to the kitchen in my pajamas(睡衣). It was my thirteenth birthday and I was really 1. In fact, I wasn't sleeping all night because I kept 2 all the presents I would get.

    I walked into the kitchen with a big smile on my face, 3 nobody looked up. Mum and Dad were reading their newspapers while my two older brothers were eating breakfast. 4 said a word! "They have forgotten about my birthday!" I said to myself. I turned around and walked out of the 5. Suddenly, I heard a noise, so I went back to 6 what it was. I couldn't believe my eyes! There were lots of 7 on the kitchen table. "Surprise!" I heard 8 me. When I turned around, I saw Mum, Dad and my brothers! Mum was holding a huge 9 with candles and they were singing "Happy Birthday" to me. We shared the cake and opened all the presents. They didn't 10 my birthday after all. It really was the best day of my life!

    When my family moved to Ohio over the summer, I feared going to another new school and knowing no one because I was able to1what was coming. I had bright red hair and huge glasses. Besides, I was2and not very popular.3on the school bus that first day, I felt like all eyes on me. I could hear the words "She's huge!" Clearly, the kids on the bus had known each other well. I spent that first bus4in silence.

    The following day was even worse. I did not notice that a few boys had tied a rope across the aisle（通道）and then fell face first on the bus, 5everything I was carrying. 6I was uneasily gathering my things, I could hear the laughter, and then the words “That felt like an earthquake!”

    Anyway, I7to find a seat. Looking out of the window, I held back the tears running out of my eyes.

    It was then8I went into myself. I began walking everywhere. I would walk through the woods behind our house. I would also walk to a church. I began9the afternoon school bus on purpose, walking home instead. Then,10, I started losing weight. And as I became satisfied with myself, I began making11.

    One of my newly found friends also fought with her weight. She lived near my neighborhood so we would meet and12together. This became a daily activity with talking and laughing

    13the way—different from the lonely walks I had taken. While I would no longer want to experience that time of loneliness and sadness again, I am14I made it through. Whenever I am fighting with any other problem in life, I always remember the saying "This too shall pass（一切都会过去的）".

    If you can find a path with no obstacles（障碍）, it probably doesn't15anywhere.

    For Pineda, it was a long way to succeed.

    His story began in El Salvador; where he was born with something wrong with his mouth. He had great 1 in speaking. At age 2, his family's house burned down. Pineda was hurt  2, and his legs needed to be cut. His mother died when he was 8, and he3years on the streets before he was taken in by an orphanage(孤儿院).

    Finally, at the orphanage, Pineda began to receive support and encouragement. He taught himself to play the guitar. He began his4with other musicians. Then the group went to Chicago, where Pineda, then 18, 5the attention of many people, who wondered what they could do to help him.

    A hospital offered him free medical care. A rich man agreed to6for Pineda's tickets to and from El Salvador.

    When he was in the hospital, Pineda began7music, and wondered if he might be able to record his own album(音乐专辑).Soon with the help of a musician, "The Sound of Gratitude(感激)" was born. On October 15^th, Pineda went to a Chicago club to8his new songs to strangers, and to the friends who had helped him come so far,

    It was 9that Pineda had come into such a good luck, after having so many years of hardship(艰难). "We have a 10 in El Salvador, 'Suffer(受难）first, then enjoy.' I guess that's what's happening. " he said.

    I'd like to tell you something about my trip. First, we landed in Cape Town and took a taxi to our new friend Richard's house. We 1 there for a few nights. We did some cool things. We visited a bird and monkey park and saw many kinds of African 2 there.

    After 3 some time with Richard and his daughter, we left them to go to a place called Grootbos. 4 we were there, we saw my dad's friend Michael and we had supper together. We had fun5 Michael and staying at Grootbos. The food there was great. We really enjoyed 6. The next morning, we went to see whales and we got really 7 because we saw twelve of them. One pair came right up to the boat and rolled over on top of each other.

    From Grootbos we 8 to Cape Town to meet our friends who came to visit us on their vacation. We were both so 9 to have friends from home coming to 10 us in Africa. We spent a few days with them. It was very cool visiting Grootbos with them.

    Now we are going Oil Safari. I'll tell you about that later.