I work as a volunteer for an organization(组织) that helps the poor in Haiti. I decided to take my son Brain there for a week, hoping to educate him.

      Before getting out, I told Brain this trip would be tiring and hard. For the first two days, he said almost nothing. Then on the third day, when we were climbing over high rocky mountains, he turned to me and smiled, “Really hard.”

      After that, a five-year-old girl, wearing a too large dress and broken shoes, followed Brain around. Later he said regretfully(遗憾地), “I wish I could speak French.”I was surprised that this was from a boy who always hated French classes.

      However, the moment that really reached my heart occurred in a village deep in the mountains. I was interviewing a woman villager for an article. By working hard, she had learned to read and write and became part of the leadership(领导层) of the village.

      Learning her story, Brain was greatly touched. His eyes were wet and there was love and respect on his face. He finally understood the importance of my work. When leaving for home, Brain even offered to stay in as a volunteer. This trip was very meaningful.

    There is a bar (酒吧) with the name “The White Horse (马)”. A picture of a white horse is on the door (门) of the bar. It is Mr. Webster's. Few (很少) people go to the bar.

    One day, Mr. Wilson comes in, drinks (喝) a cup, watches the bar, and then says to Mr. Webster, “Few people come here. Take down(拿下) the picture of the white horse and put (放) a picture of a black horse.” “But the name of the bar is 'The White Horse',” Mr. Webster says. “Yes, but do it,” says Mr. Wilson.

    After that, Mr. Webster goes to a store and says, “I want a picture of a black horse.” The next day, a picture of a black horse is on the door of the bar.

    The next morning, a man comes in and asks, “The name is “The White Horse”, but why do you put a picture of a black horse on the door of your bar?” The man sits down and asks for a cup. Then a second man comes in and asks the same question, and then a third man .... Many people (许多人) come in and say, “The picture on your door is not right.” After that, they all sit down and drink in Mr. Webster's bar.

    Gregg's dream was to travel around the Americas(美洲). He got the idea after he finished a long bike ride. Gregg's friend, Brooks, also liked riding a bike. The two friends talked and made a plan，they would travel from Alaska to Argentina by bike.

    To pay for the trip, Gregg and Brooks worked to save money for a long time. When they were on the road, they often camped outdoors and ate cheaply. In many places, local people opened their doors to the two friends and gave them food.

    On their way, there were deserts, rainforests and mountains. They visited modern cities and ancient ruins. And they made many friends from all over the world.

    Two years later, Gregg finally reached Ushuaia, Argentina in May 2007. (Near Guatemala, Brooks had to go back and Gregg continued without him.)

They both learned a lot about traveling. Here are some of Gregg's suggestions.

Travel light. You shouldn't carry many things with you.

    Be flexible(灵活的)• Don't plan everything. Then you'll be more relaxed and pleased. Be polite. One traveler told Gregg, "Nobody wants to cheat a nice man." It's true.

    On Monday, I stopped my car in front of my daughter Juliet's middle school. She jumped in the front seat, feeling down. She asked me to help her study for her science test.

    "Dad I need to memorize a unit about the Reproductive Cycle of Plants. And I can hardly make it."

    "You know memorizing seems like the best way to study, but in fact you can do better in tests if you work on trying to understand the material."

    Juliet was open to my advice. It was Monday afternoon and we had two nights to study before the test on Wednesday. I suggested a plan. "Tomorrow night, you are going to teach the material to me. Tonight, read the unit. Prepare to teach."

    Asking her to teach me was an unusual idea but I was determined to do it. Studies show teaching somebody else is a very useful way to lean, Even if you don't do the teaching, the act of preparing to teach leads to more learning than just trying your best to memorize the material.

    On Tuesday afternoon, Juliet sat down with her Science book facing me said, "Okay Dad, let's study." I wanted her to teach me. But false starts happened. I couldn't be too hard on her. So instead we starred with me asking her some simple questions. She knew some but not other. When she didn't know the answers. I encouraged her to check the book.

    She started checking things that didn't make sense. And she was actively seeking to test her understanding. I was happy to see it. She wasn't memorizing, she was trying to make sense of things, which was exactly what I had hoped she would do.