Last weekend I made my first visit to a remote village, home to one of our students, Tombe. Another teacher and I walked for two and a half hours to get there—first, up a mountain from where we had fantastic views, and then down a shaded path to the valley below. When we arrived at the village, Tombe's mother, Kiak, saw us coming and started crying "ieee ieee". We shook hands with all the villagers. Everyone seemed to be related to Tombe.

Tombe's father, Mukap, a man with a strong jaw and a wrinkled forehead, led us to his house, a low, round bamboo hut with no windows, with a door just big enough to get through, and with grass sticking out of the roof—this shows it is a man's house. Such housing is dark inside so it took time for our eyes to adjust. Fresh grass had been laid on the floor and there was a platform for Jenny and me to sleep on. There was a fireplace in the centre of the hut. The only possessions I could see were one broom, a few saucers, a kettle, cups, pans, and a couple of jars.

Mukap built a fire outside and laid stones on it to heat. He then placed the hot stones in an empty oil drum with kau kau（sweet potato）, ripe corn, and greens. He then covered the vegetables with banana leaves and left them to steam. It smelled delicious. We ate inside the hut sitting round the fire. I loved listening to the family talking softly to each other in their language, even though I could not participate much in the conversation. Luckily, Tombe interpreted for us.

Later. I noticed a can standing upside down on the grill（烤架）over the fire. After a while. Tombe threw it out of the doorway. Tombe told me that the can was heated to dry out the leftover food. His family believes that leftovers attract bad spirits in the night, so any leftover food is dried up in a can and the can is then thrown out of the hut.

We left the village the next morning after many goodbyes and firm handshakes. My muscles were aching and my knees shaking as we dragged ourselves down the mountain towards home. That evening I fell happily into bed. It was such a privilege to have spent a day with Tombe's family.

The light from the campfire brightened the darkness, but it could not prevent the damp cold of Dennis's Swamp (沼泽地) creeping into their bones. It was a strange place. Martin and Tom wished that they had not accepted Jack'sdare. They liked camping, but not near this swamp.

"So," Martin asked as they sat watching the hot coals. "How did this place get its name?"

"Are you sure you want to hear it? It's a scary story," warned Jack.

"Of course!" cried out Tom. "If there were anything to be scared of, you wouldn't have chosen this place!"

"Ok, but don't say I didn't warn you," said Jack, and he began this tale.

"Way back in time, a man called Dennis tried to start a farm here. He built that cottage over there to live in. In those days, the area looked quite different — it was covered with tall trees and the swamp was a crystal-clear river. After three hard years, Dennis had cleared several fields and planted crops. He was so proud of his success that he refused to listen to advice.

"‘You are clearing too much land,' warned one old man. ‘The land is a living thing. It will hit back at you if you abuse it. '"

"‘Silly fool,' said Dennis to himself. ‘If I clear more land, I can grow more crops. I'll become wealthier. He's just jealous!'"

"Dennis continued to chop down trees. Small animals that relied on them for food and shelter were destroyed. He was so eager to expand his farm that he did not notice the river flowing slowly towards his door. He did not notice salt seeping to the surface of the land. He did not notice swamp plants choking all the native plants."

"What happened?" Martin asked. It was growing colder. He trembled, twisting his body closer to the fire.

"The land hit back — just as the old man warned," Jack shrugged. "Dennis disappeared. Old folks around here believe that swamp plants moved up from the river and dragged him underwater. His body was never found."

"What a stupid story," laughed Tom. "Plants can't …" Before he had finished speaking, he screamed and fainted (晕倒). The other two boys jumped up with fright, staring at Tom. Suddenly, they burst out laughing. Some green swamp ivy (常春藤) had covered Tom's face. It was a while before Tom could appreciate the joke.

Some of the most famous and successful people in history battled self-doubt. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} fact, some held this feeling throughout their entire lives, even after their work had been held in high regard by {#blank#}2{#/blank#} public. Here {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (be) two famous people from history who struggled with self-doubt.

John Steinbeck

Even the Pulitzer Prize-winning American author John Steinbeck felt uncomfortable about the praise he got for his work. He wrote in his diary: "I am not a writer. I've been fooling {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (I) and other people." His famous realistic novel The Grapes of Wrath  {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (help) land him the Pulitzer Prize in 1940.

Michelangelo

World-renowned Italian Renaissance artist, {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (sculpt) and architect Michelangelo doubted his abilities before he created his famous painting, The Last Judgement, in the Vatican's Sistine Chapel.

The beginning of Michelangelo's career consisted mostly of sculptures, {#blank#}7{#/blank#} helped spread his name throughout Italy. However, Pope Julius II asked Michelangelo {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (paint) the wall of the Sistine Chapel. In response, Michelangelo refused at first, {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (say) that he was not a painter.{#blank#}10{#/blank#} (final), he accepted the Pope's request and spent four years on the painting.

When I was a young boy I was in a poor neighborhood as a foster ( 领养) child. I was1 to spend lots of time alone. I would often wander the neighborhoods on my own and2 to help rake (用耙子耙平) a yard, mow a lawn ( 割草), or wash some walls3 some pocket money just to buy some clothes or candy.

Once I knocked on the door of an elderly woman and asked if she needed her leaves raked in the yard. She asked why I was not in school and I4 her my torn trousers and shoes, which were5 and no longer keeping my feet warm and6 . And when I finished the work she gave me some7 . She said, "I want you to buy some trousers and new shoes and8 school. I also want you to come back and9 me with your report card and I will reward you when I see you have worked hard and have some good10 ."

I returned several times to see the woman in the corner house and she did just as she11 . She looked at my report card and gave me a handful of dollars and a sandwich every time I12 showed her I had an "A" or "B". And over the next couple of years, she continued to be this13 influence in my life as brief as it was and I never knew her name.

I was twelve years old when I moved from that neighborhood into a different home, with another family. I will of course never14 the huge difference this wonderful stranger made over my life with her15 . This is something I hope to do myself in this lifetime over and over again.

Nanjing Yunjin brocade is traditional Chinese silk art with a history of about 1,600 years. Its complex weaving techniques, various colors and patterns, and its particular choices of materials make it valuable and ancient people said, "An inch of brocade, an inch of gold." Today, the traditional characteristics and unique skills of yunjin remain to be an award-winning art treasure. Its techniques are passed down from generation to generation by artisans. 

Zhou Shuangxi, a national-level inheritor of yunjin weaving techniques, is one of them. Back in 1973, he graduated from a mining school and was selected to become a student at the NanjingYunjin Research Institute along with five other students, just because he was "in good shape". There were only several masters in their 70s and not even a loom (织布机) to use. "The old masters finally remembered a loom was stored somewhere. When I opened the door, I saw what seemed like a pile of wood," Zhou recalled. 

"Weaving was difficult, but different from mining. Mining requires heavy physical labor, but working with the soft and thin silk requires studying and practicing in front of a loom for decades until you master the technique. My hands became quite awkward due to mining, so I used to put my hands in warm water whenever I could. In this way, they could become softer and weave the silk more easily," he said. 

Out of the six or so students, Zhou is the only one who has insisted on the trade to this day. Having devoted the past five decades to yunjin production despite all the sweat and struggles, he has developed his techniques to the point where he can weave the antique dragon robes in all their small details. He also made various artworks that not only show China's intangible cultural heritage but also serve as Zhou Shuangxi's artistic creations. 

"I am lucky to be in such a good era and I have the honor of being a representative inheritor," Zhou said.

Zhang Guimei taught at a school during the day and took care of a children's home in her spare time. One day, Zhang met a teenage girl {#blank#}1{#/blank#} told Zhang that her family was too poor {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (afford) school fees. Zhang went to persuade her parents to allow their daughter to continue schooling {#blank#}3{#/blank#}, the parents refused Zhang. With the little girl lingering in her mind, Zhang tried to figure out how to help those poor local girls.

In 2007, Zhang {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (elect) as a representative of the 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and attended the meeting in Beijing. A news report on Zhang helped her ambition of building a school {#blank#}5{#/blank#} girls gained the attention of Huaping county officials and other {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (support). A year later, Huaping Girls' High School, China's {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (one) tuition-free high school, opened and enrolled 100 students, with Zhang as its president. Most of the girls were from remote areas.

{#blank#}8{#/blank#} (follow) in Zhang's footsteps, many of the graduates of Huaping Girls' High School have chosen to work in remote areas.

In July 2021, she was one of the recipients of this year's July 1st Medal, the {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (high) honor for a Communist Party of China member, for her outstanding contributions to education in the {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (mountain) region.