No Pain No Gains (Another Diary of a Language Learner) (Becky)
Inspiration Words: Trying and PotentialSeptember 6thWell, here we are, about ready to start another semester! I love the beginning of the semester. Having a long summer holiday is always fun, but going back to school with all those new books and new classes is the...
Life Meets Work (Paul)
Inspiration Words: Balloon and Perplexed Paul sat in the large, open office area at the training center. He leaned back in the chair, resting his head against the back, with his legs stretched out in front of him. Most of the lights were off, and a balloon drifted by...
Fishing (Xiao Lu)
Inspiration Words: Egg Tart and Post Xiao Lu (ssee-ow loo) licked the crumbs out of the aluminum wrapper that, moments before, had contained a tasty egg tart. Saturdays were his favorite. He said it was because each Saturday, his mom would buy him the egg snacks that...
Shopping Races (Anne and Johnson)
Inspiration Words: Yes and Sidewalk “Stop dawdling, Anne,” her mother scolded her as they walked through the aisles of the supermarket. Anne held gently to the side of the grocery cart, keeping close, like her mom preferred. “Can you get some of the chocolate chips...
Tacos and Cheese (Braxton)
Inspiration Words: Tortilla and Aspirational Braxton sat down on the hard chair in the dining room of his restaurant. It was 2 a.m., and the last of the night crowd had just left. The kitchen staff had finished cleaning up, and he had put away the rest of the drinks...
Diary of a Language Learner (Becky and Samantha)
Inspiration Words: Pandemonium and ConfusedSeptember 19th This is my first week of classes at university, and I absolutely love it! I’m so glad I came to Hainan. The skies are so blue here, and even though it’s so hot, the library has air conditioning, and that’s...
The Soundtrack of My Life (Novel)
Inspiration Words: Overhear and Acoustic My primary skill in life is overhearing things. I don’t talk much, but I listen plenty, and when I listen, I hear lots of interesting things. One of the first conversations I remember overhearing was between my parents. I was...
Meeting the Parents (Anne and Johnson)
Inspiration Words: Prancing and Brunch “Have some more, we have plenty!” Anne tried to smile as her boyfriend’s mom heaped cow stomach and some other unidentifiable animal insides on top of her bowl of rice. “It’s okay; I can get it myself. Don’t worry about me.” Anne...
The Cold Shoulder (Chenrui)
Inspiration Words: Delete and Cold shoulder Ye Chenrui (yeh chun ray) slurped the noodles in a corner of the cafeteria, a TV show he had been interested in playing on his phone. The lead actor and actress were in the middle of a fight, but Chenrui knew they would end...
Beach Dreams (Xueqing)
Inspiration Words: Canvas and Daydreaming Wang Xueqing (wahng ssee-yoo-eh cheeng) pulled the easel out from where she had stashed it between her bed and her roommate’s bed and put a new canvas on the stand. She had only been able to afford a small canvas, but it was...