15岁留学美国：发现美西旅程的意义

送我去学校之前，我娘、Tiffany，还有她那个让人有安全感的男朋友（好吧，我忘了说他们俩已经领证了）打算先一起去“米国”别的地方玩一圈，这样也就有机会了解一下“米国”的风景啊“神马”的。又是漫长的“灰机”，“灰”过13个小时以后。我们到了洛杉矶，拖着无数箱子（平均每人两个，其实他们不需要这么多箱子，里面全是帮我装的东西。想多带点东西，尤其是睡前需要抱枕之类的同学，可以选择找亲人朋友这样帮你带一些）一走出机场，我就“赶脚”被骗了啊！谁说加州阳光好、气候宜人的！还不到九月就这么阴冷，飘着小雨。前两天去了最最俗套的星光大道、环球影城，还有杜莎夫人蜡像馆。星光大道实在是无聊啊，亲……只是普通的街道在地面上有些金属制的星星，中间是明星的名字和手印。很难找到一个你认识的人的名字。不过环球影城有一个参观很多录影棚和电影拍摄场地的旅程，五星推荐。如果有机会去环球影城，一定要坐那个！当然啦，还有很多其他好玩又刺激的项目，比如“木乃伊3”、“侏罗纪公园”之类，但是我这么怕失重的孩子又一次伤不起地退缩了，身体是不能随便实验的啊。体验“侏罗纪公园”之前，大家一定要想清楚最后那个30米高的大惊喜……杜莎夫人蜡像馆，人多得跟世博会一样啊（在我心里，人多的代名词就是世博会）！虽然确实做得很像，虽然时不时有点吓人，看多了还是会觉得有点审美疲劳的。一大亮点是原来Lady Gaga比我还矮（自爆身高160厘米）。无聊的两天过去就迎来了整个旅程的亮点！夏威夷！坐飞机去Honolulu，那里的机场小小破破的，但是只在机场就能感觉到扑面而来的热带气息。然后就是租车啦，Tiffany的“男盆友”派上了大用场，是的，他是司机。Tiffany和我刚进酒店，脖子上就被戴上了一串白色小贝壳项链，我回头，那个笑容都能融化世界的热情的夏威夷大叔已经去给别人戴项链了。奔下楼和Tiffany他们出去吃饭。各种不知名的海鲜、各种新鲜虾蟹，还第一次发现了有“零度雪碧”这种神奇的生物。出去逛逛街，然后就被晒回来了，回来补防晒霜。下午开车去了海边，阳光各种好啊！第二天又去钻石头爬山，听这名字以为是多么神奇又富有的地方，其实也不过是个贫瘠的小山头，爬上爬下特累人，跟在沙漠里一样，水都成了珍惜物品。总是和钻石头名字一起被提起的就是以浮潜出名的恐龙湾。去之前在超市买了浮潜用的潜水面镜和呼吸管，进去的时候还是要排队看看这个地方的介绍啊“神马”的，加上天气热，挤得我一身汗。在旁边买到了液状的防晒喷，SPF50+！往背上、胳膊上呈S形喷了一圈，抹匀。然后就戴着面镜和呼吸管下水了。这里海滩边的水下就有好多珊瑚和热带鱼。但是Tiffany和我都悲剧地不会游泳，她“男朋友”就扶着我们俩下水。放松放松，平躺着就可以漂在水上了。把头埋下去，看到大块的鹅卵石表面被腐蚀出小洞。还有好多海胆！是不是飘过一条颜色艳丽的小鱼？有时看到鱼都不由自主想去摸一下。胳膊腿随便乱动一下就能往前了，但是一定要注意保持平衡！呼吸管是一头咬在嘴里的，另一头伸出水面。如果动作太剧烈或者一个小浪过来，高浓度盐水就会从管里灌进来……在水不深的地方漂了好久以后，太阳快落山了。我们赶去参加了夏威夷最有名的仪式Luau。在沙滩上的长椅上吃晚餐，中间是各种传统和祭神表演，主题就是烤野猪。并不是我们想象的烤全猪那样放在火堆上转着烤。这个烤野猪的特色就是那一大头野猪是被提前一天埋在地下烤熟的。有点类似“叫花鸡”的做法。虽然肉本身并不怎么好吃，不过，去感受一下异域风情还是不错的。唯一让我郁闷和崩溃的是明明喷了防晒液，背上还是被太阳晒蜕皮了，有一半稍稍没那么严重的成S形，是的，就是喷的那个形状，喷上去的防晒液浓度比较高……只是被抹了一点的其他地方都红得不像样了！不过是呆了三天，整个人就黑了一大圈！两天以后又飞回洛杉矶，租车往拉斯维加斯开！之前，在纽约到了晚上那种冷清的感觉让我觉得美国人民都不懂什么叫做夜生活，都是群早睡早起身体好的“机械市民”。但是那天夜里开车，在一片戈壁里快到拉斯维加斯的时候，看到前方整个被照亮的天空，我默默地推翻了自己的想法。原来“夜间动物”都跑这儿来了。我们到的时候都夜里十一点了啊，街上都还是灯火通明的，车如流水马如龙。在威尼斯商人酒店，走到二楼是模仿威尼斯水城建的，天花板做成天空和云的图案。刚进去的时候，我以为是露天的，天亮了超漂亮，半夜两点出去吃饭，餐厅里常常人满为患。这个城市的人是都不睡觉吗？又两天过去，继续开车往中部走，直接开进黄石公园了。各种山路、山路还是山路，动物并没有想象中会出现得那么频繁。最容易看到的就是大块头的野牛，悠闲地走在公路上，而且当它们看到你的时候，只是淡淡地扭过头继续散步，绝对没有让路的意识，一定要慢悠悠地扭着屁股走过去。不过，一般这个时候，车上的人都是极有耐心和爱心的，顺便拿出相机近距离拍个照。还有丛林间胆小的鹿，卧在小溪旁边，当车子靠近的时候，伸长脖子探头张望一下，车过去以后又继续低头休息或者啃草。为了近距离拍到小鹿，Tiffany和我跨过小溪慢慢接近它，但是很容易被它发现，它跳过一根倒下的树干就跑进了深林。黄石还有很出名的热喷泉，其中最大最有名就是那个Old Faithful间歇泉，之所以叫这个名字就是因为它喷发得很准时。一个小时多一点喷发一次，每次规模都很大，所以在快喷发的时候都有工作人员组织观看。在巨大的喷泉的周围有一圈石椅，等待有一点水从冒着热气的洞里涌出，慢慢水量变大，最后喷到40多米高，持续4~5分钟。还是很神奇的。黄石的住宿也是一大亮点，之前，Tiffany的男朋友没想到美国的野营爱好者会这么多。结果只订到了用来野营的房间，需要自己带睡袋的那种。我们看到空空的房间都傻眼了，只好换成了林间小木屋。整个房子在树林里，全是用木材建起来的，特别温馨。就是因为这个温馨的山间小屋，早上大家多赖了一会儿，导致开车从黄石出发到机场的时候，我本该坐着去学校的飞机已经飞走了。正值开学的时候，飞机票也紧张，本该31号到学校的我，能改签的最早的票也就只有1号到纽约的了，而且还是转5次机！我还从来没有转过5次机！各种连名字都记不清的城市来回飞啊，半夜在机场度过，直到1号凌晨上了飞机，我才稍稍安心。

4.The traveling journal of Western America

Before going to my school,my mother,Tiffany and her husband(she had married her boyfriend)planed to travel around the US so we could have a chance to know the landscape and culture more.After another suffering thirteen hours,we arrived to Los Angeles with lots of huge luggage.My first step out of the airport,I felt I had been cheated!Who said California has sunshine forever?It was cloudy and raining in August!We went to the most famous places in California,like the Hollywood Walk of Fame,Universal Studio and Madame Tussauds.The Walk of Fame was quite boring—just a normal street with famous people’s names on the ground.There were too many of them for me to recognize them all.However,the tour of movie making studio was a fascinating trip that gave me a real sense of how films are made.Of course,there were a lot of outdoor adventure activities also.But,those were not what I was waiting for.

Hawaii was the highlight of the whole trip.For a girl who grew up in the north,the tropical landscape and beach were a dream.The airport of Honolulu was not only magnificent,but made people feel as though surf was coming.The wet air,colorful fowers,and smiling people were telling you“Here is Hawaii!”

A jovial man with tan skin gave me a long puka-shell necklace.

After we put on sunscreen,we went outand had lunch.As a Northern child,I had never eaten so much seafood with different cooking methods.That afternoon,I heard about Diamond Head Crater.At first,I thought it must be a rich place with diamonds.But,it was just a normal mountain with just a few trees.In case people wanted to cool down from the hot weather,the crater was not far from Hanauma Bay,which was a famous place to snorkel.It was our frst time snorkeling.The equipmentseemed unsafe.I put on SPF-50sunscreen,took a deep breath and walked into the water.Neither Tiffany nor I knew how to swim.So her boyfriend held us and made us lay on the surface of the water,relaxed.I looked down through the water.A lot of coral and tropical fsh were under my body.Also some sea urchins seemed dangerous,moving with the waves.I only could move my body with the surf in a confused way.Sometimes I was so excited with the beautiful fsh that I could not resist touching them.Then I would lose my balance and the snorkel would let in some water go.I did not really touch any fsh after my stomach was full of salty water.I enjoyed my time until sunset and then it was time for the luau with a roasted pig.It was not a pig on a spit above a fre like in our imagination.This kind of roasted pig was buried underground a day before.Even though the pork was not that delicious,it was nice to experience more traditional activities in Hawaii.(www.xing528.com)

After we returned to our hotel,I was scared by my appearance.The skin on my back had started to peel with a horrible red color.Just three days in Hawaii and my skin turned to a darker level entirely.We were back to Los Angeles to save our skin and went to our next stop:Las Vegas.I thought that American people did not have any nightlife since their shops would

close in the evening and no one was on the streets.Nevertheless,after a long drive in the desert,I changed my opinion when I saw the sky above Las Vegas illuminated by the lights—the nightlife in the US were all collected there!We stayed at the Venetian Hotel,which has a small version of St.Mark’s Square and the landscape of Venice.The ceiling,painted sky blue with white“clouds,”was so attractive.Maybe that was the reason people stayed awake until 2AM?

I did not have a chance to see every fancy hotel there because we drove to Yellowstone National Park.Because the park was huge,animals would not appear as frequently as I imagined.The most common animals were buffalo.They walked slowly on the road and would not walk away even they saw cars coming.But everyone here loved the animals,so no one hurried.Tiffany and I also got a chance to see a sleeping deer.When we tried to approach her and take a closer picture,she detected us and ran away.A dead fsh with some blood was in a brook.We suspected that a bear killed that fsh.It was a pity that we did not see any bear.Some of the most famous sites are the hot springs.The biggest one isa geyser called Old Faithful.It had this name because Old Faithful always erupted after one hour and is never late.A bunch of people sat around the geyser and waited to watch the eruption.A little water came out of the hole at frst.Then more and more hot water came out.Finally the cylinder of water

reached 40 meters and lasted 4-5 minutes.It was so beautiful in Yellowstone we stayedup late and woke up late,missing out flight to New York.I was supposed to arrive at school on August 31st but now the earliest fight would arrivein New York on Sep.1st because of ahurricane.After two days on an airplane,as I sat on the last fight to New York,I ftnoamlly yfheilgt hthsact hI oowla.s coming closer