第一天来学校的时候，觉得校园真大，找不到地方，各种楼，让人迷茫。两周以后，一旦习惯了，就觉得其实真正需要的活动范围也就那么大，只不过有好多大片大片的草坪和树林，而那些让人摸不着头脑的都是接待学生的办公室之类的，就是我开始正式上课以后再也没有靠近过的地方。我们学校乱七八糟的建筑一堆，好多宿舍、食堂、体育馆、学习中心、艺术馆、图书馆、温室以及天文台……但其实真正的教学楼就两栋，这也间接体现了我们学校地多人少一个学校一共才200多位学生！就这么说吧，我们每天上完第一节课以后都要全校一起开会，在艺术馆里面的一个小礼堂。其实都算不上礼堂，因为它真的很小，摆了四十来排长凳，全校同学都坐在长凳上开会。有时候是校长讲话，有时候是校方宣布来参观的人，有时候是同学展示自己某个作品或者旅行的心得成果，有时候是才艺表演，还有人上台当众邀请喜欢的女孩去舞会……总之是个能让大家认识你并且留下印象的自我展示平台。
日子就这么一天天过去。虽然每天也是单调的生活，可是总觉得比国内轻松愉快。一方面是因为课程轻松有趣，还有一方面大概就是因为这里美好的生活环境。在风景极好的山顶上，闲暇的时候和朋友一起去树林里爬山，采蘑菇，吹蒲公英，逗小松鼠，有种在国内从来没体验过的自然和惬意。不光是自然环境，人际关系也很不一样。不管是认识不认识（当然了，一个200多人的小学校里想有个不认识的同学还是挺难的！），彼此熟不熟，路上偶然遇见总是要热情地打招呼，不像在国内认识的朋友都可能视而不见，这可能也是美国人的人际关系与中国人最大的不同。他们虽然对每个人都很热情，但很少有关系非常亲近的朋友，大多只是闲着的时候凑在一起玩闹、八卦，有事的时候就各干各的，互不打扰。因为在他们的价值观里，每个人都是独立的个体，每个人都对自己的一切负责，只依赖于自己，所以他们不习惯像中国学生一样关系好的朋友每时每刻都腻在一起，有三三两两的小团体，也不像闺蜜姐妹淘这样很亲密的朋友，连上厕所都一起去。一开始还真有些寂寞，每个人都在忙自己的事情，就算闲下来，很多时候也愿意一个人找点事做。
说到日常生活，我们学校有一部分很有特色的活动是美国很多其他学校没有的。那就是work job！简单来说，就是每个人除了自己要上的课和活动以外，每天还会有一份工作！更奇葩的是，我们的工作也是有学分的！有五个必须做过才可以毕业的工作：分别是：打扫牲口棚，做午餐，洗盘子，做晚餐服务生和G-sub。牲口棚是我们这个牧场学校的特色！有鸡圈、羊圈、牛棚和马棚。早餐学生吃的鸡蛋都是学校的鸡产的，牛奶也是学校的奶牛产的。马是用来给有马术下午活动的学生用的。而绵羊身上的毛可以用来做成毛线给学生学习纺织用。完全
是纯天然，原生态，自给自足！但是在这工作一点都不好玩！几乎所有人都讨厌在这工作，因为你必须早上五点多就起床去臭烘烘的牛棚里待一个小时，最“坑爹”的是牛棚里面随处可见的牛粪是需要学生一点一点清理干净的。更何况牛们在大便小便之前也不会通知一声，经常有同学在下面铲牛粪，上面的牛就开始小便的情况发生，所以被淋到这种神奇的液体已经不是什么稀罕事了。晚餐服务生一般只有最高年级的学生做。我们学校的饭平时都是自助式的。大家排两条长队，选自己想吃的东西。但是每周二和周四晚上是“family-style”，就是大家进食堂以后都围着桌子坐下，然后会有学生当服务员把菜端上来。G-sub是学校里大家公用的叫法，就是在晚餐或者牛棚工作的时段等着，如果有人请假或者把工作翘了，这种工作量很大的任务会马上分配给一个G-sub补上空缺，保证工作能按时做完。我第一个学期的工作是在自己没有课的时段来厨房帮忙，蛮轻松的活，而且还认识了好多学校的厨师，其实一共也就五六个人。不管男女，个个都是胖子，人很随和，还经常跟我聊天开玩笑，也是这个工作最有趣的部分。
7.Cinderella the right way of high school life
The first day I had been in this school,I felt the campus was huge and I became lost in different buildings.After two weeks,I knew the useful space for me was not that wide,with huge lawn and forest.The confusing buildings or offices were not the places we would go after school formally started.A lot of buildings made students confused,like the dorms,the KDU,the field house,the learning center,the Currier Center,the library,the greenhouse and Wender Arts.But,we actually just had two buildings as our academic buildings.It meant we had fewer students.How many? 200 students in total! What did that mean? Let's imagine.We had an assembly happen after our first class that required the whole school come.Forty benches in an assembly hall were enough for all the students and teachers.Sometime the director of the school would give a speech,sometimes students performed musical numbers and sometimes students would ask a girl to prom in the assembly.Overall,it was a place to make others know you.(www.xing528.com)
Even though people often felt bored,it was still much more interesting than the life in a Chinese high school.Besides the relaxing and fun courses,the nice living environment was also really important.On the top of a mountain,we could go hiking in the forest with friends,pick mushrooms,blow dandelions and play with squirrels.This would never happen in a Chinese high school.On the other hand,the relationships between people were also different from those in China.Strangers would smile and say hello to you.Students were friendly to everyone,but not close
to anyone.I thought in their minds,everyone was an individual and needed their own space.Unlike Chinese students,self-reliance was important to them.I was used to always being with others and doing everything together,so I felt alone when I frst lived here.
The Putney School had a special activity that other American high schools do not!Everyone had a job in addition to our courses and activities.The jobs also counted as a credit,which meant we had to do them to graduate.The fve jobs that everyone had were barn,lunch,crew,dinner waiter and g-sub.Barns were characteristics in this school.Some of the eggs we ate in breakfast were from our own chickens and the milk was also from the cows in barn.Horse barn had the horses for students’riding activity.We served ourself!However,the job in barn was not fun for most students.In the morning barn,students had to get up around 5 o’clock and stay one hour.They had to clean the cow’s droppings.Sometimes when students were cleaning next to the cows,the cows started to pee suddenly and the students could not get a chance run away.It was not something new to get dirty by a weird liquid.Dinner waiters were always seniors.The meals in our school were buffet-style and students
served themselves.But on Tuesday and Thursday nights,we had family-style dinners,where student waiters served dinner.Students and teachers sat down directly in the KDU and waited for the waiters to bring dishes.G-sub was a job for excused students who were supposed to do a certain job so that the jobs could be done on time.My frst job in the fall was helping in the kitchen.It was pretty relaxing and I got a chance to know some chefs.They were nice and funny people,always chatting with me.That was the most fun part of that job.
免责声明：以上内容源自网络，版权归原作者所有，如有侵犯您的原创版权请告知，我们将尽快删除相关内容。
