好不容易适应了学校的生活节奏，能每天安排好自己的时间，下午活动翻垃圾桶的时候也不会那么不淡定了，晚上做雕塑的时候也不会因为看到女模特的裸体而脸红了。总之，刚刚进入状态以后，学校就开始有大型活动了。不是综艺晚会，不是歌舞比赛，不是艺术大展。记住这里是小乡村，想想有乡村风格的——是丰收节！在校园里会有镇上的人来摆摊弄个小集市，每个宿舍要在路上游行，牲口棚里的动物也会全部被牵出来溜一遍，哈哈！当然了，还有个重头戏就是international cafe！我们学校从世界各地不同国家来的学生都会做自己国家的菜，然后摆在一起当午餐卖给来参加丰收节的人们。丰收节的前一天是周六，几乎学校里所有学生都开始紧张准备，尤其是国际生们。Libby拿来了以前历届学生们做的海报给我们参考。每个国家的菜都需要准备一个像菜单一样的海报，上面画上菜品的样子，写好里面有什么主料，还有这道菜的价格！中国人里有两个很会做饭的男生（话说为什么都是男生！），他们问了问大家的意见，商量好要做东坡肉！说起来，其实大家在国内去饭店也很少会点这个菜，但是这样一提起来大家都觉得格外亲切而且很兴奋。关键是听起来这道菜很有水平，很难做的，而且是很好吃的。作为自小就是参与各种画板报活动的文艺宣传委员，我自然去了画海报的那一组。用楷体写了中国两个字，下面再画上一幅图，用水墨的效果画了两块诱人的五花肉。价格嘛，三美元一块！话说第二天上午搬东西、搬食物，还把学校唯一一个老挝和美国混血的女生做的老挝汤在途中给撞洒了，好有罪恶感。因为毕竟是人家努力了一整天的成果。韩国果然是烤肉，日本果然是拉面！哈哈，看来看去还是我们的东坡肉成色最佳，怎么看怎么有食欲！一切都摆放好以后，抬头一看，哇！太漂亮了！旁边一圈都是忙忙碌碌的小商小贩，有卖糖苹果的，有卖小饰品的，还有可以给人画脸谱的摊位，各有特色。中间的空地是一排拼起来的长桌，桌子上方各国的海报已经挂成一排，下面热腾腾的菜也都陆续端了过来。最后一步就是各国的学生站到自己国家的菜后面去帮忙给前面的“客人”盛菜。当别人走过来问你这是什么菜的时候，每个人都是带着微笑和一种强大的民族自豪感去描述。每当有人对自己国家的东西感到好奇或者称赞时，这种心情就油然而生。
丰收节过后是一个七天的小长假，我和一个比我大一届的中国女生一起住到了一个美国学生家。听说他们家去年就很喜欢那个中国女生，今年也邀请了我一起去住。这个美国男生叫Isak，他爸妈都是搞艺术的，爸爸是乐队演奏，妈妈是做木偶的艺术家，怪不得把儿子送来Putney这么有艺术气息的学校。第一次进他家着实被吓了一跳！到处都是奇形怪状的木偶，四肢和头上都被丝线吊着悬挂或摆放在房间里，时不时微微动一下。家里本来冷冷清清，炉火不亮有些阴冷。偏偏他们家又有三只猫和一只狗，狗吠声也一直连绵起伏，不绝于耳！不过既来之，则安之。好在他爸妈人都很好，对我们也很热情。所以我决定在这个清闲的假期里开始一项伟大的工程，那就是给他们家做中国式晚餐！相信大多数中国的中学生都没有在家正经做过饭，当然啦，我也不例外。以前，在家从来没想过学做饭，最多一时兴起煎个鸡蛋、煮个泡面什么的。不过，我倒是真认真研究过一道菜，就是拔丝红薯（或者叫地瓜），随便你们叫它什么啦。因为以前姨住在我们家的时候给我做过那道菜，我本身就喜欢吃甜食，每次吃完以后都还把盘底凝固的糖浆舔一遍。后来因为太喜欢了，就自己试着做了，做了很多次，也算是掌握了一些要领。现在就是我展示的机会了！可是这只是饭后甜点，主菜做什么呢？我想来想去，想了几个家常的菜，醋溜白菜、红烧茄子和芹菜炒蘑菇。从网上找到了菜谱，一点一点照搬着做，只是没经验，也掌握不好调料的分量。七手八脚地忙了一个多小时以后，总算是都完成了，茄子太甜了，醋溜白菜太软了，芹菜炒蘑菇还算可以。最后，！拔丝红薯！真的把他们一家，包括那个中国女生都给镇住了！他们都没想到真的会拔丝，而且还那么好吃，哈哈……允许我小小地骄傲一下，就让你们见识一下什么叫“舌尖上的中国”！
除了这个以外，寄宿家庭似乎也没什么好玩的事情了。本来假期没有作业就不知道要做什么了，出去逛了两天街也有点累。其实，最不方便的还是因为住在别人家里，干什么都觉得很拘束，很别扭。尤其是我们晚上习惯晚睡熬夜，而他们家人都是早早就关灯上床了。我们想去一下洗手间都怕吵醒他们，所以不敢开灯。黑夜里经过走廊那些千奇百怪的木偶，也是对胆量和勇气的严峻考验！每次根本就是一路踮着脚尖，小跑到洗手间的。所以建议来国外读书的学生最好不要选寄宿家庭，容易出现各种突发情况或者生活习惯不合拍，最好还是住校，多和同学沟通感情。
8.Harvest Festival
I just started to calm down from seeing bugs and naked models when a formal activity took place.It was not a fashion show ora singing and dancing show.It had the characteristic of the countryside,the Harvest Festival!Some people from the town of Putney would come and have a booth and sell their things.Students here would have a parade and take animals to campus.The most important part was the international cafe!The international students in our school would cook our own food and sell it to the people who came to this festival for lunch.The day before Harvest Festival was Saturday,and all of the students,especially the international students,began to prepare.Libby gave us some of the posters that former international students made as a model.Every dish from different country needed a poster with the picture,material and price of that dish.Two Chinese boys were really good at cooking so that they were appointed as chefs of the Chinese dishes.We decided to cook dongpo pork,which was pretty difficult but verydelicious.As the designer of every poster in my middle school,I went to the group to design our poster.I wrote China in Chinese and asked two girls to draw the picture together.I peeked at the dishes of other countries in the kitchen.The Korean dish was barbecue pork with kimchi and the Japanese dish was noodles,which were the same asin our imaginations.(www.xing528.com)
After all the set-up,we had our own time to spend at the festival.Wow!The whole campus became so beautiful and full of little booths with maple syrup,apples and cookies.The posters
for our dishes were hung up already.Every dish was put below its own poster.The last task for us was to serve our own dishes to the guests.Whenever someone asked me what was our dish,I would describe it proudly.It was the same as when others praise something from China.
After Harvest Festival,another Chinese girl and I went to the house of an American boy to spend our seven-day break.I heard that they liked Chinese girls so they also invited me and we were good friends.The American boy called Issac;both of his parents were artists.The frst time I went to his house,the many puppets that were there scared me.Many of them were hung by string everywhere and would move with the wind sometime.I was afraid of dogs but they had three cats and a dog in their house.But they were nice and friendly to me.So I decided to cook Chinese dinner for them and try some new dishes since,like most of the Chinese students,I did not usually cook before.Except for fried eggs,I knew only a higher-level dish that was sugared potatoes.My aunt used to cook that dish for me and I learned the recipe from her because I love it so much.This was the time to show off!But it only could be the dessert.How about the main course?I thought about several homey dishes,such as vinegary cabbage,red cooked eggplant and celery with mushroom.I looked up the recipes online,but I could not get all the steps right because I did not have any experience.After an hour of hard work,I finally got all of the dishes done.They were not as good as in my imagination,but the other people were surprised when I took the potatoes out,including the other Chinese girl!Because they did not think that I could really make the potatoes that were so delicious and had sugary threads between the pieces.
There was nothing fun except the cooking game and we were not busy with homework.We went to shopping and had Chinese food.Actually,we had American-style Chinese food.It was quite inconvenient to live in another person’s house.For example,I was used to staying up late at night,but they slept very early everyday.So I had to keep every step slow and quiet.It was a mental adventure to pass through the dark room with puppets.
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