Bill, RDF International School 瑞得福國際學校 陳一甲 Two weeks ago, I followed the school team to Pubei, a county in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, where we visited several poor families. Through investigations and records, we learned about the difficulties experienced by many local poor families, which impressed me deeply. First of all, living in a small earthen house of 25 square meters, the first family we visited was composed of five family members, three children and their parents. Their living environment was very bad, and it was difficult to imagine that they have lived in such a place for 10 years. Their house was surrounded by chicken farms and fishponds, but neither could support the family. However, the only little girl’s studies weren’t ignored by the poor family. Through the help of her brothers and her own efforts, she was admitted to Pubei Middle School, which is the best school in Pubei. Then, the living conditions of the second family, which consists two parents and their daughter, were also not optimistic. In addition to the fact that every family member was in bad health, the father died of lung cancer this year, bringing a devastating blow to the family. Having been diagnosed with testicular cancer 10 years ago, he still worked hard to survive and bring his daughter a bright future. Unfortunately, he passed away in July, making her mother the only pillar of the family. But their daughter, who was admitted to Pubei Middle School, was not defeated by reality and still worked hard to generate extra income to her family. Although these two families are in great trouble, we can learn a lot from them, especially in their life attitude and spirit. What touches me most is that they conquer their difficulties in life with smiling faces, and no matter what they have experienced, they dare to pursue a better life for themselves. It makes me realize that “a strong man will struggle with the storms of fate.” | 