去年的時候我得到了一個可以去國外當高中交換學生的機會，雖然我之前有到英國參加夏令營，但是那只是一個月左右的時間而已。這次的交換學生要去一個學年。我曾經想過離家一年會是什麼感覺，以前被稱為愛哭鬼的我，在爸爸或媽媽其中一人要離開我去上班時，我都會莫名開始流眼淚，不知道這一年會不會每天一直打電話，然後把眼淚都哭乾。不過上了國中就很少再繼續哭下去了。
Last year I got an opportunity to be an high school exchange student in other country. Even I had a summer camp experience in U.K, but it was only one month or one and half months. This time I will spend one year studying abroad. I don’t know what I feel about leaving home for one year. I was used to be termed as Cry Baby, because I always cried when my parents went out to work. I was uncertain whether I will call my parents and cry every day during this year. However, I grow up and don’t cry a lot now.

成為高中交換學生之前要先考筆試，如果筆試過了還有面試等者我們，等過了這關卡，就有當交換學生的機會了。為什麼不是百分之百呢？因為還要去「美國在台協會」辦簽證，沒有過的話，之前的一切都白費了。我千辛萬苦地通過全部的考試，也拿到了簽證，真的是非常的開心。雖然很多人從台灣出發後直接飛往寄宿家庭，但是我不一樣，我參加了個類似夏令營的活動。出發的當天，我帶著緊張的心情到達機場，看到跟我同樣行程的交換生後一整個定住了，因為我是唯一的一個男生，感到有點不安。於是我帶著不安和緊張的心情，登上了飛機。
Before being an exchange student, we have to pass some steps. At first, we must take a test and pass it. The test includes listening, reading and oral examinations. Later, we need to apply the VISA in American Institute in Taiwan. If I failed in any steps of them, I might lose the chance to be exchange student. I was very happy to pass the test and get the VISA successfully. Most of exchange students fly to their homestay directly, but I would attend to a summer camp first. At the day of departure, I arrived at the airport with nervousness. When I met other exchanges students who I would travel with, I realized that I was the only boy in this group and I got shock. So I boarded the plane with anxiety and nervous.

經過不知道多久後，我們到了達拉斯機場，準備轉機到麻塞諸塞州參加夏令營。抵達機場後，直接到我們住的地方Mount Holyoke College，雖然當地時間已經是晚上十點多了，但由於時差的關係完全睡不著，結果只好用電腦看電影度過這個半夜。起床吃完早餐後，就帶我們去波士頓玩，一開始去水族館，又搭了被稱作鴨鴨船的交通工具，因為前一晚沒睡，所以在船上就睡著了，不過也可能是因為我搭上任何交通工具都會睡著的這個特殊技能的關係。
We transferred at Tokyo and Dallas, headed to the summer camp in Massachusetts. After arrival, we went directly to Mount Holyoke College where we lived. The local time was over 10p.m, I couldn’t fall asleep because of the jet lag problem. I spent all night watching movies through my laptop. The first of the camp, we went to Boston, we visited an aquarium and took water taxi. It is a type of water transportation, looks like a car and a boat put together. Because I  had not got enough sleep last night, I fell asleep on boat. But it might be I can sleep on any transport immediately.

之後還參觀了附近的建築，回到宿舍後，準備隔天要上課的心情，每天大概就是這樣的生活，到了周末我們去了一個遊樂園。
We also looked around the college, and prepared for the class of tomorrow. Every day was almost same but we made a lot of new friends come from different countries. We went to an amusement park on the weekend.

我是一個有點膽小的人，不敢玩太恐怖的遊樂設施，只好在下方等大家。兩個禮拜後，其他交換生先離開到轟家了，而我也沒有做什麼特別的，結束了夏令營的生活，前往轟家。
I'm a bit timid, I dare not go up the scary rides, so I looked at them below. After two weeks, other exchange students left on the way to the homestay, and I did nothing special this week. So I ended my summer camp and went to the homestay.

八月十六日的早上，我前往機場準備搭飛機去轟家，到克里夫蘭後，很快地找到轟家跟著他們回家，不過因為班機太早，所以到轟家整理完東西，就在床上睡著了。等到轟爸下午回來，就帶著認識家裡四處，先是帶我去湖畔湖釣魚，然後搭轟家的Side By Side到家後面的樹林裡玩。
On the morning of August 16, I got ready to homestay too. When I arrived in Cleveland, I found my host family quickly and went to my “home”. However the flight was too early, I fell asleep in bed after clearing stuff. In the afternoon, host dad took me to go around the house and in the woods by the “side by side” and taught me how to fishing. 

之後發現有一隻不小心被車子撞的小鹿倒在路邊，因為沒有人可以救牠，轟家決定把它ㄅㄧㄤˋ掉；隔天還發現轟爸的挖土推土機倒在家旁邊，這時轟媽對我說：第一天動物被ㄅㄧㄤˋ掉、第二天挖土機翻車，你會不會覺得這個家庭是怎麼了。我想著這個家一定會有更多好玩的事發生，結果隔天就帶我去當地最大的遊樂場Cedar Point。
Then another thing happened. A little deer was hit by the car and fell down the road, nobody could save it,  so host family decided to shoot it. The next day, the thing happened:  host dad’s excavator was fell down next to the house.  Host mom told me “What is going about this family, your first day we killed a deer and second day the tractor fell down.” At that time,  I was thinking there may be more interesting things in this family. After the day, I was taken to Cedar Point which is the largest local amusement facility.

我說過我是一個膽小的人，但因為不想浪費轟家心意，我就硬著頭皮和轟家一起玩每一個看起來都非常恐怖遊樂設施，像是雲霄飛車，不過後來我發現這些設施也不恐怖，就再也不害怕了。
I have said that I am a timid person, but I didn’t want my host family was disappointed, I tried to play every roller coaster that looks terrible with them. At the end, I found that these facilities were not terrible, and then I was not too afraid to make these facilities.

開學後就繼續當學生的本分，由於我是Senior，要完成的功課沒有那麼的多。因為轟家是Water Ski的團隊之一，所以假日會到湖邊去練習，而我也嘗試了這項運動。
I started to be a student after the start of school. Being a senior student, I didn't have much homework to do, but I still had many. Host family is the members of the Water Ski, so I always went to the lake with them on holidays, and I tried this motion as well.

看起來很簡單，但一開始總是很難。轟媽告訴我一些訣竅後，就變得很容易上手。現在我也是一個會Water Ski的臺灣人了。另外我也參加了學校的籃球隊，這是我參加的第一個運動校隊，我很擔心自己不能幫上忙，但教練和隊友都不會責怪我，給我很多上場的機會。
It looked very simple, but it was difficult to do. After host mom told to me the trick, and it became easier. Now I am a Taiwanese who knows how to water ski. On the other hand, I joined the school basketball team. And it was my first school sport team, I was very afraid that I could’t help them, but the coaches and the teammates never blamed me, gave me many chances to play.

  

就這樣過著每一天，到了一個小孩喜歡的節日「HELLOWEEN」，當時我也和三歲的轟弟以及其他讀小學的小孩到處去要糖果，結果我獲得了三公斤左右的糖果，我想說如果把這些糖果全部吃完，我不就蛀牙了嘛！十二月參加了紐約的旅行，經過半年終於又看見臺灣人了，感動啊！
Until “HELLOWEEN”, my host brother, his cousins and me went to “trick or treat”. Then I got a big bag of the candy, the weight was almost 3kg. I thought if I finished all of candy, I would get toothache. On December, I took a trip to New York,  finally saw some Taiwanese again after a half year. I was very happy.

人生的第一場雪，雖然薄薄的，但很開心，我們也到湖面上滑冰，
It was the first snow in my life, even it was thin, but we were happy and did skate on the lake.

真的是很有趣的一個家庭，還有每天霸佔我床的兩隻貓。
My host family is really fun, and there were two cats dominated me every day.

我從紐約回到家時，轟媽說有一位交換生因為他的轟家無法接待，而轟家還有一個空房間，所以就接待他了。我覺得多一個人會更熱鬧，也好。春天的時候，我們在院子製作楓糖漿，非常熱、眼睛也被冒出的煙燻到很痛，之後我們也經常自己動手做東西。
When I returned home from New York, host mom told me that there was an exchange student whose homestay could not receive him. We still have an empty room, we can receive him. I thought it was a good idea. In spring, we made the maple syrup at the backyard, it was hot and the smoke hurt our eyes. After all, we did a lot of handmade things.

 

原本想要這樣開心地迎接下學期，殊不知半途殺出一個武漢肺炎，搞得全世界人心惶惶，本來說好先待在轟家度過這波疫情，但現實總是殘酷的，疫情不但沒有緩和，還持續的直線上升，只好非常的傷心在四月初的時候搭飛機回台灣。復活節在我離開後的那週六，但轟媽特別提早一週慶祝，讓我可以體驗到復活節的活動，我也拿到復活節兔子給我的禮物。
I was planning to welcome the next semester with happiness, but the coronavirus came out. It broke my dream. I would like to stay at homestay, but the virus outbreak, I had to fly back to Taiwan early. However, host mom decided to celebrate Easter early that I could have an experience of Easter. I got a big gift from Easter Bunny.

在離開的前一晚，轟媽說今天有超級月亮，月亮會變得超級巨大。我原本就有聽說超級月亮的事情，晚上洗完澡就到外面找月亮，但周圍都是樹，雲層也很厚，我只好放棄。半夜一點我收拾衣服時，突然手機警報響起，說是龍捲風來襲，馬上就感受到外面有如強烈颱風的威力，窗戶跟牆壁都被雨水或是冰雹攻擊，發出乒乒乓乓的巨大聲響，不過我擔心的不是房子，而是轟弟會不會被嚇醒，還好他睡得很熟。天亮後，外面竟然跟平常一摸一樣，不像是經過一個狂風暴雨的夜晚。所有的行李放到車上，跟所有的動物告別後，就踏上回台灣的路。車子一到路口，就看到籃球隊的隊友和教鍊在一旁歡送我，我非常感謝轟媽幫我準備這麼大的一個驚喜，我也謝謝家人讓我有這樣一個好的機會可以出國留學。
The night before I left, host mom said, “There is a super moon today, the moon will be super crazy big.” After shower, I went outside to find the moon, but there were many tall trees around us, and it was cloudy too.  I could not see the moon. Around midnight, when I was cleaning my stuff,  I got a message said “Later here will has a tornado.” Later  I heard  very loud sound with thunder, lightning and big wind outside. I was worried about my younger brother, but he was sleep well. After dawn, I saw everything was as usual, nothing happened outside. At the afternoon, I took my luggage into the car, and said goodbye to all animals. When I passed the driveway, I saw my basketball teammates and coaches were standing by the road, and saying goodbye to me. Seeing so many people to do this, I was very grateful that host mom prepared such a big surprise for me, and I also thank my family for giving me such a good opportunity to study abroad, and thank Timura family for receiving me.