萬佛聖城

The City of Ten Thousand Buddhas

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文選專欄:宣公上人涅槃十五週年徵文

英文C組蓮花獎

CTTB

By Jenny Tang
8th Grade

My Going to CTTB really changed my life. It made me turn to a full 360 degrees. Even though I've only been here for two years, I've learned a lot of moral virtues. Many people have told me that I've changed for the better since my first year here. I always wondered why it's so strict. Everybody here is so nosy and too caring. It's kind of like people that you don't know – strangers, trying to be part of your family. Later I realized the benefit of living in a place where everyone is willing to help.

My mom's friend introduced my mom to this place and this school. My mom thought that it was the perfect place for me to study and learn to be independent. We applied once but I was too young at the time. The second time I applied, I put a lot of effort into the essay that was included in the application form, and surprisingly, I was accepted. It was an extremely good thing to my parents because I'm gone, it gave them time together alone, and it also means that I have a chance to get rid of my bad attitude. However, to me, it means that I would have to separate from my friends and live away from home.

My first year here, I had bad attitude problems. I would always complain about this place and say that I regretted coming here. After my classmates in the dorm got so tired of hearing this from me everyday, they decided to lecture me and teach me something new. They yelled at me for over two hours, telling me how horrible I was. I changed a lot after that incident. Now that I think back on how much I learned here, I'm really grateful. I will certainly miss this place a lot after I leave, but it's also good to know that there're only 23 more days of school left. I made a vow to myself that I won't let my mom lose hope in me; I will maintain good grades above a 3.8 all throughout my high school years.

The day my dorm-mates yelled at me was this one day where I woke up from a super intense nightmare. The nightmare was about my mother dying from a very rare disease caused by global warming. This might sound weird, but I woke up with my whole face full of tears. I remember from my dream that the last thing I said to her before she died was "I love you Mom". Before, I never told her "I love you"; it was this dream that changed me. It made me realize how important my mother was to me, and I am thankful for that.

法界佛教總會Dharma Realm Buddhist Association