My Third Year in America由刀豆文库小编整理，希望给你工作、学习、生活带来方便，猜你可能喜欢“year”。
My Third Year in America
When I was a child I had a dream.It was one of my most beautiful dreams I’ve had.A dream of free flying, drive a cool car with a fashionable design, like, say—a red Lamborghini.When I grew up, even though I knew that there was no such place where I can really fly so freely, I still chose to go to the United States.I said, “chose,” but in reality I really didn’t have any choice at all.At the time, all I wanted to do was just slip away from some painful experiences back in China…I believed the U.S.was, at least, a place where I’d be closer to my dream.And then—I arrived!This was what they called the “Gold Mountain” a century ago.Another lovely nickname for it is the “Sunshine State.” Yes—California, and the San Francisco Bay Area, made famous because during the IT revolution of the late 90’s—a speculative economic bubble that grew and grew…until it eventually burst.By the time I got to California, that had all paed.What I found here was a peaceful, although a bit unpredictable, future.For people in U.S., life without a car is almost impoible, I suppose.Well, gue what? During my first two yeas here, I managed to live with NO CAR.The reason is that I lived on campus while pursuing my Master’s Degree.Public transportation in the small university town of Santa Cruz is quite convenient, and most importantly, free of charge for registered students.However, I wouldn’t say it was the best experience, since it was still a pain in the neck to live without a car.First of all, even for students a car is not just for commuting within campus.Public transportation cannot take you to many places beyond the perimeter of the public transport system.On one occasion I had to walk back from a job interview for two miles.What’s more—I had to wait for the bus for over an hour!In the end, it didn’t come because of a change in the schedule.And another thing—most of the time, unle you live in one of the big cities, like downtown New York or San Francisco, when you walk on the streets, people may look at you as if you are some kind of weirdo, because often you would be the only pedestrian around.But, let me give you a picture of my first two years in America.I went to social activities only when one of my friends would give me a ride, or whenever people are carpooling.I did almost no shopping to speak of, except for heavy grocery items on Saturdays, because that’s when I could borrow my roommate’s car.And if I went to some place I wasn’t familiar with, I’d have to do lots of research on-line, just to get enough information about the available public transport.My friends used to call me the Public Transit Expert of the Bay Area.In my third year I graduated and got a job.Finally, I thought, my golden time had come.But it hadn’t.I was stuck with the Driving Test.After all the trials and tribulations, I was ready to own a car.But as a new driver, pennile, and fresh out of college, it was obvious that I had no other choice, except to look for a used car.Buying a car can be tricky, if you want a good deal.But, because of my job, I was badly in need of a car.Finally, I managed to purchase one from a friend.It was a really good deal—it cost me only US$2,000, for a 9-year-old car.Now, being a car owner is quite different from being a driver.One needs to do frequent maintenance and pay attention to many other little details.I started paying attention to gasoline price a lot more than I ever had before.Yet, as they say, there always is a silver lining.A car can really change one’s life style, and make a lot of things more convenient.Sometimes it would even give me a surprisingly fresh and new experience, like, take me to a place I’ve never had a chance to go to.For instance, a month after I bought my I took Highway 580 East which croes the east by area to inland California.There were many windmills perched on the hills along the road, creating a spellbinding view.Driving down the freeway felt like flying through a forest of windmills.I was awed by this beautiful scene.For the first time I realized that how cool it is to drive.These days the car I own is an old one.It is a blue, and rather ordinary looking medium sized sedan, which was completely opposite to the one I’d envisioned in my dream.My dream was still far away.There is always a gap between dreams and reality.The only thing one can do is, follow one’s heart, and stop from time to time, to
size up the gap: is too small or too big.For me, the space is still too big to bridge, and I still have a long way to go, before I can turn my dream into reality.Nonethele, if you were to ask me, whether I enjoy the freedom of my flight, I would have to say, “Yes!Definitely yes!” Even if my flight is somewhat restricted.Glories of the Storm
The air that has been hot all day becomes heavy.It hangs over the trees, prees the heads of the flowers to the ground, sits on my shoulders.With a vague feeling of uneasine I move to the window.The first drops of rain are huge.They splat into the dust and imprint the windows with individual signatures.They plink on the vent pipe and plunk on the patio roof.Leaves shudder under their weight before rebounding, and the sidewalk wears a coat of shiny spots.The rhythm accelerates;plink follows plunk faster until the sound is a roll of drums and the individual drops become an army marching over fields and rooftops.Now the fist bolt of lightning stabs the earth.It is heaven’s exclamation point.The storm is here!
The rain now becomes a torrent, flung capriciously by a rising wind.Together they batter the trees and level the graes.Water streams off roofs and out of rain spout.It pounds against the window in such a steady wash that I am sightle.There is only water.How can so much fall so fast? How could the clouds have supported this vast weight? How can the earth endure beneath it?
For this storm is already beginning to pa.The tension is released from the atmosphere, the curtains of rain let in more light.The storm has spent most of its energy, and what is left will be expended on the countryside to the east.I am drawn outside while the rain still falls.All around, there is a cool and welcome feeling.I breathe deeply and watch the sun’s rays streak through the breaking clouds.One ray catches the drops that form on the edge of the roof, and I am treated to a row of tiny, quivering colors—my private rainbow.Like the land, I am renewed, my spirit cleans.I feel an infinite peace.For a time I have forgotten the worries and irritations I was nurturing before.They have been washed away by the glories of the storm.整日灼热的空气变的格外沉闷，它笼罩着树木，逼得花朵垂向地面，也压得我的肩头沉甸甸的。我怀着隐隐的烦躁不安，走到窗边。
最初的雨点很大，扑扑的打在尘土里，在玻璃窗上留下了一个个印记。雨点把排气管敲得丁丁当当，把院子顶棚打得噼噼啪啪。树叶被砸得瑟瑟发抖，难以抬头。人行道铺上了一层亮闪闪的水花。
大雨加快了节奏，叮当声紧跟着噼啪声，一阵紧似一阵，终于连成一片紧密地鼓点，点点雨滴也汇集成千军万马，扑向田野，屋顶。这时，第一道闪电刺向大地，这是老天划得惊叹号。暴风雨来了！
这时，暴雨像洪水般倾盆而下，越刮越烈的狂风把雨水吹得飘摇不定。风雨交加，肆意的抽打树木，把草地弄得服服帖帖。雨水从屋顶奔流而下，漫出了排水槽，不停的泼洒在窗户上，完全挡住了我的视线。眼前只有水。这么多雨水，怎么能下的这么急？云层怎么能承受的住如此巨大的重量？大地又如何承受的了？
这场暴风雨即将过去，紧张的气氛缓和下来，雨幕中透出更多的亮光。暴风雨的大部分能量已经耗尽，只能到东边的乡间去施展它的余威了。
雨仍在淅淅沥沥的下着，我却忍不住走到室外。四周一片清爽宜人的气息。我深深的呼吸着新鲜的空气，仰望那穿云而出的道道阳光。有一束阳光恰巧映射在屋檐边的水珠上，我便非常幸运的看到一条细细的，微微颤动的七色彩带---一道只属于我的彩虹。
我也像大地一样，焕然一新，心灵得到了净化。我感到无比的平静。一时间全然忘掉了以往郁积在心头的烦恼与忧愁。它们都已被这辉煌壮丽的暴风雨冲刷得无影无踪。
