I am aware that there is a gap in the blog about our footprints from November to December 2023. The reason behind that is an unexpected accident shaken us to the root during Thanksgiving. It was the genuine kindness from our friends, far or near, supported us through that week. You realized how much light is actually around you at the darkest moments. Eventually it took us weeks to come back to our feet. Right after that we made the trip traveling to San Francisco and Taiwan. The time with families and friends truly restored our energy. Now it’s time to pave this part of the memory lane!
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我意識到在這段奧勒岡手札中，有一段從2023年11月到12月的空白。這是因為在感恩節期間，一場意外事故震撼了我們。那一周，是一群無論遠近的朋友們的真誠和善意支撐我們走過來。最黑暗的時刻會讓你意識到，周圍其實有多少光明。最終，我們花了幾個星期的時間漸漸恢復過來。而在那之後，我們飛往了舊金山和台灣。與家人和朋友在一起的時間再次讓我們恢復能量。現在是時候鋪一下這段路的足跡了！
Everything DIY here!
One of the major adjustments about life in Corvallis versus Taipei is you need to manage more stuffs on your own, such as managing a haircut or unclogging the toilet. Well- if you met M, the first thing you would notice is how wild his hair looks like. His hair is thick, curly and with the incredible volume that my volume-booster shampoo would never get me to. His hair spikes on its own without any help of hair gel. Pulling off a successful haircut for him is a true test for any professional hair stylist, imaging how challenging it is for an amateur like me (and trying not to sabotage a middle-schooler’s friendship-building-at-new-school journey underway). Lucky for me – M is really patient and even encouraging. He even gave me advice on how other hair stylists worked when I felt lost in the middle. I’m sure we will get better over time.
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凡事都要自己來！
在Corvallis和台北生活的一個主要調整之一，是更多事情需要自己來，比如理髮或是通馬桶。嗯，如果你遇見M，第一件你會注意到的事，大概是他的頭髮看起來有多鬧。他的頭髮又厚又硬又卷毛，而且有著即使使用了我的”增加蓬鬆度洗髮精”也難以達到的驚人髮量。他的頭髮自己可以豎起來，不需要任何髮膠的幫助。對於任何專業的髮型師來說，能夠幫他剪出個合宜的髮型都是一個真正的考驗，更何況對像我這樣的業餘者，簡直是極高的難度（還要努力不讓髮型去破壞一個中學生在新學校試圖交朋友的過程）。對我來說很幸運的是——M真的很有耐心，甚至鼓勵我。當我感到迷失時，他會開始跟我說我其他髮型師是怎麼剪的。我相信我們會越來越上軌道的！
Then there was this toilet clogging incident, which I bet happens at every apartment here. Perhaps due to the different designs of the toilet, I never had clogged toilet issues in our Taipei apartment in which we lived for over a decade. I did have a horrifying lesson in San Diego a long time ago where the toilet bowel clogged and overflew after the flush. The aftermath to clean all feces on the floor was traumatizing. The toilet seemed to work perfectly since we moved in. But one morning it just clogged. I got a regular plunger from Bi-Mart but every time the plunger went in, the water level just got higher. It kept approaching the level of overflow and so did my panic attack. With my San Diego lesson, I decided to seek professional help before another tragedy happens. The lady on the other side of the line sincerely suggested me to give it a good hard push via plunger before I ask for the maintenance team to come in. “If they go in and it resolves after they give a couple of really good hard plunger push, you will be charged at $65 for that. Most people are able to resolve this after they plunge it properly and with the right kind of tool.” And she moved on to explain to me the effective type of plunger and the sound in the pipe that I need to pay attention for the unclogged sign. I went to Home Depot to get the type of plunger she described and spent the next two hours in the bathroom trying to figure out how to plunge at the right rhythm, how I poured some water in to unclog without overflow and listened to the signal after which the flush would be possible without overflow. I was literally dancing on my feet when the first flush was back on normal! Never imaged fixing a clogged toilet bowel would bring me so much joy and satisfaction!
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然後還有「馬桶堵塞」事件，我敢打賭這種情況在這裡的每個公寓都會發生。自從我們搬進來後，馬桶似乎一直運作正常。但是有一天它就突然堵塞了，大概是由於馬桶的設計不同，在台北居住了十多年的公寓中，我從來沒有遇到過馬桶堵塞的問題，但很久以前在聖地牙哥，我曾有過一次恐怖的經歷，那次的馬桶堵塞發生在沖水後的一分鐘內，瞬間便器像嘔吐一般把所有的東西都溢出，之後漫長的清理過程簡直是接近創傷的回憶，這個回憶在此刻變得歷歷在目。
於是我去Bi-Mart買了一個普通的吸盤，但每次吸盤進去，水位卻變得更高，看著不斷接近溢出邊緣的水位，我的恐慌也越來越升高。基於我在聖地牙哥的教訓，我決定在另一個悲劇發生之前尋求專業幫助，電話那端的女士聽完我的描述後，真誠地建議我在請維修團隊來之前，用力用吸盤好好吸它一下，“如果他們進去後，經過幾次很有力的吸盤推動後問題解決了，你就得要付65美元的費用，相信我，大多數人在使用正確的工具和正確的方式好好地擰過後就能解決這個問題。” 她繼續向我解釋了有效的吸盤類型和我需要注意的管道中的信號，以確認管路真的通了。掛上電話後的我決心要來奮戰一番，去了趟Home Depot買了她描述的那種吸盤，接下來的兩個小時我都在浴室裡，試圖摸清楚如何按照正確的節奏使用吸盤，如何倒入一些水卻又不會溢出，並仔細聆聽水進入管道後發出的聲音。當第一次沖水恢復正常時，我真的是樂不可支！只能說我從來沒想過修理一個堵塞的馬桶會給我帶來這麼多的喜悅和滿足感！
School & After-School Life of M
School work goes on. Everyday after M gets off school at 15:30, my “shepherd” life starts. Although the pace here is not as fast as Taipei, I feel our time from afternoon into bed time is always packed. There is school work catch-up time as M is still building up language competency. Often it was like puzzles. He tried his best to tell me what he heard in class and I tried to piece everything together to find out what the assignment was or the teaching content from the teacher retrospectively. I took on the tutor hat helping him understand what was taught in class and supporting his homework completion (Fortunately there is very limited homework). On top of this, there is trombone and swimming practice time that he is committed to everyday. I “shepherd” all the way through 9:30PM, including cooking dinner.
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M的校園和課後生活
學校的生活依然繼續。每天下午3:30放學後，我的「牧羊人」生活就開始了。雖然這裡的節奏沒有台北那麼快，但我們從下午到睡前的時間總是被安排得滿滿的。首先是有追趕學校課程的時間，通常這就像是一個拼圖的過程，因為M仍在建構英語能力，他盡力轉述他在課堂上聽到的片段，然後我試圖從各方線索，拼湊出來老師在課堂上講的內容或是作業的要求，拼出來後就是家教的角色，確認他有理解課堂上所教的內容，並協助他完成作業。除此之外，他每天還有長號和游泳練習時間，這個「牧羊人」一路趕羊到晚上9:30，中間還包括煮晚餐。
The materials are getting more difficult. Other than the ongoing reading of Percy Jackson & the Olympians, Health class touches wide range of topics including puberty and the reproductive systems. Honestly, I’m impressed by myself being able to explain the materials and to talk through “baby-making” process without awkwardness. This was not our first conversation to talk about our body but this is the first one I really get to the core (and because that was what the material offered). When we grew up, the adults never talked about this openly and it was such a taboo to even say those body parts out loud. Initially it was awkward for me to even hear those vocabularies coming out of my own mouth. Yet practice made the difference. I felt more ease over time and grow into the open attitude. If we don’t feel embarrassed and awkward to talk about this, the kids relate to it in a similar way. It is simply part of the process to understand ourselves and understand the world. I may have not nailed this conversation and more to come but I’m so proud this conversation is happening in the right tone.
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學校課業的內容越來越難了，除了持續閱讀《波西傑克森》之外，健康課涉及到了廣泛的主題，包括青春期和生殖系統。說實話，我對自己能夠臉不紅氣不喘地解釋這些內容，並在談論「受孕」過程時毫不尷尬，連我都覺得”哇～～”。想當年我們在成長時，大人們從未公開談論過這些事情，甚至連大聲說出這些身體部位都是禁忌的，在我跟孩子間，這並不是我們第一次談論自己的身體，但這是我第一次真正深入核心（因為那是教材所提供的)，想當初，第一次聽到這些詞彙從我的嘴裡說出來，還是會覺得彆扭奇怪，但是隨著不斷練習，隨著時間的進展，我感到越來越自在，並漸漸養成了開放的態度。如果我們不覺得尷尬或是彆扭來談論這個話題，孩子們自然也會以類似的方式看待它，這單純只是了解自己和了解世界的過程的一部分。也許這次談話還有進步的空間，也許未來還有更多，但我為這次對話能以正確的氛圍下進行感到驕傲。
Swimming
Swimming remains an essential part of M’s life. He enjoyed attending Meets. He is never a competitive person but he enjoys challenging his own personal best. These days he grew more enthusiasm towards Meets. It’s probably because the vibe here is very different from the meets he attended in Taiwan. Here you would hear all the heartfelt cheering along the pool side mostly by the swimmers’ teammates while it’s dominated by the harsh loud rhythmic shouts by the coaches in Taiwan. I loved seeing his confidence in the water. This is his realm and where he feels belonged.
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游泳
游泳仍然是M生活中的重要部分。他喜歡參加比賽。他從不是一個競爭性很強的人，但他喜歡挑戰自己的個人最佳成績。在這裡的這些日子，他對於比賽的熱情只增不減，可能也是因為這裡比賽的氛圍與他在台灣參加的比賽大不相同。在這裡，你會聽到池邊大部分是游泳隊友/家長的熱情歡呼聲，而在台灣的池畔，大多充斥著教練們嚴厲雄厚、有節奏的呼喊聲。作為家長的我，最享受的是看到他在水中的自信，這是他的天地，也是他感到歸屬的地方。
Band
The beginner’s band hosted their first concert in mid of December, which was only two months since they made decisions on the instrument choice. It was incredible to watch this group of kids going from scratch (i.e. learning how to read sheet music) to delivering this band concert together. I am honestly awed by how Mrs. Smith, their amazing instructor full of energy and passion, groomed this large group of beginners into a sensible band within such short amount of time! When M described their daily progress in the band, I can tell the approach was fun, plenty of room for individual dynamics and encouragement, which is way different from my own childhood band experiences seeking unity and perfection.
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樂團
初學者樂隊在十二月中旬舉辦了他們的第一場音樂會，從他們選擇好自己的樂器起算，其實才距離兩個月的時間。看到這群孩子從零開始（包含學習如何閱讀樂譜）到一起演奏這場音樂會，真是令人難以置信。老實說，我對於他們的了不起的指導老師史密斯太太，感到十足佩服，她充滿活力和熱情，可以用這麼短的時間，把這一大群初學者培養成一個有條理的樂隊！當M描述他們在樂隊中的每天進步時，我可以感受到她所使用的教學方式充滿樂趣、鼓勵，而且有很大的個人空間，這與我自己童年時期尋求團結和完美的樂團經驗大不相同。
Weaving our life into the community
Art Center
The advantage of staying in a college town is the abundant and diverse resources. The Art center here offers various activities every month and keeps the art community together. We went to the art-making event which is offered on 2nd Saturday every month for free. It was relaxing time (for both of us) by immersing ourselves in the world of art-making. I got to have my “quiet time” and enjoyed seeing M’s incredible focus when he works by hands.
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編織我們的生活進入社區
藝術中心
在一個大學城的好處是擁有豐富多樣的資源。這裡的藝術中心每個月都提供眾多活動，讓喜愛藝術的人們有機會凝聚在一起。每個月第二個星期六，我們會去參加免費的藝術創作活動，這是一個放鬆的時刻（對我們兩個人來說都是)，可以沉浸在創作的世界中，我得以擁有我的“寧靜時間”，也享受看著M用手工作時不可思議的專注。
Mixed Media painting
It was an accidental find at LBCC(Linn-Benton Community College) but I was so glad that I signed up. Joe, our instructor, is full of fun and lowered our mental barrier stepping into this so-called “modern mixed media art”. He opened up the possibilities for us. There are no must-haves or rules. There are more recommendations, exploring, and lessons learned sharing with one another. I enjoyed the exploring, no right-or-wrong process. I enjoyed sitting on a piece for days, letting the ideas grow organically at its own time and taking the time to build it over weeks. The fellow participants at this class were so lovely and inspiring as well.
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混合媒材繪畫
這是在LBCC(Linn-Benton Community College) 偶然發現的課程，但我很慶幸我報了名。我們的指導老師Joe非常有趣，他有效降低了我們進入這所謂的“現代混合媒材藝術”的心理障礙，他讓我們看見了可能性，沒有太多的硬規定或規則，更多的是建議、探索和彼此分享的經驗學習。我很享受這種探索，沒有對錯之分的過程。我喜歡能讓一個作品放上幾天，讓想法在時間中「有機」生長，並花時間在幾個星期內把它慢慢完成，這個班上的其他同學也非常可愛，啟發彼此不同的創作靈感。
CERT- Corvallis Emergency Response Team
Following our #iCanHelp foot steps at Forward Alliance in Taiwan and found CERT in Corvallis last October, we started participating in CERT monthly meetings while slowing working through the course training online. Although both Forward Alliance and CERT serve the same purpose for the community, the size and the characteristics of the community shapes the way they operates distinctly. The community here is much smaller compared to Taiwan and we are able to connect with team members more closely through regular gatherings. Initially I was wondering whether we would be good fits at this stage since we are not only the newbies in town but also foreign to many things in this country. Yet the team welcomed us with open arms and especially to M, who is the only minor in the group. The team even went beyond to obtain a traditional Chinese version of CERT manual for M’s reference. Their gestures eased my doubts and felt empowered ready to offer our hands to support this community when the time comes. Here are the photos from a monthly gathers where we learned all about knots- M was really into the practice!
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CERT- Corvallis 緊急應變團隊
在台灣參加了壯闊台灣的課程之後，我們對社區民防組織產生了興趣，去年十月我們在 Corvallis 找到了 CERT 團隊，開始參加他們的每月會議，同時慢慢通過線上課程進行培訓。雖然壯闊台灣和 CERT 都擁有一樣的核心服務宗旨，但因著社區的規模和特質的不同，它們的運作方式也有所不同。這裡的社區規模比整個台灣要小得多，我們能夠通過定期聚會更密切地與團隊成員建立聯繫。起初，我還在想我們是否適合在這個階段加入，因為我們不僅對這個鎮還是陌生的，對這個國家來說我們也是「新住民」，加上Ｍ還是這裡唯一的未成年成員。然而，CERT團隊以開放的懷抱歡迎我們，甚至還幫Ｍ找到了一本繁體中文版本的 CERT 手冊供他參考。他們的舉動消除了我的疑慮，體認到- 即使是我們，也可以在這個社區有需要時伸出援手。這裡是我們在一次聚會中學習繩結的照片 – M 對這個練習非常感興趣！
Embracing the Nature
As the winter approached, we did not stop exploring the trails around the town because of the weather. Getting used to “the muddy” is part of becoming Oregonian. Watching the landscape transforming with the seasons is just fascinating. Sometimes the warning sign of the cougars or the bears pulled us from the awe back on the reality of wilderness. The time into the nature remains a nourishing part of our life here.
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擁抱大自然
隨著冬天的到來，我們並沒有因為天氣而停止探索城鎮周圍的步道，習慣「泥濘」是成為奧勒岡人的一部分。觀察四周的景觀隨著季節變化而轉變是件多麽令人著迷的事，雖然警告標誌上的美洲獅或熊的警告，不時會將我們從陶醉中拉回到野外的現實裏，投身在大自然中的時間，仍然是我們生活中滋養的一部分。
Willamette valley is synonymous with “Oregon Wine Country”, where over 500+ wineries locate at. At the weekend before Thanksgiving, there are often open house events hosted by the wineries. It was a typical rainy and foggy Oregon winter weekend and we had our first time experience at Airlie– the breath-taking view of the mountain-lake scenery, the homemade dips that match perfectly with their wines and the furry friendly buddies who showed up next to our laps from time to time (which was lovely to me, scary for M and it was hilarious to watch M’s caught-off-guard face!).
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Willamette valley 是「奧勒岡葡萄酒產區」的代名詞，在這裡座落了500多家的酒莊。在感恩節前的週末，這裡的酒莊通常會舉辦開放日活動。那是一個典型的多雨和多霧的奧勒岡冬季週末，我們第一次在Airlie酒莊體驗了開放日，在令人驚嘆的山色湖景旁，品嚐著他們自製的小點與葡萄酒完美搭配，還有時不時會突然出現在我們膝蓋旁的毛茸茸小夥伴們（對我來說很可愛，對M來說有點可怕，看著M有點驚到的表情非常有趣！）。
The Holiday Season
Friendsgiving
If Halloween is the appetizer for the holiday season, the main courses would be Thanksgiving and Christmas. Thanksgiving is equivalent to our Lunar New Year back home, which stands for family gathering time, the time when the family would get together or even cook together whole day to prepare the feast for the evening. I have a feeling this will become the season we miss our families and friends dearly in the years to come. For our very first Thanksgiving here though, we were lucky to have a “Friendsgiving”!! A couple families of my friends, whom we have known one another since we were 10-yr old, decided to travel all the way from California to Corvallis for a reunion!
The food they brought from California made me realize how homesick our stomaches were. There are fresh guava from the trees in my aunt’s garden. The aroma of the pink guava literally filled our entire apartment as soon as the box was opened. Not to mention those classic Taiwan flavors- pork bun, Zongzi (rice dumpling), braised minced pork and Napa cabbage stew. I happily stocked my refrigerator with all the comfort food.
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假日的季節
朋友感恩節
如果萬聖節是假日季節的前菜，那麼主菜就是感恩節和聖誕節了。感恩節相當於我們在家鄉的農曆新年，意味著家庭聚會的時間，家人們會一整天聚在一起，甚至一起烹飪準備晚餐盛宴。我覺得這將成為我們在未來幾年中，非常想念家人和朋友的時節。然而，在我們的第一個感恩節，我們很幸運地有了一個「朋友感恩節」！我的一些老朋友(10歲就認識的一群)舉家從加州遠道而來，與我們在鎮上相聚。
他們從加州帶來的食物，讓我意識到自己的胃有多麼想家。這裡面有從我阿姨的花園裡摘來的新鮮番石榴，當打開盒子時，土芭樂的香氣立即充滿了整間公寓。更不用說那些經典的台灣美食了 – 香菇豬肉包、粽子、肉燥和白菜滷，我興高采烈地把冰箱塞滿了這些難得的家鄉美味。
Though we’ve known one another for over 30 years, our path didn’t actually cross frequently in the past few decades and yet somehow we stayed in touch. It is simply incredible that we got to get together at this exact time/place with our families altogether and enjoyed each other’s company. That to me is the essence of beauty in human connections.
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雖然我們已經認識彼此超過30年了，在過去的幾十年裡，我們的道路並沒有經常交錯，但拜網路之賜，還是一直可以保持著聯繫。大家能夠在這樣的時間和地點聚在一起，享受彼此的陪伴，這對我來說，就是人與人之間美好連結的精髓。
After spending the time together around Corvallis, some of us went on a brief road trip along Oregon coast to Astoria as well. This turned out to be an unexpected episode making this Friendsgiving unforgettable.
This roller-coaster part of the journey included the first-time 911 call, filing a missing person & car report, finding the way traveling 170+miles back to Corvallis with a tween & the luggages but without a car while extreme fear and anxiety haunting my mind imaging the worst all the time. The four days felt like weeks to me but fortunately this story had a happy ending (plus driving 350 miles within one day to get the car back.) The silver lining behind this dramatic journey is that we got to bear witness of the remarkable kindness from people, who helped us along the way unconditionally. We saw and felt the goodness in humanity at our most vulnerable moments. I guess you only realize how warm and bright. the torches are when you found yourselves in an absolutely shitty dark place. We felt grateful for every bit of safety and stability in life that we once took for granted. What a Thanksgiving!!
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在鎮上一起度過美好時光後，我們一部分人繼續沿著奧勒岡州海岸線，一起旅行到了Astoria，沒想到這成為這個感恩節最令人難忘的意外插曲。
這段波折的旅程包含了第一次打911求助，失蹤人口和車輛報案，帶著一個孩子和行李卻沒有車子，想辦法要回到距離170多英里的鎮上，同時間我的腦袋不斷上演、想像著最糟的結局，極度恐懼和焦慮蔓延全身。對我來說，這四天感覺就像幾個星期，但幸運的是，這個故事有一個快樂的結局（再加上一天內開車350英里去取回車子)。如此戲劇性的旅程卻有個獨特的美好角度- 我們得以目睹在這段旅途中無條件地幫助我們的人們，在最脆弱的時刻，我們看到並感受到了人性的善良，我想只有在身處一個非常糟糕的黑暗地方時，才能意識到火把是如何溫暖和明亮的。因為這段旅程，我們對於生活中曾經視為理所當然的每一點安全和穩定重新產生了感恩之心，多麼名符其實的感恩節啊！
Christmas
We didn’t get to spend this Christmas in town with the pre-planned trip back to Taiwan during winter break. And yet there are a lot of pre-Christmas celebrations allowed us to taste the holiday vibe.
Pastega Family Christmas Display
This generous offer from Pastega family has gone on for over 40 years. However this would be the final year of this unique drive-through experience of Christmas display.
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聖誕節
這一年我們沒有辦法在鎮上度過這個聖誕節，因為在寒假期間已經計劃了回台灣一趟。但是，有很多聖誕節慶祝活動讓我們還是能夠感受到節日的氛圍。
Pastega 家庭聖誕展示
Pastega 家庭慷慨地贊助了這個活動已經超過 40 年了，然而，這將是這個獨特的「得來速式」聖誕展示的最後一年。
Holiday Craft Bazaar
The bazaar gives you the taste of the community here – A mixture of produce from local farm or fisheries and the artwork/crafts from local artists.
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假日工藝市集
這個市集讓你品嚐這裡的社區氛圍 – 集合了當地的農產品、鄰近漁港的海鮮製品以及當地藝術家的藝術品/手工藝品。
Christmas Storybook Land
This event relives your favorite childhood nursery rhymes, fairy tales and family movies in a magical indoor walk-thru forest! You may run into your favorite Star Wars characters and meet Santa of course!
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聖誕故事書樂園
這個活動在一個神奇的室內步行森林中，重新演繹了你最喜歡的童謠、童話和家庭電影！你甚至可能會遇到你最喜歡的星際大戰角色，當然還有聖誕老人見面會！
Christmas cookie party with Curves 9am squad
Only until this season, I realized Christmas has become a symbol where you express your love and appreciation for your loved ones- friends and families. Being invited to this Christmas party of our Curves squad was a surprise because I know that they have planned this for a while and I haven’t joined this community for long. Maybe my breakdown in the gym after returning from that Thanksgiving trip somehow became a start for connection- I don’t know. But I know that I felt grateful being at the party. It was like being in a cozy warm bath- a bath full of kindness, fun and belonging. The gifts coming my way were received in the way behind material level and made my heart really full and warm. It was exactly what my heart yearn for after the shaky days. And with that, we put a sweet period to our 2023 chapter in Corvallis
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聖誕餅乾派對與 Curves 晨間 9 點小隊
直到這次的聖誕節，我才意識到聖誕節已成為一個象徵，是一個向摯愛的朋友和家人表達愛和感激之情的節日。當我被邀請參加這個聖誕派對時，我感到有些意外，因為我知道他們已經精心計劃了一段時間，而我加入這裡Curves的時間並不長，也許是我從感恩節旅行回來後，第一次回去運動時不小心的那個淚眼崩潰，成為了一個彼此連接的開端- 我也不確定。但我知道當我踏入派對時的感恩心情，就像是踏入一個溫暖舒適的浴缸裡一樣 – 一個充滿善意、樂趣和歸屬感的浴缸。我所收到的禮物超越了物質層面，讓我的心充滿了溫暖而飽足，在經歷過那段感恩節波折後，這正是我的心所渴望的。這也為我們在科瓦利斯的 2023 年章節畫下了一個甜蜜的句點。
