Thirty years have passed since I first joined Bodhi. Nowadays, although I am far away from home, when I look back, it seems that I can still hear the clear bell ringing in the playground of Nanshan Middle School on the campus of that year. It was an age full of dreams and aspirations, and an unforgettable time in my life.
I was one of the first students after the founding of Bodhi High School. At that time, Bodhi Park was like a pearl hidden in the mountains, full of infinite possibilities. I still remember the acacia trees in front of the dormitory building, the Fengyu River in front of the school gate where you could swim and catch fish, the yellow rapeseed fields behind the dormitory building, and the Jiafotang Elementary School next door to the school building, each of which left behind the laughing figures of my classmates and me. The corners of the campus were also our paradise, the players sweating like rain on the basketball court, the students shouting excitedly under the court, the bright and spacious classrooms, and the computer room which was rarely seen at that time are all the pictures in our memories.
At that time, our campus life was simple and beautiful. Every morning, when the wake-up call blew, we sleepily went to the cafeteria to eat, and after the meal, we crossed the small iron bridge over the river to the classroom, full of curiosity and anticipation in the classroom, and returned to the dormitory after the evening study hall to talk with our dormitory mates and laugh, and talk with candles at night. These good times seem like yesterday.
What I miss deeply are my teachers. Walking slightly hobbling teacher Zuo, fast-talking teacher Zhou, a silver-haired and energetic teacher Chen, love to fall out of the bag of books, teacher Li, the thunderous and friendly principal Yang, in the classroom they use words to light up the road ahead of us, under the classroom, their body teaching the same life-long benefits, life, they let us off the occasional mischief gently. Nowadays, whenever I recall these moments, they make my heart grateful.
Then I went to the United States to study. When I first came to the U.S., the unfamiliarity of everything made me feel very uncomfortable about studying and living. During this difficult time, I was supported not only by the love of my parents, but also by the monthly handwritten letters from my fellow Bodhi students across the ocean and the support and help of the school's chairman, Mr. Liu Dongbo. These care and encouragement made me deeply feel the warmth and cohesion of the Bodhi family. After graduation, we went to different places to pursue our dreams. Some of us went to different places and pursued our own dreams. Some of us went to different countries and some of us stayed in our hometown. But no matter where we are, the influence of the school is always with us. Our successes and achievements are inseparable from the rigorous and innocent education of the school, the teaching of teachers and the company of friends.
Now, inspired by my old principal, Principal Young, I am back in school, teaching the younger generation as a high school physics teacher in San Diego, California. As I look back on my life's journey, my Bodie experience has broadened my horizons, my Bodie teachers have become my mentors, and my Bodie classmates have become my lifelong friends. Now 30 years later, our junior high school class group still brings together all of our classmates from back then, and we can still have late-night chats about organizing our 30th anniversary class celebration. Although we are far away from each other and live in different countries, I can't help but think of those wonderful school days when it's quiet at night. I think of my friends, my teachers and my innocent self.
Now I am back on campus as an American high school physics teacher, with the support and encouragement of Principal Yang. Looking back, I can see that the Bodie experience broadened my horizons and gave me the opportunity to study abroad, that the Bodie teachers became my mentors, and that my Bodie classmates became my lifelong friends. 30 years later, our junior high school class group is still full of all the classmates from back then, and we can still have late-night chats about organizing our 30th anniversary class celebration. Nowadays, even though we are far away from each other and live in different countries, I still think of those wonderful school days from time to time. I think of my friends, my teachers and my innocent self.
We hope that all students who are new to Bodhi will actively integrate into school life, participate in various activities, make new friends, explore the unknown, and build their own lives.
Xia Shuang
Attended Bodie Junior High School from 1994-1997 and then traveled to the United States for high school.
B.S. and M.S. at UCLA from 2001 to 2008.
After graduation, he worked in the Investment Banking Department of Haitong Securities in Shenzhen;
He currently teaches physics at Coronado High School in San Diego, California.
