Sandra Cisneros was born in Chicago in 1954 to a Mexican American family. As the only girl in a family of seven children, she often felt like she had “seven fathers,” because her six brothers, as well as her father, tried to control her. Feeling shy and unimportant, she retreated (躲避) into books. Despite her love of reading, she did not do well in elementary school because she was too shy to participate.

In high school, with the encouragement of one particular teacher, Cisneros improved her grades and worked for the school literary magazine. Her father encouraged her to go to college because he thought it would be a good way for her to find a husband. Cisneros did attend college, but instead of searching for a husband, she found a teacher who helped her join the famous graduate writing program at the University of Iowa. At the university’s Writers’ Workshop, however, she felt lonely — a Mexican American from a poor neighborhood among students from wealthy families. The feeling of being so different helped Cisneros find her “creative voice”.

“It was not until this moment when I considered myself truly different that my writing acquired a voice. I knew I was a Mexican woman, but I didn’t think it had anything to do with why I felt so much imbalance in my life, but it had everything to do with it! That’s when I decided I would write about something my classmates couldn’t write about.”

Cisneros published her first work, The House on Mango Street, when she was twenty-nine. The book talks about a young Mexican American girl growing up in a Spanish-speaking area in Chicago, much like the neighborhoods in which Cisneros lived as a child. The book won an award in 1985 and has been used in classes from high school to graduate school level. Since then, Cisneros has published several books of poetry, a children’s book and a short-story collection.

Travel Journal

Friday

We arrived in Paris on Friday lunchtime and went straight to our apartment. We then went for a walk around our area and realized how close we were to the centre of Paris. It only took us 20 minutes to walk to the Louvre. After a walk around the Tuileries Gardens, we went for afternoon tea in a café called Angelina which has the most delicious hot chocolate. After warming up we then walked along to the big department store Printemps, on the top floor where you get a wonderful view of Paris (this was free). We walked along a street called Grands Boulevards which was beautiful with all its Christmas lights. The shops on this street are famous for their Christmas window displays. In the evening we cooked at the apartment and went to a Scottish pub which was funny as two of my friends are Scottish.

Saturday

In the morning we went for brunch (a meal between breakfast and lunch) at a really cool café called FAB (French American Bakery). We had waffles with bacon and fresh carrot and ginger juice. We found out that we were really close to a chocolate museum, so of course we took a visit--- who doesn’t love chocolate! In the afternoon we went to a Christmas market with unique handmade gifts and crafts. In the evening we ate at a Tunisian restaurant and had roast chicken and vegetable stew with couscous. It was delicious and the restaurant was in a cute little lane.

Sunday

On Sunday we went for breakfast at the same café and we caught our train back home at midday, carrying shopping bags full of lovely presents that we had bought at the Christmas market. We had a great weekend in Paris. Exploring this beautiful city with no plans was an unusual but great idea as we got to do things we wouldn’t normally discover. I highly recommend spending a weekend somewhere trying to be a local!

Last year, I had the chance to study at a British secondary school as an exchange (交换) student.

The British school day begins at 9 a.m. and ends at 4 p.m. Students usually have to learn nine subjects at secondary school. Every student in the UK must study English, Maths and the Science subjects: Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Students can also choose to study other subjects, such as History, Art and Business. The classes are different from those in China. Each teacher has their own classroom and the students move around for every lesson.

I enjoyed most of the classes, but some of them were quite challenging. Maths was quite easy and enjoyable because the material was less advanced in the UK than in China. However, learning in English was a great challenge for me. There were a lot of difficult English words, especially in Geography and Biology. Class discussion is very important in the UK, but I could not make a great contribution because sometimes I wasn’t able to express myself clearly in English. Although there was not as much homework as I was used to, it was still challenging. Fortunately, my teachers and classmates were always helpful and gave me lots of encouragement. My language skills improved over time.

After school, there were many clubs to join. The one that attracted me most was the Rugby Club. It was great fun. Also, I enjoyed acting in the Theatre Club. I still have photos of myself acting in William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. For me, joining clubs was a great way to meet British students and make friends with them.

I am glad to have the opportunity to experience this different way of life. I met some great people and learnt a lot about school life in the UK.