I grew up suddenly that winter night after we said goodbye to my aunt, because my mother told me that we would soon leave for America. On the bus, thinking of the fact that I would leave the place and people I liked, I couldn’t help crying. People on the bus were turning around to look at me curiously.

Finally, the day came. When we were leaving I thought about all the places I was going to see—the strange and mysterious places I had known only from books and pictures. I was completely at a loss.

The following four years taught me the importance of optimism, but the idea did not come to me at once.

For the first two years in New York I was really lost. I didn’t know what would happen in the future. Because of family moves, I had to study in three schools. Then my mother remarried, and things became even more complex for me. It took a long time for my stepfather and I got used to each other. I was often sad and wondered how long “the hard times” would last.

Since I knew English better than everyone else at home, I shouldered more responsibilities. I wrote letters, filled out forms, translated at interviews with immigration officers, took my grandparents to the doctor and translated there, and even discussed telephone bills with company representatives.

Slowly, from my experiences I have learned one important rule: those annoying troubles will finally go away.

Don’t give up, and something good is bound to happen in the end. I firmly believe that my life will turn out all right, even though it will not be that easy.

Back in 2017, Christopher Vane did something special. He opened up a sanctuary (避难所) for farm animals where they could live out the rest of their days in comfort. Since then, more than 150 animals have found their way to him, and it’s saved their lives.

Christopher has always had a deep love for animals, partly because his mom was so passionate about them herself. For the longest time, he wanted to do something to help, which is how Little Bear Sanctuary came to exist. It was sad for Vane to lose his mom just a few months before the place opened, but he knew she’d be proud of him. After all, he was giving back to the animals that both of them loved so much.

The sanctuary is home to a number of different species, including sheep, cows, goats, and even a tortoise. Around half of its residents are pigs, including Willy, the sanctuary’s very first resident. The majority of the animals here were to be killed, which would be the same fate, but thankfully, Christopher gave them a second chance of life. Now, while they might still be scarred by their terrible pasts, at least they have an opportunity to be happy.

Although the sanctuary doesn’t make any money, Vane isn’t bothered by the lack of income. Going outside and seeing his animals fee to walk around the 30-acre property gives him all the satisfaction he needs. Of course, if he wants to keep opening the sanctuary’s doors to new resident, he does need some money coming in. That’s why he set up a GoFundMe so that anyone who wants to help out with the expansion project can do their bit. So far, $15,000 of the $55, 000 goal has been raised.

It’s nice to see these farm animals getting another shot at happiness. We’re so grateful for what Christopher’s doing.

Hachiko was an Akita Inu(秋田犬) who was born in 1923 in a county, Japan. A year later he became a gift for the daughter of a professor of Tokyo University. When the professor, Eisaburo Ueno, saw him for the first time, he realized that his legs were a little bent. They looked like the kanji(汉字) “八” that represents the number 8, which in Japanese is pronounced hachi, so he decided to name him Hachiko.

When Ueno’s daughter grew up, she married and went to live with her husband, leaving the dog behind. The professor liked him, so he decided to keep Hachi instead of giving him away.

Ueno went to work by train every day and Hachiko became his faithful companion. Every morning the dog accompanied his owner to the Shibuya train station and in the afternoon he went back to meet his owner when Ueno returned.

One day, while teaching at the university, Ueno suffered a sudden cerebral hemorrhage(脑溢血)which ended his life. However, Hachiko continued to wait for him at the Shibuya station.

Day after day Hachiko went to the station and waited for hours for his owner, looking for his face among the thousands of strangers passing by. These days turned into months and months and eventually into years. Hachiko waited tirelessly for his owner for nine long years. Through rain, snow or sunshine, he would appear at the exact tie his master’s train was due in the station.

The locals of Shibuya knew Hachiko and had regularly seen him with Professor Ueno. Due to the busyness of the station, many found it annoying to have the dog getting in the way. However, when they realized what had happened, they took charge of feeding and taking care of him while he waited in the door of the station.

Hachiko kept waiting for his owner who would never appear. After his death, where he waited for Ueno every day, in 1934, a statue of him was put up in front of the same train station.