Chopin, one of the most influential and popular pianists in the field of music, was born in Poland. He lived in a happy family. His father was a French teacher at the Warsaw Lyceum which Chopin later attended. His mother liked singing Polish folk songs very much. When Chopin was still a baby, his mother often sang songs to make him sleep. The charm of music was firmly rooted in the young Chopin’s heart and accompanied him until the end of his life.

His early training started at home, including getting piano lessons from his mother. When he was 4, his parents bought a piano at home. His mother often played the piano with him. Chopin had an unspeakable feeling for the piano. He often climbed onto the chair and beat the keys with his tender hands. “This is our son playing the piano. And it is a Polish folk song!” Chopin’s mother was surprised, and his father was very proud.

By the age of seven, Chopin had created original works, which showed his prodigious musical ability. Then his parents sent him to learn piano from Wojciech Zywny. When Chopin was sixteen, he attended the Warsaw Conservatory of Music, directed by composer Josephy Elsner. Like other young musicians during the Classical and Romantic Periods, Chopin was sent to Vienna, the center of music for that day. While he was in Vienna, Poland and Russia faced off in the beginnings of war. He returned to Warsaw to get his things for a more permanent move.

The war in Poland inspired Chopin to write many sad works expressing his grief for his motherland. Among these was the famous “Revolutionary Etude”. As the war continued in Warsaw and then reached Paris, Chopin retired to Scotland with friends. Although he was far beyond the reach of the revolution, he fell into deep depression. Besides, his health was in bad condition. Finally, he died at the age of 39, and was buried in Paris.

I recently posted a picture on Face book from the movie Mad Max, a film where two groups race through the desert in steam punk vehicle, and wrote, “Actual picture of my way to work today.” It was meant to be a joke because of the sandstorms in Beijing, but one of my friends from back home thought it was real.

I couldn't imagine how they could think that is actually what China is like. China has so many more convenience and advantage than the West, and many of my friends agree, “I don't know how I will be able to deal when I go back home,” said a friend who is about to end her gap year in Beijing. “I've be become so spoiled in China.”

China seems to be leading the way in innovation(创新) and convenience for daily life. Back home I could never shop, pull out my phone and scan a QR code to pay.

There have been rumors of starting bike sharing in my hometown for years with little success while bike sharing suddenly appeared in Beijing overnight. I just step outside and scan a code, and dam on my way.

Going out to eat with a group of friends back home was troubles or me for both the group and the servers. Splitting bills and wiping(刷) 10 different cards or making change for each person in the group can be a pain. But with China's We Chat, you can quickly send your friends your part of the bill.

The list goes on...

When I first arrived in Beijing, I was dead set on leaving in a month. That month has come and gone. Now, when someone asks me when I'm coming back, I think to myself, “Who knows?”

While my friends think I am riding through the desert on a motorbike, I am actually taking a Didi for what is the equivalent of $5 in the US.

With all the convenience and technology here, I may never want to go back.

Julia Butterfly Hill worked at a restaurant. For many years, she was only interested in making money. Then one day she had a serious car accident, which changed her life. Hill said: “I realized I wanted to find a more powerful purpose for being here on this planet.”

As soon as she recovered, Hill traveled to California and she wanted to do something meaningful. There she saw ancient redwood trees, which are the largest trees in the whole world. The wood from redwood trunks is very hard. So the Pacific Lumber Company cut down many of the huge redwoods to use for construction. There are not many forests of these trees left. Many environmental activists want to protect the remaining trees. The redwoods are very important to the environment.

In 2012, Hill learned a group called Earth First was working to protect a particular group of trees. They decided to send someone up into a redwood tree, hoping this would stop the company from cutting the trees down. Julia Butterfly Hill volunteered.

Hill lived in the tree for over two years without ever coming down. Her home was a 6-by-8-foot tree house, 180 feet up. It is always cold and wet in a redwood tree. There were even very serious winter storms while Hill was in the tree. The wind and cold almost knocked Hill out of the tree. But she did not fall — she survived.

Finally, after years of arguing, the company decided to protect Luna, the tree Hill lived in. They signed an agreement to never cut down this huge redwood tree or the trees around it. When Hill put her feet on the earth again, she began to cry. But from that moment on Hill hasn’t stopped working to protect the environment.