Spending the Summer Here (I)

For the three months of the summer break, I basically stayed in the Champaign-Urbana area. Even though many people often say that this place is very boring since there are only large cornfields around, I still had a very fulfilling time. In this blog, I will share with you some of the activities, other than practicing the piano and cooking, I did here during the summer vacation.

• Exercising:

How can a hot summer be without swimming? I typically went to the outdoor swimming pool in the Activity and Recreation Center once every two to three days, and each time I swam for an average of about 2 kilometers. Not only did I maintain the habit of regular exercising, but also refreshed me both physically and mentally. Sunbathing and swimming in the pool on a hot summer afternoon is purely relaxing! Besides swimming, I often played badminton with my friends. I remembered the last time I played badminton was in high school. Though I haven’t played it for a while, I have always liked playing it. I regained the joy of playing with friends as well as participating in the badminton club in high school, and also strengthened my friendships with current partners.
Although occasionally I went to the gym to use some exercise equipment or run on the treadmills, overall I still enjoyed swimming and badminton the most. Now, when I practice the piano or use the computer and phones, I have noticed that my hand postures are always facing forward and barely moving upwards. However, these two sports give me more opportunities to lift my arms and move my muscles to do whole-body activities, which always make me feel comfortable.

• Short Trips:

In early June, I was very excited to take a two-day trip, held by the school, to Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky. This was my first visit to a national park in the United States, and after getting used to the vast plains in Illinois state, I was thrilled to finally see chains of hills and mountains this time! On the first day, we took a long tour in the cave with different rocks, landforms, sparkling gypsums, and stalactites. It was spectacular! After staying in the cabin for one night, the next day was a full hiking day. Everyone was amazed by the beautiful scenery from the trails, including the forests, the Green river (Yes! The color of the water is also green!), and even wild deer. Although the trip was only two days, and the itinerary plus the bus rides between Illinois and Kentucky were quite tight, this trip was still truly memorable. Now, I also kept in touch with some of the friends I met during the journey! After this Kentucky trip, I sometimes met with some friends to visit small attractions near UIUC or drive out of town to explore some cities near Champaign-Urbana! I always feel blissful every time I look at the travel photos I took and reminisce about the good times. 


This is the first time I stayed in a foreign country for a whole summer vacation. Three months are neither short nor long, but I am very happy that I did not waste my time, and that I have created many precious memories during this period. In the next blog, I will continue to share with you the fun music-related things I did in summer.

Chin-Hsuan Sharon Cheng (written in Sep. 2022)


Traditional Chinese:
在這裡的暑假時光（ㄧ）

2022年暑假的三個月我基本上留在香檳厄巴納地區，雖然很多人常說這裡就是一大片玉米地，十分無趣，但我仍然過得非常充實。這篇部落格即將跟大家分享除了練琴、做飯，我在暑假期間在這裡做的一些活動。

• 運動：

暑假的好天氣怎麼能少了游泳呢？我基本上兩到三天去ARC的戶外游泳池一次，一次平均游二公里左右，一方面維持規律運動，另一方面，在炎炎夏日的午後在學校的戶外泳池曬太陽、游泳非常令我身心舒暢。雖然三個月下來皮膚比以前黑了不少，但我認為健康的暑假生活和游泳帶來的樂趣更加珍貴。
除了游泳以外，我還常常跟朋友相約打羽毛球。這是我自高中畢業以來再次打羽球，一向很喜歡羽球的我，除了找回以前參加羽球社團與和朋友打羽球的樂趣，也和現在的球友增進了感情。
雖然偶爾我也會去健身房用一些健身器材或跑步，但總體而言我仍然最喜歡游泳和羽球。現在舉凡練鋼琴、打電腦、看手機時，人們的手姿勢都是往前擺，較少會抬起來，但這兩項運動讓我更有機會抬起整個手臂做大活動，最能讓我活動筋骨、身體舒暢。

• 小旅行：

六月初，我非常興奮能夠參加學校舉辦的兩天一夜小旅行活動，前往位於肯塔基州的猛瑪洞國家公園旅遊。這是我第一次到訪美國的國家公園，而且在伊利諾州習慣了廣大無邊的平原後，這次終於見到丘陵和山地，令我非常激動！第一天我們參觀了號稱猛瑪洞國家公園中最長的一個洞穴之旅，裡面有許多不同的岩石、地貌、石膏結晶和鐘乳石，非常壯觀！在木屋住了一晚後，第二天是整天的健行日，我們在國家公園內的健行路線見到整個森林和旁邊的河流形成的美麗景色，更見到了幾隻野生的鹿，雖然只有兩天，行程加上往返旅程算是緊湊，但此行仍讓我十分難忘。旅行結束後，我和一些團友們也都有保持聯繫！此行之後，我偶爾也和新認識的一些朋友相約去學校附近的小景點或一起駕車探索香檳厄巴納附近的一些城市！現在每次翻看手機中旅遊的照片回味美好時光時，我總倍感幸福。
    
    這是我第一次自己留在異鄉過完整個暑假，三個月說短不短、說長也不長，但我很高興自己沒有虛度日子，且在此期間留下了許多珍貴的回憶。下一篇我將接續跟大家分享我在暑假做的音樂方面的趣事。

Chin-Hsuan Sharon Cheng (2022年9月)