Hi everyone. I'm not a native speaker so um, be prepared for unidiomatic usages =P... plz correct them. Many thanx.
This essay responds to topic 5:
We tend to spend our time doing the things we know we do well--running because we're good runners or painting because we're talented artists. Tell us about a time when you tried something for which you had no talent. How did it go?I graduated from my junior school ranking the 1st in my class—with my P.E. scoring 18 out of 30.
With relatively high height and long legs, I seem to be a perfect candidate for sports. Unfortunatelly, the fact is on the contrary. I never ran a race without being the last one to pass the finishing line, and never failed to embarrass myself reporting my scores afterwards. You can imagine why I hesitated when I was given a place in my high school's class volleyball team. However, seeing the chance to quickly fit into the new class, I decided to give it a shot.
Not surprisingly, I was the slow and stupid one in the team. An unsuccessful serve? That probably was me. Someone got hurt? That was me, too. A few days after the beginning of the training, I got swollen arms, sore muscles and painful joints, as well as an overwhelming frustration that continued to inflate.
I could have given up, for I was merely an alternative. But my competitive nature wouldn't let me to. I swallowed my frustration and turned it into my own motivation. I managed to be the first one to attend the training and the last one to leave. I practiced whenever I could to improve my skills. I did everything to make myself a better player. The first game came, and I ended up watching the whole game sitting on the bench. But I knew our couch had seen my effort as well as improvement. When the second game kicked off, I could tell from his expression that I would get my chance this time.
I did.
"Get ready, Chuner." Couch patted on my shoulder, "You will serve the ball. Now go!"
I took a deep breath and quietly walked to the baseline, when I heard a blaming voice whispering to our couch, "Look what you've done! You let Chuner serve the ball? Are you mad?"
I breath deeply again and thought to myself—let's see who's mad.
Ball up. I quickly adjusted my body to the most appropriate posture, and hit the ball with my palm, using the finest strength I could perform. Bang! My ball fell on the ground.
The opponent team failed to catch it!
That is a scene I will never forget, a scene that makes up for all of my inner and outer hurt. Although my later performance was only mediocre, I don't regret my endeavor, because the whole experience really taught me lessons.
I was a terrible athlete (still am), and I realized that far before the volleyball game. What I realized through this experience are two different things—that is accepting who I am, and giving myself no limit. They might sound contradictory, but only in this way can I understand my weaknesses and seize the chance to see whether I can improve on them. This method is benefiting. Now I'm not only academically and socially active—I'm also a newly-developed sports fan!
Chuner Guo
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