Xueyou and Ding was on board an Air China plane from New York to Beijing. The plane was quite crowded (the people on board were many). (Among them) there were people of different colors. All of them went to China. A few well-dressed young women were serving the passengers tea and water. (They) were cordials, and very attentive. They were stewards, and they spoke both Chinese and English. Xueyou and Ding told the stewards that they were American students going to China to study, and asked the stewards to speak Chinese with them. The stewards’ Mandarin were very good. Listening to their speaking Chinese, Xueyou and Ding had no problem at all (comprehending). (And) the stewards understood all Xueyou and Ding said in Chinese. The stewards asked Xueyou and Dong for how many years they had learned Chinese, (and) how they had made such a good progress. Ding said: “We have been learning Chinese for almost two years. I liked Chinese culture even when I was little. When I attended college, I had a chance to learn Chinese. I was very happy. So (I) was very serious about the study, and also worked very hard. In addition, we had some good teachers. (They) worked earnestly, and taught effectively. That’s why, all of us made tremendous progress.” New York was far away from Beijing. It took twenty hours by air. During the trip (on the plane), Xueyou and Ding saw two Chinese movies: one feature film and one animated film. Both were very interesting. Ding and Xueyou also brought quite a lot of magazines and books to read on the plane. So they felt the time flew. When the captain said through the loudspeaker that they were approaching Beijing, Ding felt a rush of excitement and uneasiness: what would be awaiting them in China, this beautiful and mysterious country?
