Travel

        Travel enriches our lives in a variety of ways. First of all, it broadens our horizons as travelers come to see world-renowned historical monuments or tourist attractions around the world. They go away with last impressions of these magnificent places. Next, travel opens a window to local cultures which are interesting, fascinating and intriguing. Travelers take particular interest in how such cultures are different from their own. Lastly, travel is a good opportunity to learn to be independent. Unforeseen circumstances do come up: missing a flight, losing your luggage, getting lost, or even ending up in an accident. Travelers do need to learn how to cope with them independently.

          Take my recent trip to Japan as an example. It was the first time I had traveled abroad. I was excited about the trip and couldn’t wait to finish drawing up my itinerary. During the week-long trip, I visited many historical monuments, with ample opportunity to have a close look at them. Nothing exemplified the local culture better than Japanese cuisine: sashimi, sushi, ramen, to name but a few. Japanese chefs were meticulous in preparing food for their customers, from sourcing the best ingredients to presenting the food in an appealing and splendid form. I could not resist taking tons of pictures of these masterpieces. The trip was not complete without some hiccups, such as getting lost in Tokyo, or missing a train to Kyoto. This did not devalue the trip: I always look back on the trip with fond memories. I look forward to another one in the near future.

Campus Safety

     

 
     Campus safety is everyone’s responsibility. The university, given its role in providing a safe campus free of undue risks, is expected to do so, but we cannot and should not leave it entirely to the university. Students and faculty/staff members should also play a key role. After all, their personal safety and well-being can be at risk if something unfortunate happens.  Potential issues that might undermine campus safety include fire risks, thefts, harassment, or even assaults.

      To safeguard campus safety, students and faculty/staff members, as members of the campus community, should be alert to their surroundings.  For example, if they spot anyone suspicious, they should report it to a security guard of the university right away so that immediate action can be taken. Should a fire alarm go off, they should go to a safe place at once, following the fire drill rules. They should also exercise their own best judgement when they are on campus. A word of advice is never work too late into the night on campus as it is not safe to go home late at night.  To sum up, both the university and the campus community should join hands in ensuring that the campus is a safe environment to study and work in, and the campus community should be aware of their surroundings, make reports to the university as necessary, and act sensibly.