Riding my Bike to School in a Snowstorm: The Portfolio

By: Winston

Author’s Note

This narrative is set in 1979, three years after the Culture Revolution ended. The Cultural Revolution was started by Chairman Mao in 1966. Mao wanted everyone to work on farms and in factories. Mao did NOT encourage studying. Colleges and college enrollment tests were shut-down. When the Cultural Revolution was over, Deng Xiao Ping resumed the college enrollment test and everyone wanted a shot at it. Only the best people could go. This shows how my father rode a bike six kilometers to school in a snowstorm to studying. He was a very ambitious and persistent man and wanted to be able to get into college.

The Family Tree

I interviewed my dad.Me

Riding my Bike to School in a Snowstorm

! The clock chimed five and I immediately clambered out of bed. As my feet hit the cold concrete floor, I noticed the room was darker than usual. Wind was howling and whistling through the cracks under the doors. I glanced outside the battered, wood framed window. There were puffy specks of white flying everywhere at a rapid pace. As I had predicted, a snowstorm was brewing. “Are you really sure you want to go to school, Alex?” questioned Mom at breakfast. “It’s six kilometers from where we live, and besides--” “Well, yeah, I’m sure I’m going,” I interrupted after gulping down the rest of my breakfast porridge. Before she could say anything else, I threw on my heavy

coat, rushed out the door, hopped onto my bike and pedaled vigorously forward. “Bye!” I called to my mom as my house slowly faded out of sight. The wind cut my cheeks like knives and the road was becoming darker and hazier. Bits of snow hit me in the face. Still, I pedaled forward, cutting through the foot-deep snow. Thoughts started flowing though my mind. The Cultural Revolution is over, I thought , I’ll be able to get into college if I study hard. Even though I was determined, I still doubted my hopes. China was resuming the college enrollment tests and everyone wanted a shot. Only those who studied hard and were the best could get in. I didn’t want to miss the chance of studying every second I had. Most of all I wanted to get out of the poor, remote village of Gao Jia Sui, Benxi

I had been pedaling relentlessly for an hour. My legs felt like jello and the snowstorm wasn’t letting up but perseverance flowed through me. Suddenly, I saw the shape of a rusted metal fence up ahead in the haze of the storm. It simply had to be the school’s gates. All the exhaustion flowed out of me and I pedaled harder than I ever had before. The school’s gray concrete building was rapidly approaching. Before I knew it, I had screeched to a stop in front of the rusty gate. Warmth was the first feeling I felt when I strode into school. “Hey everyone!” I yelled exhilarated “I rode my bike six kilometers to school in a snowstorm!” All heads turned to me, then turned back to their books as if I wasn’t there. I shrugged, plopped down at a desk, opened my book, and started reading.

Bibliography

Source 1: Huo, Qinghong (Alex), My dad.

Source 2: Schoenhals, Michael. "The Cultural Revolution."

World Book Online. Nov. 2012.

<http://worldbookonline.com/student/article?

id=ar751374&st=the+cultural+revolution>.

Reflection

I faced some challenges while doing this project. One of them was getting enough information and finding the small moment. I learned that my dad was a very ambitious man. Also, I learned how the living conditions were in my dad’s time. Finally, I learned how far the school was from people’s house at the time. I learned that as a learner, I need to ask more questions. I now know how to use active verbs more than before. I also know how to really bring a character to life. Most of all I learned how to use just right words for my writing. I think doing a project like this will help us understand more about the past and our family’s history. I enjoyed making the portfolio because it feels good to see all the things you’ve been working on come together.

I did not enjoy doing the interview because it is hard to find the small moment and I don’t really like asking questions. I plan to share this project with family members through the web.