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My favorite food is dumplings. My mom makes the best dumplings. She makes the dough and filling by herself. The filling is usually a mix of pork, cabbage, and carrots. Making dumplings is a family activity. Every Sunday, my sister and I help my mom. I like to wrap the dumplings—even though they don’t always look perfect, my mom says they’re delicious. We boil the dumplings in water. When they’re ready, they float on the water. I eat dumplings with vinegar—it makes them taste better. Dumplings are not just food; they remind me of my family’s love. I look forward to eating dumplings every week.​

I’ve never been good at keeping plants alive—until I tried growing a sunflower. I bought a small seed, planted it in a pot, and watered it every day, not sure if anything would happen. Then, one morning, a tiny green sprout pushed through the soil. I gasped, as if I’d discovered a treasure. Over the weeks, it grew taller: first a few inches, then a foot, then taller than me. I watched as its leaves unfurled, and finally, a bright yellow flower bloomed, turning its face to the sun. Every day, I’d check on it, proud of the little plant I’d nurtured. When the petals started to fall, I collected the seeds, planning to grow more next year. Growing that sunflower wasn’t just about gardening—it was about patience, hope, and the joy of watching something you care for thrive. It taught me that even small efforts can lead to something beautiful.

A DIY craft day is a day of messy creativity and happy surprises. You clear a table, spread out supplies—scissors, glue, colored paper, old magazines, maybe some fabric scraps—and let your imagination run wild. Maybe you’re making a photo album, gluing pictures to pages and adding little notes about the memories. Or you’re upcycling an old jar into a candle holder, painting it with bright patterns. There are mistakes, of course: glue gets on your fingers, a cut isn’t straight, a design doesn’t turn out like you planned. But that’s part of the fun. You laugh at the mess, adjust your ideas, and keep going. By the end of the day, you have something unique—something you made with your own hands. It might not be perfect, but it’s yours. A DIY craft day isn’t just about making things; it’s about letting go of perfection, having fun, and remembering that creativity is for everyone, not just artists. It’s a day to play, create, and feel proud of what you can do.

The baker kneads butter into the dough, folding it again and again to create flaky layers. I mimic her movements, my hands getting sticky with butter, and she laughs, saying, “Patience is key!” We let the dough rest, then roll it into crescent shapes and bake until golden. The first bite—crunchy outside, soft inside, buttery and warm—tastes like Paris. This isn’t just cooking—it’s learning an art, where every fold and minute of waiting turns simple ingredients into something extraordinary.​

I spend the afternoon at the shelter, petting cats and walking dogs. A tiny puppy licks my hand, and my heart melts. I help clean cages and fill food bowls. The workers say my visits make the animals happier. This volunteering isn’t just work—it’s love, giving care to creatures who need it.​

Above the clouds, the night sky is clear and bright, with stars so close they feel like you could touch them. The Milky Way stretches across the sky, a band of light so vivid it takes my breath away. I wrap in a blanket, sipping hot cocoa, and use a star chart to find constellations. A shooting star streaks by, and I make a wish. This isn’t just looking up—it’s perspective, a reminder of how big the universe is and how lucky I am to be part of it.​