Author: Hazel Lee (She graduated from the University of Edinburgh in Msc Counselling Studies. A qualified counsellor of WelcomeHome.)

Time flies at an alarming pace. Children always wish to grow up quickly and hope time would pass faster. Some people may complain they don't have enough time in the day, especially when they are facing a deadline. Some people may hope to have more time to do more things in their life. Some people feel regret that time passes too quickly and they have wasted a lot of time. There are some people that blame themselves for not spending enough time on themselves, but always on others.

 One minute contains sixty seconds, which is a fact that we can not change. We can not ask for the time to pass slowly. However, we can change our attitude towards spending time. Have you realised that people are always talking about the future and the past, and they seldom talk about the moment that they are living?  Some unimportant things or their environment may distract people so that they forget to enjoy the moment that they are having right now.

作者：王子薇  来自 WelcomeHome Multi-language Support
Author： Ziwei Wang  from WelcomeHome Multi-language Support

两年前的今天，我在微博上写到“突然发现，图书馆原来是个Day dreaming的好地方。。。”
On this day two years ago,  I posted a blog that said: "I just notice that library is a good place for day dreaming..."

两年后，我发现自己竟然因缘巧合地坐在和两年前同一张桌子前to make my dream come true...。
Now I found I am sitting in the same place as two years ago to make my dream come true...

时光荏苒，回想当年的Dream，很高兴现在我在朝着他一步步迈进。虽然辛苦，但一切都是值得。
Time flies. To remember the dream I had made two years ago, I am glad that I am getting closer to it step by step. Even though it is hard, I believe it is worth it. 

回想自己一个人在英国留学、生活的两年，如同做过山车一般起起伏伏，无比充实。引用一句朋友的话“留学和下乡差不多锻炼人”。的确留学绝不是件简单的事情，他就像压缩饼干，压缩了生活中所有的酸甜苦辣，吃下去一下子就把生活填的满满的。让人有些搓手不急，然而这却是我宝贵的一段生命历程。
Looking back on the two years that I have been in the UK by myself. It feels like being on a roller coaster with many ups and downs, breathtaking but really interesting.  My friend told me"Studying abroad is as hard as XiaXiang(To let educated youth settle in the countryside as members of agricultural production brigades)." I agree with it as I had never thought studying abroad is an easy thing. It was like a hardtack which compressed all the good things and bad things in my life. Once eaten, it will inflate and fill your life immediately.  Sometimes it may inflate too fast for me to get use to it. However I think it is a precious experience of mine.  

从拿到offer实的激动兴奋，到拿到第一份作业成绩时的失落沮丧；
From feeling excited when I got the offer from the University to feeling frustrated when I got the grade of my first essay;

从初看到一个陌生城市的新鲜喜悦，到一个人闷在房间里的难过想家；
From feeling curious and joy about a new environment to feeling sad and homesick from hiding by myself in my room;
 
从终于逃离家长开心地期盼自己的独立和自由，到遇到问题时一个人的害怕难过和不知所措；
From enjoying the freedom and independence from detaching from my parents to feeling afraid and overwhelmed when facing the problems by myself;

从参加毕业典礼时的开心喜悦及对未来的无限憧憬，到面对现实、就业、回国等现实压力时的痛苦挣扎；
From feeling delight and looking forward to my future in the graduation ceremony to having a painful struggle when facing the reality of job hunting and the dilemma of leaving or staying;

从下定决心朝自己梦想迈进的壮志凌云，到如今几经周折的沉淀；
From making my decision with soaring aspirations to achieve my dream to now feeling peaceful and hopeful after many twists and turns.

是的，留学的生活既是如此地跌宕起伏，悲喜掺杂。
Studying abroad is full of the conflicts feelings which is always ups and downs, have both happiness and sadness. 

如果今天你也有一个梦想，记得一定把他hold住，因为在不远的明天，它终有可能成为现实。
So if you have a dream today, remember to hold it, as one day it will come true. 

不管是你准备来留学，正在留学，或即将完成学业，都请你为自己的人生同时做好承受喜悦和悲伤的心理准备。因为在生命中的每个阶段，都不能完美。而我们每天的努力，都是为了更好的明天，正如两年前的我在读书馆做的“DAY DREAM”。
No matter what situation are you in at the moment, eg. You are going to study abroad; you are doing your study in a foreign country or you are just going to finish it. Please ensure yourself always ready for  facing both the joyful and depressed moment, as life can never be prefect in every moment.  However all the hard work we do now is for our brilliant future, just like the "DAY DREAM" that I made two years ago in the library. 

让我们一起加油，朝梦想前进吧！
Lets work hard for your dream!

Please empty your fridge before  leave

---- For people coming from overseas 




Cooking has never been an important thing for MIaosheng Li until 2009，when she was "abandoned" in London, UK. A place famous for Big Ben, Harry Potter, The Queen, or... boring food....




And ....
Occasionally the sense of loneliness for people coming from overseas.


Just like all foreigners, she has to face all the difficulties on her own. However her enthusiasm for food became a good way for her to deal with the sense of loneliness.  So she promised to herself:





Cannot be careless for food; Cannot waste food and make as big a variety as she can. 

At the beginning, cooking is only because of her cravings.  Can you imagine a Chinese girl living in a foreign country, how difficult it could be,  if there is no home cooked dish in her life? 

So she started to have Beef noodles, lanzhou Pork, home made jelly on her dining table. Gradually, she realized these home cooked dishes can help to relieve her negative feelings.Then gradually it developed into a habits:

Any food she wants  must be cooked by herself. 















Food and the smell of cooking became a significant part in her life in a foreign country. "Have a good meal " became a simple and easy way that she cares for herself. 





After this....

Cooking gradually became a essential  part of her life. The smell of the food from her kitchen arouse her thoughts about the meaning of home.  



She said: when I set the stove to cook it is like the gravity which can make me feel like coming back down to earth. This is the most important meaning of a home for me. In other words, this is the power that can help and support me overcome the countless feelings of sadness, frustration and all the other bad feelings I have experienced or am experiencing  , and enable me to came back to be myself. 

This is  a normal story about an ordinary girl with her five kitchens. Whenever she is going to leave home, she will try all her best to finish the food in her fridge in a prefect way. As food for her means energy, memories, and a greeting for her new day. 













Maybe you are also a lonely person drifting in somewhere of the world. Maybe you also have many gloomy mood which cannot talk with others about. 

This book can make you realise how the food can help you overcome your difficulties. 

If you like cooking, then no matter where you are,

Cooking is everything. 

感觉孤单、痛苦、难过、想家......也许这些是每个在异国他乡的人都不得不经历的。我相信每个人都有自己的方式去应对和解决，正如这本书的作者李妙生一般，下厨成为她找回自己的良方。饱含熟悉的味道和香气的厨房让她又有了回家的感觉。于是，生活的一切都变得美好而不同。

如果你还没有找到自己的良方去应对生活在异国他乡的种种囧态，那就赶快加入我们，让我们成为你的英国之家，你的地心引力。让我们帮助你在熟悉的语言、文化和环境中尽快找回真我，找回家的感觉。

Feeling lonely, depressed, frustrated, homesick.... Maybe these are the bad things that everyone from overseas will have to experience.  I believe people could have their own way to deal with them. For example, the author Miaosheng Li.  Cooking is her special way to overcome all the difficulties. Her kitchen which is full of familiar smells like home can arouse her feeling that make her feel safe and comfortable, where she can relieve her negative feelings. Then everything in her world became better. 

If you have not found your way to deal with the bad feelings whilst living a foreign country yet, then simply join us. Let us be your second home in the UK, be your gravity, and  help you to feel grounded, find your true self and the homely feeling in a familiar environment, languages and culture background.