summer can be very hot in southern taiwan where the temperature usually goes up to 32"c or more. because of the heat it is a trying experience to go to school or do anything else in a place that is not air-conditioned. also because of this i stay at home most of the time during the summer vacation and only occasionally go to the beach to plunge myself into the cool water as a way to keep my body less sticky. actually i like swimming and think nothing is more refreshing than a swim. in the summer vacation that has just ended i went swimming many times with my classmates and we all had a good time. this summer vacation, however, was not spent entirely in seeking fun. as a second-year senior student i had to prepare myself for the college entrance examinations that were only a year away. in other words, i must find time to study, too. so i divided my time between work and play during the summer vacation and derived much benefit from this arrangement.
i spent this summer vacation in quite a different way. i used to run about every day in previous summer vacations, but this summer vacation i simply could not afford to do so. i would soon be in the last year of my high-school education and would after graduation be up against the college entrance examinations. though those examinations were still a year away, i had to start early to make myself well prepared by reviewing all those things i had learned at school and this summer vacation was the ideal time for me to do this. at first i was rather dismayed at the thought of this, but later i thought it was better this way because by working hard this summer i could count on endless happy summers to come. with this in mind i then set to work like anything and only occasionally went out for a change or did some physical. i was not at all bored by this kind of life, for i was sustained by a hope.
