文：王㛄璇 臺中市大安區農會/臺中市大安區三光國民小學

　　這次能夠受到大白哥哥的邀請，參加由中華民國四健會協會主辦的「美國四健會筆友活動」，對我來說是一個非常難得且珍貴的機會。在這次跨國的文字旅程中，我認識了一位住在美國密西根州的女孩——Briella Grinols。在還沒有參加這個活動之前，我從沒想過自己能跨越地理的限制，和一個住在地球另一端、過著完全不同生活的朋友建立起深厚的友誼。

　　在交流的過程中，我深深被 Briella 的特質所吸引。她的個性非常開朗，而且樂於分享。最讓我感到溫暖的是，她不只分享大景點，也很很熱心地跟我分享許多生活中的小事情。透過她的文字，我知道了她家鄉有一座歷史悠久的「格拉蒂奧特堡燈塔」，也了解到她們班上只有少少的 13 個學生，平時的興趣是畫畫與上舞蹈課。

　　雖然我們之間隔了非常遙遠的距離，甚至因為臺灣與美國密西根州有著將近 12 小時的時差，常常需要在清晨或凌晨一點才能收到對方的訊息，但這完全沒有阻礙我們的熱情。這種「雖然我們隔得非常遙遠，但依然能夠聚在一起聊天、分享彼此生活」的感覺，真的非常奇妙且美好。

　　此外，在與 Briella 的互動中，我也發現了許多文化與生活體制上的趣味差異。例如，我們聊到彼此的學校生活時，赫然發現我們放暑假的時間居然完全不一樣！這讓我對美國的學生生活產生了更多的好奇。更讓我佩服的是，我從她身上學到了好多優點，我發現她常常需要去參與大大小小的報告與分享，這對我來說是一件非常厲害且需要勇氣的事情。她落落大方的態度和流暢的表達能力，成為了我學習的榜樣，激勵著我未來也要像她一樣勇敢地展現自己。

　　總結這次的筆友活動，我不僅開闊了國際視野，更在過程中感到無比的開心與充實。我學到了如何用開朗的心態和好朋友聊天，也體會到了與外國人交流的樂趣。這是一場充滿驚喜與學習的文化饗宴，這樣難得的機會怎麼可以錯過呢？我非常期待下一次還可以再有類似的交流活動，更希望未來能繼續和美國的朋友一起聊天，將這份跨越海洋的珍貴筆友之情一直延續下去。

Being invited by Mr.White to participate in the “4-H Pen Pal Program” organized by the National 4-H Club Association, R.O.C. was a very rare and valuable opportunity for me. During this cross-country journey of exchanging letters, I met a girl named Briella Grinols who lives in Michigan, USA. Before joining this program, I had never imagined that I could overcome the distance between us and build a close friendship with someone who lives on the other side of the world and has a completely different lifestyle.

During our exchange, I was deeply attracted by Briella’s personality. She is very cheerful and loves to share. What made me feel the warmest was that she not only shared famous places and attractions, but also happily told me about many little things in her daily life. Through her letters, I learned that there is a historic lighthouse called the Gratiot Lighthouse in her hometown. I also learned that there are only 13 students in her class, and that she enjoys drawing and taking dance classes in her free time.

Although we live very far away from each other, and there is almost a 12-hour time difference between Taiwan and Michigan, which sometimes meant that we had to wait until early in the morning or even one o’clock in the morning to receive each other’s messages, this did not stop us from being excited to communicate. The feeling of being so far apart but still being able to chat and share our lives together was truly amazing and wonderful.

In addition, through my interactions with Briella, I discovered many interesting differences in culture and daily life. For example, when we talked about our school life, we were surprised to find that our summer vacations were completely different! This made me even more curious about student life in the United States. What impressed me even more was that I learned many good qualities from her. I found that she often has to give different presentations and share her ideas, which I think is very impressive and takes a lot of courage. Her confident attitude and fluent communication have become an example for me to learn from. She has inspired me to be brave and show myself more in the future.

Looking back on this pen pal program, I not only broadened my international horizons, but also felt very happy and fulfilled throughout the experience. I learned how to chat with good friends with a cheerful attitude, and I also experienced the joy of communicating with someone from another country. This was a wonderful cultural experience filled with surprises and learning. How could I miss such a rare opportunity? I really hope there will be similar exchange activities in the future. More importantly, I hope I can continue chatting with my American friends and keep this precious friendship across the ocean going.