Don't pick the apples!!!

I've never seen an apple tree until I came to the US. There're some on the way to work. Honestly, I didn't know it was an apple tree until it produced some apples getting green and red. There're many many apples. Really I've never been able to see this scene in Saigon. I'm sure we have apple trees somewhere in the highland and the North of Vietnam, but not in the South. I think I tasted Vietnam apples one time. It was small and sour. Most apples in the South of Vietnam are grown in China, about 99.9%. The rest are grown in USA and New Zealand. I've never seen its tree in real life. That's why I feel excited.

I saw the apples when they were small and green. "Let's wait for them growing up a little. I want them"- I talked to myself. I watched them every day going to work and wondered when they became bigger and riper.

When I talk to my colleagues, every one just responded "really?". "How couldn't they realize? There're many apples." - I wondered.

Ah, I got the answer. It's because I ride my bicyle, they drive cars. Riding a bicyle gives me a chance to see and feel things around outside. I can feel the sun, wind, the apples also seem to be close to me. I can see the grass and beaver - I think. I saw some come out of the bushes and eat things. When they saw cars coming, they hid away. There's a small stream down the hill near Comfort Inn. I'm not sure if that animal can live in the bush, but they look like beaver.

Really riding my bicycle around is fun, but not always, especially when the weather is getting colder. I have one hoodie, one jacket, one scarf, two gloves, one beanie and a pair of leg warmers.

Okay, back to apple topic. Then the days I expected most came, I saw most of apples are red. They are very nice. Really I just want to take them off. I asked every one: Mrs. Jensen, my uncle, colleagues if I can take the apples as they look like wild trees and not belong to anybody. They are in the middle of Comfort Inn and Starbuck and I don't see the fence around, but "you never know" - every one said the same thing. I just see nobody takes them or I haven't, still those red apples day by day. To me, they are attractive indeed. It's like the apples whispering "eat me, eat me" every time I pass through that place. I was thinking I would take the apple out of the tree like Snow White took it from the witch's hand.

My phone camera doesn't work, but the apple tree at Comfort Inn looks like this. There a few ones, but the tree with red apple is always most outstanding.

I haven't taken any out of the tree yet. The apples are still there, red, juicy and delicious. Every day I ride to work, I see them and feel happy. One day, I realize apple trees there to decorate for the scene around and make people happy like me. Well, people may or may not know about their existence, but I have to admit that it must be boring without those apples. So why picking them out of the tree?

Then, I have decided that in lieu of thinking how to grab those apples secretly, I just leave them there on the tree. No matter how many times those apples said "eat me, eat me" to me, I will gently reply to them "thanks, but no thanks. I want you to be seen there."

Rain rain go away

It is not the first time I have seen rain in Bangor, but the first time I've rode under the rain by bicycle, of course. In Vietnam, I didn't care much about the weather. It's hot all the time of the year. There're two seasons though: dry season and rain season.

Dry season starts from Jan to Jun, then rain season after. That's in the South of Vietnam, where I was living. Honestly, I don't like rain, especially rain in Vietnam. When the rain comes, everything gets wet, but flood is the worst thing in many big cities of Vietnam, either Saigon or Hanoi, the capital. That's why most Vietnamese prioritize to choose motorbikes which have high exhausts or at least higher than water level in rain season or high tide day so that water will not come in. The engine will be not dead in a half way. It happened to me sometimes. Really it wasn't fun at all. See those pictures below and you will understand why I'm scared of rains in Vietnam.

The rain I was experienced in Bangor today was a bit different. It was raining when I left Walmart this afternoon. I always keep my poncho rain coat in the back pack to prepare for rainy days like today.

After hanging up Mrs. Jensen's call, I didn't want to keep waiting and decided to go out. It wasn't a heavy rain. I thought it was because the sky was grey and cloudy. That's why I chose yellow rain coat. " Yellow can be seen in any weather condition. "- I remember my English teacher in high school said.

It was not too bad as I used to be under worse rains in Vietnam. It was drizzly but windy. Really I was shivering. I had gloves, scarf around my neck, a hoodie and a rain coat covered outside, but still cold because of the wind not the rain. " Who wants to go out side in such this weather? "- I talked to myself. " and " I am sorry Mrs. Jensen that I made a mistake and forgot to come to class today. It would be a long ride from Orrington to Bangor, but in this weather ... I feel embarrassed. "

Some people wore outerwear, some didn't. Nobody wore s rain coat like me this afternoon. I was chill and just kept riding ahead. After a while, the rain was letting up, but still windy. I intended to turn on the light. I don't have high beam or low beam like cars. I got one light in the front and one under the back seat. "Be seen, be safe" - they said. But because my front light was too weak as it was still bright this afternoon, so I decided to turn flashing red light behind. Finally, I was home, safe and sound.

Like I said the rain this afternoon was not too bad. There would be some heavy rains in Bangor I bet, and I want to see someday too. But in this time of the year, it wasn't a good idea for me and my bicyle. Someday maybe someday.