爱华网系列专题：《一个中国女孩的成长轨迹：我在美国读本科》
第三部分 在美生活趣事 我的美国好友考特妮 那是一个晴朗的夏季上午，我刚刚来到LSU，正在参加夏季入学的新生周活动（Orientation），正随着学生领导（studentleader）参观整个校园。处在盛夏的LSU美丽异常，到处都是茂密成荫的古老橡树，西班牙建筑风格的教学楼在浓浓的绿荫里时隐时现。杜鹃花儿正成片成片开得旺盛，一簇簇桃红雪白煞是惹人喜爱。我清楚地记得我们是在往工商管理学院CEBA走去，我四处张望着，周围都是金色或棕色的头发晃来晃去，很是有趣，但对刚到美国的我来说，还有一点陌生。"哈啰，你好，我们现在是往CEBA走，是不是？"一个声音友好地从我身后响起，我回过头，看见一个栗色头发的美国女孩，梳得高高的马尾辫，穿着一件浅灰色的T恤衫，蓝色的短裤，蛮精神的，正冲我友好地笑着，我说："是呀。"然后我们两个就并排走了，打开了话匣子，"你从哪来的？""从新奥尔良来，你呢？""中国。""那么远啊，你是第一次离开家吗？""是呀，第一次离开家就走了这么远。你呢？""我也是，这挺难的，不是吗？我妈妈都哭了。""是呀。"来到CEBA之后，我们两个又坐到了一起，听学生领导讲一些选课的事情，活动结束后就告了别分开了。 这就是我第一次同考特妮说话，不过那时候我还不知道她的名字。后来正式开了学，我选了一门高等数学，课程中间休息的时候，我同坐在我身后的美国黑人女孩子讲着话。有一个女生走了过来，坐在我们俩旁边的椅子上。只见考特妮晃着马尾辫儿，大方地说："哈啰，我想我们在新生周时见过面。"我高兴地说："是呀是呀。"然后我们仨一起讨论了教授刚才说的教学大纲一类的内容。想起还不知道名字，我说："我叫GeMu，英文名是Eva，如果你喜欢你可以叫我Eva。你叫什么？""我叫考特妮，考特妮·奥利弗。"我们两个就这样认识了。 下面是考特妮为她的学校写的一段话，我们一起来分享。 "Archbishop Blenk High School： Big Sis/Lil‘ Sis，Seniors （12th grade） pick an incoming freshman （9th grade） to look after for a week in the beginning of the school year. This week is called acceptance week. The seniors made beanies. Beanies that were decorated in funny and crazy ways， and the freshman wear it during acceptance week. Once the week is over， the school and students formally accept the freshman at an assembly， and also the 12th grade gives 9th grade presents. At Blenk， there is a powderpuff game against the rival team. Powderpuff is American football that is played with flags instead of tackling .After this game， there is a dance called the Homecoming dance. The game and the dance are in the beginning of the year，or in November.
Blenk is an all girl Catholic school on the westbank of New Orleans. It is a Blue Ribbon school of excellence meaning that the school is recognized by the Department of Education for excelling in academics. Because it is a Catholic school， there is a mass which the students pray every month together. There are also retreats where each grade level spends a day strengthening the soul by praying together. Besides this， Blenk has other activities such as May Crowning（Crowning Mary status at school）. Spirit day（dress up crazy and go to school）， and Field day（come to school to compete and see which grade level is the best.During the days in which activities such as these occur， the school has an activity schedule in which the school day is shorter than usual in order to have both classes and activity. The school day is scheduled by mods. Mods are 20 minutes long and there are 20 mods in one day. School starts at 7：40am and ends at 2：20pm. A class equals 3 mods which is 1 hour long.
