Chinese Version
10-27-2018, Saturday

There was a gusty wind with heavy rain. This type of rainstorm is called A Nor’easter on the East Coast because the winds over the coastal area typically come from the northeast. I heard the name Nor’easter for the first time today.

After our brunch, it was already afternoon. My daughter and I decided to go out to experience the Nor’easter effects on the East Coast, just as I learnt this name. As newcomers to the East Coast, we called our trip “Nor’easter first hand experience ceremony”.

While my daughter was driving in the Nor’easter, I was watching the rain not falling but flying in the gusty wind, hearing the wind cracking the tree and beating the window, and thinking. “Does not matter whether it is the northeast wind or the northwest wind. All are my songs, my songs”, the lyrics of a very famous Chinese song by the name “Loess Plateau (黄土高坡)” popped in my mind. It was like being electrified. The Nor’easter awakened my youthful spirits which were frozen along the lyrics of Loess Plateau in 1988 (when I first heard this song), I experienced a moment of excitement silently, a shock to the soul from aging.

We drove in the Nor’easter for more than 3 hours. While passing Wellesley College on Route 16, my daughter said: “Hilary Clinton got her BA from here. Joann taught chemistry here.” I said: “One of my late high school friend’s daughter graduated from here. ” Wellesley College is a famous girls only college.

In the Nor’easter storm, falling leaves flee from the gust in all directions. A branch of pine needles landed between the window and the windshield wipers. The wipers started to make a loud noise, and we could not see clearly as the wiper could not wipe the rain off the window. We had to stop our car and get out of the car to remove the branch of pine needles in the middle of the rainstorm.

At the end, we were very happy about our “Nor’easter first hand experience ceremony”, fresh with excitement.

Later I found out that the lyrics of “Loess Plateau”, being popular in 1988, is actually “Does not matter if it is the Northwest wind or the Southeast wind. All are my songs, my songs.”, which is different from what I remembered. I suddenly knew that life had altered my sealed memory without having informing me.

Little Episodes

1. In the Nor’easter

2. the lyrics of “Loess Plateau (黄土高坡)”
黄土高坡这首歌在1988年引发了中国歌坛西北风大流行（歌手：范琳琳）。

我家住在黄土高坡，大风从坡上刮过
不管是西北风还是东南风，都是我的歌，我的歌
Does not matter if it is the Northwest wind or the Southeast wind. All are my songs, my songs.
我家住在黄土高坡，日头从坡上走过
照着我窑洞晒着我的胳膊，还有我的牛跟着我
不管过去了多少岁月，祖祖辈辈留下我
留下我一望无际唱着歌，还有身边这条黄河
我家住在黄土高坡，四季风从坡上刮过
不管是八百年还是一万年，都是我的歌