Greenville is a small town in Illinois and the local university, Greenville University, is close to St. Louis, Missouri. Because Greenville University is a tranquil place with very few people, there are no big shopping malls, supermarkets, and other entertainment activities. Chinese students usually go to school or drive to St. Louis, an hour away from GU. Patriot’s Park and St. Louis Science Center are exciting places around GU according to Chinese students. Most students often choose some places to spend their holiday, whether to relax from schoolwork or for entertainment.
Patriot’s Park is only a five-minute drive from the school. Chinese students often take a walk around the lake or have a picnic on the lawn in their down time. In such a comfortable and peaceful environment, friends meet, and nature accompanies them. Here, the body and mind can be put at ease. Being in nature is a good way forpeople to slow down their pace, temporarily relax their compressed nerves, and think more clearly.
The St. Louis Science Center is a beautiful exhibit only an hour’s drive from Greenville and is free of charge. It is one of the largest science and technology museums in the United States, ranking in the top five. In 1991, it was the most visited science center in the world. Here, the most popular venue is the Energy Experience Pavilion because there are various interesting interactive projects. For example, do you know how big a Joule is? Gently push or pull the pole in front of you, and once a joule of energy is used, the indicator light will turn on. There is also an exhibition area dedicated to the wind, coal, and solar power and generation processes. In the Architecture part, people can see the whole process of the Tacoma Bridge collapse in Seattle and the scene model display. The reason was that too many cars pass by, causing violent vibration that resulted in the collapse. The Planetarium has a lovely and unique shape, which is a hyperboloid. There are select models inside the hall. You can see how the shape of the planetarium is formed by turning the metal rod by yourself. The whole body of the planetarium is colored at night, and it will change color. You can see it when passing by on the nearby expressway.
Tingxuan Ma, from China, shared why he thought the two places were interesting. “After a long period of intensive study, I often want to find a quiet and comfortable place to chat with my friends. When the breeze blows, I feel that all the pressure in my body is blown away. At that time, I am a brand-new and energetic person to welcome a new day. So Patriot’s Park is a good place for me. When it comes to holiday, I will ask my friends to visit St. Louis, where the distance is relatively reasonable. My favorite place is the St. Louis Science Center, and I’ve been to each of the pavilions many times. Just two days ago, I was planning to go there again with my new Japanese friends.”
Patriot’s Park is neat and comfortable all year round. People can always get a good experience here and integrate with nature. Also, if you go to the science center often, you will find that the exhibits and contents will change every once in a while. Its activities that you can participate in are also different every week. There is no better way to gain people’s interest in science than through teaching and experimenting.
