The Song Of Spirits - Shirley's US Travel Diary -037 & 197th Friendly Greeting --Sun, Jun 1, 2009

Hi,Dear Friends

How are you? Is everything good with you? I do hope that you are doing well and enjoy your weekend.

Today is the 243rd day that I am in the US. I am so happy for I will come back home in another 4 months, I am also a little bit sad for I will leave from so many good professors, friends, campus and the flowers, trees, birds and beautiful nature environment in the US...

With a happiness and sadness heart, I re-translated and sanga song in English and Chinese on Saturday, then I created two paintings in the night -- some friends are planning an art exhibition for me in the US. I wished I could arrange some time to work on it while I wanted to create a picture for each professor and several friends who had taught me and helped me as a memory... I am not sure whether I can do that before I leave from the US, I will do my best...

This week, my lesson of International Financial Management by Dr. Chang has been entered chapter 8, and we have had the first examination Friday morning. I think that I have past this examination even though the grade has not come yet.

Knowing the weakest part in my knowledge structure is math and accounting. So, I had calculated all of the exercises 10 times before I entered the examination room even though the calculating part is only 17% of the examination. For me, to fill my knowledge blank is important more than the score and grade itself...

The most impression this week on three things...

The first thing is the strict of Dr. Chang ? except the assignments and the close-book exam with A.B. C paper, he paid more attention to every detail. Can you imagine? Just for I did not keep 4 digits after the decimal point, I was deducted 1 score. Surface seeing, 1 score was a little thing, but, it was really not easy for me to earn it. After all, my 138/140 scores were come from 6 assignments. Most of them were just 10 scores or 20 scores, but needed me to work on every one for a long time, many of them for about 10 or more hours... So, I am really grateful Dr. Chang for his strict. It has made me remembered the rule. I will never forget to keep 4 digits after the decimal point when I mention or work on the foreign exchange market, of course, Japanese Yen must be kept 6 digits...:-)

Except the serious teaching, I did also find that Dr. Chang is one of the most considerate professors indeed. For being afraid of students hunger during the examination -- it was started at 10:45am after two lessons, Dr. Chang prepared cakes for us; for knowing we are working with our second language, Dr. Chang prepared dictionaries for us. Even he did not forget offering a box of tissue for us鈥�

As an international student in the US, what Dr. Chang has taught us, not only the knowledge itself, but also, he is helping me to think of the distance between the management in the US and in China, makes me think of how we should treat our employees in our own management work in China. A management of strict standardization + kind humanity maybe is one of the best styles.

During the studying, my heart is full of the appreciation to Dr. Rogan and my tutor Mr. Gong Xiaoou, the course of FGB 680 has really offered a good foundation for me to understand the current lesson.

The other thing that surprised me happened on Friday afternoon. Mr. John L and his two assistants invited me to their church and offered me the first lesson. You can not imagine what they offered me ? a book and a video in Chinese. :-) Even though I have not very understood what they told me about God and Christianism yet. I was deeply touched by their kind hearts and the devout to God and the sincere to me ? a foreign student in their country.

Meanwhile, I suddenly realized that we have talking so much about globalization of the world economy, in fact, it is always accompanied by the globalization of cultures. As an important part of culture, religion is really the next item that I should learn seriously. I am happy and feel luck for Mr. John L and his sisters have offered me the opportunity to learn. I would really like to complete the homework that they have given me and to be a good student in culture learning... :-)

How about you? Do you have anything special in your life this week?

I am just a learner on art of painting, music, English and Chinese language, to work on the web site in my free time. I would really like to do a few things with what I have learned to make this little web site to be an Electronic Bridge of Culture Exchange, Chinese Language Learning & Friendship making. To help the others while to improve myself.

I would like to appreciate your understanding, directions, supports and hope to get your friendly direction and help.

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, you are welcome to write to shirley@ebridge.cn or Yiping007@MissouriState.edu, or to publish your opinions in the forum.

Shirley Yiping Zhang
Sun, June 1, 2009 From USA