Who Wins People's Hearts, Who Wins the World -- Shirley's America Travel Diary 104 & 495th Friendly Greeting - Sept 22, 2015

Hi,Dear Friends

Time is flies so fast, I have been in my 6th American travel for 1 month.

In the past one week, almost every day there is something touched me, so that I do want to know what behind these touching Humanized Managements and events was.

-- Last Wednesday noon, Mrs. Kat Allie (she is on the first photo) who is the Chair of Humanities Department, Manager of Art Gallery at Ozarks Technology Community College and the sponsor of my 4th art exhibition in the USA, Feb, 2014 met me at the library that my art exhibition is done, with just a cup of coffee and a bottle of water at a bar, we had a simple but productive talking. The result is:

1. At 5:30am, last Friday, I got an email from Ms. or Mr. Mindy M. Gomez -- the Coordinator of Online Instructional Design and Development of OTC. I was informed to register for taking part in their Blackboard Training for 6 weeks. In case I get 80 points of 100 and meet some requirements, I would become an online instructor of OTC to teach some course I myself created and dreamed via their system.

2. Hopefully, my Poetry, Painting and Music – Comprehensive and Artistic Chinese (Together With Me, to Learn Chinese Culture and Language by Enjoying and Painting Chinese Paintings, Enjoying and Singing Chinese Poem Songs, Enjoying and Reciting or Writing Chinese Poems... ) would become a course that be listed into their teaching schedule some day...

You cannot imagine what my feeling was at that moment I got the good news last Friday morning, just like a cardiotonic, it helped me stand up from the sharp pain on my waist that had been hurt once more at the moment moved into my new apartment last Thursday. In a very hurry, I called my classmate Mr. Zhu Bin to drive me to OTC before 8:30am to take part in the entrance English examination. After working on it for 3 hours, right now, I have had twice, 2.5/4 hours and 1/4 hours of my English lessons ( I had to leave for giving my Chinese poetry and painting lessons to 6 groups of students at St. Agnes School and Immaculate Conception School on Monday and Tuesday).

- The second thing touched me was: At 10:30am, last Thursday, I just moved into an apartment with a bright living room, a cute bedroom, a clean bathroom, a nice kitchen and two storerooms that Mr. Don Haselhorst (he is on the 4th photo) and his Company especially rented to me for helping me to reduce the cost on waiting for the house I had given an offer but can not be able to offer me for it has some problem that relates to its title yet. I did never think that I had to move back to the house of Miss Mary Ellen Collins (she is on the 5th photo) after leaving it just for 27 hours Friday afternoon, though I had bought furniture and fixed the Internet because of my allergy.

I felt so sorry to Mr. Don Haselhorst and Ms. Lean( they are on the 4th photo) and their company so that I did not know how to apologize for I have broken the contract and for I have certainly hurt a so kind gentleman, his manager and their company who had truly wanted to help me so that they made an exception to rent me the cute apartment for a short time with a good price, because they just rent it for 1 year usually. Therefore, before I went into their office, I had prepared to be punished by charging some money.

However, you cannot imagine how Mr. Don Haselhorst, Ms. Lean and their company dealt with my case: they refund my checks and all of my money, includes my application fee together. Oh, My Goodness! they have done so many things for helping me, but they did not charge me one coin at all.

What a wide chest, what a tolerant quality and what a humanized management style they have! So that I did not know what I should say at all. Just I wished to take a photo with Mr. Don Haselhorst and his manager Ms. Lean together.

Though we did not work together, really I wanted to remember them and their sincerity, kindness and noble character forever. I would certainly go back to see them someday.

The third thing moved me was: at OTC, usually students should attend their English lesson in the day class or in the evening class, do not be allowed sometimes here and sometimes there. After knowing my situation (could not attend the day time lesson when I work in the K-12 schools as a volunteer teacher) , Ms. Vicki (she is on the 3rd photo)– My test monitor took me to their office, she would like to talk with the evening class teacher and to copy my exam data for the evening class – they have allowed me to take part in the evening lessons since someday in Oct when I give lessons in the day time, while I can study in the day time lessons when I have time in the morning... therefore, I have had the lesson for 2.5 hours/ 4 hours before I went to St. Agnes School Monday morning and I attended another lesson for 1 / 4 hours between my 2nd and 3rd lessons.

Even though the cost was quite high for I had to run between OTC and Immaculate Conception School by taxies with an empty stomach for I had no time to have my lunch, I did cherish the opportunity to attend an English lesson by a native English speaker face to face... After all, I lost my opportunity to upgrade from a graduate student to be a master student in 2015, just because I got 58 points in the National English Examination.

These days, I have been thinking with a grateful heart: I didn’t know any one of them before I went into their offices or their classroom. Why could I get so many good opportunities, helps and looking after?

-- Mrs. Kat Allie decided to sponsor my 4th art exhibition at her art gallery after knowing me for about 3 hours in 2013 and it was she gave me another good opportunity to accept the Blackboard Training for the purpose becoming an instructor of their school.
-- Mr. Don Haslehorst would like to rent me the cute apartment after I went into his office accidentally; even though I had broken the contract, still treated me so nice.
-- Ms. Vicki would like to help me after I took part in her English examination for 3 hours.
-- Miss Peggy Hanes and her former manager Mrs. Kim Flores wanted to be my sponsors to organize my 5th art exhibition at their library after I met them in their library twice. -- Mrs. Wanda Nava recommended me and Mrs. Glad Eyerman(she is on the second photo) organized / will organized 20 groups of students for my teaching before we met face to face.
-- My landlord Miss Mary Ellen Collins called the Mediacom Company twice for me for fixing my internet in my new apartment; also, it was she who sent me to the apartment from her house by car and also it was she who picked up me from my apartment back to her house by carrying all of the things from the second floor to her car...

All of these made me really want to know what behind their touching humanized management and activities, meanwhile, I cannot help thinking of how Dr. David Meinet ( my first American professor, the Associate Dean of Business College and the Director of Chinese Program at Missouri State University) dealt with my case in 2008: I wanted to retreat from my business administration study by handing in him a former application letter after I got a A and a B, but I did not think I would be able to pass the third course. Just because he and the school’s humanized management style ( allowed me to develop my art dream while allowing me to get some C or F on business courses if I did want, but wished me to keep being a student in the team and avoiding troubles to work alone…) touched me, then I found a tutor and did not go out of my yard for 17 days in the Christmas Holiday in 2008 and then all of the holidays 2008 to 2009. Before I left for China, I got not only my master degree with a good result but also my first art exhibition was held and sponsored by Springfield Chamber of Commerce and Springfield Art Council. The result was I found my cross-cultural and comprehensive art road and walked forward to today…

However, at that time, really I did not want to come back to the US again, so that I sold my car and all of my the other things and even I did not apply a social securities number at all... who can imagine now I have become a volunteer teacher/instructor here for 6 years already. All of these, just be started from my second art exhibition in Missouri State University for it had given me an opportunity to have my second art exhibition and to see an American oculist...

So, I guess, maybe behind the humanized managements and work styles of them, not only the local American people’s kind natures, opened minds, higher personal qualities, but also their high sense of mission and responsibility to their career, people, country and to help the progress of this world? Then what they did have really impacted my heart naturally. With the same way to treat their employees, colleagues, students, friends and everyone, then finally they have become successful people and organizations...

Maybe this is just the situation that Mencius (a famous Chinese philosopher and educator) said about 2000 years ago : 得人心者得天下 – De ren xin zhe de tianxia – who wins the hearts of people, who wins the world. After all, everything can be bought, only one thing -- the hearts of people (the will of the people), cannot be bought,Right?

Besides these touching things, I have also given a Chinese poetry lesson to a group of girls at the Brentwood Branch Library(they are on the 6th photo); went to see another house by the leading of Mr. Denial Hou (the pity was that it has been sold within 24 hours; and now, I have cancelled the first offer and stopped the contract after suffering too much); discussed work schedule with Mrs. Glad Eyerman once more Sunday afternoon, there is really a good news here:

-- I have gotten a long telephone call and an email from Mr. Wang Miansheng who was one of my former teachers 38 years ago from Portland, USA. His wife and he live there and he works between USA and China as an Executive Director of Greater China of an international organization, was the Deputy Secretary General of the All China Youth Federation and the Executive Vice President of China Youth Travel Service Corporation before he came to the USA for his MBA. Both of them would like to give me their hands and help me to make my little cross-cultural and comprehensive art dream to be true...

-- The last two groups of the students (they are on the last photos) at Immaculate Conception School loved my Chinese poetry lessons so much that all of the students stood up to recite and sing a Chinese poem once and once, some of them wanted to solo (one of them on the 12nd photo). :- )

How about you? Do you have anything special to share?

If you are living in Springfield, MO, USA, would you like to help me and to give me a rides some times when I need help for my volunteer work and your driving direction happens to be similar to me?

If you are a native English speaker who want to learn Chinese language or Chinese painting, would you like to give me a hand on my English quick reading, correcting what I have written? As a return, I would also like to give you some Chinese language and painting lessons by teaching you Chinese poetry, music and painting.

Sincerely,

Shirley Yiping Zhang
Sept 22, 2015 (American Local Time)