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Hi,Dear Friends
 How are you? Have you had a wonderful week and are you enjoying your weekend now? I do hope you have and you are.
Since 8:00am, April 22, 2018 Beijing time and 7:00pm April 21, Chicago time, I left for Beijing International Airport, I have landed in Springfield, MO, USA for 6 days and offered 14 Cross-cultural & Comprehensive Art courses, included (Chinese poems lessons with music and Chinese painting lessons ) for about 350 students in 3 local K-12 schools as  a volunteer teacher.
Although I was punished 200 US dollars for my overload luggage at Beijing International Airport and I was quite tired and often sleepy for starting to work as soon as I arrived in Springfield, and sometimes, I had to teach 6 or 5 lessons continuously a day, so that I could hardly stand up to order the things because of the ache in my belly after the tight jobs within a day and the swelling has come back to all of the joints of my fingers since Thursday, April 26. I am so happy in my heart as soon as I saw the lovely American children reciting, singing Chinese poems by the  good help of the articles and music in my own publications or painting their Chinese paintings, especially when I knew that many of the students of Mrs. Glad Eyerman had asked her “When Shirley will come back?” during I was in China.
I do feel that whole of my hard work, efforts on the little cross-cultural and comprehensive art dream seeking and its project is worth, meaningful and helpful. It has really given me much more confidence to keep working on it.
With a grateful heart, I would really like to appreciate so many people and organizations who have directed me, helped me and supported me on my current travel:
--- First of all, I would like to appreciate President Xu Yixiong of Jinan University Press and his team for the second volume of my last publications – Together With Me, Learn Chinese Culture & Language by Enjoying Painting,  Music & Poetry has been published and sent to my hands before 3 days of my first flight departed on April 19, 2018, after a hard work since Sept, 2016.
-- Second, I would like to appreciate Mrs. Glad Eyerman who is the art teacher of Immaculate Conception of School, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School and St. Agnes School, Springfield, MO, for her wonderful organization and coordination and patiently directions, the second cooperation of us has been continued and go forward base on the 66 lessons in 2015 perfectly. Most of her students would have about 6 lessons plus the lessons in 2015, included Chinese poetry, language, 3 kinds of Chinese paintings,  calligraphy and calligraphy…
--Third, I would like to appreciate Mr. John David Lawson and his wife for picking up me at Springfield Airport, arranged the hotel for my first night in the USA, carrying me to restore my cell phone and drove me to buy food at Wal-Mart, also accepted my mails with books and sent them to me….. Mr. John Walker for looking after my house and my renters during I was in China; Mrs. Rebecca Cotton and her sons and daughter who have looked after my house very well as my tenants…
-- Last, I would like to appreciate the President and General Manager Wang Bing of Shenzhen Securities Information Ltd and the company which is a subsidiary corporation of Shenzhen Stock Exchange and one of the two companies which I had worked for before I retired, for their have “Offered the Fuel in the Snowy Weather -- Timely Assistance”, according to their new policy for their retired employees. Here are something they would like to offer me:
1. To offer me a healthy checking each year;
2. To buy a supplemental healthy insurance for me;
 3. To give me an once-festival-fee in the end of each year;
4. To offer me a fixed financial support about 315 US dollars each month;
5. To send me some gifts value about 55 US dollars on 3 traditional Chinese Vacations.
To be honest, when I got the inform from the Personnel Department of the company on Friday, April 27, 2018, I was so amazed, surprised and touched, so that tears flew down my face.
After all, since I retired from my first career, I have never been expecting to have any income else except the retirement pension from the Social Insurance Bureau, and I have never thinking of “praying for or begging for” any financial support except getting an investment or a cooperation. Base on my own principle of “There is how much money, to do how many things”, I rented out of my apartment in Shenzhen in June, 2017, which was the last “ bay ” I had kept it empty for 9 years since Sept, 2008 to June, 2017 for I wished to have it to treat myself when I was tired, be hurt or wanted to have a rest during I was seeking my little  cross-cultural and comprehensive art dream and its project abroad or in Beijing; meanwhile, I gave up my international healthy insurance, for being able to complete my 8th and 9th years’ study in Beijing for my Master Degree of Fine Arts ( One of my feet was hurt in the USA, so that I could not fly back to Beijing to take part in the Thesis Proposal on Dec 16, 2016, so that I had to be delayed to graduate for more than one year).
With an appreciated heart, I would certainly cherish the kindly and timely assistance from my former company and so many good organizations and individuals, try to do my best on creating and founding the cross-cultural and comprehensive art and its project, in the unlimited carrier or course of helping more people, to maximize the value of my limited life.
How about you? Do you have anything special to share?
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