How are you? Is everything well with you?

Today is the 189th day that I am in the US. I attended an examination of International Marketing lesson in the morning and I sent my car to a garage in the afternoon. Now, I would like to write to you to say Hello before I continue to work on my lesson.

I wished to read more books in the Spring Holiday, but I had to have a trip in the US. So, I read my textbook in the airplane and I previewed my lesson for whole of the night before I went to the classroom April 1 for I had realized how important to make a preview since I am learning in my second language.

I would like to write something as soon as I boarded the airplane. I also wanted to paint when I was visiting an art museum and walked by the beach in the beautiful sunset. I kept controlling my creative impulse and concentrated my mind on my lessons. One hand, this is my primary duty at this time. The other hand, I am interested in what I am learning right now. It is helping me to open my eyeshot, mind and thinking methods. It will help my work directly and indirectly in the near future in China. I am most interested in the cross-cultural learning and the impact of cultures in the international business and events.

Even though the study is not easy at all -- within the short 1 month, Dr. Hermans requires us to read whole of the book with 19 chapters, 19 handouts, 24 articles and cases, learn to use some new software, write a paper, 3 short articles, have a presentation, plus 5 quizzes and 2 examinations. I sleep for 4 to 5 hours each day. I am confronting the challenge of speed reading in English.

With a dynamic and flexible thinking style that the lessons is teaching me, I am focusing my time on the professional lessons while to improve my English. Then, to pursuit my art dream later since management and language are another arts as well.

However, the biggest thing that I did is that I have basically outlined my short-term, middle-term and long running plan by the paintings by Monet in Los Angeles. I would like to complete my studies in the US in 1 year ( now there is another half year), to complete my career in China in 3 years while complete my studie that I had had for 6 months before I came to the US in Beijing Foreign Studies University and than to complete my art dream with a group of paintings and music works, a web site with an assistant Chinese Learning system and one or series of books in 8 years in some university abroad or at home....to comeplete the transformation from a student, to a manager, then an artist...

With a dream to work and live in the US, I really feel that no matter the little hare that I have met in my garden, the red/black birds that always sing to me on the road to the classroom or the squirrels jumping up among the spring flowers on the light green grass, they are all so cute with many touching feelings in their eyes and sounds so that I often stop my steps to talk with them for a while, to start my new day with many inspirations from the great nature and human society...

Living is not easy at all, living is quite beautiful indeed. Do you think so?

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 improving myself.

I will 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
Mon,April 6, 2009 From USA