How are you? Are you enjoying your weekend? <br><br>Now I am writing to you in China. <br><br>I started my travel from Springfield, Missouri, USA at 6:17am, May 25, 2010, via Chicago and Tokyo, reached at the Hong Kong International Airport at 8:30pm, May 26. My work partner Charlie Zhang picked up me and we came back Shenzhen at about 11:00pm. <br><br>I was really lucky and got much help from Ms. Li Kang -- the work partner of my work partner in NYC. For finding the best suitable flights for me to save cost, have comfortable seats, reach the destination at a better time and have time enough to transfer airplanes, she called me many times and she did her best to arrange everything for me quite well. <br><br>On the first airplane from Springfield to Chicago, I took a lot of photos of the clouds. Once more, I felt the most beautiful thing in the world is the sun. Just for it is there, the clouds could have ever -changed, made me to be touched and in the happiness… <br><br>Then, on the second airplane from Chicago to Tokyo, the best thing was that compared with April 28 from Hong Kong to Chicago ? suffered the pain that my eyes bleed on April 26, I could not read or paint anything for whole of the travel, this time, even though it was still very difficult for me to read or paint, I skimmed my new and big book about American birds and I even tried to create two paintings on my Sketch book, so that one of the stewardesses specially went to me to say that “I love your birds” before the airplane was landed in Tokyo.  <br><br>I stayed at the Tokyo International Airport for about 2 hours for transferring. Compare with the airports in the US, I had some the strong feelings: <br><br>-- Every thing is bigger in the US, every thing is smaller in Japan. There is bigger room for passengers to rest and act in the American airports and there are less people everywhere; there is smaller room for passengers and there are more people in the Tokyo Airport. <br><br>-- There are always a counter by the entrance between the terminal building and the airplanes in the American airports, to answer the questions and to help passengers, I have been accustomed to ask the clerks there to make sure where and how I transfer my next airplane, even though I did not make sure, I could also ask the others by so many the other accouters along with the long channel. In Tokyo, instead of the counters, there are many clerks in the uniform to serve passengers at those key places. When you need help, there will be a clerk to go to you before you asked. <br> <br>-- American passengers are more open, like to say Hello with smile forwardly; Japanese passengers are more serious and seldom speak forwardly.<br><br>-- Japanese English is quite different from American English. I had a same feeling as I had felt in Europe in 2000 -- each country has its own English. : - ) <br><br><img data-cke-saved-src=" http:="" www.ebridge.cn="" new="" uploads="" m342_3.jpg"="" align="right" border="0">For me, except knowing something about Japan and Japanese via movies, TV, text books and novels, except meeting and talking with a few work partners from Tokyo and have driven 2 TOYOTA, this is the first time I were around by so many Japanese on the airplane and in the airport. A strong feeling is that Japanese are very friendly, polite and Japanese’s service is very meticulous and considerate.

After leaving from the second airplane, I had more than 1 hour to transfer the third airplane, when I rushed to the bulletin board, a little but cute girl in the uniform went to me and asked me whether I needed help. I told her I was finding the gate of my airplane from Tokyo to Hong Kong, she helped me to check the information quickly and she told me it should be 71. With her together, I went to the train station, then I suddenly forgot the number and she did, so, she asked me to wait for a while, and she run back the bulletin board and than run back to me…

Looked at her eyes with smiles, I was smiling. As an artist who created paintings of people, landscape, flowers and birds, I paid more attention to observe people and everything in a new circumstance. I found that I did enjoy seeing the eyes of Japanese ladies indeed. The typical Japanese ladies’ eyes are very thin with a little bit arched, it is very different from Chinese ladies’ eyes, there is another kind of special pretty and charming. When they smile, I could not help smiling for I could see something so beautiful in them.


When I was on the airplane and at the airport, when I saw these beautiful eyes of Japanese ladies, I could not help asking myself many times, since Japanese are so friendly, so polite nation, why there was a so cruel war in China in the II World War? At the same time that million and million Chinese were killed, thousands and thousands Japanese also lost their family members. Right now, more than 60 years has past, what and how should we do today, we can keep the current peace of the world, to build and to keep a long-term friendship between Japanese and Chinese, among all of the human being?

During I was in the US, the strongest feeling was that art should be the best bridge for people who are from different cultures to learn and to understand each other.

I am so lucky that I have chosen a hard but right road -- to work on the multi ? arts and cross-culture learning and exchange. I should always cherish my luck to do my best on it.

When I reached at home, everything is nice and comfortable, except there was nothing on the table and in the refrigerator as usual since my cleaning lady Ms. He has gone back home to look after her sick husband in Sichuan.

I was still very happy for I have come back home already. With much excitation, first thing I did was to look at my birds. It seems like the two birds a little bit thinner than I left for the US. But, you cannot imagine, they have had a baby bird already, she or he has had much beautiful feather on her or his wings and tie, with two big eyes, there was no any feather on her or his back and neck, quit lovely indeed. Every day, when I saw the big birds how to feed her or him, how to protect her or him, my heart is full of touched feelings, it often makes me think of my deceased mother, how she raised me grow up in the so hard times…

I think, maybe the best return to my mother and my motherland, is to do my work best in the company, is to create the most beautiful painting, music and language works, to dedicate my limited life and abilities to the unlimited service more people in the beautiful world.

Then, I will be able to say to my Chinese mother and my American teacher in the sky: I, Shirley -- your daughter and student has done my best... :-)

How are you? Is there anything special in your life and work in the past week?

I am just a learner on art of painting, music and English, 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 shirley004@yahoo.com, or to publish your opinions in the forum.

Shirley Yiping Zhang
Sun., May 29, 2010