How are you? Have you had a good weekend?

Except the normal studying in CAFA, this week, I have done something interesting and meaningful. :-)

First of all, I have found my own transportation and a Driver. :- )

-- Because I did not drive my car to Beijing, one of my biggest difficulties to study in Yanjiao Campus of CAFA is the transportation. It seems like to go to any important art occasion in Beijing needs to take bus + subway + another subway, so that I have to spend much time on the traffic. Since I am still in the sickness and come from the South of China, be used of driving, to wait for a crowded vehicle in the cold North of China for a long time is really one of the hardest things and it often makes me feel to waste my time and life.

Anyway, I do cherish the opportunity to study in CAFA, so, I have been looking for the solution to resolve this problem. Once more, it seems like the God is helping me. Thursday noon, before I went to the headquarters of CAFA, I went to a formal taxi by the gate of the campus of Yanjiao of CAFA. After a good negotiation, instead of taking a bus + subway + another subway, I hired this taxi, then, on the road, I had another negotiation with the driver. Right now, I can go anywhere by calling this driver and this taxi and it is picking up me to go back home between 9:00pm and 9:30pm every night until I finish the study in Beijing in 2011. :-)

After my tutor and classmates knew my adventure to employ a taxi and a driver with a good price , everyone said that I had done a good business. :-)

Secondly, by the good support of our tutor Mr. Li Gang and my classmates, I have found an English Salon in CAFA. I am organizing my classmates who have good English foundation to learn Bible in English. And we are helping the classmates who have no any English foundation to learn the daily English and the simple words relative to art, such as colors’names, Chinese ink, brushers, paper and so on.

I know clear that my English is not good yet, but, since I have been a student in USA, since I am going to learn English for whole of my life, and some classmates of mine have have good English foundation -- one of them has been in Holland for 40 years and I would like to invite this classmate to be our advisor. :- ) I am sure that during the process to help the others, I can also improve my own English level.

So, since I came back from the headquarters of CAFA with many new art books and a new Bible that I had bought for my classmates, every night, include weekend, we read 4 or 5 paragraphs of Bible in English around of my desk for 20 or 30 minutes. Then we teach the other classmates who have no any English foundation to learn a few new words or one or two sentences in English.

Can you imagine? Now, in a Chinese painting classroom in CAFA in China, a group of adult students/artists/art teachers are learning English and reading Bible in English every day?

Even though sometimes, I feel pain or ache in my body and on my bones, I hide the pain in my heart and keep smiles on my face. I feel happiness to be able to do a little bit things for the others and be a "bridge" of the Cross Culture and it makes me feel my own value to live in the world...

Thirdly, I have deeply involved myself into the paintings from the life/ models, so that every time when I watch TV, look at myself in the mirror or see a person, the first thing I pay more attention to is to think how I should paint the people in the TV, mirror… how I should express their eyes, nose, mouth and so on… everyday, I stay in the classroom for 10 to 14 hours, to learn to paint from those greatest artists and to paint from the life/models. Following the directions of our tutor, every day, I write some calligraphic and paint some landscape, too. This week, I have completed 7 new paintings. I would like to share 2 of my assignments with you and hope to bring you a big smile.

How do you think of my work on English Salon and Bible spreading as a volunteer? Do you think it is meaningful and helpful? Would you like to help me and support me?

I am just a student on Art of Painting, Music, English and Management, 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 Inter-Art & Cross - Culture Exchange, Chinese Language Learning & Friendship Making. To help the others while to improve myself.

I would like to appreciate you for your understanding, directions, supports and help.

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, you are welcome to write to shirley@ebridge.cn or leave your message on Message Board.

Shirley Yiping Zhang
Sunday, Dec 19, 2010