How are you?

This is just a short letter to you to say Hello.

It would be 2 months of my current travel in Springfield, MO, USA until next Monday, Oct 20.

Now, I have given 59 lessons to the local students and the adults at 3 K-12 schools and a library; while I have attended 18 English lessons at OTC.

From now until I leave for China, besides I would have to offer another 10 to 12 Chinese Painting lessons to the students of 5 classes at St. Agnes School, I would mainly work on improving my English and a training at OTC.


An excited thing in the past week was: in my third from the last lesson at Immaculate Conception School, Principal Paula Baird (she is on the first two photos)of the school went into the classroom and she awarded me a Certificate of Appreciation with the words:

Certificate of Appreciation
is hereby granted to guest artist:

Shirley Yiping Zhang

with sincere thanks for outstanding contribution to the
Art Curriculum Program at Immaculate Conception School

Awarded on Oct 12, 2015

Mrs. Glad Eyerman / Art Teacher
Mrs. Paula Baird / Principal

The unexpectedly lucky thing was: during I was studying in OTC, I have found a good English tutor who is a master student and majors in English as the Second Language in Missouri State University. Both of us will give some exchange lessons each other. He would like to correct my writing and teach me how to work in English right, and I would like to teach him Chinese language, mainly Chinese poetry or something else relates to China.

Something I quite appreciated from China was: the English school I had attended last year has offered me an opportunity to re-study the lessons in their school for helping to pass the National English Examination in Beijing in May, 2016.

From now until Dec 6, besides I will have to offer another 10 to 12 Chinese Painting lessons to the students of 10 classes at St. Agnes School, I would mainly work on improving my English and pass the training at OTC.

Compare with the work in the past time, next week and next month will be more difficult. Especially, I would have to do the final decision to buy the house or not since there are some problems that need to be dealt with according to the Report of Inspection and one of them has brought me a lot of psychological pressure. If I decide to buy it, I will move into it soon. Otherwise, I will go back China as soon as the training is finished and to re-think of doing this thing in 2016.

How about you? Do you have anything special to show?
Sincerely,

Shirley Yiping Zhang
Oct 17, 2015 (American Local Time)