How are you? Have you had a wonderful new week?

Since I wrote you Sep 24, 8 days have past. Many times, I wished I would be able to write, however,I had to work on something else. After all, I must offer free Chinese poetry and painting classes as many as possible, to service the local people now, to improve my work quality no matter on teaching or on my 18th book which is Volume Two of my last book series in the near future; I must touch local people as many as possible, to visit old friends, make new friends, to learn American culture as much as possible, for completing my 19th book, but the first book about the USA–My American Stories, to look for and make sure the best suitable work partners.

So, as long as I finished the teaching work in Seymour R-II school, the short class in Missori Sate University and the workshop at the Art Gallery of Ava Art Guild. I started to work on the second and third work.

In the past 8 days, I have made appointments with 11 of the 61 people whom I planned to interview, met 8 of them and had 4 interviews; wrote about 50 business letters, attended 3 free English and Bible lessons, made over 50 phone calls, dealt with more than 50 photos, read much data about the local education and management, even, I painted the first painting from the nature – the flowers by the wall of my apartment. : -)

For making my limited travel time more efficiency, I have combined the work to have interview for My American Stories and find cross-culture work partners together. After all, publication is a part of my project, make comfortable friends is the pre-condition to be work partners.

I am lucky enough that the Vice – Chief Editor of the web site of People's Daily, Mr. Shan Chengbiao has discussed my case with their English channel, and they would like to find some way to help me; an office of a department of Missouri State Government, USA has responded me that my letter to the Governor of Missouri State – Mr.Jay Nixon has been delivered to the Director of their Department of Economic Development, and said " We have asked them to look more closely into your comments and to provide you with any information which may be of assistance to you." " Please let us know if we may be of assistance in the future." When I read the responding from China and USA, it was so touched in my heart, so that I thought of the phone call and the letter from the Office of Chinese Language Council International (Han Ban) on August19, and 20.

What a lucky Chinese art student I am! I would really like to do my best to return my far away motherland and Missouri State, USA.

Have so much confidence in my motherland,I will connect or fly to some Chinese overseas offices in USA, to find directions, help and support,as soon as the Chinese National Vacation is finished.

I am sure in this world, there will be certainly someone who have far-sights, open minds and strong abilities would be able to see and find something meaningful and helpful in my effort, then to give me their hands. There is certainly a road for me somewhere in the world, I must go to find it out by my work down to earth.

For knowing more about American culture in person, instead of cooking any Chinese food, since the first day I came here, I have been trying to go to a café, a Subway, a Burger King, a Pizza Store or an American restaurant, to taste different American food and to feel their service and customs.

Except just once I asked a Chinese student to help me to carry my paintings to the classroom of Dr. Wenrong Yan as my teaching aid in Missouri State University, I call a Taxi or walk to anywhere I want to go. Not only have I found 5 places to eat by walking near the school, I have really had some young waiter and waitress friends and I have had some new feeling about American culture from my own experience.

I was also so surprised why 5 years ago, except driving to Wal-Mart in my own car, cooked, studied and paitned every day in my own apartment, teaching buildings or in the library , I did not think of going to anywhere else? Why until this travel, I just know where the university perform center is, which gate was the one we had gone into the sport center to take part in the graduate ceremony, where the university plaza is, and where the two churches are near or in the campus exactly… :- )

Just I realized I was really a “ bookworm ” who went out of the school too less when I was a student on the same land 5 years ago indeed. In my heart, it is full of the appreciation to Jinan University Press for they have given me a so good topic to write. :- )

With a tight work schedule and a pleasure heart, I have painted my first painting from nature – the white Chinese roses by my apartment already. I am going to create some new drafts for my new Chinese Baimiao and Gongbi Painting for my future students with the data from the US.:- )

Among these interesting experience, I have summarized a part of my short experience here to be:

Something so many or so much

-- So much food :

Except the school offers so much food to the students to choose freely, no matter at an event, a church lesson or even a fire-fighting game, they offer food before the work is start or just to eat while to have the lesson, so that I suddenly realize why American people are so big. :- )

When I write here, I cannot help smiling for I have thought a funny thing: when I bought and wrapped a bag from a snack bar in City of Pikeville, Kentucky, in May, 2013, except the hamburger and the French fries, the store gave me 6 boxes of ketchup, 6 boxes of salt, 3 something else, I was so surprised about it because I did not really understand how to eat so much once indeed. :- )

-- So many churches and Christians and so strong Christianity atmosphere:

No matter in the room of a hotel, in a school or in friends’ letters, you can see the words relate to the God or Christ. Everywhere you can see the church and feel the God there, even in the campus and by the university, there are two churches. Some churches locate at far away place, they would send cars or microbuses to pick up the students to their churches on Sundays.

I have no an exact statistics yet, but my feeling 70% or 80% of my American friends in Springfield are Christians. I am impression on their passion to the God. Almost each Sunday, they spend so much time in the churches and in their life groups, the more impression of mine is their Bibles that have been marked by the lines of red, blue and almost all of the colors so that I do have a feeling that maybe Christianity is just one of the most important strength to cohere the nation of America?

I cannot help thinking of a question in an examination of my journalism/news study in South China University of Technology in 1999: What role of Christianity plays in the development of America after II World War?

At that time, I could only recite what the textbook wrote. But now, I do want to know the answer from the true American society that I have been in. If you are an Christian, could you please give me your opinions?

-- So many volunteers:

Ms. Anna Brasher did so much work more than her duties to help me in her free time Sep, 2008- Sep, 2009 : drove me to the Silver City to feel American culture and listened to an American country concert on a Saturday; drove me to see a dentist on the eve of Thanksgiving Day; looked for a new apartment for me on her weekend. She was a volunteer to work on these things.

Mr. Joe Jenkins and wife, helped me to save 68 paintings that I would like to donate to Springfield to found a cross-culture and comprehensive art fund to help the local non-Chinese Speakers to learn Chinese culture and language in their store, May 24, 2010, before I left for China because of my sickness, they did it free, as volunteers.

Mrs. Harriet offered me a comfortable accommodation in her house, looked after my life as my American Mother when I did workshops at Ozarks Technical Community College and when I attended Springfield Art Fest April 28 to May 6, 2010. She did that free, as a volunteer.

Mrs. Wanda Nova, she helped me most for my travel and work at her school, Ava Art Guild and anywhere she could help in MO; meanwhile, she has been keeping delivering Bible for the prisoners in her free time for 13 years, as an volunteer.

Mrs. Lynne Hilton and Mr. Jon Hilton picked up the 2nd corps of E-MBA Chinese students of Missouri State University, included me to their church each Sunday and taught us English free in 2008 and 2009. Right now, 5 years have past, both of them still work on the same job to help the E-MBA students of the 18 th and the 19th corps in 2013, They did all of these jobs free, as volunteers.

Mr. John David Lawson and 4 girl missionaries helped me to learn Bible every Friday afternoon for 2 hours when I was a student in Missouri State University, two high school teachers wanted to help me on my finance lesson, and all of them worked for me free, as volunteers.

Mr. Franklin Salveson taught me English via phone call in 2007 when he and his wife were English teachers in Hong Kong, now he would like to offer me some emergent English support from Utah. He would like to help me free, as a volunteer.

When I am writing here, I cannot help wishing to see who they are. I mean if we do not see their occupations, education and work background, what are they same? All of them are Christians, all of them go to Churches.

Maybe this just the strength of the Christianity? To teach them to help the others selflessly and to help this world with different but so helpful styles?

What is your comments about what they have done? How do you think of this kind of culture phenomena in MO, USA? Can you tell me Why?

Do you have any experience relates to the situation Much food, many Christians and Volunteers? Do you have anything special that you think that I should go to experience and write into My American Stories?

** ** ** ** ** **

At the Gallery of Ave Art Guild

Something I have been feeling sorry is that I have not been finding a time to update my web site and to write an article about my experience in Ave Art Guild until now, because I do have some strong feelings about it indeed:

1. The good management style: All of the members of Ave Art Guild are volunteers. They work for the Guild free in a turn, while they offered some works to the guild, via the name of the Art Guild, they sell their art works, the Art Guild gets 10% of the price, the artists get 90%. With this work style, they have had more than 100 members and under the good leading of their council, they have worked together for more than 34 years.

2. The wonderful art works with the local natural materials: When I was here, I found most of the art works in their gallery and in the booth of the Hootin An Hollarin Festival in Ozark County are made of the local natural materials. The dry maize peel was made to be beautiful girls with long dresses, a square stone was painted a lifelike elephant, a small round stone was “ changed ” to be a lovely mouse, the wickers changed to be beautiful baskets, even the couch grass became the wonderful shawl of the lovely toy moppets. All of their art works are full of the breath of the nature and the fragrance of the earth, there is strong local cultural colors. As soon as we see it at a glance, we will not forget it forever.

3. The harmonious interpersonal relationship: From the president of Ava Art of Guild, to their general members, the impression I have gotten within the short for about 24 hours is they are really a very friendly and harmonious team.

On the first day I reached at their gallery, I found they had done a very good arrangement for the workshop next afternoon, after checking up a part of my painting works, a member of the guild, Mrs. Keith stayed there as a volunteer, someone else had an art classes in the night; Mrs. Crayl Posada – Stillings – the president of the guild and her husband drove me to pick up another artist Mrs. Rita Frencher who is a member of the council, to have a dinner in a wonderful restaurant with another couple of wife and husband. Then I lived in the house of Mrs. and Mr. Stillings in their forest.

Next morning, Mrs. Crayl Posada - Stillings carried me and some of their art works to their booth in the the Hootin An Hollarin Festival in Ozark County Festival, two volunteers worked there, she drove me to Ava.

When we entered the gate of their gallery, their vice president and some of the members had hung up my paintings on the walls, prepared the food and tables for the workshops in the afternoon. A retired art teacher did the most work to help me to prepare everything no matter painting hunting or the teaching tools. Then after all of the jobs were finished, some of the other members helped me to order everything for about 1 hours.

What I was most impression on Mrs. Crayl Posada - Stillings for her rich management experience. As a former excellent employee of ABM company and current president, she did everything so fact, speaking, eating, driving and working, everything were quickly and in an order; Meanwhile, she made her big house so clean, comfortable and full of the artistic stone and peacefulness, showed that she was a nice wife. And the photos of her two daughter and their family showed their good education background, and gave me the impression that I was talking with a kind mother.

To be a good wife, a kind mother and an excellent employee were just my dream after I read the Biography of Madame Curie ( the famous woman scientist 1867-1934) when I was a teenager; since then, it has been my standard to see a lady and myself successful or not. Right now, I have seem a true successful lady in USA.

Something else made me quite touched was before the car of Wanda Nova would left for Springfield, Mrs. Crayl Posada - Stillings carried out a box of Chinese Moon Cakes, and let me carry back to share with my friends. Wow! How did she think of this? Even though I myself did not make sure which day was Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival since it is changed every year because we account it according to the lunar calendar. :- )

I am sure, by the good leading of Mrs. Crayl Posada - Stillings and her council, the Ava Art Guild will be more successful now and in the future. I do wish all of the members of its there, will be happier, luckier and more successful.

About our workshop at the gallery or Ava Art Guild, I have taken some video and many photos, now I should like to share 27 of the photos and notes under them with you via the links:

At the Gallery or Ava Art Guild No. 3 , City of Ava, Douglas County, MO, USA
At the Gallery or Ava Art Guild No. 2 , City of Ava, Douglas County, MO, USA
At the Gallery or Ava Art Guild No. 1 , City of Ava, Douglas County, MO, USA
The link of the photos since Sep 12, 2013 to now.
A part of the feed back since Sep 12, 2013

I am sorry that I have not found time to deal with the photos, to write notes for them and to write articles about my visiting the Hootin An Hollarin Festival in Ozark County, the short class in Missouri State University, the interviews or the meetings with Dr. Wenrong Yan, Mr. John David Lawson, Mrs. Anna Brasher, Mr. Gong Xiaoou, Mrs. Hing Wah Hatch and Mr. Hatch, Mrs. Leigh Ann Garren, Dr. Edward Chang, and I will have an interview with Dr. Wenping Qiu, Mrs. Hurriet, Dr. Jessica and so on soon...

I am going to do my best with my biggest effort to work on helping more people and this world while to help and improve myself...

How about you? Do you have anything to share in the past 8 days?

Notes: Because now is Chinese National Vacation and my server in Beijing, I can not change something wrong in my system yet, so, you have to turn on the pages by hitting and turning on the numbers below of the pages. Otherwise, you would not be able to see the other photos on the different pages sometimes.
I am just a student on Arts of Painting, Music, English and Management, to work on the web site in my free time. I would really like to do somethings with what I have learned to make this little web site to be an Electronic Bridge of Cross - Culture and Comprehensive Arts Exchange, Chinese Culture and 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
Oct 2, 2013