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

It is the longest time (45 days ) I have not written to you as usual. It is also the longest time I had to broken off the regular letter for a while in the past 12 years, because too many things have happened on my side.

Simply speaking, after experiencing an extra hard process, I have basically overcome the sickness on my low back and re-stood up by the support of 2 lumbar supporters (one by one). During the time, instead of lying on the bed, I have created some new paintings, rented out of my apartment in Shenzhen and finally, I returned back to Beijing to continue my study for my Master of Fine Art at the Graduate School of Chinese National Academy of Arts on June 17. After meeting my supervisor and had my first lesson, I arrived in Wuxi on June 19, to visit my father, brother and sister’s family while waiting for my supervisor and classmates who are going to arrive in the same city and transfer to Jianyin and Suzhou for a lesson of painting from nature this afternoon.

You cannot imagine how difficult time I have had since I wrote to you last time. Here is a part of my schedule in the last 3 days, as an example for you:

-- At about 11:00am, June 16, one of my former colleagues’ husband came to pick up me to the airport but my car did not work so that we could only go to the airport by taxi.
-- At about 12:40am, I was punished 200USD for the overweight of my luggage.
-- At about 1:30pm, my airplane was delayed.
-- At about 8:00pm, my airplane was cancelled.
-- At about 9:00pm, the airport arranged me to the other flight.
-- At about 9:30pm, I took back of my heavy suitcases from the airport and carried them to a hotel.
-- At about 10:00pm, before I arrive at the hotel, the second flight was cancelled.
-- At about 00:30. I decided to take part in a group of friendly passengers to catch the High-speed train although we would not have any seats from Shenzhen to Changsha, then to transfer another one from Changsha to Beijing….

-- At about 1:30am. June 17, the friend whose husband sent me to the airport called me and stopped me to take the High-speed train for she did not think my low back could be able to stand the long distance travel with the heavy luggage and without a seat.
-- At about 2:30am, I called the airport to change my ticket.
-- At about 11:00am, I went to the airport in the heavy rain one more.
-- At about 1:55pm, my airport took off and stopped at the airport of Gangzhou of Jiangxi Province at about 3:00pm. And then I arrived in Beijing at about 6:30pm.
-- At about 7:00pm. a colleague of my former colleague picked up me at Beijing Airport.

-- At about 9:30pm. I arrived my booked apartment and paid the housing agent and settled down in my new home in Beijing. But the air-condition and all of the electrical equipments inside did not work so that I could not get sleep for the hot and mosquitoes for whole of the night.

-- At about 3:30am, June 17, I got an inform to go to my supervisor for the first lesson at 2:30pm.
-- At about 9:30am. 16 boxes I had sent from Shenzhen were sent to my home in Beijing.
-- At about 12:30am, the landlord and I signed a lease for renting the apartment and he promised to fix all of the things within 1 week.
-- At about 1:30pm, the landlord gave me a ride and let me go down at a place there are several bus stations for me to catch a taxi.
-- Until 3:30pm. I did not catch any taxies so that a girl taught me to download a software Didi -- a Chinese Style similar to Uber, but it did not work for me.
-- At about 4:00pm. 2 policemen helped me and used their own software to catch a car for me.
-- At about 4:30pm, I arrived at the apartment of my supervisor and met all my classmates who will arrive in Wuxi and then to go to Jiangyin for the lesson of painting from the nature today, June 20.
-- At about 6:30pm. I went to the Beijing airport and bought my ticket in the taxi.
-- At about 9:30pm. my airplane from Beijing to Wuxi was delayed
-- At about 2:00am, I arrived in Wuxi.
-- At about 3:00am, I lived in a hotel.
-- At about 3:30am, I changed my room in the hotel for some reason…
-- At about 2:30pm, an assistant of my brother accompanied me to buy something which I had forgotten in Beijing and a late gift for the Father’s Day for my father although I had bought a lot for him from Beijing. :-)
-- At about 5:00pm I met my father.
-- At about 6:30pm. I met my brother and his family members
-- At about 8:00pm. I met my sister and her family members…
-- At about 11:30pm, I started to write this letter to you, but it could not be sent out even though I worked until 3:00am, June 20.

At about 3:00pm this afternoon, I will meet my supervisor and classmates from Chinese National Academy of Arts at Wuxi High Speech Train Station and join in them for the lesson in Jianyin and Suzhou.

When I wrote here, I cannot help smiling. What an interested and wonderful experience it is! It lets me meet so many great, friendly and helpful people and family members in my homeland.

If there were no them there to help me, I would not be able to go over the extra hard road from Shenzhen – Beijing – Wuxi and then – Jiangyin – Suzhou – Beijing at all…

Because time problem on my side, I cannot tell you so many moved stories one by one at this time. However, I am going to remember all of these familiar and strange friends, former colleagues, professors, classmates, policemen and my family members, with a grateful heart, try to do my best to work and study. Try to become a good artist who has the ability and qualification to create and run a cross-cultural and comprehensive art and its project…

How about you? Do you have anything special to share?
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, you are welcome to write to shirley@ebridge.cn or leave your message on Message Board.

Sincerely,

Shirley Yiping Zhang
June 20, 2017 (Beijing Time)