Have you started a wonderful new week?

How are you? Have you had a good week until now? What is your plan for your weekend?

On my side, after experiencing a travel for 27 hours and sitting on the airplanes for 17 hours, I have come back home via Chicago and Hong Kong.

It is a quite hard travel for I had hurt my low back during I packed my luggage and went to here or there in a hurry in a heavy rain before I left for China, and I had really experienced too many hard times since Nov, 2016 – hurt my ankle, lost my cell phone, bought ticket but not be able to fly back Beijing, had to graduate later from Chinese National Academy of Arts for one year...

However, it is also a very good travel which is full of new lessons and gain:

– Seven professors have joined in my second book and DVD of Together With Me, Learn Chinese Culture and Language by Enjoying and Practicing Painting, Music and Poetry ( Poetry, Painting, Music: Comprehensive & Artistic Chinese ) and it will be published soon.

– Ocarks Technical Community College has clearly told me that they would like to hire me as a permanent instructor or a guest lecturer (rely on the policy of the USA then) to teach in their college when I go back to the USA in my next travel.

– The three Catholic schools of Springfield, MO which I had given 2 course for 66 hours in 2015 will continue to arrange me to give their students some new courses in my next travel no matter when I will go back.

– The 400 - hour English lessons which OTC offered me since 2015 has given me an ability to communicate with native English speakers freely and now I can understand the English course of Missouri University online very well.

– The biggest gain is these hard experiences in my travel have helped me improve my psychological endurance and helped me think: a more mature and clearer work plan on my little cross-cultural and comprehensive art dream has been outlined in my mind. Instead of shaking or giving up, I am going to keep seeking and practicing the little dream which can help a lot of people in the luge world, with much more patience, confidence and willpower.

Do you know what I had felt when I walked to Missouri State University in a heavy rain after finding a solution in a branch store of At &T for keeping my cell phone number?

-- Everything before we truly touch it or practice on it, we would feel scaring about it, just like the branch manager of At &T just opened the gate for me, the heavy rain out of the door had really scared me a lot. However, when I wore in the raincoat, opened my umbrella and truly went into the rain, instead of feeling any scare, I started to enjoy the extra green trees, the extra bright flowers and the extra clean city in the rain, every thing was changed more beautiful...

So, just at that moment, I thought maybe I should give my next newsletter a title: Practice Is the Best Way to Reduce or Overcome Scare?

Just like today, at this time, I have to put a laptop on my belly and to write this letter to you lying on the bed for the hurt and ache on my low back and legs do not allow me to stand up or sit on chair to work. A short letter which I needed just for about 2 hours to write usually, have spent my time for whole of the night...

However, just work this way, since I could not sit and stand up,I have read a book -- Chinese Paitning History by Prof. Chen Shizhen and I am now readding Chinese Mountain and Water Painting History by Prof.Wang Huangshen and Prof. Hu Guanghua and Advised by Prof. Wang Bomin...

I am not sure whether I can recover and attend the course which Prof. Mu Jiashan has arranged for me in Beijing since May 18. I am going to keep practicing and try to find a way to continue my study and work with my sickness together and finally overcome it...

How about you? Do you have anything special to share?

Notes on Photos:

No.1: Mrs. Kat Allie -- Department Chair of Fine Arts & Humanities of Ozarks Technical Community College and I, April 24, 2017.

No.2: Mr. Brad Bodenhausen-- Associate Vice President of Missouri State University and I, April 25, 2017.

No.3: Mrs. Fran Giglio -- English Instructor of OTC and I, April 19, 2017.

No.4: Ms. Romona George -- Adult Education & Literacy College Director and Mrs. Fran Giglio -- My English Instructor reccepted a little painting I created as a memory before I left for China, April 19, 2017


No.5: Mrs. Fran Giglio sent me so much data which was edited or written by her for helping me to write my new book relates to American cultures, April 19, 2017.

No.6: Mrs.Carissa Griffin -- a friend who helped me a lot and a Chinese student of mine and I April 25, 2017.

No.7: Mrs. Wanda Nava -- a former art teacher of Seymour R-II School and I, April 25, 2017

No.8: The Branch Store Manager of AT & T who helped me so much for finding a solution to keep my American cell phone number until I go back to the USA in my next travel and I, April 26, 2017

No.9: My Attendance Certificate which was sent to me by the Adult Basic Education Program of Ozarks Technical Community College. I was so happy and so moved when I got it in my mail inbox in the rain. Because, it was delivered by Mrs. Fran Giglio in person, signed by her and the Department Diretor Romona George. The words on it are:

This is to certify and congratulate Shirley Yiping Zhang
For successfully studying and attending 400 hours of English As A Second Language offeres by Ocarks Technical Community College, Adult Basic Eduation Program.
Springfield, Missouri
This 20th Day of April, 2017

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
May 5, 2017 (Beijing Time)