How are you? Is everything well with your first days of this week? .

Today is the 66th day that I am in the US. It is the midnight of Thursday. I put down my textbook and wanted to write something to you for I did have some very strong feelings want to express at this time.

The first strong feeling is that maybe to learn from classmates, is one of the important ways as a MBA student.

I seldom touched something about financial management in my past career life and unfortunately that I could not preview my lesson as I planned, for being sickness in the Thanksgiving Holiday. For me it is difficult to understand the content of the professor spoke in English in the classroom. However, I found that some of my classmates worked quite well. So, except listening to the recording of the professor, as soon as the lesson was finished, I asked help from my classmates.

I am lucky that I have gotten much help from my classmates. Jan sent some basic financial management knowledge in Chinese to me; Amy taught me to use the financial calculator to calculate the time value of capital; Aileen not only taught me to account APR and EAR with calculator, but also she explained many things about the financial reports... Even though I had touched some calculators, this is the first time I found it is so interesting to do so many things. Also, first time, I found that I am very interested in the calculating. I just realized that in fact, financial management is not as ponderous as I had imagined. It is interesting and very helpful… Every time, when I find a new foundation on the calculator according to the textbook or the introduction or make a right calculation, I am really glad. Just like a child has found a new world, even though I am slowing on the job

Yes, except the nice helping from the local American professors, clerks and friends, I have also felt and gotten so much help, care for and support from our classmates. Tonight, for about 3 hours, Aileen was teaching me with a pillow on her chair for she was suffering a pain on her waist since she had hurt herself a day ago. When we were studying, Cathy cooked and washed the dishes for helping us to save time. Also, it was Clark and Jan taught me how to draw the Critical Path with some project management theory on my first lesson. It was William drove to a gas station to teach me how to fill air for my car; the girl Hannah told our tutor that I was suffering the toothache…

Yes, if there was not the nice help from my classmates, I would not be able to get the grade of A and B on my first two lessons. Within every little progress of mine, not only included the painstaking effort of the professors, but also the nice help from my classmates…

The second strong feeling is about the serious, detailed and strict teaching of our third professor ? Dr Kent Ragan. It is the first time that I have seen so serious and even beautiful teaching materials. Questions are so clean and often include some detailed directions. Computers, dictionaries and anything else are not allowed to use as a student in the classroom. Homework was matched by answer with tables and some beautiful decoration, gives me the first feeling ? Cool.

So, even though I am really worrying and afraid of this lesson indeed, I would really like to do my best. That is why, for remedying my time to see a dentist, I got up at 4:30 am or 5:30 am to read my textbook and the teaching material…

The third strongest feeling this week was my Internet connection is getting worse and worse. This inconvenience started 1.5 months ago. Then, it started to work at about 5:00 pm or 6:00 pm and stopped to work at about 10:00 am or 9:00 am. Since Thanksgiving until now, thing is getting the worst, most of time, it started to work at midnight from 12:45 pm, 11:30 pm or 9:30 pm and stopped to work at 8:30 am or 9:30 am or 10:00 am, so that I have to work until much later for I can not connect the Internet in the normal time. For resolving this problem, I have called the Internet Company at least 3 times and I have also written to the real estate company within the past 1.5 months. However, yesterday, it started to work at 11:30 pm and stopped at 10:00 am, tonight, it started to work at 00:45 pm and stopped at about 9:30 am so that I had to stop my studying of lesson and to write this letter to you at this time. Because, I could not study with a peaceful heart for I could not check anything that I need at home at the most of the normal time; I can also not make a normal connecting with my family members, friends and company at a normal working time at all. I can not understand why a Broad Band connecting that I have paid is working with this way; I can not understand why the Broad Band does not work and a wireless connect does not work, too.

Now it is 3;00 am already. Do you know what my biggest wish is at this time? To bless my Internet connecting will not stop work tomorrow and to bless that my Broad Band will allow me to study at home on the weekend…

How about you? Have you met anything as I am experiencing? Where do you think the problem is? Do you have any idea to help me to resolve this problem?

I am just a learner on that art of painting, music English and Chinese language, to work on the web site in my free time. I would really like to do a little bit things with what I have learned to make this little web site to be an Electronic Bridge of Culture Exchange, Language Learning & Friendship. To help the others while to improve myself.

I appreciate your understanding, directions and supports. I do hope to get your friendly help...

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, you are welcome to write to shirley@ebridge.cn or shirleyz004@yahoo.com, or to publish your opinions in the forum.

Shirley Yiping Zhang
Thur, Dec 4, 2008 From USA