How are you? Have you had a wonderful week? Are you enjoying your weekend or your new week right now?

It seems like the God is testing my volitional quality. Since August 20, I have had one of the most difficult international travels.

Something I had told you before:

-- My first airplane was delayed in Hong Kong;
-- I missed my second airplane in Chicago.
-- A property management office mistakenly believed the smoking from the kitchen of a neighbor was from mine so that they rushed into “ My Home ” from windows and called me 7 times from China to ask me to “ go back home at once” to deal with the accident.
-- My Iphone 5 dropped into the water and My waist was hurt in the hurry work...

Something I have not told you yet:

-- After going to an Apple Service Office 4 times and paying 45 dollars I got an Iphone had finished its life.

-- After paying the deposit, signing a contractor with a property company, I was informed that the house I had given an offer has a problem relates to its title. I would have to wait for a time that has no a schedule.

-- I had given up a good offer with a lease for 4 months but ranted a house 200 US dollars weekly and far away from my work place when I was in China, just for I wished to move into my own house that I had chosen from China and entrusted my son and Mrs. Wanda Nava to check the distance between it and Missouri State University, OTC and Drury University from Australia and from America ( because Google, You Tube. Face book … do not work in China) and hoped it can become the base of my cross-cultural and comprehensive art dream, and the first Chinese Art Gallery or Chinese Art Museum of Springfield, MO with all of my art works and some precious Chinese classical and contemporary art works which I had collected in Beijing in the past 6 years and in Shenzhen in the past 12 years in the near future or after I pass away, as a gift to my American Alma Mater or my son who is an Australian resident... but now... I have no idea about its time frame about how long I will have to wait for...and how much cost I will have to pay on time, finance and health dextrally for the time delaying...

Under the pressure from so many unexpected problems and difficulties in the short 2 weeks suddenly, I felt a serious headache for 5 days and much of my hair suddenly whiten over the night when I was informed that my home " was smoking..." in China.

These days, many times, I heard a sound from my heart: One Step, One Test, since it is too hard to work here, maybe it is the time to give up? But also many times, I heard another sound from my mind: when things enter its most difficult or the blackest time, that means the victory or the dawn will come in the near future. Just like climbing a mountain, the more we are near the peak, the more we feel difficult.

At this time, what I should do, is to learn the bamboos in a classical poem which is my motto:

咬定青山不放松 - Yǎdīng qīng shān búfàng sōng，
立根原在破岩中 - lìgēn yuán zàpòyán zhōng。
千磨万击还坚劲 - Qiān mówàn jīhái jiān jìn，
任尔东西南北风 - rèn ěi dōng xīnán běi fēng。

Cling to the green mountain, never give up,
The bamboos take their roots in the cracks of the rocks
Though they go suffer, they are still strong,
Hold unyielding, no matter where the winds blow from.

Now it is really a difficult time indeed, but compare with the time I was 15 years old but a founder and the only teacher of an elementary school on the boundary between Russia and China and compare with the twice gas poisonings that almost lost my life in the Great Northern Wilderness; and then the sickness that led my doctors to cut down one of my organs by a surgery for saving my life; compare with the result of the surgery which blocked me to enter one of the best universities though my examination marks had been enough; and then to work under the huge pressure but became an expert in some field and a manager for 18 years as a graduate of a general university in the securities industry which has the fiercest competition in China... the current difficulties are really not big things at all and they are not worth me to give up my long-term art dream which can certainly help a lot of people while to realize my own value of life.

Since my current health and life were re-given by the society and people, I should give it back to the world and more people by working hard to help more people in the world. No matter what has happened /will happen to me, as long as I can stand up, I must perform my promises and responsibilities to my work partners at this time.

With this idea, by the helping of the painkillers 5 times more than the normal amount, I kept following the appointments, to go to a K-12 School and to discuss our teaching schedule with Mrs. Glad Eyerman (She is on the 8th photo, in the middle) and to go to the library four times to prepare my art exhibition with Miss Peggy Hanes (She is on the first and 6th photos) together; while writing to people in the property companies and hoped they can help me and to ask the relatives departments to resolve the title problem as soon as possible.

Right now, my new art exhibition has been opened at the Brentwood Branch Library of Springfield- Green County Libraries by the good effort of Miss Peggy Hanes who is the Library Assistant and her colleagues. On the First Friday, Sept 4, 2015, a group of readers shared my poetry, painting and music art dream and tried to paint their first Chinese paintings.

Something encouraged me in the process were:

-- A young Korea graduate student from Missouri State University asked me to sing a Chinese poem song Chi Le Plain for him once more. And he was the first one who bought a copy of my new book “ Poetry, Painting, Music – Comprehensive and Artistic Chinese .”

-- A young mother kept painting with her baby together.

-- Almost all of the readers wished to keep in touch with me and 30% of them wanted to continue to learn to paint and to learn Chinese language from me.

-- One of my former students from Seymour R-II School -- Zach who wanted to learn foreign languages at Missouri State University came to see me especially with his mother and sister (they are on the 10th photo).

-- Two gentlemen (they are on the last photo)I do not know their names gave us a hand to hang up the paintings on Tuesday. Mrs. Glad Eyerman and her mother (they are on the 8th photo) have been helping me since I worked on preparing the art exhibition until giving me a rides in the night…

-- My former classmate Mr. Zhu Bin picked up the mail pack within the paper and felt pan that I had prepared for my American students and sent it from Beijing to the US and it was he who drove me to the Apple Service Office 4 times and everywhere I needed to go...

So, in the night I went out of the library with a seriously ached waist in the lights Friday night, my heart was filled of the happiness because I had really won in one of these tests. Almost at the same time, my serious headache was gone and I have not taken any medicine right now.

Then, since Saturday, I have started my new jobs:

-- I have made and I will make more phone calls to connect my former professors, tutors, pastors and friends and since next week, I am going to visit them one by one...

-- I will start my jobs as a volunteer teacher at three K12 -- schools not only in their classrooms for at least 7 classes in business days but also in the nights at some workshops for some parents and students who are interested in Chinese culture relates to painting, poetry and music.

-- I am going to continue to make effort for opening my two courses : Poetry, Painting, Music – Comprehensive and Artistic Chinese and Traditional Chinese Paintings as a volunteer / part time instructor in some college and universities.

For returning Missouri State University and American People and my education in China, and for memorizing my first and deceased American Art and Music Teacher – Mr. Charlie K , while delivering something excellent of the ancient Chinese culture which was created by Chinese people but belongs to all mankind, I would really like to work for free in the USA and in China for at least 8 years since 2009 to 2017.

To be honest, if I can support my future life since 2017, I would also like to work for both of American and Chinese people free forever...

-- I have started to paint and I have painted 3 Chinese Mogu Painting and 10 Chinese Xieyi Paintings since I came to Springfield, MO. All of the 10 Xieyi Painting were something I prepared for my demonstration. The Chinese Mogu Paintings are my own art works. With this letter, I have attached 2 of them and hope to bring you a big smile.

A good news was I have gotten 27 " Laud " from my tutors, classmates and friend from China after I put my new Mogu Paintings on a Chinese cell phone system within 51 minutes.

Do you know? My tutor and professor Man Weiqi who is the President of Traditional Chinese Painting Academy and the former Deputy Dean of Chinese Painting School at Chinese National Academy of Arts told us: you should find a place as your creative base. If somewhere excites you and makes you want to paint, it is the suitable place for you as your creative base.

It is many times, as soon as I arrived in Springfield, MO, I feel the peace, quiet, relaxation and safety in I my heart and I can quickly enter the working state. So, I am sure, here should be the best place for me to I found a base for my little cross-cultural and comprehensive art dream.

Therefore, even though there are many difficulties on my current and future road of dream seeking, I will keep going on it.

I do hope the title problem relates to my house (with the “ AV ” that I do not know what it is) will be resolved as soon as possible and I will be able to start my work in a more suitable place (now I have not carried my heavy painting board and music instrument into my temporarily living house for I do not want to move twice).

Anyway, I would also like to consult someone professional and to listen to their advice on: should I keep waiting for the house that has no any time schedule or I should find another one?

I have lost many of the telephone numbers and connecting ways along with my Iphone stopped working. If you would like to connect me, you can write to me and let me know your telephone number, OK?

How about you? Do you have anything special to share in the past a week?
Sincerely,

Shirley Yiping Zhang
Sept 6, 2015 (American Local Time)