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

Since I wrote to you on Jan 8, 2017, 10 days have past, I have experienced something special in the US, so that I more cherish what I have had with a grateful heart.

The best new is:

---Five of professors who had taught me face to face in both Chinese National Academy of Arts and China Central Academy of Fine Arts have decided to help and support me by offering their own paintings for the Second Volume of my publication series “Together With Me, Learn Chinese Culture and Language by Enjoying and Practising Painting, Music and Poetry ( Poetry, Painting, Music: Comprehensive and Artistic Chinese) ” which Mrs. Kat Allie and I had planned to use it as the textbook of my new course at OTC.

Among them, include the current Assistant Dean of Chinese Painting School and former Assistant Dean of Graduate School at Chinese National Academy of Arts – Professor Xu Jun, the current Head of Flower and Bird Painting Department of Chinese Painting School at China Central Academy of Fine Arts – Professor Yao Shunxi, Vice President of Chinese Female Artist Association – Dr. Pan Ying, Chang Jiang Scholar (Cheung Kong Scholar）and founder of “Dry-ink One-thousand-hair Wrinkling Technique” for Chinese painting – Professor Mu Jiashan and so on… All of them have the qualification to teach graduate students / candidates for their Master degrees of Fine Arts and are academic leaders in their own fields in China.

I got my new Chinese cell phone card and started to connect my professors on Jan 11, 2017 after losing it for 43 days, I have gotten all of the paintings from these professors from Beijing on Jan 17. For losing all of my connections in my lost Chinese cell phone, I cannot connect some of my professors yet, but I will do my best.

With their good help on painting and the support of Professor Meng Weiye’s on music, the quality of this book and DVD will be improved on a higher level.

The good news is:

-- Since last Monday, Jan 9, 2017, I have attended all of the English lessons I should take part in at OTC for about 24 hours by walking, and I can understand about 95% of what my English instructor talked in her classroom. Although I must wearing in a couple of high (wedge) heel shoes for one of my feet and legs swollen and ache as long as I was in the flat heel shoes and I had to go lamely it them, I am glad for I can keep doing something my favorite and I need.

The bad news but a good result is:

-- Last Friday to Sunday, a weather with sleeting or freezing rain hit Springfield, MO, about 4,000 houses lost electricity, gas and internet in the morning, Friday, Jan 13, 2017 and mine was one of them.

Although I had stored food enough in my refrigerator for the good reminding of my English Instructor Mrs.Fran Giglio(She is on the first and third photos) in her class last Tuesday and Wednesday, I was scaring along with the electricity and gas lost and the house was getting cold. Then 2 local American families gave me their friendly hands at the most difficult time:

Mrs. Walker and Mr. John Walker not only called the utilities department on my own initiative, but also, they taught me what I should prepare for the upcoming night, such as candle, flashlight and so on.

Mrs. Qingqing Yan and Mr. Yan would like to pick up me to their house to spend the night in case the electricity would not be restored until evening.

I was lucky enough for the electricity was restored in 3 hours, before I went out of my door.

In spite of having some difficulties in my work and life in the USA still, it is full of the gratitude in my heart. The strongest idea in my mind is we should not think everything we have had currently is something we should have, but we should cherish and treat everything we have had and we will have with a thankful heart, then we will live and work with a more positive attitude and delight heart.

Therefore, I have been working hard with a grateful heart and more serious attitude in the past 10 days:

-- I myself did not imagine, just within the 3 hours I lost the electricity, using the last rest of my battery of laptop, I listed the contents of My American Stories which is a book of a publishing house appointed and has been in my mind for 3 years. I would really like to write the Volume I with at least 30 stories moved me in my American travel 2008 to 2017. I would never like to waste my travel experiences, but write them out for helping more Chinese people to know a true part of America, their culture and people.

-- Mrs. Fran Giglio and my classmates have shared my idea about American State Birds and Checked my second design of painting. They have given me some good idea to develop some derivative products. And my first English instructor Mrs. Vigi at OTC (She is on the second photo) would like me to share my birds with her students.

-- Although I have had more than 200 classmates in Beijing and in Chinese art circle, it would be quite easy to collect hundreds of paintings, still I kept working with my professors for I wanted to keep the quality of my publications.

-- Instead of walking into the classroom later as I had done often 2015 to 2016, this year, I have been the one of the students who entered the classroom earliest or earlier. For catching my time, I have also listened to VOAnews English via cell phone on my road between the school and my house. This way, I can get another 2 hours and not miss the English learning via VOA because of going to a course in the classroom. I do enjoy VOAnews for it cannot only helping me on my aural comprehension and oral English, but also, it opens my mind often. Now if I do not listen to it for one day, I will feel lack something in my life.

-- Instead of painting “for my professor”, now I am working on my art studying with a more serious attitude, my last painting has gotten my supervisor Professor Mu Jiashan’s good comments.

I would really like to cherish my luck and what I have had already, try to make progress every day.

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


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, Language & Friendship. To help the others and this world while improving myself and realizing my own value of life.

I would really 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.

Sincerely,

Shirley Yiping Zhang
Jan 18, 2017 (American Time)