Blog for wuj4

Today is my second day of being in the States and everything has gradually been settled and it starts to go along smoothly.

Just now we had a short meeting, during which some officials in VCU gave us a few talks about security on the campus and immigration status. There are more than 60 students coming from FUDAN University and BFSU. They assured us that we will have a great time definitely, and I think so too.

It was an adjustment day yesterday. We were separated into different groups which was led by an intern. My intern was a handsome guy and my friends were pretty jealous about that. His name was Matthew. I think his friends call him Matt, but I called him Matthew, for it's the first time we had met. It was a great time to go around the campus and the surrounding areas with the help of a native American. And Matthew was a good guy and he was very helpful. He was a little bit shy, I think, and I was, too. Actually we didn't know what to talk about. I would blame myself for that 'cause it was me who came here to know more about the States. I will try my best to speak more and chat with him more freely. Hopefully he won't be bored by us.

We arrived at the airport the day before yesterday and I was terribly tired. Sleeping in the plane was exhausting. Now I know why the anchor of Fenghuang Channel, Zengzimo, quit her job in the Wall Street and started a new and relaxed life. It's not wonderful to sleep overnight once in the plane, let alone many times within years or even months. When we just arrived, I was desperate to find a pay phone or whatever to call my parents. I told them before I left that I would call them as soon as I had arrived. But I was frustrated to find that my cellphone didn't work at all and there was no way using the pay phone. It seemed that the only thing I could do was to wait until we arrived at VCU. At around midnight, we reached GRC, the residence center that we would stay for three weeks. Somehow in a sudden I realized that I inserted the wrong SIM card in my cellphone. How stupid I was! I didn't call my parents for such a stupid mistake. The moment I turned on the phone, a call came in and it was my mom. Finally, I told her that I had arrived safely and everything was fine. Later I received a call from Dad. It was only after that moment that I was totally relieved.

Now I am in the library. we will have a bus tour of Richmond this afternoon. I'm sure I will be greatly surprised by the beautiful scene and long history of this city.

I've been here for three days and I've noticed some differences between the United States and China, from the campus to the architecture and from the library to the facilities in the city.

Monroe Park Campus of VCU is extremely beautiful, with trees and grassland everywhere. The most important difference between this campus and the campus of Chinese universities is that it has no clear walls around it. In China, each university is either surrounded by iron fences or by walls, so it is quite easy to tell the campus and residential blocks apart. However, here the VCU campus is sort of mixed with the surrounding areas. You can't simply say that a building or store is inside of the campus or out. It gives people a sense of liveliness and flexibility, yet on the other hand, it may open a door for criminals. If the free style of design is romantic, then the Chinese one is a bit more simple and pragmatic. For example, it emphasizes more on the usage of the building, not too much on the interior design. You won't often see paintings or china ware in the building, especially for the commercial ones.

Another great difference is that the Internet is for every student here, but in China, the school charges us with on-line fees. The most amazing thing is that the whole campus has a wireless access to the Internet. Maybe it's due to the advanced technology. Besides, some of the facilities are specially designed for the disabled people. For instance, each building has a button to open the door so that it won't be difficult for the handicapped. I think China needs to do more about this kind of thing and be more thoughtful. Also the fitness center is free for everyone to use and it has air-conditioning in all buildings.

There are many other differences, such as drinking fountain water(I learned this word from our intern Matt. Thanks:) ). It seems that American people like to eat sweet food, but the desert is too much sweet for us Chinese. Many gentlemen are quite polite and friendly. They will open doors for you and say hi even you don't know them.

This afternoon the VCU Cabell librarian who is a funny and very friendly guy showing us around the library. It was so amazing that I couldn't stop saying "wow" when I saw every small but extremely thoughtful details in it. There is a saying that "Details determine success". I think those details will make this library as perfect as it could be.

The library has four floors, each of which distinguishes from one another by its sound limit. The first three floors allow the students to have conversations and discussions in a normal voice, but the fourth floor is absolutely silent and it doesn't allow people to make any noise. Food and drink are also acceptable in the library.

I was shocked when I saw the international newsroom and the room for blind people. It covers every possible need that different students have. BFSU is a multi-language university, but it doesn't do half as well as VCU in providing the opportunity for language students to study.

There are so many other details that I'm amazed at. The copy machine and printers are easily accessible and you won't disturb others when you want to use them. And also the New York Times films. I heard about them before, but I never really see them. Today not only did I see them, but also I knew how to use and look at the information on them. The library also has large tables and chairs and even screens for group discussions, which surprised me a lot. And the most wonderful thing about the library is the quantity of books it has. When we finished the tour of the library, I really had a feeling that I wanted be a student of VCU some day. :)

Although I've only been here for about four days, some funny things have occurred concerning about language problems and dealing with daily life.

The things that I'm worried about most till now is that how to order food and what to order in the restaurant. There are many courses with strange and long names on the menu, so sometimes I just don't understand them. It takes me a long time to go though all those different names and choose one which pleases my eye. Haha, I'm just joking, but it indeed isn't so easy for me to do it. Yesterday after I had my VCU card made, I went to "five guys" to buy a burger. I thought it would be pretty easy to order a burger and a coke. Simple food, simple name. but it's not. The waitress asked me "do you want one patty or double?" At first I didn't catch her, so I asked her to repeat again. Still, I had no idea what she's talking about. Whatever! Since I was hungry and I guessed that it must refer to a certain food, so I said two. After some time I got mine, and guess what! I got a burger with two big pieces of beef in it. What's worse, I had to finish it on the road because I was about to be late for class. How embarrassing I was to hold a huge burger in one hand and a coke in the other, eating while rushing at the same time! And actually it's not the whole story. When I was paying the food, I wanted to give her the coins. Rummaging through a handful of coins that I had, I couldn't make out 87 cents. At last, I decided to give up. But when I was about to withdraw my hand, the waitress asked very politely to see it. So I gave them to her and let her pick out the money. Finally, I paid the bill. I wondered if I was the only one who had this ridiculous experience.

Actually one of my good friend also had a funny story on her. When she saw a car was coming, she shouted Chinese "a car is coming" to an intern near her. And once when she was chatting with the interns, she spoke to the intern in Chinese and then turned to a Chinese student speaking in English.

It still sounds funny when I think about them. Hope I can make myself more comfortable in here.

You are not gonna believe what happened to me today, 'cause I'm still wondering whether it was a dream. It is the first "adventure" that I've ever had in my life, and it's a little bit ridiculous but interesting.

Since we ended our class after three this afternoon, so two friends of mine, Wang Danwei and Li Zhichao, and I decided to go swimming. In order to get there quickly and smoothly, we tried the school bus service before we really went there. After the tour, we went back to our dorm, picked up our swimming suits and other stuff, then hit the way. We thought it could be quite easy to get there. But it's not.:( We got off three times at wrong bus stops and it was only after that we asked the bus driver that we knew our destination was the next one. Oh my! We three just got on and off the same bus for three times! It's the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to me till that moment.

The story didn't end at all.

We went back and forth for a long time before we found the gym with a swimming pool. After we went in the lady's room, we couldn't figure out where to get a lock. Then finally everything was settled and we started to swim. However, after about ten minutes or so, one of us realized that it was already six and we had to get out very soon, 'cause the last bus for today would be at seven. So unwillingly we got out and had a shower. When we reached the bus stop, it's about fifteen to seven, not very late. At last, the bus came and we thought it's time to relax. But...

But the adventure still didn't finish. We got on the school bus and we thought it would head to GRC for sure. But guess what! It stopped at somewhere which I'd never seen before. The bus driver told us that we should get on bus NO.84 and his was 82. We were stranded completely. At that time, it was a few minutes past seven and we just missed the last bus. Oh, my goodness! I really didn't know what to say! We tried to figure out what to do next with the bus driver. He was really kind. He told us that we were at Sanger and there were about 20 blocks from GRC. We really didn't want to go back on foot, 'cause all of us were too tired after what we had been through in one afternoon. Suddenly I remembered the escort service. Thank God I brought the yellow brochure with its number on it. So we called the service center and a car picked us up. We were "saved". At last!

We should have been very upset and annoyed by all of these, but strangely all of us were pretty excited, and I'm still now. I never thought I would have such kind of experiences before. But today I know what adventure really is and I love it!

These three days were really amazing. We went to Busch Gardens, VA beach and Williamsburg. It's an eye-feasting trip, with different sights to see, different food to taste and different stories to hear.

Busch Gardens. Xiaoxi and I stayed together the whole day. We tried a lot of exciting rides, yet we missed some of them 'cause she thought they were too scary. I told her to scream when she got really terrified so that she wouldn't be dizzy or uncomfortable--that's my experience,haha-- anyway, I persuaded or "forced" her to tried some, since she never experienced any of those rides before. But, when we were waiting "the big bad wolf", the sooner our turn was, the more scared she was, so at last we decided to give up. I remembered very clearly that when we decided to go, a man standing behind us sighed "oh, man!". Yeah, it's a pity, but anyway, we indeed had a great time!

After five in the afternoon, we went to the beach. When we reached there, it's around seven. Everything was just amazing! I stood in the balcony and looked at the ocean, lost in thought. I couldn't find a better thing to see at that time. The next day, everybody went to the beach and enjoyed the sea. I really didn't wanna be exposed to the sunshine for a long time, so I went to the stores opposite our hotel. I liked that "Christmas Mouse" very much, 'cause it had lots of very tiny and exquisite stuff. I bought some for my cousins. Hope they like them. At half past seven, I went to the beach and it was really great. I'd been to the seaside in China many times, but this one was different. I didn't know why. And I saw many kids playing with their parents on the beach. They're very cute and lovely.

Williamsburg. We arrived there at noon today. It's an old town which is full of ancient buildings and stores. Many people who worked there wore the ancient clothes to attract the visitors, maybe. I felt that we were in a movie. I went to William and Mary College first, 'cause I'd heard it before. It's not as large and beautiful as I thought and I didn't like the atmosphere very much. But anyway it's a great college with a good reputation. Then Mat took us to walk around the town and we even went into several stores, which were decorated exactly as the colonial period.
One of the store owners talked really fast and I couldn't quite catch him. In short, Williamsburg wasn't big and the lifestyle there was pretty relaxing and casual.

p.s. Things have turned more smoothly these days. I found it much easier to buy things in the stores and supermarkets, say hi to people walking past by and paying the bill in the restaurant. I even had a chance to chat with a waiter. It's really great!

Yesterday afternoon we went to Carey Town, which was a place full of shops and stores. Maybe because that China has lots of such shops, I didn't find it much interesting and attractive. I wanted to buy a T-shirt for my cousin, which were very typical American, but I didn't find any suitable for him. Some of them seemed too aggresive or radical, maybe. For example, one had a line like "I love your girlfriend" sort of things. If my cousin wears something like that and walks on the road in China, everybody else will probably freak out.

Although shopping there wasn't much fun, just walking and looking, later Eric took us to Buffalo Wild Wings, which I found much more interesting and amazing. It was the first restanrant I've ever been to which was, in my opinion, very typical American. Since it was Tuesday, the chicken wings were only 40 cents each, pretty cheap. Eric suggested that we order a lot so that we could take some home. I ordered 10, five for medium and five for spicy garlic. The chicken wings were awesome. I'm not a huge chicken fan, but still I was fully conquered by the flavor. Really yummy! :)

Ever since I've come here, I realized that everyone could become a cook, even a competent one.
Back in China, I never cooked for myself, let alone for my family, which made me panic for a while when I just arrived here. But now I'm confident to say that I can at least survive by myself.

At noon, Zhichao and I cooked noodles and soup for our lunch. I was in charge of the soup and she took care of the noodles. I had bought lots of and various kinds of vegetables from Walmart last time when we went shopping, so it's not so hard for me to make some delicious soup out of all these fresh materials. There's a Chinese saying that "a good cook can't make a good dinner without materials". Fortunately it's not a problem for me, though I'm far beyond a competent cook.

Skill like this is extremely important to a person's life and such skills also include driving, clothe-washing and communicating. Each skill requires adaptation to different environment when there's a need, so it's never wise to say that one has mastered it completely. For example, driving in different countries and even states, such as in America, one has to know the different traffic laws, regulations and rules. If a person breaks the driving laws all the time, he is definitely not a good driver even he has excellent driving "skills".

I think this one-month trip here will absolutely become a step stone for my future life, both physical and psychological. From now on, I'm gonna start to learn cooking and driving and decide what I want to study as my graduate degree.

What will you do if there is only one hour to live?

This was the question popped up in Dr. Van Wood's lecture. It was a funny story that happened in his college life. One of his professors asked them to write an essay titled with this question in the final exam. When the result came out, only one student got an A and all the others got Bs. He wondered why, so he went to the professor and was told that that A-paper had only one sentence, "Dear professor, if there's only one hour for me to live, I'm gonna attend your class."

He began the class by way of this funny joke (the end of the joke is at the bottom of this blog). But seriously, the question made me think a lot. I've come across many similar questions like this before, such as "what are you gonna do if there's only one day in the world?" Each person will come up with different answers and some of them may be very brilliant. For me, I don't care whether it's brilliant or ambitious, I just want to spend the one day or hour with my parents, happily. Maybe this day or hour is probably like any day we have stayed together, because I always think that any day with my parents are worth remembering and reliving. If it were a day, it would start with a delicious breakfast cooked by Mom and we would go to amusement park or zoo, I think, 'cause I never went to these places with them in my memory. And then we would have a big lunch in a restaurant and spend the afternoon in another place. I don't care what kind of place it is, any where there are my parents and me. I think we would end this day with a great and fabulous dinner, come home and watch TV. Many people may think that the last moment would be so important that it can't be spent so naturally, but I want to spend the last moment as usual, as I've spent the every moment with my parents. So it seems that there's no end at all.

End the sentimental feelings, haha. The end of the joke was that the professor came to that student and asked her why she wanted to spend the last hour having his class. Then she said, "prefessor, having your class always seems to me like an eternity!" :)

In the afternoon we went to Allen Poe Museum, which was the residence of a great poet, Allen Poe. I'm not very familiar with him before and only know that many of his works are quite great. Through this trip I know that he was born in Boston and died in Baltimore. His times was around early 19th century and one of his masterpiece was The Raven. His house was quite simple and hardly furnished, so I guessed that he must lead a hard time during his days. I also saw the model of Richmond during the 19th century which contained the State Capitol, Poe's house, St. John's Church and the Executive Mansion. Some of the places banned picture-taking, so I only shot a few which were allowed.

the model of Alan Poe

There was also a live concert there, which was wonderful. They played the old-fashioned instruments and sang a few interesting songs which made the crowd laugh a lot. Watching them playing, I felt that I was living in the ancient times.

This weekend was family visit. I went to Eric's parents' house, along with Grace and Danwei. Eric was very considerate and he made a full-fledged plan for this weekend. We three were really lucky. :)

We stayed at his parents' house which was situated in the forest. It was amazing to live there 'cause it seemed that the whole land belonged to me. The house wasn't large but full of warmth and the sense of family.

During the whole weekend, we had been to a lot of places. On Saturday morning, we went to pick peaches, where we also met Jay and several students from Fudan. It was the second time for me to pick fruits in the garden. First time was in China, in a cherry garden. I didn't pick many, but I indeed enjoyed staying there except for those fruit flies which really annoyed us. In the afternoon, we went to University of Virginia, which was a great university founded by Thomas Jefferson. I had heard of it before, but I never thought that it would be so beautiful. How wonderful it is if I can study there someday! On Sunday morning, we went to a Catholic church situated in UVA. They held a Mass there. I really couldn't describe how sacred it was to be in there. It was just amazing. There were many children there which surprised me a lot, some of whom were less than one-year old. For the first time I realized that how powerful religion could be. Then we went to the downtown of Charlottesville, where there were many shops selling books and antiques. shortly after that we went to the lake to join with other students. There are lots of very similar lakes in China, but I felt it different there. The place was different, time was different and the people whom I hung out with were also different. It was really pretty and tranquil.

During the whole visit, Eric was extremely nice and helpful. He cooked breakfasts and dinners for us and took us to see some of his friends. We also went to a party during which he grilled corns, vegetables and steaks for all of us. He was so busy that he himself had no time to taste them. The food was indescribably amazing. He must be very tired, but he never complained about anything.

This trip was one of the most wonderful experiences that I've ever had. I got to know the Americans more, as well as their culture and views.

Today we went to Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's home. "Monticello" was an Italian word which meant "little mount".

The whole place was preserved very well, with trees, grasslands and flowers everywhere. I shot lots of pictures there. No matter where I pointed my camera to, it was always a beautiful photo. There was a gift shop there, where there were many cards, books, gadgets about Jefferson and his house. There was one photo frame catching my eyes, on which it said "I can't live without books.--Thomas Jefferson". Every one who is great and respectful in the world deserves his high reputation 'cause he makes the numerous efforts that other people can't imagine.

With the help of the tour guide, a very friendly and nice lady, we visited his house. We could see his interest and knowledge of architecture through every detail of a specif design and layout of the house. He stressed the importance of Indian tribes so he put the tools and paintings on the wall of the hall, which would first came into sight when you enter. There were also photos of people whom were considered the most greatest ones in Jefferson's eyes; they were Franklin Bacon, Newton and John Lock. He also paid attention to the warmth and light of the house, so he changed the size and shape of the window in each room. The thing that hit me most was the books that he owned. The lady told us that the numbers of his books exceeded seven thousand and there were much more in the library of Congress, which I'd like to visit when we were in Washington, DC.

These days I've seen a lot and learned a lot. This week will be the paper week, so I gotta go and prepare for it.