Greetings from Carol

It was great to join your class this morning and to hear your thoughts on the topic of The Environment. It's always rewarding to listen to good minds at work - cording first impressions, reflecting on situations, listening to others' thoughts, rethinking one's own ideas...It's a very exciting process. Hope the field trip to the wetlands was valuable.

I am certainly looking forward to our time together on Thursday, July 22 from 9:00 to noon. Our discussion is about Immigration and Diversity. I know you are very busy, but here is what I would like you to do before our class:
JOURNAL REFLECTION
1. Before coming to the U.S., what was your mental picture of the typical American? What is the source of that image? movies, news, Internet, blogs, meeting Americans in China...??

2. Now that you've been in the U.S. for a week, has that mental picture of the typical American changed? In what way?

3. Think about all the Americans you've met so far during the WUSIEP, 2010. In what ways are they alike? In what ways are they different?

Anybody here ~~?

Wow , one year already . Don't know if anyone would be still around here ,but I want to come back here and pick up some old memories . We had dinner with Rick and Alyssa last night . It was so great to see them again. And we do miss you guys who stayed in US for the summer program in OSU. Too bad we can't steal you from the new group ~ ha ~Wish you have a great summer ~ and don't forget us ~

Wow

I knew you'd be able to figure something out, so I came back around to check how long it would take. Not long at all, it turns out.
It's been great getting e-mail from all of you since I was forced to leave on that sad day in Princeton. I've been teaching the new class here--it's going well-- and I bought a house. I move into the new house in late September, so that's an exciting new development. Also exciting and new is that Alyssa Francis will be moving here at the end of the month. I think that driving the van for you all was practice for me to drive a moving van for her. I am very lucky to have her to help me with the house--she has excellent taste. The last exciting development is that she and I will go to Spain for a little vacation between her moving here and the new house. Things will be very busy.

Big Mike left for Minnesota yesterday and he'll be in Australia by next Tuesday. We had dinner over at Mrs. Eckhart's house the night before he left--you all met her at the Rock-n-Roll lunch. She made us spicy Chinese cabbage and it made us think of you. We talked for a while about how much fun your visit had been and all the things we learned from our time with you. I think it's safe to say on Mike's behalf, and my own, that we're very grateful to know you all.

I look forward to reading about your further adventures in and out of China. I've noticed that the weather in Wuhan hasn't been very hot--the cool Ohio summer followed you home. Take care and keep in touch.

blog again~!

finally we find a way to log in to all the website that blocked by Chinese government.writting in this blog can remind me of those happy hours in US,and those people who i loved so much in US.Let's keep in touch,and never stop posting on this blog.

Finally~~~

As our chairman Mao said, no difficulty is difficult facing the determination of people.Finally we successfully run away from our government's traffic analysis and open this blog again, marvelous! , ahahahaha~~~It feels like all the joyful days haven't elapsed. How I want to have a re-Jul!

!!!!

Finally found a way to open the blog in China . It feels soooooooooooooooooo good . All wonderful memories flash back , though they never fade away ~ Missing you !

To send my wish and thankfulness from Morrison Tower-----Jennifer(Yin Ran)

Several days have passed, I met new people in Morrison Tower, experienced many new things at OSU, yet I still miss the days with you all in OSU. When I saw the words everyone said in this blog, I do have the impulse to write something down for all of you. Every exciting and moving footage you created in OSU formed a wonderful film, which always gets into my head when I was alone, which makes me do not feel lonely. I miss the delicious food in Hans family, I miss the special rock and roll, I miss the moving scene at farewell party, and I missed the smiles and tears the members of my group had given to me when they were going to leave. Also I want to express my thankfulness. Thank you Mike, for that you have to arrange my housing when you have too many things to deal with; thank you Rick, for that you praised my initiative and your support. And thank you my lovely teachers, Lily, Ms. Zhang Fang and Dr. Fang Ming, for the special concerns you've given to me. Thank you Hans, Pete, Susie, Pro. Li....everyone who helped me. I also want to give my special wishes to Grace, Sylvia, Tanya, Shirley and Elijah, the days with you guys will always kept in my heart. And also Robert and Leo, see you next semester. Finally, my best wishes to all of the members of Ohio group, wishing you happy all the time.

Time to say goodbye

Time just flies and humans just keep on moving,as people always say.Several days have passed since the last time I wrote the blog because I haven't got a notebook with myself in this trip .Yet I am always paying attention to everyday's new text.No doubt,there is no need to describe all the exciting stuffs we have.Every thing just happened under the sun of this summer ,somebody laughed,somebody cried;somebody left ,somebody attended.Whatever ,the trip really made this summer to be one of my best holidays during my lifelong time, I just want to say "thank you" to all of you guys 'cause you gave me such a fantastic summer,it's so nice that all the joyful days are even beyond my imagation!
I can hardly believe that I gonna say goodbye to this magic land of American ,to all the lovely people I've met .It's kind of complex feelings...I remeber all the
beautiful days we have.All the joy and fun just seem to be happened in yesterday, while I still feel we have already spent two months together. 24hours and 7days, this July is full of remarkable day and nights. The time we have to say goodbye is
getting closer by every seconds and I am staying up to write down these emotions .I wish we won't have to face that sadly moment when everybody start to sing a song of memory.

It is hard to say goodbye

Time flies.Cooking out in OSU happened almost twenty days ago but feels like yesterday.Tomorrow we are going to be on a plane to China!I am sure none of us wants to go back.Althougt twenty one days are not a long time,we founded a great friendship with all the teachers who took care of us in US.The last week we spent in DC and NYC,those are amazing cities but I cannot stop thinking about Columbus and OSU.I am already start missing it!Compare to NYC and DC,Columbus is different .I felt comfortable and relaxing while I was there but in the other two cities I felt tense and pressure easily.I thougt I would love NYC more and anything cities but clearly I was wrong.I love Columbus more than any other cities,espeacially the people there.Mike,Rick,Pete,Hans,Suzie...Thank you for taking such good care of us.Because of you guys we had a wonderful trip.I love you guys sooooo much!!Mike,I will always remember your charming voice and great music.Rick,I will always remember your funny jokes.Suzie ,I can never forget your warm smile.Hans,you were a wonderful and cute friend!
It is really hard to say goodbye to all these happy experiences.I wish I have superpower that can freeze the time,then we would never need to say good bye to each other!I am reaaly looking forward to see you again next summer Mike,Pete,Rick,Hans.Once again,I love you guys and will always miss you people!

The New York City

It’s hard to fall in love with a city like New York City. Standing between those tall skyscrapers covered with metal, it’s kind of nervous. People in NYC are always in a hurry. It’s really repressive when you walk along the crowded street. In Columbus, things are different. You won’t see a lot of people except for some important holidays or games. The city seems like always quiet, leisurely and carefree. The shops close earlier, people seems friendlier because when you are in trouble they will stop and try to help. New York is different, people are busy doing their own business, and sometimes can hardly notice what you are doing.
But it is also hard to hate a city like New York City. Watching a Broadway show is amazing, seeing the great night scenes is fantastic. New York is such a prosperous city that you can see almost every modern thing happen in this city. I can easily imagine the excitement when the immigrants see the Statue of Liberty. It’s a country of fairness and justice.

Thinking of You

Hello, friends! I just wanted to thank you for letting me tag along to Philadelphia last weekend...and for coming to visit Princeton. You were all so much fun to hang out with! After you left to go to New York, Pete and I talked and talked about what wonderful people you were. Your spirit and humor and cleverness made me feel young again! I'm looking forward to reading your blog posts about the rest of your trip, and I hope I can see many of you again next summer in Wuhan.

P.S. Good luck to all of you who are studying for the TOEFL, TOEIC, or GRE. I'm rooting for you!

A happy day in Washington D.C.-----margret

I'm sorry that my blog comes late ,I felt a litte tired these days , so I'll write this today.
Yesterday we had a busy but wonderful day in Washington D.C .We went to a lot of famous places. I 'm very excited .In the morning ,our group went to the American history museum ,I think it's pretty interesting ,especially the First Ladies Room. It shows the beautiful clothes of all the american first ladies. Some of them are very funny ,and some of them are very elegant.Some of the first ladies are very generous ,they selled their dresses to make money for the poverty.Our leader is Pete,he is very knowledgeable and he explained a lot to us ,that's great !
Another place impressed me a lot is the Vietnam War Monument . I think it’s very meaningful ,it writes all the names that sacrificed in the Vietnam war,it goes down and down until you can only see the monument , all in you eyes are the names on the wall , I felt deeply sad during the visit, many people are here searching for their family members ,and some copy the name of their relatives .The war is so cruel, no matter who wins ,a lot of people will lose their life and a lot of families will be separated.There are also some letters put there ,some are from children ,they wrote to their grandpa ,wrote to the war ,it’s heartbroken when I saw them . The war has ended for many years ,but the sorrow it left to thousands of families maybe there after generation and generation. So let’s pray for the soldiers and wish for the peace !
I really learned a lot today ! And I think that I have more knowlegeable about American history!



Margret
Ai Ruoqiao

I will miss you, Susie!

Our time in Ohio state is limited, but our memory will be continued forever, and I hope this will not be the last experience in Ohio state.
Yesterday we leave for Washington D.C, Mike, Pete, Rick, Ming, and Hans go together with us, but unfortunately, Susie stays in Columbus. What a pity! Charming lovely smile, warm friendly heart, young energetic attitude, yes, that is Susie, who is surely one of the most respected and favored teachers in our Wuhan-Ohio summer program. I cannot forget Susie’s patience of making reservations for each of us, in order to give us the chance to take our major lessons or chatting with professors in our interested fields. Even in the heavy rain weather, she brought us to the certain departments and introduced us to the professors one by one with his symbolic smile on her face always. I also cannot forget the moment she with tears down her face in the farewell party, sentimental and kindness like our grandmother, all of us will miss you!
I have heard that Susie would probably go to Wuhan next summer; it is highly possible that I would be in Wuhan at that time. If the case is true，if I can be the host to guide Susie around, it would be more than pleased.

Church trip

I apologize for not being able to post this article earlier ....I should have done this two days ago ....
We arrived in Washington D.C yesterday . It was not easy to leave Columbas . I really loved that city and the campus . One of my deepest regrets is that I didn't get a chance to take photos of all those beautiful buildings on campus . Everyday I thought we still had lots of time . However , time flies .....
I was planning to say something about the church visit a few days ago . I don't believe in religions . However , that was not the first time I entered a church . When I was in Wuhan , one day after my Toefl class,my friend and I went into a church nearby out of curiosity . Nevertheless, that was not a happy experience ...Maybe that was because the religion was not rooted in China . It lacked the cultural atmosphere , or whatever . We ended up "ran out of the church .." . The trip to the church in the neighbourhood the other day in OSU was totally different . My first impression was " HOLY" . Anyway , it should be my first official church experience . I couldn't help being respectful . I liked it when those children sang and danced on the stage . I liked it when people stood up and sang the hymn . I liked it when after the service , people came by and said hello to us , and showed their welcomes . I liked it when I talked to some native people and asked questions about the church , they were eager to give me answers . All of these made the trip more sacred and unforgetful .
In my opinion , religion is all about faith and it is always connected to charity . In one word , something wonderful . I don't blame my church trip in China , during which I didn't feel very good . As I said , it is a matter of cultural background . I'm happy I was able to have such an experience here

Washington shining in the dark

The trip today is just like our wonderful 14 days in Columbus. Everything is different, every minute is special and unique, we never know what will happen next, who we will meet next. We hanging around, in the days filling with amazing stuff. Like Alice in Wonderland.

We got on the bus, had nice dreams, opened our eyes, everything became different.

Though because of the lightening, we didn’t have chance to go up to the Washington Monument. I did find some scene probably hard for most of the people visiting here can’t.

As Rick told us, it is forbidden to build any architecture higher than the Washington Monument. So the skyline was really low, especially in this cloudy day, I felt orange cloud was just above my head, and lightening is beside me. Even I was grow up in coastal city and thunder lighting in summer is as usual as sunshine, I still felt afraid!! It’s so near, like I was in the sky!

Monument was partially wet by rain drops. Rain felt down from the top infiltrate in the stone, showing us another aspect, like a shining star in the dark. Feeling of respect suddenly came up to my mind.

This is our first day in Washington D.C. ^^We are happy touring, with missing other teachers: Susie,Carol,Charles...thank you for giving us such a nice stay in Columbus.

Memory forever~

How can I say goodbye to Ohio?It's hard,really……

It has been two weeks since we arrived in Ohio.We went to the zoo here,had classes here,went shopping here.We have had so much fun here...

This morning,when we have to say goodbye to this place,say goodbye to Minru Li and say goodbye to Jennifer,my feeling was hard to say.I am a girl who rarely shed tears.And this time,I didn't cry.It's not because I have no feeling,but that I want you to see my smile every day.We played,laughed and had fun here.Even if we are to leave here,our happiness must continue.

Today,on the bus to Washington,I could still remember the day we went to the zoo.I could still remember the day we went to see Ice Age 3 with Michael and Carol.I could still remember the day we went rock climbing.I could still remember we played baseball with Pete,Hans and other group members and enjoyed ourselves so much......

Although we have left Ohio and so many kind people in OSU,our memories in Ohio will last forever,never washed away by time.

Here,in Washington,and the following Philadelphia,New York,our journey will carry on.I really hope all of us will enjoy the rest of our trip and have a wonderful memory in the USA!

It is not the end yet

Today is the first day that we arrived in Washington DC.It took us 8 hours to get here.Last night we had a awesome and emotional farewell party,it was really hard for most of us to say goodbye to all those lovely ,wonderful people who gave us a lot of help during our staying in OSU.Because of them,this trip to US became even more than perfect,they made us feel like home.
Yesterday the weather was horrible ,so is today,it was rainy all day long.I took this as a sign that even god doesn't want us to leave OSU.Sitting on the bus today,I didn't feel as excited as I pictured before.Part of me is missing,felt like it was left in OSU,the place that I love and will always remember.Two weeks were too short,at least to me.I'm not ready to leave yet.
Even though we only had a short visit to DC,it is a unique and morden city,but i still love Columbus more,it always gave me a peaceful feeling.I sincerely hope that one day I can manage to come back again and hear Mike sing his song again(By the way,Mike ,you rock~!Big fan of your music).Until then the end of this trip is not a farewell for me yet.It is more like a biginning.

***Until we meet again***

As I write this, you are all on the bus on your way to Washington DC and to more adventures! My husband Michael and I want to let all of you know what a joy it was to share time, although it was just a little, with you while you were here at OSU. To feel your enthusiasm, witness your eagerness to participate, and to talk to you and read your reflections about life in America in the blog have been a real privilege. I know we didn't get to talk to all of you, but we wish all of you well and know for certain that your futures will be bright. Hopefully our paths will cross again.

When my group of American teachers left Wuhan after teaching the summer of 2007, we sang (or let me say, we tried, as I didn't know the Chinese), "ming yue ji shi you..." (I don't even know the title, but these were the first words of the song and I believe it was about no matter where we are in the world, we can look up in the sky and share the same moon.... !) And I'd like to add, the same stars...and each one of you is one of those intensely brilliant Stars. ********************************************

Peace and Love,
Carol and Michael

I LOVE SPORTS

Since I was a child, sports filled my life. Maybe not specific kinds of sports, but just to run and jump with my other friends in the yard. I used to like playing games outside my home and just act like a boy until I went to high school. Because of the stress of study ,I had less time to do sports.
I was really excited when I heart that The Ohio University had a huge gymnasium with a large swimming pool in it. Even though I was not very good at swimming ,I still felt curious about it. So I went to swim on Tuesday afternoon with my friends. It was really amazing! I had never seen such a beautiful swimming pool before .It was not only had completed equipment but also clean and tidy. We enjoyed ourselves until dinner time. That was really an unforgettable experience for me .
Baseball was the “National Pastime” of the United States much like ping pong is the national game of China . Playing baseball or watching baseball games were excellent way to teach citizens about the values of American culture. Peter led us to play baseball on the oval three times. I began to understand why American people were so interested in this game. Baseball needed hard work, persistence, individual, teamwork, patience, and the most important was that everyone in this game had an equal chance. I never played baseball before but now I began to love it. The rule of this game was easy to understand but if you wanted to be a nice player, you should be skillful. In order to let us know more about the United State’s culture, we got a chance to watch a real baseball game at yesterday night. I felt lucky and enjoyable especially when I got the cheap and delicious hot dog. I was sure that we would play baseball together again after we went back to China.
Beside the gymnasium , there were some tennis courts where I played tennis with my friends last night. I have seen the cartoon “Tennis Prince ” before but I nearly know little about tennis. I played this just for fun .I’d like to say sorry to Eddy and Brilliant because they had to pick up the balls which I beat far way from our court. Maybe I made them feel tired and had less time to enjoy themselves. But I really felt wonderful not only because I had a strong interest in tennis but also because we could play together and talk about our lives together.
I did love sports. Since I entered the college, I spent too much time on my computer and television. In future, I’d like to devote much time into sports. Maybe the most important reason was that doing sports could keep fit and keep weight.

FREEDOM

a few days ago we had a visit to the museum of black people liberity.i learnt a lot about the struggle of black people in America.Ohio was a state of freedom.lots of black people ran to Ohio from other south states.and many people in Ohio helped the black escape to Canada so that they may achieve freedom.some of them died from the fights against the owner of slaves in the southern part of America.so these people are memorised by both black people and white people today.recently i've made a friend who is a black people.he is a kind and funny guy.i do not think there is anything to stop me getting along with him and we enjoy talking,eating and playing with each other.now in Amerecan black people have got freedom and respect.more and more white people start to accept the totally different color of skin yet there are a small group of people do not like black people.maybe there is something else seperating them away.but i believe one day all human beings will be wise enough to accept other different peoples so that we can be a huge sweet family in the earth called humans.