When rechecking our blog,I feel like talking a little bit about how I feel about our short-term trip in the United States, which here also can be summarized as the proverb Mike taught me before , ‘When in America, do what Americans do’, coming from the old, famous saying, ‘ when in Rome, do as the Romans do’.
In my opinion, our American life experience can be detailed as four main parts, campus life, food, tourism and friendship. So here we go.
We’ve visited two great universities, Ohio State University, which we stayed a little longer, and the University of Tennessee. Both of them get beautiful campus. And personally, I like OSU's better.
Between the two universities, we traveled along passing quite a few states and big cities, like Idiana, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and Ohio and Tennessee of course. We had tasted all kinds of typical American food, and American-Chinese food, too.
NY and DC are our last two destinations. They’re fantastic!
Wherever we went, we met new guys made friends with them and had a lot of fun.
I think the true meaning of cultural exchange is to find out the biggest differences and make yourself get involved, which here equally means “when you’re in America, do what Americans do”. In this way, we need curiosity, openness and the little but necessary courage to talk to people. And sometimes we may even need to change ourselves a little bit to adapt the new environment. This is actually what we did in the US and we’ve learned pretty a lot.
Moreover， I am impressed by Matt Dixon’s words after our cute discussion about poems. He wrote that, I came away with the perception that people all around the world are the same in many aspects. I think we are all inherently good people, and we all like to have fun. Even with the language barrier we could communicate and express our genuine like for each other. I think if societies had more interaction we would see that we all have more in common than we think.
You know what, I feel almostly the same way!
All in all, I want to tell all you guys that this is a wonderful trip and thanks to it, we become a big family; thanks to it, our future won’t be the same!
And I want to express my sincerely gratitude to OSU, University of Tennessee, and Wuhan University, additionally to those people, both American and Chinese, who's been working so hard on this program to provide us this once-in-life opportunity to check out what America is really about! Thank you all! Miss you all!


Have a good day.

Silly girls

I found this short video yesterday, and found it was really funny.

It was taken by Faline when we were playing at the Smoky Mountain, we were really happy that day, too happy to act like a adult, but I think this video is very funny, hope everyone can have fun in the rest summer holiday!

PS: what we are singing at last is a very old song for little kids, something about encouraging the kids to go to school, we were really crazy that day^~^

Bob and Pete return!

Three better friends of the summer programs in Wuhan and Columbus cannot be found than in Minru (Han's dad), Bob and Pete, and Minru picked me up and we went to meet them at the airport at midnight last night. Great to see them return to Columbus!

Hope all you students are enjoying the Olympics and I hope more of you can reflect back on our time together and write some short posts. I'm working on a post about the Ohio Historical Society and our trip to the Statue of Liberty. I'm also working to edit some video from the trip and I'll be posting that soon!

Miss you all in Wuhan!

Mike

Away From Home (written by Grace)

this is grace's writing. grace was having trouble with posting, so she sent to me to try. here it is!




Every journey has its end. When the end comes, memories remain. All the beautiful memories in this trip make me feel obliged to keep it somewhere I can always recall. It is the people here making this place feel like home when I was...
Away From Home
Ellis Island, a famous tourists attraction today, has been witnessing millions of Eurpean immigrants leaving their homes, heading for the great expedition which gave birth to what is America today. Hundreds of years later, when I was standing here, I wish I could find out the stories behind them. What were they thinking when facing the unknown world? What gave them the courage?

One of my friends had a conversation with me recently about what to do after graduation. I suggested finding a job in Beijing, Shanghai or other big cities. Hearing this, she strongly opposed just because these places were “too far from home”. She might be a little too overwhelmed, but it is, undoubtedly, an important part in Chinese culture that one should stick to their homeland. This can be proven by countless poetries, novels and other Chinese literatures expressing people’s sentiment towards theirs homes, which is so strong that war, poverty, even diseases can never shake it at all.

“Home, Sweet home” is a universal term but interpreted in different ways. Many Chinese, including me, have this mindset that home is the place where you were born. While, an western saying is that “home is where you hang you heart”, which means, home is not necessarily one’s birthplace but the place where you have a sense of belonging. Under these two principles, in tough times, some people make every effort to stick to their homeland, while others, who are more adventurous, try to make a new place feel like home by speaking the language, making new friends, being a part of the community.

I have been encountering plenty of “cultural shock” this summer. What impressed me most is how the concepts and understandings of “home” in both countries differ. Such dicoveries, even though they may not be correct, help to broaden my mind and understand what a “global citizen” really is.I am very grateful for this oppotunity and hope this will not be a “once”-in-a-life-time experience.

Team China -- Dream Team: Who's that Star from OSU?

I just watched the U.S.--China basketball game as you did in real time. No big deal that Dream Team beated Yao's team with big margin.

The real big deal for me, and I guess for all of you 44 newly turned Buckeyes too, is one Dream Team guard player Michael Redd:
He was a true buckeye and the top player of The Ohio State University Men's Basketball team a few years ago. An honorable mention All-American as a junior and sophomore, Redd ended his career at Ohio State ranked fifth in career field goals made (699), fifth in career points (1,879) and seventh in steals (149).
He remains an Ohio State sports fan, though he doesn't get too excited about a top-ranked football team. "See I don't get excited with that because we're No. 1 all the time," he says. "Either that or we win a national championship. Every year, year in and year out, we're like No. 1 or No. 2. They do a terrific job of recruiting."
He was born and grew up, and still lives in Columbus. If he were not playing in Beijing now, he would be coaching many young buckeyes at his Michael Redd Basketball Camp every summer.

For me and hopefully for you, Redd (from OSU to Team USA) is a living example of "Dreaming Big, Anything is Possible".

Xu Xin, Zhang, Liu Jun, Chen Kun, Francis, Tan Cheng, ....., it was truely my pleasure to play basketball with you at OSU and U.of TN. You guys were great! You make me feel young, thank you. Can we play again if I visit Wuda?

2 ceremonies in one day

I focused myself on 2 ceremonies on Aug.8th,2008,of course one was the opening ceremony of beijing olympic,and the other was...the closing ceremony of wuhan summer program.

As i was in the wuhan program last summer,so i wanna meet some of the teacher i familiar to(Such as Bob:D),and what's more,2 of our Wuhan to Ohio program will make a presentation there,so i fancied an afternoon to it:)

the closing ceremony was began with a speech by Principal.Liu of Wuda,it was the very first time i heard him speak english,he amazed me by his good english.haha -Princepal.Liu is making a speech-

after that,Mr.Li(Hans's father)made a speech too,to express his feeling about the program and showed his thanks to many people,include some of teachers in Wuda and Hans,haha.then Principal Liu gave Mr.Li,Mr.Zhao and Bob rewards to appreciate their contribution to the program both in Wuhan and the U.S .

here comes the pictures of our sister and brothers' presentations.Helen reported what we had learn in America(the education part) and gave lots of details about what we learned from Suzy,Bill,Charles s' classes and showed a PPT with some photoes on it.interentingly,she shouted"go bucks!"at the beginning of her presentation many times and everyone followed her,:D that was so cool.haha
Sean did the cultural exchange part and reported what we enjoyed in the U.S,including watching a baseball game,seeing a movie and going to a church.he said :"personally,i like OSU better..." "O-H?" "I-O!"we responded loudly.haha,you should never worry about our Ohio loyalty,hahaha.i guess everyone remembered "go bucks"and "O-H-I-O"thing deeply in mind:D

the closing ceremony varies from dacing ,singing to poem and even yoga exhibition,that was awesome. -Don and his poetry club-
-unique yoga exhibition-
-singsing campfire songs-
-all the teachers and volunteers singing "Welcome to Beijing"-

i think the reports----- "top 10 things U.S teachers love about chinese students","top 10 things Chinese students love about U.S teachers","top 10 things Chinese students don't love about the U.S teachers",and"top 10 things the U.S teachers don't love about Chinese students and suggestions" are the highlights of the closing,the reports are fun and special,what i remenber about thoese "tops" are:

"they love China,Wuhan and Wuda,and some of them can even speak a little Chinese!"----this is the top 1 of"top 10 things Chinese students love about U.S teachers,and i have the same feeling:D

one of the"top 10 the U.S teachers don't love about Chinese students" is "you only look at the teacher(but not your classmates)during your presentation or speech(how many of you are there?!we ALL have faces and are looking at YOU) " haha...this make me think about myself...

the top 1 of it is"you say 'firstly' when you start speaking and 'that's ALL' when you finish speaking(we know when you are starting or ending,but obviously is just not very creative or interesting)"that 's also what i sometimes do,haha...i may not use these words too many times in the future.

"top 10 things Chinese students don't love about the U.S teachers" are very interesting. "their english is perfect and sometimes they just can't understand out Chinglish." "we have to look up when talking to those tall teachers and it hurts our necks!" "some teachers are so handsome or beautiful that we can't concentrate on their lessons." 'U.S teachers give us lots of cookies,candies and ice-cream that after the program,we have to go on a diet!" i just couldn't help to laugh out when hearing these things,haha.but the top 1 is "they just stay here for one month and it's time to say goodbye."hearing this, i suddenly realized how strongly friendship they built during such a short time just like we did :) still,there is no "goodbye",but "see you soon."

ps,when the closing was over,i went out and saw one of the teachers was holding an umbrella,hahaha...

after i got home,i just waited for the opening of beijing olympics,it was such a wonderful feast that worthy to remember forever:>

G4 in USA~~~

G4 in Washington DC! We just looked like rock stars in our first CD album!

Don't judge our pose, we are not in THAT group,Ok? G4 plus HUIZHU~

G4's formal performance in the genius's hug! Why is there a running guy behind us?

We are great!!!Go Buck! Go China! Go Wuda!

United Nations Security Council (UNSC) was founded just in front of the United Nations!!!!

The crazy night we had in Friday's!

G4 and plus 2 are always a famliy!!! USA~WE WILL BE BACK~~~~

Go Beijing Olympics!

Dear All:
Simple hand-shaking was my Goodbye to you in Columbus. Knowing you were in good hands of big Mike, but I was still nervous about your remaining trip to Indianapolis and Chicago. I wished I could accompany you all the way to the end just as I picked up you at the beginning 3 weeks ago. Did you see that old train station behind Crowne Plaza Indianapolis Hotel and did you swim at the beautiful pool there? Who said America did not run the train anymore!

Now, finally, I am relieved to know all of you students were safely back in Wuhan.

I have slept like a pig and have recovered in the past 3 days after I slept only 4--5 hours each day for 20 days in a row.
Dear Dorothy (Liu Chang), thank you very much for the greeting card, and I have got rid of some of my black eyeshadows. I hope you would rest well too, and I wish you the best.

Overall, we executed the program very much according to the plan, and I hope the broad range and in-depth content and activities of the program have given you students a lot to learn and experience and to reflect.

But nothing is perfect, as some students complained about: too much bus ride and waste of time (Columbus--TN, TN--NY, DC--Chicago), sometimes too much fast food particularly on the road when riding the bus, some students still felt hungry after eating the fast food, too little time at Columbia University, some students did not like and appreciate the farm visiting at all even though many liked it very much, ..... , not very organized in TNU.

I know, though we tried our best, it was almost impossible to satisfy every student's individual need on evey day. Still, I admit we could do better, and we can improve the program further in the future.

Thank you for all the trust and understanding. Have a good summer. Take care.

Go Beijing Olympics: Did I hear China Women Soccer team just beated Sweden in the opening game? I hope all the girls of this Wuda program have the courage and fighting spirit of China Women team to exercise and be healthy, and to overcome all the difficulties life may throw at you in years to come. I believe you will and you can.
After all, Life is a bitter-sweet journey (just like this 20-day trip), which you all (boys and girls) have just embarked on! Enjoy Life, not just study.

Keep in touch...... your friend, BA Lin.

Hello & Goodbye !

Only twenty days before we said hello excitedly with curiosity,
Already has been two days since we said goodbye reluctantly with sorrow.

What's in between?
mountains and oceans,
ups and downs,
once and forevers,
... ...
Time past and yesterday left.
Something is dazzling without rest.

All that between hello and goodbye,
will take me a long time to review and,
a lifetime to forget.

pizza picnic in Princeton

-pizza with model-

All the memories about the trip is still swirling on my mind,i still have so many things to post,so many photos to share with all of you.

Princeton day is one of my favourite parts during the trip,amazing buildings,ice-cream on the bus(Thank you Mike!)and pizza under the tree...it was not very hot that day,the sun was shining brightly,without air conditional,some of us chose to have pizza in the shadow of the tree.i guess it's more fun to eat sitting on the ground and it's also the best way to feel this small but wonderful town,i was totally refreshed by the air and everbody enjoyed pizza so much.It will reminds me of Prinston when i go to Pizzahut in Wuhan everytime in the future,hahaha...

There are no words to express how I feel about all of you. The words in the English language and Chinese language combined only brush the surface of the emotions I have experienced during these past two weeks. Seeing you off at the airport there was no goodbye, only "Hey, Whats up? See you soon good friends." I was not crying, I was smiling so hard that tears were squeezed out.

This is a summer I will remember for years to come.

li.738@osu.edu
iammarsh@gmail.com
qq: iammarsh@gmail.com
AIM: iamhunli
MSN: c_n_guy@hotmail.com

I will try to get on those as much as possible in order to stay in contact with all of you, and I hope you will do the same.

So Many Hours On The Bus, But Still. . .Things I Miss About the Bus

Hans, Lynda and I arrived back in Columbus tonight about 11 pm after a long ride home from Chicago. We slept a bit but also mostly talked so much about everyone who was NOT in the bus. And you know, it's all you amazing students who are right now still in the air to Korea, on your way home. I can't believe the program is over, and now that it is, I really wish it was NOT. I even miss the van driving and all the bus time!

Wow, today after we left you at the airport, the bus was so empty with just us in it. We missed the singing. We missed the jokes and laughing. The stories. The questions. The Mafia! ha ha ha, and how come the Killers always win?! The sleeping. The eating and snack breaks (wasn't that ice cream at Princeton good?!) Even the grumbling we miss! Mostly, we miss the voices, the personalities, and the great relationships we had with our friends from China, and for us three amigos coming home today, it made the trip home somewhat melancholy. But I'm so thankful for the time we had and I know it is just "see you!" and not goodbye for many of our new friends. I know that we really feel blessed to have had such a wonderful time with all of you students. We can't wait to hear from you here on the blog and in emails. I guess what I want to say just plainly is WE REALLY MISS YOU ALL. And we will continue to miss you because life is more special when our friends from China are in it.

So, travel safe, friends, and know that all of us (Ba Lin, Hans, Lynda, I) are home to Columbus safe and you are all in our thoughts and/or prayers.

No longer your Roads Scholar, but always your friend,

Mike Lohre

NY in my eyes

NYC: With whom you can’t help falling in love

Far from Columbus and just way north of Knoxville Tennessee, we finally made it here in NYC with Mike rejoining us today.

To be honest, it didn’t turned out as I imagined to be. I mean, the Statue of Liberty is not as tall and grand as I thought, the streets are so dirty that seem a little “China”, and I see much of the New York that was and will never be in the fancy movies. I had expected NYC to be the city which in the movie ‘I am Legend’ still glows as a metropolis after complete devastation.

But I must confess that New York is a city that you cannot turn your back on. From the moment I saw the bright ‘I Love NY’ T-shirt under the Statue of Liberty, to the moment that night fell on the brilliant Times Square, I must say, I LOVE NEW YORK! New York is such a city that you can list a thousand reasons that you don’t like it, but you just can’t help falling in love with it.

Next time when I get a chance to visit New York again, I wish I wouldn’t be in such a hurry to enjoy the love of this fascinating city.

Below is just a hint of the pictures we’ve taken:

I came up with this idea to do the O-H-I-O thing under the Statue of Liberty. Seems like we’ve made it unique and good-looking. Seems like we've been labeled as Ohio State already.

This is the ruins that the tragedy of September 11 left in Manhattan. With great grief and respect for the citizens of New York, I admire the courage and resolve to move on and start reconstruction.

This is THE most famous Times Square. It's most fascinating with the background of night. I've never seen more shining and impressive lights. The scene also reminded me of Spiderman fighting Green Goblin at the very place I was at.

Wise men say

Only fools rush in

But I can't help falling in love with you...

The Big Apple:NYC

Why is NYC been called "the big apple"?

Today with Shrine's help, I figure it out.It came from a old song in 1920s, which is popular in 1970s. It's ture meaning is that NYC is very complicated, contained all kinds of people and all kinds of things, just like a Mexico food which is been called "big apple".

Actually, it is complicated.

We only spend one and a half hours to walk in the street of New York city, and during that short time, I saw all kinds of people. Rich man, poor man, black/white/yellow skin, I saw someone selling bags and clothes in fake brand in the street, I saw a policeman ride on a horse, I saw a man wearing woman's suits stalking down the 8th Ave, I saw three people offering "free hug" and "free kiss" to whoever passed by, I saw some kind of stars are making MTV in the Time's Square and the fans just kept screaming.....

It's really wonderful.

Some day I'll come back here, at that time, I'll know more about NYC.

How big is the "big apple"? Next time, I'll figure it out.

Ohio--Tennesse

Since my computer always have some problems with the wireless connection, I can't post the blog for a few days. Actually, I have many stories that I want share with you, but one's time and energy is limited, so I just put some pictures on the blog, and let the pictures tell the story...

(1) TV station! Beautiful news reporter Andrula told us many things about how to made a news

(2) How is the weather like in Columbus today? I'm Miss Weather!

(3)Moving pictures of the Plizer Price in history museum.

(4)P&G!








（5）We have an wonderful speech in Tennersee
(6)Smoky Mountain! It's really great, we've arrived the top of the mountain

(7)Frank, who help us in many ways in Tennessee.