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...