green green, grass of home!

 

 

Green Green Grass Of Home

Tom Jones

 

The old home town looks the same,

As I step down from the train

And there to meet me is my mamma and my poppa

Down the road I look, and there runs Mary,

Hair of gold and lips like cherries,

It's good to touch the green, green grass of home

Yes, they'll all come to meet me, Arms areaching, smiling sweetly,

It's good to touch the green, green grass of home

The old house is still standing,Though the paint is cracked and dry

And there's that old oak tree, That I used to play on.

Down the lane I'll walk with my sweet Mary,

Hair of gold and lips like cherries

It's good to touch the green, green grass of home.

Then I awake and look around me,

At the four gray walls that surround me,

And I realize .Yes I was only dreaming,

For there's a guard and a sad old padre,

Arm in arm we'll walk at daybreak,

Again I'll touch the green green grass of home

Yes they'll all come to see me in the shade of that old oak tree

As they lay me neath the green green grass of home

The Dancing Ladies!

On Tuesday, Siggy and Carrie gave us one impressive class: dancing class. In my mind, perhaps it should the privilege of the ladies to perform. Performance in this aspect is never my speciality. To be true, the Chinese dance taught by Jane was really, really beautiful. It was typical Chinese style.

 

Dance is  supposed to be the body language narrating a beautiful story whithout any words.  This kind of artistic form plays an importan role in human's history. It is a sparkling star enriching human's boring life, relaxing the busy people's spirit and providing people one more form to narrate their story in life. 

Generally, Chinese dance is greatly different from the western style. Most of Chinese dances are very gentl and soft. Their thythm is slow, so they are more suitable for the ladies to perform. The posture of Chinese dance is usually gentle and soft, which demonstrates that Chinese are most of the time very implicit. For a long time, Chinese recognize that it is an essential quiality. To some extent, Chinese characteristics has decide the style of Chinese dance.

 

 

 

On the contrary, Western style or American style is often exciting or open, which is also morrioring the open characteristics of Westerns.





I will miss you, Yale!

Very quietly I take my leave

As quietly as I came here;

Quietly I wave good-bye

To the rosy clouds in the western sky.

 

The golden willows by the riverside

Are young brides in the setting sun;

Their reflections on the shimmering waves

Always linger in the depth of my heart.

 

The floatingheart growing in the sludge

Sways leisurely under the water;

In the gentle waves of Yale

I would be a water plant!

 

That pool under the shade of elm trees

Holds not water but the rainbow from the sky;

Shattered to pieces among the duckweeds

Is the sediment of a rainbow-like dream?

 

To seek a dream? Just to pole a boat upstream

To where the green grass is more verdant;

Or to have the boat fully loaded with starlight

And sing aloud in the splendour of starlight.

 

But I cannot sing aloud

Quietness is my farewell music;

Even summer insects keep silence for me

Silent is Yale tonight!

 

Very quietly I take my leave

As quietly as I came here;

Gently I flick my sleeves

Not even a wisp of cloud will I bring away

 

 

Revised from Xu Zhimo

Church in New Haven

On Sunday morning, my frieds and I were determined to observe the local religious activities in the church. As for our Chinese, this kind of religious activities are always myterious and weird, since they are nnor poprlar and far from our real lives.

 

For a long time, we had discovered one point that the building of church and library were always the most beautiful ones. Friends assumed that this point just demonstrated that God (religion) and book (knowledge) were the most essential elements and thus were shown sufficient respect all the time.

 

ceiling of the church

 

In the church, the priest smiled to everyone. Although there were few belivers in the church, the staff had prepared all the work well and exhibited their respectable attitude and spirit in the whole procedure. what immpressed me most was the holly songs in the church. The solo and chorus seemed to lead all the people to have a shower in the heaven. In westerners' mind, Chinese don't have any regious faith. It is not true. Generally speaking, there are three types of faithes in China: Confucius, Buddism and Taoism. Compared to Christianity, in China there are fewer public  and open religious activities which are organized by some regious organizations or committees.

 

 

the most poppular instrument in church: organ

 





To love or to hate, it is a question! ——New York Trip

Last Friday, Yale administrator organized all the participants of summer session to have a one-day trip to New York. As for me, it was not an unacquainted city. My flight ever landed at JFK ariport and it gave me a chance to have a quick look around it, one of the biggest city in the world.

 Like most big cities in the world, I just felt oppressed in the New York. Nobody can taste the peace in this city, since the streets were crowed of inhabitants and tourists all the time. The skyscrapers, luxurious shops and passers-by in hurry were always stamp one feeling: this was not a city belonging to you.

Undoubtedly, I hate it.

 

 

However, it is surely a city beloved by immumerous people. We are so acquainted with it. What we had seen in the city were never strange in my eyes, because they had appeared in many American movies. Its aethetics and charm had conquered a many people who were eager to settle down to pursue theri dream. In another word, it had provided chances to all the people, no matter who you are, what color you are, what gendre you are, to pursue and fianally find their pursuits.

 

How great it is!

 

Of course, I love it!

 



 

Rejuvenile!

Thanks to both of the universities. They give us the chance to refresh and rejuvenile! The short term life in Yale brought us back to the campus life, reviewing the journey we have taken in the past years. As teachers, we never moved out of the campus, but we have keep aloof from it, since youth is far away from us.

Say goodbye to youth

 

 

Most of the time, we are much envious of the young, who always seem to possess the eternal energy, power, passion and courage to act, to pursue, to love, to explore and to enrich their lives in any ways. Life seems to have transformed us to be the cowards to face it bravely, thus it is common to see that we are hesitating, discouraging, giving up. We need to ponder, to wake up and to catch the tail of the youth.  So here, you see we are excited, passionate, energetic in reading, working, observing, just like the new born babies.

we can still fly

 

It is fortunate for us that we have not lost the wing of curiosity, which always provide us with the endless power to explore a new world;We are still holding the purity of youth to meditate in the world; We have not lost our way to the truth and terminal of life; We still hold the hope to be on the way.

 

ont the way

 

Whether 60 or 16, there is in every human being's heart the lure of wonder, the unfailing childlike appetite of what's next and the joy of the game of living. In the center of our heart there is a wireless station: so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, courage and power from men and from the infinite, so long as we hold the faith of youth

we hold the faith: we are still young

Chinese Dishes!

Very glad to have lunch with our beloved instructors!

I am the chef that day. As we all know, Chinese are very famous for their  hospitability. As the saying goes, "Is it not a delight after all to have friends come from afar ?" It tells the truth that Chinese are always trying to make their friends joyful when their friends come to visit them regardly of their shabby houses and bad living conditions. Thus, we tried our best to cook the typical Chinese dishes, which are fresh to the instructors.

 

Carrie, Siggy and us

 

While, in America to have  authentic Chinese dishes means a luxurious thing. To be true, no persons can have a chance to taste authentic Chinese dishes although there are so many Chinese restaurants here and there. According to reports and investigation, most of the bosses and chef come from the south of China, especially Guangdong province and Fujian Province. The dishes form these chef are never enough to represent the flavor of Chinese. Thus, most Americans, especially those who have no chance to go to China, have mistaken the dishes of Chaozhou, a small in Guangdong province for the typical Chiese dishes.

 

In China, there are 8 schools of  regional cuisines, including cuisines in Hunan, Shandong, Jiangsu, Guangdong, Sichuang, Zhejiang, Fujian and Anhui respectively, which always exhibit completely different sytles and traits. In South of China, rice is the main food, while in North of China is the cooked wheaten food. Both of them possess such a long history that no one can narrate clearly in a few words.

 

 

fruit and dumplin

 

dishes cooked by my friends and me

 

we love dumplin!!

 

 



Gifts to Families

This night, father called me that I should remember to buy some gifts and souvenirs for my families, including my nephews, elder sister and brother and others. Except for that, he mentioned that my mother and him did not need anything. That is always what my father will always say to me when I was ready to go back to see them. I understand that it is the typical Chinese style. More accurately, that is always the Chinese parents' typical idea, especially for those who have supported a big familly in the past. They will always expect that the sons and daughters could live a happy lives and they can build up and keep a close relationship, regaless of themseves. To some extent, kinship seems to be playing a more important role  in China than in the West. Actually, gifts are not important. However, the gifts and souvenirs for the families will often demonstrate the close connection between the families, which can never be neglected or even abolished in Chinese people's mind. Forgive the crazy Chinese shoppers in America, what they are doing actually means more than buying goods.

 

Outlets in Clinton, the shopping heaven for the crazy shoppers

Hello, Mr. Mark Twain!

Frankly speaking, I am not a man who is interested in English litereature. I confess that it is a shame for me to say in this way, since my job is to teach English, in which literary works are the inevitable parts. Anyway, I want to show my gratitute to Carrie and Anne, who have give us the chance to visit the house of Mark Twain, one of the most important novelists in the history of America.

Usually, in people's mind, it is a little difficult for the novelist to surpport their life if they only live on writing. Everybody want to live a rich life, but it seems to be much harder for the literati, including the poets, palywrights and novelists, such as Balzac, Joyce, Shelley in the western society and Wu Cheng‘en, Wu Jingzi and other famous Chinese novelists and poets. We always wonder that when facing poverty what is the motivation for them to work on. Perhaps the motivation is just rooted in the spiritual power brought by writing. They lived a poor and unfavorable life, which offered them the resources and inspiration to move on in the field.

Among them, Mark Twain, the pen name of Samuel Longhorne Clemens is a special one. Supporting the life is never a problem for him. In his whole life, he was always living a rich life, which testified that the man was not only gifted in writing, but also in earning money. Of course, his family (accurately, his wife's family) contributed much to this point. His splendid house and considerable expense on food was, is and will be rare among the writers.

Library? No, the Holly Land!

Recently, I started to visit some of the libraries in Yale. For most of Chinese students and teachers, after coming to the foreign universities, one the most important tasks is to find some useful and rare references in their libraries. It does not mean that there are less books in our country. We have to admit that Americans' academic researches in many fields are leading the development tendency around the world. As a reason, the shcolars and universities here alwasy possess more resources than other countries.

 

Library in Central South University

 

Library in Central South University

 

With the swift development, China has changed greatly, not only the daily, but also the scientific research. More and more professors and scholars are frquently connecting the foreign counterparts in order to keep the same step with the world. Thus, acording to my experiences, resouces in our library can completely meet the need of research.

 

What I want to say is the common point in  China and America. Generally, students and terchers will discover that libraries are the most prominent and  magnificent building in the universities. It indicates that people have the same attitude to knowledge, which will receive the highest respect from people. As a Chinese motto goes, "knowledge has the power to change one's fate." Yes, it is true. I believe all of us will admit that even our human being's fate has, is and will be altered by knowledge. Library, as we can see from the pictures, is the holly land providing people with endless streams of knowledge.

 

 

 

the ceiling of Sterling Memorial Library (1)

the ceiling of Sterling Memorial Library (2)

                                                                               

 

Beinecke rare book and manuscript library
 

 

 





Field Trip to Thimble Island

For all the students participating in the summer session in Yale, Friday is alway like a great holidy. The School will organize various activities or parties in order to relax them and offer more chance for them to observe closely the American culture and appreciate the natural landscape. For last Friday on July 11，a funny trip to Thimble Island round New Haven was organized by Yale. For all the students, including us, it is a feast to the eyes.

 

crystal-like bule sky

 

Fortunately, it is sunny. For the people who rarely have the chance to see the sea, the sea is always mysterious and full of charm. Even the persons on the beach can arouse our great interest. "Bathing in the strong sunlight will hurt and darken the skin." That is the general idea in my country. For this reason, it is very common for people to go out with one umbrella "But why there are so many people lying on the beach to enjoy the sunshine." In Americans' mind, the dark skin means you are heathier.What a sharp contrast it is!

 

 



 



The calm and broad sea looks like a graceful lady, who has attracted all the people to cheer up. The sprite-like waves are dancing in the sunshine. We seemed to step into the world of The Midsummer Night‘s Dream writtern by Shakespear. All the islands, scattering on the sea, are like the twinkling stars in the sky. With a long history, they are likely to narrate the touching story speechlessly.

Study Break Night

It's the first for me to hear the term "study break". Usually, we will think that the break of the study is onlu controlled and arranged by the students themselves. Therefore, it is a fresh topic for our Chinese teachers and studetns. It will be a very funny phenomenon if it is a regular arrangement in Yale. Anyway, it has mirriored that how considerate the school is. All the time, for the instructors and administrators,what they will concern is not only the study of the students, but also their diet, their physical situation and their relaxation and recreation. In another word, the conprehensive cultivation is and should be the goal of the school, of course, not only Yale, but also all the universities around the world. To be a healthy person emotionally and physically is more essential than to receive surving skills and techniques.

 

Morris Club

 

 

The party is held in Morris club, which is next to Morse College. There we get the true sense of it: it is not only a party for students to relax. The school is wanting to offer one gathering to promote the commmunication among all the students who come from different nations and regions. This kind of international communication will be sure to benefit them much: to know more about various cultures and help them observe and adopt the difference.  To be true, anytime difference is more general than simmilarity.

 

 

Of course, all the time we should not neglect the problem of security. If you need, remember somebody is waiting to help: Police Department of Yale University



what about the price!

Recently, my roommates and I went to the supermarket near Yale. Although we have heard something about the price of commidities in U.S.A., we were still astonished by the fact there.

 

 

We were wondering how the price in U.S could be kept so low. The income level and the GDP  in US rank highly around the world, but for a long time the people are always suspecting that how this nation can keep the price of commodities low and static. Some friends in China will say that when we take the exhcange rate into account, the price in US is as high as in China. But one element should not be ignored, that is, the buying capability of money.

 

 

 

 

This topic has aroused hot discussion in my friedn circle. Some of them make fun that Americans have exploited the whole world. We all know that is not the source. Perhaps the secret lies in the better contol of the cost. But how can they succeed in doing that?

 

 

 

 



I miss you!

Before coming to Yale, my wife and I hesitated whether we should take my son with us together. I don't think a long-term separation with the parents is good to one infant. Finally, we were determind not to take him, since we were afraid that he could not adapt to the lifestyle in America.

Nearly one month has passed. I begin to miss my boy deeply. Day and night I will wonder whether he is fine or not in grandma's home, whether he can have a good sleep there, whether the food is Ok for him there...

 the naughty boy (4 years old)

In China, the relationsip between son and father is the most mysterious and wierd one. For the Chinese father, they always seem the play a speechless and negative role in educating the children. Kids will show more love to the mother. Thus, in China people will describe that son and father are the foes in last life. The war between the two men in one family seems to be inevitable. Chinese father are unwilling to speak "I love you, my son", because most of the Chinese men think love should be expressed through what you have done, rather than what you have said.

 

birthday of my boy (one year old)

 

But it is not true that Chinese father's love is not as strong as mother's. Most of the time, Chinese fathers will hold a speechless but stronger love to the kids in the family.











 

my father, my son and I

 

 

 

(2 years old)

a trip by train

"Yes, sir. 6 dorllars one person"
"to Clinton? Ok, get off the train at Westbrook and cross the overbridge to go the other side. 2 minutes later, the train to Clinton will come."

Yes, so kind he is! On the way to Clinton, we met the conductor, a warmhearted gentlman. Anytime he seemed to give you help if you need. Accasionally, one week later when we took the train again, he identified us and say "hello" to everybody. Oh, you know it is impossible for you to meet the same case. Since there are always too many passengers in the train, so that to remember one passenger is an impossibe task for one conductor.

Yes, it is true. In my country, train is one of the important transporting instruments for people's journey. Then, most of the time you will find that it is always crowded. It is believed that the whole globe has seen the report about the Spring Festival Travel in China. At that moment, everybody will know that how important the train is.

For most of Americans, cars are always the primary choice for their travel, since the interstate highway is very convenient. Thus, out of the city you will seldom see one person is walking along the road, except for the tourists like us. To be frank, taking the train becomes a kind of enjoyment.

However, there is one point that I want to say more here.  By comparison, America's railway system is not as advanced as that in China, especially with the swift developement of high-speed railway in China.

 

 railway in America      

 railway in China