Exploring

Somewhat I am still on the west coast time, 3 hours difference make quite a big deal. So far, I found out a lot of interesting things surrounding me. There is thermometer with F. & C. on top of shower nob. When you take shower, you can find out what is your comfortable shower temperature. Then, next time when you go to shower again, you can just turn to your comfort degree, really save time and water without constant testing. I found out that my comfortable temperature of shower is actually quite lower than I thought. Maybe you should check yours at home. My Jan. sublet building -- Sidney Pacific Graduate Housing website has everything. I mean everything, such as you can check your laundry room which slots open or how many still open before you go to do laundry; the shuttle tracking is so practical.

Since Dec. 31 and Jan. 1 the entire campus is closed, I was able to get my student ID on Wednesday, wondering around campus to get familiar the building locations which I will take classes in. The most crazy part was I got lost in CS building, just could find out the direction, at least I made to the destination. Then the person said "yes, computer science can be confusing, just bunch of nerds living here, you probably need a map." I looked at him, debating if I should tell him that I am one of CS too.

Today is 2009 New Year Eve. Arjun (my classmate) is so kind and considerate to classmates who are not from Boston. He initiates the class event to attend 'First Night Boston 2010'. It is such a nice idea to get to know Boston.

First we started at Hynes Convention Center by noon. Yes, it is snowing outside, so pretty! There are Sharon Kennedy's story telling, international dances, Gerwick puppets, we went one after another one. The favorite of my is African drum performance, very inspirational and festival.


Stepping out the Hynes Convention Center, there was Boston New Year Parade. We decided to walk on Boylston St. to Boston Common. It is my first time to spend quality time to be in downtown. The atmosphere was great.



There are ice sculptures around park. I was quite impressed with all these old Church/cathedral building, just beautiful architecture.




New Year celebration always has fireworks. It reminds me of Chinese New Year celebration in China.



Can you find 2010 among these frogs?



We head to Berklee Performance Center to see Anat Cohen live on WGB and NPR, nice Jazz. The organizer of First Night Boston 2010 must spend a lot of time and efforts to put all these together.

Later they went back Hynes to watch other dance and singing. I want to go to St. Paul's cathedral to see Commonwealth Shakespeare of 'A Shakespearean Cabaret', which presents a collection of funny, beautiful, touching modern and classic songs from and inspired by Shakespeare. It was a marvelous performance, the voice echoing through cathedral's ceiling, if music be the food of love, my favorites: I Feel Pretty, Tonight, and Somewhere. What a way to celebrate new year in this setting!

When we met again at Boston common, it was around 10:30p.m. The vote of going to bar and drink into the next year becomes the theme here. I back out and decided to go back my apt., still enjoying the lovely moments I have through the series of events and wanting to remember this as the way of welcoming 2010 instead of drinking. I guess I do not have those youth celebration energy here :) Plus, I really want to get over these 3 hours time difference before class starts, so I can be ready and rejuvenate for the classes. (somehow, this sounds like a quite old fashion.)

Happy New Year to you, to me, to everyone, have a wonderful blessed year of 2010!

Friends

For the past four weeks, I have overwhelmed with happiness, blessings and joys of friendship, while I prepared packing and moving to Boston. Moving to a new place and making efforts to adjust have never been concerns/issues in my mind, but organizing, packing and figuring out moving are completely different, huge pressure to me. Friends came to my place multiple times to help me pack, advice me to pass on/donate/toss out stuff I had for a while, show me what contents in what boxes... On the day of loading, I know there will be 4 people coming. By the time of getting truck into the parking lot, there were 16 men, 3 women and 2 kids here helping me. I had tears whole time, asking myself why to move, leaving all friends here and starting from scratch. One older man gave me a hug, saying "We will help you close this chapter and lift you up to next step, supporting you to go for your dream!". What could I say, any words seem like so less meaning to express my appreciation.

On 19th, we drove to Mt. Vernon storage place where a friend lets me to store my stuff for free. At lunch, these three dutch immigrants elders shared with me their immigration journeys and their life changes. What powerful statements I see them presenting to me! I feel so confident and ready for my continue journey.

Friends, I thank you for being in my life, supporting me and correcting me to let me grow and better myself. I cherish every moment we had in my heart.

Boston

At this moment, I am drinking hot locust flower and barley tea, looking through my new apt. window at MIT campus(trying to figure out the direction). It is a long day traveling, but went well. Very thankful my friends Bishop drove me up to airport at three-ish in the morning, now I am in Boston, beginning my new chapter.

The apt is small, not even reach my master bedroom size in Olympia, but furnished with everything in. I am quite happy and satisfied with the settings which are exactly what I need during my study. I have already met some of my neighbors, who are full of energy and fun to talk with.

Yes, Boston is so cold. Step out of airport waiting for taxi, I can feel the wind straight to the bone. Maybe everything is so new to me, I chatted with my taxi driver, realized that I could not understand his English at all. After trying several times, he at least knew that I need to get to MIT, which is a start. my, do I need to relearn English again here?

Co-ed

Do you know the meaning of Co-ed? Apparently, for over 11 years living in U.S., this word has never run cross any conversation or reading, but it certainly will stay in my mind after my housing search at MIT.

MIT online lottery housing required me to select options where I would like to stay, what kind of housing I prefer first, second, and so on. Due to high demand, in order to maximize the option, it is said that choose all the possible option. I did, by the end of selction option page, there is a question about if you are willing to take co-ed. I had no clue about co-ed, though something to do with Education major, which I was kind of happy since my roomate from Dordt Maria is education major. I enjoy her so much, esp. when she corrected my English and helped me to be farmiliar with curriculum. So I said yes for co-ed. until I got a notice for being select for on-campus housing, I went back the online bulletin board, seeing people complaining the co-ed guys are messy in one building, sort of odd, so I googled co-ed. goodness, I have to call graduate housing and explained that I do not know. Luckily, they assigned me to an one-bedroom apt. building, otherwise I will have a lot to explain to my family. How come they use co-ed? learning, keep learning, Charlotte!

Moving Preparation

I am very thankful to my employer's support to allow me to take leave of absence and pursue the education at MIT. Now, I began to prepare for the move. At least one thing, I made quite easy, is that I will leave all my stuff here, only two suitcases to go with me(maybe couple boxed of books). This trip is for education, definitely not a luxurious life. I should be ready.

Packing is so not fun. But my friends totally made my time joyful. Their encouragement and support are great. I will miss them and our friendship. Here, I need to complain to myself, for cumulating so much stuff. Maybe I got too comfortable with American life, even getting into materialism here. Remember in Gen 300 Class in 1999, when Dr. Lantinga explained American society's materialism in the class and how rotten it can be in our lives, I raised my hand, asking how this could apply to us since we were a bunch of frugal students, living our means, even. Her answer was meaningful and rings the bell to me now. She said that everyone feels materialism is far away, when when you realize that is happening to you, it is too late. Now, I have to admit, guilty as charged! I definitely pick up this rotten object and bring into my life. I miss my two suitcases, following my dream, the free mind. Back to my packing, just a huge cleaning and dump efforts. Even now, I still feel that I have more in the boxes than I should have to keep. I keep remind myself that I will not live this way in Boston.

As of now, I have received a few emails from SDM program. Apparently, there are a lot to prepare before the school start, beside getting a housing.

I create this blog to capture my next year and half time at MIT when I study at SDM. Please excuse my Chinglish(Chinese English) and I hope I could keep up this while I am doing my study.