劳拉—Vermilion

It's getting pretty cold in DC these days, strong wind and dropping temperature, roaring autumn leaves with different colors on the streets. But when the sun comes out in the noon, it is as pleasant, relaxing and enjoyable as always. DC is definitely a beautiful city; even its beauty differs a lot from those that are famous for their views, such as Melbourne and San Francisco. I like the way DC exemplifies itself, a much broader meaning of beauty as a cosmopolitan city.

Skip the afternoon internship to spend some valuable time myself at the National Mall Park that is just 2 blocks away from Elliott School. Whenever I am amazed by how closely located we are to everything,  the words of the Dean appear again in my mind, no wonder that he emphasized so many times on the notion of "location" when we firstly entered the school. If the weather was warmer, I would rather stay there a whole afternoon instead of spending my 20+ years with a computer in the basement. Sitting by the lake side with Chet Baker singing to my ears, there is nothing else I wanted at that very moment, besides someone, no matter an old friend or a stranger, who can sit beside me and cherish how cheerful the nature warrant us. Excuse me for being as greedy as those squirrels, who steal the whole cereal bar from my chair when I tried to split the whole thing up to let more cuties enjoy a coffee break:) People walking by asked me if I am ‘the friend of squirrels”, coz these little cute creatures were running up and down on my bench and placing their little hands on my book now and then. All of the sudden, an idea hit me. It has been quite a long time , ever since I was little, and I kind of lost it somehow when I grew up, that my dream of becoming a friend of wild animals in the forest. I guess every little girl has pictured herself sitting among lovely deer, cats, dogs, rabbits, birds and squirrels, and singing to her companies. There is also a mermaid version of this story, though; and to some extend, I love the latter one moreJ

The internship at Ecological Society of America has become more and more interesting and engaging. I believe this is exactly what I want from this experience, an actual sense of being on the right track and getting things down step by step. Unavoidably, there still exists language obstacles and unfamiliarity with the terminologies Americans use in daily lives; and the fundraising process just never make itself easier for those fundraisers to get what they want until the very end, given that they are strong enough to wait in face with thousands of defeats and disappointments. However, I take this as pleasantly as it can be, simply because that I still hold onto my optimism and energetic way of life as being young and idealistic. Outcomes are hard to reach, but it never hurts to try.   

Mom wrote me an English email today. I have to say that she is an amazing lady, always surprises her daughter with her potentials in being young and energetic and doing things in a modern style. She expressed herself clearly and nicely, which further convinced me that she will be totally capable of travelling alone in an English speaking environment.

It seems that it would be quite a while before I can head back home. I guess that’s another advantage of being young and free of constraints, which allow me to handle my personal decision-making while less bothered by “consequences”. Life will reveal itself at certain point along the way, that’s what I believe in right now. Looking back to the sweet old days while heading up towards a not quite clear future, thinking less of the barriers and consequences but looking at things from its positive side, I may find the world differently. It takes efforts to do so, but the result will be highly rewarding, hopefully.

PS: Happy Halloween my dearest ones!