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Hi,Dear Friends
 How are you? Have you had a wonderful 2023 already?
Now, I am writing to you from Sydney, Australia. At the first, I would like to borrow the custom of American Thanksgiving Day, to thank you and all of the friends who have given me a hand.
After stopping former yearly international travel between China and the US for the Covid-19 epidemic situation for 3 years, finally, I restarted a new international travel and arrived in Sydney, Australia on Nov 20, 2023.
 There were a lot of sorry things in the past 3 years, such as forcedly stopped my regular work in 4 schools in Springfield, MO, USA for I couldn’t board an airplane since my health didn’t allow me to get a vaccination; for the same healthy reason, I missed the opportunity to study in China National Academy of Painting though I had been enrolled and had paid the tuition already; and also, I had to choose from between going to South Korea for a PhD and emigrating to Australia.
 However, I had also gained something very important in the passed 3 years. The biggest gain was that I got a degree of MFA – Master of Fine Arts from Chinese National Academy of Arts in July, 2021. I got an opportunity to accompany my elder father in the hospital and taught him to set up 2 new hobbies – Painting and Calligraphy Nov, 2020--Nov, 2023 and I invested in a new Gate Ball Court for those elders and him in their nursing home in July, 2023. Meanwhile, no matter what’s happened, as long as I could, I kept painting and writing calligraphy while I have been studied in two art schools successively since Sep, 2021 until I left for the airport ( Sorry for being too busy to upload my more than 120 pictures online yet. Anyway, it may be a good thing that can give you and my friends and students a surprise some day),
 Therefore, as soon as I opted to immigrate to Australia, I applied to take part in a doctoral project in Sydney University, even though they answered me their “Admission had been full” in Much, 2023.
The luckiest thing: In the first six days since I arrived in Sydney, with the kind help of two of the local Chinese-Australian elites -- Mrs. Zhang Jin and Mr. Linbin, I have walked into two schools and six classrooms to visit and learn how they taught their lovely Australian students to learn Chinese culture and language with so high enthusiasm.
 To be honest, I was quite moved by their hard work, huge efforts and wonderful achievements, so that I would really like to start my new life in Australia by learning from both of them who have taught in Sydney for over 30 years and found their own school for 22 years already.
In fact, since the spring, 2014, Mrs. Zhang Jin has been my Australian Advisor. As a founder and principal of their school, she has not only rich teaching experience, but also she still keeps a childlike innocence and passion on teaching her students to learn Chinese culture and language. When I saw her teaching in her classroom, I was so touched, because she was just like a young girl who was showing her  love to the spring, a small flower or a little seed…Under her infection, the students were all passionate and learning happily.
Compared with her work, I do feel that my past work in the US has a lot that need to be improved, many of my thoughts and practices can be adjusted.
Although the focus of us is different, our purpose is same. So, I do think that I should and can learn a lot from her.
So, I would like to learn from Mrs / Procipal Zhang for 3 to 6 months, during the process to see, hear, study and think, try to find out the similarities and differences between what she and her team had done or created in Australia and  what I had done in the US and what I had thought before landing on Australia… base on a serious investigation and research, to find a most suitable connection of us, re-plan and design out a blue print for continuing my cross-culture and comprehensive art dream in Australia…
Also, I am thinking whether it is possible to re-set up a channel between Australia and the US and re-start my former jobs that has been stopped for 3 years but hasn’t be
 finished yet.
How about you? Do you have anything special to share?
Notes:
Photo 01:Although I shipped a box of Chinese painting paper
before departure and only brought a few summer clothes, I had to pay a fine of more than the tickets at two airports because of overweight two half suitcase painting tools and materials. This is my luggage was fined at Beijing Capital International Airport November 19, 2023.
Photo 02:The first Australian classroom I entered in Sydney November 23, 2023.
Photo 03:Principal Zhang Jin was teaching her Australian students to learn the word "River" in Chinese November 23, 2023.
Photo 4: A group of Australian students were walking up to their classroom November 24,2023.
Photo 5:Prinsipol Zhang was teaching her Australian students to deliver a recitation November 24,2023.
Photo 6:Principal Zhang was seeing some younger students November 24,2023.
Photo 7: A group of Australian students were learning something about Chinese astronauts landing into space November 24,2023.
Photo 8:Some students were learning a Chines Ancient Poem November 24,2023.
Photo 9:Some students were saying Bye to their teachers November 24,2023.
Photo 10:Some jacaranda flowers in the yard of my current residence in Sydney 20 November 2023.
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