The Fantastic Library

On the way to the morning class observation, we will pass a very modern building. At first glance, the peculiar building easily catches people’s eyes since there are no windows for the whole building but with marbles as its wall. Can you imagine why there are no windows in the building? Here is a long story about this outstanding building.

Actually it is the famous Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, which began on the building in 1960 and was completed in 1963, one of the world's largest libraries devoted entirely to rare books and manuscripts and is Yale's principal repository for literary archives, early manuscripts, and rare books. It contains the principal rare books and literary manuscripts of Yale University and serves as a center for research by students, faculty, and other scholars.

One of the largest buildings in the world devoted entirely to rare books and manuscripts, the library has room in the central tower for 180,000 volumes and in the underground book stacks for over 600,000 volumes; it now contains about 500,000 volumes and several million manuscripts. Temperature and humidity controls ensure that stored materials are protected for future generations. Therefore, the building materials chiefly adopt

Vermont marble and granite, bronze and glass. The white, gray-veined marble panes of the exterior are one and one-quarter inches thick and are framed by shaped light gray Vermont Woodbury granite. These marble panels filter light so that rare materials can be displayed without damage.

 A revolving glass door provides public entrance to the Beinecke Library. Upon entering, visitors see the glass tower of books that rises through the core of the building. Two stairways ascend on either side to the mezzanine level. Together with the entrance level, the mezzanine functions as a showcase for rotating exhibits that highlight the Beinecke's rich collections. The Gutenberg Bible, the first Western book printed from movable type, and Audubon's Birds of America are on permanent exhibition.

 We are so lucky when we read the following notice: the Library’s building will be closed for renovation from May 2015 to September 2016.If we were here a year later,we would not have the great honor to visit the special library. 

The Reminder of Disaster!

   Looking at the two photos, most people will be shocked by the giant, black hole on it. If we examine them carefully, we will find there is waterfall flowing gently along the slope walls to the center of the bottomless hole. Can you guess what symbol of this giant hole? What it reminds us of? Yes, you are right. It is the National September 11 Memorial, a tribute of remembrance and honor to the nearly 3,000 people killed in the terror attacks of September 11, 2001 at the World Trade Center site, near

Shanksville, Pa., and at the Pentagon, as well as the six people killed in the World Trade Center bombing in February 1993.

The Memorial’s twin reflecting pools are each nearly an acre in size and feature the largest man-made waterfalls in the North America. The pools sit within the footprints where the Twin Towers once stood. As you walk around the pool, people’s heart will sink at the sight of the names carved on the edge of the pool. The names of every person who died in the 2001 and 1993 attacks are inscribed into bronze panels edging the Memorial pools, a powerful reminder of the largest loss of life resulting from a foreign attack on American soil and the greatest single loss of rescue personnel in American history. I was greatly moved by the pure white rose placed on one name, the deepest love dedicated to the death by a family member or a friend. May such disaster will never befall on human beings.

The Conflict Between Father and Son

We are going back to China in the end of August. I miss my family members, my parents, husband and my son. My son will go to Florida University to continue his two-year postgraduate program in August. So when he arrives at JFK, New York, I will travel in the West of US. Maybe we will not meet each other for another year. This summer we met in New York and spent four days together. He is rather Americanized and enjoys the American food and lives the American style of life. His English is pretty good now. As we traveled in New York and Washington DC, he arranged everything, from hotel booking, travelling route, meals. He can take care of all in details and I feel I am the happiest mother in the world.

When my son went back to China early this month, he and his father will live under the same roof for over a month. Busy with his work, my husband seldom takes rest in the summer vacation. He complained to me today that the boy has so many shortcomings in his eyes. The flat is in a great mess and he doesn't bother to clean. He has no plan for his study and not well-organized in doing the routine work, etc. I believe the parents in the world will always worry about the growth of their children. Shall the parents be all time fault-finding? Or shall we be alert to their merits and give them praise and compliments in their trifle progress? Easier said than done.

Yes, the Chinese parents often consider their children as their private property, not an individual, with their own ideas, their choice of life style in the world. To be wise and understanding parents, we must give them the freedom to be independent both physically and individually.

The Fifth Week On the Campus of Yale Univerisity

This is the fifth week since we arrived at New Haven on June, 29^th, 2014. As there is only one week before we leave Yale University, we are becoming excessively sensitive. On the one hand, we are homesick and miss our family members so much, some even could not control their tears and are eager to go back home; on the other hand, we have a strong feeling that we will miss our instructors, Siggy, Carrie and the teachers in Yale so much because we have learned a lot from them. Thus, we want to stay here to share our happiness and make our friendship to last forever. What a dilemma: to stay or to leave?

Sometimes human beings are complicated creatures with so contradictory emotions: happiness, sorrow, eagerness, regrets will tangle together at the same time. When people try to say goodbye, they are reluctant to part with each other. Tears, laughter and smile take turns to appear on their face.  “It was hard to meet you and then bid farewell.”  A line written by LI Shangyin, a great poet of Tang dynasty, can well reveal my feeling at the approaching time of departure. We will soon leave Yale, leave New Haven. May we return to the unforgettable place in our dreams!

Circle Line Sightseeing Cruise

    We went to New York City trip last Friday, July 25^th.We went to the Circle Line dock, and have a cruise around Manhattan. Boarding the boat at 12:30 noon, we saw the statue of Liberty, and 101 NYC sites!
    It was a wonderful trip along the Hudson River.The modern buildings and the splendid sight-seeings on both side of the river are attractive and pleasing to our eyes. I was bathed in the burning sunshine and cool sea wind for almost 30 minutes.I felt it was so nice to travel by boat. Meanwhile I was fascinated by all the bridges on the Hudson River. I could not remember all the names of the bridges,only  mention a few here:George Washington Bridge, Tappan Zee Bridge, Bear Mountain Bridge, New burgh-Beacon Bridge, Mid-Hudson Bridge,etc.The most impressive one is the Brooklyn Bridge, one of the oldest suspension bridges  in the United States. Completed in 1883, it connects the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River  It has a main span of 1,595.5 feet (486.3 m), and was the first steel-wire suspension bridge constructed.It witnesses the great change of New York City.Luckily I was there and saw the beauty of the city and the river, the bridges over the river!

I hope you can see the beauty of the bridges over the Hudson River!

The Adventure of Climbing the Empire Building

 Don't be puzzled at seeing the title of "Climbing the Empire Building ". Actually ,we had an adventure in New York city on Last Friday.As we got off the boat after we traveled along the Hudson River,it was already 3:30 in the afternoon. Some of us planned to go to the Metropolitan Museum,the others planned to go to the Empire State Building and had a bird-eye view of the New York City.But we only had little time to fulfill the great task as the school bus was scheduled to go back New Haven at 6:30 pm. Ricky, his wife and Sunny went to the Museum. With Jane and Joanna, we three hurried to the Empire State Building.We ran all the way and walked past at least 7,8 streets.It was 4:00 when we got to the gate of the skyscraper.To our great disappointment, there was a long, long queue waiting for the elevator to the 86th floor.We spent half an hour to wait in the line and worried about the bus would leave without us.When we got into the lift and reached the 80th floor, we had to change the lift before reaching the 86th floor.But we were depressed to see a long waiting queue again.We were persuaded to climb the remaining 6th floor.We made up our mind and climbed.I was left behind and out of my breath While climbing.Thank God!I made it and stood on the observatory of the 86th floor of Empire State Building!I was proud of myself and seized the precious time to see New York city from the top of the tall building in only 10 minutes! 

The Empire State Building

The Empire State Building is a 103-story skyscraper located in Midtown, Manhattan, New York City at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34^th Street . It has a roof height of 1,250 feet (380 m), and with its antenna spire included, it stands a total of 1,454 feet (443 m) high^. Its name is derived from the nickname for New York for the Empire State. It stood as the world’s tallest building for nearly 40 years, from its completion in early 1931 until the  topping out of the original World Trade Center’s North Tower in late 1970.^[12] Following the September 11 attacks in 2001, the Empire State Building was again the tallest building in New York (although it was no longer the tallest in the US or the world), until One World Trade Center reached a greater height on April 30, 2012.The Empire State Building is currently the fourth-tallest completed skyscrapers in the United  States.

The Empire State Building is generally thought of as an American Cultural icon.It is designed in the distinctive  Art Deco style. The building and its street floor interior are designated landmarks. It was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1986. In 2007, it was ranked number one on the AIA's List of American Favorite Architecture.