“A Home – & The Word Never Had So Much Meaning Before”---A Visit to Mark Twain's House in Hartford

  Yesterday, we had a field trip to Mark Twain's House in Hartford. 

    Actually, although I know Mark Twain was a very famous writer before I visited his house in Hartford, I thought I knew a lot about him already,  I didn't know he had ever lived in so luxurious a house in his life in Hartford. I just know he was born into a very plain family alongside Mississippi River and had ever been a pilot and apprentice and he had written a lot of short stories and his most popular work was children's favorite: The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn.

     So when I got off the school bus which took us to the foot of Mark Twain's House, I was really amazed. Mark Twain's House is a three-story red-brick building, which is located at the top of a large slope of lawn. As we followed the tour guide to visit the house, we knew that  this building is made up of 23 rooms with a long and large roofed corridor or veranda. the interior of  the house is lavishly and exquisitely decorated and furnished which really cost a large fortune of Mark Twain and his wife in 1873, actually the cost of the house was mostly from Mark Twain's wife Olivia "Livy" Clemens. The house even had a round protruded greenhouse or garden house connecting the large study room. In the nursery room, we saw a lot of toys and beds and books and there is a spacious school room with a lot of pictures and books. Obviously Mark Twain spent his happiest and most productive years in this house. In this house he wrote a lot of books among which The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn is the most well-known. It is a pity that visitors are not allowed to take any pictures of the interior of the house, which is so warm and beautiful!

        Samuel and Olivia "Livy" Clemens were married in 1870 and moved to Hartford in 1871.In 1873‚ they engaged New York architect Edward Tuckerman Potter to design their house. The family moved into their house on September 19‚ 1874. Construction delays and the ever-increasing costs of building their dream home frustrated Sam. In spite of this‚ he was enamored with the finished product‚ saying‚ “It is a home - & the word never had so much meaning before.”

      It was also in this house, Mark Twain experienced his saddest time in life, because of  failure in investment on a Compositor, financial problems drove Mark Twain and Livy to move the family to Europe in 1891. Their eldest daughter, Susy died in 1896, which made it too hard for Mark Twain and his wife to return to their Hartford home‚ and so in 1903 Mark Twain sold the house.

   

       It's another surprise for me that Mrs Stower who wrote "Uncle Tom's Cabin" also lived very near Mark Twain. Obviously Mrs Stower favored light-colored house. So her house is quite different picture. Personally I prefer Mrs Stower's House.

    

A trip to Thimble Islands

   The second week of our study in Yale, we went to Thimble Islands, which was an amazing trip. Although we just took a boat travelling through the many small or large islands, we enjoyed a lot.

the wooden deck 

  The captain of the boat is a very nice guy, he acted as a tour guide, too. From his introduction of Thimble Islands, we know that Thimble Islands consist of about 100 to 365 small islands depending on where the line is drawn between an island and a mere rock. Among the many small islands, about 23 islands are inhabite. Some of the  islands are just rocks. Some of the islands are large but low and therefore only seen in a low tide, some of them are  reefs. Some of the islands are used as the location of lighthouses. Some of the inhabited islands are really isolated beautiful small paradises. Besides the beautiful houses surrounded by thick woods, there are even pavilions or small bridges built on these islands. Some of the island-owners must be very rich because we found they had even private yachts.    

                                                           inhabited island with a pavilion

low island

twin islands connected by a bridge

inhabited island anchored with yachts

very small rock island 

                                                               water recreation activities

a busy-scheduled but very worthy trip

This afternoon we were scheduled to have a trip to a beach and then go to hike in a wood and then go to Carrie’s house and if time permits, we were going to an outlet.

Later when we arrived at the gym, we were told by the teachers that because the bus driver have to drive back before 4:30 pm so the trip to an outlet was cancelled.

After about half an hour’s drive, the bus stopped at a large parking lot and all of us got off. Obviously the first destination-the beach-was near. Before our eyes stretched a large area of green grassland and then trees. We walked along a pathway. Along the pathway there are not very tall trees, plants and beautiful flowers and wild fruits whose names we don’t know. We can see the beautiful cloud very easily because there were no buildings nor tall trees within our view. How wonderful it was to be so close to the nature and also to the sky! As the pathway zigzagged, finally we got a glimpse of blue, yes, “Wow, the sea” ,“Wow, the beach”, everyone of us exclaimed excitedly and quickened the steps and hurried forward. I also couldn’t wait to see the beautiful beach and followed them forward. The first thing that jumped into my eyes was blueness of the sea, which was so crystal blue and clear just that seemed even unreal. The sea rippled with slow rhythm. How can it be so boundless in either direction. For a moment I was awe-struck by the sea and remained still for a moment. Then I realized I must take pictures of the sea and the beautiful beach, because the second thing that jumped into my eyes was the colorful beach. The beach is not very broad but it was full of clear sand and very suitable for strolling. There were many people in the beach. They were all dressed in various different colors of bathing suits, some sitting on the chairs some lying on the sand of the beach some playing in the sea. They must find us funny because we were just like typical travelers, not wearing bathing suits and posing different gestures on the beach and taking pictures from the beginning to the end, but what did it matter , we just enjoyed ourselves and laughed merrily all the way.

After about 30- or 40- minute stay on the beach we set off again for the second destination: Peters Memorial Wood. Before we began our hiking in the wood, Carrie asked us to remain silent while we walked in the wood in order not to disturb the birds. We followed her words and her steps. We were like a team of explorers and enjoyed the wood silently, occasionally taking photos of the spectacular trees.

After we finished our hiking in the wood, we set off for the final destination: Carrie’s house. Carrie was so kind that she invited all of us to her house. The moment I went into the courtyard, my eyes were caught by the bowl of flowers hanging beside the entrance gate which seemed to smile and greet every guest who entered the house, and then I smelt light fragrance, soon I found in front of me a tree blooming with white flowers but behind the fence. On the left there were a lot of flowers whose names I didn’t know. As I stepped forward, I found there was a grape tree on my right side, just under the window of the living room. There were so many different plants in the yard that I find it difficult to focus on just one of them.  What attracted me more is the backyard which I soon found. It was so spacious that it must cover about two basketball courts. What’s more, there are two very tall big trees which provide shade over almost all the backyard. Between the two big trees there is a white super big hammock which is really eye-catching! After we lingered on the backyard and tried the hammock and took pictures with it, we visited Carrie’s house. This house is more than a hundred years old but it’s still in good shape. Carrie displayed everything she had collected and made room like a mini-museum and of course the house is very lovely and comfortable too.  What a wonderful house it is , so close to nature and so fit to live in!

how good to be a student again!

     I graduated from school in 1997. During the past 17 years I have been teaching in the same university and never entered a college as a student any more. I love my students and I love to teach everything I know to them,both knowledge and life experience. Actually I had been quite engaged in my teaching work and I think most of students acknowledged my effort paid in my teaching. At the same time I had been quite engaged in my family. I had my child to raise and cultivate; I had my parents and parents in-law to tend to, many of the things are trivial but important. As time went by, I pass my 30s, and then 40s.  I feel I have been drained both physically and mentally. I felt I am more and more  in short of energy and knowledge. Secretly in the middle of the night I wished to have the chance to go to campus and absorb knowledge and breathe some fresh air...
       This summer my dream came true. How wonderful it is to be a student again and come to think of it, it is in Yale, the distinguished university in the world! I and my colleagues soon had teachers, two very nice ladies, dear Siggy and Carrie, they are so wonderful teachers that I couldn't help my admiration of them. Every morning after I  put on my backpack, I set off to the classroom in English language institute.On my way to the classroom the street is lined with beautiful old trees which give quite a lot of shade,  the birds sing to me, the neighbors sit at their porch and greet us friendly by saying simple Chinese "Ni Hao"(English means "hello") and neighbors sometimes ask us " Are you a Yale student?", I nodded proudly to them, how good it is to be a student again!  

                                                            on the way to the classroom


       Every day we observe the classes of  English teachers in Yale and we learn  both knowledge and different teaching methods and approaches from them too. I am especially excited when I learn a new teaching technique from them and I also learn a lot about cultural differences.  After class observation, Siggy and Carrie organize us to share what each of us learn from the classes we observe  and I and my colleagues communicate very eagerly with Siggy and Carrie and sometimes we have different opinions and even argue or debate, how fun it is to study. To study is like absorbing new energy and I feel very refreshed after the class although we feel tired physically. But every day there are so many things which are so new to our ears and eye that we don't feel tired any more!  With my backpack, I  went to the library, went to art gallery, went to every corner of Yale and took a lot of pictures wherever I went. I may be an old student in Yale but who cares!

on the lawn before the library

on the lawn before the dining hall

“Made in China” in American Outlets

I am a Chinese, so I am very interested in things or phenomena related to China or Chinese. Before I went to America, I heard there are a lot of cheap Chinese products in other countries but I’ve never experienced the power of “Made in China”. Last weekend, when I went shopping in Clinton crossing outlets in U.S.A. , I really felt the strong impact of “Made in China”.

Before I left for America, my 15-year-old daughter asked me to buy some shoes like Nike or Adidas for her, so I went directly to the store which sold Nike shoes. There were so many different kinds of Nike shoes displayed on the racks and they were of so many different color that I found it hard to choose. Just as I was looking at the shoes I found “made in China” printed on the inside of the shoes! Actually there are so many shops in Clinton crossing outlets which sold clothes or shoes made in China, including famous brands like Nike and Adidas.

     Later I knew because the labor is much cheaper in China, so in order to cut the expense on labor, many internationally famous brands choose to set up factories in China, and also in other Asian countries. In the outlets there are also a lot of clothes made in Vietnam, made in Cambodia, made in Indonesia, etc.

Yale Library

Library should be the most beautiful building in a university. It's no exception for a distinguished university like Yale university. 

Located in the center of Yale campus rises a very tall Gothic building-a stunning beauty: Sterling Memorial Library, the largest library of Yale. It was founded in 1918 by John William Sterling, a rich Yale alumnus who donated $17 million dollars for the library. Both the inside and outside of Sterling Memorial Library are very gorgeous. In front of the library, there is large area of lawn. According to the introduction of the people working in there are about 11 or 12 libraries in Yale. 

the inside corridor 

 ceiling

periodical reading room 

First Impression of America (part 1): clear sky

My first day in America is a very sunny day, that is where my first impression of America came into being. When the sun rises, the boundless lawn outside the window of the travelling bus became even greener and the sky was so transparent that I could see clearly everything where my eyes reached. The white cloud became so close to me that it seemed to be within reach of my hand. I'd not seen such beautiful clear sky for a long time, maybe because I was too busy or maybe I found nowhere with such clear sky. It made me wonder whether I were in the paradise or in the real world. The 8-hour trip on the bus from Washington D.C to Niagara Falls didn't seem tedious at all because I enjoyed the clear sky, green grass and white cloud outside the window all the way.