Quickly time goes by, quickly time comes that we say goodbye to this foreign land. ...... The first
experience ever, the
first
experience going abroad, and UK is the first stop. For most people, travelling in a foreign country is often associated with excitement, expectation and joy. This is no exception for me either. But apart from that, it is a chance for me to learn to live and let live, learn to know more about other people, and learn to appreciate life fully. The first two days went through quietly. To be frank, I still haven't got the feeling that I was in the UK. No special sign, no special difference except language and people around. The very impression I got are the wide stretches of green land, the old-style British flats and various brands of cars (many Fords). Everything seems to put me in a dreamlike state, perhaps with the effect of jet lag. Amazed later at the sight of the University of Nottingham UK campus when taking a tour round it with the other classmates. The house we lived, the grass and the garden behind it, the small path up to the Hallward library, the Portland Building and the Trent Building, as well as the sports center we entered the other day are all quite fresh in mind.
Remember still that I took the first view by our window side, got the glimpse of trees upon trees beyond; Remember that I once brought with camera to take the far-away scenes along the small path, looking at the people and enjoying the peace; Remember that I asked the people on the campus the way to the telephone booth besides the one nearby...Seems all the simple and petty things, but the difference is the mood. Probably it is merely the fact we stayed in the UK for only a month, that it is not long enough to feel bored or get serious homesick though I did constantly miss Chinese food. The city of Nottingham is not big, precisely not as big as most cities in China. But it is concentrated, it takes only a few minutes' walk from one shop to another (in the shopping center). This can be backed up by anyone having a few days' shopping experience. Anyway, there are several shops I found of interest there or in the UK:The Body Shop, Top shop Top man, M & S, Zara, Karen Millen etc. Actually most cities in the Britain are of small size. One can walk pass the tourist sites within days, but certainly the cultural and historical heritage behind can hardly be fully appreciated in the short period of time. We've spent three days in London, one day in the Cambridge and one day in the York.. Like in particular the Tower of London. Like its grandness but by no means affected, its near perfect blend with the surroundings--clearly remember several of us made a wish alongside the Thames River runs through the Tower of London, and left with our small "token"...Enjoy sitting by the Cambridge River, watching people there boating and sunbathing, which seems to be the typical view in Cambridge...Attracted by the historic city of York, like its castles and Clifford's Tower...... Tired? Numb? Excited? None of the words can describe exactly the feeling. The beauty of the sceneries already expressed, the people I met in the work already appreciated, the only thing for me to do is to experience and keep it as a part of memory.