Final Impression

How time flies, tomorrow will be the last day at Yale. By then, I will have stayed here for six weeks. If life is like a painting, I was given a blank “drawing board” for this six weeks by God and now I have painted a colorful drawing. I am looking at my work carefully and I recognize each color from the mixture of light and shadow.

Red

Red is the easiest one to recognize, which represents passion and vigor. It was the color of strawberries and watermelon in the dining hall every morning. It was the color of  the sky on the cross campus every dusk. It was the color of the pen I used to make notes. It  was the color of  Ping Pong paddles. It was the color of my heart every time I made efforts and progress. I still remember the feeling of achievement when I finished my homework and went out of the library at night, when the moon hung high in the gray sky and the happiness warmed all over my body. Even if it was only a little success, it was still inspiring enough for me to go on. I also recalled my dear teachers, who poured so much efforts in our courses that I could feel their red heart and passion. It’s red active heart that keeps us moving ahead at Yale.

Blue

Since I’m at Yale, I can’t ignore this typical color, which represents calmness and peace. It reminds me of the incredibly deep swimming pool where I refreshed myself from pressure. It also reminds me that day, two weeks ago, when I went to Guiford with Vera. It was a beautiful village near the sea. I wore a blue hat with “Y” printed on it. The sky was quiet and blue without even one piece of cloud, like a huge mirror or an valuable silk belt. We finally arrived at the beach after losing our way several times, but the pale blue sky rewarded us by the remote horizon, the white tides and the cool sea water. I took a deep breath to pour all the blue inside, just like the wonderful feeling of having a big spoon of blueberry yogurt. I added a bright blue on my “drawing board”.

Green

Green is the color of vegetables, trees and grass, which means hope and nature. Dark green and light green go well together on my “drawing board”. On the second Wednesday, led by Professor Carrie, we went to the garden to help to weed and pick vegetables in light green color. I remember that the green weeds were too cute that I didn’t want to pull them out at all. I also loved the green leaves of mint. Its unique smell spread around once it was snapped. Drinking a cup of water after a little tiring farm work, we got entirely relaxed.

On the third Sunday, I went to East Rock Pack, on the top of which you could overlook the whole New Haven. The way up to the top was very steep and the dark green forest was so close. There happened to be a little sunlight through the leaves, which dropped round light spots on the way and on our clothes. It was fun to chase the light spots all the way. Finally I reached the top. From there, New Haven with its tall trees is just like a green sea.

Yellow

Yellow is a color that can bring me warmth and safety. It was the color of spaghetti, cookies, bread, oranges,melons and peanut butter. Unlike some of my friends who missed Chinese cuisines so much, I loved the food here very much. In buffet, I could choose what I wanted. Yellow was also the color of my friendships across the world I built here, our golden friendships.  I admired many people here, who had a good balance between work and leisure. They have different cultural backgrounds but most were polite and friendly.

Light

In addition to the colors, light also plays an important part. The trips to New York and Boston were two bright spots on my “drawing board” . From the noisy Broadway to the crowded Times Square, from the amazing Met Museum to the splendid Statue of Liberty, from the respectable Harvard University to the famous Freedom Trail, all these views impressed me deeply. Every Monday, when Siggy, our speaking teacher asked about our peak and pit during the weekend, I would say every second in NYC and Boston were the peak time. It was the brightest spot on  my “drawing board”.

Red, blue, yellow, green and light, there is a fantastic colorful drawing board in my mind. Time never stops. It keeps its steps forward. I can only follow it. I will miss the six weeks when I am so young, so curious, so enthusiastic. I will miss you, my dear professors, my dear friends, and Yale.