We are in Rochester, New York!

Brimming with excitement and energy, we started our journey to United States first by 8:30 a.m. Sea Ferry from Macau Ferry Terminal to Hong Kong Chak Lap Kok Airport.

We were buried by our heavy backpacks. We could spot no seats while we were waiting for boarding. We managed to find an intimate vantage point, which is “the ground” regardless how others view us. We are not tramps but the most unworldly travellers. Could this be regarded as good manner for being the ambassadors of the College:P? Anyway, we were anonymous people to others at that moment.

We had to take two flights to Rochester, New York. We flew from Hong Kong to Chicago Ohare, then took another flight to Rochester. It took us approximately 15 hours which is intimidating to us who are not get used to taking long-hour transportation.

I took off my boots and wore slippers instead. Made my feet relax a bit and I felt like I made the plane as my home.  

I was sitting at the window seat which enabled me to put my backpack on floor without blocking the others.

We are lucky to have a strong guy (Laymond) move up our backpacks.

In the mostly clear sky, clouds drifted across the sun. Our seating areas was illuminated by the sunlight pierced the window. Everything appeared to be in right order and pace.

Chicken rice, salad and dessert for lunch.

Thoughts of getting out of the seat pecked at me. When I tried to repress them, they simply could not be caged. I was sitting at the window seat, and accompanied by Rocky and Rosan right beside me. It took me a hard work to get through two of them to lavatory. I got a leash on my impatience, took a deep breath and let it slowly out. School’s pamphlets, travel guide books and novels were my spiritual food to help me pass the time on flight.

See how silly I was to make my little corner filled with fun.

There was a glowing light from the horizon looking out of the window while we were approahcing to another hemisphere.

This is our dinner (Macao time: midnight). We were starving while we were waiting for this meal. To my other classmates who have not yet departed, remember to bring some snacks or food with you and put them in your backpacks, so that you are able to fill your stomach while you feel hungry on the plane. Bring a cushion with you also to avoid ending up with neck pain after long hour flight.

At Chicago Airport

We were waiting for the railway to the terminal for another flight.

A relatively small airplane to Rochester.

Stacks of snow were piled up everywhere in Rochester.

We were approaching the time with apprehension for fear that we might not be able to catch the hotel shuttle and had to take the taxi which would be incredibly clumpsy for us with our heavy baggages. To our pleasant surprise, we were warmly received and picked up by Jacqueline, the Assistant Dean and Director of Center for Study Abroad & Interdepartmental Programs at Rochester International Airport. She has managed to get the shuttle bus ready for us upon our arrival. We were impressed and gratified by the hospitality presented by the representatives of University of Rochester.

They are forthcoming ladies to ride us to StayBridge Suites which we were going to stay for several days before our check-in at Residence Hall.

This room accommodated three of us (Michelle, Ida and me) which actually still has certain capacity to fill more people. This is really a cozy and comfortable place for us to live in. Each one of us has a super large bed to pay our sleeping debts. Here provides computer and printing facilities, a dining buffet area and even a swimming pool! We were planning to take a time to go the pools to swim!

                                                                The decor impressed us a lot. I guess we would be reluctant to evacuate the hotel on 9th.

Everyone was intrigued by the spectacular view beyond the river. The symbolic building of the University of Rochester lustered under the sunlights. By the time we go across the river, we would find the piece of land where we are going to spend our semester there. I dare not to waste a second here. Time on fire, minutes burning. I could not afford to let hours turn into ashes. We would grasp every opportunities available to us here and make this experience truely precious and rewarding.

For this entire week I feel like being chased by something. But actually I like the feeling of sensing that there are lots of things undone and unfinished displaying in front of me and so I have to work with them and have them done one by one. Figuratively there are like queuing up and waiting for me to deal with them.

Some get impatient and are showing their temper one me while some are like active volcanoes and nobody knows on which day they are going to trigger a calamity that causes fatal casualties, without regard to what extent the host is hea-ing around and placing no attention on 'em.

The skyline of this morning

cracked and shattered clouds all over the turquoise sky

seems like it's trying to convey to me that matters are made up of individual atoms or molecules or ions and so on...

or that a person is a integration of the stuff he's acquainted since he was 0 and his born personality

Or that men is physically discrete but spiritually one and united

What will our sky be when I am 77?

Hours of ballroom dancing practice in the Stadium hall of Polytechnic Institute - where the competition will be staged on Sunday deter my faith. The fall I took after the rehearsal has a sobering effect. All of a sudden, I realise how fragile I am. I know people are trying to comfort me when they say it is only a transition period for a beginner who has just learnt ballroom dancing seriously for a few months. At the outset, I look myself as amateurs. But only when it comes to the moment which I could not look more weak and powerless, do I know how slow my pace of improvement is. I know there is no point to grumble here, I still need to face it. But depression requires venting out. I remember a statement made by a guest, "Fake it until you make it". But the reality seemingly proves to me that I do not even capable to make it fake.

These days I obsess in hypnotizing myself. Everything would look alright when the gown is put on. However, scenes of formidable dancers make me dazed. They looks swaggering, belligerent. How hard can I surpass or even go in line with that professional level. Time seems too long for those in grief, but too short for those with faith. Sometimes, I ask myself, why should I put myself in such awkward? Anyway I don't want my friends to worry about me. What I have written is just redundant, but still I know this battle would be a salutary lesson for me. No matter what the result is, it would not make me deviate from Latin and ballroom dance training. Mitigating, okay. I will try to reclaim my passion to do my best and put it in proper perpective.

Come on. Vicky. Hypnosis activates at this moment: I am the only princess. This Sunday I am just going to attend a dancing party in a gorgeous castle. Sometimes, I like to hear white lies.

IF

If the Hamas wasn't elected as the governing democratic party of Palestine in 2006

If the countries/region hadn't been so hysterical about their own national safety

If the States never took a side and back the Israel

If the US massmedia have been a little less biased

If Barack Obama didn't say that contoversial line

If the Israeli let in the international humanitarian aids, not only in the 3-hour ceasefire everry day

If the Hamas didn't locate its military forces near residential neighbourhoods and the Israeli army didn't utilize it as an excuse to assault the innocent

If things has gone less radical in the beginning

If the seed of hatred and selfishness hadn't been planted into man's heart

If the people cared less about themselves and their interests

If we all have cared more and loved more

I know this actually means nothing, just a record of my discontent on the ongoing siege and absolute surrealism on this matter

(IF only I haven't started reading on this and have picked up my lecture notes unread...)