Exactly six months have passed since I set foot on this country. It’s a cliché to say that time flies, but I guess that’s really the phenomenon. It certainly has been a unique experience so far, academically and in general. Certain assumptions have been disproved, as I interact with people here and have a better understanding. One thing for sure, life at the moment isn’t too bad. I’ve always enjoyed being a student, and after a few years working, this much welcome break is doing me some good I believe. Without a doubt, there is a better appreciation of my current status, but more importantly it also reminds me that there is much more to life than just being in a rat race (not that I was really in one). Nevertheless, lest people think I’m too keen to remain permanently a student, I actually want to return to work. If there is one thing I’ve come to understand about myself from these six months of studying, it is that I have pretty much the mentality of a practitioner. I do not necessarily eschew theory and research, but I think I prefer to get all “down and dirty” by trying out the different methods and strategies.
转眼间，已经在这里生活了六个月，想起来，这一段时间的体验，确实相当不错。工作了几年，暂时将它搁一边，再次过学生生涯，交新朋友，感受新事物，休息一下，同时给自己一点反思的机会与时间，不亦乐乎。以前工作的时候，每天忙忙碌碌，到了某个阶段，也不知自己在忙些什么，到底是在忙，还是在“盲”？常言道，当局者迷，旁观者清，这六个月里，我真正感受到这两句话的深远意义。这一次的留学体验，肯定会对我在回国工作时有所启发。（我恳切希望！）当然，在这里的路途还没走完，但愿接下来的六个月，能够更加充实，有趣！
Quick summary of things I’ve done so far:
Number of US cities visited (besides Ann Arbor): 4
Number of modules completed: 5
Number of books read: 10
Number of journal articles read: too many to count
Number of countries from which my new friends hail: 12
What I hope to do in the following months:
To visit at least 3 more US cities
To visit at least 1 country outside the US
To read more books
To watch more telly and DVDs
To finish up all my modules (but of course!)
Here’s to the next six months...