”2002年十一月一日下午一點三十分，Buffalo下起了第一場雪。很好記吧 ：） ”, Eliza said.當時我們正坐在Anchor Bar吃著Buffalo Wing發源地的Suicide最辣雞翅，聊著我在Virginia吃過最辣的Buffalo Wing，談起Louis跟珊珊的愛情故事，最巧合的是，最後的小費居然湊出來剛好就是$3.33，是珊珊的緣分數字。我忙著打電話給梁潔跟珊珊報告此事，沒得打電話的Eliza跟我一樣興頭熱後，在一旁顯得有點寂寥。
我很喜歡下雪時坐在車裡的感覺，很美，不管雪大雪小。大雪有大雪片與快速撲面而來的逆風快感；小雪片的迎車面飄來，則有似有似無、無法預測的溫柔美感。不知怎麼，有個似曾相識的影像在腦海裡，一直不斷的重複。
晚上研究所所上有活動，I just knew dean of school of informatics will give a speech and ask students to be there to do “student business”. The most wonderful thing for students is there will be a free reception there. Until the last moment of the reception, I start to realize that this is a reception with a casual speech to introduce school of informatics by UB president to people unknown.
Well, I got excited when I entered the mansion. It’s an old mansion with Greek Pillar. It’s kind of like one of the mansions that my roommates and I would go mansion shopping in Buffalo downtown. (Because Buffalo was the “NYC” in America one hundred years ago, and there are many old and beautiful mansions in downtown.)When you enter the mansion, the first you saw is a beautiful ceiling lamp and a spiral stairs in the grand hall. The waitress beside will take your coat. It’s like a big formal party in the movies, right?
The reception part is the most torturing thing for international students. Even it’s in the middle semester, I don’t talk much to my classmates. They all look smart, talk too fast and always get together joking each other. That means I never be part of them. It’s really embarrassing that you just stand there and have nobody to talk to. At first, I try to talk to my teammates and some classmates standing beside them. But then they are getting to talk fast, and I can’t really understand them or they will talk about the subjects that I don’t get it.
Things go better when I start to talk to Varsha(from India) and Heather(Native American) about my language problems and why I can’t talk much in the seminar of communication theory. They are really nice. They said, ”come on, we all know you are Freddy”. Varsha thought even I don’t talk much but every time I talk, I will hit some points. Heather thought I always dress well and have my own style. Heather said “It’s always nice to see you”. Well, they really get me to have more confidence in my learning performances. I thought I should have more confidence in me, haha.
YuTing asks me to take pictures with dean together. I thought it’s shameful to do that, well, if we do so, I would feel I am a tourist not a student here. At this moment, I just saw Adelphia photographer was taking pictures of my beautiful and handsome classmates. I recommended YuTing to be part of them. The most wonderful picture that night, Adelphia photographer saying so, includes most MI (Program of communication and informatics) students, Dean, some professors and UB president.
After taking photos, I started to talk to some of our classmates. I don’t know why, but they have more interests in me at this moment and concentrate on me and feel have fun talking to me. That’s really great!!!!! I knew I won’t never be part of them, but at least this is a good beginning J
What a day…right?
PS:圖片來自
www.inf.fu-berlin.de/~rieck/ pht/snowing.html ,看起來很像是我跟Eliza兩個人看到雪很興奮的樣子…哈哈
