Today, I found a way to aggregate all my previous diary entries into a single image. I’ve already edited my previous posts, so feel free to go dig them up! (Though since there was already an image on WeChat Moments, there is no need to dig it up). Besides that, all my university applications have finally come to a temporary close, and I suddenly feel so relieved! However, I still have to handle things like the US visa next, so there is an endless list of things to do… ...
I was solving a hunt until the small hours last night, so the diary vanished for a day ( Chatting with my parents tonight, we talked about my recent “drastic change in personality” (in a good way, of course), as I have become more extroverted and proactive. I think that’s a pretty good thing… The extroversion can be understood as having been cooped up abroad for too long. In my bones, I am indeed an “E” (extrovert). Abroad, because I was hesitant (?) to communicate with others, I was always in a passive state. This time back, I’ve done everything I can to take the initiative. Through communication, I’ve actually gained many unexpected rewards, like finding out that the class monitor is a Tokusatsu fan, my roommate is a model kit enthusiast, and so on. Moreover, in the process of continuously getting to know others, I can also re-examine my own hobbies, and perhaps even find unexpected gains! ...
Aside from studying, of course we also have sports. In the afternoon, I hurriedly picked up my package and left the house, decisively snagging the only shared bike in the neighborhood. In the end, I successfully arrived at the park right on time at 2:00. I didn’t know what to do with the heavy coat I took off along the way since it would fall out if I just put it in the basket. So, I managed to tie it in using a water bottle holder, neck gaiter, and gloves all combined (is this also a form of engineering?). ...
Drifting stardust has finally settled. Getting out of bed in winter is a challenge. Hardest of all, though, is the stretch between stepping outside for a run and finally warming up. A knife-cold headwind cuts through clothing that is not nearly thick enough. (Nobody runs in a down jacket… right?) You have to force your body not to curl inward and hold the proper form. But once the rhythm takes over, it is all worth it. ...
Today I received an offer from LeTourneau. (At last, no more relatives asking, “Everyone else has an offer—where’s yours?”) Before it was even warm in my hands—can an electronic file get warm?—I followed a classmate to a library farther away for the great battle of… claiming a seat! If you want to study in a library, seat-snagging is an essential experience. In front of the library doors before they open at 9 AM, there will inevitably be a long line of people waiting, followed by the “leading the charge, fearless of blocking blades and spears” rushing phase. For latecomers like us, we could only pray that someone happened to leave their seat due to some business; otherwise, we’d be reduced to NPC characters randomly spawning next to suspicious-looking empty seats (sad). ...
Today is a day filled with grace! Got up early and ran nine kilometers, somehow getting faster as I went. Beijing winters really are cold… Paid a visit to the National Library and got a library card. The place was packed: even in a building that enormous, finding any seat was hard, never mind one beside an outlet. Tomorrow I plan to arrive early and stake one out. In the evening, with the help of a friend, I completed the math competition, and then hurriedly left (so grateful to my friend for helping me call a cab). On the way, we passed a toll station, and looking out the car window, I saw the big characters reading “North China Electric Power University.” Hmm, feels a bit familiar. ...
Yesterday’s post did carry a bit of negative emotion, and I am very sorry if it caused any misunderstandings… However, I will not delete the post. On one hand, I have edited the content, so there is no need to worry about any risk of being monitored; on the other hand, I thought that looking back in the future, I should be able to re-experience this raw feeling of just arriving! Isn’t that the whole point of why I write these diaries? ...
Meeting the brothers and sisters that morning and getting to know one another should have made me happy. A friend treated us to lunch and packed some extra food for dinner; I should have felt content. That evening I picked up a package from another friend’s home and rode back in his car; I should have been grateful… So why? After raising concerns about our living conditions, the possibility of getting any improvement now seems virtually nonexistent. What on earth did they say to make “Both my superior and I agree that you shouldn’t be staying in a shared rental, it should at least be a serviced apartment, or you could even stay at my place for a few days” turn into “I’m really not the one in charge of your accommodation matters, you can give feedback directly to them”? ...
Newly arrived, I caught my first faint glimpse of what it means to drift north to Beijing. The airport is grand, and equally spectacular is the complex, web-like subway map. Getting off at Lishuiqiao and stepping into the “suburbs” outside the Fifth Ring Road, the prosperity of the capital faded away, revealing a pale sky and a raw depiction of life. A tiny area on the edge of Tiantongyuan—“the largest residential community in Beijing”—served as our dormitory, with a configuration that belongs to the lowest tier: two residential buildings sharing one gate, and if you didn’t look closely, you would even think this community had no security guards. Tree shadows cast mottled sunlight, drawing patterns on the ground; next to a bench beside a swaying swing, I lay down and waited for the class monitor to arrive. In a daze, I envisioned countless young people coming to Beijing in search of opportunities, shedding sweat and tears here, yet often failing to get what they wished for in the end. Will I become one of them? ...