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Saturday, April 28, 2012

欧洲之行第一站-瑞士签证

几经周折定下来要开始漫长的博士生涯,想着这开始受苦受难前也好好犒劳犒劳自己一把,所以也就厚着脸皮和妈妈申请了旅游经费。而且在Rainer的盛情邀请下,我的欧洲之行也就拉开了帷幕。

第一步自然就是准备签证了。经过一番调查研究,我在东西也没准备完全的情况下,就奔去纽黑文找我亲爱的kelly同学了。呆了3天后,以前准备就绪,就坐着早班火车来到了纽约的瑞士consulate。好吧。。说得有点乱。我先把准备的材料清单给贴一个。除了必要的材料外,我还准备了一个cover letter 解释了下自己的身份情况。opt期间,虽然也是f-1,但还是需要好好解释一下。

Original and copy of passport
 Visa Application Form
 Two recent passport photos
Copy of F-1 Visa , copies of Three I-20  and photocopy of EAD card. 
Copy of my flight reservation (我是email 法航,然后直接给我除了reservation letter,非常给力)
 Bank statements from last 3 months (打印的就可以了)
 Letter from xx University, copy of Ph.D. admission letter, Proof of enrollment of my Master program and a letter from my landlady.
Letter from my insurance company。
当然了,也别忘了让邀请人在你去之前就把invitation letter fax 到consulate。


准备好东西,第二天从grand central 出来,走了5分钟就到了目的地 633 3ave. (open time: 8:30-12:00). 在使馆对面39街的拐角处,就有一个fedex,可以去那里办一个self-addressed envelope, 很方便。然后我就屁颠屁颠地走进了633。


进门接待处有2个大叔,你报上名说要去swiss consulate,然后他就指导你打电话上去。似乎记得是先拨1,然后再拨2。。不管了。。就让大叔帮你拨号。然后你报一下你的名字给电话里的前台小姐。出示身份证件后,就拿到一个门禁卡了。。非常没有必要的一个环节。(如图)

电梯上到30楼,左手边就是瑞士使馆,室内设计还满简洁大方的,竟然还陈列了freitag的包包。我拿了70号,然后就乖乖坐着等了。人超少,就等了一个号。
就在图中左边的窗口,我给签证官解释了下我出行的目的,我的身份情况。然后跟着他一起过了一遍我的材料。然后刷卡交钱,就all set 了~~我问:过了吗?他对我眨眨眼,一笑,说恩,没问题。10点15进的大楼,10点45分就顺利签证出来了。

2天后我就收到了护照,竟然非常慷慨地给了我3个月~~~撒花。

一直没有搜到非常详细的美国f-1,opt 期间欧洲申根签证的帖子,希望自己的经验能给兄弟姐妹们一点帮助。

现在我就成了每天泡穷游看攻略的小蚂蚁了,stay tuned..

Garden Diary- Day 17

Still no sign of sprouting.

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Garden Diary- Day Four

With the temperature spikes to above 25 centigrade,  it officially turns into Spring. My roses still haven't showed any sign of sprouting. Usually, it takes 2-8 weeks...( damn, such a huge range, no accuracy required here.)

Tomorrow, the once a year Boston Marathon will pump the entire bean town. It gonna be super hot. Can you feel the heat? ;-)

Friday, April 13, 2012

Simple Joy

细雨斜风作小寒, 
淡烟疏柳媚晴滩. 
入淮清洛渐漫漫, 
雪沫乳花浮午盏. 
蓼茸蒿笋试春盘, 
人间有味是清欢. 



- 苏轼

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Garden Diary- Day One


Day One- Sowing


Under the excitement of joy and fear, I sowed these rose seeds into the trays. I named it Emma, the name I want to give to my first daughter. The universal conceptual meaning of the name EMMA will grant her and my rose everything I wanted for her, everything the universe already expanded in front of her.

To my love- Rainer

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

A Name-A-Rose Gift Box

Today I got a surprise gift box. It was a Name-A-Rose gift box, and it came with all those cute ideas and  sweet rose leaflets. Thank you my honey for giving me such a unique and sweet gift. I am not sure about how those rose seeds will end up...;-) lol. I can feel all the love you have for me, and it is reaaaaaaally sweet. <3






 My little garden corner 




-------------------

Rose of all the World 

by D.H.Lawrence 


I am here myself; as though this heave of effort

At starting other life, fulfilled my own;
Rose-leaves that whirl in colour round a core
Of seed-specks kindled lately and softly blown


By all the blood of the rose-bush into being -
Strange, that the urgent will in me, to set 
My mouth on hers in kisses, and so softly
To bring together two strange sparks, beget


Another life from our lives, so should send
The innermost fire of my own dim soul out-spinning
And whirling in blossom of flame and being upon me!
That my completion of manhood should be the beginning


Another life from mine! For so it looks.
The seed is purpose, blossom accident.
The seed is all in all, the blossom lent
To crown the triumph of this new descent.


Is that it, woman? Does it strike you so?
The Great Breath blowing a tiny seed of fire
Fans out your petals for excess of flame,
Till all your being smokes with fine desire?


Or are we kindled, you and I, to be
One rose of wonderment upon the tree
Of perfect life, and is our possible seed
But the residuum of the ecstasy?


How will you have it? - the rose is all in all,
Or the ripe rose-fruits of the luscious fall?
The sharp begetting, or the child begot?
Our consummation matters, or does it not?


To me it seems the seed is just left over
From the red rose-flowers' fiery transience;
Just orts and slarts; berries that smoulder in the bush
Which burnt just now with marvellous immanence.


Blossom, my darling, blossom, be a rose
Of roses unchidden and purposeless; a rose
For rosiness only, without an ulterior motive;
For me it is more than enough if the flower unclose.  

-----------------------

A morning song for you, my love