Wonderful Experiences in Huntington by Dr. Fengquan An

Since I came to Marshall University on Sep.9 of this year, I have been very pleased with the daily life as well as our daily study here. It can never be exaggerated that this is one of the best experiences I have ever been through. We are studying business management systematically as well as English. What's more impressive is all the people here are very friendly all the time. And the beautiful mountain scenery is so charming that you won't ever forget it after your first glance.

As we all know, Marshall University has paid more attention to our training program and has done a lot for us. They arranged a series of courses for us, such as General English, Business English, General Business, Organizational Behavior, Human Resource Management, Website Design and Field Trip. All of the lectures are very beneficial to us. They not only improve our English, but also systematically freshen up our business management knowledge. What's more important, this period of training changes my thinking style in business management, which makes me think of ideas more systematically, ethically, humanely and dynamically.

What's more impressive is people here are very famous for their friendliness and hospitality. The faculty and staff at Marshall University are so friendly that you can't forget it for good. I remember that our travel from Beijing to Charleston, WV was not so smoothly. The plane from Chicago to Charleston was delayed for about 2 hours. But Dr. Will Edwards, Ms. Qingqing Zhao and Mr. Whang kept waiting for us late that night. They helped us to move our piles of heavy luggage and arranged us to stay at the Uptown Hotel. Thought they were very tired and very sleepy, they were still running around to make us feel at home. Later, we met our teachers Ms. Nikki Thacker, Ms. Jane Taylor, Andrew Ciccarello, Dr. Gary Metcalf and Dr.Terry Danniel. They are just as helpful and friendly as Dr. Will Edwards.

Not only Marshall University faculty and staff but also the local citizens are friendly to us. Since we have been at University Courtyard, we have got a lot of help from the employees of different organizations. We are all acquainted with Tammy, the manager of University Courtyard. She was very kind to arrange suitable apartments for our 16 guys. Whenever we need help about the apartments, the first person we think of is Tammy or her colleague. They have never hesitated to help us, whether it's a kind of key-copying, door-opening, an apartment-changing or an electrical appliance- repairing. Since we live here for a long time, we also need other types of services, such as banking service, shopping service, printing service and etc. When I went to the City Bank to open my new bank account, the service women were happy to meet me. They kept smiling and tried their best to provide me with the best-quality service. When I went to Small Business Center to ask for their help, they were very pleased to help me print the colorful powerpoint slides without any charge. Our roommate James is so nice to us. He generously invited Jianhua and me to have Pizza and introduced American football games to us. We are all very happy that we can share the same apartment.

Another impressive feature here is its beautiful scenery. It's very hard for me to find some barren land. Nearly all the earth is covered with green grass or scenic forests. Combined with the fresh air and warm sunlight, it's a great enjoyment to walk across the grass and the forests. The most impressive scenic spots are Ritter Park, Rotary Park, Ohio River Park, Gorge River Bridge and some other beautiful mountains. When I am free, I would like to walk in one of the above parks, especially Ritter Park, where there is a Rose Garden with many kinds of roses in blossom. There, I can read books, play cards, or I can just breathe in fresh air, which can make myself feel very comfortable. If I am lucky, I can meet some local citizens to chat with about any common-shared topics. With this, I can practice my English and make friendships.
Though my stay here is very short, I have too many innumerable experiences to tell. The most impressive are the knowledge learning process, people's friendship and the beautiful scenery. I am sure all of these experiences have become my personal wealth and they will keep me remembering Huntington and will attract me to visit Huntington again later.