I sent a short message to Fred asking if he coulddrive me to the campus. Unfortunately he told me that he would not be home until the next Monday. So I searched online, found the phone number of a taxi company, and called them to inquire whether it would be possible for them to take me for a ride at about 11:30 am. They told methat they could come only about 11:40, and I told them it was fine for me.

   Now in thetaxi I fond that the driver was a young man with long hair. I tried to talkwith him, yet it seemed that he was not that interested--or maybe he just didnot like taking while driving. I tried to tell him that I wanted to get off ata busstop near the edge of the campus where I could take a bus that headed forMemorial Union. Unfortunately, he seemed to fail to understand what I meant-ormaybe I just failed to put myself across, and he simply drove me all the way toMemorial Union, with the result that I had to pay 17 dollars...a price I felt was a little high.

   Aftergetting off the bus I tried to look for Young Hall. When I came out of thebuilding near the bus terminal, I saw a lot of people sitting there in brightsunshine on the big lawn watching some people dancing to the music... There was  applause after the end of each performance. What a romantic activity. Yet,sadly in China lawns are only for watching and it is morally unacceptable tosit on them, let alone to dance on them!

   Strangely enough,although I had been around this place several times I still became disoriented!So I went up to a guy sitting on a long chair. "Excuse me, sir, could youtell me how to go to Young Hall? I am new to the campus." He told me apossible way, and, believing in him I walked accordingly. But, suddenly a girlran up to me and asked me it I wanted to go to Young Hall. "you are not onthe right direction." said she, "you should go thatway....".  She told me she was aChinese. How sweet was she! Anyway finally I got to the place...

   I went tothe seminar room, where there had been about 20 people sitting there listeningto a talk by a young female researcher. I found a seat at the back of the roomand tried to concentrate on the talk. Yet, despite the proficiency in English Ithought I had, I found it difficult to follow the talk. More frustrating was I when some listener asked the speaker questions or made some comments. I justfelt it a challenge to really completely understand what they meant.

  Another seminar,which, unlike the previous one, focused on memory topics, started about 2 pm.This seminar was about the prefrontal-hippocampal connection in memory fornovelty. I guessed the speaker was a German according to his accent, but I wasnot sure. Last, there was a period for questions. Andy and some researchersasked some questions but I, although having something on my mind, simply lackedthe gut to open my mouth...

   Then Andyasked if somebody would go with him for beer....so finally in bright springCalifornian sunshine, I sat on a chair, drank juice (I was afraid that Americanbeer was too much for me), listened to the talk of several researchers. Itseemed to me that people here like to talk over academic issues while doingsomething relaxing. One researcher said that he hated all bureaucratic meetings and would welcome any meetingsconcerning memory topics...

   I talkedwith a female researcher, who told me that she had been in the lab of Kensingeras a research assistant for 3 years. I told her that I emailed Kensinger manytimes and, to my greatest disappointment, had never received any responses. Iasked her if Kensinger was a person who was far too proud and she told me thatKensnger was extremely nice! "If she had known that she had ignored your email,she would have felt horrible and guilty..." Later she told me that there was an article she had published with Kensinger which was about the effect of emotion and retention interval on memory for central and peripheral details. Iguess that it might be possible for me to collaboratewith Kensinger...

   ...I was onthe bus to the busstop, where  would getoff to walk back home along the bike path that Fred had told me before Idecided to settle down in his house. I decided to walk back because it wasinconvenient to hitch a ride with Wayne...I did not want to wait that longagain in the chilly air at night. So I walked alone, on the silent bike path,thinking that it would just tale me about 40 minutes to get to the destination.I was wrong. After walking along the bike path fro 25 minutes, I change theroute and started walking on another road, which I thought was county road 97.I was wrong again. I walked and walked, and saw no sign of the place I neededto get to... There was no lights on the road and all I could do was to rely onthe weak light from the cell phone I bought from a shop here the other day.Almost an hour had passed since I get off at the busstop, yet I was still theresearching, worried, anxious, even fearful... Unlike the situation in China orperhaps in a big town or city in the US, here there was zero person around toask for any information. There were only cars that drove fast past me.

   Finally Isaw someone in a car near a house and I walked up to ask for the way home. Thewoman, using the map on his phone, told me the direction; yet I could sincerelyfeel that it would be a long distance to cover in this wide flat area at night.So I had nothing to choose but to trek on and on...

  I came to aroad with a sign "stop" on the ground surface. I did not know if itwas the right one for me but I had to try.. I came to a place where there are two houses with dogs barking wildly...I was afraid and I called Fred if hecould provide some hints for my way home. He asked where I was but I could notdescribe it because there was zero clue I could utilize... I told him that Iwas on a road parallel to county road 98 and Iwould search on..... He complained that I talked too much without listening tohim...

   Later Fredcalled me and told me that his daughter was home and came me to pick me up...Awesome. Anyway finally I was in her car and told her that I just did not wantto trouble anyone. She said sorry when I said I had walked for two hours!Within several minutes I was back home...and, being extremely tired, preparedfor sleep. What an adventure I had had tonight!