Four years ago, I decided to come to the U.S. for high school education, and it was a tough decision since I never left my home to study in another city before, not to mention studying abroad. Living by myself, sleeping by myself, and eating by myself in the first few days, all of these made me feel like a stranger who was abandoned my his parents and those who he trusted deeply. I could still remember the feelings of loneliness and helpless while walking on the street, like an empty shell. Every time, after talking to my friends back at home, my heart was as lonely as the moon’s surface, living like a total stranger in the edge of New Jersey. The accompany of loneliness, gradually, faded away as I went to college and became more mature. My everyday life started filling up with excitement. I learnt how to do research in library; manage my time properly; practice craft-making and even decorate my home. And it is the first time I feel my life is fulfilled. Like most of other students in the city, I take subway, walk by myself, and wear slippers, truly living like a New Yorker, but I still keep my Chinese tradition—drinking tea.
Gaiwan is a traditional Chinese covered bowl that is made of three parts, lid, bowl, and saucer. It is also one of the most important object for me that I brought back from China to the U.S.. Every time I infuse tea leaves into it, it reminds me of the learning experience I had this summer. Throughout the summer, I’ve practiced ceramics for three months and finally made ten Gaiwan, and brought one of them back to the U.S.. When I first started learning ceramics this summer, I was deeply attracted by just playing with clay for the infinite possibilities it contains. I can make and invent whatever I want, even it was a little hard to learn the properties of porcelain because it was so easy to collapse for a beginner. For the first three months, I started with foundation and did everything by myself, from waging to wheel throw, and to trimming. It took me hours of practice to learn each step, but it was just a beginning. As I became more and more adept on the wheel throw, I started thinking about the possible shapes for Gaiwan. I browsed over all the books I had for inspirations, but I realized nothing really worked since I had to create a new shape, the shape I really like, in order to put all my passions towards ceramics into it. Looking back from now, the Gaiwan that I brought from China is a precious piece because it not only takes three months to make it, but represents my happy memories with my friends, parents, and teachers of the summer.
