As an undergraduate student in the Department of Physics of East China University of Science and Technology (ECUST), it's my grandiose honor to get the invitation from Professor Jean-Claude Dousse and the nomination from IAESTE to perform my experiment in Switzerland. Par the recommendation of the faculties in ECUST, I was appointed to get trained in the Department of Physics of the University of Fribourg.

Due to the assignment's special sent method, I got the precious experiences during my tackling with my passport, my visa and such things like those which could make me mature. At least I think so.

The Bitter Traveling

With a happy mode, in 28th of July I took off via the plane of China Eastern Airline to Paris, where I should transport my plane to Geneva. I arrived at the CDG2 at about 4 o'clock. But only when did I realize that some problem happened to my tickets. There was two CDG-CDG1 and CDG2. If I wanted to get my original plane to Geneva, I had to go out to the Custom and then go into the Custom in these two airports respectively. In that case, I had to show my visa to France. But I did not have that visa, nor did I need, because I had got the visa to Switzerland. In that very time, a kind-hearted man from China Eastern Airline helped me and changed my route to Zurich but not Geneva. I was baffled to be sent to Zurich while my luggage to Geneva. After my arrival to Fribourg, if without Professor Dousse's help, I would never have got my luggage again.

It was even more embarrassed during my way back. Firstly, the plane was delayed and then, after I landed off, I found my luggage lost again. The next day I got it but found nearly all of my souvenirs were stolen. Though I was given the inadequate compensation from the airline company, these unhappy things bothered me.

Merrily Working

I went to Professor Dousse with my handbag from Zurich myself. And with his help, I found my luggage finally. In order to avoid the similar problem happening in my way back, I had asked the China Eastern Airline for help and requested them to change my itinerary, but the results were too disappointing. To release my sorrow, the Professor and the sectary Elizabeth bought me another ticket from Zurich to Pairs CDG2.

Professor Dousse is a kind man with profound knowledge. During these 10 weeks, he not only gave me advice on my program but also on my daily life, especially on my adaptation to the circumstance. What was more admirable was that he devoted himself to doing research and merely had a break even in the weekends. The PHD students there also helped me a lot, whenever I confronted the difficulties with my experiments.

Daily working hours in Switzerland is quite different from it in China. Not including the rest in the mid-noon, people there work 8.5 hours on average. So normally, I woke up at seven o'clock and went home at about six o'clock in the afternoon. Based on the X-ray spectrometer, my experiments were aimed at detecting the structure of atoms. The equipment is quite developed and of high accuracy-perhaps only few countries in the world can fabricate such precise equipment. For only me at that time doing the collection, in order to get as many data as I could, I stayed at the lab in the weekends. After knowing I had little rest, the Professor and the sectary offered me some extra holiday. Since I was alone there and didn't get much inclination to go out, I had little outing. What made me more touched was that the sectary shared one of her holiday with me and asked the Professor a day's break for me to take me around the smart country. I was more honored to get the Professor's invitation to dinner with he and his group.

In during the experiments, Professor Dousse gave me lots of freeness and little requirement. Except for the guidance and the initial skills, I carried out the remains myself. I was very satisfied that besides the planned work, I acquired some additional data. I was stimulated that I found some quite interesting phenomena. Though because of the limitation of my knowledge, I could not explain the reason for these, the Professor gave me much affirmation.

In additional with the foremost training, I worked on three apparatus. After each series of measurements, I handed on the report to Professor Dousse. The Professor as well as his PHD students enquired the progress of my experiments from time to time. With their help, I read lots of related material, especially these published in journals. All of these improved my own ability a lot.

Unforgettable Life

After my arrival in Fribourg, I was arranged to lodge in their boarding house for students. At the begging, I just made friends with three foreigners-one American, two Swiss. In the first five Friday evening, we four had dinner together. Every one got the turn and cooked the special dishes, which represents the style of his (or her) country. We also played UNO(one kind of card games), volleyball and drank coffee together.

Beside myself, there was another Chinese in the same floor-Professor Gao Xuchen from China Institute of Social Science. He was a very good-tempered person with exuberant knowledge and deep opinions. It's my pleasure to know such a respectable professor like him. He was quite easy to approach and I often ambulated with him around Fribourg.

For some reasons, the University of Frobourg is quite famous for its language school and also the preparatory education. This offered me an excellent chance to get known many Chinese, not only the scholars who went there to learn language, but also some youngkers who applied for their university study in Switzerland. Among them, Professor Huang Yuancan from Beijing University of Science and Technology, Mrs. Zheng Minfang from Neimonggu Branch of Bank of China, Post PHD Wang Lei from the Department of Information of the University of Fribourg, Priest Zhu Xile, Priest Dong Jianqiang and the people sent by China government as well as these young people gave me lot of expression.

I can still remember clearly the National Day of our motherland. 'You can only be more patriotic when you are abroad'. I will never forget the special day in Fribourg with so many Chinese to celebrate our National Day.

Grieved Departure

Time flied faster than one could expect. Though the new measurements had not yet finished, I had to leave Switzerland for various reasons. I planed to leave on Saturday. And that whole week could be considered as the Week of Departure. Many people invited me to the 'last meal'.

Firstly, under Professor Dousse's proposal, the PHD students and his mechanist invited me to have a wonderful lunch. Then, the Professor spared about one hour to discuss with me on what I should do after I was back to China. In the evening, Professor Gao Xuchen and I were invited by Post Doctor Wang Lei to have dinner in his home. Just as I went back at about 10 o'clock, I found these three friends-two Swiss and one American had been waiting for my back. I was so impressed. At that time, I felt the friendship from mankind-without the ethnic boundary or the color of the skin! After some wine with them, I saw many Chinese friends to say goodbye to me, though it was quite late then.

The next day, although I left very early at morning, many friends still went to say goodbye to me. At the railway station, seeing the kind people, I felt a little bit sour in my nose.

Meaningful Experiences

From heart, I am very grateful to these who have helped me and who have educated me- Professor Jean-Claud Dousse, my parents, the faculties of IAESTE, teaching staff in ECUST, the sectary, my colleagues in Frobourg, Professor Gao Xuchen, my friends in Switzerland and so on. All of them have been and will be my deeply cherished ones in my whole life.