Chapter 298 Hometown Association
After class that day, Professor Hopkins called Lu Youyou.
"Lu, there is an academic forum at Columbia University next week, do you want to go?"
"Of course. Is there anything I need to prepare?" She would definitely not miss such an opportunity.
"I will be giving a special speech at the forum. How about you be responsible for the introduction?"
Lu Youyou was stunned for a moment: "You want me to go up and speak?"
The professor smiled, his trust evident in his words: "Why, you don't have confidence?"
Lu Youyou naturally had confidence, but she didn't expect the professor to give her this opportunity.
Even if the school cannot find a satisfactory student, there are still many talented people in the laboratory. If we judge by seniority, it will definitely not be the turn of an international student.
Since the professor trusts her, she will definitely not let him down.
"Don't worry, I will do it well."
Hopkins smiled and said, "Come with me and I'll give you the information."
If he wasn't really optimistic, he would have plenty of other candidates.
Who can blame him for liking students like Lu Youyou, who is capable and confident, and the tasks assigned to her always bring surprises.
The two walked to the parking lot together, and Professor Hopkins took a bound booklet from the car.
"Here are the forum materials. Go back and take a look. I'm going to talk about the lab's latest research project. You just need to give a brief introduction. It will only take about ten to fifteen minutes."
The two were chatting when two acquaintances passed by in the distance.
"Hey, is that Lu Youyou?"
Yu Qingtian was stunned when he saw the golden thighs he hadn't seen for a long time.
Li Mingyue beside her had her eyes slightly flickering. She saw it earlier than Yu Qingtian and had been observing silently for a while.
The two went through several months of language training before they were able to enroll in school, but all their yearning for a new life was worn away in just a few days.
The situation of international students here is not very good. Even most Chinese immigrants are not close to them. Even though Yu Qingtian and Li Mingyue don't like each other, they have to stick together for warmth.
Yu Qingtian wanted to find Lu Youyou, but Stanford was very big and Lu Youyou was getting busier and busier, so he never met her even once.
At this moment, they were both a little surprised to see Lu Youyou chatting calmly with a professor-looking man.
Not to mention Li Mingyue, even someone like Yu Qingtian, who is naturally extroverted, doesn't dare to communicate with the teacher. When he does, it's like a primary school student facing his homeroom teacher, he can't even open his mouth.
The two of them had the same idea at the same time. They had finally met each other, so they must talk to Lu Youyou today.
The two waited on the roadside for five minutes, and Hopkins finally drove away. Coincidentally, someone else came to Lu Youyou.
Yu Qingtian couldn't help but feel envious. He didn't think that Jin Toutiao was that cheerful and talkative. How could he communicate with foreigners so smoothly?
A few minutes later, the people finally left. Yu Qingtian immediately waved and ran over here while shouting: "Student Lu, long time no see!"
Li Mingyue also came over with a shy smile: "Hello, classmate Lu!"
"It's you. Long time no see." Lu Youyou smiled and nodded.
She was so busy that she almost forgot that there were several compatriots who came with her to Stanford.
Yu Qingtian asked excitedly: "Student Lu, are you busy? How about we have lunch together at noon?"
Li Mingyue didn't know what to say after she greeted him. She thought she had forgotten the embarrassment at the airport, but when she saw Lu Youyou again, the memory resurfaced.
Lu Youyou didn't mind it at all. She was originally planning to buy a sandwich to eat at home.
"Then let's go to the cafeteria next door?"
Yu Qingtian smiled happily: "Sure, sure. I haven't been to the cafeteria here yet. It's a good opportunity to try it."
The prepared remarks were not used, and I thought I would have to be thick-skinned and talk nonsense for a while!
Li Mingyue also breathed a sigh of relief. If she were alone, she would have to watch Lu Youyou pass by.
"Those two guys just now are your classmates, right? I'm so envious. I can't even recognize everyone in my class right now."
Yu Qingtian couldn't even wait to eat, and on the way he couldn't wait to tell others about his frustration since entering school, how he was isolated and laughed at by others for his dumb English.
"Mr. Lu, is there any way to practice speaking? When I talk to foreigners, my mind goes blank and I can't even express what I have thought of."
"Didn't you practice speaking during your language training?"
"Well, I did practice, but when I got here I found that it wasn't the case. Everyone spoke like a machine gun, and I forgot what came before after listening to the latter part." Yu Qingtian felt a little embarrassed.
Li Mingyue pricked up her ears. Her situation was similar. Even though she could barely understand, there were many grammatical errors when she replied.
Her English was one of the best in China, but when she came to the United States, she found out that her English was not even at the kindergarten level.
They were still confused and at a loss, but Lu Youyou was already like a fish in water, and it was hard for Li Mingyue not to be jealous.
Lu Youyou said frankly: "Listen more, speak more, and don't be afraid of making mistakes."
Foreign languages are not like mathematics. Studying hard and practicing more will definitely be useful. Even if you just read the newspaper every day, you will make progress if you persist for a month.
The method is a bit stupid, but it is very suitable for international students with limited funds.
Li Mingyue felt that Lu Youyou was hiding her abilities. If reading newspapers was useful, why didn’t she make any progress in English after reading textbooks every day?
But she didn't dare to object directly, so she could only hope that Yu Qingtian would ask more questions.
Yu Qingtian didn't feel cheated, but he couldn't believe that the method was so simple.
"Can reading newspapers really help?"
"Well, read it out loud, just like reading a text."
"But I'm afraid they'll laugh at my accent..."
"Don't worry, Americans can understand you. Indians have heavier accents than you, but we can still communicate."
Although Yu Qingtian thought it was outrageous, he still decided to listen to Jin Datuo.
Li Mingyue did not dare to ask more questions. He planned to see the effect of Yu Qingtian first. He could not keep up with the studies and he did not have time to waste on useless things.
She pushed the person next to her subtly and reminded her with her mouth not to forget her work.
Yu Qingtian cleared his throat and said, "Student Lu, have you ever heard of the hometown association?"
"No, what's wrong?"
"It's an exchange meeting organized by the Chinese Student Organization at Stanford. Most of the international students in recent years are there. Do you want to join?"
Yu Qingtian looked at Lu Youyou with encouraging eyes, wishing she would agree immediately.
The association not only has international students, but also several government-sponsored visiting scholars. Almost all the Chinese at Stanford are in it.
Yu Qingtian had long wanted to recruit Jin Daitou to join the club, but he only had the chance today.
Seeing that Lu Youyou did not respond immediately, Li Mingyue's eyes showed a hint of urgency.
The hometown association is just a very loose mutual aid group, and even visiting scholars do not have much power at Stanford.
She still remembered the scene when Zhao Xiang had a private conversation with Lu Youyou on the day she first arrived. Lu Youyou was definitely not an ordinary person, and it would only be beneficial for her to join the hometown association.
She tentatively said, "There happens to be a party this weekend. Would you like to come and have a look, and have some conversation with us, Mr. Lu?"
Yu Qingtian also said: "Yes, come and take a look first, just treat it as a gathering of compatriots. You can decide whether to join or not after you have taken a look first."
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