第13章 欢迎新生的派对和学生生活(2)
"I was really annoyed by that woman yesterday.I could never imagine there would be such a rude person in Columbia University before I came here，"said Ding Rui.
"Yu，Fan or Fay thought she knew America much more than other Chinese.She did not attend any parties or other gatherings of Chinese students in the university.She looks down upon us Chinese although she is one.According to her，every Americanthing is good and every Chinese thing is bad.Her coming that day was a real surprise.Her husband was ten years older than her.Last year her 7-year-old son was killed in an accident.And she got divorced with her husband.Since then，the old bird had been crazy.The death of her son and the divorce are really something miserable for her，poor lady，"said Ms Guo Tifei.
"Let's forgive her and pray for her，"said Li，Jun.
"It is really hard for me to forgive the embarrassment.That was really too much for me，"said Ding Rui.
"Do you know about the murder in the University of Iowa？On Friday，November 1，1991，Lu Gang，using a 38-caliber revolver and a 22caliber handgun，he shot and killed five people on the Iowa campus in Iowa City，seriously wounded and paralyzed another，and then turned the gun on himself and committed suicide.Those killed in Van Allen Hall，the physics department's building were Christoph K.Goertz，a professor in the department and Lu's academic advisor，Dwight R.Nicholson，chairman of the physics and astronomy department，Robert Alan Smith，an assistant professor and Shan，the fellow physics graduate student，also from China.T.Anne Cleary，the assistant vice president for academic affairs，was killed in Jessup Hall，the main administration building，where a student employee，Miya Rodolfo-Sioson，was shot in the spine，permanently paralyzing her arms and legs，"said Ms Guo Tifei.
"My Goodness！Tragedy.A real tragedy！"said Ding Rui.
"Do you know what T.Anne Cleary's brothers did？You could never believe it.They wrote to Lu Gang 's wife to comfort her.And in the party on the evening，they went to talk with a lot of Chinesestudents because they knew their heart was especially heavy.Many Chinese girls and boys wept at the moment，"continued Ms Guo Tifei.
Li Jun could not help shouting，"How great they are！""I still remember the two passages of the letter.
'As we gathered in grief and fond memories，our thoughts and prayers also went out to you，the family of Lu Gang，as we know how you also must be grieving at this time.You also must be sharing in the shock and sorrow of this weekend.'
'Anne believed in love and forgiveness，and we would like to reach out to you in your grief，and share our prayers and love with you at this very difficult time.During this time of pain，Anne would want our hearts to be filled with compassion，generosity and love.We all know that the only family which feels more grief than us at this time is your family，and we want you to know that we are with you in this sorrow，'"said Ms Guo Tifei.
Ding Rui felt her eyes grow wet.
"I once read a book 'No Future Without Forgiveness'by Desmond Tutu，a South African cleric and activist.Forgiveness is tough but it is civilization，"said she.
"Can you forgive Yu Fan？"asked Guo，Tifei."Of course."said Ding Rui and Li Jun .
Ding Rui's face was flushed again with shyness but without anger.
付了教材费，丁瑞拿了课本，课本非常贵。因为发行数量有限，学者的人力费用高，一本书要花她120多美元。詹妮弗已经把车开到学校。丁瑞的年龄超过十八周岁，持有本国有效驾照，她可以在美国开车，而且能开到驾照有效期结束。可她还是想申请美国驾照，她联系了机动车管理处-DMV。詹妮弗说过有本美国驾照会更方便，驾照在美国是身份证件。
上过几节课后，丁瑞发现教授决定课堂实行什么样的纪律。你不提问，教授就不说。要学点东西，就要不断提问。教授讲课时或某个学生做演讲时，其他人都保持安静。