College Offers Tuition to Foreign Student Training To Be Doctor.

1992-10-31: When the postman brings my letters in the morning, the first thing I look for is whether there is a letter from Longzhou. Well, today, there was one, at last, even though it was about ten days late, as usual! When I saw it I was happy again. I was glad to read that you are now back working in the hospital again. I am sure it must make you feel better knowing that you are able to help other people, while you are waiting for that visit to see your Lord and Master, Lao D ! You will also have the opportunity of learning something new, and when the poor people are made well again, then you will know that you have done a little towards that recovery. It does not matter whether you get any money from the hospital, for you have your own money every month, but you are repaying them for all the help you had when you were learning to be a doctor. The people you help, will always remember you in their hearts, even though they may not hug and kiss you, every time they meet you in the streets.
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With your letter came the address labels, so I went down to the post office to make lots of photo-copies of them, so that I can send a letter to you whenever I am in a happy or angry mood ! The first thing I did was to put the 'Readers Digest' in an envelope, and used one of the labels, ready for posting. The Digest has been here for two weeks waiting for the labels! You may get the Digest before this letter, or perhaps not, but at least by tomorrow, it will be on its way to Longzhou, so that you can do some reading. I have already looked quickly through this month's copy of the Digest, in which there are many interesting articles.
The College have now sent me the letter I asked for, to say that you can start your studies at the College, at any time in 1992 or 1993, so I hope that this is what you want. In another letter they sent to me, at the same time, they said that while you are in the UK., you should make sure that you study hard and do all the tests properly and correctly. I have already made a beating stick! I have made it myself from the branches of trees I have been cutting down during the past weeks. Whenever I found a thin piece about a metre long, I put it safely in the glasshouse. When I had collected ten pieces, I tied one end of the bunch together with some string, to make something to hold quite easily. The beating stick makes a swooshing sound when I practise with it, so it sounds just right.

I am sending two copies of the College letter in this envelope. The original copy is for the Embassy and the photo-copy is for you to keep with all the other copies, which you should keep safely until you need them. I hope you will be lucky when you apply for your visa. If you get your visa to come here for the April start, it will probably be the best time of the year for your first visit, because the weather will be starting to get warmer. When the winter of 1993 comes you will have become used to the different weather conditions in the UK. If you were to come now you would find it much colder than Longzhou, and I think you would be spending a lot of your time standing by the room-heaters. When Bac was here last winter, he used to wear his thick overcoat, even when he was inside the house. He thought the weather was too cold! Sometimes when I stay with your family, I think the weather is too hot ! That evens things out a bit. Take care of yourself and be happy!

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