The memory of my childhood is blue, the color of the ocean. I was born in a small fishing village in Dalian, enjoying the charm and happiness from the sea. My father was a fisherman and used to take me to the sea by a small fishing boat when I was a little girl. The clear seawater and swimming fish impressed me. In my heart, fish is the water, water is the fish. The environment, however, was heavily polluted with a decrease of production in the sea several years later. From the talk between my dad and his colleagues, I knew that science is the key to understand, protect and manage the animals and their environments. This word seeded a dream in my heart, a dream to be a scientist, who understands the fish in the water and the water in the fish. Life is a journey with people and the environments. I clearly remember my child voice 20 years ago: fish is the water, water is the fish. Currently, I am a PhD student at the Behavioral Ecology Group at Wageningen University & Research (WUR) and the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) under the supervision of Kees van Oers. My PhD thesis investigates how behavioral innovation promotes population expansion in great tits. This academic training in WUR and NIOO-KNAW could qualify my intelligence and academic skills, shaping my journey as a young scientist candidate.
