Welcoming a new school year

 XJTLU Freshmen Opening Ceremony - Fall 2012

Another school year begins.  This morning I attended the Opening Ceremony for more than 2300 new Freshmen and their parents.  They were welcomed by the school president, two vice presidents, a parent, a graduating senior, and a few others.  It was an inspirational time for me to see the new students with their parents and be reminded of the tough journey they had in getting to this point in their academic lives.  It was also a reminder for me of the sacrifice made and expectations placed by  the parents on our new charges.  I am honored and humbled to have the responsibility of having them in my classroom for the next year. 

Five ladies (2 younger and 3 older) were sitting at a table next to ours at lunch today.  They seemed like visitors in the area - they looked at the street map of Suzhou and conferred about where various things in town were located; they spent a long time pouring over the menu to order just the right combinations for the 5 of them.  It turns out that one of the girls is an incoming freshmen.  She and her mother came here two days earlier from a far away city in the west of China and met their aunt/sister in Shanghai who drove them to Suzhou (two hour drive).  The girl spoke English well and the mom seemed impressed with her daughter's ability to communicate with the foreigners.  Maybe it was a bit of relief for both that the daughter could understand and reply so competently as she enters an all-English speaking education for the first time.  Mom may not worry quite so much.  Mom explained (in Chinese) that later in the afternoon she would be saying goodbye to her daughter.  She mimed tears running down her cheeks.  I was reminded of the emotion involved by both parents and students of this milestone in the student's life.  Pray for us.  Classes begin September 3. 

End of term activities before Christmas

 Last day of class with class E5.  That's the sign we are making with our hands "E5".

 Celebrating the end of classes by going out for dinner.  Nearly every class has an "end of term" dinner and invites their teachers.  I had about 4 dinners out in 3 days.

Last day of class with class F3.

 The mall was very decorated for Christmas.  This was on our way to dinner.

Working on the "L" sound so that "call" doesn't sound "car" and "world" doesn't sound like "word."

Merry Christmas

 I created this black light photo courtesy of the XJTLU Photo club.  It is filmed in the dark with a laser pen.  I had to write backwards.

Santa in China.  One of my students who goes by the name Edge. 

Christmas is here!  I am grateful to be spending Christmas with my brother Ted and his family in Tennessee this year - a real Tennessee Christmas. 

A lot has changed for me since last year.  I moved from Wuhan, China to Suzhou, China.  I know that doesn't mean much to most of you.  It is about a distance of 600 miles between these two cities.  Wuhan is much bigger and more crowded, while Suzhou has a larger international community and is close to Shanghai.  I moved from Wuhan University of Technology to Xi'an Jiaotong - Liverpool University, but still teaching English.

It is so nice to be in America for Christmas.  This is the first time in several years that I have been home for the holiday season.  I was out shopping on the last 2 days before Christmas, fighting the crowds, waiting in the long lines, and enduring the stop and go traffic.  It is just like China every day :)  Despite the hustle and bustle, it is nice to see all of the nativity scenes and lights, and it is really nice to be with family.

I have some last minute wrapping to do, so I'll close this for now.  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  

video tour of my new apartment

First week of classes in Suzhou

This is the nameplate on my office door.  ( I share an office with Mr. English.  How's that for an excellent name for an English teacher.)

Life in Suzhou is well under way.  After two weeks of getting settled in and attending orientation at school, I felt ready and excited to meet my students last week.  The first week of classes is now behind me.  My students are very respectful and eager learners.  I am teaching 4 classes of freshmen with 20 students in each class.  I meet them twice a week.  I am very excited about the program here at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University.  Click on this link to have a closer look at the school:  www.xjtlu.edu.cn

This area where I am living is quite different from Wuhan.  Sometimes I forget that I'm in China.  Everything is new in this area of town.  The only thing around this neighborhood are universities.  There must be 10 universities within a 10 mile radius.  This pocket of Suzhou city is called "Higher Education Town."    

There are lots of nice teachers in our teaching department.  Every day several of us walk across the street to the food court for lunch together.  I have to be at the office when I'm not in the classroom, so that is different for me, but I don't mind it.  I get my work done there and don't have to bring it home - mostly. 

Ying and me in 2005

During my first week of orientation with all the new teachers at the university, a young Chinese lady come up to me and said, "Ann, do you remember me?"  I recognized her face but could not recall from where or how I knew her.  After she reminded me, the fog started lifting. She was a student in Wuhan that I knew from 2004-2005!  She has since gotten a PhD in the UK and is starting a new teaching job here.  What an amazing connection.  I hadn't seen or heard from her since Wuhan 2005.  We were both so excited to have an old friend in this new place.  God is so good.

Fruit stand

The church in Suzhou

my apartment building (the tall one in the background).  I'm on the 8th floor (count down 8 from the top because there are 16 floors)

my office

What's next

Daisy and Gao Laoshi see me off at the airport






Below are various send off dinners by good friends

Fish head hot pot - really delicious

Teachers send off dinner

Softball club final dinner

As you can see, with my blogging it is either feast or famine. I haven't blogged for 7 months, and now I have done 3 posts in one day. I need to bring you up to speed on what's going on in China and my teaching.

First of all, I just finished my 6th year with Teaching Abroad at Wuhan University of Technology. It was a great year, and a very busy year. I had about 120 students in the second semester. I taught a new course second semester - Intensive Reading. I dreaded having that course, but it ended up being my favorite class. Since it was my first time to teach it, there was a lot of trial and error to figure out how to teach it effectively. The students were willing to try just about everything I threw at them, except for a 15 page article online. Admittedly it was a tough article and too long, but I wanted to challenge them.

I made a decision early in the spring not to return with Teaching Abroad again next year. It was a tough decision to make, but I felt like it was time to move on. Let me assure you that I have no problem at all with Teaching Abroad or with my school - Wuhan University of Technology. I love them both. I started looking for and applying to teaching jobs in the States, and I was getting no responses at all from my applications. I began to get discouraged and wondered if I had made the wrong decision. I kept on and I actually expanded my search to schools in China that pay salaries competitive with those in the U.S. I found a couple programs of "joint venture" schools with China and western schools, and I applied. I got an interview with Xi'an Jiaotong (China) - Liverpool University (England). I asked some friends and family to pray for the interview process. I was very nervous - I have not interviewed in years, and never for a teaching position. Despite my prayer warriors, I felt like I had a terrible interview. However, an hour after the interview, they informed me that they were going to check my references. I thought that might just save me. Well two weeks went by and finally they emailed me to say that I did not get the job. I was disappointed and relieved at the same time. I was content to return home and continue looking for jobs. In preparation to come home, I had to get 6 years of collected stuff into 2 suitcases. Impossible. I gave away and donated bags of clothes, shoes, books, etc. Three days before I was to leave China I got an email from that school informing me that they had had a resignation and were offering me the opening. This time I was excited and nervous. I had to wrap my head around totally changing gears. And I had given away all my stuff! I had to let them know my decision.

So, I will be returning to China to the city of Suzhou (near Shanghai) in mid August. I will be teaching at Xi'an Jiaotong - Liverpool University in their English Language Center. http://www.xjtlu.edu.cn/ Suzhou is said to be a very beautiful city. There is a Chinese saying that says something like: Above the sky there is heaven, below the sky there is Suzhou.

The good thing is that I can still visit my old friends in Wuhan and they can visit me. We will be about 5 hours apart by train. I will be closer to Shanghai and my cousins there.

I'm sad to leave TA, but they have 3 new teachers joining them and three returning teachers - they are in good hands. I have really loved my experience with TA.

On another note, my last supper in Wuhan was with the softball club the night before I left. We had a great time together. I have really grown to love the softball players. They are are great group. I'm sorry to say goodbye to them. Although we never actually played a game, we practiced almost every week, and the skill level of the players has improved greatly.

So there you have it in a nutshell. You will still be able to read about my new adventures in Suzhou on my blog as I post at a snail's pace.

Mom and Dad's 50th anniversary

Mom and Dad's 50th went off wonderfully. A big shout out to so many who helped pull it all together:
Sis-in-law Elizabeth for organizing housing and food and general pulling it all together.
Sister Beth for doing the visual display.
Brother Scott for helping Beth and doing set-up and tear down.
Brother Ted and Sis-in-Law Amanda for making it there with three kids including a brand new baby.
Niece Tess for singing.
Niece Bailey for being my emcee assistant and singing.
Nephew Tyler for kid entertainment.
Nephew Bennett for singing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.
AND....
Aunt Hazel and Aunt Gloria for being our legs in Ohio while we planned from RI and China and buying much of the food and supplies.
Aunt Hazel for making the delicious cakes.
Patty Lou Levering for helping to serve and organize the kitchen
Linda Robinette for helping to serve
AND...
those of you who came or sent wishes to my parents to honor them for their 50th

It was a great party. We were very glad that so many friends and family attended, and some from great distance. It was very meaningful for my parents. Their actual anniversary date is August 5 - we are keeping our fingers crossed that they will stay together until then, or we will have to rescind the party.



This is almost the whole family. We are missing my nephew Zach who could not attend because he is serving in the USAF.