on Sabbatical in China - 2006

The primary purpose of my trip to China in 2006 was a sabbatical to foster connections between the CofC and China, especially with Fuling Normal University. I went with a teaching group that was going to be in China during July, to teach American English and customs to Chinese students. I spent a couple of weeks in Fuling during July, teaching some great young students. Then my three Fuling compatriots and I rejoined the larger group in Chongqing, went to Xi'an for a bit of touring, and I headed back to Chongqing and Fuling.

The basic flow of the trip was:

• Arrive in Beijing, 4 July, spend a couple of days there
• Fly to Chongqing, then four of us take a bus to Fuling
• Stay in Fuling for about two weeks, teaching kids American language and customs
• Rejoin with the group teaching in Chongqing, and tour for a few days
• Leave the group in Xi'an, and on my own until September
• Teaching at Yangtze Normal University (formerly Fuling NU) in Fuling, China, September-December
• Fly home to Charleston, SC in December

Some Photo Memories

• My July students
• My friend Challenge, his daughter, and some students, in Bishan.
• A great meal at the Jiang Shi Fish Head Restaurant in Bishan.
• Me with a dragon in Tongliang.
• My friend Angela and her boyfriend, being my tour guides in Chengdu.
• A cute kid in Fengdu wearing a helmet.
• My class on Monday morning at FNU.
• Samantha and Caroline in the depths of Fuling, heading to the Catholic Church.
• Tony and Steven doing tai chi on the riverwalk in Fuling.
• Enthusiastic students at a middle school in Fuling.
• Jeff and Tony relaxing on the riverwalk.
• Jeff and a couple of kung fu monks.
• Fishing on the Wu River.
• Thanksgiving at Sam and Chris's apartment
• Nurse Ammy Zhang at the hospital in Chongqing.
• Lunch at my usual spot just outside the front gate.
• Entering campus of FNU from the front gate.
• Looking down towards the front gate, and across the Wu River to Fuling.
• My best friends at FNU, Gabriel, Chris, and Samantha.
• Out the window of my apartment on campus.
• Out the window of one of my classrooms.
• Hot Pot! the most famous dish in the region.
• A lunch with some friends, family style, at work in July.
• The staff at our favorite eatery in Fuling. We called it Nicole's restaurant.
• Fruits and veges plentiful, and beautiful in Fuling.
• Chris's birthday cake at a party in Fuling.
• Dinner at Peter's Tex-Mex restaurant in Chengdu with three young friends.
• My teacher friends, Annie and Emily, at a wedding I crashed in Fuling.
• Cornelia and her mother, a pleasant surprise at the wedding.
• English Corner, every Wednesday night at the KFC in Fuling.
• My nurses, at the hospital in Chongqing.
• Emperor Jeff, with his concubines in Chengdu.
• With some students at a party, at FNU.
• A couple of my students hanging out.
• A wild gathering of students who wanted to get in a photo with me at number 5 middle school in Fuling.
• The small town of Baitao, up the Wu River had a small school we visited.