Late April this year, I went to an English language teaching conference in Shantou, China, at Shantou University. It took me 7.5 hours by bus from Zhuhai to Shantou. I left after class on Friday and arrived in Shantou around 9 pm.
Taking the bus in China is quite an experience. Lots of spitting and inconveniences that no one seems to notice - like the constant beeping sound from the front console, the pale blue glowing lights that light-up the bus at night, the smell of the potty in the back of the bus (a port-a potty), the second driver who stands in the stairwell, smoking...oh, China...
I always stay at Amy's apartment when I come to Shantou. I enjoy visiting her because she creates such a sense of home for me on this side of the world. That's not only because she's from Macon, GA, and has the most outgoing personality of anyone I know, but also because her lovely sense of decoration. Her apartment is so cozy and covered in artwork mainly from Beijing. We always remember the good times we had in Beijing when together!
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| A favorite painting. |
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| Looking out at night from Amy's guest bedroom; you can see lights on the mountain in the distance. |
The Shantou campus is a traditional Chinese campus, complete with banners that say stuff like "study hard" and lots of students on bikes.
Other pics from around the campus and surrounding area:
The conference lasted all day Saturday and half a day on Sunday. Besides coming to participate in the conference and visit with Amy, I also wanted to see Dr. Gayle Nelson, a professor from my department at GSU, and speaker at the conference. Dr. Nelson is one of the main reasons that I decided to start teaching in Beijing, China, and she was an incredible support as I transitioned from life in the States to life in China. It was so good to see her again (the first time since 2009) and to see her on this side of the world.
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| Jane Jackson and Gayle, two of the plenary speakers. |
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| Friends. |
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| Making new friends. |
And to finish - some random pics of the conference and the bus ride home. What a whirl-wind weekend!
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Lunch in the canteen.       |
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