images

jinzhou students

class of 1996

Chinese universities classify students by the year they enter university rather than the American system of their expected year of graduation. So these students graduated in 2000.

Class 96-1

Class 96-3

Class 96-4

Dorothy (Class 96) was on of my first students in China. Of course, since she had my mother's name, she became one of my favorites. Her Chinese name is Hou Li Feng (sounds like Holy Feng!). Her friends call her Xiao Hou (or Little Monkey).

She's now an English teacher at a high school in Benxi.

One of China's customs is that when a friend leaves on a journey, his friends "see him off". Here I am leaving to spend the Summer 2000 teaching at Zhejiang U. in Hangzhou. (L-R) Renee (Class 98), Sheila (Class 96), Me, Dorothy (Class 96), Ren (the FAO who doesn't look to happy to see me leaving), Clara (a beautiful and sweet woman from Venice, Italy who came to Jinahou for a few months to study Chinese), and Lisa (Class 96).

I put this picture here because as well as seeing me off, I was seeing Dorothy, Sheila and Lisa off too. As Class of 96, they had just graduated and would be leaving Jinzhou for their future lives a few days later. All three are doing well. Dorothy (above) is teaching in Benxi. Sheila is a post-graduate student at the famous "Dalian School of Foreign Languages", and Lisa is an English teacher at the Dalian Maritime University. Clara is back in Venice finishing her degree in Asian Studies. You can find out more about Renee at the Class of 98 page. Ren is...well she is still Ren, the FAO and the Xi Ci of Jinzhou Teachers' College.

Mabel (Class of '96) was one of my first students in China. She just graduated in July, 2000. She gave me a beautiful set of carved mahogany dragons as a bye-bye gift. Thanks Mabel and good luck.

Li Hui (Class of '96) also graduated July, 2000.
I instantly remember Li Hui from my very first class when she told me her English name: Zero.

Cool name, cool girl.

Cartoon

Yes, that's my old student's chosen English name - Cartoon. She's Class of 96, too. She graduated in 2000 and is now a Chinese Customs Officer in southern China. Her mother and father from Northeast China wanted to see her so they arranged a reunion in Shanghai during the May Day 2002 Holiday. They all came to Hangzhou for a couple of days and I was happy to see Cartoon again. Here we all are in a Hangzhou tea house on May 7, 2002.