Post #113 6 July 2016

Gentlefolk,

This post is about saying goodbye to some of our College friends and contacts.

It's been a pretty crazy last 2 or 3 weeks.  Lot's of goodbyes, packing, and getting ready to leave.  Only three sleeps to go before we leave China.

We've had a wonderful 6 years of teaching and living here.  We'll miss it.

Here are some photos.

A last bike ride with Michael and Steven. Photo taken in front of the Liu Pei Lou Residential Building where we live. We went around Tang Dao Wan Bay, and then over to Silver Beach.  It's a bit over 24 km around the whole promontory  -  Paul Finkbeiner and I once did it in 65 minutes - still the record!
We are so lucky to live here, where there is a safe place to walk or jog or bike.  And the air quality, right on the coast, is usually pretty good.

Vera also went for a ride, but a different way.

The esplanade along Tang Dao Wan Bay, just across the highway from our campus.  At great cost the Municipal Govt built a lovely promenade around TDW Bay about 6 years ago, not long before we arrived here.  So lucky. It has been pretty peaceful, but now more and more people are discovering this lovely Bay.

Photo taken from the other side of TDW Bay, looking back towards Huangdao City.  All the tall buildings have been built in the last 10 years.

From across the BAy, a view of our Liu Pei Lou Building (half is residential living for foreign students and teachers, and half is a hotel for the Training Center), and the tall new Engineering Building next to us.

A view of Silver Sand Beach.  It's  30 minutes by bike from the campus. Water still too cold now, but nice swimming in summer.  Some algae is starting to appear.  This beach gets far fewer visitors than Golden Sand Beach, about 5 km north.  Both are big stretches of  fine sand, gently sloping, usually fairly calm so safe for swimming.

Michael & Steven on Silver Sand Beach.  The Grand Wyndham Hotel is in the background.

Michael and me on Silver Sand Beach.

We said goodbye to another teaching colleague, Gautier Plassais. Lovely guy.

Saying goodbye to my ex-student Wang He (Albert). He has just graduated in Mechanical Engineering and will do a Masters degree at Dalian University of Technology (in Mectronic Engineering). He scored 93% for his final thesis, which was on drone controls. Albert is the only student to get all 70 short questions correct in my Western Culture exam.  He's an impressive young man.

Saying goodbye to Professor Zhang Wei Shan (Computer Science) and his father who was visiting from Laiyang (Yantai). We met Prof Zhang 5 years ago when we all lived in Building #1, and became good friends. His wife Wang Yi is expecting their second child.

The 'flea market' when graduating students sell all their excess gear. Their 4 years of undergraduate study is over, and it's time to move on. Most graduates have found jobs, while others will pursue Masters degrees either in China or abroad.

This girl was taking it easy.

Some students playing cards while waiting for customers. The girl on the left, Judy (Law graduate), was in my Selected Reading class this semester.  

I presented a copy of my book "It's all about the students" to Li Guan Lin.  He was "lao ban" (boss)  of the foreign teachers in Dongying when we arrived there in August 2009 (now he is Deputy Director of the International Education Center, in charge of 800 foreign students).
We obviously go to the same hairdresser!

With Wu Qian (Kathy), my helpful Liaison Teacher this semester.  All foreign teachers are allocated a teacher by the English Faculty to help us with admin and teaching issues.  They get paid a little extra, but not commensurate with the work involved in making our lives easier. Generally, Chinese teachers work much harder than foreign teachers.  We are here for a short time and then move on, but they are building careers.  They allocate a lot more homework, and have many more administrative duties, while also trying to do research and write academic papers which are necessary for promotion.
Kathy has a very cute 4 year old son (English name Alex ).

Dean of the English Faculty, Zhang Jian Ke (David) taking a photo with one of his graduating students.  We first met David in Dongying. He will shortly start a PhD at a university in Shanghai.

The "trophy wall" in our apartment.  I received three teaching Awards: from our university (UPC); from the Education Ministry of Shandong Province; and from the State Administration for Foreign Experts in Beijing.  In 2013 UPC published my book "It's all about the students", which describes our first two years teaching in China.  I also featured in a program made by Qingdao TV about foreigners living and working here. Many highlights in our 6 years at UPC.

...

That's it for another post.

Best wishes, keep well and keep smiling.

Alex & Vera Olah

English teachers at the China University of Petroleum, Qingdao

www.upc.edu.cn

Wednesday 6 July 2016