April 24, 2010: So long, Deyang!

Sunday I'm moving to Fuzhou, on the coast across from Taiwan. I was offered a chance by the company I work for to transfer to Minjiang University where a position had opened up. Of course I took it. I have no great affection for Deyang. Don't get me wrong -- the people are kind and helpful, but the city is drab, dusty, and dreary. I can count on one hand the number of sunny days there have been since I came here. From what I have read online, there are a lot of cultural and historical things in Fuzhou (unlike Deyang!). And maybe the students at the University will be more interested in learning (please!). Oddly enough, the students in my one all male class (mostly "bad" boys) all wanted to take pictures with me after our last class! And I felt bad for sweet July, my favorite student, who cried when I told the class I was leaving. As I left my classroom for the last time, it struck me that I had to do something. So I went back to the chalkboard and wrote "Elvis has left the building."