This was just sent from our Nanjing office.  I thought you’d enjoy seeing all the new teachers as well as Amity staff and our hosting school officials.

           Interesting story about this picture — We were to assemble at 5 p.m. but a lot of the group were late.  We had several searches throughout the guest house, rounding everyone up, until the final picture was ready to be taken.  Of course, by that time, the  college’s adjoining middle school students, who were studying during the summer  for high school entrance exams, had just been dismissed.  Hoards of excited teens, who’d been cooped up all day studying intensively in un-airconditioned rooms, descended upon us.  Our poor photographer was left waiting for the young folk whizzing by on bicycles, or leisurely strolling along, to pass before he could finally get the picture. 

            On several occasions, he just about had the picture when . . . Whoosh!!   Here came someone careening across his shot on their bike.  Or restless boys, punching and hitting one another in fun, stumbled into the camera’s frame.  Or parents, there to pick up their kids, carelessly and nonchalantly walked right in front of all of us without a clue they were blocking the photographer.

             Every time we had an interruption, we’d let out a huge groan.  Our patient photographer, a short, stocky,  cute fellow, would give us a humorous slump of exasperation before trying again.

              As you can see, we finally did get it but what a fiasco!

Here we all are! (I’m seated front row, 3rd from the left.)