Naturally, I had to do a swimming video for my students, friends and colleagues in my hometown’s outside pool. This is the place anyone could find me all summer, 6 – 8 a.m. for adult lap swim, even on Saturday and Sunday before worship services.

I’m so much looking forward to returning to my school at Luzhou Vocational and Technical College because we now have a 50 meter indoor heated pool. My greatest hope is to be the mentor, sponsor, organizer of a student or faculty swimming club. Universities in China don’t have athletic events or scholarship-awarded athletes built into their programs. All sports or specialty student groups (dance, instruments, choirs, English or language, volunteerism) are set up as clubs. Teachers are required to be the sponsors so students who wish to start clubs of any kind must get a faculty member to sign the papers and be present for a few of the meeting times but not all of them.

I have been asked to sponsor or speak at my college’s clubs in the past but have never instigated one myself. With this new pool, I am absolutely considering starting free swimming lessons or give expertise for those wishing to improve their strokes. And I’m definitely keen to start a competitive swimming club of some kind, for students or faculty or both. Even for youth, for faculty’s kids. I can imagine this will be a great connection for me to add a little more to my time at the school other than just as an English teacher.

This will be a new adventure for me, something I’ve never tried before, and I am truly looking forward to trying it out. I’ve already had some takers when I posted the above in my WeChat moments (similar to What’s App).

“Teacher Connie! Wow! You swim so fast, ” was the response. “We are ready to join you. Hope to see you soon at our school.”

Yep. Me, too.