Author Archives: connieinasia

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About connieinasia

I have been in the Asia region for 27 years as an English language teacher. A majority of those have been in China with the Amity Foundation , a Chinese NGO that works in all areas of development for the Chinese people. Covid stranded me in America for over 3 years, with China closing its boarders to returning teachers. In 2023, I was accepted into a new teaching role not in China but in Laos. Join me in experiencing this incredible journey into a different culture, a different language, and a different life.

Photos for Previous Blog

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“Yes, Virginia, there is turkey in China!”

I’ve found living in the big city rather than small town Luzhou has a lot of perks. One of them is turkey for Thanksgiving. Turkey is not a bird found commonly in China nor eaten here. I have only seen … Continue reading

Posted in Chengdu Daily Life | 2 Comments

A Beloved Teacher Leaves, and Returns

Two months ago, I entered my 8:30 a.m. morning lesson in Room 305 a bit earlier than usual. I was hoping Teacher Chen, my Comprehensive Chinese and writing teacher, and I could discuss better ways to improve his lessons. Our … Continue reading

Posted in Chengdu Daily Life, Travel | 2 Comments

Surprise! Checking in from Luzhou

After over 2 months in the big city, Chengdu, this weekend found me alighting back on my doorstep along the Yangtze River at Luzhou Vocational and Technical College. And an even bigger surprise awaited me in my apartment, other than … Continue reading

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Visiting Luzhou for the Weekend

        The past week has been filled with settling into my off-campus room in Chengdu, registering for the semester, applying for my permanent student visa and adjusting to big city life.  It also means adjusting to the cold.          Upon landing in Chengdu, … Continue reading

Posted in From Along the Yangtze, Tales from Sichuan's Yangtze Rivertown, Luzhou, Tales from The Yangtze River, Travel | Leave a comment

The Luzhou Airport: A Highlight, From and To Luzhou

                   One of the highlights of this last trip to America was flying from and into our little Luzhou Airport.          I have never done this before in all my years working here, although taking off directly to Shanghai … Continue reading

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My Neighbor’s Rivercat, Yangtze

          You’ll remember my past reports of Mr. and Mrs. Old Man River (Zhen and his younger wife, Wu) who recycle discarded materials throughout the campus. With the rapid return of students, and our school garbage cans quickly filling with … Continue reading

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The Luzhou Campus Comes Back to Life

           The calm, quiet, peacefulness of our empty campus has disintegrated with the coming of the weekend.           The upper classman began trickling in on Saturday, streaming through the gates on Sunday and dragging their stored belongings back to dormitories … Continue reading

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An Empty Campus Leads to a Bit of Foreigner’s Mischief

         Our formal schedule listed August 26th, Monday, as the start of school.          But I’ve been back now for 4 days and the campus is still vacant. No students. No administrators. No teachers. Only the workers are busy with … Continue reading

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Back to China!

  As always, a month in the States flew by. I received my student visa by mail 5 days ago so I’m all legal for a re-entry into China. My most recent newsletter was sent 2 days ago so those … Continue reading

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