Wendy's new school, a surprise trip back to Jiangkou and more free food!

This week has been the conference in Tongren.  I must admit I am not enjoying it much.  Maybe my own fault.  I was asked to prepare stuff that would help Chinese English teachers change the way they teach.  I did. I was not prepared for the fact that many of them could not speak any English and they really didnt want ot or know how to change the way they were teaching.  They were also being worked increadibly hard.  So, I am not writing about the conference.
On one of the days, I had a bit of free time.  I got a message from Wendy.
" Hey Mike! would you like to come over and see my school?  My freind will pick you up in shortly!"
Shortly afterwards, Wendy messaged and the gril who we have now named Jolene was there.  I had been told to look out of a large orange car.  This was a monster truck.  I climbed in and off we went to Wendy's new school.  We double parked in the middle of a small street and climed out.  It is hard to describe where I was, so I took a video of the way up to her new school.  Unfortunately it is too large for this blog.  It was such an intereresting route, I felt I had to include it!  I'll stick a link below and we'll see how that works!

(this link should ope in a new window and you might have to close it to get back here!)

The schoo is just being set up.  Here are a few photos:
Wall painting
Wall painting
Scott , right and two other students

the main classroom areaa



Wendy and Scott..one of her VIP pupils
 Anyhow, I did a bit of teaching and had some fun with the students.  Then all of a sudden we stopped for dinner!  A free -lunch.  Wendy then told me that it was time for us to go and that she would take me back to Jiangkou to get the missing power adapter for  my laptop!  We then went outside and another of her friends was waiting; Taylor.  Together we all went back to my flat in Jiangkou, but not before stopping at the famous tofu shop for a quick snack!  I had eaten enough so I did not have any this time!

The Tofu shop from the inside looking out
Taylor eating tofu

Wendy eating tofu
 Afterwards we went back to my flat, had a chat and a few soft drinks, then back to Tongren as I was teaching in the afternoon!  The trip back was more fun than the trip there because we managed to get lost on the way back!  I was however back in time for my teaching.  After teaching I went back to the hotel.
Shortly after arriving at the hotel I got another message from Wendy.  Taylor would be picking me up shortly and I would be having dinner at her school with her boyfriend, her sister's family and Jolene!  Downstairs I went there she was, and off to Wendy's school.  We sat round and chatted a while and I showed few of the kids some 'magic tricks'.  Then the food arrived...lots of it.   Some of which I had no idea how to eat, so I just waited and copied.The small crabs were the biggest puzzle.  They were between the size of a ten pence piece and a two pound coin.  Apparently you eat them shell and all.  So I did!  Eventually it was time to go and I got a lift back to the hotel.  A thoroughly interesting day!

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