Back to School Sail

Handing out awards at the advisors meeting.

Yes, it's that time of year to return to the Land of Low Cut Jeans, Hideous Pink Blouses, Hello Kitty, and Spiky Rainbow-colored Hair -- Chaoyang University.

The university year begins with meetings, of course. Pictured above is the general meeting for all the advisors, in which awards are handed out, and award-winning advisors make scintillating presentations on How to Be a Great Advisor. As my own advisees will cheerfully tell you, I will never win one of those awards. My own class of 50 advisees, now in their fourth year under my guidance, is a group of highly intelligent, extremely attractive, and hardworking students, whose English is excellent. They make it a pleasure to pursue a hands-off leadership strategy (yes, Frank and Forest, I know you're reading this).


The pleasant grounds of Chaoyang University.

Like many universities, Chaoyang University perches on steep slopeland, in this case a hill outside of Wufeng, Taiwan, overlooking the city of Taichung. Slopeland is cheap and easily obtained, and the expansion of universities due to the government subsidy program is sprouting universities on foothills all over the island. Chaoyang is only a few years old, owned and built by the same construction company that owns the Shin Nung Supermarket chain. It is quite professionally run, and most of the time, is a pleasure to work at.


A few months off has not been kind to the sanity of at least some of my students.

Most of my students come from working class backgrounds and worked over the summer to save money for their tuition. Few of them have hobbies or interests, or the ability to travel.


Freshman brace for my writing class.

As a foreigner I teach lots of writing classes. They are mandatory for English majors, and few locals like teaching them. Hence you can always have a place for yourself if you are willing to teach writing, and I personally enjoy it muchly.


Kafmun looking bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

In addition to me starting, my daughter also started back at school. On Friday, we went to the local PTA meeting, which looked a lot like PTA meetings everywhere. It seems I just can't get enough of long meetings in foreign languages.


The PTA meeting at my daughter's school.

Later we met with her teacher, a blustery, energetic fellow. After two and half hours of meetings, we headed home.


My daughter's teacher.

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NOTE TO GLYNIS: Here's a betel nut girl especially for you, to cure what ails.....


Those boots just make that outfit.

[Taiwan]