Pedestrian Wichita

Came to Wichita for a few days with my mom, who's convening with other school nurses. They all get to write the convention off , so lucky for all of us they chose to live it up at the Hyatt on the riverfront downtown.

Wichita was actually surprisingly mediocre. I came after years of stories and references from the few Wichitans I'd known, but it turned out to be a pretty decent time. Of course, nothing is good or bad unless by comparison, as I heard someone say. So when Wichita is competing against Emporia it won't have a hard time impressing me. After all, Emporia's riverfront consists of a bunch of trees and a waste treatment plant. Not exactly a Hyatt.

Geology Rocks, Indeed

Philip came in from Denver to help his parents move, so he, Clint, and I headed up to Weston, Missouri. Our favorite hangout is an cool Irish pub that I call O'Malley's.

I'm not sure where that name came from. I first went there years ago with my family. The name "O'Malley's" was on a sign outside the pub and on the menus and the like. And it's the strangest thing: we've all called it that ever since. The name just stuck.

The pub is in a series of old, underground wine cellars. Each has a vaulted, stone ceiling and steep stairs lead from one room to the next. It's a great hangout, especially on Sundays when Bob plays. If you don't know about Bob, I can't tell you. You have to just go and listen for yourself. Really--don't ask. I won't tell you.

Back Home

I'm back in my hometown, which hasn't really changed. I wasn't expecting Emporia to change much, so I suppose it hasn't disappointed.

Most of my friends have moved on to bigger cities, like young people everywhere.

The picture is me with a couple friends. The guy on the left hid in my luggage and the inspectors didn't catch it until Chicago, which was really too late. I asked my mom if we could keep him and she said yes. It wasn't that surprising, because she's always happy to have another person around to eat her food.

It's hot and humid and incredibly small here, compared to China. Almost everyone I've talked to has said something about how China must be far less developed than the US. I guess that's true in some ways. But the the strangest thing about being back is how few people and stores there are. Based purely on hubbub, Emporia seems like a ghost town compared to a small highway rest stop in China.

Parents and Graduate

All the rumors are true. Nathan and I are on our long journey back to Emporia. We're in a coffee shop in Guangzhou that has become a favorite stop for Internetting and caffeine the last few times I've come here.

We should be back on July 8, and we expect fatted calves and much merriment on our return, sponsored by the Emporia Expat Club. If you're not a member, you're still invited.

I Had No Purpose!

As I write, I'm sitting in an oversized wicker chair at the front of a class of 52 lowered Chinese heads. The class is on the eighth floor of the pedagogical building, where I teach. Our building sits at the center of Jiaying's campus and has a pleasant view of the city and surrounding mountains.

The lowered heads are my American and British history students, who are taking their final exam. My other history class are in a room next door with my friend Nathan as MC.

On our tortuous but familiar walk up eight flights of stairs there were clear reminders of the challenge that lay ahead. Red cloth banners with white cut-out characters remind students to stay (or become) honest during finals. Pledges of honesty signed by each class also hang at the back of their home room. A newbie would assume that these things serve as some measure of warning or reinforcement for our students, and s/he would hope that the students would pay heed. But I'm no newbie. The warnings are really for the teachers.

When I had to remind some students to keep their eyes on their own papers, they responded with, "What do you mean?" or "But I had no purpose!" or simply dropped their heads and got back to work.