Last Wednesday we were invited to a banquet with administrators from Jishou Normal University and local government officials. The banquet was in a beautiful private dinning room, and we (about 20 people) were all seated around one enormous circular table. As is often the case in Chinese restaurants, there was a lazy susan in the middle of the table. This one, because it was so large, was motorized.

The highest ranking official there was the vice governor of Xiangxi prefecture (one of 14 prefectures in Hunan province). At the start of the banquet the vice governor gave a speech welcoming us to Jishou and telling us about his city, which he is very proud of. Later on he came around and toasted with each of us individually, as did the other officials present.

The whole experience made me realize how important this program is to the city of Jishou. While I knew how much the program meant to our students, I hadn’t realized that it mattered to the local government as well. I felt quite honored to be a part of SoS.

One more thing. Yesterday some students took us roller skating at a nearby rink. I assumed this was probably an activity they did frequently after class. The big surprise – most had only skated once or twice before. Not much of a roller skater myself, this put us at about the same level. Overall it was a great time with the students.