In summer 2004, Gail was chosen to spend seven weeks teaching English as a Second Language in China with a group of Americans. Most of her fellow teachers were young people, but there was one older teacher with her. She taught at at summer camps in two cities, Luxi and Wen Ling, and then had a week to be a tourist in Beijing and Shanghai.

This page has ten photos from her time in Luxi and Wen Ling. At some point in her travels, the focus mechanism in her camera malfunctioned so her photos after that are fuzzy.

She started in a small town called Luxi several hundred miles north of Hong Kong, in Jiangxi Province, one of China’s poorest provinces. To get there, the teachers had to take a train from the airport in Hong Kong, but they missed the train. Fortunately, they were put up for the night in a guest house.

Gail’s room at Luxi was plain, but adequate. It was on the fifth floor and there were no elevators. There were no elevators or escalators in the train stations either so getting her heavy suitcase between levels was difficult.

She ate in the cafeteria at the school, eating what the students ate. Hot water was served in place of tea. One dish the cafeteria served was fish head soup, which was a cultural shock for the westerners.

A map showing where Gail taught in China

Gail’s room at Luxi, a bed, a wooden desk, and a bathroom Gail with adult students who used the English names Jamie, Doris, and Cathy
Gail standing in a hall with three adult students

At Luxi, Gail worked six days a week and had Sundays off. On Sundays, they could go sightseeing. One Sunday she visited the farm owned by the parents of one of the school administrators. The parents grow rice and vegetables, raise chickens and a few pigs. They had one baby water buffalo. She was really cute.

This picture shows Gail, Sandy who is one of the other American teachers, Robin who is the school administrator, and Robin’s family in front of the family home. Sandy is standing at the left, Robin is kneeling at the left, and Gail is standing at the back in the middle.

Gail with others in front of the Chinese farmhouse
A room in Robin's family's house where Sandy and others are eating breakfast The face of the water buffalo calf

The school had a small van which was used to transport the American teachers to places of interest. It shared the streets of Luxi with coal trucks, push carts, motor bikes, and all manner of cars.

She and the other Americans were the first westerners that many of the residents had seen. When she went to a grocery store, she had a whole entourage of people following her around the store. Some were employees, trying to help her. Others were just curious onlookers.
A small grey van A street crowded with assorted vehicles An open-front room serving as a restaurant with bowls of food on a table

Gail’s second assignment was at Wen Ling in Zhejiang Province, which is on the coast south of Shanghai. This place was much more prosperous than Jiangxi Province. She was housed in a hotel and served richer food in the dining room.

A week after she arrived in Wen Ling, it was pounded by Typhoon Rananim, the most powerful typhoon to hit China in seven years. Luckily she wasn’t injured and things were pretty much back to normal in a couple of days.

Looking down from a high building onto a flooded street with trees blown over Gail standing with 8 high school students and her teaching assistant

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