This is excerpted from an e-mail letter sent by Lauren Prince, '00 to some of the Asian Studies faculty, dated 30 August 2002. Lauren, and Alex Notides (also class of '00) went to China after graduating from Kenyon, both on a teaching fellowship from the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia.

Teaching English in Nanjing

I am still in China, still teaching English. I had a very enjoyable year teaching in Hangzhou, and I am extremely grateful I had the chance to get the United Board fellowship. Hangzhou is a lovely city and I've made enduring friendships there. Alex and I ot along splendidly, which was great, as although we'd had several classes together, we never really knew each other outside of the classroom. We remain really good friends. He stayed in China until February 2002 and when I visited him recently in San Francisco, he told me he wouldn't mind coming back.

I am currently in Nanjing. I'm living here with my boyfriend Blair Lucas and teaching at the middle school attached to Nanjing Normal University. Luckily for me, Nan Shi Fu Zhong is the number one middle school in Nanjing and therefore home of the brightest students and the most fully equipped campus. All of my classrooms have multimedia capabilities-computers with Powerpoint, stereos, overhead projectors and VCD players. I teach 7th graders, well, 8th graders this year. I convinced my boss to let me continue with the same kids, as they have made so much progress and we have an established routine. I love my students, there is something very satisfying about teaching kids who really want to learn and are really interested in what you have to tell them.

I moved to Nanjing in August 2001. It's a very nice city, quickly becoming a second Shanghai, although I sometimes miss the tranquility of Hangzhou. We plan to stay here in Nanjing until at least Dec. 2003 (when Blair's contract ends) and then probably move to either Shanghai (depending on the availability of jobs) or elsewhere in Asia. We both love to travel and are anxious to explore other parts of the world before settling down. I took my first trip to Australia in Jan. 2001 and I loved it. We're both looking forward Chinese New Year, as we're going to the Great Barrier Reef and the Australian rain forest. I can't wait!

I hope this message finds you all well. I'd love to hear what's going on on the Hill and with all of you. I really do miss Kenyon. My parents weren't kidding when they said that my college years would be some of the best of my life. My best to all of you,

Lauren

p.s. Bai Laoshi--you'll be glad to hear that my Chinese has improved in leaps and bounds, and actually, just this afternoon I'm meeting with a
private tutor to further improve my tones, grammar and vocabulary.