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   Hello everyone!
   My name is Valerie Crowell, and I am one of the FEC teachers for the 2006-2007 school year. I am originally from the cold and snowy state of Minnesota, in the United States. I have two younger sisters and one younger brother, and I stay in contact with my family quite frequently, even though I live on the other side of the world! Before I came to Yichang, I was a high school social studies teacher in the St. Paul and Cottage Grove, Minnesota. I love teaching and I really enjoy learning about the geography, history, and culture of other places, so  am very excited to be spending this school year at Yichang No.1 Middle School in China!
   I am really enjoying my time in Yichang, and I especially enjoy my classes. The students here are so wonderful, and they really are working hard to improve their English skills. Every Thursday, we have an English table during the lunch period in the canteen, and our students are doing quite well at developing their English skills through interaction with native English speakers!
   The city of Yichang is much larger in size than my hometown, which has only 30,000 people. The people here are so friendly, they have really made me feel welcome! They are always willing to help in any way they can, and they are forgiving of the fact that my Chinese language skills are still not very good! It can be very difficult at times, living in a country where you don’t really know the language, but the people of Yichang are so welcoming that it really inspires me to want to learn to speak the language. My students have taught me quite a few Chinese words, and I know that they are amused by my attempts at pronouncing Chinese words. I am grateful for their help and hard work!
   I am teaching Level 1 this year, and I am always at English Table every Thursday at 12:00pm, so feel free to stop by and talk with me a little! I can’t wait to meet you!

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