After lunch on Monday through Thursday I walk from the primary school in DuTou down to the Li River where I take a boat back to the FuLi side. The dock on the DuTou side is made from logs. At times the river is high enough that the end of the dock doesn't quite reach the shore for comfortable access. Walking the logs can also be a balancing act.

The dock on the FuLi side of the river is stone and cement and the location of the two dozen steps. At the top of the stairs is a gazebo type of structure.

There are benches around the edges of the structure where travelers can wait for the next boat or rest or catch up on the latest news.

During the earlier too hot, too muggy weather, I started the habit of stopping here to enjoy the breeze, the view and a bit of a rest. Several times during my respite I've heard erhu music from visible or invisible sources. An erhu is a two stringed traditional Chinese instrument. I've learned to enjoy erhu music.
But by 1:45 I must continue on my way to the FuLi school where I volunteer. My afternoon classes begin at 2:10.

In 2006 when I taught summer school at DuTou, we drove by this school in FuLi on our way to the river crossing. I thought then it looked like an interesting school. So this fall, when Peter, the principal at DuTou, suggested I might fill out my day by volunteering here in the afternoons, I was intrigued. The school is grades K to 6. There are two classes at each level with 30 to 40 students in each class.

These are the teachers I share an office with at FuLi. They have been very friendly and supportive. It turns out the teacher in the back row on the left is Peter's wife. She says I am her English teacher but really she is my Chinese teacher. At least once a week, she takes time from her correcting and we work out some sentences together.

These two are the English teachers at this school. I am impressed with the English of their students. Grades three to six get English instruction. I support their instruction by meeting with each of their classes once a week for oral practice. Since I am doing oral practice, I have no papers to correct!
I meet with two classes each afternoon. On Mondays it is this fifth grade class and a fourth grade class. I am the first foreign teacher they have had. For the most part the students are intrigued with me. My afternoons here have turned out to be a good completion to my day.