Assertiveness and Respect

Almost every day, Sir Barry Jowett my former director from Nanjing, phones, texts, or emails. His message is always the same: Don't get walked on! His concern is that I'll act too timid because this is a foreign culture, and I will be assigned all manner of extra duties. Barry is unique, so I really can't use him as a role model, but to my surprise Professor James Zhang, who had been my Chinese teacher at ETSU told me the same thing. So did another friend, a junior faculty member, who had visited Johnson City at one point.

So, when my course load seemed inappropiate, I negotiated my with the Vice Dean of my department. And, when our water was abruptly shut off one morning, I went down to the international office to find out why and insisted they make some phone calls when they shrugged and said they didn't know. (Turned out it was a water main break, and it was fixed in a reasonable length of time) Someone my age is permitted, even expected, to question things. And it's true-- I do get respect.

So for this semester, this is my campus. Above: students hawk cell phones on the main campus square. Below: A work crew clearing away some brush.