Connecting again!

Finally an internet connection I can call my own. It is really surprising to me how adrift one can feel without a way to send and receive messages. Gee, what did we do before e-mail!

The first week spent in Guangzhou, the old city of Canton, was a blur. Our schedule was packed with places to visit. There was no time to rest let alone miss everyone back home. As a matter of fact, I don't remember a time when I walked as much as we did. Oh yes, and eating.. If we weren't walking we were eating. And eating. Did I mention that we were eating?

Our hosts were very gracious and wanted to be sure that we experienced all of the good things China has to offer. The New Year's celebration was overcome by jet lag. After having dinner and making dumplings (and eating dumplings), the travel caught up with us and we had to return to our apartments and sleep. I remember a huge cannonade of fireworks around midnight, but it didn't keep me up.

We enjoyed traditional New Year's excursion to the mountain (Baiyun) to walk up to the top and back. Enjoyed the rock (reflexology) path you had to take your shoes off to walk on.

Oh yes, let's not forget the weather. Imagine if you will palm trees, orange groves, flowers in bloom. Beautiful, right? Well this is the typical site, but the weather was cold! Layers of clothes and a coat, sometimes a knit hat to stay warm. Very strange combination!

Many of the cultural sites were entertainment oriented, vendors right and left. When you came across an artifact, it was worth seeing. One park was of miniatures of many sites in China. Kind of strange until you think about the fact that China is a huge country and travel is very expensive for most citizens. This approach is the only way for many citizens to be able to see or experience any of the historical sites. Still felt like Godzilla , though..

Now in Xi'an. Some difficulty with the housing situation. Mostly resolved now. The weather is like a typical Ohio winter, perhaps less than you are having this year!! I still must live in my coat. The room I have is heated, but any public building, store bank is not heated. The school is not heated, classrooms are often open to the air. I still remove the coat to teach, after, I move around alot! The dining hall and restrooms aren't heated either! BBRRR!

The day I arrived at the ShaanXi Normal University Attached Middle School, was my first day to teach. Jump on in!