First Weeks of School

Joy is right again. I haven't been updating this blog enough. However, I've been quite busy adjusting to my new life here. I'll try to be more faithful with this.

I'm finishing the second week of school here in China. The first week, I only taught two sophomore writing classes. This second week, I've added my six freshmen video classes. Video English uses video clips with the teaching to practice all the language skills together: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. I think I'll really like all of my classes. Most of the freshmen are shy and eager. Many of them have never had a foreign teacher or perhaps even met a foreigner.

I've also begun my own Chinese lessons. Our university has a major for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language. The upperclassmen from this major are teaching the foreign teachers Chinese. It helps us because they are well-trained and wanting to practice their skills. It helps them as well. My teacher is a smart and dedicated young lady, and we are both very serious that I will learn as much Chinese as I can. My students also love for me to practice my new words on them. They seem to appreciate that I am trying to learn their language.

The weather here has turned so beautiful. According to local people, this is the best season of the year here. The sky is blue and sunny, but there is a slight coolness in the air. In the next few days, we will be celebrating the Mid-Autumn festival. It has something to do with harvest and full moon. People celebrate by being together with family and by giving moon cakes as gifts. Moon cakes have an interesting design and a sweet filling. So far, I have had the egg filling (ok) and the fruit filling (actually very good), but there are many different kinds of filling. I've been invited to attend a Mid-Autumn party, so I'm looking forward to that.

The other American teachers here have been such an encouragement to me! They've helped me to know where to go and what to do. We spend time together on Sundays and other nights of the week. On Labor Day, we even had a cook-out outside of our building. Several Chinese men stopped by to watch the grilling and give advice to the guy who was cooking hamburgers. It was a classic picnic, ending with S'mores. We had a great time together!

My students and other Chinese friends are also so helpful. Last night, one of the sophomores took another foreign teacher and I with her out to dinner. She showed us a newly opened food court place in our college neighborhood where the students eat. They had all kinds of delicious Chinese foods. She helped us try several things and learn the names so that we can return to eat there on our own. Here in the northeast, people seem to like their foods salty and a little bit spicy. I really enjoy almost all of the food that I've had here.

Well, that's a little bit of an update. I'll try to keep this blog more current. I know that so many of you are thinking of me and supporting me. Your love is so precious to me, and I want to keep you informed of what is happening to me here.