Dick's thoughts on China

We are still, and I guess we always be in the process of adjusting to the culture. China is a country of contrasts. There are many nice malls and department stores. Yet much of the commerce goes on by markets and vendors operating on the streets. Chinese food is very inexpensive when eating in restaurants. You can get a good meal (if you know what you are ordering) for less than $4/person. A very nice Chinese restaurant my cost $5/person. Yet if you look for American food it will cost a lot more, $7-10 per person. Taxi rides are necessary for most transportation to good stores etc. A 20 minute ride will cost 10-14 yuan ($2-3 US). There is no tipping anyone here.
I have five classes with a total of182 freshman level students. About 60% are women. The students are very smart, but many are not as fluent in English as they should be. I love the teaching, so far. I will give my first exam tomorrow. It will be interesting to see the results. These students are very polite. Only one person in my classes has a brother or sister. They are all come from a one child family. They are from rich families. The tuition here is 6 times higher than the state universities. They are all under a great deal of pressure from family to excel. I told the class the first day of class that I was a C and based my beliefs and principles on G and the Good book. Most in the class have no religion. None have asked me anything about religion since.
The faculty is where the real field is ripe for harvest. I knew that university profs were liberal, but I did not expect the anti American sentiment to be so strong. They are all very professional in conduct and really care about these students. I like them. But I am at the opposite end of the spectrum of political and religious belief. Not all are like that, but a vast majority.
Diane and I have made contact and received some assistance from some M people. There are a lot of Americans here doing a work and also many private industry believers. We are still feeling our way around and trying to see the big picture for us here.
We hope to be moving to another apt soon, because the mold in this one we think will be soon making us sick. The paint is literally falling in flakes off the ceiling. There are numerous other issues. Diane was doing great and I am so very proud of her adjusting here. Today was not the best day. She was a little upset stomach, the commode was not working properly, the mold really started bothering her. So, if mama ain’t happy….
It has been really colder than usual. The lows are about 18-20 and the highs are 28-32. It snowed 2 days and is expected to snow tomorrow. The wind blows about 30mph and is is very chilling. We walk about ½ to a store for any real groceries and cleaning supplies. The street nearest us has only a few open markets with limited selection. It is amazing how the days are going by so fast for me because the teaching is a real challenge and keeps me occupied. Also everything here seems to get done at a snails pace. More later,