China update...

Winter is still hanging on so Joey and I are keeping warm both in and out the classroom. The Nanchang spring will arrive in time so I thought this would be a good time to have a cup of coffee and send you a monthly update.

Spring semester:

This last month our theme has been transitions as we shifted our focus from the customs and traditions of the Chinese New Year to the needs of our new students. March 13^th was our first day of the spring semester. This semester Joey and I will share 32 students who work as Professors on the campus of Nanchang University .

March 8^th and 9^th were set aside as days of testing and interviewing our prospective students. From these two events we assembled an advanced and beginning level class. I will be teaching the beginning level class which has become a good fit for my learning style and previous experiences. During our interviews we hand out a sheet to ask for our students contact information. This information is important as it helps us in developing our lessons to reach our students and to maintain contact with them throughout the semester.

Our students are younger than our fall semester group so we'll need to use a different approach with each of them in the classroom. Our students are already planning several activities so I'm looking forward to spending time with them in and out of the classroom this semester.

China Events:

March 27th marks the 500-day countdown until the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Olympics. China will also host the 2008 Para-Olympic Games in addition to the Summer Games.

The 2007 FIFA Women's World Soccer Cup will be held in the following cities: Chengdu , Hangzhou , Shanghai , Tianjin , and Wuhan .

Shanghai will host and welcome guests to the 2010 World's Expo. My parents and I attended the 1986 World's Expo in Vancouver , Canada and I have fond memories of touring the Korean, Japan , and China pavilions.

Common Question: How much is a Haircut?

A Men's haircut in Nanchang includes a shampoo, rinse, cut, and style for the price of one American dollar. I go to the same Barber Shop each time so the stylists know who I am and what I need. I speak a few Chinese words with the people in the shop but mostly keep quiet and allow them to do their job.

Cultural highlight:

bai nian: New Year's visiting

During the Chinese New Year week of February 17^th - 24^th I had the unique opportunity to participate in the tradition of making social visits with my Chinese friends and students. My visits were mostly situated around Nanchang but a number of our students traveled long distances to pay the traditional visits to their friends and relatives.

Family news: April 6, 2007

I would like to take this opportunity to wish my Parents Keith and Florence a blessed 39^th wedding anniversary. If you ever have had the opportunity to meet my Parents ask them to share their story of meeting each other in Oregon . I have access to one version but I can't seem to acquire any others. My version includes both sets of Grandparents knowing and working together in farming long before my Parents had met each other.

Thank you for taking a little bit of your time to read my China experiences. I trust you¡¯re learning a little about China as I do each day with our students. I¡¯ll look forward to sharing more about our transitions with you in future updates.

Until then, have a safe week.