Since some people were so kind to post comments, I will answer them here. The first question that I was asked was, "what are the weird things that you are getting used to?" There are a few things that are different. First off people spit everywhere. You constantly hear people hauking loogies. Kind of gross at first but you get used to it. Another thing is that there are a lot of trees that line the roads in the cities. The area around the base of the tree where there is a break in the cement is often used as a public toilet. In the evenings it isn't uncommon to see someone taking a leak in the tree 
well and occasionaly you find a log. Another thing that was shocking is that a lot of small children do not use diapers. The parents just cut a slit in the clothes in the crotch region and let their children pee and poop on the ground/shopping cart/bus when the urge hits them. Another thing is that women always walk in a group of two and they are always holding one anothers arm. Men are sometimes overly touchy. Give a chinese man a few drinks and he is hanging on you like a frat boy on a sorority chick when the bartender makes the last call. The Chinese sense of personal space is much different than the western idea. They often will get 6 inches from your fac
e to talk to you. It takes a while to get used to. Most of the food in Xi'an tastes about the same. A few vegetables some meat and a lot of cooking oil.
well and occasionaly you find a log. Another thing that was shocking is that a lot of small children do not use diapers. The parents just cut a slit in the clothes in the crotch region and let their children pee and poop on the ground/shopping cart/bus when the urge hits them. Another thing is that women always walk in a group of two and they are always holding one anothers arm. Men are sometimes overly touchy. Give a chinese man a few drinks and he is hanging on you like a frat boy on a sorority chick when the bartender makes the last call. The Chinese sense of personal space is much different than the western idea. They often will get 6 inches from your fac
e to talk to you. It takes a while to get used to. Most of the food in Xi'an tastes about the same. A few vegetables some meat and a lot of cooking oil. Kit asked, "How many kids are in your classes? What kind of stuff are you doing in class?". The Freshman don't start for another 10 days. In my sophmore classes I have 31 and 32 students. I have 3 boys in one class and 4 in the other class. Right now we are working on communication. This past Thursday we went over the quiz from week 1. I read 2 articles about smoking in China and the flowers from the olympic games. We are working on communication and understanding. The class that I am teaching is a communication class, but the students and faculty want me to focus on English skills, culture, and business practices. So rather than doing a management class, we are working more on listening, writing, and oral skills. The homework that I 
gave the students was to write a 2 page paper on the Olympics for next week. They must also present this information to thier classmates orally. Kit also asked what I do after class. Generally I take the bus from Lintong back to Xi'an. The univeristy that I teach at has a satellite campus about a half hour away. There are nice greyhound buses that pickup the faculty and transport them to the campus. The new campus is actually much nicer and newer than the traditional campus in Xi'an. I just feel bad for the students, becuase they are trapped in a small town with almost no social outlets. Kind of like living in Manhattan :). Kit asked what I did after work. Well this past Thursday, I was taken to lunch by a professor that I met on the bus on the way back to Xi'an. We went and had some Korean food and talked for about 3 hours. I went home and had to go first find where to pay my phone bill and then pay my phone bill. Then I went home emailed students from 
my class. Walked up to Aijia (shopping store) and purchased some hangars, an iron, and some durian fruit. I came home and my neighbor banged on my door and asked me to come over for dinner. We had some pasta and watched the first two new episodes of Heroes (I don't think they have even shown the second epiosde in the US yet. *****Heroes Spoiler (there is another petrelli) *******. My canadian neighbor Rory has a 42 inch HD T.V. so when ever I want to watch a movie or a T.V. show, I head over there. In fact we bought a cord to hook the computer up to the T.V., so now I get to watch the Chiefs games on the 42 inch TV over the slingbox connection. It is great, except he is a Bills fan. At least he isn't a Broncos fan. So this is the long answer to Kit's short question. In far greater detail than I am sure that he intended. I am really getting settled in. Things I miss: good coffee, a soft bed, good bread, clean air, a good sandwhich, turkey, good bbq, Gates sauce, Rock Star, a cell phone, fast internet, people who speak English, clean bathrooms, a mode of personal transportation, and most importantly friends and family.
gave the students was to write a 2 page paper on the Olympics for next week. They must also present this information to thier classmates orally. Kit also asked what I do after class. Generally I take the bus from Lintong back to Xi'an. The univeristy that I teach at has a satellite campus about a half hour away. There are nice greyhound buses that pickup the faculty and transport them to the campus. The new campus is actually much nicer and newer than the traditional campus in Xi'an. I just feel bad for the students, becuase they are trapped in a small town with almost no social outlets. Kind of like living in Manhattan :). Kit asked what I did after work. Well this past Thursday, I was taken to lunch by a professor that I met on the bus on the way back to Xi'an. We went and had some Korean food and talked for about 3 hours. I went home and had to go first find where to pay my phone bill and then pay my phone bill. Then I went home emailed students from 
my class. Walked up to Aijia (shopping store) and purchased some hangars, an iron, and some durian fruit. I came home and my neighbor banged on my door and asked me to come over for dinner. We had some pasta and watched the first two new episodes of Heroes (I don't think they have even shown the second epiosde in the US yet. *****Heroes Spoiler (there is another petrelli) *******. My canadian neighbor Rory has a 42 inch HD T.V. so when ever I want to watch a movie or a T.V. show, I head over there. In fact we bought a cord to hook the computer up to the T.V., so now I get to watch the Chiefs games on the 42 inch TV over the slingbox connection. It is great, except he is a Bills fan. At least he isn't a Broncos fan. So this is the long answer to Kit's short question. In far greater detail than I am sure that he intended. I am really getting settled in. Things I miss: good coffee, a soft bed, good bread, clean air, a good sandwhich, turkey, good bbq, Gates sauce, Rock Star, a cell phone, fast internet, people who speak English, clean bathrooms, a mode of personal transportation, and most importantly friends and family. 
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