Recent news, firstly, involves the upcoming holiday. Starting October 1st to the 9th, there are no classes. Sadly, we do have to teach on the 10th, a Saturday, making up classes for Thursday, October 1st – but no biggie. The holiday time involves China’s National Day on October 1st and the Mid-Autumn Festival on October 3rd. It’s nice to have some time off, especially after four weeks into the term.

In team stuff, Wu was surprised with the news of being awarded a “Foreign-Expert-of-the-Year” Award in Changchun yesterday. He got a certificate and a free meal. How awesome is that? He’s said for four years now that he’d never get one because he doesn’t look “foreign enough”, but, dog gone it, he beat me to it. Jerk!

With the holiday, we also are having some visitors. Sarah, former Siping teammate from last year, will be visiting us for the next couple of days. She’s a teacher in Changchun – both with a kindergarten for bi-lingual children and as a one-room school teacher with the children of our organization’s language school for adults. Lisa, a friend and Wheaton classmate of Kat, will be spending time with us as well – traveling to see us from Shandong on a 16-hour train. Wow, now that’s commitment!

The next seven days are special for two reasons: 1) the Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋节) is next Sunday, October 3rd and 2) China’s 60th Anniversary Celebration is October 1st. China, as a country, is over 5-millennia-old, but, as the modern People’s Republic of China (PRC), they’ll be 60. The sixtieth birthday in China is highly significant, as about.com explains. There is much preparation around the country for these two events, but nothing compares to “the show” that will be Beijing this week. But let me digress…

The real issue at hand is the H1N1 virus. Apparently, there is a lot of fear out there…and the government is addressing it. Not only the Chinese government but my little university is addressing it. Basically, gates to my campus have been “closed” with increased security as to who gets through them. In years past, the October Holiday (often referred to as a “Golden Week” in China) may not be a holiday, if the rumors are true. I’ve heard through the “student grapevine” that they have been told that they cannot go home during the holiday week, and, if they do, they won’t be allowed back on campus. Larger cities to the north of Siping, in such places as Changchun and Jilin City, have had reported H1N1 cases. And we’ve heard that some of their campus are on lockdown. Ours has not yet reached this stage, but rumors have it that it could. I’m not sure what to think of all this, but I find myself wondering how I should respond in this crisis. WWJD?

School has been in full force for three weeks now, except for the Freshmen who begin next week. Freshmen begin their military training for around 10 days, so they’ve been marching up and down all around campus, practicing taichi, and chanting slogans in the wee hours of the morning until the evening. Several team activities have begun rolling on as well with life’s pace being quickened with students, grading, and university life.

Rumors have been going around that during the National Day, which is October 1st, students may not be able to go home. H1N1 is a big factor in this. Just last week, there were plans for a two-day Sports meet and department performances to be held in honor of the China’s 60th Anniversary as the PRC (People’s Republic of China), but these have been axed due to H1N1 fear. I’m not sure what to think of all this; I had no travel plans for the week of October 1st, which again is rumored to have had no classes during the week.

My summer has ended, and I’m now nestled in Siping again. The school year has started with a lot of changes, and I’m running to stay ahead. I arrived in Beijing on August 25th, met my new teammates (Kami & Lauren), then headed to Siping by night train. We’re two weeks into classes, and we’re cookin’ on student visits and classroom lesson-planning.

Rach, Wu, Jennifer, and I are all taking some form of Chinese classes this term. I think the girls are taking beginning oral; Wu, Jennifer, and I are taking reading together; and then Wu is taking advanced beginning oral by himself. These classes are complete with a book, homework, and  A LOT of Chinese. Our classrooms are filled with students from 19 other countries that all call our university “home” this term. We have Uzbekistanis, Tajikistanis, and Koreans in a lot of our classes. But we actually know there are some from Iran, Japan, and Nigeria, and a single dude from Britain.

I’m amazed at how much Siping (and China) is changing! Just last night, Robb and I were able to get cheese-in-the-crust pizza. Five years ago, I only knew of two places with pizza that I could order. Now I know of four, and the two new ones can deliver to my building. The train station used to be slightly dumpy and rustic, but now it has plush waiting rooms available courtesy of China mobile. My campus was “pool-less”, but thanks to the generosity of a gracious alumni, the outdoor, Olympic-sized pool is in business. Crazy stuff.

However, some things don’t change. I still hear the middle school students line up outside my window at 6:30 AM. I still hear the clanging of cymbals as the fruit vendors zig-zag through the collection of buildings where I and all my colleagues live. I still hear the sound of fireworks booming when a new place of business is open. All of these things remind me that I am back in China…and what a good feeling that is.