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.