Our new home in Xi'an!!

Outside of our building

Front door to our building...not a prison. ;)

Personal front door on 2nd floor

Our one and only cozy bathroom

Kitchen: fridge, micro, hotplate & toaster oven 

Other half of kitchen w/clothes washer

Drying rack to make crunchy clothes

Our life blood...bottled water!

Our living room...just enough room for one yoga mat!

Our office where we spend most of our time..preparing lessons

Our bed...box spring with a 2" foam pad on top.  Argh!

Our shared closet

Faculty bus that takes us to/from the new campus to teach...45 min each way.  We live on the old campus.

Our view into the courtyard gardens below our apartment.

The story of our adventure in getting to China...

SLC to Shanghai….no problem.

Shanghai to Xi’an….another story!  After arriving in Shanghai and clearing immigration with a 3 hr layover, we were greeted at the baggage claim area by a “transfer guide” who took us to another line (2 hrs long) where we “supposedly” re-checked our luggage onto our next flight with China Eastern Airlines.  Up to this point we had flown Delta and held boarding passes for all of our flights which had been issued by the Delta agent in SLC.  Apparently, those boarding passes and the Delta Flight number listed on them is where all the trouble began.  We said good-bye to our luggage and headed to the gate which was 45 min away (Shanghai airport is HUGE!).  We arrived just in time to have the gate agent scan our boarding passes and send us on our way, only to be met at the door of the plane by security guards checking boarding passes who refused to let us on the plane because our Delta flight number did not match the  China Eastern flight number.  We tried to explain in our NO CHINESE language skills, that it was a code-share flight.  That did not work.  It was causing a ruckus so we stepped off to the side to let everyone else board.  One other passenger in particular was quite angry and started yelling at us.  The only distinguishable word we could decipher was “criminals” said vehemently, over and over.  Sure glad everyone is addicted to CSI over here so they can use the appropriate English word when it is required.  After the plane was fully boarded (except for us) and 25 minutes had passed, an angry gate agent flew down to the plane door, reprimanded the security guards and shooed us onto the plane.  Apparently, she was the only one in the airport that knew anything about code-share flights.  End of story. 

The flight to Xi’an was uneventful except for the 1.5 hour delay on the tarmac and the fact that the pilots must have been smoking the entire flight since there was a heavy odor (we were at the very front of the plane) coming from that direction, and the flight attendants acted oblivious.

Fast forward to luggage.  NO luggage.  Left in Shanghai because why?  Not sure, but must have had something to do with that darn Delta Flight number!  After speaking with a baggage services agent for over an hour and getting nowhere, we decided it was well past time to get outside and see if our “ride” from XISU was anywhere in sight.  Nope.  He had given up around 1:20 am (our original flight was to have arrived at 11:20 pm and we didn’t get in until 12:30 am) and headed home.  Since we foolishly put all of our eggs in the “we’ve got a ride to our new place” basket and didn’t have the address to the school written anywhere in Chinese (and even if we did, where would we have slept when we arrived?  On the steps to the university?), we were up a creek without any chopsticks!  The lovely baggage services lady tried her best to help us figure out what to do, but since she couldn’t speak much English and our Chinese was/is nonfunctioning, we were in a bit of trouble.  We asked if there was a nearby hotel and she said yes but not within walking distance.  We tried to get a taxi but no one would take us because it was “too close” and too late to pick up foreigners.  Finally, she turned us over to a policeman who also tried to get us a taxi, but being just as unsuccessful, put us in his police car and drove us to the hotel.  The hotel refused to take us even with the policeman demanding it.  It was now 3 am and I finally looked at them with desperate eyes and they agreed to let us stay for 4.5 hours but we had to promise to vacate by 0730.  We gratefully took the room, showered, went to sleep, showered again and left on time as planned.  We were just grateful to have a hard bed and a shower. 

Next morning, back to airport, more work with the baggage services lady where it was determined they would “look” harder for the luggage and let us know what they found out.  We then get them to write the address to XISU on a piece of paper and off we go to find a taxi and head to our new home.

It was probably a good thing we were without our luggage for a while because it took us 3 full days of cleaning and de-junking to get this place livable.  Doesn’t anyone throw anything away anymore!  I swear there had to be  30 years’ worth of dust and junk!  Add to that the fact that the coal used for heating here has left a black film over everything.  But now we have a spic-n-span place to live and although it truly is as we had been warned by the previous teachers as glorified camping, it is home for a year!  And we are so happy to be here!!

We had to hit the ground running and 4 days after arriving, we started teaching.  We ride a XISU faculty bus from our campus (the old campus) to the new campus where we teach.  It takes about 45 min each way.  Plenty of time on the bus for a nap as needed.  Jordan and I have different teaching schedules, but it is fine and we are doing great.  He is teaching Public Speaking & Oral English to sophomores and freshmen and I am teaching Oral English to sophomores.  Since the freshmen have a mandatory 2 week military training period before beginning school, he has only 2 days a week right now and will begin his full schedule when they finish.  I have 7 classes with approximately 30 students in each.  The students are wonderful and so excited to have foreign teachers.  Each of them choose an English name.  Here are a few of my favorite ones from my classes:  Cherry, Tombe, Incisor, Primrose, Echo, Hermione, Yoyo, Yellow, Smile, Message, Ephlin, Slowly, Pansy, Sweet, Morning & Scofield.  Fun huh? 

Our little branch here is 20 people strong… at least we think that will be how many are attending.  Last week there were 10 of us.  Can you say….”speak in church a lot?”

The food is amazing and definitely not what we think Chinese food is all about.  This area is famous for their noodles and I must say, they are so tasty!  I’ve even started to enjoy the spiciness of everything!  Our stomachs have revolted a bit, Jordan’s more than mine.  It was a good thing we brought some recommended meds from home or he would be in a world of hurt right now.  Gotta love an occasional Z-pak! 

So much more to tell you but it is late and I’d better call it a night.  Love you all so much and appreciate your notes of encouragement along the way!  Bye for now!