The rail to Zhengzhou

Hi, folks!

English corner was cancelled today, so I got to come home by 4:30! It was a pretty good day. I taught two classes. It rained a bit and it was the most overcast, dreary day possible.

I noticed one thing today. In the jam-packed halls and stairs everybody will be moving like a mob, running into each other. However, I noticed that nobody ever touches me, even when I am in the thickest crowd. I thought that was curious. People will be so crammed together but everyone goes out of their way not to touch or run into me...

This morning I got a package! Mr. Li, our driver, gave it to me. Mom had mailed it Oct. 4 and it arrived today! Better late than never! After coming back home, I tore into it. I've never been so excited to get a package.

In my afternoon class, there was a girl I noticed who was crying really quietly. I didn't say anything until everybody was doing group work very loudly. She wasn't participating at all. I bent down by her seat and asked if she was okay because she looked sad. She said she was indeed very sad. I told her that if she wanted to talk after class, I would love that. So after class, she quietly hung around until all the students left. It was really great getting to chat with her. She says she is extremely homesick, because she never gets to go home. Her hometown is in Xinjiang, which is the most extreme western province of China. It probably takes 3 or 4 days by train to get there. After we talked I gave her a big hug and said we'll have to hang out really soon.

Okay, now I have to take a shower and finish some laundry up before we leave in a couple of hours for the long train ride on hard seats to Zhengzhou. I'll tell you all about it when I return! Thanks for your thoughts!