My luggage is here!! So finally I'm sitting here in a warm jumper, sipping some Chinese flower tea (ummm...suspicious) and feeling quite happy. Besides, no more classes this week, as the students have tomorrow and friday off for sports. Actually, my students ask me if we could have classes anyway and they would skip the sports, but THANK GOD I was told by the postgraduate office that we shouldn't have any. Now I can take four days off to have a little breather...phhewww.

Nonetheless, today's class was really good. Yesterday I gave the students this text on the first Chinese manned spaceflight (which was launched today - big news over here! a real boost to the national pride and propaganda, this is all that my one TV channel that is in English is showing) and the space programme in general. We first went over the text, picking out difficult and new words and making sure everyone understood it. Then, we had a debate on the importance of the space programme over other areas of development. And what I had imagined would be a forced 30-minute conversation turned into a lively 2-hour debate, with the students getting really into it. I think this might be a format that I'll use again, trying to find some good topics to discuss.

This morning I also got one more student in class, who came to me after the first session to announce that the director of the international department (i.e. my boss) is one of his best friends. This, I assume, will mean that he will report my doings and teachings to Mr. Li. Ughh, I wasn't too thrilled. But after the afternoon session and the debate, the guy (Alex) came to me and said that this was the best English class he had had and that I was the best foreign teacher he had seen. So I wasn't feeling all that bad after that ;)

But no matter how well the classes have gone in the first two days, I'm still anxious about having so many hours with the one group. Yesterday I mentioned this to Mrs. Feng, who had a chat with the people in the post.grad. office, who of course said it would be very difficult to change it, as the students need to have that many classes. But I'll keep on gently pushing, don't want to upset everyone in the beginning so I can't be too forward, but I'll keep on mentioning it and see what will happen. Maybe they could at least chahnge it for the next term (which starts in January)?

After work today I went for a little walk around the neihgbourhood, and I have to say that Baoding looks like exactly the kind of place I was hoping for. Just about the best thing is that nobody harrasses me in the street (no resemblance to Senegal in that..)! So I can just wonder around, watch everything that's going on, the people selling just about everything from little carts and street stalls, the old people sitting around chatting and people on their bicycles dodging the spit launched by the rickshaw men.

Tomorrow morning I need to have a physical for my resident permit, and in the afternoon three of my students have asked if they could "play with me", ehhmm. I said I would but I hope it's not quite what it sounds... Will report later.

Now I only need to figure out what's wrong with the water heater in the bathroom, or have an ice-cold shower. Thankfully I managed to unblock the toilet (a rather grim operation...i think i'll leave the details out) and don't now have to contemplate looking for some toilets at the university, guided by the unmistakable stench.