Hi everyone!

I can't believe I've already been in China for a whole month! I'm really having a wonderful time here. We've had great weather for the most part.....lately it's been in the 70s and clear, almost like summer. We went through a cold spell for a few days last week, which was hard because China shuts off its heating system in mid-March. We still have hot water, but it's impossible to turn up the heat in our rooms. So I had to use my hairdryer as a space heater! Thankfully it was only for a few days.....we're now back to near-summer weather.

Two weeks ago I tried a candy called White Rabbit....it was hard and sticky, and I wasn't sure if I was supposed to chew it or let it dissolve in my mouth. I started chewing it---wrong move!---and my crown fell out. So I had to make an emergency trip to the dentist. The office looked just like a dentist's office in the US.....fortunately the dentist spoke decent English, so everything was fine. My health insurance doesn't cover dental work, so I had to pay out-of-pocket.....but everything in China is very cheap, so it only came to about $40.

Yesterday for lunch, we had Pizza Hut delivered to the theater! It was great! It's pretty much the same as Pizza Hut in the US, except that they gave us plastic gloves to use instead of paper plates and napkins. (Napkins, in general, seem to be a rare item in China......they're not part of the table setting. I usually have to hunt them down at breakfast in the hotel restaurant. The restaurant, by the way, has switched to an instrumental version of "Don't Cry For Me Argentina.")

On Thursday, we went to the China Folk Culture Village in Shenzhen, which is in the same complex as Windows of the World and Happy Valley. The Folk Culture Village is similar to Windows of the World, except that it features all the different ethnic groups within China itself. It was nice to see a bit of authentic China instead of the usual tourist stuff. They had miniature Buddhist temples, and we were instructed in the proper techniques of paying our respects to Buddha. Besides being very interesting, this had ties to THE KING & I---one of my students portrays Buddha in the ballet scene in Act II. It was great to see the kids make the connection between actual Asian rituals and what they are doing onstage.

It's just about time for my van call, so I have to get going. I hope you all have been well!

Take care,
Christine :-)

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