Greetings from the other side of the world!!!

Hello family and friends,
Well, it's been about a week and a half, and so far, so good. I am really adjusting well to China. I really like the people I will be working with, and my class schedule is amazing. I will be teaching as much in ONE WEEK as I taught in one day in the States. The campus here is nice--everything is within walking distance (grocery store, salon, bakery, etc.) I am in the process of moving into my apartment, so that has been very time consuming. There are about fifty different apartment buildings on campus, so you can imagine just how many people live here.
Anyway, I have a roommate now--Diane--and she has been great in helping me get everything settled. She is Chinese-American, so she at least can speak a little Chinese. We shall see just how much I will pick up this year--so far, I know two phrases--"hi" and "thank you." I think I need a little work. The company has an intro class you can take, so I will be signing up for the class!
I don't even know where to begin! I feel like I've done so much in these last few days . . . We bought a few couches from a local family, and they were delivered on Saturday. The family carried the cushions in their minivan, but they also hired an older gentleman to bring the main couch frames over on his bike cart! It was amazing! I felt bad that he had to work for hard for about 6 bucks . . . I took a picture, so I will post it soon.
The other day the school sponsored a trip downtown to help the teachers get school supplies. Sounds easy, right? Not so much. I really miss being able to go to Target and getting stuff . . . they have no concept of folders here, or index cards, or bulletin board borders. Also, my students (10th and 12th graders) have to buy their own textbooks, so I've been assured they will bring their books to class, which amazes me! This is looking to be a really great year, and I am excited to start teaching and getting to know my students. I also may help coach tennis as a club sport, but who knows? I don't want to volunteer for too many things, as I don't know exactly what my teaching days are like.
Let's see . . . the food. I'm sure you are all wondering about what I am eating here. Well, everyone knows just how much I love rice . . . Yup, lots of rice and noodles and fried rice . . . there are also pizza places around here, and a cool "mongolian style" place where they cook the food in front of you--that place was really really good. I went grocery shopping with a few other teachers at Metro, which is comparable to Costco. The imported foods section was amazing! Things were pricy!!!!! Six bucks for a bar of chocolate! Anyway, Diane and I are splitting food costs, so that was nice. I jumped up and down at the sight of Philidelphia cream cheese and bagels! :) There aren't any "Western" fast food chains around here, but I did see a Burger King and a McDonalds downtown.
Another night we headed downtown to the Super Brand Mall (there were at least 10 floors) and we ate at a gourmet Pizza Hut. It had linen tableclothes and the view looked out over the river and the Bund. Beautiful! I also saw the Pearl Tower, which has pretty pink lights/glass. Anyway, it's a Shanghai thing to see, so I saw it!
I've been kinda sick lately--just the "China cough" that I can't seem to get rid of! I guess the air pollution and the humidity are not a great combination!
Well, I need to get going--it's dinner time! We are having leftover pasta and fried rice!
I will write more soon--and I'll tell you the story about how I found out I only have one kidney! (ok, I will tell you now, since I can hear the whining. I went to a health screening for my visa registration and had to get a chest x-ray, blood work and an ultrasound. The lady running the ultrasound machine was concerned because she couldn't find my other kidney. They concluded--after checking me repeatedly for scars and asking me questions like "Have you sure you've never had surgery?" they concluded I was born with only one kidney. So if you need one, sorry, I can't help you! You learn something new every day!:)
Much love to all!!!

Susannah