Email from Dad

We are basically settled in. Our apartment is like a hotel. It has a beautiful lobby, and a guard at the lobby floor. We are on the second floor. There is no elevator. Mom and I walk about twenty minutes each way to our teaching areas. It is a very beautiful campus. Life here is less complicated. Most ride bicycles or small scooters. Heck with the cars, it's the bikes that you look out for. So far we have enjoyed the food. It is quite inexpensive. We have been shopping a couple of times and now feel like we are pretty well set up. Mom and I feel very safe. We walk a lot and if it is a long distance, we take a taxi. Most taki rides are about fifty cents. Today I went to a farmers market to buy some porduce. I came home with two large bags. The total bill was less than two dollars. We are told that we should bargain with the venders, but I don't have the heart to for that small amount. They deserve to make a profit. One of our students has been showing us around and speaking Chinese for us. She speaks very good English. She is a junior this year.. Mother and I teach very close to each other, so we can mostly walk to class together. We will not have church tomorrow, because the branch is closed down until mid September, when the Branch President arrives from the states. He is a teacher here also. I teach three freshman classes, but they won't start until about the 21st of September because they are on military training for three weeks, I am told. My three junior classes begin on Monday, as does mother's. It rained a little today which cooled things off a little. It was very pleasant outside. We are having a great time. Things are much differerent that I expected. The city is very modern, very clean and like I said earlier, like is simpler here. It is a very relaxing environment. We haven't eaten much of the food that the locals eat yet. I am anxious to start eating a lot of their vegetables. There are a lot of KFC restaurants here, but that is all I have seen so far, as far a fast food is concerned. Big stores like grocery stores and Wal Mart are usually located on three floors. You shop all three floors, then pay on the lowest floor. There are escalators going up and down to each floor. You just take your cart on the escalator. There are four zillion taxi cabs here. They are small, but very comfortabale. The drivers are very kind and considerate. You never tip here. Tipping is not an accepted custom. Well, I just wanted to tell each of you a little about where we are and what we are doing. Have a great day. I love you all. Love Dad