Our bi-monthly update about what is going on in our lives

July update (July 22, 2011)                                                                                our current students: click here (and look for other white boxes)

        We are about a month away from our return to China. On one hand, we can't wait! We miss the food, the classes and especially the chance to be around China's bright young people! I enjoyed teaching at the University of Akron while in the US, but (believe it or not) I had better classroom equipment in China! Furthermore, I was able to teach almost all of my classes in the same classroom in China (which meant that I could post interesting articles and English-learning resources in "my" classroom). At Akron U, my ten classes were in three different rooms each week, so my students missed out on these nice "extras."

       However, we also know that there is a tremendous amount of preparation and packing to do in the next four weeks. I'm already working late into the night to get as much done as possible. We will also be speaking about China a few more times, answering questions about this distant land and trying to find more teachers who will join us there. We will also be in the car a lot, for we plan to spend one or two weeks in South Carolina to be with our daughter and granddaughter one more time.

       Shakespeare said, "Parting is such sweet sorrow," and that truth will also make our final month in the US difficult. First, we will have to say goodbye to many new and old friends. As if that weren't enough, we'll be saying goodbye to our son, who will stay in the US to attend the University of Akron, and also saying goodbye to our new granddaughter (born in December). We fear that these will be the toughest goodbyes!

       But when we think about what is ahead, we get excited again. I will be teaching at one of the best universities in China! We will be making lots of new friends, and even being reunited with some old friends. I love teaching, and can't wait to get back into the classroom! Vivian isn't quite sure how different her life will be (compared to life in Kunming), but she will probably need the first few months to make our new apartment "home," and figure out where to buy what we need in this huge city.

       I doubt that I'll have time to update this page for some time, so please be patient as we travel, move in, set up our home, and get into the work that lies ahead. Well, just talking about it is building my anticipation again! It will be SO good to be back in Xiamen again!

Always looking forward,

Michael Krigline (seen with daughter and granddaughter below)

Xiamen University, during a 2004 visit

When Michael studied Mandarin at Xiamen University from 1985-87, he never dreamed that he would one day serve on the faculty of this prestigious university, but classes begin in September! (Actually, I'll be teaching on a branch campus, not this main campus; but I don't have photos of the branch campus.) Back in 1985, the city of Xiamen had about a million people; the 2010 census reported a population of 3.5 million. While this is far smaller than any of the other Chinese cities we've lived in (click here for info), it is still huge by American standards (the state of South Carolina has only 4.5 mil and Ohio has about 11.5 mil).

PS: If you are new to www.krigline.com, we have been "teaching and learning" in China since 2000, but spent 2010-11 in the US, mainly so that our son Andrew could get used to America (he has grown up in China) before going to college (2011). We also enjoyed the chance to spend time with friends and relatives, and getting to know our first grandchild (in South Carolina)! Michael taught international students in 2011 at the University of Akron.

(Click on an underlined word to go to that page)

What is new? (July) I had hoped to spend time in the US to completely update our website, but alas time has run out and I never could squeeze that task in. But in July I added a new page of photos around Lake Erie, and added photos or otherwise updated the following pages: Andrew, Beth, Ohio, Shanghai Expo, and "my resume."

      Some of the EFL movie study guides I've added or updated in recent months include: Finding Forrester, Ben Hur, Groundhog Day, Secondhand Lions, Steel Magnolias, Patch Adams, An American Tail and A Christmas Carol.

      Check out this "what is new" space whenever you visit, and click "refresh" if you have visited a page before (so you can see the latest changes).

--------------------------------

Here is how to mail us:

PLEASE write from a computer with anti-virus software!!

And please do not send e-mail greeting cards or attachments without asking first.

If you are new to our website, there's a list of popular features on the home page, as well as popular links on the bottom of every page. Also look at our articles index, site map, and FAQ section (Frequently Asked Questions). There is also a log of old "current updates" on our US-based website (try the "Archive Index" below).

Link to Archive: Index of Past Updates

Thanks for stopping by. We would love to hear from you (see above!).

When we were in China, uploading our website from China (to both our US and China-based hosts) was continually a problem (often resulting in incomplete pages); but even in the US, we have difficulty because I'm using Microsoft Front Page, which is not "supported" anymore. Furthermore, e-mail (at least in China) does not always go out or come in as expected. (If you write and don't hear a response, try sending it again after a few days! And remember: the phone is more reliable than e-mail.) Thanks for your patience & understanding.

HOME

Current Update