As the first week of teaching my new class winds to a close tomorrow, it is safe to say that we are all in for an adventure as the year progresses. My students are great, garrulous and laughing youths not without their problems but a challenging and engaging crew who will be learning a lot from me this year. Some of the brightest, as well as some of the most challenged, students are in my class, and they have been plagued with short-duration teachers over the course of the last few years. I will be teaching them a comprehensive English language arts program, as well as math, science, a separate-additional spelling class, geography, handwriting, and a weekly computer class. The curriculum is quite good if a bit over-rushed in terms of the desired pacing - it is easy to see how some of the students have been left behind in the frantic need to cover material as fast as possible. The policies of the school do not include holding students back if they "fail" a grade, and the discipline policy leaves much to be desired (being practically non-existent), so it will take some imagination on my part to work things out. In sum, I'm excited about the job.

We recently journeyed to Xuanmiao Taoist Temple (the Temple of Mystery), located on Guanqian Jie in downtown Suzhou. Surrounded on all sides by a pedestrian shopping district with upper-echelon stores selling designer brands, the temple, which dates from 276 AD, is a steadfast reminder of the millennia of cultural history upon which these newer edifices have been built. The main hall is huge - by some accounts, the largest central hall of a Taoist temple in China - measuring some 1,100 square meters and home to dozens of gilded statues of Taoist immortals and deities. Before going inside, it is hard not to notice the incredible rooftop decorations along the eve, stylized dragons, monks, and small bells where the planes of tiles intersect. An inscription from Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty greets the visitor upon entering the temple, behind which hangs an incredibly intricate carved wooden lantern at least ten feet tall. Inside the doorway to the hall stand statues of the trinity San Qing (three Pure Gods). In the middle is Yu Qing (Jade Pure). On either side of Yu Qing stand Shang Qing (Upper Pure) and Tai Qing (Great Pure). Each are about 23 feet tall, with wizened visages bespeaking enlightenment, framed by wooden lacework in red lacquer. Vermillion pillars supported the intricate roof beams, above which the vault itself is decorated with flowers, cranes, and other colorful depictions. While traversing the interior, one sees a bull with a unicorn horn (adorned with a red ribbon), a variety of tablets and a small covered bridge over which visitors walk to receive a blessing. All the while, we were surrounded by the scores of golden deities in their glass cases, stools for kneeling in prayer in front of each one, boxes for donations in front of them, prayer flags festooned across the bottom sill of their framed enclosures. These deities have the widest imaginable spectrum of visages, and wield anything from weapons to musical instruments to quills and scrolls. One had small arms sprouting from its eyes. While not as large as the trinity that welcomed us, these many smaller statues nonetheless served as a crash course in the visual symbolism of Taoism for our family. Sophia kept asking "Is that a father?" in reference to the many deities.

So far the magazine job is going well, with our first perk being a nice 'company meal' at a French restaurant called Champ de Ble. I'm responsible for the cover stories, a monthly column of my choosing, and 3 monthly interviews. The interviews are with the headmasters of schools, the general managers of successful businesses, or a 'family interview' highlighting a foreign family in Suzhou. My first column was on two good day trips in Suzhou, and my second was an investigation of the 'strange fruit' at a Chinese grocery store, including the Durian, Jackfruit, longan, physalis, dragon fruit, and others. The first cover story is going to be on Spas in Suzhou, so the publication-funded research should be great! Altogether, this is a nice way to add to my publications while getting paid, making guanxi, and earning some RMB.

Finally, the second teaching job begins tomorrow evening, and looks like a fun time, with nice people, good hours, and truly excellent pay.

We are starting to feel at home now, after being here a month and a half. Soph and Jack know a bit of Chinese and are constantly talked to by strangers on the street. Jack is learning a lot in homeschool, and can read sentences fairly well now, with some coaching. Meg is feeling comfortable and looking to develop her inquiry into the multilayered and ancient culture in which we find ourselves. Soph recently started talking in paragraphs instead of sentences. We will be putting up some pictures soon, so check them out!

Much love!