Note: various links or
other references may be mentioned below that no longer apply.
Sorry for the
inconvenience.
April
13, 2000
Greetings,
Family and Friends
So Much to Do--The Columbia International Festival is behind us,
and it was a great success (visit their web site for some photos --
www.ifmusa.org/festival
).
Michael is still teaching, though many of the students in the photo (at
the link below) are leaving Columbia in April. We hope that they will
remember what we taught them far into the future--especially about the
most important things in life. Meanwhile, we continue packing and
sorting, and particularly have loads of files and papers to deal with!
What’s Ahead--We’ve purchased our plane tickets and continue
to be excited about our upcoming move. We leave Columbia on June 11, and
fly to Hong Kong from Cleveland on June 21. We will head to Shanghai by
train before the end of the month. The big things ahead include
“closing” on our home sale, packing a crate to ship out in June
(books, clothes, toys, dishes, etc.), saying goodbye to old and new
friends, and bringing our work in America to an end (for Vivian this
means leaving the place she has worked for almost 28 years!). We will
need grace for all of these things.
Thanks for being interested in our lives. Drop us a note when you
can so we can get caught up on YOUR lives!
Michael,
Vivian, Beth and Andrew
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June 14, 2000
On
the Road
We have said goodbye to Columbia, Shipped our crate to China, and
driven our little Escort wagon to Ohio, loaded to the max with the rest
of our earthly possessions.
There were some tense moments related to the crate. First, the
company which made it for us made it too big, and we weren’t sure the
trans-pacific company would accept it. (It only measured 53x53x67
inches.) Then there was some difficulty in getting it into the shipping
truck. But everything turned out alright. It is going to cost a little
more than expected to get it to China, but we were also able to ship
over a few more things. All things have worked together for good.
The latest word from Shanghai said they still haven’t found us
an apartment, but they still have two weeks as I write this.
It was hard to turn in our keys and give out those last hugs, but
excitement about what lies ahead keeps us going. Check out our special
events page and see where we are while you are reading this!
Michael, Vivian & Andrew
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Late June 2000
Half
a world away
On June 22 we arrived safely (with all our luggage in tact!) in
Hong Kong, where this photo was taken. As we write, Michael’s school
is processing paperwork and obtaining our Chinese Visas. Meanwhile, we
are trying to adjust to the 12-hour-difference (“jet lag”), while
seeing some of this beautiful port city. We fly to Shanghai on June 28,
where we have to find an apartment (with the school’s help) and then
settle in. Michael’s summer school responsibilities start July 1. Our
crate is scheduled to arrive in late July - - we hope it arrives safely
and can be picked up without any difficulties! Next month, we hope to be
able to post a photo of some of the people we have come to serve.
As always, thanks for your interest in our work and lives. Drop
us a note sometime! E-mail is quick and easy, but if you prefer you can
click on our “favorite links” to get our mailing address.
In
China,
Michael,
Vivian and Andrew
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August 2000
Settling
in for Summer Work
Our first month was packed with activity (not
to mention a lot of packing and unpacking!). After a week in Hong
Kong, we arrived in Shanghai on June 28. Michael started teaching
two days later. It also took several days to find an
apartment. Meanwhile, a team of summer teachers arrived, and we
spent the first week together in orientation. Our institute is
offering a certificate in Teaching English As A Foreign Language to the
summer team, and Michael has presented several of these classes, in
addition to his other teaching duties. (Our Photo Album offers a
look at our apartment, and visit Student Connection to see our students
and the summer team.)
On July 17, Vivian and Andrew began studying Mandarin Chinese.
Over the past year, Michael had been teaching Andrew the basics, so he
is progressing nicely. It's all pretty overwhelming for Vivian -
sort of like trying to drink water from a fire hose! - but more and more
drops are falling into her cup. Michael's Chinese is good enough
to get us about town, but he hopes things settle down enough in the fall
so he has time for a tutor.
How can one describe a place where most things are new or different from
what you are used to? Change is hard for most people, but it is
now the essence of our lives. Still, we are all starting to meet
people (students, classmates, teachers) and hope to form friendships
with many of them over time. These relationships are making the
changes more bearable; after all , that is a big part of why we
came.
Michael,
Vivian and Andrew
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September
2000
Fall
Term Begins
The
leaves may not be changing yet, but much of our schedule sure is! The
summer teachers are gone, leaving the six regular teachers (plus a few
part-timers) to carry on. Our institute offers English classes at
beginning, intermediate and advanced levels, as well as computer courses
(in Chinese) and the occasional beginning French or Japanese class. The
school caters to children (age 4 and up) and their parents, as well as
to the post-college crowd which has found English helpful at work. On
top of our regular classes, we offer on-site classes for local
companies, private tutoring, and more. Needless to say, there's enough
to keep us all pretty busy!
Because
Andrew attends our sister organization (the Shanghai International
School-or SIS), my boss has asked me to help develop and teach a new
Intensive English Language Program for SIS. If things go as planned, I
will work with middle and high school students (mainly from Japan and
Korea) to bring their English up during their first six months in SH.
Then they will attend regular classes (in English). There will only be a
handful of students at first, and I will work with them M, W, F. On
Tues-Thur, I will (tentatively) travel over an hour each way to teach
English on-site to leaders of an airport catering company. Tues-Thur
evenings I will teach one of our regular classes. In my spare time (ha!)
I am to keep working on our new web site and various other promotional
items.
Meanwhile,
Vivian will be studying Chinese full time and Andrew enters the second
grade on Sept. 4. The whole
family participates in an English corner (see photo album) on most
Saturday evenings. Our friendships are growing, and we are getting used to
finding our way around this city of 14 million people. Word reached us last night (8/30) that our crate of personal
belongings (books, clothes, toys, dishes, etc.) has finally arrived from
the states - if it's true then we will soon be able to really get
settled in!
We
hope you will take a few minutes to look at our photo pages and visit
our links. The pictures may not load quickly, but they will give you a
better idea of how we live and what we've been privileged to see and do
since we arrived.
As
always, thanks for your interest in our lives. Drop us a note when you
can.
Michael,
Vivian and Andrew
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-------------------
October
7,
2000
Dear
Friends,
October 1 was National Day in China. For our American readers,
that is sort of like Thanksgiving and July 4 rolled into one. Many
companies are closed for a whole week, so people use the holidays to
visit family and friends, as well as to celebrate the nation’s
anniversary. This year there was even more to celebrate with the success
of China’s Olympic team!
A good friend offered to share his National Day with us, so
together we headed for
In other news, yes, the crate finally made it to our doorstep (see Apartment
photos). Many of it’s long-overdue items have been
useful to our work and general comfort. We have also been extremely busy
since the school year started in early September (see Student Connection
for details). Andrew loves school and is already receiving awards for
his eagerness to learn.
We know that our Photo Album pages don’t always load quickly,
but those who have reported back say they are worth the wait! Thanks, as
always, for showing interest in our lives. Drop us a line, and look for
the next update in November.
Serving
in China,
Michael,
Vivian and Andrew
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-------------------
November
4, 2000
Dear
Friends,
It looks like November is going to be a month of good-byes. On November
4 we say good-bye to our friend Mr. Zhang as he is flying to Switzerland for
graduate studies. We also say good-bye to Michael’s Gate Gourmet
students when their term ends November 7. Vivian’s Mandarin class ends
November 6, and she also had to say good-bye to her own students at the
end of October. On November 16, Andrew and Michael say “see you later”
to Vivian as she heads to the US for Beth’s graduation.
Good-byes are just an
occupational hazard when you are a teacher. We touch lives for a season,
and then hope our students put to use the things we have taught them.
Sometimes we are blessed to see students again later-either in the next
term or somewhere down the road. E-mail is also a wonderful way to keep
friendships alive. But these don’t make the good-byes any easier.
Of course, Vivian’s “so
long” is only temporary. She returns to us on December 19. But the
“boys” are facing a lonely month, especially as the big Thanksgiving
family holiday comes and goes (Nov. 23).
In other news, our apartment will see it’s first parties Nov. 10 & 12.
We remain extremely busy with school, and a new class begins as soon as
Michael’s Gate Gourmet class ends.
Andrew enjoys school and Beth is looking forward to Graduation (Dec. 8).
Thanks,
as always, for showing interest in our lives. Look at our photo album if
you haven’t done so recently, and drop us a line when you have a
minute so we can hear how things are going for you!
Serving in China,
Michael,
Vivian and Andrew
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-------------------
December 7, 2000
Dear Friends,
Since Vivian left for the US
(November 16), "the boys" have been extremely busy
in Shanghai. Andrew tags along when Michael teaches at night, and often waits after school for Daddy to finish. But we
also have fun together-bowling, visiting a
game room (Andrew loved beating Daddy in a "ball canon
battle"), and visiting the Grace orphanage. Grace will care for 30 Seniors and 60 disabled orphans once it is
finished. We are proud to be a part of a
team of friends who lovingly support this wonderful project over an hour outside of Shanghai.
Meanwhile, back in the USA
our daughter Beth has been counting the hours to her
college graduation (Dec. 8). We are really proud of her for many years
of hard work. Vivian is there to help
celebrate, but Michael and Andrew will have
to settle for Mommy's photos! Vivian is also visiting friends and taking
care of important things related to her
retirement. The Shanghai Boys are impatiently
awaiting her return on December 20!
Our apartment is
decorated for Christmas, and we will have several Christmas parties here
and at school. It is a wonderful season, especially for US since our
lives have been so dramatically changed by the Child born on Christmas!
May YOU know the Peace and Joy we have found in the Center of Christmas!
Until January,
Michael & Andrew
Krigline (for the family)
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