Note: various links or
other references may be mentioned below that no longer apply.
Sorry for the
inconvenience.
January 2, 2005
Dear Friends,
The new year has begun, but we are still mired in the papers and exams of
the old one! Michael has also been coughing again for over a month (Andrew
and Vivian are coughing, too, but not as bad). Michael suffered for over
three months last year--and much worse--so while we are thankful for the
shorter duration of this hacking cough, we are also rather tired of the
sounds, medicine, tiredness and other pains that go with it. Doctors say
the cause is something in Xi'an's pollution, so the only cure is to move
to another city. During the upcoming break, we will leave town (for Hong
Kong and Xiamen) in the hope of a reprieve. Both the end of term duties
and the prolonged illness mean that this update will be short, but we'll
try to add a bit more once the NPU semester is over.
May you and yours experience a happy and healthy 2005!
Michael, Vivian and Andrew
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Feb 2005 (Actually Jan 28)
Dear Friends,
My students and I suffered through exams
January 4 and 6--they suffered by taking them and also by having to listen
to me cough while grasping my side in pain. The day after my last exam, I
was feeling so bad that I asked a co-worker to serve as translator and we
headed for a nearby hospital. There, I was told that I had pneumonia (肺炎),
and thus I spent the following two weeks in the hospital with an IV (输液)
dripping medicines into my body for about six hours a day. I was treated
well, and my Chinese was good enough to entertain the nurses and do
whatever they asked. I also learned several new medical terms that I hope
to never need again! The doctors wanted to keep me a few extra days, but I
had already purchased a ticket to fly to Qingdao (on China's northeastern
coast). The doctors said the change in air would probably be good for me,
so on January 20 I flew out a few hours after being liberated from the
last IV. (By the way, while I was in the hospital, Vivian was under a
doctor's care for bronchitis--支气管炎--so we really gave our
colleagues
something to worry about!)
This was the first time I'd been in a
hospital since I was in the fifth grade (and I think it was for a similar
reason). Before I came to China, I caught colds frequently, but I was
never sick enough to miss work. All of this makes my persistent illnesses
in China both disturbing and depressing.
A western doctor in Qingdao ordered an
X-ray and said the pneumonia was gone. However, after a week in clean air
I am still coughing up phlegm, and my side/rib still hurts when I
cough/clear my throat/sneeze/etc. I am writing this update at a hotel on
the Hong Kong border, where Vivian and Andrew will fly to meet me later
today. We will spend the next week in Hong Kong (with Jian Hua Associates), followed by a week in Xiamen (see the map) for a mini-reunion with a
few classmates from 20
years ago. We are praying that by the time we return to Xi'an my lungs
will have recovered enough to face the rest of this school year.
Trying to breathe in China,
Michael Krigline for the family
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March 2, 2005
(sorry, but we were too busy to add an April update!)
The new term started Monday. Fortunately, before it started I was able to finish
grading all the papers and exams I could not get to because of my stay in
the hospital (see
last month's update about
my bout with pneumonia).
Three weeks in cleaner
air was certainly refreshing. By the time I finished my week in Qingdao, I
was not coughing, and then I almost never coughed in Hong Kong or Xiamen
(one week in each). Then, within 24 hours of arriving home, my cough
returned, and tests confirmed that I picked up a staph infection
somewhere. To top it off, a local bug hit me last Sunday and I spent the
day in bed, shivering with a fever! However, I'm taking antibiotics again,
and we hope this round will take care of any unwanted bacteria that are
still fighting with my body. I am also grateful that these various bugs
and coughs have not forced us to cancel any classes--we really hate to
miss our time with the students!
Meanwhile, Vivian also
picked up a little cough upon our return to Xi'an--she began teaching this
week, too. Andrew's health remains the strongest. He
has been in school for over a week now, and is enjoying the pleasures of
being in familiar surroundings after a couple of weeks on the go.
We had a nice time in
Hong Kong, and a wonderful reunion in Xiamen. I have posted a few photos
on our updated
Xiamen page and on a temporary
page called "Spring 2005" for lack of anything
more creative!
Staying busy,
Michael Krigline for the family
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April 1, 2005
(see March)
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May
2, 2005
The fever and pneumonia
that dampened our New Year seem like ancient history now. Once the coal
fires stopped burning, the haze parted to reveal things more than a block
away again. We still live with a morning cough, but the doctors say to
expect this (or worse) as long as we live in Xi'an.
With that sobering
thought in mind, we decided to look for bluer skies, and we have found
them in Kunming. Two days ago I received a contract to teach next year at
the Yunnan Normal University Business School
(you can see a few Kunming photos by clicking here).
We will miss
NPU, XIS, and the historic city of Xi'an. Words can't describe
how well we have been treated at this university, and we will deeply miss
the colleagues, staff, and students here. We have also really been
privileged to be part of Andrew's great school: XIS.
As few days ago (on a visit to the famous Terra-cotta Army) we were also
reminded of the unrivaled history of this area
(see new photos on our revised Xi'an page). But
as much as we hate to say goodbye, we will not miss the sickness that has
become a daily part of our lives.
As Shakespeare said,
"parting is such sweet sorrow," but we are also looking forward to a new
start.
Kunming is lovely, and everybody says we are lucky to be moving
there. Our new university has expressed a very warm welcome, and we feel
confident that it will provide a nice place to continue serving China's
bright young generation.
The weeks and months
ahead will be packed with packing, as well as with all our normal teaching
duties. I give a teacher-training lecture later this month, and my weekly
"English Free Talk" grows every Friday. Over 200 students also showed up
as Vivian and I led a lecture/discussion about the Titanic on April 16.
Andrew was in a presentation at school last Friday, and Vivian flew to
Shanghai today (along with a dear friend who had been visiting us over the
weekend). Andrew and I therefore have to spend part of the May Day break
alone, but there is always plenty to do to keep us busy!
Thanks for stopping by,
Michael Krigline for Vivian and Andrew
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June 1, 2005
Back in America, our teaching colleagues are enjoying a well-earned rest
and their children are already complaining: "I'm bored--there's nothing to
do." While summer vacation may be underway there, it is still a month away
over here in China. In fact, Vivian and I won't technically be finished
with the term until mid-July. Andrew, however, will be finished June 17.
May was a nice month. Andrew won second place in his school science fair
with a project about Tsunamis. We also hired a new tutor to help Andrew
with his Chinese. Meanwhile, our daughter celebrated her first wedding
anniversary, and we got in on the fun from over here by showing a video of
her wedding to almost 100 enthusiastic students (we just put up a few
signs on campus, and they came!). We also managed to stay healthy most of
the month, though I caught a virus about a week ago and still suffer with
a cough and cold symptoms.
June will be a busy month as we create final exams, finish grading papers,
pack for the move to Kunming, and take care of all the other things that
generally keep us occupied. One of our last official acts will be taking
part in NPU's first International Workshop on Foreign Languages Teaching
and Research. There is even talk of me giving one of the keynote speeches.
Once all of that is finished, maybe I can finally get back to work on my
book so I can use it next fall!
Michael for the family
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July 11, 2005 (for July and August)
Vivian and Michael turned in grades this morning, officially ending our
faculty responsibilities at Northwestern Polytechnical University. Our
foreign affairs bureau will be busy this week getting the official
papers signed that grant us permission to move to Kunming in early
August. Most of the goodbyes have been said, and many have touched us
with expressions of love and gratitude for the three years we spent
here.
Everyone in the family has received special recognition in one way or
another. Last Friday, at an official ceremony, Michael was recognized as
one of the "Teachers of the Year," and he was particularly gratified
that this important designation is mostly related to student
evaluations. A few weeks ago he also received recognition for his part
in NPU's first International Workshop on Foreign Language Teaching and
Research (he was both a keynote speaker and a member of the
International Advisory Board). (You can see some new photos by clicking
here.) A few weeks ago, Andrew was selected as "Student of the Year" for
grades five and six, and we are very proud of his academic achievements.
Vivian probably got the most touching recognition when one of her
freshmen classes presented a memory book to her, complete with a photo
and a personal letter of thanks from each student. Each of these tokens,
and all the other notes, photos, calls, and goodbyes we have received,
are deeply appreciated, and serve to reassure us that our time here has
been worthwhile.
Meanwhile, our home is strewn with boxes, some sealed and others still
waiting for their temporary contents. A truck is scheduled to pick them
up on August 5, and we board a train the same day--hopefully arriving in
SW China together on August 7. Our new apartment is not supposed to be
ready until mid-September, but our new school is really looking forward
to our arrival and we know they will take good care of us. Several
parties are also anxiously waiting for Michael to complete work on a
writing textbook, so needless to say the weeks ahead will be as full as
ever.
The next time we update this page, we will be in a new city, facing new
challenges, and making new friends. To those we tearfully leave behind,
we can only say THANK YOU for sharing your lives with us, and may God
bless you!
Wishing you all a full measure of faith, hope and love,
Michael, Vivian and Andrew Krigline
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September 5, 2005
We have moved to Kunming, and Michael has begun teaching at Yunnan
Normal University Business School.
There is a lot going on, and frankly we just don't have time to update
this website yet.
You can learn a little more by visiting our Kunming page and following
the links there.
Thanks for your patience.
Michael, Vivian and Andrew
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November 14, 2005
It would take an hour to list all the little things that are keeping me
too busy to properly update this website. But I know many people are
interested in our lives, so I'll at least add a photo page and some
captions.
SORRY, again, for the inconvenience. Maybe I'll get the time I need by
Christmas!
Thanks for your patience.
Michael, Vivian and Andrew
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