Another try: March

	Harbin has a very dismal appearance in the winter. The bright 
flowers, leaves and grass are not there to disguise the crumbling 
workmanship of the buildings and the flaky or streaky paint. There hasn't 
been any rain to remove the accumulated filth from the streets and 
sidewalks. Unless the snow is fresh, everything is covered with a layer of 
soot.

	Spring is definitely here. The temperature fluctuates, but is 
certainly warmer than December or January. The wind is strong and carries 
a lot of dirt, which helped the black snow to melt away during the warmer 
days. People are wearing their lighter coats now and then.

	March 18 is the 31st consecutive day I've been in China, bringing 
my total count to 352. I was in Harbin this time last year, too. It's hard 
to look back and remember how I felt as I experienced everything for the 
first time. I'm calling this my second try, because I want to live here 
with more purpose and be mindful of opportunities. But I haven't got much 
of a plan. I've signed an agreement with my friends from TEAM to work for 
them until mid-August. After that, I'm not sure what will happen.

	On January 12, I arrived in Grand Rapids, and proceeded to have 
the most excellent vacation that I can remember. I had missed everyone so 
much, and it brought me so much joy to see for myself how my friends and 
family were doing. It was a refreshing time that I think has prepared me 
well to live in Harbin again.

	I arrived in Harbin on February 17, late in the afternoon. I went 
to my new home, the Jensens' apartment, where I had stored my stuff during 
the holiday. On the 19th I had to teach four hours of classes, and then 
board an overnight train north to the city of Heihe. The TEAM company, 
Dongfu, was to give an English teaching seminar to college and high school 
English teachers, and I had to go along to help. Although I was not at all 
pleased to be traveling so soon after I had arrived in Harbin, it was an 
interesting experience. After all, I also needed to know more about 
teaching! The teachers were much more cooperative than my university 
students are.

	Heihe is a city on the Heilong River, which is the border with 
Russia. Across the river is a Russian city, and the residents often cross 
the river. It isn't that simple for foreigners like me, though, so I 
didn't go across on the ice.

	During our time in Heihe, the normal college English department 
sent us to Anhui city to see a museum about the various border disputes 
with Russia and a memorial about Russian aggression. Although nothing was 
translated into English, it had very interesting exhibits.

	We spent six days in Heihe, and the morning our train (soft 
sleeper car, no less!) arrived in Harbin I was scheduled to teach four 
hours again. So it has taken me quite a while to really get settled in to 
my new apartment and get a work schedule ironed out. I finally feel like 
I've got things cleaned and organized good enough, and my roommate and I 
are getting along fine. I even got to hang out with some people my age a 
couple of times!

	These days I'm taking 13 hours of language class at Hei Da, 
teaching 4 hours at Hei Da, working at the Dongfu office most afternoons, 
attending a local club on Saturday nights and foreigners' house club on 
Sunday mornings. Some other teaching hours should be coming soon. I also 
work for the office every other Tuesday night, which is the Culture Night. 
Last Tuesday, I was in charge. Praise the Father that it went well and few 
people came because we didn't have enough helpers!