My Typical Classroom Discussions

My school schedule is divided into 5 classes: Qingli, Qingdu, Yuedu, Xiezuo and Kouyu. (trust me, its all the same) Diverse classrooms are filled with foreigners from all walks of life.

In class, we'd use our newfound vocabulary and incorporate it into our everyday lives. Today's topic was Tu Tan, AKA hocking a big fat one. A lovely post-lunch discussion, the Chinese population has long since forgotten its dark SARS past that haunts them. Spitting has once again taken to the streets and have been terrorizing the likes of us newly transplanted foreigners. Sudden episodes can occur anywhere, anytime- on the streets, in narrow staircases, and, on the rare occassion, in restaurants, so beware! (Gross, but yours truly witnessed it herself.) Oh, and keep an eye out for those snot rockets too.

The Big Hands of the Christian-Islamic Struggle

Pope rips on Islam. Islam gets pissed. Pope offers "sincere regrets." Islam burns down a few buildings. Pope formally apologizes. Thai PM deposed?

The world stage of religion seems to be sold out as of late. For some reason I am reminded of an image from Nietzsche: "we have all been summoned to become Cosmic Dancers who do not rest heavily on a single spot but lightly turn and leap from one position to another."

That was my inner hippie trying to make sense of all this.