OK, gang, I'm Harbin now - have been since Saturday - but I still don't have internet in my dorm . . . which means that my ability to upload pix and tell stories is severely hampered.

Oh, that; and the fact that every time I set foot outside my room I seem to bump into somebody or other from last year who wants to reconnect. I have yet to eat a meal on my own. Last night I went to dinner with He Yurong and her husband, and then they asked me to come play badminton with them. This morning at 7:30 am, Fanlin rapped on my door to take me to breakfast . . . This afternoon I've spent my time in Yurong's office, learning Chinese from her two grad students, Xiao Men and Xiao Zhen. Yurong has invited me to dinner again, and then I'm swimming with the Xiaos. Lovely boys . . . they want to practice their English so tomorrow afternoon they're taking me to Sun Island, after which, I just learned, I have a dinner invitation from Li Bao-hua and his wife.

And I thought I'd be bored this week. :)

More as soon as I can manage it. I have some really cool pictures . . . I really want to get them online.