What subjects shall we anguish over for Christmas.

Taffy, there was a time when the frequent contributors to this site shared a common experience of living and teaching in China. It appears now that most have abandoned the Middle Kingdom.

I have retired from teaching but chose to continue to live in China. Relieved from negotiating the annual work permit process, I volunteer at a couple of universities where I taught in the past, do much reading and too little writing. I have a 10 year tourist visa that requires me to travel every 60 days to nearby countries, a task I am happy to perform.

China's current army of Foreign Teachers seem to be split between young college grads from NES countries that are escaping the damaged economies at home and Asian/African teachers working illegally who are escaping politically volatile homelands. I wish both groups well, but they do not seem to post on this forum. The ragtag platoon of NES FT misfits that landed on these shores with me a decade ago are mostly gone and are not lamented by our employers.

I continue to enjoy my time in China, communicating often with some of the 6000 college students that I have taught, observing their challenging lives in a country that is evolving at a historic pace.

Happy/Merry Christmas to you and yours.