After some research into the various two-year programs in Utah, including UVSC, Snow College, the University of Utah, Utah State University, Southern Utah University, and Weber State University, we determined that Weber State’s program would be the best option.  The difficulty we faced was this:  Weber State required (as do most schools) that at least 20 credit hours towards their AA degree be taken through their school, and Lisa had to finish those credits by the end of the Spring Term in order to receive her diploma in time to apply for a Chinese Visa.  That meant we only had six weeks to get Lisa through Weber State’s general studies AA program.  At least two of Weber State’s counselors strongly recommended that we not even attempt such a feat.  One of them had the nerve to tell Lisa that the date by which all grades had to be turned in was two weeks before what we later discovered to be the actual deadline.  Despite the resistance from Weber State, we pushed forward with our plan.  Six weeks later, after many (literally) sleepless nights and countless hours dedicated to the busy work that is typical of most undergraduate degrees, Lisa finished the twenty credit hours.  She was then an official Weber State Wildcat.  Sadly, we erringly thought her graduation ceremony was a week later than it was actually scheduled, so we missed the opportunity to officially relish her accomplishment.  At least we had put behind us a task that had occupied so much of our time and attention that we were glad to be finished with it.

Upon our arrival in China, it quickly became evident that the college degree requirement was much more flexible than was let on to us by ILP.  At the school where we eventually became teachers, there were teaching recruits whose qualifications didn’t amount to any more than a high school diploma.  Because we didn’t speak Chinese, we missed large parts of the discussions held by our Chinese employer and our teaching assistants during which they discussed our credentials as teachers.  On one occasion during lunch, I remember catching on to their discussion of how they made the GED (or whatever it’s called in Canada) held by one of the Canadian teachers appear to be a more advanced certificate so that he could come to their school.  Ultimately we realized that the main requirement for teaching at a school in China is to appear like an American.  I’ll talk more about that later.

Eventually we intend to write a book that will capture our experience in more detail, but for now we are starting with the simplest approach to documenting and publishing what we experienced while we lived in China. You will find here letters written to family and friends at home describing our experiences as well as commentary looking back on the experience more than two years later. We hope you enjoy it. We’re sure that many American and other Western expatriates who have lived in China will find a lot here that you can relate to. Feel free to comment or tell us your own stories of living in a environment that is completely foreign to what you previously knew.