Getting Settled...

My apologies for not making an entry sooner to my blog but most blogs are blocked in China so I found another way to make entries.  To start my journey the trip to Shanghai was a bit long and because I was in the coach section of the plane and we were really packed in tightly.   The stay in Shanghai was wonderful.  It is a big city but the people are friendly and as helpful as they can be considering I didn’t speak the language except to say thank-you and hello.  I am traveling with my dear sister/friend Susan who is teaching with me.  She is not in the medical field but is a motivational speaker in leadership and we will be team teaching.  I am doing the mind body and Susan is doing passion and purpose.  To get back to Shanghai….
Susan many months ago hosted a woman from Shanghai who was in Phoenix with a women’s delegation.  Her name is Madam Gu and she in turn hosted us in Shanghai during our stay.  We were treated like royalty while there and taken to see parts of the city that were fabulous.  We shopped and had an interpreter that spoke English so that bargaining was done for us.  We ate in the best spots in town and loved the food there.  One day we visited the Shanghai Women’s Federation which is an arm of the government that works with issues relating to women’s issues.
It was so interesting how the needs of women are universal.  The only difference is the resources that are available to meet these needs.  Yesterday we arrived in Zhongzhou where SIAS University is located.  The campus is expansive and has amazing resources within its walls.  The students are just returning from a winter break from their Chinese New Year holiday.  They will be starting their second semester classes tomorrow so that there is a lot of activity at this moment.  Today we meet the girls in the World Academy for orientation and it was heartwarming.
They are all working hard to develop their skills as women leaders and very enthusiastic about the program.  We will start our lectures and activities tomorrow.
I am loving the life in the teacher’s dormitory.  I have met some of the nicest people from the USA and we all share a common lust for new experiences.