Fia wants "uppee" and gets a cold

On Monday and Tuesday evenings I teach from 7-9:30 pm. Last night I only taught until 8:30 and then went back to put the kids to bed. Our neighbors Deborah and Kate were up here with the kids, but with all the excitement there was no chance of sleep.

Without Ann, I cannot go to the office to prepare my lectures. Because students in China are quite a bit more passive, it is difficult (likely impossible) to carry the class with discussion. Also, students have difficulty following in English. So I write lectures and I put the material on PowerPoint slides so that they can read and listen at the same time. This seems to help their comprehension.

Without my office, I am preparing for class in the apartment with my new office partner - Sophia. By the way, her name means wisdom - as in philo-sophia (lover of wisdom). Sophia has yet to impart any wisdom for my lectures but instead is usually saying "want uppee!".

As you can see, she is usually successful, and I am preparing for class with my new office partner on my lap.

On the down side, Sophia seems to have come down with a cold just this morning. Her nose is running a bit and she has been sneezing (usually on me). She has not been sleeping very well the last few nights and this has likely contributed.

Otherwise, she wants you to know that she is a girl. She very much wants you to know that she is a girl. She's not Sophia, she's a girl. She's not hungry, she's a girl.