Judy gets some bad news at BISS today.  They informed the faculty that Corey, the second-grade teacher, had sent in his resignation, effective immediately.  He had returned to the US during the long holiday last week due to a death in the family.  Apparently his wife was so distraught over the death, they had made the tough decision to stay in the US.  He’ll have to come back to Beijing and pack everything up, and get it shipped home.  I can’t imagine the work that lies ahead of them as they try to get moved and settled back in the US.  They have a 2-year old son.  Judy loved working with Corey.  He loved his students, and was great with them.  She’ll miss his energy and smile.

I spend the day working on my music project, with some success.  I’m beginning to understand how to maneuver around the programs.  Like anything else, the more you work with it, the faster you get.

I visited the market for our weekly supply of fresh fruits and vegetables.  It’s cool today.  We were lucky to receive our Texas shipment when we did.  We packed for the move, planning for the shipment to arrive in middle-to-late September.  All of our “fall/winter” wear was included.  Beijing weather info we read indicated that October was a good month in Beijing, but November can begin to get really cold.  We haven’t needed jackets at all, until today.  Judy actually got cold working in her room after school today.  Tomorrow’s weather forecast is for a low of 36° F.

I’ve been wearing shorts and polos everywhere except to work.  I was beginning to get a few “looks” from the locals on the cooler days.  Judy was drawing stares in her flip-flops.  Everyone seemed to be wearing jackets.  It hasn’t seemed necessary, yet, but the weather is definitely evolving.

A clear day in Beijing, from our apartment

While I’m on the weather……this seems like a good time to discuss the pollution issue.  We check our “China Air Quality Index App” most days (it’s a free app).  There are two Beijing readings, the government reading, and the US Embassy reading.  The US reading is always higher than the government reading.  We don’t really have to see the app to know what’s happening, though.  The view out our apartment window tells us everything we need to know.  On the good days, we can see forever.  On the bad days, buildings only six blocks away are difficult to see.  The highest US Embassy reading we’ve seen is 317.  The lowest we’ve seen is 54.  We’re told that last year, there were several days when the reading was over 700.  It can change in a hurry.  Last week, I headed to school and the reading was 275, with the wind blowing pretty hard.  When I came out of the subway an hour later, everything seemed clear, and the reading had changed to 77.  It literally “blew away”.  It was weird!  Many challenges with weather and pollution are no doubt ahead of us, but we have our masks, and we’re as ready as anybody else.  I’ll keep you updated!