[Fr_Chuck]

We have had about -6 to - 10 degree C ( or about 20 degree F) for those in US.
For the past few weeks.

As most of you know the school building I teach at has no heat in the building, and in fact the hall ways and bath room windows are often opened since they believe a person has to have fresh air ( which they do with no ventilation)

So there was a water spill in the bathroom and water froze into a sheet of ice on the bathroom flow. The worker was in the bathroom with a scrapper taking the ice off the tile floor.

Scares you to know that he did not think anything about it. The students did not think anything about it, and they had a tool ready to do this when it happens.

At least no cold toilet seats, since they don't have any toilets

In class it is hard for the students to write, since many try to do it while wearing their gloves.

The last photo is a few of the girls in my class today, Today was finals for the semester and everyone wanted to exchange photos for the day.

[Fr_Chuck]

Now the restroom above did have the porcelain squat toilet that flush, when water is not frozen.

But part of the campus does not have the nicer bathrooms like the one shown above. Their "toilets" are merely a trough in the floor, runs from one side of the room to the other. You basically step across and have one foot on one side, and the other foot on the other side and make sure you squat close enough and aim good.

This one here has stalls ( no doors but stall walls) many of the bathrooms in older buildings off campus don't even have stall walls,

[J_9]

That's just strange to me. But I'm very Westernized.

It's 30F here this morning with temps to reach 60 today and possibly 70 on Thursday. Yep, we are expecting storms toward the end of the week. Some severe.

[joypulv]

More interesting slice of life we don't usually hear about, thanks!
I'm a big energy saver (try not to be too militant about it with others) and keep my thermostat set at 60 most of the time. My roommate has his own zone upstairs. It's been 4 F to 30 F at night where I live. I wear a polartec jacket, a silk knit hat down over my forehead and ears, lambswool slippers, and fingerless gloves in the house.

I applaud those schoolkids in China. They will be a HUGE part of the future of the world.

[Fr_Chuck]

I wonder how many kids would go to college in the US, if they knew they were going to be in class for at least 6 hours a day Mon though Fri and a few hours every Sat and maybe Sun. S
School here is 7 days a week, Now they do have nice breaks for holidays.
And in the winter it was going to be freezing in the building, and even your lunch hall was not much over 40 degrees.

There is no showers in the dorms, in most of them, but they have to walk to a separate building to take showers.

I don't think we would see many of the people who really did not want to go, be there.

[J_9]

I know I wouldn't be there!

[Fr_Chuck]

Of course the part I am not saying is how loving the people are, In many cases I am the first American many of them have ever meet in real life, ( God help international relationships, since I am not the example of what Americans are)

But we get asked about American, about life there, People are always stopping us to get photos taken with us. And of course the school where my wife teaches, has nice heated rooms, her class has full computers and AV equipment. The bathrooms are heated. The halls still have windows open, but that is just their belief in fresh air to stop illness.