I am in receipt of email recruiting me to come to Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang (Sinkiang, for those as old as I) Uygur (Uighur) Autonomous Region, the far northwestern, predominantly Islamic part of China, to teach English and Esperanto. I am seriously interested in trying it out. Any Mudcatters in Xinjiang? Any who've been there? The only mention I've found in the Forum via search was in this Song Challenge from a year and a half ago, and it has more to do with Dr. Doolittle and General Silliness than with real life Uygurdom. I found some pretty nice RealAudio clips on the Uygur aka East Turkestan Nationalists' website, www.uygur.com. Seems to me as an English-and-Esperanto-speaking American it might be very very interesting to live for a year in such a place; my Baptist Christian identity might introduce further complications.

Anybody got anything to contribute to my ruminations? Feel free to pray for me, too (and yes, that includes you Wiccans ;-). I may need all the help I can get. Here's the email that triggered my serious thinking along these lines (English translation follows here if my link works:

De: Solis
Respondu al: centrolando@yahoo.com.cn
Al: lilandbr@scn.org
Temo: du postenoj por instruistoj de angla lingvo
Dato: Ven, 8 Mar 2002 9:16:35 +0800

Estimata samideano:

Se tiu ĉi letero estas senutila por vi, bonvole ne respondu al mi.

Universitatoj en Ĉinio serĉas instruistojn por la angla lingvo. La kondiĉoj estas:

1. monata salajro:200-300 $,kun 2 ferioj jare;
2. jare, 1 foja senpaga vojaĝo en Ĉinio;
3. manĝado kaj loĝado:senpagaj;
4. loĝado: en aparta ĉambro,kun televidilo, telefono, glacikesto, akvo-varmigilo, klozeto kaj aliaj ĉiutagaj uzaĵoj.
5. la ĉina flanko respondecas pri la vizo por laboro en Ĉinio dum unu jaro.

Se vi povas labori en Ĉinio dum 1 jaro kiel angla lingva instruisto, bonvole tuj informu min!

Sukceson al la kunlaboro per Esperanto!

Liu Xiaozhe (Solis) el Ĉinio
delegito de UEA en Urumqi

Reta adreso: centrolando@yahoo.com.cn, liuxiaozhe@mail.xjjt.gov.cn
icq: 145416238 Telefono: 86 991 5831273 86 991 5281567

> English translation (back up):

From: Solis
Reply-To: centrolando@yahoo.com.cn
To: lilandbr@scn.org
Subject: two positions for teachers of English language
Date: Fri, 8 Mar 2002 9:16:35 +0800

Dear fellow Esperantist:

If this letter is of no use to you, please do not reply to me.

Universities in China are looking for teachers for the English language. The conditions are:

1. monthly salary: 200-300 $, with two vacations a year;
2. annually, one free trip in China
3. food and lodging: free
4. lodging: in a separate room, with television, telephone, ice-chest, water-heater, toilet(?) and other daily necessities.
5. the Chinese side is responsible for the visa to work in China for one year.

if you can work in China for 1 year as an English language teacher, please immediately let me know!

Success to working together through Esperanto!

Liu Xiaozhe (Solis) from China
Universal Esperanto Association delegate in Urumqi

Email address: centrolando@yahoo.com.cn , liuxiaozhe@mail.xjjt.gov.cn
icq: 145416238, Telephone: 86 991 5831273, 86 991 5281567

I wonder if you can get Mudcat in Urumqi...

Liland