After spending two weeks visiting some of China’s most beautiful and historic sites, Pat is getting a dose of reality in Zhengzhou.

Zhengzhou is the traffic-snarled, dust-covered, smog-filled capital of one of China’s poorest provinces. It’s also where I’m teaching English for 10 months at Henan University of Technology.

During our three days here, we’ve toured my concrete campus, ridden bicycles to another nearby university, shopped at Walmart, eaten at one of the city’s finest restaurants, met some expats at my favorite hangout, Zax BBQ, and toured the Central Business District, a massive new shopping, office and entertainment complex on the eastern edge of town.

Pat has also met some of my friends and colleagues here, though most of them are away for the semester break and the Spring Festival national holiday.

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We’ve had clear blue skies for two of the three days, which is about as rare in Zhengzhou as a night without exploding firecrackers. On the downside, Pat has had to use my “disgusting’’ (her description) bathroom, sleep on my rock-hard bed and deal with the constant layer of soot that blankets virtually everything in the city.

At least now she knows where and how I’m living in China. Come to think of it, I’m not sure that’s a good thing.

Tomorrow we’re heading home on separate flights – Pat in business class, courtesy of frequent-flyer miles; me in coach, courtesy of a cheap ticket. I’ll be in New Jersey for three weeks before heading back to China for another semester of unforgettable experiences.