Hi, all - I had an uneventful trip, except for catching a cold. Internet service is erratic in the house but should be better in the school, so I'll send what I can, and will keep trying to get the blog going. At the moment, I get a message in Greek saying it can't find it, and I should check the address.

We're in a little house, one room wide, two rooms deep, three floors high. The streets are narrow, and you take your life into your hands to cross; traffic signals go mostly unheeded, and the motorbikes go everywhere one might walk. Chania has the feel of a typical seaside town, with lots happening in a crowded area near the water, better and cheaper food a block or so back from it, and tiny shops, which sell absolutely everything. The tourist season is almost over, but the day is warm and sunny and there are still lots of people here, lots of languages. Most people speak at least some English.

The students are coming one or two at a time, and all seven will be here by the end of tomorrow, I believe. There are three Australians, three Californians, and me. We ate outside last night, across from an old ruined stone wall, and had a "crazy" salad with beets and blue cheese and nuts, mixed with greens, and a large round sandwich with falafel and other veggies, which we sliced in wedges. Most of the food is sized to share, and we'll probably try a lot of things, though we also stocked up with fruit and tea and eggs for other times.

Outside our door, a group of men hang out to play backgammon, which they call something like tavli. They play in the morning and in the evening, and talk and drink ouzo. There is a siesta in the middle of the day, when everything quiets down.

We'll have four hours of class in the morning, break around one for lunch and siesta, and return around five for another few hours, which is when we'll be teaching. The classes start on Monday. We'll be pretty busy during the week, and will have weekends off, when various trips will be organized if we're interested in seeing other places.

I still have not seen the beaches, or the harbor by daylight, but they are all easy to walk to, and there is a fort across from a castle at the mouth of the harbor, which I want to see. My head is a little dizzy from congestion or jet lag, but should settle soon, and I'll tell you more!