Ben Schulz
The protagonist.
Jon Jossart
Jon has been Ben's associate for many years. He is one of the six new teachers being sent to Yinchuan, and Ben is happy that he will be going to China with some familiar company. Jon is the only other WLC graduate going to China this year besides Ben, which establishes a certain amount of camaraderie.
Senior Three
Ben's wards. They're a tenacious bunch.
Back row, from left to right: Peter, Frank, Steve, Andy
Front row: Sam (sitting), Catherine
Back row, from left to right: Peter, Frank, Steve, Andy
Front row: Sam (sitting), Catherine
Becky Finke
Another associate in our group. She’s half-Chinese so it’s fair to say she knows the language.
Anna Greanya
Anna is one of the teachers here and she shares an apartment with Ashley Mozack. She and Ashley have been here for quite a while now. They live near some incredible restaurants.
Stephanie Humann
Stephanie, like Sara Schmeling, was at the same training course as Ben back in August. She came in with Sara, which is to say she is a late arrival. She is our group’s third redhead (the others being Jon Jossart and Lauren Mead), so she sticks out a little.
Cale and Lauren Mead
Another late arrival to Yinchuan. Cale is so hairy that one of our waitresses pet his arm once, and Lauren is a redhead so that gets attention too. Cale's really tall too. So yeah, the two of them stick out.
Ashley Mozack
Ashley is another teacher here and she shares an apartment with Anna Greanya. She has the unique distinction of being Canadian, and she has to condescendingly correct any Chinese person that calls her a Meiguoren. I doubt they care.
Sara Schmeling
Sara was at the same training course Ben was at in August, so he has a previous association with her. Along with Stephanie Humann, her arrival in China was two weeks later than Ben’s, so he knows his way around here much better than she does.
Nathaniel Timmermann
Nathaniel is here studying Chinese on a student visa so he knows his way around the language. Between that and having lived in Yinchuan a while, he’s a good wrangler for our little group and we meet up at his place to chill sometimes. A good person you want to keep around. He’s all nice and stuff. He also works with every school to get what we need, so if you have any problems with your employer he's the man for the job.
Rachael Timmermann
Nathaniel's wife, if you didn't guess by the name. She does a lot of child-wrangling and she's a good host.
C Timmermann
Nathaniel and Rachael's older daughter. Good grief, she's adorable.
L Timmermann
Nathaniel and Rachel's other daughter and C's little sister. She's a baby so she doesn't really do anything except cry a lot and spit up on John.
John Wendland
Ben was casually acquainted with John when they were both students at WLC. They’re sure to forge a bond this year, since he, Jon, and Ben are the only WLC members in Yinchuan. The fact that Yinchuan features two Jo(h)ns is slightly annoying. In Ben’s phone contact list, the two are listed as “Jossart” and “Wendland.” Distinguishing between Jon and John when you’re looking up numbers is tricky. At least they don't look like each other.
Matthew
Matthew is one of Ben's fellow teachers and also sits very near him. He's genial and helpful.
Kevin
Another International Department teacher. He's kind of crazy.
Stephanie
Stephanie
The stalwart calculus teacher who sits on Ben's right. Insisting, like most Chinese people, that I was to adopt her as a Chinese relative, she informed me that I was to refer to her as Jiě jie ( 姐姐), which means "older sister," to which I responded, "What did you say, Mèi mèi ( 妹 妹)?" She took objection to me calling her "younger sister," which is why I always do it now. Sometimes she mutters under her breath, "Jiě jie..."