Category: culture

Happy Teacher’s Day!

Today is national teacher’s day, which translates into obscenely large flower and fruit baskets for teachers. These tokens of gratitude are presented with well wishes like, “I hope you more and more beautiful for many years to come.”… Read More

Back in the saddle

**For those who may want to send me something in the mail…my mailing address did NOT change with the move down the hall. The old one will still work just fine!** A week ago about this time I… Read More

Kindess of a stranger

Saturday I headed to the orphanage in the peculiar weather of a hail storm. I am not absolutely certain, but I believe this was my first hail storm in China. Hailing a taxi, I didn’t care how much he… Read More

Coming to a city near you

The collecting bags under my eyes and mounting stress indicate that the semester is almost done! In four weeks I’ll be hopping–no, traveling; hopping seems to indicate a greater amount of ease and perhaps even enjoyment than that… Read More

Pause

Taxis often honk their horns as they drive through my neighborhood. A honk has various meanings. “Get out of my way!” “Do you need a ride?” “Be careful, I’m coming.” I have long since become immune to the… Read More

Interruptions

This week I’ve been asking for a spirit of “interruptability” (I know it’s not a word, but I would like to petition for its entrance into the dictionary). With 130 midterms to grade, lessons to plan, and grad… Read More

Holy cow!

One of the first lessons you learn in China is never to say you like something. An offhand, “oooh, I like that” about any object from food to trinket equates in many peoples’ minds to “oooh, give that… Read More

Sigh

April snow showers kill April flowers…

Sunny days

With the arrival of warm weather, many segments of the population have emerged from their winter hibernation. Children are allowed outside with exposed skin, the elderly sit and chat in parks, and everyone moves at a slightly less… Read More

Olympic spirit

After a couple deceivingly balmy days, the weather has turned again. Hopefully this chilly blast will be short-lived. However, the warmth lasted long enough to bring out buds. The short season of cherry blossoms is one of my… Read More