Category: culture

Broom black hole

My apartment has developed a black hole for brooms and mops. A couple weeks ago I was looking for my broom. Towards the end of last semester, I started having the lady who cleans Sarah’s, the Wu’s, and the… Read More

Changeable weather

Spring in Siping…beware of flying bags My first year in China, I used to snicker a little bit when students would tell me, “Be careful, Miss Katherine; the weather is very changeable.” The phrase “the weather is very… Read More

What a difference a few months makes

Several months ago, in late autumn, Siping got hit by a big snowstorm. My students could hardly contain their excitement at the snow’s arrival. There was giddy laughter and snowballs were sneaked into the classroom. When I asked… Read More

Welcome to the world!

Ethan Michael Rommel made his entrance into the world Monday evening at 8:30 pm (States time–he’s a St. Patty’s baby!). He was 8 lbs 12 oz and 19.5 inches long. Both baby and mom are doing well! I’m… Read More

Chinese hospitality

Today is 2 for 1 day…I’m going to take full advantage of the blog access to tell you a tale from my travels. As I mentioned previously, on my way back to Siping I stopped in Shanghai to… Read More

Back on the bike

Yesterday was an unseasonably warm 50 degrees. That added to the fact that it was a sunny day with blue skies made taking the Ragin’ MK out for a ride absolutely irresistible. I pulled a very dusty and… Read More

Ten minutes in Burma

Thailand gives a thirty day tourist visa free of charge to U.S. citizens upon arrival in the country. This allotted amount of time has always been enough for me in the past. However, when two and a half… Read More

The Post Office

The post office has been and continues to be one of the most stressful places for me in China. It is a place where you want to get communication exactly right, but a place where there is a… Read More

It’s the small things…

…that can make or break your day. I hate teaching in building ten. Especially on the sixth floor. Every Monday I teach two classes in a row from 1:30-5:10 on opposite ends of the campus. In addition, I… Read More

Refreshed

Two out of three nights on trains. Crowded traffic. Hectic shopping. Crowded subways. Busy shopping streets. That sure doesn’t sound like a recipe for refreshment. However, there was one factor that made my quick trip to Beijing an… Read More