Category: culture

Sunday Snapshot: Names

These pictures aren’t from today.  In fact, they’re not even from this week.  They’re from that eventful to the big city a couple weeks ago.  But I was waiting to post pictures of my Chinese nephews until I had… Read More

China makes me smile

Five years in and there are still random sights that make me smile and giggle.  And make me so happy I made the decision to move across the ocean. Random laundry.  Drying in random locations.  This particular set of… Read More

Glorious

The strong winds, rain, and chilly temperatures of the past few days only made the bright skies of today that much more glorious.  The temperature was that perfect spring balance of not too cold but not too hot. … Read More

Fun Links

For your reading pleasure: Item #1: My life in reverse.  Read about the experience of a Chinese teacher teaching in the States.  Her impressions and commentary on America are quite amusing (at least to me).  I had to… Read More

Reason #1,021 and #1,022 I love living in China

#1,021: Rain is a perfectly acceptable and valid reason to cancel plans.  In the states, we may rank the excuse “I’m sorry I can’t make it, it’s raining” right up there with “I’m sorry I can’t make it, I… Read More

Just when I’m ready to pack my bags

My feet were sopping wet, I had spent the last forty-five minutes packed into a roasting train station waiting room, people had been and were staring, nearby gawkers had had their fair share of conversations about me, I… Read More

In some ways, so different

Earlier this week, I wrote about how my experiences as a Chinese language student are helping me better understand my students.  However, there are still many ways in which we are very different.  Take two exhibits from the… Read More

Sunday Snapshot: Stella

Stella is one of my best friends in China.  I’ve known her for about three years now, and other than the team, she’s probably the person who knows me the best around here. She’s an English major, but… Read More

Just a few more things

First of all, I wanted to pass along an article that perfectly explains why the foreign teachers get so frustrated in our writing classes and in our positions as senior thesis paper advisors.  There are many things I love… Read More

Why I’ll never be able to cook Chinese food

The Chinese are extraordinarily precise about a number of things.  Angling in the wrong direction one tiny dash in a character can completely change the character’s meaning, or render it meaningless.  Children’s coloring books have one page showing… Read More