One of the things you’ll hear people say is “All those Asian people look alike”. And… to a certain extent, that’s true. Us midwesterners aren’t used to Asian features, so we tend to notice the “these people don’t look like us” stuff first–and not get past it. While I was never at the point of [...]
A couple weeks ago, one of my favorite students left the school. She is more than just a student, she’s a friend. We met today to catch up before she heads back to her home in the north. Jessie is a wonderful young woman. From the start, she’s been a friend to me and helped [...]
It’s not cooking yet, but… Spicy chicken with steamed vegetables over rice[1]. And Bailey’s Irish Cream for desert. The three American teachers are getting together for friendly meal and a few drinks. It’s not Mom’s amazing stuffing, but… it’s a good meal with good people. I think that’s what counts. [1] Spicy Chicken (all measurements [...]
As I’ve mentioned before, there’s a neat little pub in the bottom floor of my building. It’s run by Bob and Cherry. Bob is one of the owners, Cherry is his girlfriend. These are the two that took me shopping in Shanghai. Last week I asked Sherry if she’d be willing to model for me. [...]
Every week all the classes are based on a common theme. Last week, for example, was “medicine”. This week, it was “Halloween”. The Chinese know absolutely nothing about Halloween. But, to be fair, we know absolutely nothing about the Mid-Autumn Festival. For those of us who grew up in the west, it’s easy to forget [...]
One of the things that is strange about living in China is how amazingly helpful and generous everyone is–at least to American teachers. They insist on taking me places and buying me things. Sometimes it’s… uncomfortable for me. I keep feeling like I’m taking advantage of them. But when I try to pay, they argue [...]
I’ve been slacking off. I admit it. So… here’s a bit of what’s been going on: This past week was a week long holiday. “National Day” (October 1st) is China’s version of the 4th of July. They go a bit farther than we do, however. First of all, the country shuts down for a week [...]
My apologies for the long silence. I’ve been without internet for about a week. And the internet I do have right now is like using a telegraph. For the past month, I’ve had 8Mb service that would only work for about 2 hours a day–with constant disconnects. They came and “fixed” that on Friday. Now, [...]
The micro-skirt has invaded China! Better news: It’s not being worn by 300-lb women!
…The more they stay the same. Dealing with the phone company in China is just like back home–only here you have an excuse for not understanding what the contract says. :) Monday (today as I’m writing this) was my day off. I slept in late (05:00 or so), did a load of laundry, and scrubbed [...]
