It’s the time of the year when bloggers do the wrap-up posts and I might as well join the gang.
As a teacher I tend to think of things not so much in years, but in semesters. I’d say my first semester could be summed up with one word: friends. I didn’t write about it much in my blog, but I made an amazing group of friends about one year ago and for months we couldn’t stand being apart for more than a few days.
The word to describe my second semester would be: students. This was my last semester with my darling students I have taught for 4 years so I really wanted to be here for them. Not just in class time, but for everyday things like taking walks, listening to their problems and eating lunch and dinner together. I’m happy to report I was very successful at that and it’s something I’m going to write about soon.
I also did some traveling, though not as much as I would have liked to. I went to Taiwan, spent some time in a temple in the countryside, went to Shanghai a bunch, soaked in some local hot springs and in general just enjoyed the area. I’ve decided I’m leaving this part of China in July so I’m really trying to enjoy it now, and do all the things I’ve been meaning to do.
I also dedicated some serious time to learning Chinese. And while I failed at the goal of passing HSK 5, I still am a winner because I tried and I really learned a lot while prepping for it. (Cue inspirational music.)
And I wrote a book. In one month. Still proud of that. Working on revisions now.
So without further ado, here are the top 5 blog posts of 2013, based on page views.
5. The Benefits of a Chinese Best Friend – He’s busy working now, but Color’s still my BFF and he never ceased to amaze me. I can’t really write about it, but let’s just say I am so gonna write a mini-series based on some events that happened this year. And it’s gonna be better than Downton Abbey!
4. I went to a Wang Leehom Concert – As this was my 4th most popular post I’m guessing there are a few more English speaking Wang Leehom fans than I thought.
3. How to Meet Chinese Guys in China – This one got passed around a lot of Facebook, especially on AMWF (Asian male, western female) groups. Also, because of this post I had a very interesting experience, but one I’m not quite willing to share publicly. Your gonna have to wait for my memoir for that one.
2. Eating Sugar Right from the Cane – This one is a little weird, just a one off, but someone put it on reddit, so it got a lot of views. If you ever want to put one of my blogs on reddit, I’m okay with that.
1. On Dating Chinese Men – Seriously I should just forget about writing about my daily life and just write about Chinese boys all the time ’cause they are clearly the most popular posts. (Last year My Chinese Boyfriend was my most popular post.) I will say that I have no complaints in the love department and while my little hairdresser isn’t officially my boyfriend anymore, he’s still very much in the picture.
So those are the most popular, but what about my favorite post from the past year? Honestly, I write this blog mostly for me, to help me remember my stories and experiences as much as for anyone else. It’s hard picking just one favorite. I really like my In Defense of Traveling Alone post, and it’s short and silly but I like the One Character Makes All the Difference because it reminds me of how funny my day-to-day life can be at times.
But I think overall I like Is Communication Fate the best. It’s something I still think about.
So it was another eventful year and I’m looking forward to 2014, a year with big changes.
I want to say thanks for reading my blog, it means a lot to me, and I hope all your dreams come true in 2014!
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