Remember, awhile ago I said that I was keeping track of my reading for a year? Well, now that years over, let’s see how I did. Grand total: 100 books. Pretty amazing eh? Remember this was not a contest or
My Week in the Countryside
I just spent a week with at my friends Color’s house. I got to meet his parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. I also got a taste of the life of a typical family in China. It was an amazing, totally
The New Face of Communism
A common image, when you think of Chinese communism, is those 60’s retro posters with men and women looking strong under different Communist slogans. You know, things like “Study Mao everyday,” or “Build a harmonious society.” Often they would depict women wearing
A Peek into Christmas in China
I’m not a scrooge or anything, but in many ways I enjoy missing out on the pressure of the holiday season back in America. But that doesn’t mean I miss out on Christmas. In fact, if anything, Christmas seems to
A Walk in the Woods (with Ben)
There’s no getting around it: my campus is one of the most beautiful in China. The college is nestled in the foothills of Lin’an, and while we have a dirty, fast moving city to the south of the college, the
The One Christmas Tradition China gets Right
So here we are, a week away from Christmas, and here in China things are not “beginning to look a lot like Christmas.” The weather is bitterly cold at night, no one has that festive feeling, and only a few
New in the Snack Aisle
I’m used to seeing some strange flavored snacks, usually put out by some obscure Chinese snack company. But I was surprised to see this new flavor hit the school store. Cheese Lobster Flavor. My favorite part is the really relaxed
OMG! I Want to Punch Her and Be Her
One perky little blond girl has been showing up on some of my favorite blogs lately. First at Study More Chinese and then on Lost Laowai. So who is she? Well, her name is Jessica Beinecke but she is better
My New Teaching Policy
The Chinese school system is pretty strict when it comes to attendance. If a student needs to miss a class because they are sick, or have an appointment, or need to catch a bus, they always ask for permission beforehand.
Hitting up the Food Festival
Every year the “International Food Festival” hits up our campus. You know the type, food stalls filled with fatty, grilled and sweet food, a few games and some terrible rock music blaring non-stop. Every year we go, buy some