I’m awoken at 6 am.m by the sound of marching feet and screaming soldiers. “One, two, three, four,” the officers shout. “One, two, three, four” the soldiers shout back in unison. What’s going on? Are we being attacked? Is there a national crisis? Has the sleeping dragon woke? Nope, it’s
Pizza Fail
To get good pizza in China is pretty hard. Outside of the major cities, finding pizza is difficult, and when you do find it, it’s just not quite right. Pizza Hut is a big chain here in China, but it is for the Chinese market and has strange toppings, hardly
The Cutest Watermelon in the World
“Is that a real watermelon,” I wondered at the fruit shop. “It’s so cute!” So i had to buy it and take it home. It was indeed a tiny watermelon, and tasted just as good as the normal big ones. I always thought that American loved watermelon the most. After
Heaven and Hell in Hangzhou
Nearby my small city is the famous city of Hangzhou. Hangzhou is one of the most famous cities in China and there is an ancient saying regarding it’s beauty: Above there is heaven, below there are Hangzhou and Suzhou. But there is one part of the city that will make you
Mooncake Madness
Today is Mid-Autumn Festival in China, an official government holiday. (Which means no classes today. Yay!) I wrote about the meaning of the holiday my first year here, but I want to mention one thing this year: mooncakes. Mooncakes to Mid-Autumn festival is like candy corn to Halloween, or jelly beans
Tea Parties, Handmade Books and More!
So I have successfully completed my first full week of the new semester. And what a week it’s been. This semester is one of my busiest, with class everyday (last semester I had class only 3 days a week) and Chinese class 4 days a week. We’ve also had dinner
Eating History: Peking Duck and Liqun Restaurant
Even for budget travelers like ourselves, you can’t go toBeijing without tasting a little of the local specialty: Peking duck. A good restaurant can set you back several hundred kuai (a small fortune to us) but it’s totally worth it. Our favorite duck restaurant is called Liqun, a
Street Food of Pingyao
You can’t go far in the tiny ancient city of Pingyao without hearing the street cry of a food vendor, and more often then not, Ryan and I would answer that call. Pingyao had some of the most unique street food I had never seen before, much of it bread
The Ancient City of Pingyao, China
Tiny cobbled streets, ancient brick wall, UNESCO world heritage site, puppies and kittens roaming the streets: Pingyao had all the markers of a great place to visit. Often called ‘the best preserved city in China’ Pingyao, located about 700 km west of Beijing, deserves the stellar reputation. It is a
School Bells a Clangin'
With 4 months of freedom year, sometimes it’s hard to remember that I came to China to do a job. But the school bells a ringin’ and class started up today. My schedule this year isn’t bad, I requested teaching multiple subjects with my favorite classes so I get to