After a year of avoiding it I decided to bite the bullet and join QQ. QQ is a web service that is like a cross between MSN and Facebook. It’s a chat program and social network site and everyone whose
Dinner with the Mayor
We recently had the honor of attending a special dinner with the mayor of a city near Wenzhou (I forget the name, sorry). We were invited because the mayor’s son is a student at the university and Ryan is his
Some Chinese Animation
I recently discovered some really impressive animated shorts made by art students in China and I wanted to share them. This first one, called The Big Girl, is an action packed fight scene around an actual apartment. Not only is
On Untemplater Again
Just a quick update to let you all know that I have another guest post on Untemplater. This one is about road magic, the universal force that helps travelers out when you need it the most. The trick to getting
Counting to 10 on One Hand
Most people think that there are 2 languages in China: Mandarin and Cantonese. Well, that is simplifying things a bit. There are actually dozens of different languages similar to the way there are dozens of different accents in America. But
Perks of Teaching English in China
See that picture of the wad of cash spread around? It’s not a stock photo or something I found on Flickr. Nope, it’s a picture that I took in my room of my money. That’s right, the end of the
I Just Finished my First Chinese Novel!
I wanted to brag for minute and tell everyone that I just finished my first novel in Chinese. Okay, I admit, I’m using the term “novel” quite lightly. It’s not War and Peace or anything, rather a slim 46 page
Showing off my Students
The bulk of my time has been spent teaching students and yet I haven’t really talked much about it. The semester is just about over and all in all, I feel like it has been an huge success and I
Pale and Proud
The sun is shining, the birds are singing and there are little white fluffy clouds sailing slowly across the blue sky. And yet, outside, there are umbrellas as far as the eye can see. You see, in China umbrellas are
Yang Mei Berries
The fruit here is amazing. I’ve already written about pineapple, but every day it seems like there is some new exotic fruit at the fruit stands. The latest addition is the yang mei berry. This fruit has no American counterpart