“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
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
Digging Your Toes into the Gobi Desert
The Gobi Desert. The fifth largest desert in the world is not a place I ever thought I would visit in my life. But when I found out it was a mere three hours away from our location in Inner Mongolia I decided that when life hands you an opportunity,
The Blue Skies of the Grasslands of Inner Mongolia
Where I live in China, the pollution isn’t so bad. I’m not in a major city and the campus is surrounded by green, tree-filled mountains which helps to clean the air. Sometimes, I can even see stars at night. But one trip to Inner Mongolia reminded me what I’m missing.
Hotels in Datong, China: Solving the Mystery of Feitian Hotel
This is a purely practical blog post for those people who are actually traveling to Datong. I don’t often do these, but there was a lot of confusion, and unclear information on the web (And it took a long time to clear it up) so I wanted to write down