So I mentioned the other day that I recently went on a trip to the Yun He Tea Academy, (Where I met my BFF.) It was a trip was set up by the International Office. They do a trip for the foreign teachers every fall and spring, and sometimes I
My New Best Friend
You’re probably thinking that Ryan and I are at Madame Tussauds or something, standing next to a wax figure of an ancient kung-fu master. But we’re actually at a tea culture institute and standing in the middle is my new best friend. I don’t know what his name was, but
Teacher Deaths Confirmed in Japan
The news just announced the second death of an American resulting from the recent earthquake/tsunami disaster in Japan. His name was Monty Dickson and he was a 26-year-old English teacher. The only other confirmed American death is Taylor Anderson, 24, also an English teacher. It hits close to home, for
The Magical Tea Cup
A few weeks ago, my mom came to China for a visit. We spent the weekend in Hangzhou, and went to a few tourist places, including the Chinese National Tea Museum. I hate going to museums with my mom and Ryan because they both take soooo long, stopping at every
Another Beautiful Qingming Day
We don’t get many holidays in China, so you gotta make the most of them when they arrive. Today is Qingming Day (also called Tomb Sweeping Day), an ancient holiday in which you are meant to remember, and pay respects to, your ancestors. It’s getting harder and harder to do
The Ancient Water City of Xitang China
When you think of ancient China, cobbled narrow street, hanging red lanterns and kung-fu masters walking down the street appreciating a ray of sunlight or an opening bud, you probably think of a city a lot like Xitang (well, minus the kung-fu masters that is). Xitang is not very far
Star Wars Day has Come a Little Early
This semester is my busiest semester since arriving to China. My contract stipulates that I should only be teaching 16 hours, yet this semester I find myself teaching 20. Teaching extra hours, above and beyond your contract is basically a teaching no-no. In China there are many disreputable schools that
The Hangzhou Light and Water Show
Last summer in Xian, (home of the famous Terra Cotta Warriors) we went to a fountain billed as “The Largest Fountain in Asia!” This fountain was pretty intense. It went down an entire city block, with tiers of leveled fountain areas ending in a giant pool of water at the
Diamonds? No Thanks. Salt? Yes Please!
Message to salt manufacturers: If you want to make a quick buck, get to China as fast as you can! The salt industry is having a huge surge this week as demand is far outweighing supply. It’s been reported that in some places, cities nearby to me, people have waited
The Most Average Person
You may have already heard that National Geographic put together information from every single person on the planet, all seven billion of us, to come up with the world’s most average person. That person is, drum roll please, a 28-year-old Chinese man. They then combined 190,000 pictures of 28-year old