The other day Ryan and I went to Hangzhou to explore the tea fields. After all, I am a tea lover, a tea drinker and a tea reviewer, yet I’ve never seen tea actually growing in a field. To be honest, I didn’t even know what a tea plant (bush?
Chinglish: Chinese Packaging Edition
When you live in another country, one that you can’t speak or read the language, you notice everything that is in English. I find myself reading people’s English t-shirts, or reading small signs on a bus that happen to be translated such as no smoking. It’s like I’ve become hyper
Hope You’re Not Hungry…..
I just thought I’d share one of our favorite meals here in Lin’an. Fried dumplings. Ryan likes the dumplings boiled in soup, I like them fried. Either way, they are delicious: And yes, drooling on your keyboard is, in this case, acceptable.
Another Chinese Holiday?!
Okay, what can I say, I love China. We’ve only been here a month and yet it seems we have some sort of holiday every few days. First there was Teacher Day, then National Day, and now? Well, today is the Mid-Autumn Festival of course! The Mid-Autumn festival also has
Happy National Day!
60 years ago today Mao Zedong stood in Tiananmen Square, raised the national flag for the first time and declared the founding of the People’s Republic of China. They say there were 300,000 soldiers and spectators there that day. Well, that’s nothing compared to how many people are expected to
Teaching Writing
One of the many classes I’m teaching is writing. What is great about writing with non-native English speakers is they don’t know the tired cliches and common word usage we are all so familiar with. Instead, they put together words in new and exciting ways which aren’t exactly correct, yet
Hangin’ in Hangzhou
I went to Hangzhou (pronounced Hahng-joe) the other afternoon with a fellow English teacher Lynn. Hangzhou is the “big city” near us (with hospitals and dentists) and it was nice to get out. One of the key features of Hangzhou is the famous West Lake. It’s so famous that it
The Case of the Missing Key
When you live in another country in which you can’t speak or read the language, everyday you deal with little mysteries that need to be solved. Take for instance the case of the missing key. I ride my bike to class everyday, and I have a nifty little bike lock
“English” Names
So we have been here for a week and everything has been amazing. We are getting to know the place, the people, and even beginning to speak Chinese in everyday life. Of course the reason we are here is to do one thing: teach. I have 8 classes a week
Teacher Day
Teacher Day. It sounds like another Hallmark holiday. In America, I think they do have a teacher’s day in which you are probably suppose to buy a card and give your teacher a shiny red apple. But here in China it is serious business. Teacher’s Day is practically a national