I’ve been a bit lax on my blog recently, but that’s not because I’ve been bored. Quite the opposite in fact. This semester began 3 weeks ago, and despite having a 4-day weekend, things have been non-stop crazy. I’ve been at this school for 3 years already, so you would
S*%$t's About to Get Real
I think it has flown under the radar in the western media, but here in the East there is one topic on everybody’s minds. The worsening relationship between China and Japan. It all started because of a stupid island dispute. China says they own it, and Japan disagrees. (The Chinese
Chinese Mountains Rule
Here’s the thing I love about mountains in China. In addition to being a tall piece of land we love to climb, they have so much history. Even the small mountains around my school are filled with hidden graves, small temples and other things built over the decades. In America,
Prepare to Drool
One day, in my intensive Chinese course, my teacher said we were going to take a little break and watch a movie. “It’s not really a movie, but a show about he special foods in China,” she explained. A break from speaking Chinese and watching a documentary on food?! Sign
Back from Kunming!
My month-long intensive Chinese class is over and I’m back from Kunming. I had an amazing time, without a doubt my best holiday yet (and I have had some awesome holidays). In fact, this is the first time where I wasn’t relieved to come back home. Usually, after a month
Wet, Rainy Stones
The sky was dark, the streets were flooded and you could hear thunder in the sky. What to do with that kind of day? Well, walk around outside with hundreds of chinese people of course! Thats right, me and 4 of my classmates from my Kunming Chinese school decided to
In a Ghost Town
I flew back from America to a ghost town. My normally bustling, vibrant school becomes a desolated wasteland in the summertime. Students are allowed to stay in the dorms if they want to, but with heat indexes of more than 100 and no a/c in the rooms, most opt to
Happy Anniversary to Me!
If you are reading this within a few hours of it being published, then I am, right now, in the air heading back to America. Yep, thats right, I’ll be stateside for the next 2 and a half weeks. I’m a little worried about a few things. I’m pretty accustomed
A Different Kind of Meat Market
I’ve been to plenty of meat markets in China. Usually located in the back corner of a dank, smelly building with various animals in different states of butchery. It is usually one of the most unpleasant places to be in China. But last weekend I went to a different meat
Declaration of Love
Last night my friend Color and I were taking a post-dinner walk when we came across two of my student. They were all giggly and excited and told me “something special” was happening before running off, still giggling, to the lake. So we followed. What we found was the preparation