I’m not sure how it started. Maybe I just thought it was cute the way my Taiwanese boyfriend pronounced Pikachu (pi-ka-que), but for the past five years, every time one of sees a Pikachu doll, toy, game etc we have to talk about it and point it out, and end
100 Years of the CCP and All I Got was This Lousy Light Show
Okay, I click-baited you with that title. It wasn’t a lousy light show at all, it was quite spectacular but “…and all I got was this spectacular light show” isn’t how the t-shirt goes, so there you have it. So yeah, July 1st was the 100th anniversary of the founding
I Entered a Puzzle Competition! (You can make fun of me all you want.)
I still have a few weeks of summer holiday left, and since I’m stuck in Xiamen, I decided to try to make a staycation out of it. You know, basically trying to do as many new activities and eating at as many different restaurants as I can. So why not
Another Chinese Milestone
Despite having a very long summer holiday (about 12 weeks–Best. Job, Ever.) I can’t really go anywhere. International travel is basically impossible and domestic travel is going to be CRAZY crowded. Also my school asked us to not travel outside the province and even if we go somewhere close there
The Dragon in the Solar Eclipse
I remember my first solar eclipse when I was quite young. I was in elementary school and it was a big deal. I remember our teachers talking about it for days ahead of time and we all made little DIY devices (like pinholes through cardboard) to look at it. It
Going to a Chinese Hospital During the Covid Crisis
Having a genetic disorder that requires constant treatment in the hospital sucks, but having a genetic disorder that requires constant treatment in the hospital during a global pandemic sucks balls. And playing into Murphy’s Law, as the pandemic got worse, so did my (unrelated) health problem. I have been to
Check out Hong Kong Disney!
So last week in China was National Day (celebrating the 70th anniversary of the PRC), but that meant I had a week holiday. I haven’t talked about it much on this blog, but this past year my health has sucked, and I haven’t been able to travel or get out
The Start of my Tenth Year
It’s impossible to believe, but I am beginning my tenth year in China. It also means it’s my tenth year as a teacher making it the longest job I’ve ever held. Despite that, I almost never think of myself as a teacher. When someone asks me “what do you do?”
Metro Cards of the World
When you travel in a city for more than a day it is almost always worth getting a local subway card. They are usually nominal in price and they make traveling around so much more convenient. The simple fact you don’t have to stand in line at the ticket machine
The Benefits of the Expat Life
How funny it is writing this blog. So many thing I write one time and expect them to just kind of fade into the vault. But life isn’t like that and one of my former blog posts is rising from the dead to teach me a new lesson. Three years