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
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
Imagine if you Will…..
Your alarm goes off. It’s 4:30 am, and while you don’t jump out of bed, you do get up quicker than you normally would that early. After all today is the start of your year of living abroad. You’re sleepy (and a little bit cranky) but excited nonetheless. You and
How to Pack for a Year Abroad
Organization is my middle name. And when it comes to packing I don’t like to leave things for the last minute. (You’ve probably figured that out since I’ve had my toiletries bag packed for over a month now.) We are each bringing two bags with us; One big backpack for
Little Becky and the Change Dilemma
I don’t know how old I was, but at some point (maybe 12-13?) I got one of those giant plastic Coke bottle banks. For years every time I had any change I threw it into the bottle, never spending a penny. Instead, I told myself I was saving it for
One Last Look
I spent a few days outside on my land doing nothing but observing, appreciating and reflecting. I did manage to take a few nice pictures I wanted to show off thought you might like. I always tend to think of traveling as getting outside of the familiar to a new
Only in America
We’re getting down to the home stretch on moving to China. We’re working hard to get things done now because we know that time is running out. I’ve got a bunch of things on order that I’m expecting in the mail including our visas, some business software, and a years
Is a Year a Long Time?
When I tell people that we will probably be gone for a year they are always shocked and say something along the lines of, “That’s a really long time.” But is it? I’m not so sure. Originally, when I was just dreaming about this trip, I did think a year
The Hardest Goodbye
Call me cold-hearted but I’m not going to miss much when I’m gone. I’ll see my house, my cats, my friends and family soon enough. In fact, I’m looking forward to not seeing them all for awhile. Part of the fun of traveling is getting away from the familiar places