So here I am on the eve of the new school year. I can’t believe it’s been 5 years already. Where did the time go? I expected to be in China for one year, but for 5?! It boggles the
Summer's Officially Over
School starts on monday and I can’t say I’m totally psyched about it. Summer seemed to be gearing up instead of winding down when I had to leave my temporary home in the city of Hangzhou and come back to
Welcoming the Hangzhou Subway
Way back 4 years ago, when I first came to China, Hangzhou was beginning to build a subway. Very late to the party, Hangzhou is really the last major Chinese city without a subway. And due to China’s legendary building
Taking Advantage of Big City Culture
I’ll admit for the most part I like living in small cities rather than big ones. Big cities, especially in China, have just too many people and too many cars. But there are some things I’m really enjoying about living
A Crazy Coincidence
The other night I went to a TED talk (which I’ll be writing more about later). Halfway through this foreigner joins us. I never met him but he seemed to know many of the people there, and he joined in
Living in the Inner Circle of Hell (aka Southern China Summers)
I’d like to establish the fact that while despite growing up in New England, I’ve lived in my fair share of warm places. I lived in South Carolina during summer (with a car with no a/c), stayed in very tropical
"What Are Your Travel Plans this Summer, Becky?"
With only a week left of classes, I’m getting the same question over and over again. “Where will you travel to this summer?” During the summer I always spend at least a month traveling all over China, and my students
Wine, Warhol and Annoying Boxes
Despite my resolution to stay away from Shanghai I found myself there yet again this past weekend. There is just so much stuff going on all the time there. While last time was more literary and humanitarian focused, this trip
A Hick Loose in Shanghai: Unsavory Elements
My timing to visit my friends in Shanghai really couldn’t have been better. Not only did I get to join my friend in an orphanage opening, I also got to attend a book reading for the new book: Unsavory Elements:
Taxi Stories
I’ve been spending a lot of time in Hangzhou with my friends. While I sometimes spend the night at one of their houses, I usually prefer to take a taxi back home. Hangzhou is a 45-minute drive from my school