Being an expat means your group of friends is constantly revolving. Being an English teacher means July is filled with tears and goodbyes and September is filled with hello’s. But in Xiamen, my friend circle includes more that just teachers
How do my Chinese Students See Themselves?
Like most things in China, getting your schedule and class list is a last minute thing. Despite it being prepared months ago, I didn’t get my schedule until three days before class started. And I only got it that early
Lantern Festival: Such a Pretty Name for Such a Loud Day
The Spring Festival holiday officially ends on the 15th day of the lunar new year, with the Lantern Festival. This is a day when you look at beautiful lanterns, answer some riddles written on lanterns and eat a special food
Spring Festival in Pics or How I Maybe Went a Little Overboard in Preperation
So Spring Festival has come and gone. Though technically not finished (that will be on March 5th with the Lantern Festival) the break is over and classes have started up again. I usually get the hell out of China during
How to Manage a Writer’s Retreat in Your Hometown
How times flies! It seems like only yesterday I was announcing my writer’s retreat and here it is all over and done with. It was the first time I have attempted one of these in the place I live, and
Uncivilized Foreign Tourists Running Rampant in China
Some things are too funny to let pass unremarked upon. One of the latest gems comes from the People’s Daily, a government run newspaper. Lately, and with very good reason, Chinese tourists have been in the news. In 2013 a
Nominated! Help a Girl Out!
So I was nominated for the lotus blossom award! It’s for bloggers who write about Chinese love, given by Jeff over at my-new-chinese-love.com. Please, please, PLEASE vote for me. It’s super easy, no registration or e-mail required. Just go to
Awwww F*&@k It’s Chinese New Years Again
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: being in China for Chinese New years (more aptly named Spring Festival) is a nightmare. It’s the largest human migration and more than a billion people travel to see their family.
Bucking the Trend Yet Again
A new report was released regarding expats in China. According to UniGroup Relocation, a moving company, twice as many expats are leaving China as entering. The largest group of expats leaving China? Americans. This has been starting conversations on all
A Fun Game for a Staycation
So I’ve been KILLING it on my staycation writers retreat, (I’m averaging 6,000 written words a day!) but I wanted to talk about something else I’ve been doing that you can try in your own city. See, I figured out