Since I’ve been living at the beach there have been a lot of picnics. A lot, a lot. So many picnics. I mean, when I make a meal I have two options, sit at the table in my apartment staring at the wall, or walk 5 minutes and sit on
Kashgar (the Far, Far West of China)
Well, my travels are winding down. I ended my trip in Kashgar, one of the farthest west cities in all of China. Here Han Chinese were few and far between, and most travelers were using this as a gateway to or from Pakistan. Kashgar was amazing. By this point I
The Fat Life in Xiamen
So I wrote about the fit life in Xiamen and how my days are filled with sports and active things. And the logical conclusion to all of this is that I would be super skinny and fit. But that is not at all true because of the other half of
Maybe Sometimes I make Living in China Sound too Easy
This summer, when I was in America, a lot of people said a lot of nice things about me. They said they admired me for living in China, or they thought I was so brave or cool, for making this strange country my new home. And that’s nice to hear
Xiamen, China — An Intro to my New Hometown
I thought I’d give you a small tour of my new hometown, so you can understand the place that I’m now living. I’ve been here before, way back in 2012, but I had no inkling at that time I’d be moving here, and seeing things as a traveler is very
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 Lin’an. I know I seem to be saying this after
Hot Pot–Perfect for a Cold Chilly Night
Here in Southern China, wintertime temps regularly get to the zeros. It wouldn’t be a problem, my hometown in America gets much colder than that, but things here are aren’t heated. Classrooms, restaurants and most public building don’t have heat. And even worse they like to open the windows or
We Got a Subway Now!! (The More Delicious Kind)
Things have changed a lot in my little boonie city since I first arrived. It used to be I would go out to a dirt/rubble road (with chickens and dogs running freely) to a little shack or food cart to get my dinner and pray I didn’t get food posioning
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
China Fail
I know I’ve bragged talked a bit about learning Chinese here on this blog and how my progress has been. Maybe I’ve made it sound a bit too easy, or my level a bit too advanced. I offer this small tale from my recent travels as antidote to those past