Kaiser Kuo has written a brilliant Guide for Visiting Journalists, to avoid the awkward Bylines-At-Customs type of writing so scathingly described by Huo Lei Feng, and to avoid the shallow cliches that make us cringe. Here’s an excerpt:
Topping the list of forbidden clichés is the phrase “coming out party.” As apt as it may have […]

I’m quoted in USA Today, in an article about the pre-Olympic security measures and visa restrictions. The article talks to disappointed Beijingers — Chinese residents, long-term ex-pats and tourists — about their pre-Olympic experiences. It’s worth reading, although it’s a sad look at my dear Beijing. And it seems to confirm my worries that due […]

I’m still in Beijing, but I’m getting into an East Coast sleep pattern already. It comes from lying in bed wondering exactly what I’m going to do with myself next, and then waking up to an anxious countdown of time left in China. Four days, three days, two days.
I’m leaving for the US tomorrow. I […]

China without Stick is strangely familiar. The children hanging on the hutong’s gate, waiting to see the foreign woman, remind me of the Yantai children, watching on the steps of my apartment and shouting to their friend when they saw me coming. I don’t know if word has gotten out that Stick and the protective […]

A post on the awesome OneManBandwidth blog says goodbye to many expat friends, and mentions an unexpected side effect of the inability to get and keep a legit working visa in education:
Teachers were affected about a year ago when the government stopped processing visa renewals and work permits regionally. Now, all education hires must […]

I’ve come to realise that my life is not so interesting and there are many more informative blogs about expat life in China. The only hope I have to distinguish myself is to write with correct grammar and adequate spelling.
–James Huang - Far far away from Scouseland

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I want to call Kudos a life sim, but that term carries the connotations of “TheSims knockoff” and Kudos is definitely not that. It’s a sandbox game, where your choices affect your next set of options. It actually reminded me more of Princess Maker than The Sims. The premise is simple.
“It’s 6.20pm on April 14th, […]

There is much more of an expat community here in Beijing than there was in Yantai, but I find myself in a weird no-man’s-land between looking for the best meet-market bar with the cheapest beer, and looking for the best preschool. I suppose I’d reach this stage of life anywhere, but China brings this, like […]

I just discovered that Simpson’s Paradox is listed on AllTop’s China blogs… along with Sinosplice, Imagethief, RConversation, Hao Hao, IfGoGo, CNReviews, OneManBandwidth and a list of other really amazing China blog. It’s awesome to be listed with the bloggers that I read when I was first adjusting to Yantai life.

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Meganlouise@gmail.com
Meg Stivison
Meg’s Teaching Experience
Spring Semester 2008 Beijing, China
21st Century Experimental School, AP Program
I taught English literature to 5 classes of high school students. My students were able to communicate in English, but needed to improve their understanding of literature, writing skills and grammar before applying to colleges in English-speaking countries.

Fall Semester 2008 Beijing, China
Yihai Primary […]