Category Archives: China
Yantai Journals
Oh, hey so I briefly mentioned the Chefoo Concentration Camp when I wrote about exploring Tamsui. There’s an episode of NPR’s This American Life about the diary of a Girl Guide leader who was imprisoned in Chefoo. The story is … Continue reading
80 Days
Let’s talk about how freaking great 80 Days is. In this iOs game, you play as acrobat-turned-valet Passpartout in a steampunked version of Jules Verne’s Around The World In 80 Days. (I read this novel when I was in middle … Continue reading
Turing Test, HSK Test
You know that philosophy puzzle called the Chinese Room about the definition of AI? It basically ask if you don’t speak Chinese, but have sufficient dictionaries and translation resources to fake it to people who don’t see your 老外 face, … Continue reading
Mid-Autumn Festival
On my early-morning walk to Chinese school, I saw barriers closing off a Chinatown road, and wondered which Chinese holiday was coming up. The lunar calendar means that even though Moon-Viewing Day snuck up on me last year in Shanghai, it snuck up on me … Continue reading
Cool Noodles
Me in China: I’m so tired of la mian, I can’t wait to get home and eat a sandwich. Me in Boston: Ok, I want the noodle bowl minus everything but cucumbers, and add cilantro, and peanut sauce, and how close can … Continue reading
Language Acquisition or Whatever
Me taking HSK practice exams: Yeah! 加油! Go me! I’m so good at Chinese! Me listening to native Mandarin at natural speed: Uh, what? 慢说. 我说的不好。 Right now, I’m studying the vocabulary for the HSK 1 exam. A lot of … Continue reading
Learning Chinese In Carrboro
I’ve been taking Chinese classes at Chicle Language Institute at night, and really getting a lot out of it. (This is not a sponsored or requested post at all, I’m linking the language center’s site because I had a hard time finding … Continue reading
Res Gestae, 2015
At Christmas time last year, I was working at Youth Digital, and really enjoying my work, with no expectations that anything would change in the near future. I felt like all my varied skills as an educator, game reviewer, tech journo, and game developer all … Continue reading
Essential Chinese: He Has Already Paid
I’ve started working a couple days a week at a Chinese restaurant near my house. Now, I’ve complained a great deal about how freaking slow everything is in the south, but that’s working in my favor as I earn endless praise for being mildly efficient … Continue reading
Meaning, Translation, Scraps of Paper
Right now, I’m using the backpack I bought in China for my notebook and textbooks, which makes dragging a schoolbag to work in order to study on my breaks slightly less depressing. It’s lovely because I keep finding Yangzhou ephemera in my Carrboro life, … Continue reading
