Category Archives: China
More of My Mandarin Superpowers
Student: Do you eat Chinese food? Meg: Yes, I eat it everyday, I’m in China. Student: But how do you order it? Meg: 请给我青椒肉丝* Student: You can speak Chinese?!?! Meg: We’re having this conversation in China. *This is kind … Continue reading
Essential Chinese: Fruit Infusions
My room doesn’t have a refrigerator or a watercooler, which is pretty rough in such a hot summer. My school has both, so I fill my water bottle there with drinking water and slices of orange or lemon, and stick it in the … Continue reading
One of The Lesser Known Pokemon
In China, I feel so brilliant and successful when I do daily things like catch the bus to the mall. I planned to settle down with an ludicrously expensive frappuccino, and do my math homework in the Living Mall’s Starbucks. This … Continue reading
Book Review: Whispers From The East
Amie Ali’s Whispers from the East tells the story of a traditional marriage and two modern marriages in this family saga. I was interested in joining this book tour because I recently read and enjoyed two modern Muslim romances, Veil of Roses, … Continue reading
Persephone in Yangzhou
Fall is here in Yangzhou, with the end of the desperate humidity and a change in the air that signals sweaters and breezes. My initial working contract will be up in a few weeks. My school has offered me a one-year or six-month … Continue reading
Click and Wait
Hello friends, and welcome to another exciting adventure in Meg Complains About Online Classes. If you’ve missed my previous updates, mostly I think that textbooks are inefficient, prereqs are inefficient, threats are inefficient, and discussion boards are everything that sucks about … Continue reading
‘American Housewife’ in Yangzhou
I reviewed American Housewife over on (The) Absolute, but the short version is that I pretty much think this book was written for me, with such terribly accurate descriptions of southerners, Manhattanites, contented wives and discontented writers in these short stories. Descriptions of Southern manners … Continue reading
Revealer
A few months ago, there was a challenge going around on social media, in which women who were frequently told they’re naturally beautiful and shouldn’t wear so much makeup quit wearing makeup completely. Predictably, the reaction they got wasn’t praise for natural … Continue reading
Essential Chinese: Get Online
Most people in the bars and coffeeshops of Yangzhou have been able to understand combinations of internet, password, and various question-words and point me to the wifi password. (Special thanks to the lady at Sir Coffee who understood my extra-awful Wang lu zai nar?, and … Continue reading
Ma La Tong
Went out last night for a leaving party, one of our students is going to university and one of the teachers is finishing his contract and leaving for a new job. I’d forgotten how much of expat life is leaving parties … Continue reading
