Category Archives: New York City
Scenes From a Chinese Restaurant
Meg: Fresca, you just asked for a dumpling that doesn’t eat meat!!! Fresca: Shut up, English mouse.
Language Barriers
In the beginning of Pygmalion, George Bernard Shaw says that English dialects are so varied that an Englishman cannot open his mouth in public without another Englishman instantly hating him. He might have been writing about China in 2006, but … Continue reading
Chinese Zoo
Today I brought in some colored clay and told my students to make animals. It seemed like a fun, easy identification lesson, made even easier by the fact that I was recently reprimanded for teaching “sage”, “turquoise” and “lavender” so … Continue reading
What I Did On My May Vacation
Fresca came to class with me today. I was at the middle school (that paragon of all educational virtues that is Number Three) and I was asking everyone what they could do over May Holiday in order to talk about … Continue reading
Weifang Photos
This isn’t the rollarcoaster on which we almost died. These are just some of the people who came over to watch us eat. This is Fresca, moments after realizing that she’s thirty by the Chinese calendar. These are some people … Continue reading
Weifang Math
So we’re trying to check into a hotel in Weifang. It takes all 3 of us to speak Chinese. I can understand the most, then I tell Jeff and Fresca the gist of what’s just been said. Jeff says “Oh, … Continue reading
Insert Bird Flu Joke Here
My sister Beth, age 6: Why did the chicken cross the road? Me: I don’t know. Beth: To get the Chinese newspaper! Me: *Blank stare* Beth: Do you get it? Me: No. Beth: Me neither, I get the New York … Continue reading
Across The Pond
Stephanie: I wanted to cross this pretty little pond. But I can’t. Dam.
My friends are here! / Step 2 of 10,000
This morning as I was drinking coffee and watching Travel In Chinese on CCTV9, a sleepy Jeff came into the living room. “I’m up, I’m up.” He said. “You don’t have to set off fireworks to wake me.” I turned … Continue reading
