Tag Archives: China

ChinesePod!

If my stories of frustration have made you yearn for the masochistic joys of studying Chinese, you can get a free ChinesePod account here and try it out for yourself! I opted not to use the “Learn Chinese / It’s … Continue reading

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Only In China

I applied today for a quick tutoring gig, the ad said the school wanted someone to tutor some high-schoolers in a prep class for the AP English test. The interviewer told me about some problem students, and asked me how … Continue reading

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On My Soapbox, With Cliches About China

If we are to see the Olympics as (good heavens, it hurts to type this) China’s big coming-out party, then China cannot hide behind the “developing country” defense much longer. When the international community pressures China on the environment or … Continue reading

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Sparkly Like a Holiday

Stick went out to get that typical American gift, a dozen red roses, but in China nothing is mundane. The roses came with glitter, tinsel, rose-printed cellophane, magenta tissue paper, and purple curling ribbon. Did you ever see that part … Continue reading

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Snacking With Trimalchio

When I lived in Yantai, I believed I had been offered every bit of sealife imaginable. Like most theories I had about China, this turned out to be inaccurate. I think the seahorses might have been a novelty item even … Continue reading

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Baiyunguan Temple Fair

Today Stick and I visited the temple fair at Baiyunguan, the White Cloud Temple. It’s right by the Muxidi subway stop and the Capital Museum. If you’re planning a visit, the White Cloud Temple is NOT on White Cloud Street, … Continue reading

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Russian Mirage

Stick and I went exploring down the Russian street between the Ritan Park Jenny Lou’s and The Place. It’s at the eastern end of Ritan Bei Lu, where it meets Dongdaqiao Lu. The last time I was at The Place, … Continue reading

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What My Dad Would Call “Logistics”

So I’ve narrowed it down to two possible jobs. One job is Singapore Academy, with small classes, teenage students, all the things I want, but they weren’t able to meet my salary expectation, and between losing our double housing bonus … Continue reading

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???

Today we stopped playing Civ long enough for lunch at Mexican Wave and a visit to the Guiyou silk market. (Stick’s discovered that if you don’t develop alphabet, but everyone else does, you really don’t need it to trade techs.) … Continue reading

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Not Fixed

In Yantai, I used to have an electric outlet in my shower, now we have multiple outlets in the shower. These are bigger, so I suppose that’s an upgrade. After a week without hot water, I was willing to take … Continue reading

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