Tag Archives: China
One Month Until Stick Visits!
To be totally honest, I’m a lot more worried about Stick’s arrival than I am about his absence. I haven’t seen the boy in 5 months — it’ll be 6 by the time he arrives — and a lot can … Continue reading
Bing Kafei
When I was younger, I could tell when my mom had a deadline because she’d turn on the Greatful Dead and drink a latte. (Wow, did that just sum up my mom, or what?) My mom loves lattes but my … Continue reading
The Anti-China
My new boss, “Will,” is the anti-China. I don’t mean his dislikes our host country, but he takes responsibility in a land where no one knows anything about that and no one knows when someone who does know will be … Continue reading
My Parents
I’ve already talked my sister into visting me in China in August. (This is a picture of her with her Chinese music ensemble at Wesleyan… guess which one is my sister!) Now I’m trying to convince my mom and my … Continue reading
You People
The other day I was crossing the street and I said “You people invented gunpowder and silk! Surely mastering a turn signal is nothing to that!” Usually shouting witticisms at my non-English speaking surroundings makes me feel better, but today … Continue reading
Travel In China
Tonight I had my adult students. Now, I don’t really like teaching adults because they have all the idiosyncrasies of my middle school students (refusal to speak above a whisper, inability to separate “L” and “R” but an insistence that … Continue reading
Summer in China
Today I was walking through the park in Kaifaqu in a haze of sunshine, sea air and June roses. I saw a little girl, around 5 or 6, in a white princess dress walking through the summer flowers with her … Continue reading
Chinese Standards
My new co-worker, David, and I both have Thursdays and Fridays off, so yesterday we went exploring downtown. “is this squid on a stick kosher?” “The next person who calls me lao wei…” The Lonely Planet mentions that Yantai #2 … Continue reading
Stronger?
Right now, I’m changing my job, my apartment and um, everything! Everyone I’ve spoken with who’s made China their home says that China pushes your limits. In China what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger. Or it makes you throw … Continue reading
Changing Jobs In China
Thursday Ji: Hey, there’s a college in Weihai that needs a teacher.Meg: I’m sorry, no. My contract is for Yantai and I don’t want to move.Ji: *long Chinese sob story regarding the horrific death of the previous teacher’s mother and … Continue reading
