Tag Archives: chinese
Wai Guo Ren
So when Zorro and I went to Beijing, I was recognized by the girl checking us in at the airport! (Hi Echo!) In case you were wondering, getting spotted by a reader is the coolest thing that could happen to … Continue reading
Cheddar, edam, brie, gouda
When I’m traveling, I tend to blindly assume everything’s going to come out all right. There won’t be mice in this bathroom! Of course we’ll get off this island! Sure this is the right bus! But traveling with Zorro is … Continue reading
Finding Equilibrium
I’ve known since I was little that gas expands to fill all the available space. I knew this rule like some of my students know their wordlists, so I mean I was able to repeat it when prompted or write … Continue reading
Not Quite A Mud Mask
Everytime I start to feel like I understand China Yantai my tiny neighborhood in Kaifaqu, something happens to remind me that I’m far away from home. Today Dorothy, another teacher, walked into the madhouse we call an office, giggling and … Continue reading
Someone Else’s China
Most nights, I go to dinner with my co-worker, Zorro. (Dave, we miss you!) He’s really fun, loves talking about our students, and he’s been really helpful with my Chinese. Of course, when we go out, no one will listen … Continue reading
For Love Or Money
This story on Laowai!Laowai! talks about running a speaking exercise for high school age ESL students. This exercise asks each student to choose between Love or Money, and explain why. Without exception, the boys in his class chose Love while … Continue reading
Communist Credit Cards
Wal-Mart is launching a new credit card in China. This is especially interesting because China seems to really be a cash economy. According to the Wall Street Journal’s article, less than 5% of Chinese consumers have credit cards. Most people … Continue reading
罗马, 意大利
I mailed a letter to Stick yesterday. The clerk took a look at the envelope, on which I’d slowly and painfully copied out ??, ??? onto the envelope. If speaking faster and mumbling more is the key to spoken Chinese, … Continue reading
Shrimp Melon Popcorn
After my last post (and this one, this one, and, actually, almost everything else I’ve written about China), I need to explain that I don’t really hate all Chinese food. There are some amazing foods here, like scallion-egg pancakes and … Continue reading
Kermit And Plato
After months of asking about Chinese myth and recieving either blank stares or incomprehensible tales about monkeys in magic headbands, I finally heard a fable I understand. A frog lives in a deep well, and all he can see is … Continue reading
