Tag Archives: chinese
Three Months In China
On my three-month anniversary with China, it was time to renew my visa. This was complicated enough in the US, a system that doesn’t run entirely on bribes and connections. Dealing with UMass administration for five-and-a-half years of college was … Continue reading
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
Qingdao Adventures
We decided to wander around Qingdao to find a good place to have dinner. Ok, that’s not exactly true. I remember saying something about finding a German place for dinner, because I remember thinking that a town that was a … 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
Dear Bethie
Dear Bethie, Thank you for the scarf. It was very useful on my trip to Beijing. You can put it across your pillow if the night train to Beijing is a little dirty. You can wet it from the train’s … Continue reading
Airport Goodbyes
After our awesome Beijing adventures, we sent Jeff home. Did you catch that? I said we, because Fresca has extended her trip for another two weeks as she tries to decide whether and when to teach here! Jeff and I … 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
Everybody Weifang Tonight!*
We took a ritzy bus to the Weifang Kite festival, and then went by taxi to the park in Weifang where the kites would be flown. I got off the bus a few moments before Fresca and Jeff and was … Continue reading
