I’m sitting in the Air Canada lounge at the Shanghai airport. There are free cocktails. And mini muffins. Also free. But it’s hot in here. I’m seriously considering using the last of my RMBs to buy myself a t-shirt so I don’t have to wear this sweater anymore. I’ve got Read more…
It’s pretty amazing what a difference a month can make. Last month, four weeks ago, when I went to Beijing, I followed Yang around like a lost puppy and burst into tears at least twice trying to figure out what I was supposed to be doing. I’ve now been in China Read more…
I am sitting on my (hard Chinese) bed drinking room temperature sake straight out of the bottle and eating these weird saltines with lime filling. Why? Because I didn’t go to the grocery store that has wine and snacks. Why? Because in order to go to the grocery store that Read more…
Learn Chinese with me! It’s easy and fun! Let’s start with the basics: Hello Nǐ hǎo 你好 Thank you Xièxiè 谢谢 This should get you through your first few weeks in China if all you’re doing is walking around with people who speak Chinese and talking to lunch ladies. That Read more…
Ever since I got here, people have been telling me I need to try hairy crab. Kunshan’s hairy crabs from Yangcheng Lake are famous all over China for being magically delicious, and it’s late autumn, which means they are in season, particularly the females. Today, my ship full of hairy Read more…
I’ve been trying really hard to deny it, even to myself, but I’m going to go ahead and say that I’m well and truly homesick. The two-week point is where this usually happens. So last night and this morning I was pitiful and weepy. I thought about staying in my Read more…
We had a team lunch today where we decided to head off-campus to a local farm-to-table restaurant. We had a bit of an adventure finding the place, but got to walk through a beautiful farm/park while we found our way. The restaurant was part of the Fairmont Yangcheng Lake resort, Read more…
My adventures have been small for the past few days, compared to Beijing, but there are still adjustments here. I did my laundry. It involved asking the campus convenience store for laundry coins. Jesse helped me figure that one out. You say something like, “she’e bee,” (I can’t find the Read more…
I think I earned some t-shirt slogans while I was in Beijing: I went to Beijing and only cried twice. #PioneerAward I climbed the Great Wall and all I got was this lousy t-shirt (and a lungful of pollution). HERO — “You are not a hero until you climb the Great Read more…
I got to Beijing last night on the train, and I have to say, I wasn’t impressed. (Sorry, Beijing.) The train and train station were crowded beyond belief, the toilets were the squat kind (the stuff of nightmares, believe me), and they ran out of taxis. (How the crap does Read more…