Sometimes I feel that being a foreigner in China comes with a constant struggle to prove that I am indeed a working, living member of their society. With this, I feel I should to some degree be treated as one. I've grown past the 'ignorant tourist' stage to the point where now I actually live here and see the same people everyday. But for some ( Read more... )

I'm sitting down and trying to think of some long-term goals I have, and I have no idea what I'm going to do. Relationships are almost pointless (or impossible) due to a number of factors, namely a language barrier and a mobility issue. Job prospects are somewhat sketchy, also due to many factors including a language barrier and a mobility issue ( Read more... )

Just in case the title of this entry gives any of you false impressions of my intentions, I am not talking about my unexpected homecoming to the US. Actually, I'm not even close to going back yet. I'm writing about my travels north from Hong Kong and eventually ending up in Ningyuan, my current home. I say my travels north, because that's about ( Read more... )

In 14 hours, I'll be back in Hong Kong!

The fiery sun is setting over the green and red horizon of the Chinese countryside. I’m right now in hour one of a five hour bus trip from Changsha back to Ningyuan, where I am stationed to teach. I’m leaving Changsha after having spent the weekend with Liang, a beautiful Chinese girl, with eyes like a still lake on an autumn evening ( Read more... )

So I live in an apartment on the 5th floor of one of the teachers' apartment buildings, right in the middle of campus. Underneith my balcony is where all the kids who don't live on campus ride their bikes in the morning and park them during the day when they're at school ( Read more... )

Here are some quick first impressions of Ningyuan. I arrived here on Thursday, having spent the previous 3 weeks in Changsha. Use your imagination ( Read more... )

i just finished my first week of teaching practice. i taught jr 1, which is 6th grade. it was really fun, a piece of cake! the way they train us for teaching is a combo of giving us handouts and articles on how to teach english, having open discussions, and pretty much just throwing us right in there. some people really bombed their first ( Read more... )

I've had these song lyrics floating around in my head. Some of them, I'm not sure why, but I figured I'd write them down. Plus, I can't sleep. Anyways, these are my favorites ( Read more... )

During my short stint in China, I became very fond of a girl there. Not only was she one of the most beautiful girls I'd ever seen, but her knowledge of my language, her confidence, and her willingness to help me adjust to the ever-confusing ways and customs of China made me develop a strong liking to her. I would have liked to have said that I ( Read more... )