-
Chinese money is irritatingly difficult to move out of the country
China is happy to bring all kinds of money in to the nation. But as soon as you want to move money out, the smiles go away, as do the minutes, hours, days ( Read more... ) -
Survival in Harbin: A First-Impressions Guide to North Chinese Culture Shock, Episode 6: Money
This is attempt number two to post this entry... I had started it the other night when the computer blipped and I lost the whole thing. I hope I can do it as well again; I was quite proud of what I had already written.So there are a few more entries that I want to write for this particular blog. I've been here for two months, and I feel familiar ( Read more... ) -
Don't throw your trash here
I'd learned about garbage exportation before. China is not the only world garbage importer... but it's about to stop being one. All to the good, I say. People need to deal with their own trash!
From BBC World Service: Why China Doesn't Want Your Waste Anymore. (Sorry, there's no text to copy; it's a video.) -
Kendo update
Kenshi ver 2.0: new sword (well, it was new in November) new dojo patch and new tekken. My Chinese name is Wang Xi Long, 王西龙. I will explain that in another entry soon.
( Read more... ) -
Happy New Year!
新年快乐来自中国!
（Happy New Year from China!) -
Ping Dan Walker
Excerpted from Robert Heinlein, Have Space Suit, Will Travel. It's a little thing, but i thought you might appreciate it. Context: the narrator is talking about the difficulty of getting in to college, coming from a small town and having no money. Oscar is the name of a used, genuine space suit he he won in a sweepstakes the spring prior, and spent ( Read more... ) -
New Dojo
On Thursday last week, I paid my dues and became an official member of the Harbin Ice Front Kendo Club. Tuesday, I had already been given a member badge, so tonight I did a little sewing.
( Read more... ) -
Teachers and Authors, Please Read This!
If you are a teacher or author, or ever have been, or are even trained as such (or just love the deep, stirring power of the written word), whether your teaching job is or was in a school or at home, you will want to read this. It's long, but so rewarding. This writer really gets it.
The Difficulty is the Point: Teaching Spoon-Fed Students how to ( Read more... ) -
Addlle-pated
Oooogh. I feel like a Banana Slug has crawled up my nose and declared war on a Giant African Snail. The result is about the right color, too ( Read more... )
