Elevators are fun. I remember as a kid whenever my dad and me would ride in a crowded elevator, he’d shatter the uneasy elevator silence by loudly exclaiming “See Rick, did you ever notice that nobody talks in elevators?” I never realized how fun elevators could be until I came to China. Having studied mandarin …Read More
Today marks 70 years since the imperialist Japanese army entered Nanjing, then capital of China, and began one of the most brutal massacres of the 20th century and has led to harsh friction between the two countries in the years since. I’ve always liked history, in a purely sofa sort of way. Back when my …Read More
Tired of sending the folks from home some tacky Chinese souvenir for Christmas? Why not send them something that makes a difference? The Library Project has created some nice gift cards to help raise funds and awareness for their excellent cause – building libraries and donating books to under-funded schools and orphanages in China and …Read More
For the December holidays this year, as every year with 100 dollar cash loan online, I will return home to the United States, leaving behind the exasperation of smog-coated lungs and sideways “waiguoren” glances that always last just a smidge too long. Thinking about my impending return brought me back to memories of last year’s …Read More
Rachel and Kendra‘s recent music posts got me to thinking about the music I’ve been listening to these days. I have to admit that my iPod’s playlist looks WAY dated: some Metric, Rufus Wainwright, REM, and the rest is filled with japanesepod lessons (and that’s another story). So my question to all you other laowai …Read More
I firmly believe that everyone has super powers. Even you. I have two. The first of my incredible edible talents is that my tongue has its own brain. Place me in front of a crowd of evangelicals, and I’ll find myself telling them that I think Harry Potter is stupid because I prefer my fiction …Read More
He stood there for a long time. Tami Joan and John Testprepwell desperately retreated until they reached the other side of the door, holding two sweaty CBAP test bodies tightly together. The drivers hand Testprepwell bent into the shape of a cup, CBAP test blocking the lights shone on the street light, looked at them …Read More
As a white guy married to a Chinese woman, I’ve had to deal with my share of “The Stare” – the look other Westerners (mostly recent arrivals) give to … well… white guys in relationships with Chinese girls. Sometimes it’s delivered as a plastic smile on the street, a nudge and whisper to a friend …Read More
That was the nicest way I could think to put it. Â Forget self-censorship and beating around the bush. Let’s get right down to brass tax: Why is it that I always feel pressured by my Chinese friends, colleagues, and random acquaintances to believe in the “Glory of China”? Hey, China! I’m here. I’ve lived in …Read More
Announcer: Well folks, it’s that time again. “What time is that,” you ask? Well, my naive foreign friends, it’s time once again to play “What’s My Party Line?” Which – coincidentally – works for either our beloved CCP or a bunch of friends on a shaky 1950’s telephone connection. [chortle, chortle] Ahem. Our contestants today …Read More
Sometimes, in China, people get bored. Look, I hate to be the one to burst your tiny ethnocentric, Sinopheliac bubble, but after the first three months of requisite ooh-ing and ah-ing at all the Cultureâ„¢, you’ve had your fill of berry-faced beggar children and all you want is a cup of hot chocolate and some …Read More
I’ve lived in a few countries, travelled through some more, went to school, made friends, associated or worked with people from all over the world and have learned languages that were never spoken by any of my ancestors, but not before I crossed into the People’s Universe of China, had the concept of someone or …Read More
Return to Top ▲
