Blogs from Central Business district , Chaoyang district, Beijing, China, Asia - page 5

As i sit at the desk in my room in my apartment in China, I gaze out the window at the scene 18 stories below me. The children at the bilingual school near my apartment complex are circled around the flagpole as the Chinese national anthem blares from the loudspeakers and the national flag is jerkily raised to the top of the pole by bright-eyed youngsters. The never-ceasing sounds of construction crash through the still-cool morning air as silver-haired women begin their morning exercises and grandchildren watch from strollers parked nearby. Recently, a Chinese flute player has been added to the morning ambiance; the lilting music echoes through the complex and serves as a soothing alarm clock. This place has become my home. I know the family who runs the store where I buy my bottled ... read more

Hello again! For those who are wondering why I have not written for a long long time, be at peace: life goes too fast out here, the end of the school year is always very busy for mums! The building in the construction site right in front of our windows will be finished in a flash…14 floors above the ground, 5 under, and I will still be trying to finish this page!!! Anyway, we went to Hong Kong (HK) for a short break for May 1rst holiday. We liked it a lot. We chose to stay, not in the crowed town of HK, but in what they call 'the Green HK': with no less than 200 islands, HK has a lot of nature spots, lots of hiking tracks and beaches. We stayed on Lantau island, ... read more

It's hard to believe that 8 months have passed since I left the United States and moved to China. A year abroad seemed so daunting as I counted down the days to my departure last summer. Each day seemed precious. I drove all over the city with my dog, McKinley, in tow (he sure does love car rides). I went to the Rhythm and Booms, the huge fireworks and music extravaganza with my Dad (it was delayed only one day this year, due to tornado warnings). I held a job for a single day before I decided I'd rather spend my last summer at home, well, at home. We had the family over for grill-outs on the side deck overlooking the waterfalls and ponds. There was only one minor dramatic incident whilst building the second pond ... read more

It's taken me 23 years, but I've finally figured it out. I am a writer. I write when I'm happy, I write when I'm sad, I write when I'm angry, I write to share my life with others, I write in an attempt to make others' lives better and I write just because I feel like it. I am able to express myself better through the written word than by any other means of communication, aside from playing the piano. My parents are likely smacking their foreheads in exasperation that it's taken me this long to realize the fact, as they've known for eons. Even you, my dear readers, are probably sitting with jaws agape in astonishment that I could be so dense. Aside from that stunning realization, I've had a very thought-provoking and fruitful week. ... read more

The day I left for China, October 21, was my grandma Ruth's birthday. When I told her that my flight to China for my new job was on her special day, her response was her classic catchphrase-- "Well, that's a fine how-do-you-do!". Yesterday, I had traveled about an hour outside of Beijing to see the famous botanical garden filled with beautiful flowers and flowing streams when my dad told me the news. I feel fortunate to have been outside of the city in a beautiful garden when I found out that my grandma had died. She loved nature and flowers. She went for many wonderful car rides with my aunt and uncle to look at the leaves on the trees as they turned from the summer green to the vibrant red, yellow and orange of fall. ... read more