Blogs from Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China, Asia

Geo: 34.2044, 117.284The lake is huge. We took a taxi to the corner of the Lotus Gardens and Jinshan Park.It wasn't lotus season so we where told not to go there because it wasn't beautiful.We walked along the lake side towards the city and passing the Jinshan Tower and the Su Shi Pagoda. There is a cable... read more

On the 22nd and 23rd we traveled to Xuzhou, a four hour train ride North of Shanghai to do a show. The tech team traveled on the 22nd, arriving in town around 1pm, and then went to the theater and worked with the Chinese technicians until around 9pm, while the company did a performance in a public square in Nanjing, then traveled to the theater on the 23rd, arriving at the theater around 4:30pm for a 7:30 curtain - Not an ideal situation under any circumstances. Needless to say, the circumstances were less than ideal. The theater itself was nice - gorgeous in fact. The outside was a really fabulous design you'll appreciate in the photos, and the interior was well thought out with great dressing rooms, public spaces, and facilities. Unfortunately, that's where the good ... read more

We lived in Xuzhou from October 10th 2008 to August 30th 2009. If you don't know too much about Xuzhou (and you won't unless you or someone close to you have lived there) it's an interesting city. The people are extremely nice and kind. There aren't too many foreigners there, although that’s changing quickly. I think the best thing about Xuzhou is that it’s small enough that there aren’t too many foreigners but big enough to have all the essentials. It’s really one of the places to see the real China without giving up the essentials of western life. It was a lot of fun for us and we loved living there. Here are a few photos of the city I took. It took some creativeness to make it beautiful but we eventually got there. Enjoy. ... read more

So I’ve been in China now for about 3 weeks, seems a rather short amount of time and yet enough time has past for me to get into the groove of how most things work around here. I have discovered a rather useful phrase know as TIC which means ‘This is China’ and it is amazing how often I find myself thinking how true that statement is. It really just refers to how there seems to be a constant flow of organized chaos. And for someone who is foreign to the way things are done here, we can only just say’ well, this is China’ because sometimes is no other way of explaining why something is the way it is. It’s a nice way of just going with the flow of things. On the flip ... read more

I’ve been living in a city called Xuzhou for the last four days, and I will continue to stay here for the next six months. I have an apartment with two other teachers near the heart of the city. The school I work at is only a ten minute walk through street vendors, men playing strange title games and women sweeping the streets with branches. The city is not glamorous or clean in anyway, but what it lacks in hygiene it makes up in delicious food and wonderful people. This city in particular is known for their spicy menu, and I can rightfully give them that credit. I now bring a roll of T.P with me when I head out to eat. I’ve taken to being looked at and I prefer not to have a running ... read more