"Long time no see." Word on the street is that Chinglish (ie. improper usage of English by Chinese speakers, often due to improper direct translation of idioms) is the source of that phrase. If anybody knows etymology, it's the proverbial streets. Proper! Julie and I just returned from a 2-week vacation from our teaching jobs, which saw us undertake a whirlwind tour through Yunnan province in southwestern China. We've been in China for 3 months, but that was our first time outside of Guangxi province, thus it was our first real Chinese exploration. I figure that deser [View Full Entry]

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We're ok. For those that haven't heard, a massive earthquake hit Sichuan and Chongqing but, we're in good old Guangxi. Supposedly, the quake was felt as far away as Vietnam, but since we didn't feel anything here, I'm a bit skeptical. The death toll keeps going up and up. On the news yesterday, I heard that only 10 people were killed but now they are saying maybe 10,000. We'll see what the final toll is. In January, Alex and I were deciding between this school, a school in Kunming and a school in Chengdu. I heard some bad things about the [View Full Entry]

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Words later.... [View Full Entry]

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In some ways, I feel like there are so few differences between life here and life at home. My life follows a pattern: Work, eat, play, sleep, work, eat play, sleep...repeat repeat repeat. Perhaps I'm getting used to it, perhaps life is the same everywhere. Then, the details stop that train of thought. A certain news item rips through headlines to remind me that I'm not in America anymore. And though I want to scream and shout at the unfairness, at the lies and deceit, at the violence, I can't. I'm a foreigner, which means my opinion is invalid. I'm an [View Full Entry]

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OK, everyone. We're going to take a little peak into the products that touch my new Chinese life. The very same products I was complaining about in my last blog. To help you, the reader at home, understand my pain I've taken some pictures of my household items. YOU, the very special reader, get to guess what is inside each and every exciting package! I'm so convinced that you will as much difficulty guessing as I did that I'm even leaving the English labels! However, don't get too lazy. Remember, behind every English word lies a very poor Chinese- English dictionary. [View Full Entry]

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All it took was a simple google search for "barber shop pole" "chinese" and "girl" to reveal the fact that our new apartment is neatly sandwiched between two whorehouses. I've been thinking to myself, "What kind of barber shop is open at midnight? My, there are a lot of young girls in there! That red lighting must make it very hard to cut someone's hair!" Actually, a huge white and red sign with a scantily clad young woman indicates that the shops do more than simply cut hair. The best part? At night the red and white striped barber pole [View Full Entry]

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What does Chinese New Year mean to you, boys and girls? To you it might mean a chance for new beginnings, a fresh lease on life, a commitment to learn Mandarin. To me, Chinese New Year means a chance to lit up hundreds of fireworks that are quite illegal, a fresh breath of smoky air as the fireworks are chasing me down the river, and a commitment to spark off more illegal fireworks.. That's right, family and friends. I , Julie Adams, lit not one but several 3 feet-tall Roman Candles while holding the base in my sweaty nervous palm. Not [View Full Entry]

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It's finally happened. All of our plans have reached a level of fruition. We're in China. We've been here for over a week now, and, while the experience has been limited in too many ways to qualify, I think we're going to love it here. Objectively, the first few days were miserable. We've been loving it. I should back up and fill in a week's worth of blanks, from Siem Reap back to Phnom Penh, over to Bangkok for a few more days (again) and then on to Guilin and - now - Yangshuo. On our last day with our Angkor [View Full Entry]

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Sorry, this blog is a little bit delayed due to a random assortment of circumstances. But, anyway, here goes. As amazing as it was, Angkor Wat was really only the second coolest thing in Siem Reap. What beats Angkor? Easy. One random hole-in-the-wall market store that just happened to be along our walk from our hotel to downtown also just happened to be the only place in Asia that sells Dr. Pepper. When a small-town Texas boy gets dysentery and must avoid alcohol at all costs, it's comforting to retreat back to the beverage that dominated his days back before elementary [View Full Entry]

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This was written when Alex was sick and we were stuck in the hotel. Pictures to follow. Nothing tastes better than animals! You know what I like after a long day of sightseeing? Really love, more than (dare I say it?) Cheetos? I really love feeling hungry and walking past a food stall that sells only pig ears and feet! Really, nothing smells better than pig parts soaking in some sort of vinegar. Ohhh, that makes me think of my other favorite thing about China! That would be would be seeing the animals caged underneath the food stalls in the alley [View Full Entry]

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