Liz, Megan, Lauren and I arrived in Lijiang this afternoon. It was raining, we were starving, and the bus ride had been uncomfortable and smokey (some of the older men on the bus apparently couldn't read the 'no smoking' signs on the bus). We had checked into our cozy and whimsical hostel and were waiting for our food to arrive at a Chinese restaurant next door when I noted that there hadn't been nearly as much bitching and complaining when I was traveling with four guys during the Spring Festival in Southeast Asia. We were all in much better moods after [View Full Entry]

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I woke up early, showered.... went back to bed... got up again. I straightened my hair. It's getting long....-er. I walked outside and waited for the double decker 2 bus. I got on the bus and headed to my usual seat, second floor, at the very front. It feels like you're gonna run over people, squish them, from up there. I recently added some 2Pac to my ipod. Excuse me, I just added 240-some 2Pac songs to my ipod. I keep listening to the same songs over and over again... Temptation, It Ain't Easy, Can U Get Away... I jumped off [View Full Entry]

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With only a few months left, Liz and I made a list of things to see and do both in Shenzhen and in all of China. Last weekend's destination: MACAU, a former Portuagese colony (the first and last European colony of China) often dubbed "the Las Vegas of China." Friday was cool and rainy, and Kiki called me to meet her at the 4 kuai dumpling shop to eat some ban mian (noodles in in peanut sauce with chives) before heading to Shekou to catch the ferry to Macau. I saw her ahead of me on the sidewalk, and ran to [View Full Entry]

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Regretably it's been such a long time since I blogged, and although the past few weeks haven't been particularly special, I thought it might be important to record some of the usual-type going-ons... After about one week of post-travel blues, things started getting better as I settled back into the routine in Shenzhen. The first week of teaching was extremely busy and tiring. This semester's schedule has us going in early in the morning and coming home at about 6:00 PM three times a week - sort of like a real job! I finally finished watching five seasons of Entourage on [View Full Entry]

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All students must complete military training and this week our own students were to attend. Horn, their head teacher, had invited us to visit the training site. We arrived in a van with a few other teachers and entered the site. We were greeted by Principal Qiu, our vice principal, and several other official looking men, who led us past waving red and gold Communist flags and past children lined up in full camoflage get-up. It appeared to be much like boot camp, and I felt sorry for the group of young kids running past me in their camo in this [View Full Entry]

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Something bad has finally happened. Since I arrived in Shenzhen, things have gone smoothly. I have not lost luggage, suffered from exotic illnesses or chronic diarrhea, crashed in any motorbiking accidents. I've been fortunate to live in a decent apartment and work at a good school, so I guess it was my time... Yesterday morning, I rolled over in bed, looked at my cell phone, saw that it was 8:30 AM and decided that I would not be making the hour and a half journey to church. However, my ever-persuasive roommate sweet-talked me out of bed and into a taxi. I [View Full Entry]

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I opted for school lunch today, and it lived up to my expectations. Shite. I walked into the teacher canteen late, so the pickins were slim. I had the usual "green stuff," scraped up what I could of some sweet and sour sauce with pineapples, sticky white rice, and what looked like an enchilada but seemed to be a roll stuffed with spam and red bean. "Are you on a diet?" the Chinese teachers sitting at my table asked. "Involuntarily," I thought. I feel guilty that I obsess and dream about Western foods. I fill myself up on fruit, cheap dumplings, [View Full Entry]

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I quietly left my apartment after a satisfying nap, leaving a sleeping Serena behind, and wandered towards the Bus 12 bus stop. Kyle, another teacher in my program, had unexpectedly and very randomly (I don't know him too well and didn't know he even had my phone number) interrupted my afternoon beauty rest to let me know he was meeting a woman who had information on tutoring young Chinese children in English for extra money. He invited me to join him. I felt excited and free as I boarded Bus 12 all by myself and took one of my usual spots [View Full Entry]

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Our first weekend in Shenzhen was a fun one and a busy one. On Friday after classes, Serena and I decided not to punish ourselves with school cafeteria food and found a nearby restaurant where we were able to buy dumplings for 3 yuen, so we bought two orders and a frightening chicken soup with unidentifiable gray masses floating inside. We decided to walk home and cool off before meeting Serena’s friend from Hong Kong, Stephen, at the metro station. At home, I lay on my bed, staring at the ground, when I realized our spotted carpet wasn’t just dirty, it [View Full Entry]

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I am sitting in my office at my desk, and my stomach is rumbling away, but I am hoping if I am still it will calm down. The school bathroom facility is a bit frightening, and after having only used it once, I think I am dehydrating myself so that I won't have to use it again. Basically, I have to hike up my skirt and straddle a trough that goes lengthwise across the floor and through all the stalls. The stalls seem unnecessary, especially at my height, because standing they come below my shoulder! The first week teaching has been [View Full Entry]

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