SpottyChameleon

Well. This is the end of my time here. Today was even a little sunny for us. Lucky really since it's an icky time of year not in the habit of showing blue sky and sunlight (especially in China where there is the added obstacle of smog). I pretty much had nothing to do but twiddle my thumbs waiting for tomorrow (and take my last final but it was so easy it really doesn't count). But of course doing that would have been aweful so instead I tried to keep myself busy and distracted. I got a nice hour-long massage for 20 kuai (yuan)...less that $5.00. I walked around taking pictures and when the batteries in my camera unexpectedly died on me I ran out to get more. On the way back I stepped into a ... read more

Not only is this sentence conveniently short and straight to the point but it is dual purpose: you can use it as a common greeting (like asking "how are you?" in the U.S. when you don't really expect a real or detailed answer). The numbers indicate the tones used since unfortunately my computer lacks capability to write them. Anyways, this particular entry is meant to detail some of the food I have encountered here so far. Though many of the pictures are not good quality (taken inside under low light without a flash), I still want to show them. So....here we go! ... read more

I hate to post an update when I cannot think of anything worth mentioning. My goal was to avoid becoming one of those people that post entries about the minute changes in their daily lives. Still, it has been a while since I posted anything and I suppose I can be excused this once. I apologize for writing when I have nothing interesting to say and without any of the witty charm and sarcasm that I can sometime possess (to make what I say sound almost intelligent). After all, today has been sunny. The frigid air is a clear reminder that it is WINTER now but the sun decided to bestow its warm glow on us today. It's still really cold outside but the sun is strong enough to chase away the worst of the chill ... read more

Attention! All you infants out there!!! Are you tired of daiper rash and having to periodically submit to a cleaning? Do you want to take control over your life? This applies especially to those pre-potty trained tots. Try our alternative to pampers........the SplitPants!!!! More comfortable than a sweaty diaper and it doesn't make your butt look big. Now you can walk without waddling like a duck. An environmentally friendly alternative that even your parents will like. (Warning: do not use in countries where such a practice is not culturally acceptable, limit actions to places such as China, may cause cold butt syndrome so beware of chilly drafts of air, only for infants) The first time I saw a young toddler squat where she was standing on the sidewalk to pee, I was shocked. Though I am ... read more

Ok, so I put this here mainly because I went with a large group of people to the Panda Research Center in Chengdu today and wanted to post a video of pandas at play. To be honest though, there isn much to say about the Pandas. They are cute and all but today will not go down in my book as a particularly memorable one...at least not for the reason it is supposed to. It was a little impressive just how thouroughly the pandas are cared for here, whether it is neccessarily good or not. They center very carefully breeds and raises the pandas, though I am not entirely sure what all of their research is specifically for (raises hand for having breezed a little quickly through t he research center building meant to tell you ... read more

Specifically, Squat toilets. On my last trip through, Yunnan Province, it suddenly dawned on me that I had been doing an aweful lot of taking pictures of the beautiful mountains rising into the misty clouds and the gleaming brown waters of the Yangtze river slithering silently along beside us for a chunk of the trip, a brown mud snake....all these breathtaking photos had distracted me from the more mundane, far less visually asthetically pleasing, yet no less interesting phenomenon of Squat Toilets. Think about it for a moment if you will...they are not exactly commonplace in the US and even if you are familiar with them due to experiences abroad you have likely never thought of them as picture worthy until you have encountered the variety of squat toilets in China (plus throw in the the ... read more

For those of you wondering or perhaps keeping track of news about China, the 60th anniversary of the formation of the PRC is steadily enchroaching. We all get a week off from the 1st of October to the 8th or 9th....no classes, no school---a massively chaotic time where everyone will be celebrating (with parades and giant floats in Beijing) and running around to all the places they normally don't have time to go to during this time of year. Of course this was also the time set aside for us to go to Lhasa in Tibet. NOT so suprisingly (though no less dissapointing all the same) given the significance behind such a holiday and the beginning to the 6th decade, Tibet is closed to travelers. We were informed of this on Tuesday which meant that we ... read more