Well it seems to me that many of my friends and family are trying to live vicariously through me i.e., my experiences that are represented through my narratives and pictures, and I personally don't mind. The only thing I can offer my audience is my opinion, which is conveyed through my personal perspectives and observations. In many ways, I can't help but feel that this experience is about shedding our former roles, the roles we have been accustomed to play in our former cultures, and outfitting ourselves with new identities. That is not to say that our previous roles are entirely [View Full Entry]

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I know, I know, this blog entry is way overdue, and I apologize for my negligence toward my blog. There's so much I want to talk about but I really don't know where to begin. Furthermore, I don't want to bore you with another longwinded entry, so for the sake of brevity, I will try to be as clear and concise as possible. Let's start with the Golden Week National Holiday (September 30th-October 7th) where my fellow foreign teacher Jake and I planned a trip to explore the mid to northeast region of the Shandong Province. We were able to hit [View Full Entry]

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So, I've come to the conclusion that mosquitoes have a natural affinity for my blood; these buggers have been relentless in their pursuit (in my opinion, the only good mosquito is a dead mosquito). There has been no other recourse but to resort to my mosquito bed net to avoid being assaulted by the buggers while I sleep. Moving onward...the past couple weeks have been quite busy for me, thus being the main reason for my blog neglection and my overwhelming sense of lethargy. Nevertheless, I have weathered the storm and finally, I have my own free time to indulge myself [View Full Entry]

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After three weeks or so of officially being a foreign teacher, I couldn't help but notice several gradual changes in my own personal demeanor. It was only after taking the time to self-reflect and contemplate about my current situation that I realized these apparent changes that are currently manifesting itself in my day-to-day behavior. The most noticeable change I have come to realize is my development of confidence in public speaking. I'm not saying that I haven't been confident in my speech before becoming a teacher, but merely stating the fact that I have noticed a significant improvem [View Full Entry]

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So the first week of classes went off without a hitch. The courses I will be teaching this semester are several sections Oral English classes as well as one section of American and British Culture. The classes I have thus far have turned out to be more than manageable. Furthermore, I am really excited to work with the students because of their general interest in the English language, and their interest in Western culture. Since I am a novice teacher, I couldn't help but be nervous entering my first class. Standing behind the podium with 35-40 pairs of eyes watching your [View Full Entry]

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Dongying, situated in the mid-northern part of the Shandong Province, is home to roughly two or so million citizens. The Shandong Province itself is one of China's larger provinces clocking in at about 90 million people. Dongying is one of the essential vertebrae that comprise the backbone of China's economy; it is home to China's second largest oil field, The Shengli Oil Field. Under the banner of fending for itself and national interests, China focused their attention towards the northeast to refine their own crude oil to supply the oil demand of China's booming economy. As China continue [View Full Entry]

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Greetings from China! So let me go ahead and dive right in and tell you my motivations behind this website. First and foremost I created this website with my friends and family in mind; I wanted to use this travel blog as a medium to communicate my experiences, ideas, inspirations, and the like, to all of you who care to know what I am doing here in China. Secondly, I hope this blog will act as a forum for intelligent discourse between myself and the reader. Initially I wanted to utilize this blog to document my daily life: my experiences, beliefs [View Full Entry]

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