Tuesday, 02/02/10 We got up very early to have breakfast then returned to the hostel to wait for our van. There was a tiny black puppy living at the hostel named Tommy and we had fun playing with him while we waited. The people in Laos really seem to love their dogs. In Shenzhen, dogs are either food or a status symbol. Our van arrived on time and it was a bumpy, hot, yet mercifully short three hours to Vientiane, the capital of Laos. It was so oppressively hot in the city that we thought longingly of the cool breezes in Luang Prabang as we lumbered up and down the streets with our packs looking for the hostel we had found in a book. We couldn’t find it. And although we had the address no one ... read more

And now for a long overdue completion of blog entries for my winter break trip to Laos. I still haven’t gotten that stupid disposable camera developed, so there won’t be any water pictures. But I suppose there’s no guarantee that any of those pictures are any good. So here we go… Saturday, 01/30/10 It was time to get on the road again. We got up early and ate at the cleverly named Craters which was decorated with bomb shells and various other weapons. Then we boarded a van for Vang Vieng. This van wasn’t as plush as the last, but Kim managed to snap up the coveted front seat and I jumped into the very back. It was slightly better than the completely restless trip from Luang Prabang to Phonsovan, but it was still very uncomfortable. ... read more

As the end of June approached, Kim prepared to go home. Her sister, Lisa came to spend a month with her, first working then traveling. For the past year it was our tradition to have dinner every Sunday night. Before Kim and Lisa left for their trip we decided to have one last tadoo at one of our regular haunts, the Doublestar Café and we capped it off with a trip two floors down to Coldstone Creamery. Last Wednesday Kim and Lisa departed for the U.S. Now, if I see a hilarious chinglish t-shirt or experience a particularly frustrating ‘china’ moment, I can’t just send her a quick text. We both arrived in August of 2008 and we both returned in June of 2009. Then we returned to China within a week of each other a ... read more

Bigotry. Prejudice. Intolerance. Unfairness. Injustice. So many words. So many ways humans can hurt each other with preconceptions. And so many excuses for it. “All stereotypes have a basis in truth.” “I can’t help it. I was raised that way.” “That’s just how my generation feels.” “I’m not the only person who feels that way.” “They are prejudiced against me.” There are few things that anger me more than bigotry and discrimination. Even as a child I railed against them. One of my mother’s favorite stories to tell recounts a parent-teacher meeting in which an eight year old me, with hands on my hips, ranted against the unfairness of the ‘standard eyes tests’ being discussed. “Who is to say who has standard eyes and who doesn’t have standard eyes? My friend Timmy is Chinese. Are his ... read more

Living in a Chinese apartment building means a ton of paper gets shoved under my door on a daily basis. Here is a sampling.... read more

There are quite a few ‘amusement’ parks here in Shenzhen. Amusement parks in Shenzhen are just like the parks back home in the States. There are shows, overpriced food, and crowds. But there aren’t any roller coasters and very few rides. Mostly, there’s just stuff to look at. When Kim’s mom came to visit we went to Splendid China, a park in Nanshan. This particular amusement park is supposed to represent the people of China. As such, each section of the park represents a different ethnic minority with shows and shops corresponding to their culture. It was more interesting that I thought it would be. So many things in China purport themselves to be authentic but end up being some distorted Disney version of its real self. But much of what we saw seemed to be ... read more