One of the perks of my job is that I often get free tickets to exciting events around Shenzhen. The government likes to promote Shenzhen as an international city and therefore they set aside blocks to tickets specifically for foreigners. And, because I work with one of the government bureaus, I often get first shot at these tickets. Also, I'm often asked to find as many other foreigners as I can to go as well. "Not too many, maybe only 50." Last week I was offered a spot on a 1-day tour of Shenzhen. I wasn't sure I wanted to [View Full Entry]

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Sen left this week for a year-long stint in Angola, Africa. I'm sad. I know that this is a good opportunity for him and that in the long run, it is good for our future; but I'm still sad that we'll be apart for a year. Shenzhen seems a bit pale and tepid without him by my side. For Sen's last night in Shenzhen, we were able to round up most of our crew for a farewell dinner. We had a great time talking and laughing and trying to stay dry when it started to pour down rain. We were [View Full Entry]

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Sen treated me to a short vacation in Thailand. We went to Phuket, a beautiful island in Thailand, for three days of pure laziness. Phuket is a popular tourist destination, and as a result, we didn't experience a lot of true Thai culture; however, it was a lovely get-away from China. Our trip was short, but that just means we'll have to return again someday. We spent a lot of time walking on the beaches and enjoying the ocean. Sen grew up in Rio and loves the ocean. I grew up in Iowa and I love the ocean, but big [View Full Entry]

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I traveled to Weifang, Shandong Province again for work. I attended meetings and also got to visit some tourist spots in and around Weifang. My Chinese colleagues took an embarrassing number of pictures of yours truly, so I figured I should share them with you all. I know how much you love seeing my smiling face! [View Full Entry]

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I'm posting this entry about 1 month too late. I have no excuse except laziness. Sorry everybody! Grandma and Dad came to visit me in China! It was so wonderful. We spent the first day in Hong Kong and rode the new cable car to the Big Buddha. The cable car ride takes 25 minutes and during the entire journey we enjoyed spectacular views of Lantau Island. (The cable cars were shut down a couple of weeks ago after a big storm with high winds blew a car off the cable in the middle of the night.) We then traveled [View Full Entry]

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Dad and Grandma arrive in 6 hours! I'm so excited I can hardly contain myself! I've been speaking (and writing) in exclamation points all morning! We're going to see Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and Beijing. I get to introduce them to China! Updates will probably be sporadic while they're here. Gotta go try to calm down for the next 5 hours and 58 minutes! [View Full Entry]

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May 1st is recognized in many countries around the world as International Workers' Day. In China, May Day kicks off one of three annual "Golden Weeks," 7-day holidays established by the government essentially to increase spending. (The other two Golden Weeks are National Day on October 1 and Spring Festival, otherwise known as Chinese New Year.) Almost the entire country has the week off and they either travel or shop. Expats who have been here for a few years, like me, don't travel or shop because those two activities are not as fun when done with 1.3 billion people. (Interestingly, [View Full Entry]

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One of the joys of living in China is coming across amusing English translation attempts. Here's one I caught today as I was walking down some stairs. In Chinese it reads, "Be careful of bumping your head." The actual translation made me giggle. [View Full Entry]

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True story: As I was sitting in the Shenzhen Airport last week waiting for my plane to Beijing, Sen sent me a text message with a picture. No, it wasn't some kind of sweet "goodbye and have a safe trip" message. It was a picture of the entry to the staff bathroom in the lobby of our building, the bathroom that the guards and janitorial staff use. In front of the bathroom door was a new addition to the lobby decor: a blue and white fluffy rug. "Wait a minute," I thought to myself. "That looks an awfully lot like [View Full Entry]

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The world should mourn the loss of literary genius Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., just for one moment. So it goes. [View Full Entry]

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