Blogs from Suzhou, Jiangsu, China, Asia - page 10

Happy late Thanksgiving and an early Merry Christmas to everyone! I am especially missing you all during these months. Luckily celebrating the holidays here in China has been pretty amusing and distracting. I was able to enjoy two days of Thanksgiving dinner at various friends' houses, complete with real turkey and pumpkin pie! The Chinese word for turkey is "fire chicken," which kind of cracks me up. It was a great week and I am reminded how much I have to be thankful for all year long. Christmas is my most favorite time of the year, and I am surprisingly seeing a lot of lights and decorations everywhere. Also, the Avril Lavigne that is constantly playing at the supermarket (they seriously loop like 5 of her songs all day every day) has been replaced by jingle ... read more

Strawberry Point, Iowa is home to the world’s largest (and probably only) strawberry statue. New Salem, North Dakota and Arlington, Texas arguably both have the world’s largest fiberglass cow. The largest ball of twine belongs to Darwin, Minnesota, and when passing through Rugby, North Dakota, make sure to note the geographical center of North America. Of all the things Montana can boast, some of the truly remarkable icons/bests would either be how cold it was on a certain day in a certain spot, or the longest, straightest length of highway with absolutely nothing to see… Everyone everywhere usually has a little something they can claim as uniquely their own and better than anywhere else in the world. In China this similar tradition of local pride exists as well, only with an odd air, perhaps a bit ... read more

when i sit quietly and breathe i feel a deep hollow in my chest from crying my crying is not from hurt or pain or anger, it is from a knowledge that i leave behind some of the greatest people this world holds. eleven hours ago, i sat opposite Lao Wang and explained that i was leaving, he knew but thought it was tomorrow or saturday but it was today. a man exactly thirty years older than me, looking with eyes that have seen so much change in a country that changes faster than the blink of an eye, quickly figuring out what is happening and accepting it all. and when i told him, my head lowered because i could not look at him looking away to think, to read the words and to slightly wring ... read more

Things of beauty A Chinese bride to be, contemplating the colour green That on the day I tell the man that I most want to be with that I am leaving, he declares he wants to know me Two friends biking in the early autumn breeze A death wreath pinned to the bed of the dead man The sound of rain on my Chinese roof tiles and no other sound - nothing The bridal veil placed in position A cat when it paws the air in pleasure A tear from a tiny dog’s eye Hearing Lao Wang explain that I am his sister Laughing till you cry Time healing A man singing to me, for me Cultures mingling until they are one Touching the sleeping cat at the end of my bed with my toe The ... read more

We were ready for a simpler day, so after having lunch at TGIFriday's, we walked behind it towards Guan Qian Jie, which I wrote about last time we were in Suzhou and called it "Walking Street." We found a fun little store which Leah liked and found some treasures to buy. At the end of the little street with this store was a Christian Church. We knew that there were some around, but didn't know where. Maybe next time we're here we'll check it out better. We spent quite a bit of time in a DVD store. It's amazing all of the American movies they sell (all copies, but they make a real effort to make them look legitimate!). We got an assortment so we'd have movies to watch back at the apt. We went into ... read more