Thanksgiving doesn't just happen on the fourth Thursday of November. It happens whenever you want it to and let it. My teachers group held ours today. A friend of mine made a comment that you can tell the economy here is changing because there are more street vendors now. Where I'm at is an upper income neighborhood and there were only 2 stands by my school when I got here in Sept. Now, within a 5 mn walk, I don't even bother to count. DVDs, clothes, shoes, food, flowers, purses, belts, trinkets, I don't even look at them all. They are neatly laid out on carts, on cars (the hood, the windshield, the roof), and on blankets on the street. At the end of the night, some people pack up and go home. Others sleep on ... read more

I once watched a movie that shall remain nameless for the simple reason that I don't want to own up to loving it. One of those guilty, secret pleasures. In (un)said movie there is a conversation between a prince and a commoner disguised as a member of the court (which explains how she is able to talk to the prince). She is envious of his freedom and he of hers, neither of them realizing that they could possibly have what the other wants. She thinks he is free because he never has to worry about survival on a basic level (he's always got a meal and a roof, in addition to all the wealth imaginable) and has the ability to help people in ways many of us only dream of. He thinks she is free because ... read more

There's something to be said for spending the afternoon with your jaw in your lap and your arms moving with such speed that you resemble a hummingbird. On Thursday, Carrie asked me if I was going to the theatre the next day. I had no idea what she was talking about and said I had class. Then she told me it was free. I love theatre. We have a substitute in class right now. She's not as good as our regular teacher, who is taking care of her husband in the hospital (Here, hospitals only provide medical care, so feeding and cleaning, etc, is up to each family). I suddenly hated my ethics. Friday, many of my students were dressed up. I wondered if there was something special going on, or if this had something to ... read more

Or, correctly titled, "International Kite Festival and other fun things," subtitled, "A day at the beach, facials, crazy bus rides, new neighborhoods, and my new toy." But that doesn't all fit in the little box at the top of my screen and there's no option for a subtitle. Shenzhen's 3rd Annual International Kite Festival was held this last weekend. Alison and I went on Saturday. We met up and took the bus for almost an hour and a half down to Da Mei Sha, a beach in Yantian (the furthest east district). The ride was pretty incredible. We started in Futian, which is a really urban area, very downtown-ish in feeling, pretty chaotic. The farther east we went the more relaxed it got. By the time we reached Yantian (not Da Mei Sha, which was another ... read more

It seems no matter where I go I am bound to find a park of some kind. They are everywhere! Some are big, some are small, some are merely a nice tree-filled area in the middle of a traffic cloverleaf with a really long bridge leading to it. Some have large open spaces, some have bodies of water, some playground equipment, some are just trees and grass. But they're all parks and all of them have people enjoying them. They are all really well maintained and cared for. I would say they are on par with the Minneapolis parks, and Minneapolis takes great pride in its parks, as many of you know! The numerous parks are one thing I love about this country. Somewhere in between Halloween and Election Day I finally got myself out to ... read more