Last Two Dollars

The only thing more exhausting than visiting 10 countries in five days is visiting one country in thirty.  My trip to the USA was stuffed like my suitcase, bursting at the seams, starting in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, a mere 7589 miles from Kunming, China to finalize my divorce. No happy endings, but I do get my maiden name back-and my […]

China Dancing: Then and Now

I was at a local dance competition yesterday at the Aegean Mall , in Kunming, China. Is this China or Chicago? I wonder what kind of dance moves the next generation of Chinese will pass down to their kids? Will it be hip hop in backwards baseball caps or traditional folk dancing with  ethnic group headdresses?

Old World Meets High Tech

When I went to a Chinese Wet market today, I stood out. It wasn’t because I was a dà bí zi 大鼻子, big nose American, but because I didn’t use my phone to pay. No one uses cash anymore. The Peanut-butter lady couldn’t make change, so I had to wait until there was another cash carrying shopper. The blue sign […]

K.I.A-cademy Awards

I’ve tried a lot of things to get my 7th grade ESL students to use their vocabulary. These native Chinese speakers would rather memorize the longest sentence in a novel, from William Faulkner’s Absalom, Absalom (over 1200 words), than lose face mispronouncing a word. And yes, some want to take on that challenge. However, my middle schoolers got excited making […]

Any Given Sunday

Guandu Old Town is just a few miles away from where I live in Kunming, but it’s also a million light years back in time.  If you go on a Sunday, you’ll witness China’s version of American Idol. Singers of all ages come out with their microphones, amplifiers and Chinese lutes and perform in pavilions. Traditional Chinese ballads are sung. […]

Shades of Orange

She reminded me of my mom, right down to how she could use her belly as an arm rest. Her name, Bergitta, a retired librarian from Sweden  who happened to be staying at my home-stay in Luang Prabang. She wasted no time. “Would you like to teach monks how to speak English?” “Excuse me?” I came to this city to […]

Loas: The Road Most Taken

While I’m usually a fan of Robert Frost’s advice of traveling the road less taken, I didn’t do that in Loas. It’s the landmine capital of the world. I didn’t go to Vientiane to snap selfies by a old temple but to visit COPE. It’s an organization dedicated to help those who have lost legs due to landmines. Back Story: […]

Amazon.God

So at church yesterday, a young couple asked for prayer. For a few years, they’ve been trying to adopt a Chinese baby –a process riddled with as much red tape as the Great Wall is long. As they told their tear jerking story, the couple shared how another family is considering adopting the same child. “Everyone, will you please pray […]

手shŏu (Hands)

I was half listening to the sermon, peeping my phone, spinning my rings. My great grandma’s wedding ring from Germany, most likely pounded out of nail as nail smithing was the family trade. Chunky black onyx from a favorite aunt. A gold band with my name engraved in Hawaiian, Awapui, slightly better than the Chinese translation: Pure and Powerful Wheat. […]