On Christmas morning, while Santa was sliding down chimneys wearing a red Haz-mat suit and mask, I got a present better than a Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot range model air rifle. I found a boarding pass to China in my stocking. It was a complicated gift, full of hoops, forms, the grace of God and nail biting, and hopefully, no returns. The international flight originated in […]
A new stamp for my collection.
Quarantine Classroom Live!
As all of China schools has gone online for class, there are countless technical difficulties but no shortage of good monologue material for teachers.
Foodie Refugee
Foreign supermarkets will always be strange. You can buy everything but not the thing you really crave–a taste of home.
Coffee, Tea or Face Mask?
There’s only one thing worse than traveling in China’s during the spring festival. That’s knowing that one of the passengers is the Corona Virus.
The Year of the Rodent
Being a transplant from Chicago where rats are the size of an Italian Beef sandwich, I grapple with why the Chinese celebrate the year of the Rat 大 鼠.
Stinky Advice
Now that it’s time to transfer the money into my old folks Depends fund from my Chinese bank, I’m getting stopped at the Border Control.
朋友 Friends
What lengths will one go to meet new friends in China?
Ten point seven kilometers.
Gung Ho
What is it like living in a country with no guns? Well, there are guns in China, usually in the hands of guards at the airports or in kids like at this virtual reality sniper game at a local Kunming mall. And oh yes, the military have guns, too. Armed soldiers marching in goose step are as common as roasted […]
Small Talk
in the era of G5 and data packages from Chinese Mobile for about $10 USD a month, you don’t need to speak Chinese, you can speak Googlese. Just tell Chinese Alexa what want, push a button and bam!
The Power of Words
It’s one of the few words that I know in Chinese. If you pronounce it correctly, you’ll be saying thank you. If you pronounce it wrong, you’ll be saying anything but.