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Category Archive: Haiyang

07 Sep

In the Spirit of Wordless Wednesday

I forgot about posting photos for Wordless Wednesday over the last few months. My brain just doesn’t have much room for non-baby stuff these days. But I’ve got more than…
September 7, 2016 at 6:38 pm 2 Comments
02 Aug

Mama, I’m Coming Home

Our tickets have been booked. Back to the U.S.of A. we are going. I would say it’s bittersweet because only Baby K and I’ll be leaving but it’s mostly not.…
August 2, 2016 at 9:29 pm 10 Comments
15 Jul

A Little Perspective

Iggy received this earlier in the week: “Love these long naps and pollution free days! Almost enough to make me not mind living in China!” From yours truly. I spend…
July 15, 2016 at 6:17 am 14 Comments
13 Jun

Mark it with a B

Pie. Blueberry, pecan, peach, apple. I’ll have them anytime, seasonally dependent, of course. I like the homemade kind. None of that gooey, goopy, jellied slop from a can thrown unlovingly…
June 13, 2016 at 1:32 pm 8 Comments
19 Jan

Zaijian Haiyang / Aloha Hawaii

We don’t get out much these days. This winter has been a drag. The worst — but also last — of our extended stay in China. The pollution has kept…
January 19, 2016 at 12:27 pm 10 Comments
18 Dec

It Takes a Village

It really does take a village to raise a child. In our case, an expert/expat village. We’ve received lots of support from friends, neighbors, and coworkers. This post is one…
December 18, 2015 at 5:11 pm 11 Comments
03 Dec

Borrowed Time

After spending most of the fall in Shanghai, we swore we’d never return. We’d been there too many times, ate at too many of its restaurants, seen too many of…
December 3, 2015 at 8:42 pm 12 Comments
13 Aug

Apartment Bitching

Nothing gets my blood boiling like an intrusive oh-so-Chinese email. See, for example, the one below. It was sent from the company that acts as the liaison between us, the…
August 13, 2015 at 12:47 pm 4 Comments
29 Apr

This is How They Do It

When we got married, we took the low-key approach. We eschewed the typical big day, big cost stuff and opted for a wedding that was us. That meant immediate family…
April 29, 2015 at 3:44 pm 6 Comments
12 Feb

The Year of the Sheep, er Goat?

One week from today, the Chinese will ring in the lunar new year. Red lanterns can be seen blowing in the wind all around us, from the crumbling apartment buildings…
February 12, 2015 at 5:20 pm 9 Comments
04 Feb

PSAs — Chinese Style

I pass through a small, quiet village called Gāo Jiā Zhuāng Chūn every so often. It has a main drag that is probably less than a mile long. On lazy days,…
February 4, 2015 at 10:36 am 5 Comments
10 Dec

Almost Wordless Wednesday: Coal for Sale

3 RMB gets you one jin (1/2 a kilo or 1 pound) of coal, which you can conveniently buy off the back of trucks in downtown Haiyang. Employees at stores…
December 10, 2014 at 4:28 pm 9 Comments
02 Dec

Ignoring winter’s arrival by thinking about spring

Winter suddenly swept in over the weekend with a mighty, frigid bluster that rattled our windows and doors. Yesterday, I watched a swirl of the season’s first snowflakes fly by…
December 2, 2014 at 6:50 pm 11 Comments
21 Nov

Pardon the Rant

I realized, as I was looking back over recent posts, that I haven’t written much about China lately. There are a couple of reasons for that. It feels like I’ve…
November 21, 2014 at 8:45 am 12 Comments
17 Sep

Who Needs AAA?

Like most American teenagers, I couldn’t wait to get my license, especially since I was one of the last of my friends to turn 16. It seemed like it would…
September 17, 2014 at 10:25 am 15 Comments
13 Aug

Wordless Wednesday: Cross-Legged Scoot

August 13, 2014 at 8:53 pm 6 Comments
30 Jul

Wordless Wednesday: Watermelons, Get Your 西瓜!

July 30, 2014 at 3:11 pm 7 Comments
23 Jul

Wordless Wednesday: 一杆入洞!

July 23, 2014 at 8:47 pm 8 Comments
18 Jun

Wordless Wednesday: A Balancing Act (as seen from my apartment window)

 
June 18, 2014 at 5:17 pm 6 Comments
24 May

A Good Sport

It started at Osaka’s KIX airport with an incredulous, seething “See?”  We were next in line, waiting to check in for the flight that would take us back to China.…
May 24, 2014 at 11:49 am 6 Comments
10 Apr

Keeping Busy

I’ve been meaning to post, but I’ve been busy. You see, I have a new hobby that is taking up all my free time (clearly, it is not tending to…
April 10, 2014 at 4:01 pm 14 Comments
19 Mar

Food for Thought: Buying Meat in China

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by someone who might be moving to Haiyang and, more specifically, to our lovely expert/expat village. The person had a lot of questions…
March 19, 2014 at 1:25 pm 12 Comments
04 Mar

Weekly Photo Challenge: Abandoned

Last week was pretty good thanks to the WordPress editor who “Freshly Pressed” my previous post. I’m sure there are some of you reading who’ve also been Freshly Pressed. I’m…
March 4, 2014 at 7:25 pm 18 Comments
09 Feb

Fireworks & Charity in the Year of the Horse

China ushered in the year of the horse (mǎ) , on the eve of January 31st. For Iggy and me, this meant listening to the BOOMS! HISSES! CRACKLES! and FIZZES!…
February 9, 2014 at 9:14 pm 8 Comments
19 Dec

A White Christmas?

Why does the first snowfall of the season turn me into a five-year old? A couple of hours ago, I looked out the window and was shocked to see a…
December 19, 2013 at 11:21 am 5 Comments
17 Dec

Vote for My Top List on Expatsblog.com

Way back in March, I listed a few of things I had learned about life in China. Now it’s December and we just celebrated our one year anniversary here.Woah. How…
December 17, 2013 at 8:06 am 2 Comments
25 Nov

Made In China

Ever wonder where in China your [insert brand name here] clothes are made? I always have. A few weeks ago, I got a sneak peek at a sweater factory. Haiyang…
November 25, 2013 at 3:34 pm 8 Comments
30 Oct

Shout Out To Myself

I gave an interview to a couple expat-themed websites not too long ago. You can check them out here and here. And, if you would be so kind when you…
October 30, 2013 at 7:35 am 2 Comments
21 Oct

Golden Pumpkins and Mooncakes: Yeah, it’s Falltime

Long country drives. Check. Spotting smatterings of orange, red, and yellow hues on still mostly green leaves out the car window. Check. Warm, sun-filled days that are just a little…
October 21, 2013 at 1:42 pm 9 Comments
21 Sep

Show and Tell: The Villages

I’ve talked a lot about the villages surrounding us, but I recently realized that I’ve never showed them to you. Let’s correct that. Villages, like you’ll see below, are scattered…
September 21, 2013 at 4:12 am 2 Comments
10 Sep

Life Along He Dian Er Lu

The road we live on is bookended by two major construction projects. The marina, which I’ve mentioned before, is being built on the end closer to Feng Cheng. The nuclear…
September 10, 2013 at 3:35 pm 4 Comments
04 Sep

To Hui Shou or Not To Hui Shou?

I’ve often wondered what happens to the bags of recycling (hui shou) I set outside our building every other day for the garbage man to come around and collect on…
September 4, 2013 at 9:13 pm 2 Comments
29 Aug

Chinese Massage: From a Blind Masseuse to Getting “Cupped”

I meant to get a post up here earlier in the week, but I’ve been busy. You know, I’ve been tutoring Chinese kids, helping them improve their yingwen skills. And…
August 29, 2013 at 10:48 am 9 Comments
20 Aug

This is What I Came For

After nine months, it’s still surprising that things still surprise me here. But they do. Some of the surprises are good. Those that add to the sense of adventure of…
August 20, 2013 at 2:30 pm 2 Comments
12 Aug

Meet at Nuclear Power Plant…Love Lasts Forever

Last weekend was going to be just another laid back weekend spent in and around the expert village. No big plans. Nothing exciting going on. At least none that we…
August 12, 2013 at 3:50 pm 6 Comments
19 Jul

Boredom, Roaming, and A Fishing Hut

The last two weeks have been rather low-key. Dull, in fact. The weather’s been non-cooperative. Lots of overcast days with bouts of rain, coupled with oppressive humidity, have been causing…
July 19, 2013 at 2:33 pm 5 Comments
13 Jul

Even a Typhoon Can’t Stop the Construction

Typhoon Soulik is currently pummeling us with wind and rain. We have been feeling his effect all week even though we live pretty far from Taiwan, which is getting the…
July 13, 2013 at 10:48 am
08 Jul

Sun, Sand, & Monster Algae

It’s been hot and humid here for the past several weeks and I think the rains that were so frequent in June have finally stopped. The weather is now perfect…
July 8, 2013 at 1:35 pm 6 Comments
31 May

Fruits of My Labor

Who knew you could go blueberry picking near Haiyang? Not I. Luckily, some of my friends did. Earlier this week, we hopped in a car and headed north. We traveled…
May 31, 2013 at 11:02 am 5 Comments
26 May

Sheng Ri Kuai Le To Me

I entered my third decade this week. Woah. I’ve witnessed many before me cross the line that separates the annoying twenties, which involves figuring out what to do with your…
May 26, 2013 at 7:48 pm 4 Comments
16 May

Life in The “Tofu-Dregs”

My last two posts dealt with shitty Chinese construction. This one will too. I hope this doesn’t mean you are leaving my blog now. Please stay! I promise not to…
May 16, 2013 at 7:50 am 8 Comments
10 May

Coping with Golf

A week and a half has passed since we scraped patches of mold off our bedroom ceiling and wall and since the expat village’s property management workers provided a temporary…
May 10, 2013 at 2:01 pm 12 Comments
29 Apr

May Day Holiday

Today is Monday, April 29th. The first day of the May Day holiday here in China. Call me ignorant, but I didn’t realize that this is a global phenomenon and…
April 29, 2013 at 2:35 pm 5 Comments
26 Apr

Have Wheels, Will Travel

Spring has sprung in Haiyang (remember, folks, it’s pronounced “Haiyung”)! What does that mean for us? Well, obviously, it means warmer weather is here — minus a brief mix-up from…
April 26, 2013 at 3:46 pm 5 Comments
What I've Learned: summed up in a photo
01 Mar

What I’ve Learned

I’ve learned a thing or two about living in Haiyang. Things that reflect the fact that life is different here than back home. Not bad or good. Not better or…
March 1, 2013 at 4:44 pm 8 Comments
28 Jan

The Original Whole Foods

China has some pretty great outdoor markets. In a small city like Haiyang, there are multiple ones to choose from during any given week. One might be small with only…
January 28, 2013 at 9:05 am 12 Comments
17 Jan

Factory Town

I’m sure you’ve heard of the infamous factory towns in China and, to some extent, that’s the type of place we’re living in. Luckily, there is no factory here and…
January 17, 2013 at 8:13 am 2 Comments
07 Jan

Where We Live

A lot of people have been asking where in China we’re living. Well, we are in Haiyang (pronounced Haiyung), which is in the northeast part of the country. Given that…
January 7, 2013 at 8:06 am 2 Comments
03 Jan

For the Love of Honking

After landing in Qingdao, which is the closest city to Haiyang with an airport, I quickly learned just how much Chinese drivers love their car horns. In the month before…
January 3, 2013 at 5:50 pm 3 Comments
31 Dec

We Say Goodbye, They Say Ni Hao

It’s official. 2012 is coming to a close. What did we accomplish over the past year? We got married. We became an aunt and uncle twice (not really our accomplishments,…
December 31, 2012 at 9:51 am 4 Comments