There’s something to be said about life on the open road. It’s freeing. It’s thrilling. It’s full of surprises. It’s all of the above and then some when you’re cruising…
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…
Korea was split in two along the 38th parallel almost seventy years ago. Since then, chances of reunification have remained slim to none. Attempts have been made, talks have been…
We sat in the front row of the auditorium, steps from the stage on which two young, baby-faced American soldiers stood chatting, giving the roomful of tourists a few minutes…
So much about Beijing is big: the wide paved boulevards, the imposing buildings that stretch for whole blocks along them, the spacious, opulent grounds of the imperial palaces and gardens.…
Today, June 4th, marks the 25th anniversary of the deadly confrontation that took place between Chinese pro-democracy protestors and the People’s Liberation Army in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. Living here in…
I am probably the last blogger out there to hear about Wordless Wednesday, but having recently discovered it, I’m embracing it. Better late than never, right?
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.…
Thousands of tourists flock to Kyoto, Japan each year towards the end of March and the beginning of April, hoping to catch the pink and white cherry blossoms that color…
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…
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…
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…
These days, there are so many ways to find a potential mate. There’s the good ol’ fashioned random encounter — a chance, flirty conversation in a bar; an accidental bump…
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!…
With free take-away coffees courtesy of a sweet hotel employee, we settled into the back of our tour guide’s Prius on a chilly, but semi-clear Friday morning and headed out…
Traveling is easier when you live in a major city. I’d call that a major plus to city life, one that doesn’t require waking up before the crack of dawn,…
Technically, I don’t work, so I have few complaints about getting back to my normal, everyday life now that we’ve returned from two weeks of loafing it in Shanghai. This…
Just a quick post to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who shared or tweeted or somehow spread the word about my entry in the expatblogs.com 2013 writing contest.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
This post is overdue. Way back in June after our week in Istanbul, we did a hop, skip, and a jump to Athens where we set off to sail the…
After two weekends away from Haiyang, we’ve come to realize that there is no such thing as a “sea view room” in northeast China. We paid the extra Mao’s for…
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…
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…
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…
A day or two has easily turned into a week. Here I am, though, ready to deliver on my promise to share some more of what we did in Istanbul.…
I’ve certainly been a slacker during this rainy, humid month of June. Well, only a slacker when it comes to blogging. In other areas of life, I’ve been busy —…
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…
