Archive | May 2012
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A Modest Country House
One of the teachers is dating a Chinese guy, and his family opened their house to all the York teachers for a huge dinner. They asked for RSVPs and sent directions for how to get to his family’s country house. We were all super curious to see what their home would be like.
Prince Charming
Hmm, mmmh, mh. Might be in love. Only turns out that, while my prince charming is indeed a water dwelling critter, he isn’t amphibious.
Terror of the High Seas
Every so often our TAs do phone interviews with parents. I asked the TA of my kinder classes to let me know what the parents said, good or bad. She came back with a smile (insert giant breath of relief) and said that the kids are saying good things to their parents. Apparently, I’ve become […]
“Uh-Oh” on a Bus is Bad News
“Qĭngwèn, wŏ yào qù Yōnghui chāo shì. Yào zuò shén me chē?” (Excuse me, I want to go to the Yonghui supermarket. Which bus should I take?) ~ Buses are funny beasts here. The biggest vehicle rules the road, so buses win all around. Number one rule when you hit Fuzhou. Don’t step in front […]
Alone?
My travels with Father have wandered over a meandering trail. I feel like my ideas of what Father wants and what our relationship looks like have swung back and forth so many times. For example: In the infinite wisdom of high school, I thought I was good on my own.
I Was Officially Effie Trinket
Suzanne Collins never included China in her calculations when she wrote the Hunger Games. Did an Effie Trinket ever terrify small Chinese children? Yes, she did. And her face was mine.
My Spleen is Safe
Parent lessons are the devil. This is what I’ve heard. They come in, sit down, and STARE at you. As Tom put it, “No smile. Not even if the kids do something hilarious. They’re soulless, I tell you. Soulless. If you’re lucky only a few will show up.”
Shopping
This evening I popped down to Baolang (a big mall nearby, it’s name literally means ‘power dragon’). I walked into a store and was told their sale was 8.8 percent. No, they did not take 80% off their clothes. Heck no. This meant you got about 15% off anything you bought. …I think. I still can’t […]
Happiness is a Golden Panda 