Be Well. Do Good Work. Keep in Touch.
Tiannemen Square I just flew in to Xi’an, where we’ll be staying at the Sheraton. (Mom and Dad, their picture should be on the Web site) I was sad to leave Peggy behind. Peggy was our Beijing tour guide and she was wonderful. She has fantastic English — even idioms, like “piggy-back ride.” So when … Continue reading “Pictures!”
Before we were able to begin our adventures in Beijing, I needed to get into the country first! Here’s the picture I tried to take during our Seattle-Seoul flight, the one that wound up flashing our entire section of the plane.. When we got to our layover in Seoul, South Korea, we had to fill … Continue reading “July 25th: The Forbidden City”
Here are the books I’m bringing with me. I’m not bringing any guide books because they always stress me out, and I’m not bringing any Mandarin Chinese phrase books because I’m absolutely hopeless. (You didn’t hear me say that, ladies and gentlemen. I can learn anything I put my mind to, I just can’t do … Continue reading “Ahhhh Book List!!!”
At this time tomorrow, I’ll be on my way over the Pacific Ocean on my way to Seoul, Korea, en route to Beijing, China! I’ll still miss you, ladies and gentlemen, but are you ready to go on an adventure with me?! (Here’s hoping you say yes! If not, whatevs, I’ll see you on the … Continue reading “24 Hours to Go!”
Before I became involved with my CE trip to China, I have to admit I didn’t have any clue where Hong Kong was. I knew it was part of Asia, but that was honestly about it. (I’ve mentioned before how absurd it is that I’m allowed to be a teacher with my highest level world … Continue reading “Culture Shock, Hong Kong (1994)”
James Fallows is brilliant. I first heard about this book on Fresh Air, and it has been a thoroughly investigated, thoughtful account of life and business in China. And of course, it was a great read because Fallows is an irreverent, fun writer. All of Fallows’ essays are online, but I enjoyed reading them all … Continue reading “Postcards from Tomorrow Square”
Now that my book is grossly overdue at the Seattle Public Library, I’ve finally finished The Learning Gap: Why our schools are failing and what we can learn from Japanese and Chinese education. (My overdue fees are going to hurt all the more because the whole book is available for free online…) There were a … Continue reading “The Learning Gap”
My students deserve mad props for dealing with the crazy hot weather (hot for Seattle, at least). As I’m writing this at 6:41 AM, it’s already 63 degrees outside. Some folks are predicting temps in the mid-90s, and there’s a heat advisory in effect until 6 tonight. Despite this, and despite a looming summer vacation, … Continue reading “HOT!”
When you visit a different country, you usually need to have a document called a visa. When I visited England, Ireland, and Scotland in 2003, I didn’t need a visa, so I wasn’t exactly sure why I needed one to go to China. I couldn’t find a clear, brief reason why I need to have … Continue reading “My Visa Adventure”
I’m home sick today (I hope you’re being kind and respectful in my absence, ladies and gentlemen!), so I’m using that time to catch up on reading and do more research for my trip to China. We in the Puget Sound are fortunate to have two fabulous library systems, the Seattle Public Library and the … Continue reading “Sick Today”