The swell gals over at Taking Route have been running a series called “31 Tips for Surviving (Not Crying) in a New Country.” This month, they and guest contributors are sharing all kinds of humorous tales of language and culture… Continue Reading →
Once a week, on Sunday nights, I make dessert. Unless we’ve just gotten a care package that includes brownie mix, making dessert means baking from scratch. And I mean super-duper, Laura Ingalls Wilder-style scratch. Yesterday, I was thinking: it’s… Continue Reading →
We just moved back into our 2nd floor apartment here in the little town of Jingxi. This is a true 2nd floor (at least true to how Americans number the floors of a building), not the sneaky 2nd floor where… Continue Reading →
The lady sitting behind us on the long-distance bus reached over the seats and tapped my shoulder. “Are you going to Jingxi for fun?” Our bus had just made a mid-journey rest stop and we were boarding again after the… Continue Reading →
We have almost exactly one month until we fly back to China, and today I packed up the first box. I’ve had people asking me for a couple months now if I’ve started packing. Um, you have apparently NOT had… Continue Reading →
Today, we had one of the quietest Children’s Days I think we’ve probably ever had. Normally, the kids are in some kind of school program, usually one that involves about two months of daily rehearsals at their school, sequined costumes,… Continue Reading →
May is National Foster Care Month in the U.S.! I know several expat families here in China who have considered adoption, but have gotten stuck because it seems too difficult, or too costly, while living overseas. If you are considering… Continue Reading →
There are zero – count them! – zero swimming pools in our little town. So, we installed our own. No, I shouldn’t phrase it that way. It’s deceptive. But, the pool we have is still a ton of fun for… Continue Reading →
Frozen jiaozi (速冻饺子) are some of the only packaged convenience food available in small town China. It’s nice to keep a bag in the freezer “just in case” since it’s not like I’ve got canned soup or boxes of mac… Continue Reading →
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