From Grits to Chopsticks

China is being rebuilt at such a rapid pace that if can be difficult to find the “Old China” that we remember from our history books.  But there is one place where you can find it: at the Kunming Museum:On a cold Sunday afternoon, it’s nice to have a place like this to go and explore […]

[Read more →]

When we moved to China in 2010, we weren’t sure how long we would stay.  Now that four years have passed, it seems like the time has finally come to get serious about studying the Chinese language.  I enrolled as a part-time student at a small private language school and attend classes twice each week.  One and a half hours on three buses brings […]

[Read more →]

While traveling on the road at the base of our nearby mountains, we’ve often looked up at the school high above:The students at this school must be in very good shape!  After climbing the steep, switchback road to the school gate, there is a trail up the right hand side: As you approach the top, […]

[Read more →]

In a recent post, I mentioned that I would be showing some more photos of changes that have happened since we moved to China a little over 4 years ago.  Here are a few changes in our neighborhood, including these two shots from across the street:As you can see, it isn’t just the trees that […]

[Read more →]

We were so happy to have Timothy spend four days with us this week.  He and his wife are thinking about moving to China next year, so he came to scout out potential living/working arrangements in a city north of Kunming. He arrived just in time to attend a wedding celebration for a couple from Africa and Mongolia:That afternoon, we took […]

[Read more →]

It’s hard to believe, but this is our 200th blog post!  So many things have changed since we moved to China over four years ago.  Look at the photo at the top of the blog, then look at this one (remember that you can click any photo to expand it):Our school is now completely hidden by buildings under […]

[Read more →]

Every year, a very helpful member of the school foreign affairs office assists us in renewing our work visas.  She invited us to attend her wedding on Sunday evening, a huge event held in this dinner theater: As westerners, we arrived about 30 minutes before the 5:30pm starting time.  Of course, that meant that we showed up about an hour […]

[Read more →]

Seen through Western eyes, many things here still catch our attention.  Since we don’t have a car, we walk a lot.  And while we’re walking, it’s good to watch your step, because you never know when you might come across an open, unguarded manhole: I wouldn’t want to be the guys pulling this cart of […]

[Read more →]

Well, we just celebrated Mid-Autumn festival, so it was actually “moon cake time” (I was just dreaming about Moon Pies…).  As the holiday approached, moon cake stands began popping up all over town, along almost every street: In front of our apartment:In front of Wal-Mart:Basically, everywhere: This year, there has been a major reduction in the giving of extravagant […]

[Read more →]

A few years ago, we brought back a “Kryptonite” bicycle lock from America as a gift for friend with a valuable bike.  Recently, thieves tried to cut it and melt it, but it held secure!  Thanks, Kryptonite Lock Company! (no, I’m not getting a kickback on this!)As I walk into my school, I usually pass by a convenience store with […]

[Read more →]