From Grits to Chopsticks

Babies have been on our minds since our daughter found out that she’s expecting a boy in early March and our niece recently delivered a little girl.  Of course, babies are adorable everywhere, and China is no exception.  One of the differences here is that the babies tend to be dressed more warmly than we’re used […]

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A one-day break in the rainy season during the national holiday gave us a chance to visit the “Bamboo Temple” with some friends: This ancient temple has expansive grounds, buildings, and a collection of 500 full-sized human sculptures, created by a Sichuanese artist in the late 1800s.  There are also quite a few “other” statues: Most of these statues are equipped with stoops, providing […]

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When we lived in the States, we tried to get out and walk a few times each week.  It was a great way to exercise and decompress.  And it’s no different here – we certainly need our regular time of exercise and decompression.  But then again, it is a little different in China.  While the scenery back in Georgia was usually the same […]

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When we started school a few weeks ago, we knew that this would be a busy semester.  The official count is in – I have 175 students enrolled in my four different classes.  Here’s a photo of one of my International Business classes during a trading exercise: It will take a lot of work to get […]

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On our side of the world we’re preparing for the Mid-Autumn festival, a harvest celebration that takes place on the Autumnal Equinox.  The most visible part of this three-day holiday is the gathering of families to eat mooncakes.  And they must eat a bunch of them, because there are large displays of mooncake gift sets everywhere you look: The gift sets […]

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In Chapter 3 of the book of Ecclesiates, we are reminded that there is a time for every matter under heaven.  As our city rapidly marches toward modernization, the old communities are rapidly being destroyed.  Without a great deal of warning, the Chinese character for “destroy” is spray painted on walls and buildings: The building residents must […]

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When we arrived in our city earlier this year, we quickly learned that Yunnan province was experiencing their worst drought in over 50 years.  Lakes and rivers were drying up, and the water used for irrigation of street-side vegetation was particularly pungent (it’s pumped from the sewer…). But then in July the rainy season descended upon […]

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Our blog has been somewhat quiet for the past few weeks as we made a quick trip back to the States to visit our family members.  On the way, we had the opportunity to stop by Timothy’s new Asian city.  Just outside of his apartment is an athletic-themed walking street, including this adult-sized teeter totter: After […]

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Here is our second installment on things that we find to be different in China (vs. the US).  Remember that we aren’t saying these things are bad – they are just different.  And you know what the French say: “vive la difference.” ON THE STREET:  When you’re walking down the street, some of the food smells […]

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Just after we finished grading the final exams on 17-July, two teams of summer volunteers arrived to help lead English camps at our university.  One of the groups is composed of teachers from NC and Tennessee: This team has been working with a large group (125+) of rural teachers, helping them improve their ability to teach their students English.  We’ve […]

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