An American Abroad
A Shane English Yuxi tradition: every new teacher gets a welcome dinner. On Sunday night it was the turn of our newest colleague, an American from Denver named Daniel. Outside the restaurant, JJ and I tried our hands as laundry detergent … [Continue reading]
Students in two more of my classes at Shane English Yuxi had their final exams last week -- and now I have a stack of tests to grade. My twelve-year-olds have come a long way. Months ago, this was my most challenging class because of the widely … [Continue reading]
I was talking with a middle-aged Chinese friend recently who admitted to finding a young Korean pop star very handsome. "Really? Wow," I said. "You're really robbing the cradle." She didn't know that idiom, so I explained it to her. She laughed … [Continue reading]
Zippy is a 2005 Zipstar LZX 125-6 motorcycle built by what was then called the Chonquing Zongshen Number Two Motorcycle Co., Ltd. and is now called Zongshen PEM Power Systems, Inc. Zippy used to belong to my colleague Matt, but since he is … [Continue reading]
I've taught this primary school class for almost eight months. Many of these students were among the first I had at Shane English Yuxi. Yesterday was our last review class before the final exam, so I took a few pictures. Sad to say, once this course … [Continue reading]
. . . to learn yesterday that in northern Chinese dialect, an bu neng si (which sounds very much like "ambulance" when said quickly) means "I can't die!" … [Continue reading]
Spring has arrived in Yuxi and the public gardens are in bloom. Other parts of town are considerably less scenic right now. There is a new mayor here, known to everyone as "Mr. Finger": he points at a building and BOOM, it's gone the … [Continue reading]
This blog hit a milestone yesterday: viewers in 75 different countries. Thank you to all my readers in Algeria, Andorra, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Cote … [Continue reading]
I was working on one of my MOOCs this morning around 10:00 when I heard a lengthy round of firecrackers going off down in the street. I peered through my window and saw that the firecrackers were being tossed off the back of a three-wheeler. Behind … [Continue reading]
In the five days since the horrible attack on people at the Kunming train station just 70 miles north of here, I've seen how the Chinese government and people react to terrorism. The current death toll is 33, with 130 injured, of whom 70 are in … [Continue reading]
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