I know I’ve bragged talked a bit about learning Chinese here on this blog and how my progress has been. Maybe I’ve made it sound a bit too easy, or my level a bit too advanced. I offer this small tale from my recent travels as antidote to those past
The Strange (and Slightly Creepy) Diaolou's of Southern China
I had already seen one unique housing structure during my travels, but it was time to see another. I took a day trip from Guangzhou to Kaiping to look at the Diaolou, or stone house. The other houses I’ve seen were called Tulou, or earth houses, and were made out
Viral Video and Racism in China
So my student forwarded this video to me recently, and apparently it’s blowing up on the web. It’s a Chinese boy doing several different English accents (Japanese, Korean, Indian, British, American French and so on) and has almost 3 million views on just one chinese video website and more than
Reason #853 Why I Love My Students
Every year I teach writing class. The official title is “Basic Writing,” but on the first day of class I tell them the real name, (my name) for the class is “creative writing.” This is my third year teaching it and while I do different things every semester I still
3 Signs with Unintentionally Deep Meanings
During my travels I came across a few signs that I felt had a meaning that was deeper than the intended purpose. See if you agree with me… A warning of an extra large step into the bathroom, or a deeper message about the transitions in life? As Joseph Campbell
The Nanyue King–The Egyptian Pharaoah's Got Nothing on This Guy
In a pretty quiet part of Guangzhou city, there is an impressive museum housing an impressive display. The outside of the museum looks like an Indiana Jones ride at Disney or something, tall, windowless red rock walls etched with carvings of dragons and suns. And while the first building is not
A Tulou for the Night
I don’t usually talk about the places I stay on this blog, but I’m going to make an exception this time. That’s because one of my favorite places to stay was in the tulou area, and I got to live in an actual tulou. The tulou I stayed at is
The Round Houses, or Tulou's, of Southern China
In southern China, in Yongding county, there are massive houses unlike anything in China (or the rest of the world really). Dedicated as a UNESCO world heritage site, the tulou houses of Fujian are a totally unique experience. Translated, tulou literally means “earth house” and the name is an apt
How Filthy is Your Mind? (Reading Cantonese on the Streets)
So you know all those ching chong wing wong jokes we make in America, and also all the “Long Duk Dong” style jokes? (If you don’t know who he is then you are clearly not a child of the 80’s) Well, since moving to China I kinda wondered where they
A Few Thoughts on Hong Kong
Before I went to Hong Kong, I heard a lot of mixed reviews. Some people said they loved it, others said there was nothing to do but shop. I spent about 2 weeks in Hong Kong, so here are my impressions of the city. It’s a schizophrenic place Hong Kong