It’s the Malatong bowl, full of self-chosen veggies and tofu. The fried rice she makes, even while tired at the end of a work day. It’s those little times together watching “Friends” while eating dinner, or lunch on a cloudy Saturday afternoon. The long train rides to the karaoke place. The dinner dates at nearby…
She Waited There For Us All Day
Saturday evening, November 12th—Pudong district, Shanghai, China Normally, Serena would tell me if she’d invited someone to join us for dinner. When the grinning lady with short hair and oversized red sweater sat down, I was a bit surprised, but still assumed Serena had been in contact with her. I knew I recognized her. From…
“Burn it down”
After another day of insanity, a teacher yesterday said we may need to just “burn it down” and start the school over again. Emotionally drained, we wasted a good deal of our prep time debriefing what had just happened: 2-3 8th grade boys in residence hall filmed another boy while he was in the shower….
This May Put Us Over the Edge
A quick glance at this poor screenshot may not mean much to you, dear friend. Suffice it to say, this may very well put us over the edge. Various duties on top of full course loads on top of day to day coverages twice weekly extracurriculares on top of meetings on top of…. Now, residence…
Orgasmique
Subway station—Shanghai, China I’m sorry, sir, for stealing a pic. Please understand, I had to do it. I suspect this jacket logo not licensed by Gucci:
The White Hair
It’s back. With a vengeance. Fellow teachers didn’t much notice last night’s hair incident mistake, when I attempted to cover up some white hair but slicing it off—promptly opening up a larger expanse of shorter white hair. Then my hair became much shorter on one side in front. Shorter and whiter. It took students in…
Escape
Wednesday, October 12: Day X of “3 day” lockdown—Escape from Xishuangbanaa ESCAPE from the inside—accomplished! We have finally departed. It was 13:34.We first arrived in the neighborhood which would become our prison ( of sorts) around 20:00 on Sunday, October 2nd. We awakened the morning of October 3rd to find out our downtown Jinghong neighborhood…
Lockdown Day VII: Wandering Again Within Razor Wire Perimeter
Sunday, October 09–Day 7 of a “3 day” lockdown The doors have opened! We are freed! (Kind of) Transportation passes good for 48 hours are being distributed out front. Private cars began exiting this morning. But the grocery below is locked up. The fruit store would not allow me to buy. Virtually every business besides…
Padlocked Inside
Friday, October 07: Lockdown Inside Quarantine Zone Reaches More Horrific Point Beyond Anger. Breathing Fire It’s like they’re spitting in our faces, saying, “We don’t care if you die, so long as we save our jobs.” Look what we woke up to: Yes. Those are indeed padlocks on the entry-exit doors. Yes, we are indeed…
Walls Are Closing In
Thursday, Oct 06 —Lockdown inside quarantine zone Day IV Walls closing in now. It’s a true race against time. Soldiers are now sealing off every business Every single one, we believe. Government will provide meals but for a vegan it will be crap. White rice and one oily vegetable, more than likely. Preparing for the…
My Own Private Teahouse
Thursday, October 06–“3 Day” Lockdown Day IV, Xishuangbanaa, Yunnan, China Appreciate every moment. Who knows when your new lockdown neighbors will hand over the keys to their Pu’er teahouse? Now, I’m on the inside, drinking delectable “shen” Pu’er tea to my heart’s content.
Lockdown, Day III
Yes. It’s happened again Sunday night-Monday morning, October 02-03, 2022, Yunnan province, China—215 miles to the Laos border: Like so many experiences in China, it began as another exciting, culturally shocking, yet subdued night, before morphing as we slept into a wholly unexpected, startling phenomenon. Thrilled as I was to see the Cambodian (or Dai)…
Don't Let My Parents Read This 