This Beijing Life: Month 1

This Beijing Life: Month 1

Since I’ll be moving to Beijing for the next two years, I figured it would be fun to do monthly recap posts talking about the highlights and challenges of my time in China’s bustling capital (or wherever I may be that month). I’ve noticed that the more I travel and the busier I become, the […]

2014: A Crazy Year of Adventure

2014: A Crazy Year of Adventure

As this year comes to a close I can’t help but think back on all of the crazy adventures I’ve had. This time last year I was struggling with my teaching placement in the Chinese countryside, wondering if I would abandon my contract half-way through and go back to America. I was lonely, a little […]

Celebrating the New Year in Beijing

Celebrating the New Year in Beijing

My first full day in Beijing, I woke up, dragged myself to Miller and Valya’s hostel and drank their tea while I waited for them to finish getting ready. We grabbed an early lunch at a small restaurant near the hostel, and it really reminded me how much I miss Beijing’s hearty food after eating […]

My Spontaneous Trip to Beijing

My Spontaneous Trip to Beijing

This year, the Chinese government gave everyone Wednesday January 1st off for the Western New Year. Since I work at a boarding school, the administration wanted to give the students Thursday and Friday off as well, so that they could go home to their families. But, since I also work at a public school, we’re […]

798

798

In my last few days in Beijing, Mark, Yoko and I went to 798 or Qijiuba, as pronounced in Chinese. 798 is Beijing’s hip art district, with exhibitions, cafes, shops and graffiti. I had always wanted to go to 798 when I studied abroad in Beijing last year, but never quite found the time. Even if you’re […]

Shuai Shuai: Homestay Visit

Shuai Shuai: Homestay Visit

Last year, when I studied abroad with the Alliance for Global Education in Beijing, a few of the students opted to do a home stay. One of my classmates, Yoko, had a home stay with a 3-year-old host brother nick-named Shuai Shuai, or “handsome handsome”. She invited me and a few other people over for dinner one […]

My First Real Apartment!

While my first night in China was a little less than welcoming, I woke up the next morning excited to finally get settled. The nice thing about jet lag is that it makes me a morning person! -Which I am most definitely not in real life. Mark works from 9:30-4:30 Monday through Friday, so I […]

“Welcome to Beijing…”

For those of you that haven’t heard, I’m officially in China! It’s my third full day in China and I’ve already moved into an apartment and found a job (I’ve been busy). But before I tell you all about what I’ve been up to the last few days, I thought I’d fill you all in […]

The Temple of Heaven

A couple weekends ago my classmates and I went to the Temple of Heaven, or Tian Tan. The Temple of Heaven is a beautiful temple complex where the emperor used to go to pray on special holidays. It was built to mark the meeting place between heaven and earth. When we first arrived to Tian […]