Inspiration from Art
I love seeing and enjoying things that inspire me to create something new and lasting on my own. When I watch Kendrick Brothers’ movies, I usually feel motivated to write and grow and share what I’m learning. While in Melbourne, I went to an Australian art gallery...
Don’t Listen to Lies
Living with my parents for a couple of weeks has lots of advantages. I have someone to eat with. I don’t have to make as many decisions about what I’m going to eat. I enjoy playing games, working on puzzles, and watching movies with my parents. But during the day,...
What to Do When You’re Snowed In
I remembered why I don’t usually come back to Kansas during the winter holiday. I was hoping for some snow after I got done with all of my traveling, but I didn’t realize we would get so much snow! By the time the blizzard was over, we had over 11 inches (over 28...
How to Deal with Reverse Culture Shock
I really enjoy coming back home to see my family and friends. I like reconnecting with people that I’m not very good at staying in touch with, and I love seeing people that I’ve grown up with. Over the years, I have struggled with different aspects of reverse culture...
Reflections: My Favorite Assignment for University Students
Last year, I got to teach a cross-cultural communication class for the first time. This has been one of my favorite classes to teach. We had a team of teachers teaching the class for different students, but last semester was the first time the class was compulsory, so...
So Many Activities!
The last couple of weeks have been the season of activities and competitions! Last week, I had three different activities at my school or other schools. So what are some of the activities that foreign teachers here in China might be expected to or asked to attend as...
Food Culture Festival
Every year in November or December, the university where I teach has a culture festival. International students from all over the world set up booths and sell food that they make to other students and teachers in the university. The fall is usually sunny with blue...
Friends
If you know me, you probably know that I hate goodbyes. But I love to see old friends, and this week, I had one of those wonderful opportunities. A friend from Nepal has been living in the UK, and he stopped by my city for a few hours on his way back home. Even though...
5 Fun Chinese Sentences
On most Wednesdays, I have lunch with a delightful group of people including my friend from America, a colleague from China, her friend who is now my friend from China, and our other colleague from Indonesia. With so many languages and cultures, we tend to have some...
My First Official Chinese Speech
A month or two ago, I heard about a Chinese speech competition. Sure, why not, I can join that! I thought to myself. I signed up by adding someone’s WeChat and learned that I had a month or two to prepare and write the speech which I would then film and submit online....