by Alison | May 6, 2026 | Blog, Chinese Language and Culture, Just Life
Since I live in Guangzhou (in the Canton area), I have plenty of chances to listen to Cantonese Opera when I’m walking through a park. However, since the music is everywhere, I didn’t realize how often I had heard it until I watched a small Cantonese opera show in the...
by Alison | Apr 1, 2026 | Blog, Chinese Language and Culture, Just Life
One of the advantages of being a university teacher is that I get the chance to see amazing performances. The other day, my roommate, Kendra, and I were out having adventures in the city (I’ll have to tell you more about those in another post). As we were getting on...
by Alison | Mar 25, 2026 | Blog, Just Life
I often have colleagues complain that their students don’t talk in class—the good kind of talking. When I hear these complaints, I always feel a bit sad. I feel sad for the teacher because I know how frustrating that is, but I also feel bad for the students who don’t...
by Alison | Feb 10, 2026 | Blog, Just Life
I have realized that I need to be more thankful for the blessings in my life rather than allowing myself to wallow in pity parties. I’ve been reading Life Without Limits by Nick Vujicic. If a man with no arms and no legs can be thankful, I should be able to be...
by Alison | Jan 6, 2026 | Blog, Just Life
I have never really enjoyed cooking. I love eating, but cooking takes a lot of time and planning, a brief time of enjoyment, and then it’s time to clean up. During Covid, when most of the restaurants were closed, I cooked most of the time, but now that eating out is...
