Final thoughts… China, 我们一定还会再见。

I’ve been hesitant to write this post, because….well, writing it means that my study abroad experience is finally over 😦 I’m still not home, so it doesn’t really feel like it’s over.  But it kind of does.  It’s weird. Leaving China was a like a dream.  It didn’t feel real and it still doesn’t.  To … Continue reading →

[BEAT!] Wuzhen and beautiful dyed textiles

As a last hurrah to the semester, the Alliance staff treated us to an amazing overnight trip to a nearby water village, called Wuzhen.  It wasn’t just the Alliance students who got to go–our Chinese teachers and roommates got to go too! Like basically every place in China, Wuzhen has a rich and incredible history. … Continue reading →

Pre-departure Nostalgia: I don’t think I’m ready to leave </3

It is so difficult for me to express how I feel right now.  It’s so surreal to think that I have literally less than 10 days in China… a week from Monday, I will be on a plane to a different country and a different adventure, and leaving these people and these experiences behind… I … Continue reading →

An adventure! An adventure!

A few weekends back, we went to this cute lil park. We had some adventures…. And watched Connor climb some trees…….. It was a lovely little adventure to a sunny, happy, green, fresh part of Shanghai and we left feeling rejuvenated.  THE END Continue reading →

TEA, PLEASE!

I had the most lovely pleasure today of going with Kim and Sarah to a nearby tea market filled will buckets and buckets of wonderful, delicious-smelling tea. Kim had found out about the market and knew that it wasn’t your traditional China market where people hawk at you–instead, the shop owners there were supposed to … Continue reading →

Daily Life: Pollution

It’s been making international headlines from what I can see, but in case you haven’t heard, earlier this weekend, Shanghai experienced some of its most record-breaking smog-filled pollution days.  On the pollution scale index that goes from  0-500, it hit over 500.  And in case you’re wondering, anything over ~400 is considered “hazardous:  everyone will feel … Continue reading →

[BEAT] Book Review: Red Azalea & The Cooked Seed

If you are at all curious about what happened in China during the Cultural Revolution, I strongly recommend reading this book:  “Red Azalea” by Anchee Min. I am not going to lie to you:  I had NO IDEA what happened during the Cultural Revolution or that it was even a thing until ohhh idk, maybe … Continue reading →

But why is there a strange man in my window.

So it’s just a normal day, I’m relaxing after class, taking a nice nap. When all of the sudden someone, from the outside, OPENS MY FREAKING WINDOW!!!!! Sometimes in China, strange things just happen.  It’s kind of unexplainable.  My roommate and I (whose rooms are next door to each other) exchanged messages: After being virtually kicked … Continue reading →

A few things I’m thankful for

Since I’m abroad, I unfortunately had to miss my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving 😦  So I’m going to make you all a list about the things I’m thankful for because 1) I am thankful and 2) I like lists.  ***WARNING!  THIS IS AN INCREDIBLY SAPPY POST!!!!*** Despite missing Thanksgiving, I honestly had the best Thanksgiving away … Continue reading →

高老师 （Gao Laoshi）

I should first say that in China, it’s not weird or awkward to be friends or friendly with your teachers.  At all.  In fact, it’s weird not to be.  So don’t think it’s weird that we do these things; we’re just 入乡随俗-ing. Gao Laoshi is my Chinese teacher this semester.  And she is quite possibly the … Continue reading →