About a week ago, it rained heavily for an hour and I came home to find my street looking like this: I was grateful that emergency crews were there to try to pump the water out, but pretty shocked that cars were still driving through that mess (and with great speed, no less). Forecasters started…
Read MoreLost in Translation (slightly NSFW)
If you like poor English translation as much as I do, then China is an amazing place to live. I have a pretty dazzling collection of ridiculously worded T-shirts and most friends know that’s likely what they’ll be getting in the mail come birthdays or holidays. So, the recent addition of this coffee shop in the…
Read MoreTaxi cab confessions
Conversations with taxi drivers generally follow the same formula. I could probably record my side of the conversation a la Ferris Bueller’s doorbell routine and save myself quite a bit of talking time. Yesterday, however, my cab conversation took a turn for the delightfully quirky. It started raining sideways basically the moment I stepped out…
Read MoreFun with Fire
Well folks, it’s that time of year again. 春节 Chūnjié (Spring Festival), known more commonly as Chinese New Year is coming to a close in Beijing. Which means that I finally have the peace of mind necessary to sit down and write. Well, almost. Tonight is the last legal night for setting off fireworks, which means…
Read MoreTis the season
When I first moved to China (waaaaay back in 2005), there was certainly a fascination with Christmas but not really any widespread celebration. It’s an easily accessible aspect of foreign culture: happy songs, cookies, shiny gold decorations and a man in a red suit. I remember seeing the occasional Christmas display, an odd tree here…
Read MoreOh, the horror!
Giving thanks
Western-style ovens are not common in China. I own a sort of toaster oven on steroids, large enough to accomodate a dozen very strategically placed muffin cups. It is not large enough to handle a chicken, never mind a turkey. So, when questions of Thanksgiving dinner arose, my American friends and I were at a…
Read MoreIt’s time.
This video is so beautiful in its simplicity. I urge you to share it, for the power of the message and the potential for change.
Read MoreOf cabbages and kings
There was terrible traffic. My alarm didn’t go off. The weather really slowed things up. There was a cabbage and fish sale at the grocery store. As far as morning delays go, this is definitely a new one for me. There’s a grocery store in the basement of the building where I work, and when…
Read MoreBroken record
Apologies (again) for my long absence. It hasn’t been for lack of interesting things to share, rather it’s been a combination of work schedule and laziness that has kept me away from you. To make up for the prolonged pause, I’ve migrated the blog over to WordPress (tada!) and made the site its very own…
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Positively Natalie 