Visitor: Is that our bus honking the horn? Experienced with China Friends: (with a shrug of their shoulders) Maybe… Visitor: (trying to...

When you rent an apartment in China, you can never be totally sure of what might not work properly, what problems might crop up, and what...

The theme at Velvet Ashes (one of my favorite websites) this week is a fun one—top ten lists.  I I decided to stick with something...

One of my favorite summer drinks is an iced chai latte, especially from Panera, especially when combined with a cinnamon crunch bagel...

I recently took a trip and we traveled by the high speed train, sometimes known as a bullet train.  This was my first bullet train ride...

Sometimes I like to take my camera out and take a saunter around my neighborhood, stopping to photograph whatever seems interesting. ...

I ate chicken feet (okay, a chicken foot) in my own apartment.  Chicken feet are on my list of things I’d rather not eat because of their...

A fun thing about living in China is pineapple season!  Pineapples aren’t grown in Beijing, but they appear for sale everywhere in the...

Back in December, I learned about a new (to me) band called Eine Blume on the Velvet Ashes blog.  Their newest album is called Farewell...

This weekend, I finally mustered up the courage to get a haircut in Beijing.  That’s right, I went over six months without getting my...

I don’t start back to class until Monday.  So this week I decided to spend a day learning about and enjoying Beijing.  First, I went to...

My fall walk around the neighborhood is my second most popular post ever, so I decided to take a Spring Festival walk.  This is a time of...

Happy New Year, everyone!  The traditional Chinese calendar is a lunisolar calendar, and today is the first day of the New Year.  (Note:...

“Welcome home,” a friend greeted me when I got back to Beijing from my travels.  It was a good feeling, to be welcomed back to this...

China does not officially celebrate Christmas.  It is a regular work day for almost everyone.  The exceptions are some foreigners get the...

During Advent, I spent time with two of my favorite Biblical characters: Zechariah and Elizabeth.  This was an ordinary Israelite couple...

In some ways, it seems odd for a coffee shop to be popular in China, where tea is the most common beverage.  And yet, coffee shops are...

“All it takes is the decision to walk with some awareness, both of who you are and what you are doing” (An Altar in the World, Barbara...

“Reverence may take all kinds of forms, depending on what it is that awakens awe in you by reminding you of your true size.” —An Altar in...

Beijing’s weather is similar to Michigan’s, but slightly warmer.  While Michigan had its first frost, Beijing’s air just turned crisp...