Happy New Year! Feliz Año Nuevo! I can breathe a sigh of relief. 2010 – the year of confusion, waiting and constant changing of plans – is finally over. Onward to the best year yet, I say. I guess 2011 will be the year I finally stop hating on US Immigration, too, since the DH [...]
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I’m not a bit ashamed to admit that the DH and I spent the evening Skyping the Spain relatives, drinking cava and eating chorizo, tortilla chips and salsa, and, of course, pumpkin pie. (Those are all foods from very distinct cuisines, but cuisines that we love and cherish. Plus we drank a lot of cava. [...]
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It’s 5:45PM on Christmas Eve and the temperature outside is a frigid -7°C (19°F). The DH has gone out on his bicycle to round up some necessary goods for tonight, essentials like cava, milk and pie. I feel pretty guilty since I’m snug on the sofa and he’s out there hunting and gathering. We were [...]
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Our first Christmas tree Yea, that’s right. The DH and I have been married for nine years. Together we’ve celebrated Christmases in Costa Rica, Spain, Canada and China. But we’ve never had our own tree. Sure, we’ve had Christmas candles, decorated dead houseplants and random Christmas stuff here and there (I’m especially fond of my [...]
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Happy slightly belated Thanksgiving to all the USA people out there! And very, very belated Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian friends! I hope you all had lovely big dinners. The DH and I made tacos. Before you roll your eyes at my obvious lack of festival spirit, remember that I live in Beijing, China. Turkeys [...]
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The Bird’s Nest Stadium It’s only been two years, but I finally made it to see Beijing’s Olympic buildings. We weren’t the only ones there, either. The “bird’s nest,” (or the eagle’s nest, as the DH calls it), is a major tourist attraction among the many provincial Chinese visiting the capital city. I imagine it [...]
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The last few days have seen the worst pollution in years to hit Beijing. A friend thinks it is from all the coal-burning heaters and furnaces that got switched on the 15th. I have to admit there was a “coalish” scent to the air, if there is such a thing. The air quality monitors at [...]
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While I’m delighted we now have a fully heated apartment, I’m not so happy with the traditional first-heat cold I have acquired. Beijing’s winter air is extremmmmely dry. Add a heater to the mix and it’s dehydration city. (As in if I don’t get some heavy-duty facial moisturizer soon, I’ll be a dead ringer for [...]
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I'm an American expat living on the fringe of Chinese society. Thanks to a lifetime spent moving around, I often feel like an outsider. This blog explores life in Beijing, China, the occasional aviation topic, expat issues, random travel experiences and interesting things I see, read and hear. If you want to know more about my latest hobby, visit Sewing on the Fringe, where I blog about learning to sew in Beijing. And for daily documentation of Beijing's ever changing air quality, visit My Beijing Window. And, yes, I do wear my santa hat year-round. ;)
