You never know what you’re gonna get when ordering in a restaurant. Many restaurants have these giant refrigerated cases where they display the dishes they can prepare. It’s like a giant menu and you can just walk around and point. (Like the dog dish in the picture I posted.) Just because you are getting a preview [...]
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I’m thinking of visiting the US soon, (It’s been 2 years…) and so I thought I’d answer a question I get asked a lot: What do you miss about back home? First of all, the concept of back home is kind of difficult for me. Which home do you mean? Do you mean my birth [...]
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Living in a country where few people speak and read English fluently, it can be difficult to find books, radio and TV programs in English for entertainment. (DVDs in English are found on every street corner.) I’m always looking for sources on the Internet. (The Internet really is a lifesaver.) E-books are great, but can [...]
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So how do I feel about Halloween? I can’t help it, I love it. I love the fall air, the leaves crunching, the carved jack o’ lanterns, the toasted pumpkin seeds. I love trick or treating and seeing people in the streets. I love the costumes, the more original and creative the better, and all [...]
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Anyone who has traveled away from their homeland has probably felt the effects of culture shock – you know, the weird feeling you get when you realize that you are no longer in Kansas. This is inevitable. For an American, culture shock shows up in funny ways – like noticing that no one outside of [...]
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Living in China, you often feel very disconnected from the Western world. The only access to news that I have is through the Internet. I visit many different news sites to stay informed. One of my favorite things to do when bored was read the op-ed columnists at the online New York Times. Today I [...]
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What is a TCK? A third culture kid According to TCK World: A TCK is an individual who, having spent a significant part of the developmental years in a culture other than that of their parents, develops a sense of relationship to both. These children of business executives, soldiers and sailors, diplomats, and missionaries, who [...]
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I may have a teaching job. At least I accepted one. I still have to get the visa arranged so I am not celebrating until it is all final. I would be teaching oral English in a primary school to children aged 6 to 12. There is a lot of paperwork involved. I’ve just realized [...]
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When I first started blogging, I called my blog Going Native. As you can see, it is now known as On the Fringe. This post explains why I chose Going Native. I still ascribe to this philosophy, but found that I am not so much going native as I am hanging out on the fringe [...]
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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. ;)
