This weekend began with a small group expedition Friday evening to Macau. For those unaware, Macau is a former Portuguese colony that was returned to China in 1999 after a good four hundred years or so of foreign rule. It is administered much like Hong Kong, with its own private government, currency, and strict border… Read More Wow for Macau
So I finally made it down to Hong Kong a couple weekends back. It was, and most likely remains, awesome. A funny string of events led to our travel party being composed of Andrew, myself, and a mutual friend from high school neither of us had seen in years. He was backpacking China, visiting another… Read More Hong Kong
I have been both busy and undisciplined the past couple weeks since getting back to China, so my forays to the blog have been rare, but as today would have it I stumbled upon some luck and can access the blog in full, so hopefully can productively tackle the second part of my Borneo expedition… Read More Last Thoughts on Borneo
This is the name for Borneo that may (or may not, not clear on this point) have been coined by Agnes Keith, an American who lived in the town of Sandakan with her husband before and after WWII. Apparently she has written a book about it, which I will endeavor to read sometime soon, provided… Read More The Land Below the Wind
Chairman Mao founded the so-named People’s Republic of China on October 1st, 1949, making the announcement from the gate at Tiananmen Square that has held his illustrious portrait for the past few decades and has been seen in pictures the world over. Thanks to this action, we have the coming week off from work here,… Read More The Build Up to National Day
First off, an apology that this edition features no pictures. In their stead I will try to use my words and fill in with pictures later on. This week marked the second full week of teaching under my belt in a ‘professional’ environment. It’s a term that I am using only usely when I consider… Read More So, Wait, I’m a Teacher?
I have been in Shenzhen now for nearly a week. We arrived late at night by bus from nearby Guangzhou, after what seemed like an interminable last day in Beijing punctuated by ceremonies and events set to the sizzling backdrop of a northern Chinese summer. I’ve become amazed by how much I can sweat in… Read More Shenzhen Easy Livin’
The program functions in a manner that keeps us busy about 6 hours a day, every day of the week, and as such, coupled with the slow going of the internet, I will admit to being a little lacking in my efforts for speedy updates. That said, we have kept very active in our free… Read More Busy busy busy
“Beijing welcomes you”–that’s the translation, and it’ll have to pass for now without any of the tonal marks that denote how to pronounce the word. It also serves as the slogan for next year’s summer Olympics, for which evidence litters the city. It has been a lot of fun to try out the language and… Read More Beijing Huanying Ni!
I’m whiling away my last hours here in Stuttgart at Kathleen’s place where she is vigorously vacuuming while i try my best to stay out of the way. I am filled with a sense of excitement as well as some trepidation about leaving as well. All of my bags are packed (again) and i am… Read More All Quiet on the Western Front
Zak Abroad 