Tag: American Airlines, China, flying with a newborn, Japan, Japan Airlines, Return, USA
The Return to the Amber Waves of Grain
The time has come, my lovely friends, to bid adieu to the Middle Kingdom. We packed up our belongings– things we had acquired over...
Book Review: Border Run
For the past two years Lauren has been running a small book club in Beijing called Book Smugglers. From time to time publishers send books...
Tourist in a Tourist Town
We recently had some friends visit us in Beijing, an occurrence which was a wonderful reminder of how many amazing sights there are in this...
St. Patrick’s Day Snow in Beijing 2012
Happy St. Patrick’s Day, Beijing. You’re supposed to dye the waters green, not layer the city in three-five inches of...
Mike to the Rescue
The other day Mike and I were buzzing around on our super sleek moped. He calls it a motorcycle as his man points don’t decrease when...
New Cube Abandoner on the Way!
Ladies and gentlemen, it’s official! We’re expecting a tiny little cube abandoner of our own! The little guy (or gal) will be...
Happy Birthday, Mike!
Our favorite Cube Abandoner Mike B is turning old. His first grey hairs made an appearance this year, as did sore joints in the cold and a...
Chinese Men Stealing Foreign Chicks
A recent Chinese census found that 118.06 males are born in China to every 100 girls. This statistic hasn’t changed for the past ten...
The Water Heater Saga
Well, a few years ago we did a post on the sink saga, which nearly resulted in the death of several repair men who were standing ankle deep...
A Beijing Summer by Bike
Summer is in full swing in Beijing, with a heat index that is exhausting and humidity so thick it feels like being water boarded every time...
Into the Cube!
Staplers and colleagues and cubicles – oh my! I recently took a full-time (aka: cube) job in Beijing. Yes, I know what you are...
Spring in Beijing!
Spring has finally arrived in Beijing, and after a long winter in a Chinese siheyuan (a hutong home) we’re ready for the fine weather...
Mistresses in China Calling for Legal Rights
Is polygamy coming to China? Thats what some mistresses in the mainland are calling for after the failed ‘Festival of...
Life in a Beijing Hutong – Part II
As many of you know, we moved into a Beijing hutong– a traditional single-story home in a traditional maze of houses that makes up a...
“Should You Look For Work in China,” asks CNN. ATC Responds!
Recently, CNN ran an article asking the question, “Should You Look for Work in China.” The article follows the story of two...
Cultural Differences or Just Rude?
Today, I was walking down Nanluoguxiang when a women in a new model Audi decided to take a short cut out of one of the many side alleyways...
Nanluoguxiang, Beijing
Beijing has many amazing attractions. The Great Wall is a short ride away, the Forbidden City is at the epicenter, the entire city is flush...
New Year Resolutions
Happy New Year! With the new year comes a barrage of newly affirmed goals and resolutions. Living in China isn’t always easy, there...
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
Dear Friends, Family, Fellow Travelers, and Random Readers, Merry Christmas from Beijing, China! We’re thrilled to be celebrating...
The Beijing-Erlian Visa Run
We recently did a visa run. As with many people who live in China, we have to leave the country every 60 or 90 days to reactivate our...
Evicted! A Nightmare in Beijing’s Freezing Winter
First, a little background information on rental practices in China: In general, you sign a lease and pay your rent whenever you move in....
The Beijing Zoo
Since it was my birthday week we got to do a lot of really fun stuff. After all, you only turn 27 once! Mike decided to take me to the...
Job Hunting in Beijing, China
Since we finally had an apartment we were free to start looking for jobs. We set about looking in the obvious places for expats living...
Exploring New Beijing
Arriving as we did in the middle of the night we had an epic sense of adventure attached to our return to China. Adding to that feeling was...
Should We Stay or Should We Go?
The euphoria at being back in a land where we could speak the language, knew the customs and food, and already felt comfortable was beyond...
