Moving to Germany: Ich Komme Aus Amerika

“Steph! STEPH! I NEED A NEW TOWEL!!” Mark’s voice jarred me awake. Groggy, I peeked into the bathroom. “There was a BAT in my TOWEL!” Wide awake now, I leaned over the tub, and, sure enough, there was a small black little body on the floor of the tub about the size of my palm. I ran out to put my glasses on and fetch Mark a new towel. Apparently during the night, our winged friend decided to roost in Mark’s bathsheet that was hanging by the bathroom window that was cracked open to luft.

While I rummaged, Mark had tried to wrap the bat in toilet paper to toss the carcass out the window. Only, it wasn’t a carcass. It was very much still alive – it was probably sleeping and fell, stunned, when Mark grabbed his towel. The bat flew away, and we gained a new worry about life in Germany.

The Fake International Taekwondo Tournament, A White Monkey Job Story

Confused, we looked at each other and felt a sense of growing apprehension. Yet, it was only when the first of many children started filing in (and we were told to hand out the medals and certificates and pose for pictures) that it truly dawned on us: we weren’t invited here to be a part of the competition…We had been tricked into doing a White Monkey Job!

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! 中秋节快乐!

I often liken the Mid-Autumn Festival to Thanksgiving in the USA, but Mid-Autumn festival has more similar counterparts in Korea and Japan (with the Chuseok and Tsukimi holidays). During this holiday in China, family members will cook and eat traditional foods, watch tv together, and enjoy the full moon.

The Sad Closure of Lishui’s Only Walmart

Word leaked about a month ago that Lishui’s Walmart was to close on April 16, 2019. A document in Chinese that was shared on wechat sent shock waves through our town. While Walmart hasn’t always had it easy breaking into the Chinese market, it had grown to become a beloved store in Lishui.

Rainy Day Blues: Managing My Depression in China

I have depression. It’s taken years of counseling and treatment to make it highly functioning, but it’s there nonetheless. It’s not something that I would ever talk about with my Chinese coworkers or even to a doctor in China. There’s a huge stigma against taking antidepressants here. I’ve heard that those who are able to…

Settling into China (Again)

This summer really flew by didn’t it? My last two months and a half  were mostly spent traveling to see friends and family and spending time with my husband, Mark, and our little dwarf hamster. We were able to squeeze in a visit to a few places we had been meaning to go to such as…

Yes, I am Asian: Asian American.

 “Ay, you! What province you from, again?” “Are you sure you’re American?” “But your face looks Chinese…eh, maybe you could be from Xinjiang, but no, not American.” These are the types of greetings I get every day in China from curious taxi-drivers, to cashiers, to grandmas who want to tell me that I should know…