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Easter in China
Yesterday Kristyn and I went to the Crowne Plaza to see if they were offering an Easter brunch. Our hopes were raised when we saw a poster with beautiful Easter eggs advertising a “Classic Easter...
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October Chaos
Autumn Festival in China is next week so it’s time to make travel arrangements. The smart thing to do is to leave the country as in-country travel will be overcrowded, but we don’t have multiple entry...
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Come On
I followed my orders. I reminded the assistant that she needed to get our return tickets today. I did this first thing. She then replied to my email. Then we called her at 2:30 after the rest time to...
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The Tickets
Well, today was supposed to be the big day, the day we could purchase our train tickets back to Jinan. I got some students to write a note explaining what I needed to a ticket agent. I was told the...
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Mooncakes
Today is Mid-Autumn Festival in China and the common gift is mooncakes. Above you see the ones my school gave me. Throughout the neighborhood there are vendors selling these cakes, which I’ve learned...
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Turkey Day in Jeopardy
Last time I was here in the fall we went to the Crowne Plaza for Thanksgiving Dinner. I went there this morning to find out when and how much it would be and no one in the lobby or restaurant floor...
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Thanksgiving in Jinan
Yes. I’ve just returned, completely sated, from Thanksgiving at the new Hyatt in downtown Jinan. The food was plentiful and so scrumptious. Probably a hundred dishes easily. I don’t want to tell you...
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Thankful
Confucian Temple Thankful. In the United States, yesterday was Thanksgiving, a holiday where people spend time with family and friends and remember the things they’re thankful for. I think the idea of...
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Easter in China
I had a wonderful Easter today. First I went to mass with Ed, a colleague, at the little church in the old hutongs downtown. When the other people saw the foreign visitors, a nun escorted us from the...
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My Halloween Fix
Your Halloween Sugar Binge is Caramel Apples You have a sweet tooth, but you can feel easily overwhelmed by sugar.You prefer to have your treat cut with something healthy, like fruit and nuts. But...
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Weekly Photo Challenge: One
Here’s how it works: 1. Each week, we’ll provide a theme for creative inspiration. You take photographs based on your interpretation of the theme, and post them on your blog (a new post!) anytime...
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Poem of the Week
Sunday Brunch at the Old Country Buffet by Anne Caston Here is a genial congregation, well fed and rosy with health and appetite, robust children in tow. They have come and all the generations of...
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Happy Easter from China
A few of us had a a lovely Easter brunch at the Mercure Hotel here in Jinan.
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Vacation Begins!
In China work comes to a halt, pollution decreases, and people flood into train stations and the roadways, as a week of holiday begins. Today is actually a new holiday, Martyrs Day, a day to remember...
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On National Day
Entrance to Zoo, Doesn’t Look Too Bad Though I knew it would be crowded anywhere I’d go, I agreed to visit the zoo, which was free today. We started off at about 9, but the buses were so crammed, we...
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Why I’m Not the Least Bit Hungry
For Thanksgiving a number of us went to the Hyatt Hotel in Jinan where we feasted on: turkey, cranberry, rabbit, beef, ham, beef stew, carrots, Brussels sprouts cooked with bacon, corn, fish, prawns,...
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Qing Ming Staycation
We’ve had a three day weekend for Qing Ming (Tomb Sweeping) Festival. My friends and I have no tombs to sweep and the weather hasn’t been great so rather than go out of town, one friend and I opted for...
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Poem of the Week
To the New Year by W.S. Merwyn With what stillness at last you appear in the valley your first sunlight reaching down to touch the tips of a few high leaves that do not stir as though they had not...
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Sepia Saturday
I love, absolutely love, vintage greeting cards. Here are a few I found on Flickr Commons and the Digital Public Library of America (dp.la) How was your Halloween? How did you celebrate? Leave a...
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