Shijiazhuang, China Travel Blogs

Week 1!
Aug 31, 2008 (57 photos)

... year. By locals I mean pretty much foreigners who have lived here for a few years. There is one guy, Jake from China; some guys from Australia, Great Britain, and somewhere in Africa. We drank a Heinken! They frequent a downtown club called Seven...so ...

ping guo = apple
Sep 12, 2008 (5 photos)

... seen anyone with a disability/handicap which lead to them explaining to us that physical/mental disabilities are frowned upon in china-very very sad but they told us if they can detect a disability with an ultra sound, they'll usually abort it ...

Friday Night Life
Sep 12, 2008 (5 photos)

Tonight I went out with Alissa, Kara, Willie, Josh and Jake. Alissa, Kara, Willie and Josh are all from Drake but are placed in different schools around the city.  Jake is a Chinese guy who is studying to get this masters in English, so he is by far ...

Early reflections -- eating our way through Shijia
Oct 3, 2007 (11 photos)

... workers have refined palates...) - and plan to return to tea alley in the Free Market before leaving. Walking in Shijiazhuang:  (Barely) controlled chaos -- that is Shijiazhuang traffic.  Not nearly as chaotic as Karachi nor as congested as ...

China by pictures
Sep 10, 2008 (22 photos)

... You can tell who washes their laundry and on which day because you see this! Makes china look very colorful     To the North of my building is this street where ...

Tea please!
Sep 9, 2008 (3 photos)

... the color of the case for the tea and they put it in a gold bag! It was probably the most relaxing thing I've done since being in China!  I'm going to take Mom, Taj and Kali, to this place when you guys come visit!  You'll love it! 

Ganbei!
Sep 8, 2008 (4 photos)

... said yes but also got some peach juice (AMAZING!!).  If you ever have the need to feel totally out of place go to a restaurant in china with random Chinese men!  They all talked and I had no idea what was going on half of the time. No one spoke ...

My new home
Sep 7, 2008 (14 photos)

... room, ect.  My new adress is below- I love getting mail so feel free to send stuff!  xoxo Foreign Affairs Division Att: Billie Pace-Graczyk Hebei Medical University No 361 Zhongshan E-Road, Shijiazhuang City Hebei Province, China

Acupuncture
Dec 12, 2008 (1 photos)

I had acupuncture done on my shoulder at the number one hospital in Shijiazhuang, the largest of all five hospitals.  I went with one of my American friends, Angela, who teaches a group of doctors who work here.  She said she had a headache so ...

Praising the Chinese toilet - & other matters
Oct 13, 2007 (10 photos)

... a single rotten vegetables lobbed in my direction). Afterward, we returned through the thickening smog to Hebei Normal in central Shijiazhuang. Visit to Hebei Medical University (HMU):  This is the oldest (modern) university in China, dating from ...

Willie's Birthday
Apr 8, 2009 (1 photos)

Willie's Birthday Video

Leaving Shijiazhuang + Generic Westerner at Wall
Oct 22, 2007 (19 photos)

... my colleague Min Li at the UW. The Jingshi Hotel is new, very modern - a contrast to the our hotel in Shijiazhuang which, while perfectly adequate, could probably use a refurb.   (Given the tight budgets for universities, this is unlikely to ...

Santa Claus is comin' to Shijiazhuang!
Dec 14, 2008 (152 photos)

I have added some photos and videos of the "Shijiazhuang English Language Talent Show."  I was an honorable judge at this even!  I really didn't do anything because the range of points was from 9.0- 10 and I gave just about everyone a 9.8!   ...

September is the BEST month!
Sep 15, 2008 (127 photos)

... from Helen two times a week and it basically took us one whole class to learn those three sentences! I bought a volleyball in China! And have made Willie play with me on the play ground. Willie plays basketball with the boys but i don't think I am ...

My Chinese Birthday!
Sep 24, 2008 (34 photos)

... want to take a second to tell you all that although I write on here about how much I am enjoying my life and experiences so far in China; I really do think about my family and my friends a lot and miss you all sooooo much. Drew, I miss you a ton too even ...

College Life
Dec 20, 2008 (5 photos)

This week I have been teaching my students about American college life.  I have learned of a few differences.  First, in their dorm rooms there are 8 students in about the same size space as American college dorms.   They have 2desks, ...

Wake me up when we get to China.
Aug 27, 2008 (7 photos)

... , I am using "quotes" when I name something based on what I know and how it looked and tasted! Long story short, we arrived in Shijiazhuang yesterday, Aug. 26 around 10 am. I really hope that Monday, Aug. 25th was not my day to win the lottery or that ...

Ni hao from China
Sep 3, 2008

... wanted me to have it!  I have finally found a site that allows me to access it and thus bring you up to speed on China.  I have been here less than a week but have already experienced so many things that my head is still spinning! 

Autumn in the Shiz
Nov 2, 2008 (70 photos)

Autumn in the Shiz!  

tuesday lunch
Dec 20, 2008

... been pretty weak.  I would speak in my broken Chinese- saying things like I am a teacher- I am from America- I live in Shijiazhuang, my name is- very simple things.  She kept talking to me in Chinese and I had no idea what she was saying so she ...

Hally
Dec 20, 2008 (15 photos)

... .  Most of the other people I have met are very shy or very clingy.  If I see these people for a long time I get really annoyed.   I hope that when you Mom, Kali and Taj come to Shijiazhuang I will get to introduce Hally to you. 

massage china style!
Dec 20, 2008 (7 photos)

... massage ever.  She worked my legs and ankles and feet.  I believe that she could have been the strongest woman in China because at some points her massage brought tears into my eyes from her pushing into my flesh!  Then I flipped over and ...

Shijiazuang and Zhengding
Aug 27, 2005 (6 photos)

... no street signs didn't help). Eventually I hopped in a taxi and soon discovered that there are infact two train stations in Shijiazhuang, something LP neglected to mention. I got a little to close to the seedier side of the city - unintentionally, of ...

mid autunm festival
Sep 15, 2008 (35 photos)

... Josh, Alissa and myself) had no idea where we were going nor what to expect.  During out wait (a common trend in china) a Chinese boy and his mother approached our group and started to speak with us. The boy, who's name was James, spoke better ...

Education, social policy, and -what else? - food
Oct 6, 2007 (18 photos)

... see his parents). In addition, the tourist attractions - those in Xi'an, Beijing, Shanghai, etc. - are similarly crowded. Shijiazhuang, on the other hand has been remarkable pleasant and fun. Fewer vehicles mean less pollution and noise. And the city ...

Botanical Garden/Duck Head
Sep 17, 2008 (28 photos)

... nbsp; We arrived at the garden however to find empty garden beds and dirt everywhere.  We decided that Des Moines and Shijiazhuang are no longer friends...hehe    At one point Alissa and I had to go to the bathroom really badly ...

Time for a haircut!
Dec 20, 2008

... around her face- he cut it in a very blunt manner.  We paid 35RMB for our cuts- apparently this is very expensive in China.  I did not know this until I talked with my classes about it.  Most students here will pay 5-10RMB for a cut.  ...

On quitte enfin la nationale...
Aug 25, 2006 (11 photos)

Le 6eme jour, on quitte enfin la grosse route pour emprunter une petite route beaucoup plus sympa et bien moins frequentee. La, les paysages commencent a devenir interessants, et la route moins plate. Vers 14h, la pluie commence a tomber. Un couple nous ...

lay of the land
Jun 24, 2007

i'm finally starting to get used to hearing chinese all the time.  before it seemed like i didn't understand a thing but now i'm starting to get the hang of it.  Qi Long (the boy I'm living with) is pretty good about explaining stuff when I don ...

day 1
Jun 23, 2007

I Made it Hey everyone! I finally made it to Shijiazhuang, the provincial capital of Hebei.  The trip itself was pretty complicated: Detroit airport to Washington DC, 5 hour layover, DC to Beijing, a bus ride to the train station, train to ...