Jiaojiang Hotel Taizhou

... In the armed forces of Prussia, Crimea, and other Eastern European nations, it was common for officers to wear extremely tight, wide belts around the waist, on the outside of the uniform. These tightly cinched belts served to draw in the waist and give the wearer a trim physique, emphasizing wide shoulders and a pouting chest. Oftentimes the belt served only to emphasize a waist made small by a corset worn under the uniform, a practice which was common especially during the ...

Well, I jinxed myself by saying that no one had been in the hospital yet, Elise had to go in to get fluids and antibiotics. We think she drank some water in her bath, because she threw up and had diarrhea all night. (Everyone else was fine and we had all eaten the same food.) She continued to throw up all day and the following night, so that 36 hours later, she needed some IV fluids and she was running a slight fever so the doctor ...

... of China. My mom says they just can’t control the population as well in the country, like they can in the city. We’ve found it to be really nice, not to be stared at or out of the ordinary. People generally have 2 kids, so 4 is still a lot, but people here don’t seem to bat an eye, or be too surprised by it. They’re so used to seeing people from overseas, that ...

... interesting to see where normal people live and how they live. Here’s a few things that we noticed. Everyone in all the houses owns at least a few chickens. Our uncle owns hundreds! When we were there, we were also treated to 17 course meals and tons of fruit. Finally, when we went to my grandpa’s grave, they set off real fireworks and tons of firecrackers!

One night we brought a bunch of fireworks that we ...

... car. My mom said that her father used to say that it took more than ½ a day to walk to the city center. Here is a picture of our great grandfather’s house. It included all 3 parts in this picture. My mom said when they were little, they visited and it was one huge (all connected) 2 story house. My ‘Tai-Gung’ (great grandfather) was a ...

... of it. Many people from Qingtian have been moving overseas, starting businesses, and mailing money back to their families, so we’ve found this "small city" to be relatively cosmopolitan! There are many overseas Qingtian people living mostly in Europe. We’ve heard people speaking fluent Spanish, French and German here. Actually very few go to America, so we haven’t heard any English!

This weekend we took a trip to Lin Hai for a hometown visit. The family of a student that I have been working with invited our group to a visit of their hometown. We had a chance to visit the Great Wall of the South, an Old City and Guoqing Temple. Today was my 22nd ...

... déverse tout dans la rue et on y fait aussi cuire le tofu, et autres denrées plus ou moins appétissantes et odorantes... Bref je vous passe beaucoup de détails pendant une semaine je vais me rendre de là ou j'ai pris une chambre (j'ai dù changer 3 fois d'hotel dans la semaine pour cause de pas d'eau dans la douche,puis de pas d'eau chaude et enfin de déplacement autoritaire des autorités. Le monastères est tout neuf (10 ans) magnifique avec beaucoup de décoration d ...

... of other shops we didn't have time to go into.

We were actually there during typhoon season which was interesting as the wind was strong, there was a lot of rain and we were actually lucky to get out of the country seeing as they'd shut down a lot of the surrounding airports... but anyway, my first trip to China was very enjoyable and definately a learning experience on a work and cultural level!

... a few 'duty free' cocktails, i feel i need to ...) 1. First time overseas 2. First time over the equator 3. First time on the right hand side of the road 4. First time experiencing Chinese drivers. Now ... if anyone tells you that Chinese drivers are quiet and reserved ... THEY'RE LYING!!!! To see trucks overtaking each other on the left, in the emergency lane (called the "Sudden Stopping" lane), is quiet ... ummm ... breathtaking shall we ...