Kaifa Hotel Kaifeng

... all h** strength to make the camp** sit bett** in the truck bed. I rememb** thinking, 'Wow, she isn&#8217;t afraid of doing that, alone. Most women would want a man to do that. Jeez. I wond** if I&#8217;ll be that strong.&#8217; <br><br>I don&#8217;t think I&#8217;m quite as tough as my moth**, and I&#8217;m a little shy sometimes. But I&#8217;m not a Barbie, eith**. My moth** raised me not to worry about those standards. She raised me to create my own standards. That&#8217;s challenge enough.

... farm. In my dream his mother had to haul a horse somewhere--though I know they don't have horses -- and I had to help. It was a bumpy ride, and I could smell the leather tack. <br><br>I wanted to go to classes by Tuesday. Being sick was just, well, a waste of time. I couldn't watch TV. I couldn't read -- or study (and the HSK Chinese test is coming soon). I drifted in and out of sleep, listening to my phone catch text messages, which I ...

... us, looking at us nervously. They raced upstairs and went to an open window at one of the classrooms we&#8217;d just seen. And one jumped in. A minute later he returned with books. On his way out, he tried to do a little star jump for us, but he slipped when he hit the tiles and fell, his friend laughing ...

... Ok, bye Mike.&#8221;<br><br>And that is how I found myself in a classroom with two rows of young Chinese people&#8212;many girls, a few boys, including the instructor&#8212;earnestly thrusting our pelvises and tightening our buttocks in rhythm to early-90s hip-hop songs trying to learn the style of popping dance.<br><br>&#8220;Pop! Pop! Pop! Zhe ge jiu shi &#8216;popping!&#8217;&#8221; the instructor said, his thin body encased in large jeans with yellow writing and a baggy ...

... hi to Lauren's family, and wondered if they remembered me. I think her mother did from field hockey games. <br>"Thank you for coming." <br>"It means a lot that you came here. Thank you." But they meant not only to say hello to them and share in the grief process, but also the hometown funeral. I think that seeing one of Lauren's friends among the old ladies who loved her meant something different to them. <br><br>Death is never fair; it just happens. But it is sad ...

... doesn't speak English at all really, which is why he wants help, but it was challenging to understand all his explanations, too. He had me read, and read, and read. The way he pronounces "zh" and "x" are different from other Chinese teachers I've had and I had trouble copying his pronunciation. <br><br>The text, though difficult, was beautiful--and much more rewarding than reading about a drivers license. We read "Spring" by Zhu Ziqing, a writer in the early twentieth century ...

This Monday, Ms. Ma of the Foreign Language College took all of the Foreign Professors (and their families) to Millennium City Park. Now, this park is no ordinary park. It is a "recreation" (and I use the word "recreation" VERY lightly) of Kaifeng during the Song Dynasty. The sprawling compound is filled with "ancient" temples, gates, watch towers, bridges, market places, lakes, and canals. The park's design is based off of a famous painting done of Kaifeng ...

... students hate to answer questions. I know this. I was a college student last year, and I hated the awkward silence that always took over class when the professor waited for someone to finally talk. However, students in China don't talk for different reasons. I would not ask questions in class when I had not read the chapter or fallen asleep during the lecture (Sorry Mom and Dad. You know how much I like to sleep....). But, almost all Chinese ...

... to stay with that girl only because I was not good at Putonghua If I just stayed with Amy only; I might not communicate with her well. Fortunately, I realized Terry was also offered to stay with Amy. I felt much more comfortable because Terry is good at Putonghua although he seemed not willing to stay with me. We then went to travel the bus and walked for while to go to our destination. Her family is operating a ...

Hey Hey and a Big G'Day toya, After a night spent in and out of half sleep onboard the Beijing bound train I rose for a coffee at seven when the lights and the crazy morning train music came on. Most mornings when I wake onboard a Chinese train I wish for a chance to stream the train radio into a real breakfast show like the JJJ, RRR or PBS breakfast shows. Strangely though I find ...