My phone screen lit up, a message from my Chinese friend briefly lighting up the screen ‘元宵节快乐！Happy Yuan Xiao Festival.' A cute picture of a dog dancing with a lantern hanging off its paw accompanied her holiday greetings on the last day of the Chinese New Year holiday. Yuan Xiao is a 2,000-year-old holiday in... Continue Reading →
Oh how I love Chinese New Year, a festival that has blown out the cobwebs in Guangzhou, brought sweet rain and fresh air, and given the grimiest street corner to most sparkling skyscraper a new clarity and shine. Chinese New Year festivities last 15 days, beginning on the first day of the new moon and... Continue Reading →
Guangzhou is abuzz with anticipation for Chinese New Year. Personally, it reminds me of the feeling the week before Christmas when looking forward to the day is almost better than the day itself. People are out washing the streets, the windows, the storefronts; planting new trees, flowers, and installations celebrating the year of the dog; selling... Continue Reading →
"B liù shí èr! B liù shí èr!" The automated ticket counter yells "B62" in high-pitched nasal Mandarin, as the five of us stand near the restaurant hostess willing the number to turn over to our ticket, B63. We have been waiting for about half an hour to try a new Uighur restaurant in the downtown... Continue Reading →
When I found out that my husband and I were moving to Guangzhou, the first thing I did, after saying "Wow! We're going to China!, was to look up Guangzhou on Wikipedia, because I'd never heard of it and had no idea where it was. Which is crazy when you consider that it is the... Continue Reading →
Learning Mandarin has been one of the most fulfilling aspects of my time in Guangzhou. I've spent some time reflecting recently on the ways in which language learning has opened up my world here, helped me make friends, and allowed me to get to know Guangzhou better. With that in mind, here's a look into... Continue Reading →
Happy Wanderings 